All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S06E07.Towers.of.Blood.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

*

Narrator: A MONSTER MACHINE
IN UKRAINE, SEEMINGLY HIGH-TECH,

YET LEFT TO RUST
IN A GIANT HANGAR...

AND YOU SEE A WING STRUCTURE,
PART OF A FUSELAGE,

AND THEN,
LOOMING OVER ALL OF IT,

IS THIS ABSOLUTELY
ENORMOUS AIRCRAFT.

*

Narrator: ...A GHOSTLY FACILITY
SPRAWLING ACROSS

NORTHERN INDIANA,
DISPLAYING STRANGE FEATURES...

NORTHERN INDIANA,
DISPLAYING STRANGE FEATURES...

SO, WE'VE GOT SLIDES
COMING OUT OF THESE BUILDINGS,

AND THOSE ARE NOT THERE FOR FUN.

...AND A COLLECTION
OF RUINED CONSTRUCTIONS

STRATEGICALLY PERCHED
ON THE EDGE OF A SCOTTISH LOCH.

THIS IS SUCH
A PEACEFUL LOCATION.

BUT THESE CONCRETE STRUCTURES,
THEY EVOKE A TIME WHEN THIS LOCH

WAS TRANSFORMED INTO AN AREA
OF ACTION AND FRANTIC ACTIVITY.

*

*

Narrator: DECAYING RELICS,

RUINS OF LOST WORLDS,

FORGED THROUGH YEARS OF TOIL,

NOW HAUNTED BY THE PAST.

THEIR SECRETS WAITING
TO BE REVEALED.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

*

*

UKRAINE, EASTERN EUROPE.

ON THE OUTSKIRTS
OF THE CAPITAL OF KIEV,

SITS A VAST,
FEATURELESS STRUCTURE

THAT HIDES
AN EXTRAORDINARY SECRET.

*

Wawro: WE'RE IN A KIND OF
INDUSTRIAL SUBURB.

AND THEN YOU COME INTO THIS
VERY ABANDONED, DERELICT AREA

WITH WEEDS GROWING
THROUGH THE PAVEMENT.

ON THE EDGE OF THIS THING,

YOU SEE THIS ONE
ENORMOUS BUILDING.

Meigs: THE FIRST THING
THAT STRIKES YOU IS

Meigs: THE FIRST THING
THAT STRIKES YOU IS

THAT IT HAS THESE MASSIVE,
MASSIVE DOORS

OVER 100 FEET HIGH.

SO WHATEVER THIS BUILDING'S
INTENDED FOR

WAS CLEARLY SOME KIND OF
SUPER-SIZED STRUCTURE.

Barratt: WHEN YOU SEE ANYTHING
THAT'S UNUSUAL

OR JUST BEYOND YOUR NORMAL
EXPECTATION IN SCALE,

YOU'RE DRAWN TO IT.

YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT LIES
BEHIND THOSE DOORS.

Narrator: INSIDE, OLD MACHINERY

THAT LINES THE CAVERNOUS
INTERIOR PROVIDES A CLUE

AS TO WHAT WAS
MANUFACTURED WITHIN.

AS TO WHAT WAS
MANUFACTURED WITHIN.

Narrator: IT'S KIND OF LIKE A
CRYPT FOR ANCIENT AIRCRAFT

IN PIECES, MOSTLY.

YOU SEE DIFFERENT PARTS
LAYING AROUND

THAT HAVEN'T BEEN CONNECTED YET.

Barratt: DWARFING THE AIRCRAFT
STORED THERE

IS ONE MASSIVE FUSELAGE
OF AN AIRPLANE.

*

IT IS HUGE.

IT TOWERS ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE,
AND IT DOMINATES THE SPACE.

*

*

Wawro:
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LINK

BETWEEN THIS MAMMOTH AIRCRAFT
AND THE COLD WAR.

BUT JUST LOOKING AT THE PLANE,
THE LINK ISN'T CLEAR.

Barratt:
WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THIS?

WHY GET SO FAR
ON SUCH A MASSIVE SCALE

AND THEN NOT COMPLETE THE JOB?

*

*

Narrator: INSIDE THIS GIANT
HANGAR LIES AN IMPRESSIVE FEAT

OF AVIATION HISTORY
THAT WAS ONCE AT THE HEART

OF A FIERCE INTERNATIONAL
RIVALRY BETWEEN TWO SUPERPOWERS.

*

HENNADII SILCHENKO HAS WORKED
FOR THE ANTONOV DESIGN BUREAU

FOR NEARLY FOUR DECADES.

HE WAS PART OF
THE TEAM RESPONSIBLE

FOR THIS PLANE'S DEVELOPMENT.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]
AS TO WHERE WE ARE NOW,

I CAN SAY THAT WE ARE STANDING

I CAN SAY THAT WE ARE STANDING

IN ONE OF THE WAREHOUSES
OF OUR COMPANY,

WHICH IS USED FOR
CONSERVATION AND STORAGE,

*

Barratt:
ANTONOV, OUR HUGE UKRAINIAN
AERONAUTICAL COMPANY --

THEY WERE KNOWN FOR MAKING
BIG AIRPLANES.

THAT WAS THEIR THING.

*

Narrator: AND IT'S THE
SHEER SCALE OF THE PARTS

Narrator: AND IT'S THE
SHEER SCALE OF THE PARTS

THAT ARE KEY TO
UNDERSTANDING ITS ORIGIN.

AT 288 FEET IN LENGTH,

THE FUSELAGE IS
OVER 30 FEET LONGER

THAN THE WORLD'S BIGGEST
PASSENGER PLANE FLYING TODAY.

Meigs: THE FAMOUS A380,

THE SUPER-SIZED
PASSENGER JET FROM AIRBUS,

ISN'T EVEN AS LARGE.

CLEARLY, THIS AIRCRAFT
WAS DESIGNED

FOR SOME EXTRAORDINARY PURPOSE,

SOMETHING EXTREMELY
LARGE AND HEAVY.

SOMETHING EXTREMELY
LARGE AND HEAVY.

AT THE TIME, THE MAIN PURPOSE
OF THE AIRCRAFT

WAS TO BE ABLE TO CARRY
HUGE WEIGHTS UP TO 250 TONS.

Narrator: BORN AT A TIME
WHEN EAST AND WEST

WERE LOCKED IN BITTER STRUGGLE,

THIS FLYING FORTRESS WAS TO HAVE
A SPECIAL ROLE TO PLAY.

Meigs: WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
THE COLD WAR,

WE THINK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL
FOR MILITARY CONFLICT

WE THINK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL
FOR MILITARY CONFLICT

BETWEEN THE U.S.
AND THE USSR.

WE THINK ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS

AND THE BUILD-UP
OF THAT CAPABILITY.

BUT THE COLD WAR ALSO TOOK PLACE
IN ALL THESE OTHER ARENAS.

THERE WAS A BATTLE OF PROPAGANDA
TO BE WON, AS WELL.

AND SPACE BECAME THE PLACE
TO FIGHT THAT ONE OUT.

THE SPACE RACE TOOK ENGINEERING
AND CREATIVITY

TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

*

*

Wawro: SO, IN 1972,
THE UNITED STATES ANNOUNCES

THE SPACE-SHUTTLE PROGRAM,

AND THE SOVIETS SEE THIS
AS ALARMING.

FIRST OF ALL, IT'S A HUGE LEAP
IN THIS PRESTIGIOUS SPACE RACE.

THE AMERICANS ARE GONNA HAVE
A NEW GENERATION OF TECHNOLOGY

THE SOVIETS DON'T HAVE.

Barratt: THE SOVIETS WERE
ON THE BACK FOOT,

BUT THEY COULD SEE
THAT THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM

WAS THE FUTURE
OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

THIS PLANE IS
PART OF THAT STORY.

Narrator:
THIS IS THE ANTONOV 225,

Narrator:
THIS IS THE ANTONOV 225,

THE WORLD'S LARGEST
MODEL OF AIRCRAFT.

BUT HOW WAS A GIANT PLANE
SUPPOSED TO HELP

THE USSR ACHIEVE ITS GOAL
OF CONQUERING SPACE?

SOON AS THE U.S. ANNOUNCED
THIS SHUTTLE PROGRAM,

THE SOVIETS DECIDED THEY WERE
GONNA HAVE TO COME BACK

WITH THEIR OWN PROGRAM
CALLED THE BURAN.

GEOGRAPHICALLY, THE USSR IS
A HUGE, HUGE SPACE

WITH LOTS OF CENTERS
OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE.

NOW, THE SPACE-SHUTTLE PROGRAM

REQUIRES HUGE PIECES
OF TECHNOLOGY,

REQUIRES HUGE PIECES
OF TECHNOLOGY,

VERY BIG-SCALE ENGINEERING.

AND TO GET THEM INTO ONE PLACE,
FIT FOR LAUNCHING,

YOU'D NEED TO TRANSPORT
EVERYTHING TO THAT LOCATION.

Wawro: SO THE SOVIET SOLUTION IS
TO FLY THE SPACE SHUTTLE

TO THE COSMODROME
IN SOUTHERN KAZAKHSTAN.

AND YET THERE IS NO
AIRCRAFT BIG ENOUGH

TO CARRY A SPACE SHUTTLE.

Silchenko:
[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

Silchenko:
[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

THE ENGINEERS KNEW
THAT THE CONSTRUCTION

OF AN AIRCRAFT THAT COULD
SOLVE THOSE ISSUES

WOULD, WITHOUT DOUBT,
ELEVATE THE AVIATION INDUSTRY

OF NOT ONLY A SOVIET STATE,
BUT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

*

Narrator: WITH AN EPIC CHALLENGE
AHEAD OF THEM

AND THE REMAINS OF THIS PLANE
NOW LEFT LYING IN A HANGAR,

DID THE SOVIETS EVER GET
THIS BEAST IN THE SKY?

DID THE SOVIETS EVER GET
THIS BEAST IN THE SKY?

*

*

Narrator: IN A HANGAR OUTSIDE
OF KIEV, UKRAINE,

ARE THE SKELETAL REMAINS
OF A KEY PART

OF THE SOVIET UNION'S
SPACE PROGRAM.

JUST THREE YEARS AFTER
THE IDEA FOR THIS MODEL

OF AIRCRAFT WAS CONCEIVED,

THE MONSTROUS AN-225
FINALLY TOOK TO THE SKIES

WITH A SHUTTLE ON ITS BACK.

Silchenko:
[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

Silchenko:
[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

Translator: WHEN IT TOOK OFF,

IT WAS NOT ONLY A SHOCK
FOR THE WHOLE WORLD,

BUT TO SOME EXTENT,
EVEN FOR US, ITS CREATORS.

SUCH A PLANE IN THE AIR IS STILL
FANTASTIC TO WITNESS.

AND IT WAS STRIKING 'CAUSE
IN 1989, TO KIND OF ANNOUNCE

THIS GREAT TECHNOLOGICAL
BREAKTHROUGH TO THE WORLD,

THEY SEND THE AN-225
TO THE PARIS AIR SHOW.

AND EVERYBODY WHO SEES IT IS

JUST BLOWN AWAY BY THE SHEER
SCALE OF THIS AIRCRAFT.

JUST BLOWN AWAY BY THE SHEER
SCALE OF THIS AIRCRAFT.

*

Narrator: WITH THE AN-225
DECLARED A RESOUNDING SUCCESS,

THE SOVIET UNION FORGED AHEAD

WITH PLANS
TO ASSEMBLE THREE MORE.

THIS WAS MEANT TO BE NUMBER TWO
OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE.

Barratt: FORGET ABOUT JUST BEING
AN ENGINEERING MARVEL.

FOR THE SOVIETS, THIS WAS A
MASSIVE PROPAGANDA COUP.

Meigs: ALTHOUGH, IN THE END,
IT REALLY TURNED OUT

TO BE TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.

TO BE TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.

Narrator: A STORM WAS BREWING
THAT WOULD SPELL DISASTER

FOR THE WORLD'S
LARGEST AIRCRAFT.

Barratt: A COUPLE YEARS LATER,
THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED,

AND EVERYTHING CHANGED.

THERE WAS REALLY NO PURPOSE
FOR THE PLANE.

IT GOT MOTHBALLED.

THE OTHER MODELS THAT WERE
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

NEVER GOT COMPLETED.

Barratt: WITHOUT THE SPACE RACE,

WITHOUT THAT COMPETITION
WITH THE USA,

WHY DID THE WORLD
NEED A PLANE ON THAT SCALE?

WHY DID THE WORLD
NEED A PLANE ON THAT SCALE?

THAT'S WHAT NOBODY COULD
FIGURE OUT.

*

Narrator: YET THAT WASN'T
THE END OF ITS STORY.

PILOT DMYTRO ANTONOV
IS ONE OF THE FEW MEN

TO HAVE FLOWN
THIS WINGED LEVIATHAN.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]
AN-225 WAS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

IN 2001.

IT STARTED TO FLY AGAIN.

AND SINCE THAT TIME,

IT HAS PERFORMED NUMEROUS
HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS.

IT HAS PERFORMED NUMEROUS
HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS.

Narrator: BUT WITH THE PLANE
COSTING AN ASTONISHING

$30,000 AN HOUR TO CHARTER,
IT'S RARELY CALLED INTO ACTION.

WHEN IT DOES MAKE AN APPEARANCE,
IT ATTRACTS QUITE A CROWD.

Antonov: WHEN WE WENT
TO AUSTRALIA, FOR INSTANCE,

WE WERE MET BY
MORE THAN 15,000 PEOPLE.

AND WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT
ALL OF THEM JUST CAME TO SEE US,

TO SEE THE PLANE,
IT MAKES US FEEL PROUD.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE FLYING IT.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE FLYING IT.

Barratt: WHAT PUTS THIS ON
THE MUST-SEE LIST

IS THAT IT ACTUALLY HOLDS
214 WORLD RECORDS,

INCLUDING CARRYING THE WORLD'S
HEAVIEST COMMERCIAL CARGO

AND THE WORLD'S HEAVIEST
SINGLE OBJECT.

*

*

Narrator: TODAY, THIS INCOMPLETE
CHAPTER IN AVIATION HISTORY

MAY LIE IN PIECES,

BUT ANTONOV HAVEN'T GIVEN UP
HOPE OF ONE DAY

SEEING IT TAKE TO THE SKIES.

Silchenko:
[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

UNLIKE THE FIRST AIRCRAFT,
THIS ONE IS UNFINISHED.

HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL
PROUD OF IT.

OF COURSE, WE REALLY WANT
TO FINISH IT.

WE HAVE THE MEANS TO DO SO.

THE ONLY THING WE NEED
IS A CUSTOMER WHO WOULD BUY IT,

AND THEN WE WOULD START WORK
ON IT STRAIGHT AWAY.

AND THEN WE WOULD START WORK
ON IT STRAIGHT AWAY.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

*

Narrator:
ON A REMOTE COAST IN SCOTLAND,

A CLUSTER OF RUINS EMERGE
OUT OF A WILD LANDSCAPE.

*

ON THE FRINGES OF
THE NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS,

ON THE TIP OF SCOTLAND,
YOU'RE TOTALLY EXPOSED

TO THE FULL FORCE
OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

TO THE FULL FORCE
OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

WE'VE GOT A ROCKY,
RUGGED COASTLINE,

AND WE'VE GOT
CONCRETE FORTIFICATIONS

BUILT RIGHT INTO THE ROCKS.

YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS
IS A DEFENDED LOCATION.

Bell: SOME LOOK LIKE
LOOKOUT POSTS,

OTHERS MORE LIKE PILLBOXES
OR GUN EMPLACEMENTS.

IT BECOMES EVER CLEARER

THAT THIS WAS THE SCENE
OF A MAJOR MILITARY ENTERPRISE.

THAT THIS WAS THE SCENE
OF A MAJOR MILITARY ENTERPRISE.

WE HAVE TO WONDER WHAT IS
SO IMPORTANT HERE

IN THIS QUIET RURAL AREA

THAT NEEDS TO BE
DEFENDED LIKE THIS.

Narrator: THIS WAS THE SETTING
FOR A DARING OPERATION,

YET MYSTERY STILL SWIRLS
AROUND THIS SITE.

Ellakirk: THE IMPACT OF THE WAR
HAS LEFT ITS MARK,

AND IT'S A STORY THAT,

DUE TO THE SECRECY ACT,
ISN'T ENTIRELY WELL-UNDERSTOOD.

*

*

Narrator: THE ORIGINS
OF THIS SECRET SITE

ARE INTRINSICALLY TIED

TO A REMARKABLE STORY
OF PERSEVERANCE AND SACRIFICE.

Nusbacher: WHEN WE LOOK AT
THE WAY THESE REINFORCED

CONCRETE EMPLACEMENTS
ARE DESIGNED AND BUILT,

IT'S VERY CLEARLY
MID-20th CENTURY.

IT'S SECOND-WORLD-WAR-ERA STUFF.

IT'S SECOND-WORLD-WAR-ERA STUFF.

AND YET WHEN WE THINK ABOUT

SECOND WORLD WAR
IN THE BRITISH ISLES,

WE THINK ABOUT DEFENDING LONDON
FROM A NAZI INVASION.

Bell: WERE THE ALLIES
EXPECTING HITLER

TO MOUNT A U.K. ATTACK
FROM THE NORTH,

OR IS THERE ANOTHER REASON
FOR FORTIFYING

SO HEAVILY THIS REMOTE REGION
OF THE BRITISH ISLES?

Nusbacher:
THIS IS A PART OF SCOTLAND

THAT WAS FACING AWAY
FROM THE NAZIS.

WHY WOULD WE
BUILD FORTIFICATIONS

WHY WOULD WE
BUILD FORTIFICATIONS

THAT FACED AWAY FROM THE THREAT?

*

Narrator: THE AREA AROUND THIS
MYSTERIOUS MILITARY SITE

HAS A SPARSE LOCAL POPULATION.

YET FOR ONE OF THEM,
NICKY ELLAKIRK,

IT HAS ALWAYS HELD AN ALLURE.

MY CHILDHOOD WAS SPENT
PLAYING AROUND THESE BUNKERS.

IT'S A RATHER UNIQUE
KIDS' PLAYGROUND MADE UP OF,

YOU KNOW, 70-YEAR-OLD
RUSTING LUMPS OF CONCRETE.

[ CHUCKLES ]

[ CHUCKLES ]

Narrator: YET THERE WAS A TIME

WHEN THIS WAS
A HIVE OF ACTIVITY.

WE'RE UP HERE IN A TINY
FISHING AND CROFTING COMMUNITY.

AND THERE WAS THIS SUDDEN
INFLUX OF 3,000 TROOPS

WHO LANDED FROM EVERYWHERE --
INDIA, POLAND, BRITAIN,

OTHER OVERSEAS TERRITORIES.

Narrator:
WHY WERE TROOPS FLOODING
INTO THIS DESOLATE AREA?

VARIOUS REMNANTS OF MILITARY
HARDWARE PROVIDE CLUES.

VARIOUS REMNANTS OF MILITARY
HARDWARE PROVIDE CLUES.

FRANCIS RUSSELL HAS BEEN

RESEARCHING THE SITE
FOR DECADES.

AND HERE WE HAVE ONE OF
THE 6-INCH GUN EMPLACEMENTS.

THERE WERE TWO 6-INCH GUNS HERE.

AND THEN FURTHER
ROUND THE CORNER,

ANOTHER TWO 6-INCH GUNS.

THEY WERE A DETERRENT,
AND THEY LOOKED MEAN.

Narrator: BENEATH THESE GUNS,

A MINEFIELD RAN ACROSS
THE MOUTH OF THE LOCH.

AND BEHIND THAT,
ANOTHER LINE OF DEFENSE.

AND BEHIND THAT,
ANOTHER LINE OF DEFENSE.

Ellakirk: WE'VE GOT
SUBMARINE BOOM NETTING,

WHICH IS LARGE RINGS OF WIRE,

ALL WOVEN TOGETHER
LIKE CHAIN MAIL.

THAT WAS HUNG
BETWEEN SURFACE FLOATS

AND HUGE CHUNKS OF CONCRETE
ON THE SEABED.

Narrator: AS WELL AS PROTECTING
AGAINST U-BOATS,

LOOKOUT TOWERS
WARNED OF INCOMING AIRCRAFT

OR NAVAL ATTACKS.

IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE NOW,

BUT THIS WAS ONCE
A HIVE OF ACTIVITY.

HUNDREDS OF SHIPS
AND THOUSANDS OF MEN

HUNDREDS OF SHIPS
AND THOUSANDS OF MEN

ALL CRAMMED
INTO THIS SMALL AREA.

*

Narrator: THIS IS LOCH EWE,
A SEA LOCH USED AS

A SECRET ASSEMBLY POINT
IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

ITS NEED WAS DRIVEN
BY THE GERMAN INVASION

OF THE SOVIET UNION.

*

WHEN THE GERMANS ATTACK
RUSSIA ON JUNE 22, 1941,

WHEN THE GERMANS ATTACK
RUSSIA ON JUNE 22, 1941,

THEY SWEEP, INITIALLY,

ALMOST LITERALLY
TO THE GATES OF MOSCOW.

AND FIRST BRITAIN,

AND THEN ONCE AMERICA
ENTERS THE WAR,

AMERICA PROMISE AID TO RUSSIA.

*

Narrator: THESE VITAL SUPPLIES
HAD TO BE TRANSPORTED BY SEA

TO RUSSIA FROM A SUITABLE BASE.

AND IT HAD TO REMAIN SECRET.

*

*

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK,
"WHY LOCK EWE?"

AND THE ANSWER IS
QUITE SIMPLE --

BECAUSE AT THE EXTREME RANGE
FOR GERMAN BOMBERS

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR,

IT'S GOT A NARROW ENTRANCE WHICH
MAKES IT EASIER TO PROTECT.

IT'S DEEP, UP TO 240 FEET,
AND IT'S WIDE.

AND IT'S A SAFE ANCHORAGE.

*

Nusbacher: LOCH EWE IS A
DIFFERENT KIND OF LOCH.

IT'S A NARROW INLET OF THE SEA.

IT'S SALTWATER.

IT'S SALTWATER.

IT IS EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS.

BUT IT'S A REALLY CLEVER PLACE

TO TUCK AWAY
A BIG NAVAL OPERATION

UNTIL YOU'RE READY
TO LET IT LOOSE ON THE WORLD.

*

Narrator: BY FEBRUARY 1942,

LOCH EWE WAS FULLY OPERATIONAL
AS A BASE FOR THE ARCTIC CONVOYS

WITH ITS FIRST CONVOY
SAILING THAT SAME MONTH.

MERCHANT SHIPS CARRIED
THE SUPPLIES

MERCHANT SHIPS CARRIED
THE SUPPLIES

AND WERE ESCORTED BY SHIPS
OF THE ROYAL NAVY,

CANADIAN AND U.S. NAVYS.

THE ARCTIC CONVOY IS ONE OF
THE BIGGEST EXAMPLES

OF COOPERATION DURING THE WAR.

IT WAS A COMBINED OPERATION
OF 14 DIFFERENT NATIONS,

RANGING ALL THE WAY
FROM INDIA THROUGH PANAMA,

THE NETHERLANDS,
THE U.K., CANADA, THE U.S.

THE LIST GOES ON.

MEN WOULD HAVE BEEN DRAFTED FROM
ALL OF THESE VARIOUS PLACES

AND PUT ON SHIPS
AND SENT UP TO LOCH EWE.

Narrator: THESE MEN WOULD
HAVE LITTLE IDEA

Narrator: THESE MEN WOULD
HAVE LITTLE IDEA

OF THEIR ULTIMATE DESTINATION,

BUT ALL FEARED
THE DREADED ARCTIC RUN.

OFTEN, THE FIRST CLUE
THEY'D HAVE THAT

THEY WERE HEADING OUT
ROUND THE NORTH

INSTEAD OF BACK DOWN
TO THE SOUTH

WOULD BE THE SHIPS WOULD BE
LOADED WITH COLD-WEATHER GEAR.

COLD-WEATHER GEAR CONSISTS
OF A STURDY COAT,

NOT MUCH TO PROTECT YOU
AGAINST THE ICE AND HAIL

AND FREEZING WAVES.

Narrator: THE ROUTE FOR
TRANSPORTING SUPPLIES TO RUSSIA

WAS A HIGHLY TREACHEROUS ONE.

WAS A HIGHLY TREACHEROUS ONE.

THE BEST ROUTE, THE FASTEST
AND MOST EFFICIENT ROUTE

TO GET WARM MATERIAL TO RUSSIA,

WAS THROUGH THE ICE-FREE
NORTHERN PORTS.

AND THAT'S MURMANSK
AND ARCHANGEL.

AND THAT IS GOING
THIS NORTHERN ROUTE.

SHIPS ON THE MURMANSK ROUTE
HAD TO WORRY ABOUT THE NAZIS.

THEY HAD TO WORRY ABOUT
U-BOATS, DESTROYERS,

BATTLE CRUISERS
OPERATING OUT OF NORWAY,

NAZI PLANES
FLYING OUT OF NORWAY.

NAZI PLANES
FLYING OUT OF NORWAY.

THEN HAD TO NAVIGATE
THE PERILS

OF THE ICY ARCTIC WATER,
FOG THAT CAMOUFLAGED ICEBERGS

AND SNOW STORMS
RAGING ACROSS THEIR BOWS.

Ellakirk: MANY WERE YOUNG BOYS
WHO'D HAVE VOLUNTEERED,

SOME AS YOUNG AS 16.

THE MERCHANT SEAMEN
NEVER SIGNED UP FOR WAR.

AND HERE THEY FIND THEMSELVES
AMIDST ICE STORMS,

GALES, AND THE CONSTANT THREAT
OF THE ENEMY.

*

COULD THEY SUCCESSFULLY
ARM THE SOVIETS

COULD THEY SUCCESSFULLY
ARM THE SOVIETS

AGAINST THE BIGGEST
LAND INVASION IN HUMAN HISTORY?

AND WOULD LOCH EWE MANAGE
TO STAY UNDER THE NAZI RADAR?

*

Narrator: ON THE SHORES
OF LOCH EWE IN SCOTLAND,

A UNIQUE INFRASTRUCTURE
WAS NEEDED TO PROTECT AND SUPPLY

ARCTIC CONVOYS SAILING
FOR THE SOVIET UNION.

SHIPS THAT ARRIVED IN LOCH EWE

HAD TO PASS AN
EXAMINATION VESSEL,

AND THEN ONCE THROUGH
THE BOOM NETS,

WHICH WAS FOR PROTECTING
AGAINST ENEMY SUBS,

THEY WERE ALLOCATED
A PLACE TO ANCHOR.

THEY WERE ALLOCATED
A PLACE TO ANCHOR.

Nusbacher: WE HAD TO HAVE
LOTS OF BUILDINGS

TO ACCOMMODATE SAILORS

AND TO ACCOMMODATE
THE DOCKYARD TECHNICIANS

WHO WOULD DO ALL THE WORK
OF REFUELING, RESUPPLYING,

AND REPAIRING SHIPS.

Narrator: BUT THE KEY WAS
TO AVOID ALERTING THE NAZIS

TO THEIR PRESENCE.

YOU WANT TO HAVE RADIO SILENCE

BECAUSE YOUR ENEMY
WILL HAVE DIRECTION-FINDERS.

SO YOU WANT TO HAVE
PROMINENT SIGNAL POSTS

SO YOU CAN USE LIGHT SIGNALS,

SO YOU CAN USE LIGHT SIGNALS,

SIGNAL FLAGS TO COMMUNICATE
THROUGHOUT THE FLEET

THROUGH VISUAL SIGNALS
AND NOT USE THE RADIO.

YOUR BEST DEFENSE IS SECRECY.

Narrator: A TOTAL OF 19 CONVOYS
MADE UP OF 481 MERCHANT SHIPS

AND OVER 100 NAVAL
ESCORT VESSELS

LEFT LOCH EWE FOR RUSSIA
DURING WORLD WAR II,

PART OF A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
CONVOY SYSTEM.

WHAT IS AMAZING, THOUGH,
IS THAT DESPITE GERMAN ATTACKS,

WHAT IS AMAZING, THOUGH,
IS THAT DESPITE GERMAN ATTACKS,

ONLY 7% OF THE SHIPS
AND CONVOY TRAFFIC

THROUGH NORTHERN RUSSIA
WILL BE LOST.

*

Narrator: THIS VAST VOLUME
OF MATERIALS AND WEAPONS

FLOWING INTO RUSSIA
HELPED THE SOVIETS FEND OFF

HITLER'S MASSIVE INVASION FORCE.

AFTER APRIL 1945, LOCH EWE
BECAME A MARTIALING POINT

FOR MANY OF THE GERMAN U-BOATS

THAT HAD SURRENDERED
WHILE STILL SEA.

THAT HAD SURRENDERED
WHILE STILL SEA.

Narrator: YET THIS SUCCESS
STILL CAME AT GREAT COST.

3,000 OR SO BRAVE YOUNG MEN
WENT UP NORTH AND DIED

ON WHAT WINSTON CHURCHILL CALLED
THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD.

LOCH EWE IS A MONUMENT TO THE
WAY THAT PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER.

THE RUSSIANS, THE AMERICANS,
THE BRITISH, CANADIANS

ALL CAME TOGETHER
TO DEFEAT THE NAZIS.

ALL CAME TOGETHER
TO DEFEAT THE NAZIS.

*

Narrator: TODAY,
THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC CONVOY MUSEUM

WORKS TO ENSURE THESE
STORIES OF BRAVERY LIVE ON

ALONG WITH THESE
CONCRETE REMAINS.

THEY NEED TO BE PRESERVED
TO LET PEOPLE KNOW

THAT SACRIFICES WERE MADE.

*

Narrator: IN THE OPEN
COUNTRYSIDE OF NORTH INDIANA

Narrator: IN THE OPEN
COUNTRYSIDE OF NORTH INDIANA

LIES A SPRAWLING NETWORK
OF OVERGROWN STRUCTURES

THAT HIDE A SECRET PAST.

*

THIS IS A COMPLEX
THAT COVERS THOUSANDS OF ACRES,

AND WHAT YOU SEE ARE CLUSTERS
OF BUILDINGS WIDELY SEPARATED.

Wawro: SOME OF THEM FESTOONED
WITH UNDERGROWTH AND TREES.

SOME OF THEM LOOK
ALMOST LIKE TREE HOUSES.

SOME OF THEM LOOK
ALMOST LIKE TREE HOUSES.

Corum: WHEN YOU GET UP CLOSE,
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE BUILDINGS

ARE STRANGELY SEGMENTED
WITH LARGE WALLS

COVERING EACH SEGMENT.

Nusbacher:
THIS LOOKS LIKE A PLACE

THAT PEOPLE FORGOT
ABOUT ENTIRELY.

DID SOMETHING DESPERATE HAPPEN
TO WARN PEOPLE TO STAY AWAY?

Narrator: THE SCALE OF THE SITE
SUGGESTS THIS PLACE

WAS ONCE
OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE.

BUT IT'S THE DISTINCTIVE LAYOUT
AND DESIGN OF THE BUILDINGS

BUT IT'S THE DISTINCTIVE LAYOUT
AND DESIGN OF THE BUILDINGS

THAT OFFER THE CLUES AS TO WHY.

WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT
IS SOMETHING THAT IS

CERTAINLY ORGANIZED
NOT FOR EFFICIENCY,

BUT FOR SAFETY FACTORS.

WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT
BUT ALSO SO DANGEROUS?

*

Narrator:
OVERGROWN AND ABANDONED TODAY,

THIS PLACE WAS ONCE
FILLED WITH WORKERS.

THIS PLACE WAS ONCE
FILLED WITH WORKERS.

AMONGST THEM IN THE 1950s
WAS FERN EDDY SCHULTZ,

WHO WAS EMPLOYED HERE
AS A SECRETARY.

MUCH OF THE WORK SHE DID
WAS HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL.

THE SAYING HERE WAS,
"WHAT YOU SEE HERE

AND WHAT YOU HEAR HERE,
YOU LET IT STAY HERE."

WE WEREN'T AT LIBERTY
TO GO OUT AND TELL ANYBODY

A LOT OF THE THINGS
THAT WE SAW GO ON.

Narrator: IT'S NO ACCIDENT THAT
THIS SITE WAS BUILT OUT HERE

Narrator: IT'S NO ACCIDENT THAT
THIS SITE WAS BUILT OUT HERE

IN RURAL INDIANA,

BUT SECRECY WASN'T
THE ONLY REASON.

Nusbacher: IF YOU'RE GONNA BUILD
A FACTORY TO MAKE JEEPS,

YOU'LL DO IT IN DETROIT BECAUSE
THAT'S WHERE THE WORKFORCE IS.

THAT'S WHERE THE FACILITIES ARE.

IF YOU'RE GONNA BUILD
THINGS THAT GO BANG,

YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT
IN THE MIDDLE OF A CITY.

Narrator: HIDDEN IN THE WOODS

ARE CLUES TO
WHAT THIS PLACE WAS.

ARE CLUES TO
WHAT THIS PLACE WAS.

Nusbacher: LOOK AT THE WAY
ESCAPE SLIDES

HAVE BEEN LOCATED
AROUND THE PLACE.

THOSE ARE NOT THERE FOR FUN.
THIS IS NOT A PLAYGROUND.

Schultz: THE CHUTES WERE FOR
THE SAFETY OF THE EMPLOYEES

IN THE EVENT THERE WAS
WHAT WE CALLED A BLOW.

Narrator: THIS WAS THE
KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT,

A VAST
AMMUNITION-MANUFACTURING SITE.

ON DECEMBER 7, 1941,

ON DECEMBER 7, 1941,

JAPAN ATTACKED THE NAVAL BASE
AT PEARL HARBOR,

AND THE U.S. SOON ENTERED
THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

SITES LIKE THIS WERE
DESPERATELY NEEDED,

BUT GETTING A PLACE LIKE
KINGSBURY BUILT AND UP-TO-SPEED

WOULD TAKE MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS.

*

TO SUCCESSFULLY FIGHT A MAJOR
WAR IN EUROPE AND THE PACIFIC,

YOU NEEDED AMMUNITION.

Nusbacher: THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
GOES TO A PLACE IN INDIANA

THAT'S RIGHT ON THE RAILWAY.

THAT'S RIGHT ON THE RAILWAY.

IT'S NEAR THE COAL-AND-STEEL
OUTPUT OF THE MIDWEST

IN PITTSBURGH.

IT'S BUILT ON 13,500 ACRES
OF FARMLAND.

THIS SITE IS HUGE.

AND YOU'VE GOT THESE
VERY WIDELY SPACED FACTORIES

SO THAT IF THERE IS
A DISASTER IN ONE AREA,

IT WON'T SET OFF ALL THE OTHERS
IN A CHAIN REACTION.

*

Narrator: THE SITE ALSO INCLUDED
AMMUNITION STORAGE, BARRACKS,

Narrator: THE SITE ALSO INCLUDED
AMMUNITION STORAGE, BARRACKS,

LABORATORIES, OFFICES,
AND TESTING FACILITIES

ALL LINKED TOGETHER
BY MILES OF RAIL TRACKS.

FERN REMEMBERS HER TIME
WORKING HERE

YEARS LATER DURING THE 1950s.

THE SYSTEMS, HOWEVER,
WERE MUCH THE SAME.

WE'RE ON THE 1 LINE,
AND ON THE 1 LINE

THEY MADE WHAT WE CALL
FUSES AND BOOSTERS.

THE FUSES WERE PART OF SOMETHING

THAT SET THE AMMUNITION OFF
WHEN IT WAS FIRED.

THAT SET THE AMMUNITION OFF
WHEN IT WAS FIRED.

THE BOOSTER BOOSTS
THE CAPACITY OF THE FUSE.

THE FINAL PRODUCT ON THE 2 LINE
WAS THE 20-MILLIMETER SHELL,

AND ON THE 3 LINE WAS
THE 30-MILLIMETER, AND SO ON,

DOWN THE LINE TO THE 5 LINE.

Narrator:
SEPARATING THE FACILITIES

WASN'T THE ONLY
SAFETY MEASURE TAKEN

BECAUSE THE WORK BEING CARRIED
OUT INSIDE THESE BUILDINGS

ALSO DICTATED
HOW THEY WERE BUILT.

THE MAIN THING THAT
THEY'RE PRODUCING HERE

THE MAIN THING THAT
THEY'RE PRODUCING HERE

IS SMOKELESS POWDER,

AND IT'S A PROCESS THAT USES
A LOT OF DIFFERENT ACIDS.

IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS
PROCESS TO DO.

Wawro: YOU SEE, THE INTERIOR
WALLS ARE REALLY SOLID.

AND THEN THE EXTERIOR WALLS

AND THE ROOFS ARE
RELATIVELY THINLY BUILT

OF LIGHT STEEL, GLASS, PLASTIC.

AND THAT'S SO THAT
IF THERE'S AN ACCIDENT,

THE INTERIOR WALL WILL BE
SO STRONG

THAT IT WILL DIRECT THE BLAST
TOWARD THE WEAKER AREAS,

THAT IT WILL DIRECT THE BLAST
TOWARD THE WEAKER AREAS,

AWAY FROM THE
VERY VALUABLE MACHINERY

AND, ALSO, THE MANPOWER.

*

Narrator: BUT WITH THE U.S.
SUDDENLY EMBROILED IN WAR

IN THE PACIFIC AND IN EUROPE,

HOW WOULD SUCH A VAST SITE
BE MADE READY IN TIME?

*

*

Narrator: IN DECEMBER 1941,

THE U.S. ENTERED
THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

WHILE THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

HAD COME AS A SUDDEN
TRAGIC SURPRISE,

THE MILITARY HAD BEEN PREPARING
TO ENTER THE WAR FOR SOME TIME,

AND SITES LIKE
THE KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT

HAD ACTUALLY BEEN
OPERATIONAL FOR MONTHS.

YOU SEE, THE STORY BEGINS
LONG BEFORE THE AMERICANS

YOU SEE, THE STORY BEGINS
LONG BEFORE THE AMERICANS

GO TO WAR IN PEARL HARBOR.

THE UNITED STATES,

ALTHOUGH NOT WILLING TO ACTIVELY
JUMP INTO WORLD WAR II,

SAW THE DANGER OF
A POSSIBLE NAZI VICTORY

AND BEGAN A MASSIVE
REARMAMENT PROGRAM.

Narrator:
AS EARLY AS THE SUMMER OF 1941,

KINGSBURY HAD BEEN SHIPPING OUT
MUNITIONS TO EUROPE

TO AID THE ALLIES.

FROM HERE, ITS IMPORTANCE
WOULD ONLY INCREASE.

FROM HERE, ITS IMPORTANCE
WOULD ONLY INCREASE.

Wawro: THIS PLACE,
KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT,

WAS AN ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL PIECE
OF THE U.S. WAR MACHINE

IN WORLD WAR II.

Narrator: AT ITS HEIGHT,
IN A SINGLE DAY,

KINGSBURY PRODUCED 180,000
POINT DETONATING FUSES,

OVER 46,000
40-MILLIMETER SHELLS,

AND 500,000 ROUNDS OF
20-MILLIMETER AMMUNITION.

BUT TO ACHIEVE THIS
STAGGERING OUTPUT LEVEL,

IT NEEDED WORKERS --

IT NEEDED WORKERS --

SOMETHING THAT WAS HARD TO FIND
IN RURAL INDIANA.

THEY PURPOSE-BUILT
A NEIGHBORHOOD HERE,

KINGSFORD HEIGHTS,

TO HOUSE PEOPLE BECAUSE
THERE WAS NOBODY HERE.

Narrator: IN ALL,
CLOSE TO 21,000 PEOPLE

WORKED AT THE SITE.

IN AMONGST THEM WAS
A GREAT NUMBER OF WOMEN,

BOTH BREAKING DOWN
OLD SOCIAL CONVENTIONS

AND DOING THEIR PART
FOR THE WAR EFFORT.

THEY ARE WORKING FULL SHIFTS,
DOUBLE SHIFTS IN FACTORIES.

THEY ARE WORKING FULL SHIFTS,
DOUBLE SHIFTS IN FACTORIES.

AND THAT CHANGES NOT ONLY
THE WAY OTHERS SEE THEM,

BUT IT CHANGES THE WAY
THEY SEE THEMSELVES.

Narrator:
BUT DESPITE THE PROGRESS,

THE WORKFORCE FACED
NUMEROUS DANGERS

AND AILMENTS
THAT COULD LAST A LIFETIME.

PEOPLE ARE BEING EXPOSED
TO TOXIC CHEMICALS.

PEOPLE ARE GETTING BURNS
FROM FLAMMABLES.

AND IN SOME CASES,

PEOPLE ARE DISPLAYING
REALLY WORRYING SYMPTOMS.

PEOPLE ARE DISPLAYING
REALLY WORRYING SYMPTOMS.

IN THE POWDER-BLENDING AREAS,
PEOPLE ACTUALLY TURNED ORANGE

FROM HANDLING THE MATERIAL.

*

Narrator:
WHEN THE SECOND WORLD WAR ENDED,

THE PLANT WENT INTO STANDBY

BEFORE BEING CALLED BACK
INTO ACTION FOR THE KOREAN WAR.

FINALLY, IN 1960,
IT WAS CLOSED FOR GOOD.

*

*

TODAY, IT'S A SHADOW
OF ITS FORMER SELF,

BUT IN ITS PRIME,
THE KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT

AND THOSE WHO WORKED HERE

WERE A VALUABLE PART
OF THE DEFENSE OF AMERICA.

Schultz: I THINK THAT
THAT WAS THE FEELING

OF MOST ALL OF US
THAT WORKED HERE --

THAT WE WERE ALL
PART OF THE WAR EFFORT

AND WE'RE DOING OUR SHARE.

WE'RE VERY PROUD
TO BE MAKING SOMETHING

THAT WAS HELPING
OUR COUNTRY BE FREE.

THAT WAS HELPING
OUR COUNTRY BE FREE.

*

Narrator: IN SOUTHERN GREECE IS
A BARREN LAND THAT TIME FORGOT.

IN WHAT'S KNOWN AS
THE DEEP MANI,

A CRAGGY HEADLAND JUTS OUT
INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

*

THIS IS AN
INHOSPITABLE LANDSCAPE.

AND EVEN TODAY, FEW TOURISTS
ACTUALLY VENTURE THIS FAR SOUTH.

Bell: NEAR THE END OF
THIS DRAMATIC PENINSULA

IN WHAT APPEARS ALMOST LIKE
MOUNTAINOUS DESERT,

IN WHAT APPEARS ALMOST LIKE
MOUNTAINOUS DESERT,

YOU CATCH A GLIMPSE
OF THESE RUINS.

Gough: YOU HAVE THE PERFECT
VANTAGE, LOOKING OUT TO SEA

AND DOWN THE COAST.

THESE TOWERS LOOK ALMOST
MILITARY RATHER THAN CIVILIAN.

Barratt: THEY KIND OF BLEND
INTO THE LANDSCAPE,

BUT THEY ARE DEFENSIVE.

THEY ARE PROUD.

AND THEY ARE THERE TO BE SEEN.

Narrator: THESE CONSTRUCTIONS
HAVE BECOME SYNONYMOUS

WITH THE MANIATES,

A GREAT WARRIOR PEOPLE
STILL REVERED BY GREEKS TODAY.

A GREAT WARRIOR PEOPLE
STILL REVERED BY GREEKS TODAY.

PART OF THE MYSTERY
OF THE AREA, TO ME,

IS WHO WERE THESE
WAR-FARING MANIATES?

AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

Gough: SOME BELIEVE THEY
DESCEND FROM THE SPARTANS

AND THUS, THEY HAVE THIS
KIND OF MYTHICAL INVINCIBILITY

IN GREEK CULTURE.

OVER THE CENTURIES,
THE MANIATES DEVELOPED

A REPUTATION
AS FEARSOME FIGHTERS.

Narrator: HOW DID THEY GARNER
THIS REPUTATION?

AND HOW DO THESE NOW-BATTERED
TOWERS FIT INTO THAT STORY?

AND HOW DO THESE NOW-BATTERED
TOWERS FIT INTO THAT STORY?

*

*

Narrator: LOCAL GUIDE AND AUTHOR
MATTHEW DEAN HAS BEEN EXPLORING

THESE CASTLE-LIKE STRUCTURES
FOR OVER 30 YEARS.

YOU JUST HAVE TO WALK AROUND
THESE RUINED TOWERS

AND IMAGINE, WHAT WAS IT LIKE
100 YEARS AGO, 200 YEARS AGO?

IT'S A PLACE FOR THOSE
WHO LIKE USING THEIR IMAGINATION

RATHER THAN SEEING SOMETHING
DIRECTLY FOR WHAT IT IS NOW.

RATHER THAN SEEING SOMETHING
DIRECTLY FOR WHAT IT IS NOW.

SO IF WE LOOK
AT THE TOWERS THEMSELVES,

THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES
YOU IS JUST HOW TALL THEY ARE --

THREE OR FOUR STORIES HIGH.

WHY? DEFENSE.

FROM THERE, YOU GET A GREAT VIEW
OVER POTENTIAL THREATS

ARRIVING BY SEA.

THE TOWERS ARE NARROW.

THEY'VE GOT TINY WINDOWS.

AND ON TOP, THERE ARE TURRETS,

AND THERE ARE ALSO PLACES
WHERE YOU COULD PUT WEAPONS.

SO, WHEN DESIGNING
YOUR BESPOKE WAR TOWER,

SO, WHEN DESIGNING
YOUR BESPOKE WAR TOWER,

YOU HAD A NUMBER OF CHOICES.

SOMETIMES, THEY'D BUILD
JUST A WAR TOWER ON ITS OWN,

WHICH IS ONLY EVER USED
IN TIMES OF WAR,

OR TO MAKE LIFE A BIT EASIER,

YOU'D ADD ON A MORE OPEN,
EASIER-TO-LIVE-IN SPACE

FOR TIMES OF PEACE.

AND THEN WHEN THE THREAT COMES,

YOU RETREAT INTO THE TOWER
FOR AS LONG AS NECESSARY.

Narrator: IN THE 15th CENTURY,

GREEKS CAME TO THIS REMOTE
MANI PENINSULA,

FLEEING THE AREA AROUND SPARTA

FLEEING THE AREA AROUND SPARTA

WHEN IT WAS TAKEN
BY THE OTTOMAN TURKS.

THE NEW INHABITANTS, WHO BECAME
KNOWN AS THE MANIATES,

DEVELOPED A CERTAIN NOTORIETY
AND WOULD INSPIRE A REVOLUTION.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME,
SURVIVAL WAS EVERYTHING.

*

Dean: THE NUMBER-ONE CONCERN
WAS DEFENSE,

BOTH DEFENSE AGAINST
FOREIGN INVADERS COMING BY SEA,

WHETHER IT WAS
VENETIANS OR TURKS,

BUT ALSO, DUE TO
THE LACK OF RESOURCES

IN THIS VERY INFERTILE AREA,

IN THIS VERY INFERTILE AREA,

IT WAS TO DEFEND YOUR OWN FAMILY
AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR.

YOU HAD TO FIGHT YOUR NEIGHBOR,
LITERALLY, TO SURVIVE.

Narrator: RITUALIZED VENDETTAS
BETWEEN FAMILIES

COULD LAST FOR MONTHS,
EVEN YEARS.

SO, FEUDING BECAME A FAIRLY
REGULAR PART OF LIFE

FOR THE MANIATES
LIVING DOWN HERE.

AN ENGLISH COLONEL IN 1805 NOTED
THAT OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS,

100 OF VATHIA'S MEN
HAD BEEN KILLED

100 OF VATHIA'S MEN
HAD BEEN KILLED

IN AN ONGOING FEUD
BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES.

Barratt: TO LOSE 100 MEN OUT OF
A TOTAL POPULATION OF 300

IS A HUGE AMOUNT,
AND THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA

OF HOW BITTER THE FEUDS
WERE IN THIS AREA.

Narrator: AND SO YOU AND YOUR
CLAN NEEDED TO DEFEND YOUR PLOT

AGAINST OTHERS
WITH EQUAL AMBITIONS,

WHETHER TURKS, VENETIANS,
PIRATES, OR NEIGHBORING CLANS.

WHETHER TURKS, VENETIANS,
PIRATES, OR NEIGHBORING CLANS.

THE METHOD OF DEFENSE --
TO BUILD A TOWER.

*

THESE ARE THE MANY TOWERS
OF VATHIA.

THE DESIGN OF THE TOWERS
PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE

IN PROTECTION FROM YOUR ENEMIES.

NOT ONLY DID
THESE STONE SKYSCRAPERS

GIVE YOU A GOOD VANTAGE POINT

TO VIEW ANY POTENTIAL AGGRESSORS
ON THE HORIZON,

TO VIEW ANY POTENTIAL AGGRESSORS
ON THE HORIZON,

THEY ALSO GAVE YOU
A HIGH VANTAGE POINT

TO DEFEND FOR POTENTIAL
GROUND ATTACKERS.

SMALL WINDOWS -- EASY TO SHOOT
DOWN ON YOUR ENEMY.

EVEN BETTER
IF YOU BLOCK THEM UP,

LEAVING JUST A TINY HOLE
FOR THE MUSKETS.

AND SMALL DOORWAYS
ARE MUCH HARDER TO BREACH.

Narrator:
CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWERS

INCREASED IN
THE LATE 18th CENTURY

AS THE TURKISH THREAT
INTENSIFIED.

AND THE MANIATES BITTERLY
RESISTED THE OTTOMAN TURKS

WHO NOW CONTROLLED
THE REST OF GREECE.

WHO NOW CONTROLLED
THE REST OF GREECE.

THE FIGHTING BETWEEN
THE TURKS AND THE MANIATES

WAS PARTICULARLY VICIOUS.

IF A MANIATE WENT DOWN IN BATTLE
AND WAS INJURED,

A FELLOW SOLDIER WOULD TAKE HIM,

KISS HIM ON THE FOREHEAD,
AND THEN LOP OFF HIS HEAD.

IT WAS BETTER TO DIE
AT THE HAND OF YOUR FELLOW MAN

THAN TO FALL
INTO THE TURKS' HANDS.

Narrator: INTO THE EARLY 1800s,
A REVOLUTION WAS BREWING.

THIS WAS THE MOMENT
WHEN THE MANIATES

WOULD SEAL THEIR REPUTATION
AS GREAT WARRIORS.

WOULD SEAL THEIR REPUTATION
AS GREAT WARRIORS.

Dean: THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE
STARTED DOWN HERE IN THE MANI.

SIGNIFICANT CLANSMEN
GATHERED THEIR TROOPS TOGETHER,

HOOKED UP WITH OTHER CLANSMEN,

AND TOGETHER, THEY ALL MARCHED
TO MEET UP WITH KOLOKOTRONIS,

WHO ALL GREEKS REGARD
AS THE FATHER OF THE REVOLUTION.

THROUGHOUT GREECE,

THERE DEVELOPED THE SLOGAN,
"FREEDOM OR VICTORY,"

WHEREAS THE MANIS' VERSION --
IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

"DEATH OR VICTORY."

"DEATH OR VICTORY."

AND THIS SUMS UP THE
DIFFERENCE WITH THE MANIATES.

THEY ALWAYS CONSIDERED
THEMSELVES FREE AND INDEPENDENT

AND NEVER SUBJECT
TO OTTOMAN RULE.

Narrator: BY 1826, OTTOMAN
SOLDIERS RENEWED THEIR OFFENSIVE

IN THE MANI PENINSULA.

7,000 MEN WERE FORCED TO RETREAT
BY THE FIERCE MANIATES

ATTACKING FROM THEIR TOWERS.

GREEK INDEPENDENCE WAS
FINALLY SECURED IN 1830,

AND THE MANIS' RESISTANCE OF THE
TURKS HAS NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN.

AND THE MANIS' RESISTANCE OF THE
TURKS HAS NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN.

*

THIS IS THE ONLY PART OF GREECE
THAT NEVER FELL TO THE TURKS,

THAT NEVER BECAME PART
OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

Dean: THE PRIDE THAT THE GREEKS
FEEL FOR THIS AREA

COMES FROM THEIR DETERMINATION

NOT TO BE CONQUERED
BY THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

THE REST OF GREECE FELL,
INCLUDING CRETE BEHIND US.

BUT THE MANI
REMAINED INDEPENDENT.

Barratt: THE MANI HAD BEEN
MAKING THEIR HOMES IN TOWERS

Barratt: THE MANI HAD BEEN
MAKING THEIR HOMES IN TOWERS

FOR NOT DECADES,
BUT HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

AND THE TOWERS
EVOLVED OVER TIME,

STARTING OUT VERY SMALL,
VERY MILITARY,

A STATEMENT OF POWER
TO EXTERNAL ENEMIES.

OVER TIME, THEY BECOME
SLIGHTLY MORE DOMESTIC,

BUT STILL WITH THAT STRUCTURE,
THAT POWER.

Narrator: GRADUALLY, OVER TIME,

THE INHABITANTS IMMIGRATED
TO MAJOR CITIES,

WITH MANY HEADING FURTHER AFIELD
TO WESTERN EUROPE, AUSTRALIA,

AND THE UNITED STATES.

AND THE UNITED STATES.

THE FACT THAT THESE TOWERS
WERE ORIENTATED TOWARDS WAR

AND DEFENSE

MEANS THAT THEY JUST DON'T HAVE
A PLACE IN THE MODERN WORLD.

SO THEY REMAIN
LARGELY BLOCKED UP

AND LEFT GRADUALLY
CRUMBLING AWAY.

*

Dean: I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT

THAT THE VATHIA
REMAINS PRESERVED

BECAUSE IT'S A VERY CLEAR
INDICATION OF PAST TIMES

BECAUSE IT'S A VERY CLEAR
INDICATION OF PAST TIMES

WHERE LIFE WAS DIFFICULT,
LIFE WAS VIOLENT,

AND YET WITHIN
SUCH DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES,

THERE WAS STILL A FIERCE PRIDE
AND ALMOST A SENSE OF NOBILITY

OF BEING A MEMBER
OF THAT SOCIETY.