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October 1944. Western Germany.
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An American captain watches,
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as a German soldier returns to
a bunker loaded with ammunition.
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Bobbie was stalking. He didn't
realize it, but Bobbie was right there.
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NARRATOR: The captain pulls the fuse
and deposits an explosive charge,
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before the soldier can react.
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On June 6th, 1944,
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allied forces finally land troops
in Normandy to open the western front.
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But Nazi fanatics and diehards continue
to fight ferociously for survival.
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D-Day was a battle.
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They still need to win the war.
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October 8th, 1944.
Near Aachen, Germany.
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Soldiers from the American 18th infantry
regiment advance under the cover of smoke.
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They must move quickly and quietly
towards their attack positions
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before the Germans know they�re there.
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Captain Bobbie Brown commands C Company.
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At 41, Brown is older than most other
officers and likely many of his superiors.
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He has served most of his life.
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Bobbie didn't want to
be a burden on his family.
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So, he decided to go down to Columbus,
Georgia and attempt to enlist in the army.
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{\an8}He told the recruiting sergeant he was 18,
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{\an8}he was big for his age,
but he was only 15.
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The army needed big kids like
him in 1922 so they took him.
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Brown trained with all the
infantry weapons in peacetime,
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and became a recognized leader after
the war broke out.
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When Bobbie went ashore on
D-Day, he was with the first division.
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By August there needed to be a
new captain named for Company C.
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His battalion commander had lots of
choices, including West Point graduates,
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but he favored Bobbie because
Bobbie was a scrapper,
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he had an uncanny sense of
timing, his men revered him.
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Brown and his men
prepare for battle once more.
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Suddenly, the wind picks up and
their smoke cover blows away.
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C Company is exposed.
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It doesn�t take long for the
German guns to find their targets.
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Incoming!
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Get down, keep your heads up!
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Go, go!
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Up you get!
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After the
rapid advance over the summer,
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Supreme Allied Commander,
General Dwight D. Eisenhower,
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identifies an objective
that promises to end the war:
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The Ruhr Valley.
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{\an8}The Ruhr was the most important
strategic objective of the allied armies
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{\an8}in 1944 and 1945. It was
Germany�s industrial heartland.
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It contained most of
their major steel mills,
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their tank plants and
their weapons factories.
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After the D-Day landings,
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the race across Europe brings the allies
up to the German border in September 1944.
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To clear the way to the
Ruhr Valley to the northeast,
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Eisenhower orders parts
of four American divisions
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to secure the ancient
German city of Aachen.
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The stakes are high on both sides.
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What is a propaganda dream for
Eisenhower is a nightmare for Hitler.
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{\an8}If the Americans take Aachen, they
are not only fighting on German soil,
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{\an8}they capture the first major German city.
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After the violent
greeting from the German guns,
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Bobbie Brown and his men gather on
their start line at the base of a hill.
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The men knew they were
taking on a very, very difficult mission.
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They knew the Germans had these prepared
pillbox locations all over Crucifix Hill.
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They knew they had their firing ports and
angles of fire aimed at their approach.
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Brown�s objective is clear:
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he is to neutralize all
enemy activity on the hill
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and then prepare for counterattacks.
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He scours the slope to plot
a path to the closest bunker,
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and looks to the sky for
friendly allied aircraft.
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The air support that Brown expected
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was two flight of P-47 thunderbolts which
were actually just eight planes.
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He had been relying on
continuing air missions
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but the air liaison, who was on his
way up to Crucifix Hill earlier,
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his tank was busted up,
so he never got up there.
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Brown can�t wait any longer.
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BROWN (yells, muted):
Go, go, go, go!
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As he and his men jump up,
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the Germans unleash a
barrage of artillery fire.
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The Germans had the avenue of
approach that was chosen by the Americans,
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zeroed in and pre-plotted
before they even attacked.
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There were 84 separate artillery pieces
that rained down on Brown�s men.
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As they try to approach, machine
guns also open up with deadly accuracy.
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Allied artillery shells pound
the bunkers on the hillside in support,
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but fail to disrupt the German fire.
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Brown and his men attack Crucifix Hill.
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{\an8}Named for the large
stone cross on its summit,
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{\an8}its fortifications protect
Aachen from the northeast.
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{\an8}It also called hill 2-3-9,
for its height in meters.
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{\an8}It bristles with
pillboxes and bunkers.
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Despite being somewhat outdated,
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the bunkers on Crucifix Hill
give a good opportunity to fire
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from the heights down on
the Americans in the valley.
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With his men pinned at the start line,
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Captain Bobbie Brown and his command unit,
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which includes a radio operator
and runner, make a move.
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Bobbie Brown had
trained his men to understand
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that so long as
one person wasn�t pinned down,
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do the job of the man ahead of you,
so that everybody could start moving.
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But at this moment, Bobbie Brown knew that
his entire company was pinned down,
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and he was gonna
have to do something about it.
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Brown heads
towards a dip in the terrain.
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His team throw themselves over the edge.
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Brown and his command
group were able to jump into
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a dug-out depression at
the foot of Crucifix Hill
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because he had had the wisdom the night
before to go out and dig that hole
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and bring canvas with him so that
he could drag the dirt away
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so when the daylight came, the Germans
wouldn�t even know anyone had been there.
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They find a little protection,
just below the enemy�s fire.
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The radio operator makes contact with
the platoon leaders.
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The news is not good.
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One of his platoon leaders is injured
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and both of the assault
platoons remain pinned down.
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Binoculars.
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Brown looks up the
hill and observes the gunfire
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coming from the
bunker above him.
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He�s trying to take
in the totality of this situation.
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The radio operator looks at him and says,
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�Are we gonna send
some engineers up first?�
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Bobbie looks back at him and says,
�I wouldn�t ask a man to commit suicide.�
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In a split second,
Brown makes a decision.
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He will take out the bunker himself.
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The American captain Bobbie
Brown prepares a plan to put into action.
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Bobbie Brown decides at that moment
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{\an8}that he's gonna have to lead by
example and do what his men can�t do.
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{\an8}He wasn�t pinned down.
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So, he turns to his radioman and says,
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�What we�re gonna need is a pole charge
and a satchel charge.�
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- And the radioman, he�s incredulous.
- Sir?
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Brown needs more firepower
than the weapons he has at hand.
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He believes that
explosives are the answer.
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The bunkers on Crucifix Hill
make up a dense sector of the Westwall,
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or Siegfried Line.
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The Siegfried Line was
created in the 1930s
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so that the German army
could fight a two-front war.
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{\an8}And what happened in 1939 is
the German army threw all of its strength
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{\an8}against Poland and conquered
Poland in September.
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But at the same time,
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they didn't have to have a large military
force on their western border,
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facing the French and British Army,
because they had the Siegfried Line there.
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It required a minimal force, a so-called
economy of force maneuver.
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This is considered
especially important around Aachen,
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which boasts a
double line of fortifications.
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The Westwall in the
Aachen sector was extremely thick,
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especially as compared to other
sections of the Westwall further away.
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The reason was mainly because of
the strategic importance
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of some relatively flat terrain
immediately south of the city of Aachen,
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that allows tank forces
access further east
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towards the Ruhr River and
towards the Rhine River.
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Often built into the landscape
and camouflaged by grass and brush,
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the bunkers have narrow openings,
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or apertures, to allow just
enough room to fire weapons.
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{\an8}These fortifications vary in size, but can
be up to 50 feet wide and 25 feet deep.
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{\an8}They are designed to Standard B.
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Standard B means is that
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{\an8}they are two meters thick
of steel reinforced concrete.
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{\an8}Now, two meters thick of
steel-reinforced concrete
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will defend up to an
eight-inch artillery projectile,
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or a 1,000-pound aircraft bomb.
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So, it's a very, very
substantial military structure.
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Bobbie Brown needs to
find a way to attack the structure.
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He's not sure exactly
what he's going to do.
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What he does see is a
crater that had been left by,
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in all likelihood, one of the P-47's.
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It's about half the distance
between where he is
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and where the pillbox is located
that he wants to go after.
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Brown signals second platoon
commander, Lieutenant Charles Marvain,
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- to deliver the explosives he requires.
- Okay!
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The German fire was just coming
down repeatedly at Marvain's location,
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so Marvain may have been happy
to leave where he was.
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He heaves a
satchel charge to Brown.
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A satchel charge is a type of
an engineered demolition charge.
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And it's called a satchel charge
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because the explosives are
contained inside a satchel bag.
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And they're typically
used to blow up obstructions.
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So, it might be an anti-tank wall,
it might be a bunker.
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In this case,
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the satchel charge is loaded with 60
quarter pound blocks of TNT,
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to be detonated by
a three second fuse.
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With the charge ready, Brown crawls out
of his ditch, with 15 pounds of TNT.
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It�s an unusual job
for a man of his rank.
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A company captain was
responsible for being in a position
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where he could communicate with
his battalion commander
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so that he could get change orders,
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including "reinforcements are on the way"
or "we want you to withdraw."
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It was very unusual for a captain to be
the tip of the spear during World War II.
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Brown inches up Crucifix Hill
toward the bunker that targets his men.
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Crawling as best he can to
stay under the trajectory of the fire.
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All he has to do is stick his head
up and he's going to get shot.
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The only
sign of the enemy inside
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are the gun barrels
firing through the aperture.
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Soldiers from the 352nd grenadier regiment
are among those manning the bunkers.
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{\an8}A grenadier regiment is
basically an infantry regiment.
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{\an8}In 1942, the Germans renamed all the
infantry units as grenadier regiments,
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reminding of the old Prussian grenadier
regiments from the 18th and 19th Century.
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They have been handpicked,
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and moved quickly into defensive
positions on Crucifix Hill,
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as the Americans closed in on Aachen.
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Despite the fact that these bunkers
were outdated, to a certain degree,
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it gave the German soldiers
a sense of security.
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You've got German documents,
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00:16:27,208 --> 00:16:31,041
when they retreated from France
in early autumn 1944,
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that these bunkers were extremely
important for their morale
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because for the first time, they've
got a clearly defined line of defense.
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The regiment�s commander is
Oberstleutnant Josef Eggerstorfer.
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Lieutenant Colonel Eggerstorfer
is a 35-year-old officer.
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A former NCO, but who has seen a huge and
quick career during the second World War.
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He's a veteran from the eastern front,
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and got promoted thanks to
a preferential promotion.
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This means he was promoted
quicker than normal
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due to his performance on the battlefield.
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Eggerstorfer has orders to
defend the ancient German city,
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no matter what the cost.
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Aachen has great historical significance
to the German people.
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The city served as the coronation site for
the Holy Roman Empire for over 700 years.
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Its majesty aligns with
Hitler�s imperial aspirations.
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Aachen has got a mythical
and symbolic value for the Nazis
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00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:41,834
because it is the old
imperial capital of Charlemagne,
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who was the founder
of the first Reich.
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00:17:45,125 --> 00:17:48,542
And the Nazis consider
to have the third Reich,
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00:17:48,542 --> 00:17:51,542
so there is a link, a historic
link in the Nazi mindset,
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between the first Reich
and the third Reich.
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The bunkers on Crucifix Hill
defend the city from the northeast.
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As the fighting builds, the
conditions within deteriorate.
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It's cramped,
it's smelly, smoke everywhere.
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Shoot! Shoot!
Keep shooting! Shoot! Fire!
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When you fire a machine gun,
the noise reverberates.
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00:18:23,750 --> 00:18:28,166
So, psychologically, it's extremely
demanding for an ordinary soldier.
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On the
slope below the bunker,
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Brown must decide the best way to
neutralize it using the satchel charge.
226
00:18:54,667 --> 00:18:56,750
It's usually something where
you're not under enemy fire,
227
00:18:57,125 --> 00:18:59,583
so you take it up to a wall
and you position it very carefully,
228
00:18:59,583 --> 00:19:01,917
and you might
use multiple satchel charges.
229
00:19:02,875 --> 00:19:05,166
When a satchel charge
is used in close combat,
230
00:19:05,166 --> 00:19:07,375
it's usually used in
an improvised fashion.
231
00:19:08,625 --> 00:19:13,208
Brown works out a plan.
The explosives have a three second fuse.
232
00:19:13,709 --> 00:19:17,542
It doesn�t give him much time to
take cover before the charge explodes.
233
00:19:18,959 --> 00:19:25,125
If he were to crawl to the flank
of that box and come in from behind it,
234
00:19:25,709 --> 00:19:30,834
he might be in a position to see if the
back door was a way he could get into it,
235
00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:34,166
or close enough so he could throw his
satchel charge through it.
236
00:19:35,834 --> 00:19:38,625
But, if Brown can throw the
charge through the aperture,
237
00:19:38,625 --> 00:19:40,750
the bunker should
protect him from the blast.
238
00:19:44,208 --> 00:19:45,667
Brown picks up speed.
239
00:19:46,208 --> 00:19:51,875
As he runs up the slope towards the
opening, he encounters a German soldier.
240
00:20:01,250 --> 00:20:05,000
Before American captain Bobbie
Brown can make his move to the aperture,
241
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,750
the startled soldier dashes
back into the bunker.
242
00:20:08,750 --> 00:20:12,083
Brown leaps to pull the door closed,
to trap him inside.
243
00:20:12,583 --> 00:20:13,709
But it won�t shut.
244
00:20:14,583 --> 00:20:19,041
{\an8}So as the German turned, his
rifle, which was slung over his shoulder,
245
00:20:19,417 --> 00:20:23,333
{\an8}slipped off his shoulder, down
his elbow, and into the door jam.
246
00:20:24,041 --> 00:20:27,250
Brown sees the rifle.
He opens the door to kick it in.
247
00:20:27,917 --> 00:20:30,166
With the fuse pulled
on the satchel charge,
248
00:20:30,166 --> 00:20:32,583
he drops it inside
and slams the door.
249
00:20:38,709 --> 00:20:42,542
Brown jumps back as the
bunker explodes behind him.
250
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,125
From down the hill,
what Bobbie Brown�s men saw
251
00:20:47,125 --> 00:20:50,583
was a bunker where smoke was
pouring out of the apertures,
252
00:20:50,917 --> 00:20:54,083
the air vent on top of it.
Flames were licking the sky,
253
00:20:54,083 --> 00:20:59,083
and there were nothing but loud
explosions, one following another.
254
00:21:01,208 --> 00:21:03,333
The destruction is total.
255
00:21:03,917 --> 00:21:07,375
A satchel charge of that size
inside a bunker is going to be devastating
256
00:21:07,750 --> 00:21:10,458
because it contains the
blast within the bunker.
257
00:21:12,291 --> 00:21:14,625
No German survived that blast.
258
00:21:15,083 --> 00:21:18,166
The biggest body part
they found later was a thigh.
259
00:21:22,458 --> 00:21:24,959
C Company�s
command and control group,
260
00:21:24,959 --> 00:21:27,542
of the American 18th infantry regiment,
261
00:21:27,542 --> 00:21:32,083
would be happy to see their captain return
safely to the ditch after the explosion.
262
00:21:32,625 --> 00:21:35,417
Brown immediately asks
for a progress report.
263
00:21:36,208 --> 00:21:40,083
Despite knocking out the bunker,
the men of C and A Companies
264
00:21:40,083 --> 00:21:44,375
remain pinned by the heavy German fire
from across Crucifix Hill.
265
00:21:47,291 --> 00:21:51,500
Brown has taken out the first bunker,
but the others continue to operate.
266
00:21:52,208 --> 00:21:54,959
Because they are so high,
they can see the approach
267
00:21:54,959 --> 00:21:58,208
and direct their fire with accuracy
on the attacking Americans.
268
00:22:05,625 --> 00:22:07,458
When Brown looks further up the hill,
269
00:22:07,917 --> 00:22:11,166
he identifies another bunker beyond
the one he�s just destroyed.
270
00:22:13,291 --> 00:22:14,583
The job's not finished.
271
00:22:14,583 --> 00:22:18,750
He believes he got a command bunker
with the first one he took
272
00:22:19,166 --> 00:22:22,500
and he wants to go get more
of what he believes are
273
00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:25,792
the command-and-control
bunkers for the German firing.
274
00:22:26,542 --> 00:22:31,792
He had a volunteer that wanted to go,
and Bobbie just turned to him and said,
275
00:22:32,542 --> 00:22:36,166
�That's bad crap shooting soldier.
I don't quit while the dice are hot.�
276
00:22:37,250 --> 00:22:38,083
Satchel charge.
277
00:22:39,041 --> 00:22:41,500
This time,
Brown grabs both a satchel
278
00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:43,959
and a pole charge and
prepares for his ascent.
279
00:22:47,375 --> 00:22:49,875
A pole charge
consists of a length of wood
280
00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:52,375
with a small demolition
charge at the end.
281
00:22:54,375 --> 00:22:56,125
And it differs from a satchel charge
282
00:22:56,125 --> 00:23:00,333
in that a pole charge can be placed very
precisely next to the embrasure
283
00:23:00,333 --> 00:23:01,458
to try to destroy it.
284
00:23:02,458 --> 00:23:05,083
It has improvised,
do-it-yourself qualities.
285
00:23:05,542 --> 00:23:07,959
The quantity of
explosives can be adjusted.
286
00:23:08,709 --> 00:23:13,458
{\an8}An engineer unit attached to the infantry
unit will bring up some satchel charges.
287
00:23:13,792 --> 00:23:16,208
The engineers will make
the pole charges in the field.
288
00:23:16,834 --> 00:23:20,834
Brown has his next target.
But as his men try to move up the hill,
289
00:23:21,125 --> 00:23:24,959
allied artillery also pounds the
sector to support their advance.
290
00:23:25,458 --> 00:23:27,667
It would be dangerous to get too close.
291
00:23:32,542 --> 00:23:33,709
Put some smoke in the pillbox!
292
00:23:35,250 --> 00:23:37,917
Brown orders his runner to
fire a yellow smoke grenade
293
00:23:37,917 --> 00:23:39,333
on the bunker�s south side.
294
00:23:44,834 --> 00:23:49,458
This will signal the American 155
millimeter gun to lift its fire,
295
00:23:49,458 --> 00:23:51,375
so he can approach the bunker safely.
296
00:24:04,792 --> 00:24:08,750
From within the bunker, the Germans may
not be able to see the yellow smoke.
297
00:24:09,542 --> 00:24:13,792
The thick concrete and rebar mean bunkers
can withstand heavy fire power,
298
00:24:13,792 --> 00:24:16,291
but limit visibility
of their immediate surroundings.
299
00:24:21,333 --> 00:24:24,750
Each bunker has a field of
fire that their guns can reach.
300
00:24:25,333 --> 00:24:28,667
As a system, the bunkers are
designed to support each other
301
00:24:28,667 --> 00:24:30,709
by providing overlapping fire.
302
00:24:31,208 --> 00:24:33,417
Even if one bunker is taken out,
303
00:24:33,667 --> 00:24:37,500
the ones around it should be able to
continue to cover the hillside.
304
00:24:47,375 --> 00:24:49,000
Brown creeps up.
305
00:24:49,667 --> 00:24:53,166
His plan was to go
for the back door again.
306
00:24:53,709 --> 00:24:56,208
But as he crawled up
closer to that bunker,
307
00:24:56,792 --> 00:25:01,792
the German fires were so strong that he
was convinced that they had spotted him.
308
00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:03,959
Brown must reduce his profile.
309
00:25:05,792 --> 00:25:07,625
They could only aim so low.
310
00:25:07,792 --> 00:25:11,709
If he could crawl underneath that,
he could get closer to the pillbox.
311
00:25:14,041 --> 00:25:16,041
The machine gun
fire above him stops.
312
00:25:17,250 --> 00:25:21,250
Bobbie keeps going
and he realizes this time
313
00:25:21,250 --> 00:25:24,667
that his best approach is
going to be frontally.
314
00:25:26,458 --> 00:25:31,125
So, this time he crawls close
enough the aperture to reach out
315
00:25:31,125 --> 00:25:33,333
and put his pole charge through it.
316
00:25:38,917 --> 00:25:41,583
With very little distance
between him and the detonation,
317
00:25:41,959 --> 00:25:45,834
once he pulls the fuse he has just
three seconds until it explodes.
318
00:25:54,917 --> 00:25:57,000
The blast is powerful.
319
00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,834
However, the pole charge deployed by
American captain Bobbie Brown
320
00:26:00,959 --> 00:26:02,542
fails to destroy the bunker.
321
00:26:06,458 --> 00:26:10,917
But the explosion does widen the aperture
and distracts the soldiers inside.
322
00:26:15,750 --> 00:26:18,417
{\an8}Surveying the situation,
he decides he's not finished yet.
323
00:26:18,792 --> 00:26:20,875
{\an8}So, he grabs his satchel charge,
324
00:26:21,208 --> 00:26:24,583
and he heads right for the opening that he
had created with his pole charge.
325
00:26:25,500 --> 00:26:29,000
Brown pulls the fuse and
throws a satchel charge into the bunker.
326
00:26:29,959 --> 00:26:34,208
He ducks away in the short seconds
before the explosives detonate.
327
00:26:41,834 --> 00:26:46,000
With the bunker in blazes behind him,
Brown returns to his command group.
328
00:26:47,750 --> 00:26:49,458
What was remarkable about this instance
329
00:26:49,458 --> 00:26:52,333
is that it was a captain
performing this mission.
330
00:26:52,333 --> 00:26:55,834
{\an8}It's not the job of infantry captains to
go running around with satchel charges
331
00:26:55,834 --> 00:26:56,917
{\an8}blowing up bunkers.
332
00:26:57,333 --> 00:27:00,542
He's supposed to leave that to the
enlisted men and to his sergeants.
333
00:27:01,458 --> 00:27:03,750
But by the fall of 1944,
334
00:27:03,750 --> 00:27:06,625
the First infantry division
had suffered so many casualties.
335
00:27:07,291 --> 00:27:09,041
He may not have had someone to turn to,
336
00:27:09,333 --> 00:27:13,333
and he might have just felt, "Nobody's
there to do it. I'm going to go do it."
337
00:27:14,917 --> 00:27:18,291
Brown asks for a report on
their company�s advance up the hill.
338
00:27:20,041 --> 00:27:23,750
The radio operator notices that
Brown�s canteen has bullet holes in it,
339
00:27:24,375 --> 00:27:26,083
and that his captain is bleeding.
340
00:27:26,083 --> 00:27:27,083
Sir! You�re wounded!
341
00:27:31,375 --> 00:27:33,458
Brown was,
you know, as we say today,
342
00:27:33,458 --> 00:27:35,917
just absolutely
pumped up on adrenaline.
343
00:27:36,583 --> 00:27:41,792
In fact, his canteen having three holes
in it was the least of his problems.
344
00:27:42,667 --> 00:27:45,083
His men had noticed
that he had a bloody knee.
345
00:27:45,834 --> 00:27:48,542
But to Bobbie that was only a scratch.
346
00:27:48,542 --> 00:27:50,083
Don�t worry about it!
347
00:27:51,458 --> 00:27:54,333
Brushing off the injuries,
Brown demands the report.
348
00:27:57,375 --> 00:28:01,583
He learns men from second platoon
have finally started up Crucifix Hill.
349
00:28:01,583 --> 00:28:03,959
But they have
suffered multiple casualties,
350
00:28:04,166 --> 00:28:06,041
including the death
of their platoon leader.
351
00:28:06,792 --> 00:28:10,458
The Germans continue the fight,
in defiance of the American attack.
352
00:28:22,375 --> 00:28:25,959
But one month earlier, the commander
of the garrison at Aachen,
353
00:28:25,959 --> 00:28:29,000
Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin
354
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,291
appealed to American
military leadership for mercy.
355
00:28:34,709 --> 00:28:38,291
Aachen was the first major
German city under direct threat.
356
00:28:39,625 --> 00:28:44,750
Much of its prewar population
of 165,000 was desperate to flee
357
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,458
and it created chaos for
soldiers and civilians alike.
358
00:28:49,417 --> 00:28:53,166
Concerned that there would not be enough
time for remaining residents to escape,
359
00:28:53,375 --> 00:28:57,709
Schwerin calls off the order to
evacuate, and people return home.
360
00:28:59,667 --> 00:29:02,875
He then drafted a letter asking
the American commander
361
00:29:02,875 --> 00:29:06,667
to care for his civilians,
a request which at least implied
362
00:29:06,792 --> 00:29:09,667
that the city was to be
surrendered to U.S. Control.
363
00:29:12,333 --> 00:29:14,458
For Schwerin,
it's an extremely risky thing,
364
00:29:14,458 --> 00:29:20,208
{\an8}because Hitler had ordered,
that on German soil, every city,
365
00:29:20,750 --> 00:29:23,917
{\an8}every bunker must
be defended to the last man.
366
00:29:26,625 --> 00:29:31,125
The Nazi media writes about Aachen must
be defended like a German Stalingrad.
367
00:29:33,500 --> 00:29:34,792
And in this context,
368
00:29:35,375 --> 00:29:41,208
it just doesn't match
the picture of a determined fight.
369
00:29:42,834 --> 00:29:44,959
Before the letter could be
delivered to the Americans,
370
00:29:45,417 --> 00:29:51,166
it fell into Nazi hands. Hitler had
Schwerin relieved from duty and arrested.
371
00:29:52,834 --> 00:29:56,500
He is replaced with commanders
ready to fight to the death.
372
00:30:05,208 --> 00:30:08,291
Now weeks later, as his
men start their advance,
373
00:30:08,667 --> 00:30:10,834
American captain Bobbie Brown
orders them to complete
374
00:30:10,834 --> 00:30:14,375
the capture of their assigned bunkers
on the lower part of the hill.
375
00:30:19,667 --> 00:30:24,166
But as he surveys the slope, he can see
a particularly large bunker at the top.
376
00:30:32,625 --> 00:30:35,834
It is heavily armed, and
continues to fire at his men.
377
00:30:42,333 --> 00:30:43,208
Satchel charge!
378
00:30:46,458 --> 00:30:49,625
Brown decides
once more, to launch an attack.
379
00:30:58,041 --> 00:31:02,000
As the U.S. Captain Bobbie
Brown nears the crest of Crucifix Hill,
380
00:31:02,166 --> 00:31:04,875
on the afternoon
of October 8th, 1944,
381
00:31:06,041 --> 00:31:09,959
the 60-foot cross that gave the peak
its name is now in ruins.
382
00:31:12,417 --> 00:31:16,917
The Crucifix had provided an excellent
outpost for German artillery observers
383
00:31:16,917 --> 00:31:19,375
to direct fire at the advancing Americans.
384
00:31:20,417 --> 00:31:23,583
Some witnesses to the
action said that it fell
385
00:31:23,583 --> 00:31:29,417
during the P-47 thunderbolt strikes,
before the attack began.
386
00:31:29,667 --> 00:31:35,542
{\an8}The other account was the German side.
They claimed they shot it down.
387
00:31:36,458 --> 00:31:41,417
Because they didn't want
the Americans climbing up on the Crucifix
388
00:31:41,417 --> 00:31:45,834
and using it as an observation post as
they had been doing.
389
00:31:47,333 --> 00:31:50,208
Brown�s goal is to
clear the German defenses
390
00:31:50,375 --> 00:31:52,417
that protect the city of Aachen.
391
00:31:52,834 --> 00:31:57,583
He�s already knocked out two bunkers.
Now, he targets a third.
392
00:31:59,959 --> 00:32:02,166
There's another type of a bunker,
which is sometimes used
393
00:32:03,333 --> 00:32:05,959
both as an observation bunker
and a machine gun bunker.
394
00:32:06,458 --> 00:32:10,792
{\an8}And this is the most formidable of them.
It typically has an armored cupola,
395
00:32:11,250 --> 00:32:15,500
and the armored cupola would have vision
slits all around it on six or eight sides.
396
00:32:15,875 --> 00:32:18,000
And it might also have a
machine gun mantlet
397
00:32:18,208 --> 00:32:20,625
that was completely protected
against outside attack.
398
00:32:21,041 --> 00:32:22,667
That's what I think he attacked.
399
00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,875
{\an8}Based on the sources,
this bunker appears to be a panzerturm.
400
00:32:27,375 --> 00:32:32,333
{\an8}Although often associated with tanks,
in German, �panzer� means armored,
401
00:32:32,333 --> 00:32:34,667
{\an8}and refers to the
three-inch steel plating.
402
00:32:35,542 --> 00:32:38,875
They're sometimes mistranslated
as a tank turret. They don't traverse.
403
00:32:38,875 --> 00:32:43,709
{\an8}They're not made from tank turret parts.
They're an armored cupola.
404
00:32:44,417 --> 00:32:47,500
{\an8}The cupola may sometimes
be the most visible element.
405
00:32:47,875 --> 00:32:51,208
{\an8}The rest of the bunker, is very large and
dug into the earth.
406
00:32:51,917 --> 00:32:56,542
{\an8}It contains everything needed to sustain
45 soldiers and their officers.
407
00:32:57,250 --> 00:33:01,083
Panzerturm were built in places
that were critical to defend.
408
00:33:04,208 --> 00:33:06,542
The Germans have very
specific terms for them.
409
00:33:06,542 --> 00:33:10,375
But because the U.S. Army would
sometimes mistranslate the name,
410
00:33:10,375 --> 00:33:12,000
they are sometimes
called tank turrets.
411
00:33:16,959 --> 00:33:19,417
The panzerturm is Brown�s target.
412
00:33:20,792 --> 00:33:24,250
Based on the imposing
nature of this big bunker,
413
00:33:24,250 --> 00:33:27,041
its location, the turret on top of it,
414
00:33:27,709 --> 00:33:32,834
in Bobbie Brown�s mind that was where the
Germans central command and control was.
415
00:33:32,834 --> 00:33:34,917
That's why he wanted to go get it.
416
00:33:36,542 --> 00:33:40,041
Inside the bunker,
the Germans pour fire on the slopes below
417
00:33:40,041 --> 00:33:44,959
to thwart the American advance.
Their specific actions are unknown.
418
00:33:45,333 --> 00:33:48,166
We don't know for sure because the
documents haven't survived.
419
00:33:48,959 --> 00:33:54,083
But generally speaking, the communication
between the bunkers was relatively good.
420
00:33:54,500 --> 00:33:56,667
I think it always
depends on the situation,
421
00:33:56,667 --> 00:33:58,750
whether you are still have
your communication lines
422
00:33:58,750 --> 00:34:01,875
with their neighboring bunkers
or with your superiors.
423
00:34:01,875 --> 00:34:04,375
{\an8}Whether the bunker next to
you is still holding out
424
00:34:04,375 --> 00:34:06,083
{\an8}or whether it has
already surrendered.
425
00:34:06,625 --> 00:34:13,417
{\an8}And this makes it, for a commander, quite
complicated, quite difficult to decide
426
00:34:13,417 --> 00:34:16,208
whether it's time to give up or
whether it's time to fight on.
427
00:34:18,208 --> 00:34:21,166
- Schnell! Schnell! Ammo! Now! Go!
- In the meantime,
428
00:34:21,166 --> 00:34:25,500
the German defenders will need all the
fire power they can get their hands on.
429
00:34:31,125 --> 00:34:35,166
Bobbie Brown approaches the bunker.
He comes in from the side.
430
00:34:35,667 --> 00:34:39,542
He can get close to the exterior walls,
but they are so thick,
431
00:34:39,542 --> 00:34:42,667
it would take hundreds of
pounds of explosives to penetrate.
432
00:34:46,458 --> 00:34:49,667
He has 15 pounds of TNT
in his satchel charge.
433
00:34:53,792 --> 00:34:56,458
TNT, or trinitrotoluene,
434
00:34:56,959 --> 00:34:59,959
remains one of the most widely
used explosives in the world
435
00:34:59,959 --> 00:35:02,709
and is still found in
many military weapons.
436
00:35:03,166 --> 00:35:09,792
During the war, one factory alone
could produce 720,000 pounds of TNT a day.
437
00:35:10,291 --> 00:35:12,625
It�s considered a very stable explosive,
438
00:35:12,625 --> 00:35:17,458
which is why it�s safely handled and
widely used, by World War II soldiers.
439
00:35:27,917 --> 00:35:33,417
But unless Brown gets the satchel charge
inside, the damage will be insignificant.
440
00:35:34,792 --> 00:35:37,458
He also notices a second bunker.
441
00:35:38,959 --> 00:35:41,458
He surmised that the second,
442
00:35:41,709 --> 00:35:45,333
that was on top the concrete
slab, was likely an ammo bunker.
443
00:35:45,667 --> 00:35:50,500
So to him it seemed logical that if anyone
came out of the back of the big bunker,
444
00:35:51,250 --> 00:35:53,375
the back of the big bunker they'd
likely be going to the back bunker
445
00:35:53,375 --> 00:35:54,417
to get some ammo.
446
00:36:02,667 --> 00:36:03,875
As Brown watches,
447
00:36:03,875 --> 00:36:08,125
an enemy soldier emerges from a
door to the rear of the main bunker.
448
00:36:10,875 --> 00:36:13,667
It�s exactly the opportunity
he�s been waiting for.
449
00:36:26,291 --> 00:36:30,041
American captain Bobbie Brown
observes a German soldier,
450
00:36:30,041 --> 00:36:34,333
who leaves a large bunker then
returns with a load of ammunition shells.
451
00:36:40,083 --> 00:36:44,583
Bobbie was stalking. He didn't
realize it but Bobbie was right there.
452
00:36:47,834 --> 00:36:49,250
Brown closes in.
453
00:36:50,792 --> 00:36:53,083
The soldier enters the
bunker with his arms full of ammo.
454
00:36:54,083 --> 00:36:58,458
{\an8}So he puts the load down so
that he can close the door,
455
00:36:58,959 --> 00:37:02,583
{\an8}only to be looking into the
eyes of an American captain.
456
00:37:02,583 --> 00:37:06,959
Before the German can react,
Brown deposits his satchel charge,
457
00:37:06,959 --> 00:37:10,375
with the fuse pulled, on the
floor beside the ammunition.
458
00:37:15,417 --> 00:37:16,667
When the charges went off
459
00:37:17,041 --> 00:37:21,333
Bobbie Brown was not able to turn
as quickly as he had before,
460
00:37:21,333 --> 00:37:24,500
and he went head over heels backwards
461
00:37:24,709 --> 00:37:27,959
into the crater he'd hidden
in before the attack.
462
00:37:28,834 --> 00:37:30,875
By waiting for the soldier to return,
463
00:37:30,875 --> 00:37:34,542
the explosion of Brown�s
satchel charge also sets off
464
00:37:34,542 --> 00:37:39,083
the ordnance the man had brought into
the bunker, amplifying the impact.
465
00:37:39,750 --> 00:37:41,583
His patience paid off.
466
00:37:43,542 --> 00:37:47,667
Brown�s attack on the third
bunker was everything he had trained for.
467
00:37:50,291 --> 00:37:55,583
Bobbie lived for moments like this.
He was fearless.
468
00:37:56,375 --> 00:38:00,959
The least concern he had was for himself.
He was so mission centric.
469
00:38:01,458 --> 00:38:03,959
He simply was going
to do what he had to do.
470
00:38:09,834 --> 00:38:12,125
With the
destruction of the third bunker,
471
00:38:12,125 --> 00:38:15,959
the southern slope of Crucifix Hill falls
under American control.
472
00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,625
Because the command bunkers that
Bobbie Brown had gone after had fallen,
473
00:38:20,917 --> 00:38:25,959
his men had been able to start to move.
They were now able to take bigger leaps,
474
00:38:26,542 --> 00:38:28,709
and take the surrender of more Germans
475
00:38:28,959 --> 00:38:32,166
from the different pillboxes
all over Crucifix Hill.
476
00:38:36,959 --> 00:38:40,625
Brown has been wounded
but his work is not complete.
477
00:38:41,083 --> 00:38:44,417
Bobbie Brown�s mission,
in his mind, wasn't accomplished.
478
00:38:45,208 --> 00:38:49,291
He had only increased the chances
that Crucifix Hill would be taken.
479
00:38:49,709 --> 00:38:53,709
The other half of his mission was to
reconnoiter the back side of the hill
480
00:38:54,208 --> 00:38:58,250
so he could prepare his company
for the inevitable counterattack
481
00:38:58,250 --> 00:38:59,250
that would come from the Germans.
482
00:39:00,667 --> 00:39:01,667
So, he stayed on the hill to do that.
483
00:39:05,125 --> 00:39:06,792
As Brown
crosses to the north side...
484
00:39:08,458 --> 00:39:12,917
Machine gun fire rips into the ground
around him. He dives into the dirt.
485
00:39:14,917 --> 00:39:19,750
Exposed again to the enemy, even the
smallest divot provides some protection.
486
00:39:22,667 --> 00:39:25,083
Brown waits for a moment
and then lifts his head.
487
00:39:27,291 --> 00:39:29,875
The reaction from the
Germans is immediate.
488
00:39:31,291 --> 00:39:33,667
Machine gun bullets whistle past.
489
00:39:34,208 --> 00:39:38,333
He wanted to understand
what the direction of that fire was,
490
00:39:38,834 --> 00:39:40,875
so he could best position his forces
491
00:39:41,458 --> 00:39:43,917
to know where the counterattacks
were likely to come from.
492
00:39:48,583 --> 00:39:51,542
Brown drops his
head and removes his helmet.
493
00:39:54,333 --> 00:39:59,792
This time what he decides is take
and put his helmet on his finger
494
00:40:00,417 --> 00:40:05,834
and wave it around. To taunt the
Germans, and that obviously draws fire.
495
00:40:12,917 --> 00:40:16,583
Brown has his answer. The
Germans are positioned to counterattack,
496
00:40:17,125 --> 00:40:19,083
but he can�t do anything from here.
497
00:40:30,959 --> 00:40:33,834
Brown makes his way
back to his command group.
498
00:40:39,834 --> 00:40:42,542
He reports the
position of the German guns.
499
00:40:42,917 --> 00:40:44,208
We need a full barrage!
500
00:40:44,208 --> 00:40:45,834
And orders an
artillery strike to the south.
501
00:40:45,834 --> 00:40:48,458
Don't let up!
Scatter for effect!
502
00:40:48,917 --> 00:40:51,291
He also
informs his commanding officers
503
00:40:51,291 --> 00:40:54,333
they have made it to
the top of Crucifix Hill.
504
00:40:56,417 --> 00:40:59,792
It�s only been 40 minutes from
the start of Brown�s assault.
505
00:41:00,250 --> 00:41:02,875
He will not let the hill be taken back.
506
00:41:14,083 --> 00:41:17,083
Brown�s regiment needs
to consolidate its gains.
507
00:41:20,083 --> 00:41:26,792
Clear the remaining pillboxes and move
units up to hold the captured positions.
508
00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:36,083
Only when this important work is complete,
does he allow his wounds to be treated.
509
00:41:38,583 --> 00:41:41,208
Later that night, Brown proves right.
510
00:41:41,417 --> 00:41:43,750
The Germans launch a
significant counterattack,
511
00:41:44,542 --> 00:41:47,208
which he and his men fight off.
512
00:41:47,917 --> 00:41:53,000
And in the morning, the 18th infantry
regiment still holds Crucifix Hill.
513
00:41:57,333 --> 00:41:59,917
For his bravery and fearless leadership,
514
00:41:59,917 --> 00:42:02,709
Bobbie Brown earns the
highest military award
515
00:42:02,709 --> 00:42:06,000
a soldier can
receive for actions in combat:
516
00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:08,834
the Congressional Medal
Of Honor, after the war.
517
00:42:09,834 --> 00:42:12,125
The meeting was held in the
east room at the White House.
518
00:42:12,125 --> 00:42:16,625
President Harry Truman was going to bestow
the honor upon Bobbie Brown,
519
00:42:16,625 --> 00:42:21,250
and as the story went, when he put the
medal around Bobbie Brown's neck,
520
00:42:21,458 --> 00:42:26,083
the President said to him, �I�d give up
being President to be awarded this medal,�
521
00:42:26,083 --> 00:42:27,834
and Bobbie Brown took that in stride,
522
00:42:27,834 --> 00:42:31,125
still being the straight shooter that
he was, said to the President,
523
00:42:31,875 --> 00:42:33,834
�You know you're lying Mr. President.�
524
00:42:35,458 --> 00:42:36,542
In later years,
525
00:42:36,709 --> 00:42:40,583
his injuries kept him in constant
pain and led to depression.
526
00:42:41,208 --> 00:42:44,458
In 1971, Brown died by suicide.
527
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:52,583
The capture of Crucifix Hill
led to the encirclement,
528
00:42:52,583 --> 00:42:57,750
and finally, the surrender, of
Aachen on October 21st, 1944.
529
00:42:59,792 --> 00:43:02,750
Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin,
530
00:43:02,750 --> 00:43:06,291
the commander of the Aachen
garrison in September, is blamed.
531
00:43:06,917 --> 00:43:10,333
Schwerin is held responsible
for the disaster at Aachen,
532
00:43:10,333 --> 00:43:13,250
and Hitler probably
wants to court-martial him.
533
00:43:13,250 --> 00:43:17,291
{\an8}But Schwerin is protected by
all his military superiors,
534
00:43:17,834 --> 00:43:21,125
so that Hitler, more or less,
forgets this story,
535
00:43:21,125 --> 00:43:23,667
and Schwerin is later posted
to the Italian front,
536
00:43:23,959 --> 00:43:25,625
out of sight, out of mind for Hitler.
537
00:43:26,667 --> 00:43:30,041
Aachen is the
first major German city to fall.
538
00:43:30,500 --> 00:43:34,959
The fall of Aachen is a major blow
for the Nazis and for the German people,
539
00:43:34,959 --> 00:43:41,083
{\an8}because now, you have got the Americans
standing on German soil in the west.
540
00:43:41,083 --> 00:43:46,291
{\an8}And at the same time, you've got the
Soviets capturing parts of east Prussia.
541
00:43:46,291 --> 00:43:49,834
{\an8}So, war has now
come onto German soil.
542
00:43:50,291 --> 00:43:53,875
{\an8}But as the Autumn sets
in and the weather gets worse...
543
00:43:53,875 --> 00:43:58,709
{\an8}German morale improves
again because in the east, the Soviets,
544
00:43:58,709 --> 00:44:03,000
{\an8}and in the west, the Allies,
both their advance stalls.
545
00:44:04,834 --> 00:44:08,875
{\an8}And the war in Europe would
still rage for six more months.
546
00:44:11,875 --> 00:44:15,875
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