1 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,040 {\an8}When the United States enters the war, 2 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,360 {\an8}it's understood that a second front is needed to defeat Nazi Germany. 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,000 The Red Army and Soviet people 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,840 {\an8}have taken the brunt of the Nazi onslaught 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,040 {\an8}for nearly a year, and now Soviet leader Joseph Stalin 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,360 {\an8}demands that the Western Allies do their part. 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,520 The Allies disagree where to attack. 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,200 {\an8}American military leaders want to invade France, 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,040 the most direct route to Berlin. 10 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:34,800 But Churchill and his generals, 11 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,560 {\an8}still haunted by the horrible cost of World War I, 12 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,440 {\an8}are reluctant to invade Europe before they're ready. 13 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,280 {\an8}And so the decision is made to attack the Germans 14 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:50,920 {\an8}in North Africa, in an invasion codenamed Operation Torch. 15 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,400 {\an8}The Americans, inexperienced and untested, 16 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,880 {\an8}are about to battle the Wehrmacht for the very first time. 17 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,240 All wars changed the world, 18 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,680 {\an8}but none of them changed the world like the Second World War did. 19 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,560 {\an8}Japan's on the march. Germany is on the march. 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,280 {\an8}No-one can imagine the nightmare they're about to unleash: 21 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,360 {\an8}the most destructive war in human history. 22 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,880 {\an8}Suddenly the world is turned upside down, 23 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:21,440 and all hell is let loose. 24 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,400 {\an8}The West is stunned by the speed of the advance. 25 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,480 {\an8}You get the Allies, led by the Big Three: 26 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,120 Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin: 27 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:39,040 {\an8}men who were dealing with immensely complicated questions. 28 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,720 {\an8}It's the biggest military operation of human history. 29 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:46,640 {\an8}The Allies have to come together, not just militarily, 30 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,280 {\an8}but industrial scale. it's a global perspective. 31 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,600 {\an8}They have to fight in every climate, 32 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,960 {\an8}from the Arctic to the jungles of the Pacific, 33 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,520 {\an8}to the deserts of Africa, and the depths of the ocean. 34 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,240 {\an8}But there was no certainty of victory. 35 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:06,960 {\an8}It was going to be a horrific bloodbath. 36 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,040 {\an8}We see humans at their absolute worst, 37 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,400 how they treat other human beings. 38 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,280 {\an8}And we see them at their best, willing to give their lives, 39 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,840 {\an8}that others might live. - World War II was a struggle 40 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,520 {\an8}in which there could be one victor and one vanquished. 41 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:48,680 {\an8}The British base of Gibraltar 42 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,720 {\an8}has long guarded the opening to the Mediterranean. 43 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,360 {\an8}Steady as a rock, for nearly 240 years, 44 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,800 {\an8}Gibraltar has stood sentinel above the harbor, 45 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:01,880 {\an8}watching over the Mediterranean fleet. 46 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,280 {\an8}The strongest fortress in the world. 47 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,680 On November 5, 1942, 48 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,400 {\an8}Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower 49 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:12,560 lands at the military airstrip. 50 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:14,200 He's arrived to take command 51 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,200 {\an8}of a joint U.S.-British ground operation 52 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,760 in North Africa, codenamed Torch. 53 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,320 {\an8}This campaign will eventually open a second front 54 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,160 {\an8}against German and Italian forces already fighting in Africa. 55 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,680 {\an8}Operation Torch is an extremely complex landing. 56 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,680 {\an8}In all, we're gonna be depositing a force 57 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:47,920 of around 100,000 troops. 58 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:49,800 And in order to deliver that force, 59 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:51,640 we've got to use 300 merchantmen 60 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,120 guarded by roughly 300 warships. 61 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,680 {\an8}Three Allied task forces are involved 62 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:00,120 in the complex manoeuvre. 63 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,760 {\an8}The East and Centrer Forces will land in Algiers and Oran. 64 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,400 {\an8}The West Task Force, sailing from America, 65 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:13,920 {\an8}will land on the beaches of Casablanca. 66 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:20,280 {\an8}They have to rendezvous at sea, hundreds of miles away, 67 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:22,240 {\an8}then carry out simultaneous landings 68 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,920 {\an8}across nearly 1,000 miles of North African Coast. 69 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,800 {\an8}Nothing remotely like it had ever been carried out before. 70 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,240 {\an8}Eisenhower is hand-picked by President Roosevelt 71 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:35,800 to lead the alliance, 72 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,200 {\an8}to the surprise of many American and British military commanders. 73 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,840 {\an8}He's been a high-level staff officer for years, 74 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,640 {\an8}but this will be his first wartime operation. 75 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,080 {\an8}Dwight Eisenhower, a year ago, had been a colonel. 76 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,360 {\an8}And now, he's been advanced to lieutenant general. 77 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,200 {\an8}Eisenhower has never held a combat command. 78 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,000 {\an8}He was not actively involved in World War I. 79 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:03,040 Never seen the Somme. 80 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:04,920 Never seen Passchendaele. 81 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:06,640 Never seen a man die 82 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,640 in their arms in combat. 83 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:11,960 Who is this man, Eisenhower? 84 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,880 {\an8}Eisenhower is wickedly competitive and really intelligent. 85 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,440 {\an8}And the other thing is, he's not an ego. 86 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,800 {\an8}He's pretty humble. He gets along with people, 87 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:23,400 which is utterly important 88 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,640 {\an8}when you think about the centre of gravity 89 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:27,360 for the Allies is the alliance. 90 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:31,680 {\an8}From day one, in Eisenhower's new role. 91 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:34,800 {\an8}as Supreme Commander, he has a pile of problems on his plate. 92 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:36,920 {\an8}He has to run this gigantic operation. 93 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,040 {\an8}Nothing on this scale has ever been done before. 94 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:41,440 He has to keep it secret. 95 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:44,960 {\an8}Eisenhower will need to co-ordinate 96 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,120 the American and British commands 97 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:49,760 {\an8}and synchronise all elements of Torch. 98 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,680 {\an8}Ultimately, every aspect of the operation, 99 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:58,320 {\an8}including preparing unproven American soldiers for combat, 100 00:05:58,480 --> 00:05:59,880 is on his shoulders. 101 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,360 {\an8}One of the reasons they've chosen North Africa 102 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,280 as a theatre for American troops 103 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,760 {\an8}is because it will give them an opportunity of blooding them, 104 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,560 {\an8}they're inexperienced, most of them hadn't even seen combat, 105 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,160 {\an8}against an incredibly formidable foe. 106 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:19,800 {\an8}The German troops were battle-hardened. 107 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:22,280 {\an8}They'd been in the field now for two full years. 108 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:24,800 {\an8}They'd conquered various kinds of climes, 109 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,000 {\an8}various kinds of terrain, various kinds of enemies. 110 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:29,320 They'd beaten them all. 111 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:35,280 {\an8}By the summer of 1942, the Nazi empire is huge. 112 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,680 {\an8}It goes all the way from the western coast of France 113 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:42,960 {\an8}to well inside the borders of the Soviet Union. 114 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,200 {\an8}All continental Europe, effectively, is controlled by the Nazis. 115 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,000 {\an8}The Germans control most of Europe, 116 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,680 {\an8}but that's not the sum total of Hitler's ambitions. 117 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:55,680 {\an8}Germany has to be a global empire, 118 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:57,080 he says many times. 119 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:01,160 {\an8}So now, the focus turns outside of Europe to North Africa. 120 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:05,520 {\an8}German and Italian forces are already fighting the British 121 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,320 {\an8}in North Africa, threatening the Suez Canal, 122 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,520 {\an8}the vital supply line between Britain and India. 123 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,000 British imperial strategists 124 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,360 {\an8}have always been obsessed with the Suez Canal, 125 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:20,360 {\an8}the great artery of the British Empire. 126 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,480 {\an8}It joins Britain and its empire in the East, 127 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,080 {\an8}particularly India, jewel of the British Empire. 128 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,360 {\an8}The danger is that the Axis forces move 129 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,440 {\an8}from there to control of the oil fields of the Middle East. 130 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:38,000 {\an8}And if all of that happens, they're gonna sever the supply lines 131 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,640 {\an8}to the rest of the Empire. Winston Churchill 132 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,120 {\an8}also wants to get the Americans in the fight against the Axis 133 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,600 as soon as possible. 134 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:51,480 {\an8}Roosevelt believed that American troops. 135 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,600 {\an8}need to be in the field against the Axis powers 136 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,040 in 1942. 137 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,960 {\an8}The people needed to feel that we were striking back. 138 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,080 {\an8}We need to figure out how to fight a modern battle. 139 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,080 {\an8}and this is where the army is gonna use 140 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:08,720 as its proving ground. 141 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:11,600 {\an8}There are valuable lessons to be learned. 142 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:13,680 {\an8}North Africa might be a place to do it. 143 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,040 {\an8}But there's an immediate challenge. 144 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:20,920 {\an8}The future landing spots on North Africa's coast 145 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,520 are on Vichy French territory. 146 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,200 {\an8}The French empire is the second largest in the world, 147 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,040 behind only that of Great Britain, 148 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,280 {\an8}with immense manpower and resources at its disposal. 149 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:36,200 {\an8}The French still control Morocco, 150 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,240 Algeria, and Tunisia. 151 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,520 {\an8}After France surrenders to Germany in 1940, 152 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:46,520 the country is split in two. 153 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:50,640 {\an8}The southern half of France is ruled by the Vichy government, 154 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:53,480 {\an8}which collaborates with Nazi Germany. 155 00:08:55,680 --> 00:08:59,720 {\an8}It's led by World War I hero Marshal Philippe Petain. 156 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,080 Eisenhower is anxious. 157 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:13,440 {\an8}Will the French in North Africa resist the American landing? 158 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,000 {\an8}No-one's clear exactly how many soldiers 159 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,800 {\an8}and what military assets the French have in North Africa. 160 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:27,040 {\an8}What they do know is that the French have 161 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,680 a lot of very modern warships there. 162 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,680 {\an8}They also have about 120,000 soldiers, 163 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:35,040 {\an8}although no-one knows exactly how well trained, 164 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,320 {\an8}or, most crucially, their morale, what they're inclined to do. 165 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,560 {\an8}American diplomats in North Africa believe 166 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,600 {\an8}the French are unlikely to resist the invasion, 167 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:48,440 but cannot guarantee it. 168 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,320 {\an8}Eisenhower has been sending messages 169 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,560 {\an8}to various Vichy governors in North Africa, 170 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:57,000 hoping for co-operation. 171 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:06,800 {\an8}On November 7, over 600 ships gather 172 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,440 at their meeting points out at sea. 173 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:14,080 {\an8}The warning order is flashed to the waiting ships. 174 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,960 H-Hour is confirmed: November 8. 175 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,280 The Allies are ready to land. 176 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,960 {\an8}On November 7th, more than 100,000 Allied troops 177 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:50,600 {\an8}are waiting off the coast of North Africa. 178 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,600 {\an8}There's risk. Amphibious operations require 179 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,120 detailed, advance preparation. 180 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,040 {\an8}What are the tides? What's the footing gonna be? 181 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,360 {\an8}How close can landing craft get? Are there mines? 182 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,520 Are there underwater obstacles? 183 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,040 {\an8}The first wave of landing craft 184 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:22,240 from East and Center Task forces 185 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,480 {\an8}set off for the beaches at Algiers and Oran. 186 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,760 {\an8}Shortly after, fighter support takes off from Gibraltar. 187 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,160 {\an8}Ike Eisenhower must have been incredibly nervous, 188 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,480 {\an8}and was nervous, we know, from his naval aide, 189 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,440 {\an8}who writes that Ike is like a "cat on bricks." 190 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,160 {\an8}Even though the weather was kind of bad the night before, 191 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:53,000 {\an8}when they actually started unloading their landing craft 192 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,120 {\an8}and moving those craft up to the beaches, 193 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,120 {\an8}the surf is low enough that they're able 194 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:00,240 {\an8}to get initial landing forces onto the beaches successfully. 195 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:04,760 {\an8}The first reports Eisenhower receives 196 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,320 {\an8}from the landing craft on the beaches are encouraging, 197 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:12,760 {\an8}but when large Allied warships enter the ports of Algiers and Oran, 198 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:14,120 the French open fire. 199 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,640 {\an8}The Allies keep moving. and overcome the French 200 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:25,040 a day later. 201 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,320 {\an8}On the Atlantic landing point at Casablanca, 202 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:31,200 it's a different story. 203 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,680 {\an8}Eisenhower entrusts this force to his old friend, 204 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,360 Major General George S. Patton Jr. 205 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,400 George Patton is a commander 206 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:42,440 {\an8}who believes in aggressive leadership. 207 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:46,440 {\an8}He is a fast-talking disciplinarian, 208 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,920 {\an8}a character easily recognisable to the average soldier. 209 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:54,800 {\an8}As the Western Task Force nears shore, 210 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,760 {\an8}Patton delivers a speech to his troops 211 00:12:57,920 --> 00:12:59,960 {\an8}over each ship's public address system. 212 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:03,880 Soldiers and sailors, 213 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,720 {\an8}it is not known whether the French African Army 214 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,360 {\an8}will contest our landing, but all resistance, 215 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:14,160 {\an8}by whomever offered, must be destroyed. 216 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:18,280 In the early morning, 217 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:22,040 {\an8}Allied warships enter the harbour at Casablanca. 218 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:29,640 {\an8}The French do as they've been instructed to do. They resist. 219 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:34,000 This was an invading force, 220 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,800 {\an8}and the French open fire on the ships. 221 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:42,000 {\an8}It's the last thing in the world that an amphibious operation needs. 222 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,760 {\an8}Just a couple of heavy shells can destroy a landing. 223 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:52,720 {\an8}Despite French resistance, Americans continue their attack, 224 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,440 from the air as well as by sea. 225 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,080 {\an8}The result is actually the largest naval battle 226 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,600 {\an8}in the Atlantic during the war. 227 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,640 {\an8}Despite Eisenhower's diplomatic efforts, 228 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:11,120 {\an8}the troop landings face heavy French opposition. 229 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:15,760 {\an8}Nobody on the American or British side, 230 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,200 {\an8}least of all Eisenhower, wants American forces 231 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,920 {\an8}fighting French forces, and does not want that to go on 232 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:22,680 for any extended period of time. 233 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:25,560 {\an8}Eisenhower writes what he calls 234 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:27,720 the 'Worries of a Commander.' 235 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,440 {\an8}"No Frenchman immediately available, 236 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:35,720 {\an8}no matter how friendly toward us, seems able to stop the fighting." 237 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,160 {\an8}Then, with Operation Torch in danger of failing, 238 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:45,320 {\an8}the Allies contact a senior French military officer 239 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,400 {\an8}with the power to provide a solution. 240 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:52,240 {\an8}It just so happens that the commander in chief 241 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,640 {\an8}of French forces, Admiral Francois Darlan, 242 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:56,480 is in North Africa at this time, 243 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,120 visiting his son, who has polio. 244 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,600 {\an8}Although Darlan is a key Vichy collaborator, 245 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:04,680 {\an8}he is the only man with the authority 246 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,040 to stop the French counter-attack. 247 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:10,800 {\an8}Darlan had been a deep collaborator 248 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:15,280 {\an8}with the Germans and the Nazi presence in Vichy, France. 249 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:18,760 {\an8}And as distasteful as a figure he is, 250 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,840 {\an8}he holds the key to stopping Vichy French resistance 251 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,320 {\an8}in North Africa. Eisenhower authorises 252 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:28,320 negotiations with Darlan. 253 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:40,080 {\an8}The Allies will put him in charge of French North Africa 254 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,320 if he agrees to an armistice. 255 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,840 {\an8}It's a dirty deal. It's an unpleasant one. 256 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:48,040 It's a nasty one. 257 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,440 {\an8}American journalists were appalled by it. 258 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:55,760 {\an8}That evening, Darlan orders a general ceasefire 259 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,880 {\an8}and tells all French forces to join the Allies. 260 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:04,120 {\an8}And so on November 11th, in the port city of Casablanca, 261 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:05,840 French guns fall silent. 262 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,040 Algeria and French Morocco 263 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:15,120 {\an8}have joined hands with the Allies against Germany and Italy. 264 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:20,160 {\an8}This has immensely eased our difficulties in French North Africa. 265 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,960 {\an8}Eisenhower thought it would save lives on both sides, 266 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,160 {\an8}and it would allow them to get on to the military mission at hand. 267 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,480 {\an8}The Allies have landed in North Africa 268 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:34,080 {\an8}and have convinced the French to fight alongside them. 269 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,240 Now, as they push east, 270 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,840 {\an8}they will face tough, battle-hardened Axis forces. 271 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:58,800 {\an8}After the Allied landings, 272 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,520 {\an8}Eisenhower moves his combined force across the North African desert. 273 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,640 {\an8}The Allied plan is not simply to approach from the west: 274 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,800 their strategy is more ambitious. 275 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:15,760 The ultimate goal, if Torch works, 276 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,160 {\an8}is the United States and the British that land. 277 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,040 {\an8}in the western part of Africa will drive to the east. 278 00:17:22,120 --> 00:17:25,560 {\an8}The British that are in the east, in Egypt, will drive to the west, 279 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:28,240 {\an8}and they will capture a German-Italian army 280 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:29,920 in between those two pincers. 281 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:33,840 {\an8}The British fighting in the east, 282 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,840 {\an8}The Eighth Army, has been battling the Afrika Korps... 283 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,640 {\an8}...led by the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel. 284 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:49,120 {\an8}He had a mystique about him. He had a World War I reputation. 285 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,240 He was a feared leader. 286 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,360 {\an8}He had the fingertip feel of a battle. 287 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:58,120 {\an8}For months, Rommel has pursued the British 288 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:01,960 {\an8}through Libya into Egypt, capturing vital supplies 289 00:18:02,120 --> 00:18:04,280 and threatening the Suez Canal. 290 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:12,280 {\an8}The Afrika Korps' success has left Prime Minister Winston Churchill 291 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:14,920 {\an8}depressed and politically vulnerable. 292 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,800 {\an8}Churchill looks like he's lost his touch. 293 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:23,200 {\an8}He faces two no confidence motions in Parliament, 294 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:26,320 {\an8}both of which he wins. But as one Labour MP says, "Well, 295 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,680 {\an8}you win the debates, but lose the battles." 296 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:32,320 {\an8}Winston Churchill is in need of victories. 297 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,480 {\an8}For Churchill and for Operation Torch, 298 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:38,760 {\an8}one battle in North Africa will be critical. 299 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,760 {\an8}Just weeks before the Allied landings, 300 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:47,960 {\an8}the British Eighth Army, led by General Bernard Montgomery, 301 00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:51,240 {\an8}prepares his troops at a little-known railway junction 302 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,320 called El Alamein. 303 00:18:55,400 --> 00:19:00,320 {\an8}From here, Montgomery plans to launch a massive counter-offensive 304 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,520 against the Afrika Korps. 305 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:07,120 {\an8}El Alamein shouldn't be viewed in isolation. 306 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,800 It's part of a broader Allied plan: 307 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:13,440 {\an8}Montgomery's Eighth Army attacking Rommel from the east, 308 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,920 {\an8}and meanwhile a vast amphibious landing 309 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,320 {\an8}in the western half of North Africa, Operation Torch, 310 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,960 {\an8}converging on Rommel from two directions 311 00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:27,520 {\an8}and eventually giving him an insoluble operational dilemma, 312 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,440 trying to maintain himself 313 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:34,040 {\an8}against not just one. but two superior enemies. 314 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:35,840 Montgomery is reinforced 315 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,800 {\an8}with American Sherman and Grant tanks, 316 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:42,960 {\an8}plus troops from India, New Zealand, South Africa, 317 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:45,040 {\an8}and the rest of the British Commonwealth. 318 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:49,520 {\an8}At last, Montgomery, who has been fighting the Wehrmacht 319 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:51,200 since the invasion of France, 320 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:56,600 {\an8}has the opportunity to go on the offensive against Rommel. 321 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,240 On the night of October 23, 1942, 322 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:15,480 {\an8}Montgomery opens the battle with a massive barrage. 323 00:20:18,360 --> 00:20:21,600 {\an8}Montgomery knows he's got to proceed step by step, 324 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:24,080 1,000 yards by 1,000 yards, 325 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:26,240 get the infantry in, 326 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:30,520 {\an8}clear the minefield. open the way for the tanks, 327 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:31,920 hold the ground. 328 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:42,240 {\an8}Rommel fights back, but he's hampered by lack of fuel. 329 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:50,240 {\an8}After days of fighting, the Eighth Army prevails. 330 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:54,960 By the 11th day of the fighting, 331 00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:57,520 {\an8}Montgomery's superior numbers and material 332 00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:59,720 finally begin to take effect. 333 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,840 {\an8}The British infantry and the New Zealand infantry 334 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,040 {\an8}break their way through the German lines 335 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:07,880 and open things up for the armour. 336 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:14,480 {\an8}Tens of thousands of men, thousands of tanks, 337 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:18,000 {\an8}hundreds of heavy artillery,. heavy losses on both sides. 338 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,960 {\an8}Inevitably, the better supplied and armed force win out, 339 00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:29,360 {\an8}and that's Montgomery's Eighth Army. 340 00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:33,400 {\an8}Winston Churchill is absolutely thrilled. 341 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,000 {\an8}This is years of planning and preparation. At lunch 342 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,720 {\an8}with the King and Queen, he says, "I bring you victory." 343 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,720 {\an8}They think he's gone mad. They haven't had victories in years. 344 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:45,200 {\an8}In London, at the Lord Mayor's Luncheon, 345 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,480 {\an8}Winston Churchill frames the victory at El Alamein 346 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,040 and puts it into context. 347 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,320 This is not the end. 348 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:58,200 {\an8}No, it is not even the beginning of the end. 349 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:01,200 {\an8}But it is perhaps the end of the beginning. 350 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,280 Montgomery's win here 351 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:14,200 {\an8}is one of the most significant British victories of the entire war. 352 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:16,840 {\an8}Montgomery has beaten Rommel at El Alamein, 353 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,240 {\an8}and Rommel is retreating as fast as he can. 354 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:25,440 {\an8}The critical pincer plan, the ultimate goal of Torch, 355 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:26,840 is underway. 356 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,000 {\an8}Montgomery certainly undertakes an epic pursuit 357 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:34,000 {\an8}from El Alamein over the wire, the Egyptian-Libyan border, 358 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,000 and now heading towards Tripoli. 359 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:39,760 In the west, 360 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:42,960 {\an8}Eisenhower's troops have moved hundreds of miles. 361 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,440 {\an8}Three weeks after landing, they're only 12 miles outside Tunis, 362 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:50,760 the capital of Tunisia. 363 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,400 When he learns this, 364 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:58,080 {\an8}Adolf Hitler is determined to stop the Allies. 365 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:02,000 {\an8}The war is not going the way he thought it was going to go, 366 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,520 {\an8}and now all of a sudden, you've got these Allies 367 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:08,320 {\an8}messing around in North Africa. This isn't supposed to happen. 368 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:16,400 {\an8}Hitler sends reinforcements, including an entire Panzer division, 369 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,560 {\an8}to the ports and air bases around Tunis. 370 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,920 {\an8}Combined with Rommel's Afrika Korps, 371 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,000 {\an8}there are now 100,000 German and Italian troops 372 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:28,200 on the continent. 373 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,280 {\an8}No-one in either camp had ever envisioned 374 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:37,800 {\an8}a gigantic continental battle being fought for Tunisia. 375 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,040 {\an8}But that's where the fortunes of war 376 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:41,880 have brought the two adversaries. 377 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:53,800 Thanksgiving, 1942. 378 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,880 {\an8}Near Tunis, American tanks clash with German Panzers 379 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,000 for the first time. 380 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,320 {\an8}The tank is the modern manifestation of land warfare. 381 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:07,400 {\an8}The idea that tanks, American tanks 382 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:08,840 are fighting German tanks, 383 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,680 {\an8}this is what FDR said would happen. We're now pushing back 384 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,720 {\an8}against Germany. - This is the actual battlefield, 385 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,680 {\an8}Germans on the left, Americans on the right. 386 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,040 {\an8}P-38s move ahead of the advancing forces. 387 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,640 These scenes were photographed 388 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:28,680 {\an8}from a hill overlooking the battlefield. 389 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:31,920 {\an8}All logic would tell you this is gonna go badly for the Americans, 390 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:33,760 with no experience of warfare. 391 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,680 {\an8}The Germans are hardened combat veterans. 392 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:38,960 {\an8}A lot of them have fought in Western Europe, 393 00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:43,120 {\an8}in all those victorious battles. - These are German Mark IV tanks. 394 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,920 {\an8}These are Panzer IVs with 75-millimetre guns, 395 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,680 {\an8}very effective. And up against them 396 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,320 {\an8}you've got relatively light American tanks. 397 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,920 {\an8}They've only got 37-millimetre guns, and the skin of the armour 398 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:56,160 isn't very effective. 399 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:00,880 {\an8}The skirmish begins badly for the Americans, 400 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:03,000 who are supported by British troops. 401 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,080 A British ammunition lorry is hit. 402 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,880 {\an8}At the start of it, they get knocked back. 403 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:11,880 {\an8}A whole troop of tanks gets wiped out. 404 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,480 {\an8}But the Allies have a second company of tanks 405 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:17,680 in reserve. 406 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,080 {\an8}They can fire into the position of. the Germa armour 407 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:23,800 {\an8}that is very weak, which is really around the belt, 408 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,320 {\an8}and also at the back of the tank. And they knock out, 409 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,480 {\an8}in the space of a few minutes, eight German Panzers. 410 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:32,120 {\an8}Watch the tank in the centre of the picture. 411 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,000 {\an8}A blast on the left of the screen has struck the centre tank. 412 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:38,960 It spins around, disabled. 413 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:42,720 There it goes. 414 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:44,760 The Panzers now withdraw. 415 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,480 {\an8}In this very first tank-to-tank skirmish, 416 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,080 {\an8}the Americans beat back the Germans. 417 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:53,680 Black smoke indicates the end. 418 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:58,480 But the offensive stalls. 419 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:04,920 {\an8}Reinforcements sent by Hitler pummel them from land and air, 420 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,640 {\an8}while the winter rains impede movement. 421 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:10,800 Just before Christmas, 422 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,240 General Eisenhower visits the front 423 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,440 {\an8}to consult with his troops and commanders. 424 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,920 {\an8}He concludes that there's no chance of reaching Tunis 425 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,480 {\an8}in the current conditions, and calls off the advance. 426 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:25,400 {\an8}A U.S. Army report from this era says, 427 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:28,600 {\an8}"At present, the Germans are making war better than we are." 428 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:38,880 In the new year, 429 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:41,480 {\an8}President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill 430 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:42,720 meet in Casablanca. 431 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,760 President Roosevelt flies in, 432 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,480 {\an8}the very first President to fly while in office. 433 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,200 {\an8}The codename of Roosevelt's secret meeting with Churchill 434 00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:06,000 {\an8}in Casablanca is Don Quixote. This is the first time 435 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:10,800 {\an8}that an American President has left the U.S. during wartime. 436 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,440 {\an8}Moving a President of the United States 437 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,800 {\an8}and his entourage is always hard. In this case, they can't send him 438 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:21,720 {\an8}by ship across the Atlantic Ocean because of German U-boats,. 439 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:25,400 {\an8}so they send him on this insane trip by rail 440 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:26,920 from Washington to Miami, 441 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,160 {\an8}then by a Clipper flying boat from Miami to Trinidad, 442 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:32,280 {\an8}Trinidad to Brazil, Brazil to Gambia, 443 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:33,600 Gambia to Casablanca. 444 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:38,360 {\an8}It's an incredibly arduous journey Roosevelt believed he had to make. 445 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:42,360 {\an8}Roosevelt and Churchill will meet numerous times 446 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,800 {\an8}throughout the war, and derive great benefit 447 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:46,720 from face-to-face meetings. 448 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,400 {\an8}Churchill can now play the part. of the great imperial warlord 449 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,200 {\an8}that, so far, he's been only through his speeches. 450 00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:56,880 Now he can do it on the ground. 451 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:58,840 {\an8}And he does what he does best, which is, 452 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,680 {\an8}roll out maps and talk grand strategy 453 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:02,040 with the U.S. President. 454 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,720 {\an8}Over ten days, the two leaders and their staffs 455 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,600 {\an8}discuss the progress of Operation Torch, 456 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,280 and plan the Allies' next steps. 457 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:18,600 It's really the high water mark 458 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:23,360 {\an8}of the Roosevelt-Churchill relationship. They're statesmen, 459 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,160 {\an8}moving chess pieces around on a board. 460 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,640 {\an8}Just before they leave, they talk to reporters 461 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:30,920 from around the world. 462 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:33,960 {\an8}The North African conference is the fourth time 463 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,680 {\an8}the two great men have met since the war began. 464 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:42,160 {\an8}To the surprise of many, including Churchill, 465 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:44,880 {\an8}Roosevelt announces a new war aim. 466 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:47,120 A new phrase was born: 467 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,280 {\an8}"unconditional surrender" for the Axis. 468 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,320 {\an8}'Unconditional surrender' meant that Nazi Germany 469 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:55,520 would have to fall. 470 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,800 {\an8}That did not mean that Germany had to be destroyed, 471 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:02,520 but Nazi power had to be smashed. 472 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:04,560 {\an8}We would now call this 'regime change.' 473 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,720 {\an8}There will be no armistice. There will be no soft surrender. 474 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,880 {\an8}There will be no repetition of World War I. 475 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:15,360 This is unconditional surrender. 476 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:21,000 {\an8}It's quite something. We're in early 1943, 477 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,160 {\an8}and it is not at all clear that the Allies 478 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:25,160 are even winning the war. 479 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:28,200 {\an8}They're having trouble taking Tunis, which is 480 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:30,200 a very long way from Berlin. 481 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:35,000 {\an8}Yet Roosevelt and Churchill know that they can produce 482 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:36,920 more than their adversaries. 483 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,120 {\an8}And if production goes as they think it will, 484 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,240 {\an8}they will be able to swamp the armies 485 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:45,800 {\an8}that the Axis puts in the field against them. 486 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,080 As the conference ends, 487 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,640 {\an8}Allied intelligence reveals Rommel's army, 488 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:54,320 pursued by Montgomery, 489 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,600 {\an8}has joined with Hitler's reinforcements. 490 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:02,760 {\an8}But the Americans and the British 491 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,160 now have them surrounded. 492 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,800 {\an8}By the end of January, 1943, 493 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,360 {\an8}the Allies are finally gaining ground 494 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,880 {\an8}against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan. 495 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:30,960 {\an8}In the Pacific, the Americans have secured Guadalcanal. 496 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:34,720 {\an8}The Allies successfully landed in the west, 497 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:38,560 {\an8}and Montgomery's Eighth Army has pressed Rommel's Afrika Korps 498 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:40,360 across a wide front. 499 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:56,880 {\an8}The Allies now surround the Axis army deep inside Tunisia. 500 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:00,520 But before they can get far, 501 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:02,640 Rommel plots a counter-offensive. 502 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,440 {\an8}He's identified a weak point in the Allied line, 503 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,160 at Kasserine Pass. 504 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:13,960 {\an8}Kasserine is this very narrow pass 505 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:15,440 only about two miles wide, 506 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,600 {\an8}and it leads into the Dorsale Mountains, 507 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:21,280 {\an8}the mountain range in the centre of Tunisia. 508 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,440 {\an8}You've got heights on either side of it. 509 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:28,240 {\an8}If Rommel can drive deep enough through Kasserine 510 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:32,120 {\an8}and into the rear areas of the Allied army, 511 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,040 {\an8}he can possibly turn things round. 512 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:38,120 {\an8}From there, he'll have all sorts of choices 513 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,880 {\an8}about what to do next: overrun Allied supply dumps, 514 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,120 {\an8}perhaps drive straight north to the sea 515 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:47,720 {\an8}and cut off the entire Allied force in Tunisia. 516 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,880 {\an8}There are 30,000 Allied troops in the region, 517 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:57,840 {\an8}but the narrow pass itself is guarded by just 2,000 men, 518 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,520 spread thinly across the terrain. 519 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:04,960 {\an8}The Allied troops in the Kasserine Pass 520 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:08,680 {\an8}are the U.S. Second Corps: infantry, engineers, artillery, 521 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:11,800 {\an8}men who, by and large, are completely inexperienced. 522 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:15,560 {\an8}The Allied forces are distributed and dispersed, 523 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:17,320 lacking mutual support. 524 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,160 {\an8}Air support is not dominant at this point. 525 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:31,000 {\an8}On February 19th, Rommel launches his attack. 526 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:35,040 {\an8}Until now, the Americans have had skirmishes 527 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,640 {\an8}with the Germans, but haven't faced a full-scale Panzer assault. 528 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:48,280 {\an8}This attack comes in with heavy artillery, 529 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:52,720 {\an8}rapid movement of German armour, 530 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,880 {\an8}and effective use of motorised infantry to clear positions. 531 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:01,240 {\an8}The American forces are caught off-guard. 532 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:07,480 {\an8}Not only is this their first major fight, 533 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:09,920 {\an8}but their commander is far behind the lines 534 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:12,640 {\an8}and doesn't communicate with the front. 535 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:15,080 The results are devastating. 536 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:19,360 {\an8}These troops, slowly but surely, 537 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:22,920 {\an8}are being outgunned, outmanoeuvered, outfought. 538 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,560 {\an8}What starts out as a defeat becomes a bit of a rout. 539 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,880 {\an8}The Axis now begins streaming up this pass. 540 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:33,280 It's just a steamroller. 541 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:37,320 {\an8}By the evening of the second day, 542 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:40,720 {\an8}U.S. defences in the pass have collapsed. 543 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:46,760 {\an8}Around 2,500 soldiers are wounded, another 2,500 taken prisoner. 544 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:49,520 {\an8}Others abandon their vehicles and flee over the hills. 545 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:56,280 {\an8}Rommel's plan is working, but then he pushes too far. 546 00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:01,120 {\an8}He sends his troops forward, seeking a way through the mountains 547 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,960 {\an8}and allowing his supply lines to get dangerously long. 548 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:09,040 {\an8}Rommel might have thought he had the U.S. Army on the run, 549 00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:11,320 {\an8}but the momentum that he had established 550 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,760 {\an8}from that opening is now beginning to wear down. 551 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:18,080 {\an8}His losses are mounting, his supplies are running out, 552 00:34:18,240 --> 00:34:20,360 {\an8}especially tank ammunition and fuel. 553 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:23,680 As Rommel weakens, 554 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:26,560 {\an8}the U.S. Army steadies itself and regroups, 555 00:34:26,720 --> 00:34:29,680 {\an8}blocking Rommel's breakout with a wall of U.S. artillery 556 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:30,840 and air support... 557 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:44,480 {\an8}...which ultimately forces Rommel to retreat. 558 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:50,480 {\an8}The Americans lose casualties and POWs taken. 559 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,000 This is a real black eye for them. 560 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:56,920 It is the punch in the face 561 00:34:57,080 --> 00:34:59,640 {\an8}that the American doctrine isn't where it should be. 562 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:03,120 {\an8}We aren't fighting the way we should. We need better training. 563 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,240 We need better leadership. 564 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:07,400 {\an8}Kasserine Pass condemns those weaknesses. 565 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:11,120 {\an8}The result of this is gonna be that Americans become 566 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:13,120 {\an8}much more serious about making sure 567 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,680 {\an8}their forces remain concentrated, particularly armoured forces, 568 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:20,280 {\an8}that we're not going to allow them to be doled out in bits and pieces. 569 00:35:22,240 --> 00:35:24,920 {\an8}General Eisenhower takes responsibility 570 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,720 {\an8}for the initial breakdown at Kasserine Pass, and makes changes 571 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:32,040 {\an8}to address logistical and operational issues. 572 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:36,720 {\an8}He also reorganises the Allied force in North Africa. 573 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:40,440 {\an8}His first move is to give General George Patton 574 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:43,240 command of the U.S. Second Corps. 575 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:45,400 Patton's a swashbuckler, 576 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,720 and he's been waiting in the wings, 577 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:49,000 and now it's his moment. 578 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,280 He's a man who is a strong leader, 579 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:56,000 {\an8}and troops respond to strong leaders. 580 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:58,920 {\an8}His subordinate commanders all know 581 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:02,160 {\an8}that he will be on the battlefield, looking over their shoulders, 582 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:06,680 {\an8}and if they are not performing. up to expectations, they're gone. 583 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:09,440 He tells his troops, famously, 584 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:13,560 {\an8}"You're not all going to be killed, only about 4% of you." 585 00:36:13,720 --> 00:36:15,920 {\an8}He reassures them, you'll probably survive, 586 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,760 {\an8}but death is going to be your companion going forward, 587 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:20,680 and I'm not going to spare you. 588 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:24,280 {\an8}We're gonna hit the Germans face to face and toe to toe. 589 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:28,480 {\an8}Eisenhower's troops are now prepared and in position 590 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:32,920 {\an8}to deal a final blow to the Axis powers in North Africa. 591 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,920 {\an8}After five months of combat, the combined Allied troops 592 00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:49,440 {\an8}have become an effective fighting force. 593 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:54,800 {\an8}General Eisenhower now marshals these troops 594 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:58,080 {\an8}for what he hopes will be a final confrontation 595 00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:01,640 {\an8}with Rommel and the Axis. - The Allied plan 596 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:04,360 is to bleed Rommel's strength off. 597 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,080 {\an8}Anytime he faces the British, theoretically 598 00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:12,040 {\an8}he can have the Americans advancing into his rear. 599 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:14,240 {\an8}Every time he turns against the Americans, 600 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:17,560 {\an8}he can have Montgomery advancing into his rear. 601 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:26,520 {\an8}On March 20th, the Allies are ready to attack 602 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:28,120 in a place called El Guettar. 603 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,760 {\an8}Patton tells his men, "We must be eager to kill. 604 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:38,760 {\an8}If we fight viciously enough, we will live to return to our family 605 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:40,640 as conquering heroes." 606 00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:44,920 {\an8}The Germans become aware of that position 607 00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:49,040 {\an8}and say to themselves, we think we can eject the Americans 608 00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:51,680 {\an8}fairly easily. We did it before at Kasserine, right? 609 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:58,640 {\an8}As German Panzers burst onto the plains at El Guettar 610 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:00,960 with Stukas plunging down, 611 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:05,160 {\an8}Patton deploys U.S. field artillery and tank destroyers. 612 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:14,400 {\an8}Patton is very aware of how to use armour, infantry, 613 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:18,360 {\an8}and artillery all together. And when the Germans put in that attack, 614 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:22,600 {\an8}the Americans greet them with a true example of combined arms. 615 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:26,440 They absolutely shellack them. 616 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,360 {\an8}Having come right after Kasserine Pass, 617 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:41,800 it has gone from failure to success. 618 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:54,880 {\an8}Over the next month, the Allies squeeze the Axis armies, 619 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,080 {\an8}and by early April, Eisenhower's forces 620 00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:01,640 {\an8}and Montgomery's Eighth Army finally join. 621 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:03,600 Eisenhower rejoices. 622 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:09,040 {\an8}"We are at last operating on a single battle line." 623 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,120 {\an8}Now the Allies set their sights on Tunis. 624 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:16,880 German resistance is ferocious... 625 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:19,840 Every hill and pass is a struggle. 626 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:25,200 {\an8}But gradually, with concentrated firepower 627 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:26,480 from two sides, 628 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,760 the Allies continue to move forward. 629 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:36,400 Almost inch by inch, 630 00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:39,720 {\an8}the Axis position in Tunisia shrinks... 631 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:45,120 {\an8}...till it's little more than an arc around the city of Tunis itself. 632 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:57,600 {\an8}On May 7, Allied troops entered Tunis 633 00:39:57,760 --> 00:39:59,680 and the Axis forces surrender. 634 00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:02,720 After the capture of Tunis, 635 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:05,320 {\an8}North Africa is finally free of the Nazis 636 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:07,200 and their fascist Italian allies. 637 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,760 {\an8}The North African campaign is over. 638 00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:15,600 {\an8}By tens, by hundreds, by thousands, 639 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:20,560 {\an8}they came. And at the end, 15 full divisions, 640 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:25,640 {\an8}266,000 of their best men, laid down their arms. 641 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,800 {\an8}Over a quarter of a million Germans and Italians are captured. 642 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:35,880 {\an8}Prisoners as far as the eye can see. 643 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:39,800 {\an8}This is a great moment for the Allied cause. 644 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:43,680 {\an8}There had been one disastrous encounter with the Germans 645 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:45,640 {\an8}after the other since this war began, 646 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:48,920 {\an8}and now I think everyone on the Allied side, 647 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,920 {\an8}especially Roosevelt, would say, the home folks can see 648 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:54,920 {\an8}that something was going right in this war. 649 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,480 {\an8}Many high-ranking Axis commanders are captured, 650 00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:12,120 {\an8}but not Rommel, who has been recalled to Germany by Adolf Hitler. 651 00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:16,840 The success of Operation Torch, 652 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,760 {\an8}combined with British victory at El Alamein, 653 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:22,440 push the Nazis out of North Africa. 654 00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:24,200 It is the first step 655 00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:26,920 {\an8}toward Allied victory over the Third Reich. 656 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:31,000 {\an8}To give you a sense of the scale of the victory in Tunisia, 657 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,720 {\an8}Churchill orders the church bells to be rung. 658 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:36,760 {\an8}They haven't been rung during the course of the whole war. 659 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:40,760 {\an8}It's an unbelievable victory for the Allies. 660 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:43,640 The tide of the war is turning, 661 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:45,440 but it's unclear what's next. 662 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:52,160 {\an8}This great victory is a monument 663 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:54,480 to the perfection of co-operation 664 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,760 {\an8}among the fighting services of several nations. I know 665 00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:01,080 {\an8}you would be proud of the way our own boys, your husbands, 666 00:42:01,240 --> 00:42:05,440 {\an8}brothers, sons, and sweethearts have delivered here for you. 667 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:11,600 Winston Churchill said, 668 00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:14,000 {\an8}"The only thing worse than fighting with allies 669 00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:16,320 is fighting without them." 670 00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:21,240 {\an8}Operation Torch demonstrates that General Eisenhower 671 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:25,120 {\an8}could command the multi-national coalition of military forces 672 00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:27,080 necessary to topple the Third Reich. 673 00:42:27,240 --> 00:42:30,280 There are many fronts in modern war. 674 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:32,160 Because of its very nature, 675 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:37,040 {\an8}the role of gathering intelligence is often obscure and misunderstood. 676 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:40,080 {\an8}But when it's successful, it can be decisive. 677 00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:43,480 That's why a small English hamlet, 678 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:47,480 {\an8}purposefully located between Cambridge and Oxford, 679 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,960 {\an8}becomes a crucial front in World War II.