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By the late fall of 1943,
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the Western Allies
and the Soviet Union
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have dealt
the Third Reich multiple blows.
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The Allies have dislodged
the Germans
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from North Africa and Sicily,
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and are fighting
their way up the Italian boot.
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While the Red Army, after victories
at Stalingrad and Kursk,
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pushes West towards Germany.
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The next step for the Allies
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is the long anticipated
invasion of Northern Europe.
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All wars change the world,
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but none of them changed the world
like the Second World War did.
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Japan's on the march.
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Germany's on the march.
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No-one can imagine the nightmare
they're about to unleash.
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The most destructive war
in human history.
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Suddenly the world
is turned upside down
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and all hell is let loose.
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The West is stunned
by the speed of the advance.
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You get the Allies
led by The Big Three:
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Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin,
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men who are dealing with
immensely complicated questions.
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It's the biggest military
operation of human history.
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The Allies have to come together,
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not just militarily,
but industrial scale.
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It's a global perspective.
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They have to fight
in every climate from the Arctic
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to the jungles of the Pacific,
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to the deserts of Africa,
and the depths of the ocean.
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But there was
no certainty of victory.
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It was going to be
a horrific bloodbath.
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We see humans
at their absolute worst,
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how they treat
other human beings,
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and we see them
at their absolute best,
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willing to give their lives
so others might live.
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World War II was a struggle
in which there could be
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one victor and one vanquished.
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{\an8}Rings over the mountains
by Baghdad and the Dead Sea.
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{\an8}Three planes from the supreme
headquarters of Britain,
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{\an8}the United States, and the USSR
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{\an8}bring to the capital of Persia the
leaders of the war against Germany.
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{\an8}This is for the three-way conference
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{\an8}so long expected,
so often postponed.
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{\an8}Tehran is a hugely
important conference.
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{\an8}It's the first time The Big Three
get together in person.
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{\an8}You've got Joe Stalin,
leader of the Soviet Union.
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{\an8}You've got Roosevelt,
President of the USA.
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{\an8}And you've got Prime Minister
Winston Churchill,
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{\an8}the warlord of the British Empire.
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This is the central organising brain
for the Allied War effort.
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{\an8}And they're gonna establish
at this conference
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{\an8}the roadmap, the blueprint
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for how they're gonna defeat the
axis in the Second World War.
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{\an8}Since the US entry into the war,
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{\an8}American and British
military strategists have debated
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the best way to defeat Nazi Germany.
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{\an8}The British wanna prosecute
this war
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{\an8}as they have prosecuted past ones:
mastery of the sea,
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control of commerce,
raids around the periphery
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until the enemy simply collapses.
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{\an8}The British advocate
for campaigns in North Africa
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{\an8}and the Mediterranean,
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but American military leaders,
along with the Soviets,
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want the Allies to directly attack.
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The Red Army's been carrying the
burden of the land war for years.
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Millions, literally millions of
casualties on a thousand-mile front.
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{\an8}And so to the big concern for Stalin
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{\an8}is, "When are you going
to open a second front?"
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{\an8}The Americans are looking
at the map and saying,
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{\an8}"We can cross the channel
from Britain, hit France.
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"Why wouldn't you just do that?""
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{\an8}For the British Empire,
they could think of nothing worse.
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Churchill's entire generation
of British politicians
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either fought in or commanded in the
First World War and were scarred.
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And so the idea of
gambling everything
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on a cross-Channel invasion
into France,
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the exact place, by the way, that so
many terrible things happened
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in trench warfare
back in the First World War,
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all that mattered was
we don't do that again.
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Winston Churchill is thinking,
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"Maybe we land in Greece
and Yugoslavia.
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"Maybe we push up through Slovenia.
"Maybe we land in Norway."
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Stalin says, "I don't care
about any of this stuff.
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"It's nonsense. Get in some ships,
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"cross the English Channel,
land in France,
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"and open up that proper second
front against the Germans."
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If you think about
Allied leadership,
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it looks as if it's The Big Three,
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{\an8}but what Roosevelt understands,
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{\an8}what Stalin understands,
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{\an8}and what Churchill,
to his great anguish,
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is coming to understand
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is that there's only room
for two people at the summit
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and that the fate of his nation
was to be somewhat in eclipse.
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At Tehran,
the Americans and the Soviets
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finally get their way,
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a big, American-dominated invasion
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of Western Europe,
Operation Overlord.
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Operation Overlord will be
a massive coordinated invasion
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by air, land, and sea,
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scheduled to launch in May, 1944,
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a mere six months away.
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If it succeeds, the Western
Allies and the Red Army
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will be able to advance
on Germany from two fronts.
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But who is to command
this enormous effort?
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The obvious choice
is George Marshall.
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George Marshall
is the army chief of staff
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{\an8}and he is unquestionably the
most respected military man,
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{\an8}certainly in the United States
and maybe even the world.
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And so everybody
assumes that he's gonna get it.
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What becomes clear, though,
is that Roosevelt realises
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that he can't have Marshall
out of Washington.
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He needs him too much to be, sort
of, running the entire war effort.
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And so then the question is, "Who?"
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Montgomery, Churchill's
star general, is absolutely certain
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that there is one man perfectly
suited to be supreme commander
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of the Allied effort,
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and that is Montgomery himself.
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But with the American
contribution in men and materiel
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about to dominate the Allied effort,
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it's clear that an American
must be placed in command.
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President Roosevelt selects
General Dwight Eisenhower,
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a protege of George Marshall
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and the successful commander
of the campaigns
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in North Africa and Sicily.
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Roosevelt sees in Eisenhower
the kind of political skill
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and savvy that's going
to be necessary
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to keep the alliance together
and to pull off
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what is going to be one of the most
high-risk military operations
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in all of human history.
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At the same time,
Eisenhower did not have
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a huge CV of combat experience.
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He hadn't served in France
during the First World War,
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and so, many of his competitors
looking around going,
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"How did this guy get the job?"
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British General Montgomery maybe
encapsulates the criticism
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of Eisenhower when he says,
"Nice chap, no soldier."
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Hitler and his high command
know the Western Allies
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are going to invade Northern Europe,
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but they don't know when
and they don't know where.
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Hitler is not surprised
that an invasion is coming.
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He said so at the end of 1943.
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"They'll be here next year. We have
to be ready to meet them."
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In his own mind, he was willing
this cross-Channel invasion
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{\an8}because he said,
"Whenever they come
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{\an8}"and wherever they come,
we're gonna beat them."
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An amphibious landing
is a very demanding operation,
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{\an8}and so he thinks he will
throw his reserves to the west
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{\an8}and push the Allies
back into the sea.
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He'd then be able to win the war
by turning everything he has
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against the Soviet Union
in the east.
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Under the direction
of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel
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the Germans accelerate the
construction of the Atlantic Wall...
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...a network of bunkers,
minefields, and beach obstacles
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stretching several thousand
miles from France to Norway.
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Much of the work is performed
by conscripted French labour.
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Rommel is already
a known commodity.
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He's beloved by the German people.
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He's young, he's unorthodox,
he's energetic.
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He's a man very much
to the Fuhrer's taste.
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He wakes up early,
he works hard all day.
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He gets the job done.
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And choosing Rommel tells the West,
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"You've got your work
cut out for you."
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By January, Operation Overlord,
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the joint British American plan
to invade Northwest Europe,
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has been largely mapped out.
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The coast of Normandy is
chosen as the landing site
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because of its long, flat beaches,
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numerous access roads,
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and proximity to the deep-water port
of Cherbourg.
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When Eisenhower and his staff
take control of Overlord,
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they look to expand the scale
and scope of the entire operation.
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From the very beginning,
it was clear to Eisenhower
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that a three-division invasion
in northern France
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would not be adequate.
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The Allies use six divisions
to invade Sicily.
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Eisenhower realises
if you've got one shot at this,
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you've gotta cross
this brutal stretch of water
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and land on a heavily
defended coastline,
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manned by one of
the best armies in history,
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you need to bring
overwhelming force.
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You go for the king,
you best not miss.
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But he has to somehow get the
Brits to come around and agree.
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His act of genius is
to name Montgomery
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commander of the ground forces
in the invasions.
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He says, "Monty, will you do this?"
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Eisenhower says, "But I think
three divisions is a bit small.
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"Shouldn't it be bigger?"
Monty says, "Should be much bigger."
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It's a perfect example of
Eisenhower's leadership style.
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He gets buy-in from people
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and then get whatever he wants done, done.
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Overlord increases to five
beaches and six divisions,
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which delays the operation
for a month.
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Eisenhower knows
that, in delaying Overlord,
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he's running a risk, and the risk is
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he's gonna use that extra month
for preparation.
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But, of course,
so is his adversary.
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With each passing day...
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...German defences
are going to get stronger.
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Field Marshall Erwin Rommel
believes
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the first 24 hours of the invasion
will be decisive.
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He will say to an aide,
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"The fate of Germany
depends on the outcome.
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"For the Allies,
as well as Germany,
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"it will be the longest day."
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{\an8}Rommel thinks that you have
to defeat the Allied invasion
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{\an8}when it comes at the water's edge.
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But the thing is, there's so many
points that the Allies can invade.
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They've scattered
fortifications everywhere.
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So he's, like, "How do I take this
incomplete Atlantic wall
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"and fill in the gaps?"
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You do it with things
that are relatively cheap,
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like tank obstacles, like mines.
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Rommel's strategy is to stop
the Allies on the beaches.
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He can then bring in his panzers
where necessary.
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Rommel has a lot of experience
fighting the Western powers.
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He knows this isn't gonna be easy.
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{\an8}Every minute he prepares,
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{\an8}he believes is a minute
closer to a German victory.
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In Britain, the Allies amass
resources for Operation Overlord.
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The United States sends
soldiers, tanks, aircraft,
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and large amounts of supplies.
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You have to co-ordinate
this massive Allied coalition,
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which is now dominated
by the Americans,
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00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:50,920
you know, on the supply side, right?
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Gotta ship over all the oil,
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all the materiel, all the vehicles.
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The scale of Operation Overlord
is just enormous.
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{\an8}You are talking about nearly
7,000 vessels involved.
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You are talking about tens of
thousands of artillery pieces.
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You are talking about
hundreds of thousands of men.
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But what that means is that Britain,
for the last two and a half years,
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has just been turning into one
huge great big military camp.
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To deceive the Germans,
the Allies devise
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00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,040
and execute a deception plan.
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Operation Fortitude is a
false army operation created
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to trick the Germans
into thinking the Allies
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will land at Pas-de-Calais,
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which is the shortest root
across the English Channel.
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00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,360
The elements that were involved
242
00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,520
in convincing the Germans that the
attack was coming in another place,
243
00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:51,480
{\an8}another direction,
another location, it's massive.
244
00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,000
False radio traffic,
the creation of false armies.
245
00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,640
{\an8}They used dummy vehicles,
246
00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:01,760
{\an8}balloons,
and rubber tanks, and aircraft.
247
00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:04,840
This is all part
of the deception campaign
248
00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:07,960
to keep the Germans guessing
until the last second.
249
00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,480
Eisenhower hopes Fortitude
will prompt the Germans
250
00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,200
to concentrate
their forces near Calais
251
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,120
rather than Normandy.
252
00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,720
The Germans have about
three quarters of a million men
253
00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:25,320
{\an8}who are poised
to be able to mobilise
254
00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,480
{\an8}to wherever the Allies
invade in northern Europe.
255
00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:31,240
And so he knows
that this is going to be a race.
256
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,960
It's going to be the Allies over
water and the Germans over land,
257
00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:36,000
and the Germans are always going
to have an advantage
258
00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:38,400
in moving over land.
259
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,440
And so Eisenhower needs
to slow them down.
260
00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,440
The only tool that Eisenhower has
at his disposal...
261
00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:47,960
...are the bombers.
262
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,920
Eisenhower knows
from previous experience
263
00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,680
he can't pull off an amphibious
invasion and keep it ashore
264
00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,200
without dominance in the air.
265
00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:03,720
{\an8}Unless Allied air power
is there for Eisenhower,
266
00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,280
{\an8}this landing is never gonna happen.
267
00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:09,280
Starting in 1944,
268
00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:11,600
Allied Air Force strategy
269
00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,920
focuses on destroying the Luftwaffe,
so that troops can land in Normandy
270
00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,520
without fear of German air attacks.
271
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:21,720
But Eisenhower also
wants to hit railways
272
00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:25,120
and transportation
hubs throughout France.
273
00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:28,800
Eisenhower wants
the roads destroyed,
274
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,680
he wants the bridges destroyed.
275
00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:33,920
he wants the railway yards
destroyed.
276
00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,440
{\an8}He does not want one German unit
moving two miles down the road
277
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,800
{\an8}without him having
to build another bridge.
278
00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:41,600
And so Eisenhower says,
279
00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:43,560
"Those very valuable
bomber formations
280
00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,000
"need to be working to my plan."
281
00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,000
Now, the bomber commander is, like,
"No,
282
00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:52,560
"we've got our own
way of winning this war."
283
00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,400
Everybody wants to support
the landings in Normandy,
284
00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,480
but the Allied Air Forces argue
285
00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,680
that the best way to do that
is to continue
286
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:01,720
with more heavy attacks on Germany.
287
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,360
This becomes a knockdown,
drag-out fight.
288
00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,960
So Eisenhower, you know,
basically threatens to resign,
289
00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,120
if he's not given control
over all the air forces.
290
00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,040
He's fighting day in and day out
291
00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:17,960
with the British, with the French,
292
00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:19,840
with his own bosses
back in Washington
293
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:21,720
on every little detail of the war,
294
00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:23,960
and everyone is throwing up
nothing but obstructions,
295
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:27,440
and he just doesn't have time
for this anymore, right?
296
00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,840
He is at his wits end.
297
00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,240
He needs overwhelming
strength to guarantee success
298
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,000
because you know what?
299
00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:37,080
You've got one of history's
most effective armies,
300
00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,440
Hitlers panzers,
301
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,600
who will be hurled
at those Allied landing forces,
302
00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,680
so they can chop you down
in the shallows
303
00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:46,800
and turn the waters
red with your blood.
304
00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,360
Early spring 1944.
305
00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:05,600
Supreme Allied Commander
Dwight Eisenhower
306
00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:09,240
has now been given full command
of all Allied air forces.
307
00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,880
In the end, he's got the air-power
weapon he needs
308
00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:18,640
to attack the French
transportation system.
309
00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,800
That's roads, railways, and bridges
310
00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,680
{\an8}that the Germans will use to move
forces to oppose the landings.
311
00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:32,640
And so he wins, and we take that
for granted, but it wasn't easy.
312
00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,240
{\an8}He had to, like wrestle, with all
these powerful figures and egos,
313
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,040
{\an8}not only within the US military,
but the British military as well.
314
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,480
It's another example of Eisenhower's
real quality as a leader.
315
00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,840
And so for 90 days before D-Day,
316
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,000
you've got thousands of sorties.
317
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:53,600
Bombs away.
318
00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:02,240
By P-47 and B-26 marauders
319
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,520
that are flying behind
the German lines...
320
00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:09,880
...in the Pas-de-Calais in Normandy.
321
00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,400
It's just absolutely punishing
the road and rail network.
322
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,520
Defending multiple fronts,
the resources of Hitler
323
00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:34,560
and his Third Reich
are stretched thin.
324
00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:40,840
For the Germans in 1944,
325
00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,200
{\an8}their last big trump card
are the tanks.
326
00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:55,480
Rommel's plan is to deploy them
as close as possible to the beaches.
327
00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,840
The advantage is that
you can bring them in
328
00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,000
much quicker as reinforcements,
329
00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:05,680
but this idea runs against
traditional German doctrine.
330
00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:07,240
It's totally the opposite.
331
00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,360
The orthodox approach
amongst German commanders
332
00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,880
is to group your tank divisions
into a concentrated mass,
333
00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:17,960
let the Allies land,
334
00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:20,640
and then, as they stumble
into the French interior,
335
00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,680
{\an8}hit them at a time
and place of your choosing.
336
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,320
Rommel says, " Realistically we
can't manoeuvre against them
337
00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,960
"when they come inland because
they have total air superiority."
338
00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,280
The only person who can decide
339
00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,440
which option will be the better one
is Hitler himself.
340
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,760
But Hitler never wants to give
too much power into one hand.
341
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:48,720
Suspecting that the Allies
will land near Calais,
342
00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,160
Hitler spreads his panzers
along Northwestern France,
343
00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,760
but he reserves operational
control for himself.
344
00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:00,040
They can only be released into
combat by Hitler's express order,
345
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,680
which is probably the Achilles' heel
of that plan.
346
00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,000
In the spring of 1944,
347
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,200
there are over two
and a half million troops
348
00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:23,080
from multiple Allied nations
crowded into Southeast England.
349
00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,600
The invasion would send
ashore combat-experienced troops
350
00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,200
{\an8}who had participated
in landings previously
351
00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:33,720
{\an8}as well as troops
who had never done it before.
352
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,760
So the way you
prepare is you have exercises.
353
00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:39,680
You have rehearsals
just like in a play.
354
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:41,760
So a series of exercises
are undertaken
355
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,560
{\an8}to include something
called Exercise Tiger.
356
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:57,240
Exercise Tiger is going to invade
a beach called Slapton Sands.
357
00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,200
And Slapton Sands is
a British resort town
358
00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:05,800
that, remarkably, looks exactly
like parts of the Normandy coast.
359
00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:09,160
Secrecy is vital
for this training mission.
360
00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,520
3,000 British citizens are
evacuated from the area.
361
00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:16,040
Operational security
is absolutely paramount.
362
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:20,040
{\an8}The Allies have to have tactical
surprise on the morning of D-Day,
363
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,760
{\an8}so the Germans must be
completely blindsided.
364
00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,040
It's a practice run for D-Day,
365
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,280
but from the start,
things go horribly wrong.
366
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,160
Because of a breakdown
in communication,
367
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:38,920
the navy fires on its own men.
368
00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:43,680
As if that tragedy
wasn't bad enough,
369
00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,320
the next day something
even worse happens.
370
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,520
In the middle of the night,
the LST's,
371
00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,280
these large ships that have
personnel and tanks in them,
372
00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:57,400
are preparing to do their
part in Exercise Tiger
373
00:21:57,560 --> 00:21:59,600
and circling about to do
the second landing wave.
374
00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:01,520
And then, all of a sudden,
375
00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,320
a pack of German fast boats,
or E-boats,
376
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,640
stumbles upon these LST's.
377
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,800
And the Germans began firing,
and tracer bullets
378
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,320
{\an8}are flying across the ships, and
some of the men on board thought,
379
00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,760
{\an8}"Wow, this is a pretty realistic
exercise."
380
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,440
And it wasn't really
until the torpedoes began
381
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,720
to explode against the sides
of the LST's
382
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,800
that they realise this is not an
exercise; this is an attack.
383
00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:32,520
They sink three LST's,
384
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:35,360
which are really precious by this
point. They need every one.
385
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,320
More than 700 men were killed
in Exercise Tiger.
386
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,080
So this was a very costly
loss of life.
387
00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,480
If a, you know,
well-controlled, dress rehearsal
388
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:50,480
goes this badly under the
best of possible conditions,
389
00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:52,200
what's going to happen
390
00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:55,640
when they can't just stroll
ashore on a British resort town,
391
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,680
but are being fired
at by German guns?
392
00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,640
Operation Overlord has been
planned down to the closest detail,
393
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,480
but there's one crucial element
no-one can anticipate -
394
00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:24,880
the weather.
395
00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,400
They have a three-day window,
June 5th to June 7th.
396
00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,360
If they delay the invasion
past that window,
397
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,000
{\an8}the moon is no longer going to be
right for the airborne operation,
398
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,280
{\an8}the tides are no longer
going to be right
399
00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,480
for the landing forces,
and this delicate ballet
400
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,880
of air, ground, and naval forces
401
00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:46,400
won't have the necessary
weather conditions
402
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:48,880
to co-ordinate and hit
the beach with full force.
403
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:55,120
Eisenhower and his staff rely
on Group Captain James Stagg
404
00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:57,280
and his team of meteorologists...
405
00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,720
...to provide the most
accurate advice possible.
406
00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:13,840
The weather leading up to
the original D-Day is gorgeous,
407
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,800
and it's so good that it
almost feels like an omen.
408
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:18,920
It's two days before the invasion.
409
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:21,760
They're gearing up to launch
on June 5th as scheduled,
410
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,160
and James Martin Stagg
comes to Eisenhower
411
00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:26,080
as part of the command conference
and says,
412
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,280
"There's been a turn in the weather.
A storm is a-brewin'."
413
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:34,760
It's just frankly terrible news.
414
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:36,920
15-foot waves in the Channel,
high winds,
415
00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:38,760
unpredictable seas,
416
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:40,720
rolling fronts
coming in from all directions,
417
00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:43,840
{\an8}and it's just the last thing
they can possibly deal with.
418
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:48,840
Amphibious operations
are a total nightmare.
419
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,680
And on top of that, the English
Channel is a rough stretch of water.
420
00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:55,640
You get winds that
howl up that Channel,
421
00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:58,000
{\an8}that kick up a swell that
make it impossible to operate,
422
00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,280
you know, ships
near the coastline.
423
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,400
Eisenhower had to consider
what that meant.
424
00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:06,520
{\an8}And he said, "Well, we'll
postpone making a decision
425
00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,720
{\an8}"until four o'clock in the morning
when you'll know more."
426
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,600
Four o'clock in the morning
on the 4th,
427
00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:16,680
Stagg came in looking not happy
428
00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:18,600
and said "It's gonna be worse.
429
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,840
"We'll have to postpone
until the 6th of June."
430
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,040
The pressure's really there now
431
00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,360
to, "Well, we really want to try and
get this done in this window,"
432
00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,320
or they've gotta wait again for
all the situations to coalesce,
433
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,120
the weather, and the tides,
and the moon.
434
00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:40,040
It might be a few weeks.
It might be months.
435
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,520
And the problem is you've got all
these hundreds of thousands of men
436
00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,320
in camps who've been sharpened
to this edge
437
00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,560
of ready to go in and get their job.
438
00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,360
Then you say, "Actually, no, sorry
lads. We're gonna back down again."
439
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:57,920
Even the Germans
think the conditions
440
00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,560
are unsuitable for an invasion.
441
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:04,280
{\an8}Rommel gets his weather report
on the 4th of June,
442
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:06,120
{\an8}and doesn't look very good,
443
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,640
and he thinks there
will be no opportunities
444
00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:11,360
for the Allies to land
for the coming days,
445
00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,480
and so he decides to go to Germany
446
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,120
and celebrate his wife's birthday.
447
00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,440
The problem, though, is
that the Germans
448
00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,120
don't have meteorological stations
in the Atlantic,
449
00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,120
in contrast to the Allies.
450
00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:26,680
And where does the weather
in Europe mostly come from?
451
00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:29,320
From the Atlantic.
452
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,800
Late in the evening on June 4th,
453
00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:36,680
the Allies receive a report from
a weather station in Ireland.
454
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,440
Captain Stagg is
gonna come in and go, "Alright,
455
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,880
{\an8}the weather conditions look
like they're going to improve,
456
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,480
"such that in the afternoon
on Tuesday, June 6th,
457
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:48,360
"you might be able to pull it off."
458
00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,680
Eisenhower polls his commanders.
459
00:26:57,360 --> 00:27:00,840
But the final decision
is his alone.
460
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:04,960
Eisenhower will ultimately reflect
on this 20 years afterward,
461
00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,880
and he'll say that he felt like the
loneliest man in all of England.
462
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,800
And what must have run
through that man's mind
463
00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,520
was, "Well, the gliders
are not gonna do well
464
00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:18,040
"in winds this high. Paratroopers
are gonna be blown off course."
465
00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:22,760
He had to recognise
all of the things
466
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:24,760
that are going to go wrong,
467
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,800
not things that might go wrong,
but definitely gonna go wrong.
468
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,160
"But at the same time,
I can't come back next month.
469
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,360
"I can't come back in August.
It's now or never."
470
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,400
And he is sitting there, listening
to the wind howling around...
471
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,120
...and he says, "OK, let's go."
472
00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,560
Operation Overlord, D-Day,
473
00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,920
is the largest amphibious invasion
in history,
474
00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:02,160
and it's being attempted by
a coalition of many nations,
475
00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:06,000
some of which have lived
under the Nazi yoke for years.
476
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,520
The whole world
awaits the outcome.
477
00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,560
As the invasion got closer,
478
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:14,520
{\an8}Eisenhower got more tense.
479
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,200
{\an8}He's smoking four packs
of cigarettes a day.
480
00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:19,080
He's barely sleeping.
481
00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,760
He has nothing left to do,
but wait to hear
482
00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:24,680
{\an8}whether or not
he made the right call
483
00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:26,640
{\an8}in the middle of the night,
sleep deprived.
484
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:31,240
But the most important
thing though, I think,
485
00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,120
he does in that period is,
486
00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:37,280
he goes out and personally visits
the 101st Airborne.
487
00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:45,120
The 101st Airborne,
along with the 82nd Airborne,
488
00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,200
and the British 6th Division
489
00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,160
will be the first to land
behind enemy lines.
490
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,600
The job of the Airborne
is to seize the causeways
491
00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,040
and cover the flanks
of the landing troops.
492
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:03,200
They will be the first soldiers
to fight the Germans in Normandy.
493
00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:06,240
Eisenhower, with no fanfare,
494
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,480
just walks among
all these young men...
495
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:15,000
...all of whom are no older,
really, than his own son,
496
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,200
and he makes a point
497
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,760
of looking each one of them
in the eye
498
00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:22,640
as he shakes their hand.
499
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,520
He gets an estimate
that about 50%
500
00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:29,880
of the paratroopers
are gonna be killed.
501
00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,600
And so, as he's shaking hands,
502
00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:36,880
every other soldier
503
00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,560
is someone who he has reason to
believe he has sent to their death.
504
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,040
The most important thing
he could do in that moment
505
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:48,920
was just be there for them.
506
00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:55,920
He spends all night doing that,
goes up to the roof nearby,
507
00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:57,960
watches the whole thing take off.
508
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:01,840
That's how he begins D-Day.
509
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,160
Under a full moon...
510
00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,520
paratroopers,
including The 101st Airborne,
511
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,000
start dropping behind enemy lines.
512
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:25,440
Before dawn landing crafts
are lowered into the water,
513
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:28,840
and troops start to board.
514
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,240
At sunrise, a fleet of warships
launch a naval barrage.
515
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,960
Ultimately, the ground troops
are gonna land on five beaches:
516
00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,840
two American beaches,
Omaha and Utah;
517
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:55,960
a Canadian beach, Juno;
518
00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,800
and then Gold and Sword,
the British beaches.
519
00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:03,760
They're then gonna try and
link up those different beaches...
520
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,280
{\an8}...and then push inland to take on
521
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,480
{\an8}and destroy the might
of the German army in France.
522
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,320
The morning of June 6th,
the weather patterns
523
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,600
are still chopping about
and the wind is still blowing.
524
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:21,240
It's not an ideal situation
525
00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:23,560
to start ploughing these boats
towards the coast there.
526
00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:26,840
Right from the jump,
the weather's a huge issue.
527
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:29,840
{\an8}There's a six foot swell on D-Day.
528
00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:35,280
The waves are swamping
over the sides.
529
00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:37,160
You're standing in
freezing cold water.
530
00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:40,920
You are there with 30 other guys.
If one vomits, you all vomit.
531
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,600
Sea spray is lashing
into your face there.
532
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,360
You can't see.
Your eyes are stinging.
533
00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:54,520
The longer that goes on, the more
you are thinking to yourself,
534
00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:56,720
"What is gonna happen
when that ramp goes down?"
535
00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,400
Omaha is the largest
of the beaches,
536
00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:08,920
a strip of the Normandy coast
six miles wide.
537
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:12,520
It's different
from all the other beaches
538
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:14,600
in that it's almost
like an amphitheatre.
539
00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:17,520
You know, you've got these high
bluffs overlooking the beach,
540
00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:19,440
almost like a extended bowl.
541
00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:26,160
You'd be coming in, grey skies,
smoke, noise, ramp would drop,
542
00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:29,320
and then there's this just
absolute mass of fire.
543
00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:40,000
{\an8}85 machine guns laying down
100,000 rounds a minute.
544
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:56,840
People start getting shot
and killed.
545
00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:58,600
You see dead people
floating in the water.
546
00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:04,640
You don't run up the beach.
You stagger up the beach.
547
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:07,320
Guys are trying to clear obstacles.
548
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:09,680
You're trying to move ahead.
549
00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:12,280
Your senses are overwhelmed with
all the things going around you.
550
00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:18,240
That first wave is getting mowed
down in great numbers.
551
00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:20,240
It's roughly 85% killed
552
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,640
or wounded in the assault waves
on Omaha.
553
00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:29,280
Eisenhower is receiving
only intermittent reports,
554
00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:31,480
{\an8}except, of course,
that on Omaha Beach,
555
00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,320
{\an8}it's not going as planned.
556
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,480
While he tried to project
a confident demeanour,
557
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:41,960
you know that inside him
he's just roiling with concern.
558
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:45,400
Failure is another Dunkirk.
559
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:47,240
{\an8}Failure's the loss
of all your equipment,
560
00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:50,080
{\an8}your troops being marched off
into captivity.
561
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:53,800
If everything goes wrong,
it means a longer war.
562
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:56,760
The day before the landings
563
00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,200
General Eisenhower,
knowing the risks
564
00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:01,240
and understanding
the responsibility,
565
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,400
penned a brief note.
566
00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:08,320
"My decision to attack was based
upon the best information available.
567
00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:12,680
{\an8}"The troops did all that bravery
and devotion to duty could do.
568
00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:16,120
{\an8}"If any blame or fault
is attached to the attempt,
569
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:17,920
{\an8}"it is mine alone."
570
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,200
On the morning
of the Normandy invasion,
571
00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:42,040
the first wave of American troops
at Utah Beach
572
00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,440
land almost a mile south
of their target...
573
00:34:45,720 --> 00:34:48,240
...but quickly regroup and
manage to take the beach
574
00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:50,400
and push inland.
575
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:53,800
The British landings at Gold
and Sword beaches
576
00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:55,760
go better than expected.
577
00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:00,640
But at Juno Beach,
the first wave of Canadian troops
578
00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:02,760
meets tough German resistance.
579
00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,920
And at Omaha Beach, rough seas
and intense German fire
580
00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:14,000
wreak havoc
on the first American troops.
581
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:19,080
But more men are on their way.
582
00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:23,240
The German defenders
on the Atlantic wall,
583
00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:25,040
{\an8}they look out that morning,
584
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:27,000
{\an8}and they're stunned
by what they see.
585
00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:29,480
They see the biggest fleet
ever gathered for an invasion.
586
00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:33,280
The Germans all talked about
how they were so densely packed.
587
00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:35,480
It looked like you could just walk
from ship to ship.
588
00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:41,440
For the average German soldier
on D-Day,
589
00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:45,440
{\an8}the experience
is something totally new.
590
00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:49,560
This naval bombardment...
591
00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:54,840
...it really shakes up the psyche
of the German soldiers.
592
00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:03,160
There are two crucial
German command failures.
593
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:05,520
{\an8}One is that Rommel isn't there.
594
00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:09,240
He's back in Germany
celebrating his wife's birthday.
595
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,000
When he hears
that the landing has happened,
596
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:13,600
he says something
along the lines of,
597
00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:15,520
"How could I have been so stupid?"
598
00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:18,840
Even more important is Hitler.
599
00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,640
The morning of the invasion,
June 6th, 1944,
600
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:25,040
Adolf Hitler is asleep.
601
00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:26,840
{\an8}But nobody will dare wake him up,
602
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,080
{\an8}even though word has come in
about this invasion starting.
603
00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:33,120
So in the crucial
five or six or seven hours
604
00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:38,120
when the Germans might have landed
some quick blow against the Allies,
605
00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:40,200
those Panzer divisions
in the central reserve
606
00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:44,400
that can only be released into
combat by Hitler's express order
607
00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:46,240
are pretty much
without a commander.
608
00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:50,800
As a consequence,
the German's reactions on D-Day
609
00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:53,000
end up a big mess.
610
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:59,320
By midday, the troops at Gold,
Sword, Juno,
611
00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:01,920
and Utah have started
to push inland,
612
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:06,440
and momentum finally shifts
at Omaha Beach.
613
00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:10,480
The sheer scale of the
invasion helps turn the tide,
614
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:14,960
but it also comes down
to individual acts of bravery.
615
00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:18,960
At Pointe du Hoc
616
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,720
US Army Rangers scale
100-foot cliffs under fire.
617
00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:29,240
At Utah Beach, Brigadier
General Teddy Roosevelt Jr,
618
00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,920
the son of former president
Theodore Roosevelt,
619
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:36,080
leads a division that lands
south of the target.
620
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,040
{\an8}They came ashore and realised
that they were in the wrong bit.
621
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:42,760
{\an8}And he said, "To hell with it.
The war starts here."
622
00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:46,680
Roosevelt's son,
Captain Quentin Roosevelt II,
623
00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:49,200
is in the first landing wave
at Omaha.
624
00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:51,160
They're the only father son duo
625
00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:54,000
who will land on the beaches
that day.
626
00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,480
Corporal Waverly Woodson,
627
00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:00,800
a medic with the 320th
Barrage Balloon Battalion,
628
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:04,560
is wounded before
he even hits the beach.
629
00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:09,520
But he will treat almost
200 members of the US Army,
630
00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:11,640
Navy, and British Navy
631
00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:13,360
as they come ashore
on Omaha Beach,
632
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:16,560
all the while under intense mortar
and machine gun fire.
633
00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,440
By the end of the day
on June 6th,
634
00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:29,200
the Allies have secured
all five beaches
635
00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:31,040
and have pushed inland.
636
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,720
In the coming days, they will link
up with the airborne forces
637
00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:41,160
to create a continuous,
connected front along the coast.
638
00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:46,560
It was Eisenhower who meshed
all of the different nationalities.
639
00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:48,320
He brought them together,
640
00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:50,480
{\an8}and Eisenhower deserves
a lot of credit.
641
00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,160
He's accountable.
He's responsible.
642
00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:55,520
That's what leaders do
in good times and bad.
643
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:58,000
Right man for the job.
644
00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:01,040
Eisenhower understands,
probably better than anyone,
645
00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:04,760
{\an8}the real fighting on the continent
of Europe is about to begin.
646
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,520
And at the same time,
there's a ray of hope.
647
00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:11,800
Allied victory is increasingly
going to become possible.
648
00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:16,800
The US theory of
how you can wage war
649
00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:18,960
has now been proven correct.
650
00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,480
You can have
a multinational alliance
651
00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:23,440
pull off the most complex
military operation
652
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:25,320
the world had ever seen.
653
00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,920
It's not just the infantry,
all the airmen set the conditions.
654
00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:32,120
It's all the Coast Guardsmen
655
00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:34,240
and the sailors that drew the ships.
656
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,400
It's all the people who manufactured
all the stuff back in Detroit.
657
00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:39,800
It's a global effort
to make D-Day work.
658
00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:43,200
{\an8}- My fellow Americans,
659
00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:45,800
{\an8}in this poignant hour,
660
00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:50,480
{\an8}I ask you to join
with me in prayer.
661
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:56,240
{\an8}Almighty God, our sons,
pride of our nation,
662
00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,720
{\an8}this day have set upon
a mighty endeavour,
663
00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:04,520
{\an8}a struggle to preserve our republic,
664
00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:09,320
{\an8}our religion, and our civilisation,
665
00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:13,320
{\an8}and to set free
a suffering humanity.
666
00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,760
{\an8}President Roosevelt
says in his D-Day prayer,
667
00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:21,320
{\an8}"Our forces will be thrown back.
668
00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:23,840
{\an8}"Their road will be long and hard."
669
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,360
{\an8}But we shall
return again and again.
670
00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:32,120
{\an8}And we know that by thy grace
671
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:35,440
{\an8}and by the righteousness
of our cause,
672
00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:37,840
{\an8}our sons will triumph.
673
00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:41,560
On D-Day, the 101st Airborne,
674
00:40:41,720 --> 00:40:44,840
just hours after being addressed
by General Eisenhower,
675
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:47,560
parachuted into occupied France.
676
00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:50,600
Despite being scattered
across enemy territory,
677
00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:53,240
these men cleared the path
for American forces
678
00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:57,240
to emerge off Utah Beach and
begin the advance on Germany.
679
00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:00,480
A second front is firmly established
680
00:41:00,640 --> 00:41:02,240
on the continent of Europe.
681
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:05,880
In the Pacific war,
the boundaries are enormous,
682
00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:08,920
ranging through Asia and
into numerous remote islands
683
00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,680
across the ocean.
Attacking this new front
684
00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:14,240
will require the most advanced
aircraft ever built.
685
00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:16,960
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