Original subtitles

["TAPS" PLAYING]

Narrator: ARLINGTON CEMETERY,

WHERE AMERICA HAS BURIED ITS WAR DEAD

SINCE THE CIVIL WAR.

Man: WE EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE VERY CAREFUL

WITH THE LIVES OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS.

Narrator: MANY OF THESE HEADSTONES

HONOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES DURING THE INVASION OF FRANCE

ON D-DAY IN 1944.

AMONG THE GRAVES

IS A PLAQUE THAT COMMEMORATES ONE OF THE ENDURING MYSTERIES

OF WORLD WAR II,

HONORING MORE THAN 600 MEN

WHO DIED IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO D-DAY

IN A TRAINING EXERCISE GONE HORRIBLY WRONG.

Man: IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT AND COMPLEX OPERATION,

AND MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN.

Woman: IT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.

IT DIDN'T NEED TO HAPPEN.

Narrator: A TRAGIC DISASTER THAT KILLED MEN UNPREPARED FOR WAR.

Man: WE WERE JUST TARGETS.

Narrator: SHIPS PACKED WITH RAW RECRUITS,

UNKNOWING BAIT FOR THE ENEMY...

Man: WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DESTROYER ESCORTS.

Narrator: RUTHLESSLY AMBUSHED BY GERMAN TORPEDO BOATS.

[EXPLOSIONS]

Man: THERE WAS FIRE ALL OVER.

THE WHOLE SKY WAS LIT UP.

Narrator: THIS FILM REVEALS WHAT REALLY HAPPENED,

WITH EXCLUSIVE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY

FROM THOSE WHO WERE THERE...

Man: THE WATER WAS JUST COVERED WITH BODIES.

Narrator: AND HOW AMERICAN SOLDIERS

CAME UNDER FIRE FROM THEIR OWN SIDE...

Man: HE WAS IN ENGLAND.

HOW COULD HE BE KILLED IN ACTION?

Narrator: LEAVING MANY OF THE DEAD UNACCOUNTED FOR.

Woman: I'VE LIVED WITH THAT MOST OF MY LIFE--

KNOWING THAT HE WASN'T FOUND.

Man: THE IDEA THAT THEY WOULD LEAVE MEN

BURIED IN UNMARKED GRAVES IS OFFENSIVE.

Narrator: DID AMERICA'S SUPREME COMMANDER

ORDER A COVER-UP?

Man: EISENHOWER SAYS, "FIX THE BOYS UP,

BUT YOU CAN'T DOCUMENT ANYTHING."

Narrator: WILL THE FAMILIES OF THE DEAD AND MISSING

AND THE SURVIVING VETERANS

FINALLY GET THE ANSWERS THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR?

D-DAY, JUNE 6, 1944.

IN NORMANDY, THE INVASION OF MAINLAND EUROPE BEGINS...

THE BIGGEST AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.

LANDING ON THE BEACHES OF NORTHERN FRANCE--

156,000 AMERICAN, BRITISH, AND CANADIAN TROOPS,

MANY OF WHOM HAVE NEVER SEEN COMBAT BEFORE.

BUT D-DAY DIDN'T HAPPEN BY CHANCE.

SIX WEEKS EARLIER

ON THIS DESERTED BEACH IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND,

THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN TROOPS BEGAN REHEARSING

FOR WHAT WOULD BECOME THEIR FINEST HOUR.

THIS IS SLAPTON SANDS IN THE COUNTY OF DEVON.

IN APRIL 1944,

IT WAS CHOSEN TO REPRESENT UTAH BEACH IN NORMANDY,

THE DESIGNATED LANDING POINT IN FRANCE

FOR 23,000 U.S. TROOPS.

Adrian Lewis: NORMANDY INVASION

IS THE BIGGEST OPERATION OF THE WAR

FOR THE BRITISH AND THE AMERICANS.

IT'S THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OPERATION OF THE WAR, BAR NONE.

THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT COMPARES TO IT.

Narrator: IN OVERALL COMMAND OF THIS COMPLEX OPERATION

IS GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

HIS BIG WORRY

IS THAT THE MEN WHO WILL BE ASSAULTING UTAH BEACH

ARE ROOKIES.

BEFORE FACING THE GERMANS IN COMBAT FOR THE FIRST TIME,

EISENHOWER THINKS HIS TROOPS NEED TOUGHENING UP.

HE ORDERS A FULL-SCALE MILITARY EXERCISE

INVOLVING 300 BRITISH AND AMERICAN SHIPS

AND AROUND 30,000 U.S. ARMY AND NAVY SERVICEMEN

WITH LIVE AMMUNITION--

ALL TO TAKE PLACE IN TOTAL SECRECY.

[GUNFIRE]

THE ROYAL NAVY WILL SHELL EACH SIDE OF THE BEACHHEAD

AS THE GIs STORM ASHORE.

FROM THE BEACH,

MACHINE GUNS WILL FIRE OVER THEIR HEADS,

CLOSE ENOUGH TO WARN BUT NOT TO KILL,

OR SO EISENHOWER HOPED.

THE REHEARSAL CODE NAME WAS "EXERCISE TIGER."

DAWN, APRIL 27, 1944.

TIGER BEGINS WITH BROADSIDES FROM ROYAL NAVY SHIPS.

THE ALLIED SHIPS ARE SHELLING THEIR OWN TROOPS.

THERE'S BEEN A MIX-UP

ABOUT THE TIMING OF THE LANDINGS AND THE NAVAL BOMBARDMENT.

THEN IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE NEXT MORNING,

THINGS GO FROM BAD TO WORSE.

A CONVOY OF LANDING SHIPS SIMULATING THE TRIP TO NORMANDY

IS AMBUSHED BY GERMAN TORPEDO BOATS.

Man: GO, GO, GO! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP!

Narrator: WHEN IT'S OVER,

MORE THAN 600 AMERICANS ARE DEAD.

EISENHOWER IMMEDIATELY DECLARES

THE ENTIRE OPERATION TOP-SECRET--

AN ORDER THAT SPAWNS DECADES OF QUESTIONS AND CONTROVERSY.

IT IS THE MOST MYSTERIOUS TRAINING DISASTER OF THE WAR.

THE FAMILIES OF THE DEAD WILL NOT BE TOLD WHAT HAPPENED

FOR MANY MONTHS, OR EVEN YEARS.

AND THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE TRAGEDY

WILL REMAIN CLASSIFIED FOR DECADES.

70 YEARS LATER,

MANY OF THOSE WHO LOST RELATIVES AT SLAPTON SANDS

HAVE NO CLEAR IDEA ABOUT HOW THEY DIED OR WHY.

ONE OF THEM IS RON JENSEN,

WHO'S STILL LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.

HIS GREAT UNCLE FROM ILLINOIS WAS SENT TO ENGLAND IN 1944

AS AN ARMY DRIVER TO TAKE PART IN EXERCISE TIGER.

Ron Jensen: HIS NAME WAS LELAND SIMMONS,

KNOWN AS UNCLE HAP, I GUESS,

BECAUSE OF HIS OUTGOING PERSONALITY.

THE FAMILY DIDN'T KNOW HOW HE WAS KILLED.

THEY JUST GOT THE TELEGRAM SAYING HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION.

BUT I THINK IT WAS...

THEY WERE LIKE, "WELL, HE WAS IN ENGLAND.

HOW COULD HE BE KILLED IN ACTION?"

HE WAS 33 WHEN HE GOT DRAFTED.

HE WAS MARRIED JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE HE WAS SENT OVERSEAS,

AND HE WAS IN THE 531st SHORE ENGINEER REGIMENT.

MY MOM HAS SOME BELIEF THAT HE WAS A TRUCK DRIVER.

AND JUST NOT KNOWING HOW HE DIED

I THINK WAS A MYSTERY.

Narrator: ANOTHER MYSTERY IS THE DEATH IN ENGLAND

OF 19-YEAR-OLD ARMY SERGEANT LOUIS BOLTON FROM CALIFORNIA.

HIS RELATIVES ARE ALSO STILL SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH.

Laurie Bolton: THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF MY UNCLE

AND HIS WIFE IN MARCH 1944,

JUST BEFORE HE SHIPPED OVERSEAS.

WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL,

I'D ALWAYS BE ASKING MY FATHER ABOUT HIM.

HE WAS JUST NEWLY MARRIED WHEN THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN.

WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER PASSED AWAY,

WE FOUND A BOX WHERE SHE HAD SOME LETTERS,

AND WE OPENED IT UP,

AND THEY WERE LETTERS FROM MY UNCLE

THAT SHE RECEIVED AFTER HIS DEATH.

AND SHE COULDN'T BRING HERSELF TO OPEN THEM

'CAUSE IT WAS SO PAINFUL.

AND ALSO LETTERS SHE WROTE TO HIM CAME BACK

WITH THE WORDS STAMPED "MISSING IN ACTION."

THIS ONE'S DATED APRIL 12, 1944.

"DEAR MOM AND POP, HOW ARE ALL OF YOU TODAY?

I'M FINE, AND I HOPE YOU ARE ALL THE SAME.

IT HAS BEEN COLD HERE FOR A FEW DAYS,

BUT IT LOOKS GOOD NOW."

Narrator: LIKE PRIVATE SIMMONS,

SERGEANT BOLTON WAS GETTING READY TO PRACTICE

THE NORMANDY INVASION

IN THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND, ON SLAPTON SANDS.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST ISOLATED AND PICTURESQUE PARTS

OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND'S WEST COUNTRY COASTLINE.

NOW A WORLD HERITAGE SITE OF OUTSTANDING BEAUTY,

BACK IN 1944,

IT HAD STRIKING SIMILARITIES TO THE NORMANDY BEACH

CODE-NAMED UTAH.

PERFECT FOR SECRET MILITARY MANEUVERS.

Harry Bennett: IT'S REMOTE.

IT'S A LONG WAY AWAY FROM REALLY LARGE CENTERS OF POPULATION.

YOU HAVE A HANDFUL OF VILLAGES SCATTERED IN THE VICINITY,

AND HERE YOU'VE GOT THIS LOVELY BIG SWEEP OF BEACH,

IDEAL FOR TROOPS TO PRACTICE TO LAND ON,

GREAT TO BRING LANDING CRAFT IN ON

SO THEY COULD DISCHARGE THEIR VEHICLES.

Narrator: IDEAL FOR LANDING CRAFT AND SOLDIERS MAYBE,

BUT SLAPTON WAS NOT SO FINE FOR HIGHLY CLASSIFIED TRAINING.

IN THE 1940s, 3,000 BRITS LIVED AROUND THE SANDS.

TO KEEP THE REHEARSALS SECRET,

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ORDERS EVERYONE TO LEAVE,

GIVING THE RESIDENTS JUST SIX WEEKS

TO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO LIVE.

FOR MANY IT WAS A HUGE SACRIFICE.

THEY KNEW THEIR HOMES

COULD BECOME A MILITARY FIRING RANGE AND BE DESTROYED.

BUT FOR THEIR CHILDREN, IT WAS FUN.

Reg Hannaford: I WAS 13 YEARS OLD

AND CAME BACK FROM SCHOOL,

AND FATHER WAS THERE IN THE KITCHEN WITH MOTHER,

AND THEY INFORMED US THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE EVACUATED

AND THIS AREA HAD TO BE USED

AS A TRAINING AREA FOR THE AMERICANS.

WE KIDS THOUGHT IT WAS A BIG ADVENTURE,

TO BE QUITE HONEST.

THE LAST TRUCK THAT CAME, WE SAT ON THE TAILBOARD.

THAT WAS THAT. AWAY WE WENT.

WE WERE LAST TO LEAVE THE VILLAGE,

AND EVERYTHING WAS VERY QUIET AND EERIE

AND NOBODY ABOUT ANYWHERE.

Narrator: BUT KIDS LIKE REG HANNAFORD

WERE ATTRACTED BY SECRET PLACES AND SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Hannaford: THE SHIPS IN THE BAY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR SHIPS,

WERE SHELLING THE FIELDS ALL AROUND,

AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, A LIVE AMMUNITION PLACE.

Narrator: EISENHOWER'S D-DAY INVASION PLAN

RELIES ON HITTING THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY

WITH AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF TROOPS.

Lewis: IN 1939, WHEN THE WAR BREAKS OUT IN EUROPE,

THE U.S. ARMY HAS 190,000 MEN.

190,000 MEN.

WHEN THE WAR'S OVER, IT HAS OVER EIGHT MILLION MEN.

Narrator: BY APRIL 1944,

A MILLION AND A HALF OF THOSE MEN

ARE IN ENGLAND, PREPARING FOR D-DAY.

BACK IN AMERICA THERE'S EVEN MORE ACTIVITY

AS INDUSTRY WORKS FLAT OUT

TO PROVIDE EISENHOWER WITH THE EQUIPMENT HE NEEDS

TO DRIVE THE NAZIS OUT OF EUROPE.

Martin Morgan: ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES

WERE COMMUNITIES THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THE MANUFACTURING

OF WAR MATERIEL.

OF COURSE, WE THINK OF COMMUNITIES

LIKE DETROIT, MICHIGAN,

THAT ARE PRODUCING MECHANIZED VEHICLES

THAT WILL ULTIMATELY CHURN UP THE DIRT OF NORMANDY.

BUT THEN THERE WERE ALSO COMMUNITIES

LIKE EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.

COMMUNITIES LIKE THIS BECAME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

IN THE BUILD-UP TOWARD THE NORMANDY INVASION.

Narrator: INDIANA'S EVANSVILLE SHIPYARD

WAS ONE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST MAKERS

OF WHAT WAS TO BECOME AN IMPORTANT ALLIED SUPER WEAPON--

A LANDING CRAFT WITH A HUGE CAPACITY...

ONE THAT COULD SAIL ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

TO DELIVER LARGE NUMBERS OF MEN AND MACHINES

ONTO THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY.

THEY CALLED IT THE LANDING SHIP TANK,

OR LST.

THEY BUILT SO MANY, THEY DIDN'T GIVE THEM NAMES.

EACH GOT A NUMBER.

Morgan: THESE LANDING SHIPS GAVE US THIS CAPABILITY--

THE CAPABILITY TO CONDUCT AN ASSAULT,

TO LAND OUR ASSAULT FORCE,

AND THEN TO FOLLOW THAT ASSAULT FORCE UP

WITH THE ABILITY TO LAND MECHANIZED FORCES

ONTO AN OPEN BEACH.

SOMETHING THAT THE ENEMY COULDN'T DO;

SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO, THANKS TO THE LST.

Narrator: THE LST WASN'T PRETTY OR FAST,

BUT SHE WAS A GAME-CHANGER,

AND ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THE ALLIES EVENTUALLY WON THE WAR.

Morgan: DWIGHT EISENHOWER LABELS FOUR WEAPONS

AS HAVING BEEN CRUCIAL TO ALLIED VICTORY,

AND THOSE WEAPONS WERE THE M1 RIFLE, THE JEEP,

THE C-47 SKYTRAIN TROOP TRANSPORT,

AND THE LST.

PRIME MINISTER CHURCHILL

LABELED THIS THE MOST IMPORTANT SHIP OF THEM ALL.

Narrator: THE MOST IMPORTANT SHIP OF THEM ALL

WAS HEADED FOR SLAPTON,

BUT ITS ROOKIE CREWS FOUND IT NOT ONLY SLOW,

BUT ALSO HARD TO HANDLE.

THEY GAVE IT A LABEL OF THEIR OWN.

John Casner Jr.: LARGE STATIONARY TARGET.

YEAH!

Narrator: JOHN CASNER

IS ONE OF JUST A HANDFUL OF REMAINING VETERANS

WHO CAN STILL TELL US WHAT IT WAS LIKE

TO SERVE ON A LARGE STATIONARY TARGET.

Casner: AT THE TIME, I WAS A SEAMAN SECOND CLASS.

NOW, ON A SHIP,

THERE'S NOTHING LOWER THAN A SEAMAN SECOND CLASS

EXCEPT THE KEEL.

OF COURSE LST DON'T HAVE A KEEL, SO THERE YOU GO.

Narrator: IT WAS ON AN LST LIKE THIS

THAT HE WITNESSED THE DISASTER AT SLAPTON.

Casner: I WAS THE PHONE TALKER FOR THE GUN CREW.

MOUNT 41 WAS MY WATCH POSITION.

THERE'S THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN HERE.

I DIDN'T SPEND ANY TIME IN THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN--

NOT UNLESS YOU WERE IN TROUBLE.

SO YOU'D STAY OUT OF THERE, YOU KNOW.

Narrator: IN APRIL 1944,

MOST OF THE LSTs

HAVE COME STRAIGHT OFF THEIR PRODUCTION LINES,

SAILING THE ATLANTIC TO GO TO WAR FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THEIR CREWS ARE EQUALLY UNTESTED.

17-YEAR-OLD THOMAS GLYNN WAS ONE OF THEM.

Thomas Glynn: MY FATHER GRABBED THAT

WHEN I WAS IN BOOT CAMP WHEN I FIRST WENT IN THE NAVY.

THERE YOU CAN SEE HOW YOUNG I WAS.

AT BOOT CAMP I WAS SENT TO A PLACE IN JERSEY, AN AIRFIELD,

AND AT 17 I SAID, "I DIDN'T JOIN THE NAVY TO BE ON LAND;

I JOINED THE NAVY TO BE ON A SHIP."

HE SAYS, "SON, WHAT'S YOUR SERIAL NUMBER?"

I TOLD HIM.

TWO DAYS LATER I WAS IN NEW YORK WAITING FOR AN LST.

Narrator: ANOTHER SAILOR WAITING FOR D-DAY WAS NATHAN RESNICK.

AT 18 YEARS OLD HE'S IN AN LST ENGINE ROOM

AS PART OF THE SO-CALLED "BLACK GANG."

Nathan Resnick: THAT WAS THE NICKNAME

FOR THE ENGINEERING CREW--

BLACK GANG,

UNDER...

DOWN, DOWN BELOW.

I'D SAY 90% WERE NEW RECRUITS.

I THOUGHT IT WAS A WELL-TRAINED CREW, BEING ALL NOVICES.

HAD A LOT OF CONFIDENCE THAT WE WERE GONNA BE OKAY.

THAT'S THE WAY I FELT--

NOT TO BE SAYING IT NOW, BUT I FELT THAT WAY THEN.

Narrator: WHILE THE BLACK GANG TOILED BELOW,

UP ABOVE, ON THE LST BRIDGES,

THE OFFICERS RUNNING THE SHOW WERE ALSO INEXPERIENCED.

DOUG HARLANDER WAS AN ENSIGN FROM WISCONSIN,

MORE THAN 800 MILES FROM THE OCEAN.

Doug Harlander: I SUPPOSE BEING UP HERE IN WISCONSIN,

WHERE I'D BEEN IN A LOT OF SMALL LAKES FISHING

AND THAT SORT OF THING...

AND I THINK THAT'S WHY THEY PUT ME IN AMPHIBIOUS FORCE.

I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE IN THE NAVY.

I WAS 22 YEARS OF AGE.

Narrator: DOUG HARLANDER AND HIS ROOKIE CREW

WERE ARRIVING IN SLAPTON JUST SIX WEEKS BEFORE

WHAT EISENHOWER PLANNED WOULD BE D-DAY,

TASKED WITH GETTING PART

OF THE LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS LANDING IN HISTORY

ONTO NORMANDY'S BEACHES.

FEW REALIZED

THAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO BE PUT THROUGH A REHEARSAL

THAT WOULD TEST THEM TO THE VERY LIMIT

AND SUBJECT THEM TO THEIR FIRST TASTE OF COMBAT.

EXERCISE TIGER GOT UNDERWAY ON APRIL 27th,

WHEN A FLEET OF SHIPS CONTAINING THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN TROOPS

FORMED UP JUST OFF SLAPTON SANDS.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL,

THE GERMANS WERE ALSO PREPARING FOR WHAT WAS TO COME,

STRENGTHENING THEIR COASTAL DEFENSES

AND MONITORING INCREASING ALLIED RADIO TRANSMISSIONS.

THE FIRST PART OF THE EXERCISE

WAS THE LIVE FIRING FROM THE SEA AND THE BEACH,

WATCHED BY GENERAL EISENHOWER, HIS TOP BRASS,

AND BRITAIN'S FIELD MARSHAL MONTGOMERY.

Bennett: YOU'RE ONLY A MATTER OF A FEW WEEKS FROM D-DAY

IN TERMS OF APRIL 1944.

YOU'RE DEALING WITH EXERCISES

INVOLVING HUNDREDS OF MEN, AIRCRAFT, AND SHIPS AT SEA.

AMPHIBIOUS EVENTS LIKE THIS TAKE A LOT OF ACTUAL ORGANIZING.

Narrator: THE ORGANIZING CALLED FOR A FIRST WAVE OF INFANTRY,

LANDING FROM SMALL CRAFT,

FOLLOWED LATER BY THE BEACHING OF HUGE LSTs,

WITH THEIR HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND SPECIALIST SUPPORT UNITS.

THE STAKES COULDN'T BE HIGHER.

Bennett: THE LOGISTICAL AND INFORMATIONAL PROBLEMS

THAT THEY'RE FACING IN THE RUN-UP TO D-DAY

ARE MASSIVE.

Narrator: THE LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS START

BEFORE TIGER EVEN COMMENCES.

THE U.S. AND ROYAL NAVIES

ARE WORKING ON DIFFERENT RADIO FREQUENCIES

AND ARE UNABLE TO TALK DIRECTLY TO EACH OTHER.

Lewis: THERE'S CANADIAN FORCES THERE,

AND THEY HAVEN'T OPERATED TOGETHER.

THEY DON'T NORMALLY OPERATE TOGETHER.

AND THE WAY THE U.S. NAVY OPERATES

AND THE WAY THE BRITISH NAVY OPERATES

ARE NOT THE SAME.

SO FIRST YOU HAVE TO COORDINATE THOSE OPERATIONS

AND SYNCHRONIZE THINGS.

Narrator: NOT ONLY DO THE TWO ALLIES

FAIL TO SYNCHRONIZE THEIR COMMUNICATIONS,

BUT THEIR COMMANDERS ARE WORKING TO DIFFERENT PLANS

WITHOUT EITHER REALIZING.

THE AGREED ROYAL NAVY BOMBARDMENT

WAS DELAYED BY AN HOUR.

THE RADIO SIGNAL NOTIFYING EVERYONE OF THE CHANGE

IS NOT PICKED UP.

THE BRITISH SHIPS BEGIN THEIR LIVE SHELLING

JUST AS THE AMERICANS HIT THE BEACH.

[FIRING]

THIS LIVE FIRING FOOTAGE WAS TAKEN BY A U.S. NAVY CAMERAMAN.

IT SHOWS HOW CLOSE THE EXPLOSIONS ARE

TO THE ROOKIE SOLDIERS.

[EXPLOSIONS]

AT THIS POINT, NO ONE KNOWS THE EXTENT OF THE CASUALTIES.

Man: THE BUZZ WENT THROUGH THE SHIP

AT THE ROYAL NAVY CREWS AT HMS HAWKINS

OF PEOPLE GETTING HIT ON THE BEACH, WHICH THEY WERE.

Narrator: FURTHER OUT IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL,

A GROUP OF EIGHT LSTs, NOW KNOWN AS CONVOY T4,

WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY LAND MORE TROOPS ON SLAPTON SANDS,

IS ALSO IN TROUBLE.

ONE OF ITS TWO ROYAL NAVY ESCORT VESSELS,

GUARDING AGAINST ATTACKS

BY GERMAN SUBMARINES OR TORPEDO BOATS,

HAS BEEN DAMAGED IN A COLLISION AND FORCED TO RETURN TO PORT,

LEAVING THE CONVOY

AND ITS INEXPERIENCED SOLDIERS AND SAILORS

WITH JUST A SINGLE BRITISH CORVETTE,

HMS AZALEA.

Man: WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DESTROYER ESCORTS,

AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY.

WE JUST HAD THAT ONE LITTLE CORVETTE.

Resnick: THERE WAS NO PROTECTION, NO ESCORT.

THAT WAS THE BIG THING.

THINK IT WAS ONE CORVETTE THAT WAS THERE,

BUT I NEVER SAW IT THE WHOLE TIME.

Narrator: DESPITE THE LOSS OF THEIR PROTECTION,

THE EIGHT LSTs CONTINUED TO MOVE SLOWLY

AROUND THE SEA IN LYME BAY,

LESS THAN 12 MILES FROM SLAPTON,

SIMULATING A CHANNEL CROSSING TO FRANCE,

CONFIDENT THEY ARE SAFE FROM ENEMY ATTACK.

BUT IN GERMANY, RADIO OPERATORS ARE PICKING UP CHATTER.

THE LACK OF A SYNCHRONIZED RADIO FREQUENCY

BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH FORCES

MEANS THE USUAL RADIO SILENCE IS BEING BROKEN,

AND THE GERMANS ARE LISTENING.

Bennett: AND AT 2200 HOURS,

THEY ACTUALLY SEND OUT THE S-BOATS,

TWO S-BOAT FLOTILLAS,

TO LOOK FOR WHAT THEY THINK IS A STANDARD CONVOY.

Narrator: GERMANY'S S-BOATS WERE FEARSOME WEAPONS.

THE S IS FOR SPEED,

OR IN GERMAN, "SCHNELLBOOT."

THEY WERE HUGE, HEAVILY ARMED, FAST TORPEDO BOATS,

CAPABLE OF TAKING ON FAR LARGER WARSHIPS.

ONLY ONE GERMAN S-BOAT FROM WORLD WAR II SURVIVES,

NOW ON DRY LAND

IN A SMALL BOATYARD NEAR PLYMOUTH

IN THE SOUTHWEST OF ENGLAND,

WHERE IT'S BEING RESTORED.

IT'S ONE OF THE NINE

THAT WAS SENT TO INVESTIGATE THE D-DAY REHEARSAL.

Bennett: THIS IS A LAST SURVIVOR

IN TERMS OF THE SHEER PHYSICALITY OF EXERCISE TIGER.

THE GERMAN S-BOATS ARE A LOT LIKE THE APOLLO MOON ROCKET.

IT'S ALL ABOUT POWER AND FUEL.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THOSE ENGINES TOGETHER WITH LOTS OF DIESEL

TO ACTUALLY POWER IT THROUGH THE WATER.

SO IT'S THERE TO GO VERY, VERY FAST.

BUT ACTUALLY THE S-BOAT IS ONLY A WEAPONS DELIVERY SYSTEM.

AND THOSE ARE THE KEY WEAPONS BEHIND ME.

Narrator: ON BOARD AN S-BOAT IN 1944,

READY TO HUNT DOWN THE T4 CONVOY

WAS AN 18-YEAR-OLD ENGINE MECHANIC,

CARL-HEINZ THIELE--

NOW ONE OF THE VERY FEW S-BOAT VETERANS ALIVE.

Carl-Heinz Thiele, translated: SCHNELLBOOTS WERE BEAUTIFUL.

WHEN YOU SAW THESE BOATS GOING WITH FULL SPEED,

IT WAS A LOVELY SIGHT.

THEY WEREN'T JUST STRONG IN COMBAT;

THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL.

Narrator: EACH BOAT HAD A LARGE CREW,

LIVING IN UNBELIEVABLY CRAMPED CONDITIONS.

Thiele: WE LIVED WITH 18 MEN IN SUCH A SMALL ROOM.

WE LIVED LIKE HERRINGS IN A TIN.

Bennett: A GERMAN S-BOAT IS OVER 100 FEET LONG.

IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF A SMALL HEAVILY ARMED DESTROYER.

IF YOU WANT TO STOP D-DAY,

S-BOATS ARE WHAT YOU REALLY REQUIRE.

Narrator: THEY WERE NOT ONLY VERY FAST,

BUT HEAVILY ARMED WITH DECK-MOUNTED GUNS

AS WELL AS TWIN TORPEDO TUBES.

LUMBERING LSTs WERE NO MATCH FOR THEM.

Resnick: IT WAS QUITE A MONSTER, LETHAL WEAPON.

MAN, IT WAS THE FASTEST THING OUT THERE.

IT BEAT ANYTHING THE ALLIES HAD.

Narrator: 22-YEAR-OLD PAUL GEROLSTEIN

WAS AN LST GUNNER'S MATE.

Paul Gerolstein: IT WAS 115 FEET LONG.

IMAGINE THAT. GOD!

IT HAD THE TORPEDO TUBES ON THE BOW.

AND AFTER SEEING AN E-BOAT,

EVEN IF WE HIT THEM, IT WOULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING

BECAUSE THEY'RE SO BIG AND THEY WERE MADE OF WOOD.

Narrator: WOOD MADE THE BOATS NOT ONLY LIGHTER,

BUT ALSO HARDER TO PICK UP ON RADAR.

Bennett: THE WOODEN ASPECTS OF THIS BOAT

WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY FAMILIAR TO THE VIKINGS

IN ACTUALLY DEVELOPING THEIR WOODEN LONGBOATS

SUCH AS THE KEEL HERE.

IT COMBINES OLD-FASHIONED BOAT-BUILDING TECHNIQUES

WITH THE LATEST IN CUTTING-EDGE DESIGN.

Narrator: NINE FAST LETHAL WEAPONS

ARE NOW HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND.

MEANWHILE, OFF SLAPTON SANDS,

THE T4 CONVOY OF EIGHT LSTs

CONTINUED TO CRUISE SLOWLY AROUND

WITHOUT REALIZING THE GERMANS WERE ON TO THEM.

Harlander: IT WAS BASICALLY DARK.

AND WHEN YOU'RE IN A CONVOY AND ALL LIGHTS ARE OUT...

Resnick: THAT NIGHT IT WAS A CLEAR, MOONLIT...

I MEAN, CALM NIGHT.

MY DUTIES ARE BELOW DECK IN THE ENGINE ROOM.

BUT EXERCISE TIGER, THAT NIGHT I WAS SLEEPING.

Casner: WE HAD OUR LIFE JACKETS ON

AND OUR HELMETS

AND ALL READY TO GO.

BUT WE WERE NOT READY TO GO TO WAR.

WE WERE ON MANEUVERS.

TEN MILES OFF THE COAST OF ENGLAND...

YOU DON'T FIGURE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE ANY PROBLEM.

IF WE HAD HAVE SEEN THEM,

WE'D HAVE THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST SOMEBODY IN THE MANEUVERS.

Narrator: FOR JOHN CASNER AND HIS FELLOW ROOKIES

THE MANEUVERS WERE ABOUT TO TAKE ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING.

THE S-BOATS HAD ARRIVED--

ALL NINE OF THEM.

LYING LOW, RUNNING SILENTLY.

Thiele: WE THEN WAITED IN THE DARK,

AND WE WAITED TO COME INTO TORPEDO RANGE.

THAT WAS THE LURKING POSITION.

Narrator: THE LURKING POSITION IS AN S-BOAT TACTIC,

A TOTALLY SILENT ATTACK,

AN AMBUSH.

EVEN THE ENGINES ARE SWITCHED OFF.

Thiele: EVEN IF YOU JUST LIGHT YOUR CIGARETTE,

THEY CAN SEE IT FOR MILES.

THAT'S WHY WE HAD TO PROPERLY CLOSE THE HATCH.

ABSOLUTE SILENCE ON THE SHIP.

YOU DIDN'T SPEAK. NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL.

IF YOU WANTED TO COMMUNICATE, YOU HAD TO USE SIGN LANGUAGE.

Narrator: AT 1:30 A.M.,

AFTER HOURS OF LURKING ABOUT HALF A MILE FROM THE CONVOY,

THE S-BOAT COMMANDERS HAVE SEEN ENOUGH.

THE AMBUSH IS ON.

[SPEAKING GERMAN]

Thiele: WHEN THE ATTACK STARTS, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

THE ENGINES ARE STARTED IN SLOW,

THEN HALF POWER.

THEN FULL POWER AHEAD

UNTIL WE ARE WITHIN 600 METERS OF THE TARGET.

WE CAN'T RELEASE TORPEDOES AT FULL POWER,

SO WE HAVE TO SLOW DOWN.

WE HAD TO SPOT THE TARGET WITH A TARGET DEVICE,

AND THEN WE RELEASED THE TORPEDOES.

AND OFTEN THEY HIT.

Narrator: GUN LOADER NATHAN RESNICK

IS ON THE THIRD LST IN THE CONVOY, NUMBER 511.

HE'S ASLEEP IN HIS BUNK WHEN THE FIRST TORPEDO STRIKES.

Resnick: GENERAL QUARTERS WAS SOUNDED,

SO WE GOT OUT OF OUR BUNKS.

I GOT TO MY STATION ON A 40-MILLIMETER GUN.

Narrator: BUT THE ALERT HAS COME TOO LATE.

THE S-BOATS ALREADY HAVE THEIR FIRST VICTIM.

Resnick: WITHIN A FEW MINUTES,

I LOOKED TO STERN AND I SAW A BURNING SHIP.

Narrator: THE SHIP ON FIRE

IS THE ONE RIGHT AT THE BACK OF THE CONVOY, LST 507.

THE NEXT S-BOAT TARGET IS THE LST RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE,

531,

ON WHICH ENSIGN HARLANDER IS OFFICER OF THE WATCH.

Harlander: ABOUT 2:18 IN THE MORNING, AT THE RADAR,

I ASSESS A LITTLE PIP OVER HERE ON THE STARBOARD,

SO I WENT OUT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT,

AND I NO SOONER GOT OUT...

THE TORPEDO WENT OFF, RIGHT BELOW ME.

[EXPLOSION]

I CAME OUT OF MY ROOM,

AND RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, ABOUT SIX FEET,

THE SECOND TORPEDO CAME AT ME,

AND THE HOLE CAME UP ABOUT THAT WIDE ON THE DECK.

Thiele: THE EXPLOSION CREATED A FIRE FOUNTAIN.

YOU CAN'T IMAGINE THAT.

IT WENT HUNDREDS OF METERS UP IN THE AIR,

AND THEN IT COLLAPSED.

Harlander: IT LIFTED THE SHIP UP SO QUICKLY ON THAT SIDE,

IT THREW ME UP IN THE AIR.

IT FELT LIKE SOMEONE

HIT THE BOTTOM OF MY FEET WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER,

IT WAS SO DARN HARD.

Narrator: ON BOARD LST 511, IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF HARLANDER,

IS NATHAN RESNICK.

Resnick: THE MOST TREMENDOUS LOUD NOISE

I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE.

I MEAN, THE SHIP WENT UP IN FLAMES.

THERE WAS FIRE ALL OVER,

DEBRIS FLYING EVERYWHERE.

THE WHOLE SKY WAS LIT UP.

IT WAS JUST SHEER BEDLAM.

Narrator: THE CREWS ON THE LSTs DIRECTLY BEHIND HARLANDER'S SHIP

ALSO REALIZE FOR THE FIRST TIME

THE MORTAL DANGER THEY ARE NOW ALL IN.

Casner: MOUNT 41 WAS MY WATCH POSITION.

5 TO 10 DEGREES OFF DEAD AHEAD....

BOOM, THE SHIP AHEAD OF US GOES UP.

AND WE FIGURED THAT WAS TORPEDOES, YOU KNOW,

'CAUSE WE KNEW WHEN A SHIP BLEW UP.

THAT THING WENT UP IN THE AIR,

AND IN ONE PIECE.

AND THAT THING, IT WAS SO PERFECT...

THAT'S THE WAY IT STUCK IN MY MIND.

AND I SAW WHAT I THINK WAS A HUMAN BEING

GOING END OVER END THROUGH THE AIR.

AND THEN IT WASN'T LONG AFTER THAT

THEY OPENED UP WITH THE MACHINE GUNS,

AND IT LOOKED LIKE FIREFLIES COMING AT YOU, YOU KNOW?

Narrator: SOME OF THE WATCHING ROOKIES

HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE SEEING.

Glynn: I SAW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FIREWORKS I EVER SAW IN MY LIFE.

I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING TO SEE.

BUT I DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME IT WAS A SHIP BLOWING UP

AND THE AMMUNITION GOING OFF AND ALL.

Narrator: TWO LSTs, NUMBER 507 AND 531,

HAVE NOW BEEN TORPEDOED

AND BOTH ARE SINKING.

HUNDREDS ARE NOW DEAD,

MANY OF THEM BURNED BY A GASOLINE FIRE

RAGING ON THE SEA,

CAUSED BY FUEL-TANK SPILLAGE.

Thiele: THE ENGLISH AND THE AMERICAN BOATS

HAD PETROL ENGINES.

THIS MADE THEIR BOATS VERY FAST,

BUT ALSO MADE THEM A TERRIBLE FIRE RISK.

IF A PETROL ENGINE BOAT WAS HIT IN THE FUEL TANK,

THE BOAT WOULD BURST INTO FLAMES.

OUR BOATS, WITH DIESEL TANKS,

HAD NO RISK WITH REGARD TO THIS.

Narrator: INCREDIBLY, DESPITE THE EXPLOSIONS AND SHOOTING,

SOME CREWS AND SOLDIERS ON THE OTHER SHIPS

STILL THINK IT'S ALL PART OF THE EXERCISE.

ON LST 289, 17-YEAR-OLD SEAMAN SECOND CLASS THOMAS GLYNN

IS SENT BELOW TO GET THE MEN WHO ARE STILL IN THEIR BUNKS

UP AND OUT ONTO THE DECKS...

JUST BEFORE HIS SHIP, TOO, IS HIT BY AN S-BOAT TORPEDO.

Glynn: I COME BACK UP,

AND ABOUT FIVE, TEN MINUTES LATER

IS WHEN THE TORPEDO HIT,

SO I'M LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.

Thiele: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

YOU JUST THINK, "THOSE POOR WRETCHES.

THEY'VE ALL GONE DOWN WITH THEIR SHIP."

THAT IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND

WHEN YOU'RE ON THE SEA.

IT'S HUMANS WHO HANDLE THESE BOATS.

Narrator: AS THE S-BOATS PRESS HOME THEIR DEADLY ADVANTAGE,

THE LSTs ARE AT LAST ORDERED TO SCATTER

AND HEAD FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE SHORE.

Resnick: THE CAPTAIN STARTS TO MOVE AT FLANK SPEED...

GET OUT OF THERE.

Narrator: BUT THE S-BOATS

ARE STILL CUTTING IN AND OUT OF THE CONVOY

AT HIGH SPEED.

THE GUNNERS ON THE LSTs FIRE WILDLY AT ANYTHING THAT MOVES,

INCLUDING THEIR OWN SHIPS.

Resnick: THEY WERE FIRING BULLETS UP AND ACROSS

AND THERE WAS DENTS ON THE SHIP,

AND WE HAD ABOUT 18 CASUALTIES, WOUNDED.

Narrator: BRITISH CORVETTE HMS AZALEA

ISN'T MUCH HELP IN THE CHAOS.

THE VESSEL ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THE CONVOY

IS SIMPLY TOO SLOW TO CATCH THE S-BOATS.

ON BOARD THE STRICKEN LST 531, WHICH IS NOW LISTING BADLY,

ENSIGN DOUG HARLANDER IS COPING WITH ANOTHER DEADLY DANGER.

HIS CARGO OF AMPHIBIOUS BEACH ASSAULT TRUCKS,

NICKNAMED "DUCKS," IS ON FIRE.

Harlander: ALL OF THESE DUCKS

WERE UNDOUBTEDLY FULL OF GASOLINE.

THAT IS WHAT WAS BURNING.

IT WAS GOING DOWN FAST.

YOU COULD JUST FEEL IT GOING DOWN IN THE TURRETS.

AND IT KEPT ON GETTING MORE AND MORE DOWN.

AND BY THE TIME IT GOT OVER 35 DEGREES,

WELL, YOU KNEW DARN WELL IT'S JUST GONNA GO FAST.

Narrator: 22-YEAR-OLD HARLANDER IS NOW IN COMMAND OF 531.

HIS CAPTAIN AND SENIOR OFFICERS ARE ALL DEAD.

Harlander: THAT'S WHEN I GAVE THE WORD, "ABANDON SHIP."

ABANDON SHIP!

ABANDON SHIP!

SO I JUMPED OFF AND SWAM.

AFTER I GOT IN THE WATER,

I HAD TO SWIM THROUGH DIESEL FLUID,

AND THERE WAS GASOLINE BURNING ON TOP OF IT,

SO I HAD TO SWIM AROUND IT.

Narrator: THE YOUNG ENSIGN MANAGES TO REACH A LIFE RAFT

AND HANGS ON TO THE SIDE.

THE WATER TEMPERATURE IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

IS AROUND 45 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

A LEVEL AT WHICH THE HUMAN BODY USUALLY STARTS TO SHUT DOWN

AFTER JUST 15 MINUTES.

Harlander: THE HARDEST THING TO DO IS NOT TO GO TO SLEEP.

Narrator: BUT FOR HARLANDER THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE RESCUE.

HE IS IN THE FREEZING WATER FOR FOUR AND A HALF HOURS

BEFORE A BRITISH DESTROYER FINDS HIM.

Harlander: THEY PUT A ROPE UNDERNEATH MY ARMS

AND THEY PULLED ME ABOARD,

LAID ME DOWN ON THAT BLACK, DARK DECK.

BUT IT WAS THE BEST FEELING I EVER HAD.

BEING A BRITISH DESTROYER, THEY ALWAYS HAVE TEA.

THEY GAVE ME SOME HOT TEA,

AND I, I, I COULDN'T HOLD...

I HAD IT WEDGED RIGHT HERE.

I COULDN'T... PUT MY FINGERS OUT LIKE THAT.

I DRANK ABOUT HALF OF IT AND SPILLED HALF OF IT.

BUT IT'S STILL THE BEST DRINK I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.

Narrator: WITH SO FEW BRITISH WARSHIPS ON HAND

TO PULL PEOPLE FROM THE FREEZING SEA,

THE DEATH TOLL FROM THE AMBUSH WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE

IF NOT FOR ONE LST CAPTAIN WHO BROKE RANKS,

IGNORING THE ORDER TO SCATTER AND HEAD FOR SHORE.

AS LST 515 CIRCLED BACK,

GUNNER'S MATE PAUL GEROLSTEIN

WAS LEANING OVER THE SIDE, LOOKING FOR SURVIVORS.

HE SEES MORE DEAD SOLDIERS THAN LIVING ONES.

Gerolstein: IT STARTED TO GET LIGHT,

BUT WE WERE IN... WE WERE HEARING, "HELP!"

AND ALL THE CRYING, YOU KNOW.

IT WAS PITIFUL.

REALLY, THE WATER WAS JUST COVERED WITH BODIES,

ARMY BODIES.

AND WE WERE GRABBING 'EM SO THEY COULD WORK THEIR WAY UP.

WE PULLED IN OVER A HUNDRED.

WE DID THAT UNTIL THERE WAS NO MORE SURVIVORS.

Narrator: GENERAL EISENHOWER'S UTAH BEACH D-DAY REHEARSAL

IS NOW A FULL-SCALE DISASTER.

TWO LSTs HAVE BEEN SUNK WITH THEIR EQUIPMENT,

AND ONE HAS BEEN BADLY DAMAGED.

WORSE STILL, AT LEAST 639 AMERICANS ARE DEAD OR MISSING.

THERE ARE NO GERMAN OR BRITISH CASUALTIES,

AND THE S-BOATS HAVE DISAPPEARED INTO THE NIGHT

AS SILENTLY AND SWIFTLY AS THEY CAME.

THE SIX LSTs THAT SURVIVE THE AMBUSH

HIGHTAIL IT TO SAFETY,

WITHOUT LANDING THEIR TROOPS OR EQUIPMENT.

EXERCISE TIGER IS AT AN END.

AT EISENHOWER'S BRITISH HQ,

AS THE EXTENT OF THE LOSSES BECOMES CLEAR,

THE SUPREME COMMANDER ORDERS AN IMMEDIATE WALL OF SILENCE.

[TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING]

Resnick: THE HEADS OF OUR DEPARTMENTS

TOLD US IN PLAIN LANGUAGE NOT TO BE TALKED ABOUT,

YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHIN',

AND KEEP IT QUIET.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID.

Casner: WE WERE GIVEN ORDERS THAT YOU CANNOT DISCUSS THIS.

IT'S TOP SECRET,

AND YOU'LL BE COURT MARTIALED IF YOU TALK ABOUT IT.

Harlander: EISENHOWER SAYS,

"YOU CANNOT DOCUMENT ANYTHING MEDICALLY

OR ANYTHING FROM PEOPLE."

FIX THE BOYS UP, BUT YOU CAN'T DOCUMENT ANYTHING.

AND IF YOU DO, YOU'RE SUBJECT TO COURT MARTIAL

REGARDLESS OF YOUR RANK.

Narrator: EISENHOWER'S CLAMPDOWN,

COUPLED WITH AN UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE EXACT DEATH TOLL

SPARK RUMORS AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES

THAT SURVIVE TO THIS DAY.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

Narrator: BEFORE THE DEAD ARE EVEN BURIED,

IT'S BECOMING CLEAR THAT MANY SOLDIERS DROWNED NEEDLESSLY

BECAUSE THEY WERE WEARING DIFFERENT LIFEBELTS

THAN THOSE ISSUED TO THE NAVY.

Man: ABANDON SHIP!

Narrator: THIS IS WHAT THE NAVY PERSONNEL WORE

DURING THE EXERCISE,

AND THEY EASILY KEEP YOU AFLOAT.

BUT ARMY PERSONNEL ON BOARD THE LSTs

WERE GIVEN WHAT WERE CALLED NAVY M1926 LIFEBELTS--

POTENTIAL KILLERS IF YOU DIDN'T WEAR THEM RIGHT.

ROGER ELLIS IS A SURVIVAL EXPERT

WHO KNOWS JUST HOW DIFFICULT IT IS

TO REMEMBER YOUR LIFEBELT TRAINING

IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE.

Roger Ellis: OUT OF A CAST OF THOUSANDS,

YOU'VE BEEN SELECTED TO WEAR THIS WONDERFUL PIECE OF KIT

WHICH YOU WILL NEED TO READ.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ WHAT IT SAYS ON THERE?

Man: "FOLD ON THIS LINE. OUTSIDE FRONT. THIS EDGE DOWN."

Ellis: IF YOU'D LIKE TO PUT IT ON...

AS IT SAYS ON THE INSTRUCTIONS.

MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT THE BUCKLES,

OKAY, IN FRONT OF YOU, SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO IT.

YEAH, THAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY, WOULDN'T IT?

OKAY, THAT'S IT. YOU FOLLOW IT ROUND.

REMEMBER NOW, IT'S DARK, IT'S WINDY,

WE'RE BEING SHOT AT.

YOU NEED TO GET THIS ON QUICKLY.

WE'RE NOW GETTING EXPLOSIONS, THERE'S LOTS OF BANGS.

OKAY, WE'RE UNDER ATTACK.

MOVE IT ROUND. THAT'S IT.

KEEP MOVING IT ROUND. THAT'S IT.

NOW YOU WANT THE RUBBER HOSE POINTING TOWARDS YOUR MOUTH.

THERE'S A LITTLE KNURLED KNOB ON THE TOP.

IF WE UNSCREW IT ANTI-CLOCKWISE...

START BLOWING HARD INTO THE LIFE JACKET.

MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF AIR IN THERE.

THAT'S IT. NOW THEN, TURN OFF THE TAP.

OTHERWISE ALL YOUR HARD WORK WILL BE UNDONE.

HOW DOES THAT FEEL?

Man: TIRING.

Ellis: VERY TIRING, ISN'T IT?

TAKE OFF THE HELMET, TUCK IT UNDER YOUR ARM.

OKAY, CLOSE.

PUT YOUR NOSE, OKAY, IN YOUR HANDS.

LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD.

WE'LL BE LOOKING DOWN TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NOBODY THERE.

AND WHEN I SAY, "ABANDON SHIP,"

STEP INTO THE WATER.

ABANDON SHIP!

THAT WORKS.

Martin Morgan: THE M1926 LIFEBELT WORKED, WORKED WELL,

BUT YOU HAD TO WEAR IT HIGH ON THE TORSO,

BELOW THE ARMPITS.

OTHERWISE WHEN YOU HIT THE WATER,

YOU'D TEND TO FLIP OVER.

Narrator: THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN YOU HAVE IT ROUND YOUR WAIST.

Morgan: ON APRIL 28, 1944, ON LYME BAY,

A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS

WERE WEARING THEIR M1926 LIFEBELT AROUND THEIR WAIST,

WEARING IT INCORRECTLY, WHEN THEY JUMPED OVERBOARD.

Narrator: AN INCORRECTLY WORN LIFEBELT

WASN'T THE ONLY MORTAL DANGER FOR THE EXERCISE TIGER GIs.

THEIR HELMETS COULD BE FATAL, TOO.

Morgan: DURING EXERCISE TIGER,

THERE WAS AN UNFORTUNATE TRAGEDY ASSOCIATED WITH THE M1 HELMET.

A LARGE NUMBER OF THE ARMY TROOPS

HAD THE CHIN STRAP OF THE M1 HELMET

FASTENED UNDERNEATH THEIR CHIN.

AND WHEN THEY JUMPED FROM THE SHIP

WITH THE CHIN STRAP FASTENED AND THEY HIT THE WATER,

JUMPING FROM A HEIGHT 10, 15 FEET,

A SUDDEN UPRUSH OF WATER LIFTED THE HELMET,

AND WITH THE HELMET CHIN STRAPS IN PLACE,

IT BROKE SOME MEN'S NECK.

Narrator: THE MOST SERIOUS RUMOR CLAIMED

THAT THE TIGER REHEARSALS KILLED AT LEAST 110 MEN

DURING THE LIVE FIRING PART OF THE EXERCISE

AND THAT THE DEAD WERE HASTILY BURIED IN MASS GRAVES

AS PART OF A COVER-UP.

BRITISH WRITER NIGEL LEWIS

HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THIS FOR YEARS.

HE'S UNCOVERED A PREVIOUSLY SECRET ARMY RADIO LOG.

Lewis: WE HAVE EVIDENCE FROM A RADIO TRANSMISSION

STATING SHELLS LANDING AMONGST TROOPS,

SHELLS BURSTING IN THE NEXT FIELD,

THIS SORT OF THING.

THE CASUALTIES SUSTAINED IN THE FIRING ON THE 27th

WERE 29.

NO FATALITIES.

Narrator: NIGEL LEWIS'S WRITTEN EVIDENCE

THAT THERE WERE NO FATALITIES ON SLAPTON SANDS,

JUST FRIENDLY-FIRE INJURIES,

MIGHT ITSELF BE PART OF A COVER-UP.

WHEN THE OFFICIAL REHEARSAL DEATH TOLL WAS ISSUED

SOON AFTER D-DAY,

IT RECKONED THAT 639 MEN HAD DIED.

BUT ACCORDING TO A SECRET CABLE

FROM THE OVERALL EXERCISE COMMANDER, REAR ADMIRAL MOON,

749 SOLDIERS AND SAILORS WERE DEAD OR MISSING--

A DIFFERENCE OF 110.

Lewis: I'M UNAWARE OF ANY OTHER DEATH TOLL

OF THE AMERICAN FORCES IN WORLD WAR II

THAT HAS GOT THIS REALLY VERY LARGE DISCREPANCY IN IT--

THE ONE WE FIND IN TIGER OF 110 PEOPLE.

Narrator: ADMIRAL MOON NEVER EXPLAINED THE LARGE DISCREPANCY.

THREE MONTHS AFTER SLAPTON, IN AUGUST 1944,

HE COMMITTED SUICIDE.

FOR 70 YEARS,

A FIERCE DEBATE HAS RAGED ABOUT THE FATE OF THE 110 MEN.

NIGEL LEWIS BELIEVES HE HAS FINALLY SOLVED THE MYSTERY.

AND THE ANSWER LIES HERE,

IN ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL IN LONDON,

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT,

WHERE ANYONE WHO CARES TO LOOK CAN SEE IT.

WITHIN THE FAMOUS CHURCH'S AMERICAN CHAPEL

IS A 500-PAGE HONOR ROLL

THAT NAMES EVERY AMERICAN SERVICEMAN WHO DIED

WHILE STATIONED IN THE U.K. DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

Lewis: THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO DIED HERE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

IN THE COURSE OF WORLD WAR II.

ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO,

I BECAME AWARE OF THE ST. PAUL'S HONOR ROLL,

AND I REALIZED WITH SOME EXCITEMENT

THAT THIS COULD BE THE KEY TO UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY

OF THE TRUE DEATH TOLL IN EXERCISE TIGER,

WHICH HAS BEEN DISPUTED FOR SO LONG.

I'VE BEEN THROUGH THE WHOLE ROSTER OF THE WORLD WAR II DEAD,

WHICH IS 490,000-PLUS PEOPLE.

WE HAVE A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE NAVY FIGURE, WHICH IS 639,

WHICH IS COMPOSED OF 197 NAVY PEOPLE AND 442 ARMY.

BUT THEN WE HAVE THIS STRANGE BLIP

OF ADMIRAL MOON ON APRIL THE 30th

GIVING A SET OF FIGURES

THAT SEEM TO ADD UP TO A DEATH TOLL OF 749.

THESE TWO FIGURES DON'T MARRY TOGETHER.

THEY DON'T FIT.

ONE OF THEM IS WRONG,

AND I'M SURE IT'S THE 749 FIGURE.

Narrator: NIGEL LEWIS'S FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF HONOR

HAS IDENTIFIED THE MISSING NAMES

AND LINKED THEM TO FATAL INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS

AROUND THE SAME TIME AS EXERCISE TIGER,

BUT NOT IN THE VICINITY OF SLAPTON SANDS.

Lewis: I CAN FIND NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER OF THOSE 110 PEOPLE.

THEY DIED IN ANOTHER WAY, OF OTHER CAUSES.

THEY WERE NOT ON CONVOY T4,

AND THEY DID NOT DIE IN CONVOY T4.

Narrator: CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND.

THIS IS WHERE ALMOST 4,000 AMERICAN SERVICEMEN

WHO DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN BRITAIN DURING WORLD WAR II

ARE BURIED.

THEIR FAMILIES DECIDED TO LEAVE THEM HERE

RATHER THAN BRING THEM HOME.

AMONG THEM ARE SOME FROM EXERCISE TIGER,

INCLUDING LELAND SIMMONS,

WHOSE GREAT NEPHEW RON JENSEN

IS STILL TRYING TO DISCOVER WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO HIM.

Jensen: HE WENT OFF TO WAR, YOU KNOW,

LIKE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GIs,

YOU KNOW, KISSED HIS WIFE GOODBYE,

LEFT FOR WAR, AND NEVER RETURNED.

Narrator: RON JENSEN IS THE ONLY ONE OF LELAND'S RELATIVES

TO CONTINUE THE QUEST TO FIND OUT HOW AND WHY HE DIED.

Jensen: MAYBE THEY'D GIVEN UP

THE FINDING THE DETAILS OF HIS DEATH,

BUT THEY WANTED TO KNOW WHERE HE WAS.

Narrator: KNOWING WHERE THE DEAD ARE

IS USUALLY THE JOB OF THE ARMY'S GRAVES REGISTRATION SERVICE--

SPECIALISTS WHO TEND TO THOSE WHO ARE KILLED IN ACTION

AND MAKE SURE THEY RECEIVE PROPER BURIALS.

IT'S THEIR JOB TO RECORD WHAT HAPPENED AND WHERE.

Arthur Brookes: ONE OF THE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS

THAT THE AMERICAN GRAVES REGISTRATION SERVICE

WAS KEEN TO DO

WAS HAVE A VERY ACCURATE PAPER TRAIL.

Narrator: BUT FOR EXERCISE TIGER,

THERE WAS A LESS THAN ACCURATE PAPER TRAIL.

BODIES WERE LOST AT SEA,

AND GENERAL EISENHOWER'S SECRECY ORDER

ADDED TO THE CONFUSION.

HOWEVER, THERE IS A GRAVES RECORD FOR LELAND SIMMONS.

Brookes: WHAT WE HAVE HERE

ARE THE HEADSTONE INSCRIPTION INTERMENT RECORDS

FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL

BURIED HERE IN THE CAMBRIDGE AMERICAN CEMETERY.

IF WE GO BACK FURTHER HERE TO THE Ss,

WE'LL FIND THAT WE HAVE, IN FACT, LELAND SIMMONS.

Narrator: EVEN WHEN THE DEAD

ARE FIRST BURIED IN TEMPORARY GRAVES

AND THEN MOVED,

AS WAS THE CASE WITH SIMMONS,

SOMEONE USUALLY MAKES A NOTE.

Brookes: THIS IS AN ACTUAL ACCURATE RECORD

OF WHERE HE WAS AND WHEN HE WAS MOVED.

Narrator: LELAND SIMMONS IS NOW BURIED HERE IN CAMBRIDGE.

WHENEVER A RELATIVE COMES TO SEE

THEIR LOVED ONE'S FINAL RESTING PLACE,

THE NAME IS HIGHLIGHTED WITH WET SAND,

TAKEN FROM THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY.

Jensen: IT TOOK ALMOST 50 YEARS,

BUT SOMEBODY FROM THE FAMILY

WAS ABLE TO STAND AT UNCLE HAP'S GRAVE,

AND I THINK THAT WAS IMPORTANT.

Narrator: CAMBRIDGE ALSO HAS A WALL OF THE MISSING,

A PLACE WHERE THE FAMILIES OF GIs, LIKE LOUIS BOLTON,

WHOSE BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED FROM THE SEA OFF SLAPTON,

CAN COME TO GRIEVE.

Bolton: IT IS DIFFERENT.

OUR FAMILY DIDN'T HAVE A LOVED ONE TO BURY.

HIS PLATOON'S JOB

WAS GOING TO BE BURYING THE DEAD ON UTAH BEACH

AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY TAKING CARE OF THE DEAD

AS THE FRONT MOVED.

Narrator: THE LOSS OF LOUIS BOLTON

AND OTHERS FROM HIS GRAVES PLATOON

IS ANOTHER REASON WHY THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH CONFUSION

ABOUT THE DEATH TOLL FROM TIGER.

THE VERY PEOPLE

WHO WERE TO LOOK AFTER THOSE WHO HAD BEEN KILLED

AND CREATE THE PAPER TRAIL

WERE THEMSELVES DEAD OR MISSING.

COUPLED WITH EISENHOWER'S SECRECY ORDER,

THIS MEANT THE FAMILIES

WERE GIVEN LITTLE OFFICIAL INFORMATION.

Bolton: "REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION ON 28 APRIL, 1944,

IN THE EUROPEAN AREA.

WAS REPORTED KILLED IN ACTION ON THAT DATE."

AS FAR AS I KNOW, NOTHING WAS RECEIVED AFTER THE WAR, EITHER,

TO GIVE HER ANY MORE DETAILS.

Narrator: BUT ONE MAN WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE DISASTER

WAS ALLOWED TO COMMIT HIS TESTIMONY TO PAPER.

ENSIGN DOUG HARLANDER,

WHO TOOK COMMAND OF THE SINKING LST 531

WHEN HIS SENIOR OFFICERS WERE ALL KILLED,

WAS ORDERED BY ADMIRAL MOON TO MAKE A FULL REPORT.

IT THEN REMAINED CLASSIFIED FOR MANY YEARS.

Harlander: THE SHIP WAS TORPEDOED ON THE STARBOARD SIDE

BY TWO TORPEDOES...

SEPARATED BY ABOUT A MINUTE.

Narrator: PFC LELAND SIMMONS DIED ON DOUG HARLANDER'S SHIP.

70 YEARS LATER, HIS GREAT NEPHEW RON JENSEN

IS AT LAST ABLE TO READ HARLANDER'S REPORT

AND FIND OUT HOW.

Jensen: I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS REPORT.

"APPROXIMATELY 0218

THIS SHIP WAS TORPEDOED ON THE STARBOARD SIDE

BY TWO TORPEDOES,

SEPARATED BY ABOUT ONE MINUTE OF TIME.

SIX MINUTES AFTER THE FIRST TORPEDO,

THE SHIP ROLLED OVER."

SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE MUCH OF A CHANCE OF GETTING AWAY.

Narrator: IN JULY 1945,

KNOWING THAT D-DAY HAD BEEN A SUCCESS,

GENERAL EISENHOWER PUBLISHED HIS OWN OFFICIAL REPORT.

IT WAS 123 PAGES LONG.

HE DEVOTED JUST ONE PARAGRAPH TO THE EXERCISE TIGER DISASTER.

BUT IN IT HE REVEALS THAT HE USED THE LST CONVOY

NOT ONLY AS A DRY RUN FOR THE INVASION,

BUT ALSO AS A TEST TO SEE HOW THE GERMANS WOULD REACT--

AN ADMISSION THAT HISTORIANS HAVE OVERLOOKED UNTIL NOW.

Bennett: WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT IT

IS HE STATES IN BLACK AND WHITE

THAT'S THERE'S A TWO-FOLD PURPOSE TO THESE CONVOYS.

FIRSTLY THERE'S THE OSTENSIBLE REASON OF AMPHIBIOUS TRAINING,

BUT HE ALSO TALKS ABOUT "TESTING ENEMY REACTION

TO OUR MOUNTING PREPARATIONS."

Narrator: PROFESSOR BENNETT BELIEVES

THAT PUTTING THE CONVOY AT RISK TO TEST ENEMY REACTION

WAS A GAMBLE BY EISENHOWER--

ONE HE DID NOT REVEAL TO THE ROOKIES ON BOARD BEFOREHAND.

Bennett: OF COURSE, IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF EXERCISE TIGER,

THE GENERAL'S GAMBLE DOESN'T WORK OUT.

THE GERMANS ARE ABLE TO GET THROUGH

THAT SCREEN OF DESTROYERS AND PT BOATS.

AND THE RESULT IS A MASSIVE LOSS OF LIFE.

Narrator: IN HIS REPORT,

EISENHOWER DOES NOT EVEN MENTION THAT 639 AMERICANS WERE KILLED.

Bennett: HIS WORDING'S QUITE STRIKING.

"THERE WAS AN UNFORTUNATE LOSS OF LIFE

IN THE SINKING OF TWO LSTs."

THERE'S NOT REALLY A GREAT DEAL OF REGRET EXPRESSED

FOR THE DEATHS OF HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN TROOPS

IN THE COURSE OF THAT.

HE'S ALMOST SORT OF APOLOGETIC FOR, IN GENERAL'S TERMS,

THE LOSS OF A RESOURCE THAT'S GONNA BE USEFUL LATER ON.

Narrator: EISENHOWER'S DECISION

PROVOKES CONTROVERSY AND EMOTION.

Lewis: THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

AND PRESIDENTS AND MILITARY LEADERS

DON'T EXPECT ANYBODY TO DO THAT.

WE EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE VERY CAREFUL

WITH THE LIVES OF AMERICANS.

Narrator: FOR THE MEN WHO SURVIVED

EISENHOWER'S D-DAY REHEARSAL AND THE INVASION ITSELF,

THERE ARE NO RECRIMINATIONS,

ONLY SADNESS.

Casner: WE WERE IN A SERIES OF BIG MISTAKES, IT SEEMED LIKE.

Gerolstein: I DIDN'T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT

BECAUSE IT WAS ALL PART OF OUR JOB, YOU KNOW.

Resnick: I NEVER REALLY TALKED A LOT ABOUT IT

'CAUSE IT BROUGHT BACK BAD MEMORIES.

Harlander: AND I HOPE THAT THEY LEARNED SOMETHING.

Narrator: GENERAL EISENHOWER DID LEARN FROM HIS MISTAKES.

CHANGES WERE MADE WHICH PROBABLY SAVED LIVES ON D-DAY AND BEYOND.

A TOTAL OF 73,000 AMERICANS

LANDED IN FRANCE ON JUNE 6, 1944.

OF THE 34,000 WHO WENT ASHORE ON OMAHA,

2,000 WERE KILLED.

ON UTAH BEACH, 23,000 LAND,

BUT ONLY 250 ARE KILLED--

LESS THAN HALF THE NUMBER WHO DIED DURING EXERCISE TIGER.

WITHOUT THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE OF THE 639 MEN

DURING AMERICA'S D-DAY REHEARSAL DISASTER,

NO ONE KNOWS HOW MANY MORE AMERICANS WOULD HAVE DIED

ON THE SANDS OF NORMANDY.