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Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:03,417 --> 00:00:06,166 October 1944. Western Germany. 2 00:00:08,375 --> 00:00:10,208 An American captain watches, 3 00:00:10,208 --> 00:00:14,000 as a German soldier returns to a bunker loaded with ammunition. 4 00:00:14,583 --> 00:00:18,875 Bobbie was stalking. He didn't realize it, but Bobbie was right there. 5 00:00:22,667 --> 00:00:26,333 NARRATOR: The captain pulls the fuse and deposits an explosive charge, 6 00:00:27,333 --> 00:00:28,875 before the soldier can react. 7 00:00:30,667 --> 00:00:33,083 On June 6th, 1944, 8 00:00:33,625 --> 00:00:39,709 allied forces finally land troops in Normandy to open the western front. 9 00:00:42,583 --> 00:00:48,083 But Nazi fanatics and diehards continue to fight ferociously for survival. 10 00:00:53,542 --> 00:00:55,166 D-Day was a battle. 11 00:00:57,250 --> 00:00:58,917 They still need to win the war. 12 00:01:14,166 --> 00:01:18,291 October 8th, 1944. Near Aachen, Germany. 13 00:01:21,291 --> 00:01:26,417 Soldiers from the American 18th infantry regiment advance under the cover of smoke. 14 00:01:29,583 --> 00:01:33,583 They must move quickly and quietly towards their attack positions 15 00:01:33,583 --> 00:01:35,959 before the Germans know they�re there. 16 00:01:40,208 --> 00:01:42,917 Captain Bobbie Brown commands C Company. 17 00:01:43,208 --> 00:01:48,834 At 41, Brown is older than most other officers and likely many of his superiors. 18 00:01:49,792 --> 00:01:51,625 He has served most of his life. 19 00:01:53,709 --> 00:01:55,959 Bobbie didn't want to be a burden on his family. 20 00:01:56,333 --> 00:02:01,291 So, he decided to go down to Columbus, Georgia and attempt to enlist in the army. 21 00:02:01,291 --> 00:02:03,834 {\an8}He told the recruiting sergeant he was 18, 22 00:02:04,083 --> 00:02:07,125 {\an8}he was big for his age, but he was only 15. 23 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:11,709 The army needed big kids like him in 1922 so they took him. 24 00:02:13,125 --> 00:02:16,458 Brown trained with all the infantry weapons in peacetime, 25 00:02:16,667 --> 00:02:19,375 and became a recognized leader after the war broke out. 26 00:02:20,667 --> 00:02:24,083 When Bobbie went ashore on D-Day, he was with the first division. 27 00:02:24,583 --> 00:02:28,959 By August there needed to be a new captain named for Company C. 28 00:02:28,959 --> 00:02:33,750 His battalion commander had lots of choices, including West Point graduates, 29 00:02:34,333 --> 00:02:38,417 but he favored Bobbie because Bobbie was a scrapper, 30 00:02:38,583 --> 00:02:44,333 he had an uncanny sense of timing, his men revered him. 31 00:02:48,500 --> 00:02:51,333 Brown and his men prepare for battle once more. 32 00:02:56,166 --> 00:02:59,875 Suddenly, the wind picks up and their smoke cover blows away. 33 00:03:04,291 --> 00:03:05,959 C Company is exposed. 34 00:03:13,125 --> 00:03:15,834 It doesn�t take long for the German guns to find their targets. 35 00:03:18,542 --> 00:03:19,834 Incoming! 36 00:03:22,792 --> 00:03:23,750 Get down, keep your heads up! 37 00:03:34,125 --> 00:03:35,333 Go, go! 38 00:03:36,875 --> 00:03:37,792 Up you get! 39 00:03:45,458 --> 00:03:47,291 After the rapid advance over the summer, 40 00:03:48,041 --> 00:03:51,542 Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 41 00:03:51,542 --> 00:03:55,208 identifies an objective that promises to end the war: 42 00:03:55,792 --> 00:03:56,917 The Ruhr Valley. 43 00:03:59,041 --> 00:04:02,917 {\an8}The Ruhr was the most important strategic objective of the allied armies 44 00:04:02,917 --> 00:04:07,333 {\an8}in 1944 and 1945. It was Germany�s industrial heartland. 45 00:04:07,333 --> 00:04:09,792 It contained most of their major steel mills, 46 00:04:09,792 --> 00:04:12,875 their tank plants and their weapons factories. 47 00:04:16,500 --> 00:04:18,166 After the D-Day landings, 48 00:04:18,291 --> 00:04:24,083 the race across Europe brings the allies up to the German border in September 1944. 49 00:04:25,125 --> 00:04:28,250 To clear the way to the Ruhr Valley to the northeast, 50 00:04:28,792 --> 00:04:32,208 Eisenhower orders parts of four American divisions 51 00:04:32,208 --> 00:04:35,000 to secure the ancient German city of Aachen. 52 00:04:36,500 --> 00:04:38,875 The stakes are high on both sides. 53 00:04:39,917 --> 00:04:43,583 What is a propaganda dream for Eisenhower is a nightmare for Hitler. 54 00:04:44,375 --> 00:04:49,208 {\an8}If the Americans take Aachen, they are not only fighting on German soil, 55 00:04:49,208 --> 00:04:52,583 {\an8}they capture the first major German city. 56 00:04:54,792 --> 00:04:57,000 After the violent greeting from the German guns, 57 00:04:57,750 --> 00:05:01,625 Bobbie Brown and his men gather on their start line at the base of a hill. 58 00:05:04,625 --> 00:05:08,333 The men knew they were taking on a very, very difficult mission. 59 00:05:11,250 --> 00:05:17,291 They knew the Germans had these prepared pillbox locations all over Crucifix Hill. 60 00:05:21,875 --> 00:05:27,709 They knew they had their firing ports and angles of fire aimed at their approach. 61 00:05:34,917 --> 00:05:37,041 Brown�s objective is clear: 62 00:05:37,041 --> 00:05:40,417 he is to neutralize all enemy activity on the hill 63 00:05:40,417 --> 00:05:42,625 and then prepare for counterattacks. 64 00:05:43,125 --> 00:05:46,875 He scours the slope to plot a path to the closest bunker, 65 00:05:46,875 --> 00:05:50,125 and looks to the sky for friendly allied aircraft. 66 00:05:50,542 --> 00:05:53,583 The air support that Brown expected 67 00:05:53,709 --> 00:06:00,208 was two flight of P-47 thunderbolts which were actually just eight planes. 68 00:06:00,875 --> 00:06:03,917 He had been relying on continuing air missions 69 00:06:04,417 --> 00:06:09,959 but the air liaison, who was on his way up to Crucifix Hill earlier, 70 00:06:09,959 --> 00:06:13,917 his tank was busted up, so he never got up there. 71 00:06:19,041 --> 00:06:20,875 Brown can�t wait any longer. 72 00:06:23,166 --> 00:06:24,875 BROWN (yells, muted): Go, go, go, go! 73 00:06:27,542 --> 00:06:28,625 As he and his men jump up, 74 00:06:29,083 --> 00:06:32,333 the Germans unleash a barrage of artillery fire. 75 00:06:36,291 --> 00:06:40,917 The Germans had the avenue of approach that was chosen by the Americans, 76 00:06:41,667 --> 00:06:44,875 zeroed in and pre-plotted before they even attacked. 77 00:06:45,709 --> 00:06:52,667 There were 84 separate artillery pieces that rained down on Brown�s men. 78 00:06:54,458 --> 00:06:58,750 As they try to approach, machine guns also open up with deadly accuracy. 79 00:07:16,917 --> 00:07:20,500 Allied artillery shells pound the bunkers on the hillside in support, 80 00:07:27,083 --> 00:07:28,458 but fail to disrupt the German fire. 81 00:07:33,542 --> 00:07:36,458 Brown and his men attack Crucifix Hill. 82 00:07:36,917 --> 00:07:39,625 {\an8}Named for the large stone cross on its summit, 83 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,208 {\an8}its fortifications protect Aachen from the northeast. 84 00:07:43,834 --> 00:07:47,667 {\an8}It also called hill 2-3-9, for its height in meters. 85 00:07:47,667 --> 00:07:50,750 {\an8}It bristles with pillboxes and bunkers. 86 00:07:53,041 --> 00:07:54,875 Despite being somewhat outdated, 87 00:07:55,250 --> 00:07:59,959 the bunkers on Crucifix Hill give a good opportunity to fire 88 00:07:59,959 --> 00:08:03,208 from the heights down on the Americans in the valley. 89 00:08:19,208 --> 00:08:21,625 With his men pinned at the start line, 90 00:08:22,083 --> 00:08:24,166 Captain Bobbie Brown and his command unit, 91 00:08:24,166 --> 00:08:27,875 which includes a radio operator and runner, make a move. 92 00:08:28,709 --> 00:08:31,709 Bobbie Brown had trained his men to understand 93 00:08:32,375 --> 00:08:35,333 that so long as one person wasn�t pinned down, 94 00:08:35,834 --> 00:08:39,542 do the job of the man ahead of you, so that everybody could start moving. 95 00:08:47,583 --> 00:08:52,750 But at this moment, Bobbie Brown knew that his entire company was pinned down, 96 00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:54,667 and he was gonna have to do something about it. 97 00:08:59,166 --> 00:09:01,583 Brown heads towards a dip in the terrain. 98 00:09:02,125 --> 00:09:04,667 His team throw themselves over the edge. 99 00:09:08,125 --> 00:09:11,667 Brown and his command group were able to jump into 100 00:09:11,667 --> 00:09:15,709 a dug-out depression at the foot of Crucifix Hill 101 00:09:15,709 --> 00:09:21,208 because he had had the wisdom the night before to go out and dig that hole 102 00:09:21,875 --> 00:09:26,166 and bring canvas with him so that he could drag the dirt away 103 00:09:26,709 --> 00:09:30,125 so when the daylight came, the Germans wouldn�t even know anyone had been there. 104 00:09:40,083 --> 00:09:43,667 They find a little protection, just below the enemy�s fire. 105 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:02,375 The radio operator makes contact with the platoon leaders. 106 00:10:04,834 --> 00:10:06,750 The news is not good. 107 00:10:08,208 --> 00:10:09,834 One of his platoon leaders is injured 108 00:10:10,375 --> 00:10:13,458 and both of the assault platoons remain pinned down. 109 00:10:14,125 --> 00:10:16,208 Binoculars. 110 00:10:18,083 --> 00:10:20,875 Brown looks up the hill and observes the gunfire 111 00:10:20,875 --> 00:10:22,458 coming from the bunker above him. 112 00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:27,750 He�s trying to take in the totality of this situation. 113 00:10:34,625 --> 00:10:36,333 The radio operator looks at him and says, 114 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:38,917 �Are we gonna send some engineers up first?� 115 00:10:39,583 --> 00:10:43,583 Bobbie looks back at him and says, �I wouldn�t ask a man to commit suicide.� 116 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,041 In a split second, Brown makes a decision. 117 00:10:51,083 --> 00:10:53,625 He will take out the bunker himself. 118 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,542 The American captain Bobbie Brown prepares a plan to put into action. 119 00:11:08,458 --> 00:11:10,250 Bobbie Brown decides at that moment 120 00:11:10,875 --> 00:11:15,083 {\an8}that he's gonna have to lead by example and do what his men can�t do. 121 00:11:15,375 --> 00:11:16,583 {\an8}He wasn�t pinned down. 122 00:11:17,458 --> 00:11:20,041 So, he turns to his radioman and says, 123 00:11:20,041 --> 00:11:23,458 �What we�re gonna need is a pole charge and a satchel charge.� 124 00:11:23,458 --> 00:11:26,625 - And the radioman, he�s incredulous. - Sir? 125 00:11:28,250 --> 00:11:31,542 Brown needs more firepower than the weapons he has at hand. 126 00:11:31,542 --> 00:11:34,166 He believes that explosives are the answer. 127 00:11:39,375 --> 00:11:44,000 The bunkers on Crucifix Hill make up a dense sector of the Westwall, 128 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:45,250 or Siegfried Line. 129 00:11:45,917 --> 00:11:48,959 The Siegfried Line was created in the 1930s 130 00:11:48,959 --> 00:11:51,417 so that the German army could fight a two-front war. 131 00:11:51,875 --> 00:11:56,417 {\an8}And what happened in 1939 is the German army threw all of its strength 132 00:11:56,417 --> 00:11:58,875 {\an8}against Poland and conquered Poland in September. 133 00:11:59,542 --> 00:12:00,458 But at the same time, 134 00:12:00,959 --> 00:12:04,834 they didn't have to have a large military force on their western border, 135 00:12:04,834 --> 00:12:08,959 facing the French and British Army, because they had the Siegfried Line there. 136 00:12:09,250 --> 00:12:13,750 It required a minimal force, a so-called economy of force maneuver. 137 00:12:14,375 --> 00:12:17,834 This is considered especially important around Aachen, 138 00:12:17,834 --> 00:12:20,583 which boasts a double line of fortifications. 139 00:12:22,041 --> 00:12:25,875 The Westwall in the Aachen sector was extremely thick, 140 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,458 especially as compared to other sections of the Westwall further away. 141 00:12:29,667 --> 00:12:32,542 The reason was mainly because of the strategic importance 142 00:12:32,542 --> 00:12:37,583 of some relatively flat terrain immediately south of the city of Aachen, 143 00:12:37,583 --> 00:12:41,291 that allows tank forces access further east 144 00:12:41,291 --> 00:12:44,000 towards the Ruhr River and towards the Rhine River. 145 00:12:45,625 --> 00:12:50,041 Often built into the landscape and camouflaged by grass and brush, 146 00:12:50,417 --> 00:12:52,709 the bunkers have narrow openings, 147 00:12:52,709 --> 00:12:56,458 or apertures, to allow just enough room to fire weapons. 148 00:12:57,917 --> 00:13:04,041 {\an8}These fortifications vary in size, but can be up to 50 feet wide and 25 feet deep. 149 00:13:05,458 --> 00:13:07,959 {\an8}They are designed to Standard B. 150 00:13:08,709 --> 00:13:10,083 Standard B means is that 151 00:13:10,083 --> 00:13:13,458 {\an8}they are two meters thick of steel reinforced concrete. 152 00:13:13,458 --> 00:13:16,583 {\an8}Now, two meters thick of steel-reinforced concrete 153 00:13:16,709 --> 00:13:20,458 will defend up to an eight-inch artillery projectile, 154 00:13:20,625 --> 00:13:22,917 or a 1,000-pound aircraft bomb. 155 00:13:22,917 --> 00:13:26,667 So, it's a very, very substantial military structure. 156 00:13:27,917 --> 00:13:31,792 Bobbie Brown needs to find a way to attack the structure. 157 00:13:32,625 --> 00:13:35,417 He's not sure exactly what he's going to do. 158 00:13:36,125 --> 00:13:39,875 What he does see is a crater that had been left by, 159 00:13:39,875 --> 00:13:42,291 in all likelihood, one of the P-47's. 160 00:13:42,959 --> 00:13:45,291 It's about half the distance between where he is 161 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:48,709 and where the pillbox is located that he wants to go after. 162 00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:56,125 Brown signals second platoon commander, Lieutenant Charles Marvain, 163 00:13:56,667 --> 00:13:58,667 - to deliver the explosives he requires. - Okay! 164 00:14:00,750 --> 00:14:06,375 The German fire was just coming down repeatedly at Marvain's location, 165 00:14:07,250 --> 00:14:10,250 so Marvain may have been happy to leave where he was. 166 00:14:12,041 --> 00:14:14,417 He heaves a satchel charge to Brown. 167 00:14:20,417 --> 00:14:23,959 A satchel charge is a type of an engineered demolition charge. 168 00:14:23,959 --> 00:14:25,208 And it's called a satchel charge 169 00:14:25,208 --> 00:14:28,041 because the explosives are contained inside a satchel bag. 170 00:14:28,792 --> 00:14:31,542 And they're typically used to blow up obstructions. 171 00:14:31,792 --> 00:14:34,834 So, it might be an anti-tank wall, it might be a bunker. 172 00:14:35,750 --> 00:14:36,709 In this case, 173 00:14:36,709 --> 00:14:41,000 the satchel charge is loaded with 60 quarter pound blocks of TNT, 174 00:14:41,417 --> 00:14:43,750 to be detonated by a three second fuse. 175 00:14:45,250 --> 00:14:50,625 With the charge ready, Brown crawls out of his ditch, with 15 pounds of TNT. 176 00:14:51,625 --> 00:14:54,291 It�s an unusual job for a man of his rank. 177 00:14:56,458 --> 00:14:59,709 A company captain was responsible for being in a position 178 00:15:00,333 --> 00:15:03,166 where he could communicate with his battalion commander 179 00:15:03,834 --> 00:15:05,458 so that he could get change orders, 180 00:15:05,458 --> 00:15:10,083 including "reinforcements are on the way" or "we want you to withdraw." 181 00:15:10,625 --> 00:15:16,291 It was very unusual for a captain to be the tip of the spear during World War II. 182 00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:21,792 Brown inches up Crucifix Hill toward the bunker that targets his men. 183 00:15:31,333 --> 00:15:35,000 Crawling as best he can to stay under the trajectory of the fire. 184 00:15:35,333 --> 00:15:37,709 All he has to do is stick his head up and he's going to get shot. 185 00:15:41,083 --> 00:15:43,375 The only sign of the enemy inside 186 00:15:43,375 --> 00:15:45,291 are the gun barrels firing through the aperture. 187 00:15:48,125 --> 00:15:53,458 Soldiers from the 352nd grenadier regiment are among those manning the bunkers. 188 00:15:54,166 --> 00:15:57,208 {\an8}A grenadier regiment is basically an infantry regiment. 189 00:15:57,208 --> 00:16:03,166 {\an8}In 1942, the Germans renamed all the infantry units as grenadier regiments, 190 00:16:03,583 --> 00:16:08,834 reminding of the old Prussian grenadier regiments from the 18th and 19th Century. 191 00:16:10,125 --> 00:16:11,750 They have been handpicked, 192 00:16:11,750 --> 00:16:15,041 and moved quickly into defensive positions on Crucifix Hill, 193 00:16:15,583 --> 00:16:18,083 as the Americans closed in on Aachen. 194 00:16:18,083 --> 00:16:21,875 Despite the fact that these bunkers were outdated, to a certain degree, 195 00:16:21,875 --> 00:16:25,083 it gave the German soldiers a sense of security. 196 00:16:25,959 --> 00:16:27,208 You've got German documents, 197 00:16:27,208 --> 00:16:31,041 when they retreated from France in early autumn 1944, 198 00:16:31,417 --> 00:16:34,625 that these bunkers were extremely important for their morale 199 00:16:34,875 --> 00:16:39,542 because for the first time, they've got a clearly defined line of defense. 200 00:16:41,625 --> 00:16:45,750 The regiment�s commander is Oberstleutnant Josef Eggerstorfer. 201 00:16:46,458 --> 00:16:50,291 Lieutenant Colonel Eggerstorfer is a 35-year-old officer. 202 00:16:50,291 --> 00:16:56,583 A former NCO, but who has seen a huge and quick career during the second World War. 203 00:16:56,583 --> 00:16:58,500 He's a veteran from the eastern front, 204 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,917 and got promoted thanks to a preferential promotion. 205 00:17:02,917 --> 00:17:06,208 This means he was promoted quicker than normal 206 00:17:06,208 --> 00:17:08,458 due to his performance on the battlefield. 207 00:17:09,625 --> 00:17:13,291 Eggerstorfer has orders to defend the ancient German city, 208 00:17:13,291 --> 00:17:15,166 no matter what the cost. 209 00:17:17,417 --> 00:17:21,000 Aachen has great historical significance to the German people. 210 00:17:22,417 --> 00:17:27,834 The city served as the coronation site for the Holy Roman Empire for over 700 years. 211 00:17:28,333 --> 00:17:31,875 Its majesty aligns with Hitler�s imperial aspirations. 212 00:17:32,542 --> 00:17:37,500 Aachen has got a mythical and symbolic value for the Nazis 213 00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:41,834 because it is the old imperial capital of Charlemagne, 214 00:17:42,291 --> 00:17:44,458 who was the founder of the first Reich. 215 00:17:45,125 --> 00:17:48,542 And the Nazis consider to have the third Reich, 216 00:17:48,542 --> 00:17:51,542 so there is a link, a historic link in the Nazi mindset, 217 00:17:51,542 --> 00:17:54,125 between the first Reich and the third Reich. 218 00:17:58,792 --> 00:18:02,583 The bunkers on Crucifix Hill defend the city from the northeast. 219 00:18:03,333 --> 00:18:06,792 As the fighting builds, the conditions within deteriorate. 220 00:18:07,625 --> 00:18:11,166 It's cramped, it's smelly, smoke everywhere. 221 00:18:14,041 --> 00:18:18,291 Shoot! Shoot! Keep shooting! Shoot! Fire! 222 00:18:20,625 --> 00:18:23,750 When you fire a machine gun, the noise reverberates. 223 00:18:23,750 --> 00:18:28,166 So, psychologically, it's extremely demanding for an ordinary soldier. 224 00:18:46,166 --> 00:18:48,458 On the slope below the bunker, 225 00:18:48,834 --> 00:18:52,959 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 Preuzeto sa www.titlovi.com 53954

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