All language subtitles for HITLERS LAST STAND - 2 - Nazis Strike Back (2 Sezona) [2018] -Hr

af Afrikaans
ak Akan
sq Albanian
am Amharic
ar Arabic
hy Armenian
az Azerbaijani
eu Basque
be Belarusian
bem Bemba
bn Bengali
bh Bihari
bs Bosnian
br Breton
bg Bulgarian
km Cambodian
ca Catalan
ceb Cebuano
chr Cherokee
ny Chichewa
zh-CN Chinese (Simplified)
zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)
co Corsican
cs Czech
da Danish
nl Dutch
en English
eo Esperanto
et Estonian
ee Ewe
fo Faroese
tl Filipino
fi Finnish
fr French
fy Frisian
gaa Ga
gl Galician
ka Georgian
de German
gn Guarani
gu Gujarati
ht Haitian Creole
ha Hausa
haw Hawaiian
iw Hebrew
hi Hindi
hmn Hmong
hu Hungarian
is Icelandic
ig Igbo
id Indonesian
ia Interlingua
ga Irish
it Italian
ja Japanese
jw Javanese
kn Kannada
kk Kazakh
rw Kinyarwanda
rn Kirundi
kg Kongo
ko Korean
kri Krio (Sierra Leone)
ku Kurdish
ckb Kurdish (Soranรฎ)
ky Kyrgyz
lo Laothian
la Latin
lv Latvian
ln Lingala
lt Lithuanian
loz Lozi
lg Luganda
ach Luo
lb Luxembourgish
mk Macedonian
mg Malagasy
ms Malay
ml Malayalam
mt Maltese
mi Maori
mr Marathi
mfe Mauritian Creole
mo Moldavian
mn Mongolian
my Myanmar (Burmese)
sr-ME Montenegrin
ne Nepali
pcm Nigerian Pidgin
nso Northern Sotho
no Norwegian
nn Norwegian (Nynorsk)
oc Occitan
or Oriya
om Oromo
ps Pashto
fa Persian
pl Polish
pt-BR Portuguese (Brazil)
pt Portuguese (Portugal)
pa Punjabi
qu Quechua
rm Romansh
nyn Runyakitara
ru Russian
sm Samoan
gd Scots Gaelic
sr Serbian
sh Serbo-Croatian
st Sesotho
tn Setswana
crs Seychellois Creole
sn Shona
sd Sindhi
si Sinhalese
sk Slovak
sl Slovenian
so Somali
es-419 Spanish (Latin American)
su Sundanese
sw Swahili
sv Swedish
tg Tajik
ta Tamil
tt Tatar
te Telugu
th Thai
ti Tigrinya
to Tonga
lua Tshiluba
tum Tumbuka
tr Turkish
tk Turkmen
tw Twi
ug Uighur
uk Ukrainian
ur Urdu
uz Uzbek
vi Vietnamese
cy Welsh
wo Wolof
xh Xhosa
yi Yiddish
yo Yoruba
zu Zulu
Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:01,058 --> 00:00:03,025 December, 1944. 2 00:00:04,025 --> 00:00:07,059 When Nazi forces launch a surprise offensive into Luxembourg 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:12,009 American troops get trapped by a German tank crew calling for their surrender. 4 00:00:12,022 --> 00:00:15,009 Americans, Americans! 5 00:00:15,047 --> 00:00:18,014 The American NCO considers his options. 6 00:00:19,081 --> 00:00:22,098 step outside of cover and try and snap off a shot with a bazooka. 7 00:00:24,077 --> 00:00:26,031 surrender. 8 00:00:27,031 --> 00:00:29,015 Not liking those choices... 9 00:00:29,065 --> 00:00:31,053 Showman chooses Door Number Three... 10 00:00:31,061 --> 00:00:33,095 Go, go, go. Out. Retreat. 11 00:00:34,003 --> 00:00:35,016 The Back Door. 12 00:00:42,045 --> 00:00:44,091 On June 6th, 1944 13 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:50,030 Allied forces finally land troops in Normandy to open the western front. 14 00:00:55,097 --> 00:00:58,018 But Nazi fanatics and diehards 15 00:00:58,026 --> 00:01:00,085 continue to fight ruthlessly for survival. 16 00:01:04,098 --> 00:01:06,073 D-Day was a battle. 17 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,032 The Allies still need to win the war. 18 00:01:21,091 --> 00:01:24,033 December 15th, 1944. 19 00:01:25,037 --> 00:01:27,083 The Ardennes Forest, Luxembourg. 20 00:01:29,025 --> 00:01:32,038 Two German soldiers sneak into the town of Clervaux. 21 00:01:33,013 --> 00:01:34,059 The streets are quiet. 22 00:01:38,022 --> 00:01:40,093 Clervaux is a beautiful, charming Luxembourg town that's held 23 00:01:41,001 --> 00:01:42,014 by the Americans. 24 00:01:42,022 --> 00:01:45,064 It had been for about a couple of months by December 1944. 25 00:01:45,073 --> 00:01:49,065 It's maybe about six, seven miles from the advance outpost front lines. 26 00:01:50,081 --> 00:01:53,007 American soldiers are on leave here. 27 00:01:53,015 --> 00:01:54,015 Have a good night? 28 00:01:54,023 --> 00:01:56,095 The town had not been destroyed in any fighting to liberate it. 29 00:01:57,003 --> 00:02:01,007 So, it was a good place for GI's to go and, uh, have a little R&R 30 00:02:01,016 --> 00:02:03,003 and just kind of enjoy themselves for a couple days. 31 00:02:10,092 --> 00:02:13,029 The German soldiers make their way through town, 32 00:02:16,051 --> 00:02:18,034 and pick the lock of a pharmacy. 33 00:02:19,059 --> 00:02:21,072 They are forward artillery observers. 34 00:02:22,072 --> 00:02:26,031 Forward artillery observers are highly trained soldiers, 35 00:02:26,039 --> 00:02:29,006 so what they do is they position themselves 36 00:02:29,014 --> 00:02:32,065 as close to or inside the enemy front lines. 37 00:02:32,073 --> 00:02:35,078 They then have to pass to on their artillery batteries 38 00:02:35,086 --> 00:02:38,074 the coordinates of the main enemy targets. 39 00:02:39,057 --> 00:02:43,007 Once inside, they set up a radio in a back room. 40 00:02:43,074 --> 00:02:47,012 The Germans now have an artillery observation position 41 00:02:47,020 --> 00:02:48,079 well behind the American line 42 00:02:49,037 --> 00:02:54,000 and not far from the command post of US 110th infantry regiment. 43 00:02:55,092 --> 00:02:59,097 The presence of German forward artillery observers inside Clervaux 44 00:03:00,005 --> 00:03:01,059 is of course an ominous sign. 45 00:03:01,068 --> 00:03:04,005 It means that trouble is brewing in the east. 46 00:03:04,076 --> 00:03:07,077 Trouble that will catch the Allies woefully off guard. 47 00:03:10,039 --> 00:03:13,010 Since D-Day, combined Allied forces 48 00:03:13,019 --> 00:03:15,048 have pushed the German army out of most of France, 49 00:03:15,057 --> 00:03:19,094 Belgium and Luxembourg back to within Germany's borders. 50 00:03:21,024 --> 00:03:23,087 As part of the US 28th infantry division, 51 00:03:24,032 --> 00:03:27,083 the 110th infantry regiment now guards a portion of the front 52 00:03:27,091 --> 00:03:32,017 in the Ardennes Forest between Luxembourg and Germany. 53 00:03:36,088 --> 00:03:41,034 Normally, an American division would hold a front of four or five miles. 54 00:03:42,055 --> 00:03:44,072 What happens in the Ardennes is that 55 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:46,097 the units are very badly stretched out 56 00:03:47,006 --> 00:03:50,085 so for example a 28th was stretched out almost 30 miles wide 57 00:03:50,093 --> 00:03:53,094 and worse than that it was three regiments up front. 58 00:03:54,094 --> 00:03:57,048 This means that in case of German attack, 59 00:03:57,057 --> 00:03:59,069 there's not a full regiment in reserve. 60 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,024 So, it was not only stretched very thinly 61 00:04:04,032 --> 00:04:06,057 it had no back up force behind it. 62 00:04:08,016 --> 00:04:10,066 This is because Americans consider this stretch 63 00:04:10,075 --> 00:04:13,016 a "ghost" or "quiet" sector. 64 00:04:13,062 --> 00:04:16,038 The senior US commanders are under the impression 65 00:04:16,046 --> 00:04:20,059 that the Germans are massing their forces waiting for the US to attack. 66 00:04:20,067 --> 00:04:22,076 They don't think that anybody would be crazy enough 67 00:04:22,084 --> 00:04:24,005 to attack through the Ardennes. 68 00:04:25,022 --> 00:04:27,068 But the Allies mistake Hitler's ambitions. 69 00:04:28,097 --> 00:04:32,068 Instead of digging in for the winter, he prepares a massive operation 70 00:04:32,077 --> 00:04:34,085 called Wacht am Rhein. 71 00:04:35,094 --> 00:04:39,086 The German objective for Wacht am Rhein is to re-seize Antwerp 72 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,040 and cut the Allies off from their most important supply line. 73 00:04:45,015 --> 00:04:48,057 To drive a wedge between the Americans and the British. 74 00:04:48,066 --> 00:04:51,079 Both in the military sense, and in a political sense. 75 00:04:55,054 --> 00:04:59,009 If successful, Hitler believes he can repeat history. 76 00:04:59,075 --> 00:05:02,038 Because the ultimate objective of the battle of the Ardennes 77 00:05:02,046 --> 00:05:04,026 is the second Dunkirk. 78 00:05:04,034 --> 00:05:07,051 What they're trying to do is separate the US Army from the British Army, 79 00:05:07,089 --> 00:05:10,014 force the British Army to abandon Europe. 80 00:05:10,047 --> 00:05:13,010 He expects the western Allies to sue for peace 81 00:05:13,018 --> 00:05:16,035 and Germany can focus exclusively on the eastern front 82 00:05:16,044 --> 00:05:18,023 to defeat the Soviet Union. 83 00:05:19,036 --> 00:05:21,061 More than 200,000 German soldiers 84 00:05:21,069 --> 00:05:24,078 and hundreds of tanks move secretly into position. 85 00:05:28,066 --> 00:05:33,041 General Major Meinrad von Lauchert will lead Hitler's charge from Dasburg 86 00:05:33,049 --> 00:05:35,050 seven-miles east of Clervaux. 87 00:05:37,004 --> 00:05:39,092 Freshly recalled from regimental command in Russia, 88 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,021 von Lauchert takes control of 2nd Panzer Division. 89 00:05:45,030 --> 00:05:49,039 Colonel Meinrad von Lauchert is a very experienced officer. 90 00:05:49,047 --> 00:05:53,043 But he is put in command of the 2nd Panzer Division 91 00:05:53,051 --> 00:05:57,031 only the day before the counter offensive kicks off. 92 00:05:57,039 --> 00:05:58,085 So, he has not been involved 93 00:05:58,094 --> 00:06:01,052 in the planning of the operation in any way. 94 00:06:01,061 --> 00:06:05,057 Indeed, he hasn't had time to consult even with his regimental commanders. 95 00:06:06,044 --> 00:06:09,049 Von Lauchert's forces of nearly 13,000 men, 96 00:06:09,057 --> 00:06:12,008 will smash through the American line quickly 97 00:06:12,016 --> 00:06:14,058 to capture and control the local roads. 98 00:06:15,029 --> 00:06:19,012 The Germans need hard surfaced roads for their tanks. 99 00:06:19,021 --> 00:06:22,071 Seven of those hard surfaced roads come together 100 00:06:22,079 --> 00:06:25,030 in that crucial town of Bastogne. 101 00:06:25,063 --> 00:06:28,047 The Germans will then use those roads to swing north, 102 00:06:28,055 --> 00:06:30,030 to recapture Antwerp. 103 00:06:31,093 --> 00:06:34,072 Operation Watch on the Rhine in English. 104 00:06:35,056 --> 00:06:38,098 The ambitious plan is predicated on speed, surprise, 105 00:06:39,035 --> 00:06:43,023 and Hitler's belief that the undermanned American line will crumble 106 00:06:43,031 --> 00:06:44,082 in the face of adversity. 107 00:06:45,053 --> 00:06:48,032 Hitler still underestimates the Americans. 108 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,074 They've shown in the past couple of months that they are quite good 109 00:06:51,082 --> 00:06:54,070 in fighting an offensive war. 110 00:06:54,078 --> 00:06:58,066 But defensively they are weak, yeah? They are just not stable enough. 111 00:06:58,075 --> 00:07:01,008 They don't understand what this war is about. 112 00:07:03,050 --> 00:07:06,046 Early on December 16th, 1944. 113 00:07:07,096 --> 00:07:11,068 The first of Colonel von Lauchert's infantry troops cross the Our River 114 00:07:11,076 --> 00:07:15,076 in boats to slip unseen, through the enemy line. 115 00:07:19,060 --> 00:07:23,069 In the American sector of the Ardennes, Private Leroy Scheller 116 00:07:23,077 --> 00:07:26,011 joins B Company's nighttime patrol. 117 00:07:27,069 --> 00:07:30,095 The 110th Infantry of course had just been through the Hurtgen Forest battle, 118 00:07:31,003 --> 00:07:32,045 had been decimated there. 119 00:07:32,095 --> 00:07:37,066 It's working at anywhere between 50 to 66% strength or so 120 00:07:37,074 --> 00:07:41,012 and hopefully upward from there, so man power's a bit of at a premium. 121 00:07:41,066 --> 00:07:44,033 The patrol leaves their assigned strongpoint of Marnach, 122 00:07:45,063 --> 00:07:47,075 less than five miles from the front. 123 00:07:49,051 --> 00:07:51,042 In the eerie quiet of the night, 124 00:07:51,051 --> 00:07:53,055 they halt as they hear footsteps... 125 00:08:01,085 --> 00:08:03,023 And scramble for cover. 126 00:08:05,090 --> 00:08:08,040 A German platoon passes in the darkness. 127 00:08:10,003 --> 00:08:13,011 Instead of depending on the artillery before the battle starts, 128 00:08:13,020 --> 00:08:14,045 when it's still dark, 129 00:08:14,053 --> 00:08:16,074 these guys are going to go sneaking through the forest 130 00:08:16,082 --> 00:08:19,074 because they know that the American defenses are very thin. 131 00:08:20,079 --> 00:08:23,058 Schaller and his patrol stay hidden in the cold. 132 00:08:25,017 --> 00:08:28,021 Schaller's patrol as I understand it was not a combat patrol. 133 00:08:28,029 --> 00:08:30,013 You know, basically looking for action. 134 00:08:30,046 --> 00:08:33,022 It was a recon patrol just to kind of sweep around 135 00:08:33,030 --> 00:08:36,014 and see what was going on. So you, saw what was going on, 136 00:08:36,022 --> 00:08:37,030 there's some Germans out there 137 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:40,022 and you could then live to report that to your superiors. 138 00:08:41,043 --> 00:08:42,089 When the threat passes, 139 00:08:42,098 --> 00:08:45,048 they return to Marnach to warn the others. 140 00:08:48,090 --> 00:08:50,032 Back in Clervaux, 141 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:54,057 the German artillery observers remain undiscovered by American forces there. 142 00:08:55,061 --> 00:08:58,041 Earlier they scouted the town and identified key targets 143 00:08:58,049 --> 00:09:00,028 for the coming barrage. 144 00:09:01,024 --> 00:09:05,054 Forward artillery observers will be looking for main targets 145 00:09:05,062 --> 00:09:11,009 troop strongholds, uh, tank positions. 146 00:09:11,017 --> 00:09:15,026 They want to bring artillery down on targets very nearby, 147 00:09:15,034 --> 00:09:17,051 but they don't want to be blown up themselves. 148 00:09:19,055 --> 00:09:22,052 As Private Schaller and the others stumble into Marnach... 149 00:09:23,043 --> 00:09:26,085 They find one of B Company's officers to report on their patrol. 150 00:09:29,023 --> 00:09:33,073 Combined with other observations, it seems like the Germans are mobilizing. 151 00:09:36,020 --> 00:09:37,070 As the minutes pass, 152 00:09:39,045 --> 00:09:42,033 the German artillery observers break radio silence 153 00:09:42,041 --> 00:09:45,004 to relay key coordinates to German headquarters. 154 00:09:46,083 --> 00:09:48,083 At around 0530, 155 00:09:49,046 --> 00:09:53,000 members of B Company in Marnach hear a distant boom... 156 00:09:54,084 --> 00:09:57,038 and a torrent of artillery streams overhead. 157 00:09:58,055 --> 00:10:00,085 The German attack has begun. 158 00:10:05,073 --> 00:10:09,073 December 16th, 1944. Luxembourg. 159 00:10:10,069 --> 00:10:13,019 The German army launches the opening salvos 160 00:10:13,027 --> 00:10:16,011 of what would come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. 161 00:10:25,012 --> 00:10:29,062 American Sergeant JJ Kuhn watches as artillery streams overhead. 162 00:10:39,051 --> 00:10:43,068 Kuhn's 110th infantry regiment protects a ten mile stretch of highway 163 00:10:44,014 --> 00:10:46,006 directly across the Our River. 164 00:10:46,072 --> 00:10:49,060 Short of men, they cannot defend the entire line. 165 00:10:50,031 --> 00:10:54,027 Instead they position companies at key crossroads along the highway, 166 00:10:55,048 --> 00:10:57,061 Marnach, held by Company B, 167 00:10:57,069 --> 00:11:00,040 protects one of the only paved roads to Bastogne. 168 00:11:01,086 --> 00:11:05,037 The Germans are trying to launch a fast-mechanized attack, 169 00:11:05,045 --> 00:11:07,008 to penetrate through the American lines 170 00:11:07,016 --> 00:11:10,041 so they can race to the Meuse River and then on to Antwerp. 171 00:11:11,071 --> 00:11:15,071 Time is of the essence and in order to move fast they need good roads. 172 00:11:19,063 --> 00:11:21,059 Days before, Sergeant Kuhn 173 00:11:21,068 --> 00:11:24,035 had noticed signs of a buildup of Nazi forces 174 00:11:24,043 --> 00:11:26,093 which he tries to share with his commanding officer, 175 00:11:27,001 --> 00:11:28,047 Colonel Hurley Fuller. 176 00:11:28,089 --> 00:11:32,014 Does he appreciate the bigger picture of how massive this is 177 00:11:32,023 --> 00:11:34,077 and Hitler's thinking? No, of course not. 178 00:11:35,031 --> 00:11:36,090 But he does understand 179 00:11:36,098 --> 00:11:39,074 that something is different on the German side of the hill 180 00:11:39,082 --> 00:11:43,049 and that this is going to have consequences for his B-company 181 00:11:43,057 --> 00:11:45,020 and that's what matters to him, 182 00:11:45,028 --> 00:11:47,003 and so like any good NCO, 183 00:11:47,012 --> 00:11:49,054 he wants to make sure he has the attention of those above him. 184 00:11:49,062 --> 00:11:51,025 Copy that, sir. 185 00:11:51,083 --> 00:11:53,079 Kuhn's concerns were dismissed. 186 00:12:14,023 --> 00:12:15,048 Now Colonel Fuller, 187 00:12:15,056 --> 00:12:17,044 based two miles west in Clervaux, 188 00:12:17,077 --> 00:12:21,061 awakens to the sound of German artillery striking near his command post. 189 00:12:33,021 --> 00:12:36,021 He races downstairs to contact his company commanders. 190 00:12:36,071 --> 00:12:38,071 Come on, boys, I need some reports. 191 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:42,092 But artillery has knocked out his phone lines 192 00:12:43,001 --> 00:12:44,080 and radio frequencies are jammed. 193 00:12:44,088 --> 00:12:46,005 Any word here? 194 00:12:46,014 --> 00:12:47,030 Cut off... Nothing, we're not getting through. 195 00:12:47,039 --> 00:12:49,089 ...Fuller has no way of knowing the scale of the attack 196 00:12:50,077 --> 00:12:53,068 nor can he call divisional command for reinforcements. 197 00:12:55,064 --> 00:12:58,065 The communication chain has been severed up and down. 198 00:13:00,082 --> 00:13:03,090 Fuller desperately needs information to organize his defenses, 199 00:13:06,007 --> 00:13:07,066 so he sends runners 200 00:13:07,074 --> 00:13:10,037 to establish contact with his company commanders. 201 00:13:15,071 --> 00:13:18,021 Meanwhile, northeast of Fuller's sector 202 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,017 Sergeant Frank Olsen of the neighboring 112th infantry regiment, 203 00:13:26,047 --> 00:13:29,047 heads into the woods to check in with his men on guard duty. 204 00:13:33,089 --> 00:13:35,060 Well, the Ardennes is very dark. 205 00:13:35,068 --> 00:13:38,015 Not only woods, but also the time of year, 206 00:13:38,085 --> 00:13:40,086 and of course the fact that it's a warfront. 207 00:13:40,094 --> 00:13:42,007 It's incredibly dark. 208 00:13:44,086 --> 00:13:49,037 As he moves between foxholes gunfire breaks out around him. 209 00:13:49,045 --> 00:13:50,078 We got an ambush on our hands! 210 00:13:50,087 --> 00:13:53,074 The forest is full of German soldiers. 211 00:13:58,087 --> 00:14:00,004 Right! 212 00:14:01,096 --> 00:14:06,005 Olsen must act and get word to headquarters. 213 00:14:10,051 --> 00:14:12,039 Stay low! Stay low! 214 00:14:15,022 --> 00:14:17,064 He takes his helmet off because the helmet would silhouette him 215 00:14:17,073 --> 00:14:18,089 as an American even in the dark. 216 00:14:20,035 --> 00:14:22,011 With his helmet tucked under his arm, 217 00:14:22,044 --> 00:14:24,023 he sprints back to his command post. 218 00:14:26,086 --> 00:14:29,041 And encounters even more Germans as he runs. 219 00:14:31,032 --> 00:14:33,099 He's bumping into these guys, one of them even curses at him, 220 00:14:34,008 --> 00:14:36,020 but doesn't notice that he's an American 221 00:14:36,075 --> 00:14:39,079 but he and several others are able to get out of there, 222 00:14:39,087 --> 00:14:42,013 just by that kind of clumsy stealth. 223 00:14:43,025 --> 00:14:44,080 Incoming! 224 00:14:44,088 --> 00:14:46,067 Olsen breaks free from the tangle 225 00:14:46,076 --> 00:14:48,055 and reaches the farmhouse command post. 226 00:14:48,063 --> 00:14:50,030 Let's go! Move forward! 227 00:14:57,073 --> 00:14:59,081 Keep firing! Let 'em have it! 228 00:14:59,089 --> 00:15:04,002 When suddenly the forest is bathed in light. 229 00:15:08,011 --> 00:15:10,040 December 16th, 1944. 230 00:15:10,095 --> 00:15:13,016 Near the Luxembourg-German border. 231 00:15:14,070 --> 00:15:17,087 In the opening hours of what would become the Battle of the Bulge, 232 00:15:19,004 --> 00:15:21,000 American Sergeant Frank Olsen, 233 00:15:21,008 --> 00:15:25,000 breaks away from a fire fight with German soldiers outside his command post, 234 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,076 when the night sky turns bright. 235 00:15:33,064 --> 00:15:36,068 The Germans project powerful searchlights 236 00:15:36,076 --> 00:15:41,006 onto low hanging clouds so this is a kind of artificial moonlight. 237 00:15:41,014 --> 00:15:44,040 It helps illuminate enemy targets. 238 00:15:44,090 --> 00:15:48,011 The light bouncing off the cloud is supposed to make objects 239 00:15:48,019 --> 00:15:49,069 visible to German soldiers. 240 00:15:50,028 --> 00:15:51,090 But, there's a problem. 241 00:15:51,099 --> 00:15:53,082 The same applies to the Americans 242 00:15:53,091 --> 00:15:56,062 and so what they now do is use this same German 243 00:15:56,070 --> 00:16:00,096 artificial moonlight to take down waves and waves of German attackers. 244 00:16:04,046 --> 00:16:07,029 Olsen and his men pick them off with ease. 245 00:16:07,038 --> 00:16:08,055 Keep firing! 246 00:16:18,056 --> 00:16:21,068 Further south, back in the 110th's portion of the line, 247 00:16:22,039 --> 00:16:26,065 Sergeant JJ Kuhn coordinates B Company for the defense of Marnach. 248 00:16:28,086 --> 00:16:31,024 In anticipation of a full scale attack, 249 00:16:31,032 --> 00:16:35,024 they place an artillery observer up high with a view on the action. 250 00:16:36,037 --> 00:16:39,054 Sergeant Kuhn's best weapons are his artillery observers. 251 00:16:40,016 --> 00:16:43,058 He controls so much of the firepower that's going to cause casualties. 252 00:16:43,091 --> 00:16:45,042 He's the guy with the big guns. 253 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:51,001 On the outskirts, 254 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:55,047 Sergeant Stanley Showman leads his platoon past burning buildings. 255 00:16:55,055 --> 00:16:57,001 Okay, I need five more guys on this left side. 256 00:16:57,009 --> 00:17:01,018 Only 19 years old, he has fought with 110th since Normandy. 257 00:17:01,085 --> 00:17:03,039 OK, go! Now! 258 00:17:04,094 --> 00:17:07,060 Stanley Showman is a guy who's been in combat. 259 00:17:07,069 --> 00:17:09,027 He is an excellent NCO. 260 00:17:09,036 --> 00:17:11,023 When he hears that kind of artillery barrage, 261 00:17:11,032 --> 00:17:13,007 he knows an attack has to be coming. 262 00:17:13,015 --> 00:17:15,036 They're not just doing this for the fun of it. 263 00:17:15,045 --> 00:17:17,024 So he is starting to get ready 264 00:17:17,032 --> 00:17:19,083 for whatever might be coming toward him and his unit. 265 00:17:20,095 --> 00:17:22,095 They dig in at the edge of town. 266 00:17:28,013 --> 00:17:30,063 Smoke and fog make visibility poor. 267 00:17:37,059 --> 00:17:39,055 All of a sudden here come these apparitions, 268 00:17:39,064 --> 00:17:42,068 these Germans out of the woods because the woods border Marnach. 269 00:17:45,023 --> 00:17:47,031 Showman and his platoon open fire. 270 00:17:48,010 --> 00:17:49,044 Let 'em have it. 271 00:17:56,049 --> 00:17:58,095 Initially, the attack is just a blood bath for the Germans. 272 00:18:05,062 --> 00:18:08,062 As showman engages the German infantry along the road, 273 00:18:11,059 --> 00:18:15,017 another group emerges out of the forest on the north edge of town. 274 00:18:15,026 --> 00:18:16,038 Incoming! 275 00:18:19,026 --> 00:18:20,051 Keep firing! 276 00:18:27,014 --> 00:18:30,044 In response, Sergeant Kuhn, requests artillery support 277 00:18:30,052 --> 00:18:31,098 from regimental headquarters. 278 00:18:33,057 --> 00:18:34,061 Fire! 279 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:41,045 As the American shots land, 280 00:18:41,053 --> 00:18:43,095 his artillery observer can call in corrections 281 00:18:44,003 --> 00:18:46,008 to better target the attacking Germans. 282 00:18:51,033 --> 00:18:54,009 What people don't realize most casualties in World War II 283 00:18:54,017 --> 00:18:55,038 are inflicted by artillery. 284 00:18:58,017 --> 00:19:00,093 Everyone thinks it's rifles and machine guns and all that, it's not. 285 00:19:02,059 --> 00:19:05,010 The pinpoint fire devastates the enemy column... 286 00:19:07,018 --> 00:19:09,060 But more German soldiers continue to appear. 287 00:19:11,098 --> 00:19:15,023 Kuhn described it as tragedy, as an epic waste. 288 00:19:16,098 --> 00:19:20,049 Here were hundreds of Germans just getting, mowed down. 289 00:19:22,024 --> 00:19:24,078 And why they were attacking in that fashion, 290 00:19:25,095 --> 00:19:28,062 from a human standpoint, he thought it was tragic. 291 00:19:30,033 --> 00:19:33,058 The first wave of German soldiers cannot capture Marnach alone. 292 00:19:35,029 --> 00:19:38,034 Despite the best efforts of the German infantry, 293 00:19:38,042 --> 00:19:43,047 GIs, small groups of GIs, are holed up in villages on key roads. 294 00:19:43,055 --> 00:19:45,068 So they need more fire power. 295 00:19:45,076 --> 00:19:49,060 The firepower of tanks to break through and gain speed again. 296 00:19:53,019 --> 00:19:55,011 But Colonel von Lauchert's tanks 297 00:19:55,019 --> 00:19:57,011 have still not crossed the Our River. 298 00:19:58,023 --> 00:20:00,028 They had not completed a key bridge. 299 00:20:00,074 --> 00:20:02,095 And poor planning compounds the problem. 300 00:20:04,053 --> 00:20:07,003 That road is blocked by the Germans 301 00:20:07,045 --> 00:20:09,083 in the form of a metallic gate. 302 00:20:10,045 --> 00:20:13,050 There is an unlocking device to move the gate out of the way 303 00:20:13,058 --> 00:20:17,029 but unfortunately the engineers can't find the keys in time. 304 00:20:18,025 --> 00:20:20,067 In order to preserve the element of surprise, 305 00:20:20,076 --> 00:20:24,047 they delay blowing up the barrier, until after the barrage begins. 306 00:20:30,052 --> 00:20:33,089 Finally, German engineers clear and repair the bridge 307 00:20:33,098 --> 00:20:36,010 but it takes much longer than expected, 308 00:20:37,077 --> 00:20:40,053 and the tanks only begin to cross in the afternoon. 309 00:20:43,036 --> 00:20:44,061 Keep up the line of fire! 310 00:20:44,070 --> 00:20:48,087 In Marnach, B Company continues to pick off the German infantry advance. 311 00:20:51,020 --> 00:20:54,041 Although some German soldiers engage the American strong point, 312 00:20:55,071 --> 00:20:59,004 others begin to push around the village to the north and south. 313 00:20:59,054 --> 00:21:01,026 They continue toward Clervaux 314 00:21:01,034 --> 00:21:05,034 and the 110th infantry command post, only two miles away. 315 00:21:08,068 --> 00:21:12,060 Colonel Hurley Fuller is alarmed, as reports and runners trickle in, 316 00:21:12,098 --> 00:21:15,073 it appears that the whole front is under attack. 317 00:21:17,048 --> 00:21:19,027 With communication unreliable, 318 00:21:19,065 --> 00:21:21,057 Fuller sends his executive officer, 319 00:21:21,065 --> 00:21:23,065 Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Strickler 320 00:21:23,074 --> 00:21:26,099 to divisional headquarters to speak with General Norman Cota. 321 00:21:28,024 --> 00:21:31,016 Strickler reports the attacks across the 110th's front. 322 00:21:34,008 --> 00:21:37,008 General Cota also sends a message in return. 323 00:21:37,071 --> 00:21:40,025 The 110th must hold the line. 324 00:21:44,059 --> 00:21:47,001 December 16, 1944. 325 00:21:47,051 --> 00:21:49,022 The Ardennes Forest, Luxembourg. 326 00:21:49,030 --> 00:21:50,039 Let 'em have it! 327 00:21:55,093 --> 00:21:57,010 An entire division 328 00:21:57,019 --> 00:21:59,056 of German Colonel Meinrad von Lauchert's foot soldiers 329 00:21:59,065 --> 00:22:01,011 surrounds the village of Marnach. 330 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,090 Some attack, while others push past, 331 00:22:04,099 --> 00:22:06,099 towards the town of Clervaux. 332 00:22:09,016 --> 00:22:11,062 Although the Americans are heavily outnumbered... 333 00:22:13,041 --> 00:22:15,033 there will be no retreat or surrender. 334 00:22:21,067 --> 00:22:22,071 Fire! 335 00:22:23,063 --> 00:22:25,017 They are to hold at all costs. 336 00:22:25,026 --> 00:22:27,026 That's the kind of thing you might tend to breeze past 337 00:22:27,034 --> 00:22:29,097 when you look at it an after-action report or a book or whatever. 338 00:22:30,030 --> 00:22:34,018 As front line soldiers, totally embattled with the enemy around us, 339 00:22:34,026 --> 00:22:37,064 surrounding us, trying to go through us, now we're being told, 340 00:22:38,039 --> 00:22:41,031 "You will hold at all costs." 341 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:44,078 Despite the odds, 342 00:22:44,086 --> 00:22:48,024 B Company of the 110th defies the German infantry 343 00:22:48,032 --> 00:22:50,003 at a crossroads in Marnach. 344 00:22:54,099 --> 00:22:57,050 When shrapnel strikes their commanding officer, 345 00:22:58,004 --> 00:23:00,087 he requires surgery and must be evacuated. 346 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,001 Sergeant JJ Kuhn assumes command duties at B Company headquarters. 347 00:23:08,088 --> 00:23:11,001 Despite his rank as an NCO. 348 00:23:13,060 --> 00:23:15,060 As the German onslaught continues, 349 00:23:16,068 --> 00:23:20,056 members of C Company approach from the south to provide reinforcement. 350 00:23:21,019 --> 00:23:23,081 But while the Germans have been unable to break Marnach, 351 00:23:23,090 --> 00:23:25,027 they surround it. 352 00:23:28,053 --> 00:23:29,065 Get down! 353 00:23:29,074 --> 00:23:31,070 And C Company is driven back. 354 00:23:41,042 --> 00:23:42,083 Frustrated and desperate, 355 00:23:43,025 --> 00:23:46,096 B Company puts out a distress call to US troops in the area 356 00:23:47,005 --> 00:23:48,063 as they run low on mortars. 357 00:23:51,059 --> 00:23:55,001 An officer from D Company two miles north of their position, 358 00:23:55,010 --> 00:23:56,064 answers the call. 359 00:23:57,010 --> 00:23:58,064 Lieutenant Glen Vannatta, 360 00:23:58,072 --> 00:24:02,060 has a jeep loaded with mortar ammo and races towards B Company. 361 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:09,094 They pause on a hill just outside of town, 362 00:24:10,003 --> 00:24:12,032 to assess the German and American hotspots. 363 00:24:16,078 --> 00:24:20,070 Then his driver takes off at full speed to dodge the German artillery 364 00:24:20,079 --> 00:24:22,033 and small arms fire. 365 00:24:47,069 --> 00:24:49,015 ...Your choice. 366 00:24:50,069 --> 00:24:53,078 They break through and deliver the mortars to B Company. 367 00:24:55,082 --> 00:24:58,045 You are absolute God send, Sir. 368 00:25:00,070 --> 00:25:02,070 Then beat a hasty retreat. 369 00:25:04,096 --> 00:25:08,017 With the support of American artillery and fresh supplies... 370 00:25:12,059 --> 00:25:15,055 Sergeant Kuhn and his men continue to hold off 371 00:25:15,063 --> 00:25:17,080 the German soldiers trying to capture Marnach. 372 00:25:25,073 --> 00:25:27,023 But as night falls, 373 00:25:27,031 --> 00:25:30,061 German armor, half tracks and tanks creep through the darkness 374 00:25:30,069 --> 00:25:32,011 and into town. 375 00:25:32,053 --> 00:25:34,024 The Americans are unprepared. 376 00:25:35,003 --> 00:25:37,078 They basically have foot soldiers. 377 00:25:37,086 --> 00:25:41,028 They've got small arms. They've got the odd bazooka. 378 00:25:41,037 --> 00:25:44,016 And they have artillery observation in Marnach. 379 00:25:44,062 --> 00:25:47,087 B Company is not well equipped to deal with any kind of real, 380 00:25:48,021 --> 00:25:49,075 you know, powerful tank attack. 381 00:25:51,029 --> 00:25:52,071 Tank! 382 00:25:55,042 --> 00:25:56,093 The momentum shifts. 383 00:25:58,030 --> 00:26:02,081 Nazi forces begin to overrun American machine gun nests and outer defenses. 384 00:26:14,015 --> 00:26:15,090 Move it. Move! 385 00:26:18,057 --> 00:26:20,024 Sergeant Stanley Showman 386 00:26:20,032 --> 00:26:22,078 and his squad retreat from their forward position. 387 00:26:23,045 --> 00:26:26,062 And withdraw to a stone building in town. 388 00:26:33,004 --> 00:26:36,026 They watch as a German half track stops outside. 389 00:26:40,034 --> 00:26:42,035 When the German soldiers dismount, 390 00:26:42,043 --> 00:26:44,085 the Americans use their cover to open fire. 391 00:26:55,048 --> 00:26:58,074 The Germans are cut down and the half track retreats. 392 00:27:03,045 --> 00:27:07,029 But before long, a German tank rumbles down the street. 393 00:27:14,025 --> 00:27:18,013 It stops 20 feet away and fixes its gun, directly at the Americans. 394 00:27:20,018 --> 00:27:22,097 Americans, Americans! 395 00:27:23,005 --> 00:27:25,047 A German voice calls for their surrender. 396 00:27:25,056 --> 00:27:28,056 Americans, come out! 397 00:27:29,018 --> 00:27:31,010 Showman's options are limited. 398 00:27:32,077 --> 00:27:36,002 Step outside of cover and try and snap off a shot with a bazooka. 399 00:27:38,003 --> 00:27:39,074 Surrender. 400 00:27:41,011 --> 00:27:42,091 Showman chooses Door Number Three... 401 00:27:42,099 --> 00:27:45,020 Go, go, go. Out. Retreat. 402 00:27:45,070 --> 00:27:47,012 ...the back door. 403 00:27:56,004 --> 00:27:58,055 Showman and his squad make it into the woods 404 00:27:59,067 --> 00:28:01,080 as the village of Marnach burns. 405 00:28:05,085 --> 00:28:08,077 The Americans were not crumbling as German leaders had predicted. 406 00:28:10,068 --> 00:28:14,077 The German command had planned to be in control of Bastogne 407 00:28:14,085 --> 00:28:17,015 by noon of the second day. 408 00:28:17,069 --> 00:28:21,028 Now as the first day turns into night 409 00:28:21,036 --> 00:28:25,066 we see that the Germans are still battling for the small village of Marnach, 410 00:28:25,074 --> 00:28:28,070 which is 19 miles east of Bastogne. 411 00:28:29,091 --> 00:28:33,046 The Germans have made it barely five miles from their own lines. 412 00:28:33,092 --> 00:28:36,050 Marnach should've been taken by the German infantry. 413 00:28:36,058 --> 00:28:38,050 The fact that they did depend on the panzers 414 00:28:38,059 --> 00:28:41,092 to finally take those defenses meant that the plan was failing. 415 00:28:43,034 --> 00:28:46,039 But US forces there cannot hold out much longer. 416 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:50,027 The American forward observer continues to call down 417 00:28:50,035 --> 00:28:51,068 artillery on German positions. 418 00:28:51,077 --> 00:28:53,060 Okay. I need an artillery strike. 419 00:29:01,094 --> 00:29:03,040 His final words on the line 420 00:29:03,049 --> 00:29:06,041 reveal the desperate situation in Marnach. 421 00:29:06,049 --> 00:29:09,083 The last message of this unknown artillery spotter is, 422 00:29:09,091 --> 00:29:12,041 "Hurry and fire they're coming up the steps." 423 00:29:13,016 --> 00:29:16,017 The Observer was taking literally the idea of holding at all costs, 424 00:29:16,025 --> 00:29:17,067 and he did exactly that. 425 00:29:25,047 --> 00:29:28,034 Von Lauchert leaves men to finish the capture of Marnach, 426 00:29:29,022 --> 00:29:33,002 and spurs the remainder of 2nd Panzer 427 00:29:33,043 --> 00:29:34,052 Clervaux. 428 00:29:41,002 --> 00:29:44,015 In Clervaux, American Colonel Hurley Fuller 429 00:29:44,024 --> 00:29:46,078 receives reports of tanks in Marnach, 430 00:29:47,028 --> 00:29:50,074 he tries again to send reinforcements to relieve B Company. 431 00:29:51,037 --> 00:29:55,016 I think Fuller's getting an appreciation how the scope and scale 432 00:29:55,025 --> 00:29:58,033 of the German offensive and how hard pressed his regiment is going to be. 433 00:29:58,075 --> 00:30:02,013 Back at Willtz... Cota, he's not quite there yet. 434 00:30:04,055 --> 00:30:07,022 American reinforcements march toward Marnach. 435 00:30:08,005 --> 00:30:10,060 They hope to ambush the Germans outside of town, 436 00:30:11,068 --> 00:30:14,018 but as they leave Clervaux in the early morning, 437 00:30:15,073 --> 00:30:18,023 German troops and tanks already close in. 438 00:30:19,035 --> 00:30:22,036 The Americans are the ones about to be ambushed. 439 00:30:26,007 --> 00:30:28,078 December 17th, 1944. 440 00:30:30,087 --> 00:30:33,003 Near Clervaux, Luxembourg. 441 00:30:33,012 --> 00:30:36,058 Nazi forces begin the second day of a daring offensive 442 00:30:36,066 --> 00:30:38,041 to end the war on the western front. 443 00:30:41,092 --> 00:30:43,013 In response, 444 00:30:43,021 --> 00:30:47,038 Colonel Hurley Fuller of the US 110th sends two infantry companies 445 00:30:47,047 --> 00:30:49,009 a company of Stuart tanks 446 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:52,068 to relieve Americans trapped in the nearby village of Marnach. 447 00:31:00,035 --> 00:31:01,098 But they do not get very far 448 00:31:02,006 --> 00:31:04,032 before the they come under attack themselves. 449 00:31:09,078 --> 00:31:11,032 Let's go! Let's go! 450 00:31:14,003 --> 00:31:15,054 Their efforts fail. 451 00:31:16,091 --> 00:31:19,075 It's like an economy car smashing with a Mack truck. 452 00:31:21,029 --> 00:31:22,050 They're just overwhelmed 453 00:31:22,058 --> 00:31:26,025 by the power of the German military forces at this stage. 454 00:31:34,014 --> 00:31:36,018 At company headquarters in Marnach, 455 00:31:36,081 --> 00:31:41,006 Sergeant JJ Kuhn and the dwindling forces of B Company and its wounded, 456 00:31:41,039 --> 00:31:43,098 still hold out for rescue or reinforcement. 457 00:31:46,065 --> 00:31:49,003 When a German tank rams the front door... 458 00:31:54,032 --> 00:31:56,016 German soldiers rush in... 459 00:32:01,016 --> 00:32:04,021 and force Kuhn and the last of B Company into surrender. 460 00:32:19,052 --> 00:32:21,002 With the fall of Marnach, 461 00:32:21,035 --> 00:32:24,002 Fuller readies Clervaux for an imminent attack. 462 00:32:24,077 --> 00:32:28,023 Clervaux has now begun to transition, a very unhappy transition, 463 00:32:28,032 --> 00:32:34,007 from a rear area headquarters and R&R town to now the epicenter of the battle. 464 00:32:34,016 --> 00:32:36,078 From his command post at the Claravallis hotel, 465 00:32:38,020 --> 00:32:40,029 he positions men in the castle 466 00:32:40,037 --> 00:32:42,096 which overlooks the southern approaches to Clervaux. 467 00:32:44,058 --> 00:32:47,059 German artillery continues to fall on the Americans. 468 00:32:54,055 --> 00:32:58,005 Fuller still does not realize that it is being controlled from nearby. 469 00:32:59,089 --> 00:33:03,023 Even as the Americans move into new defensive positions, 470 00:33:03,064 --> 00:33:07,056 the two German forward observers can call artillery down in response. 471 00:33:18,074 --> 00:33:20,045 As Fuller's men scramble, 472 00:33:21,037 --> 00:33:25,042 Colonel Meinrad von Lauchert arrives on the outskirts of town with tanks 473 00:33:26,067 --> 00:33:28,084 and targets the American-occupied castle. 474 00:33:35,013 --> 00:33:38,009 But the thick walls hold as they had for centuries. 475 00:33:39,076 --> 00:33:41,035 Von Lauchert is frustrated. 476 00:33:42,060 --> 00:33:46,056 In order to get back on schedule, he must take Clervaux quickly 477 00:33:46,064 --> 00:33:49,044 to secure the roads needed for the German advance. 478 00:33:50,048 --> 00:33:53,032 But, he does not want to send his tanks into town. 479 00:33:54,011 --> 00:33:56,053 Von Lauchert is an experienced officer. 480 00:33:56,061 --> 00:33:58,087 He knows that an urban environment 481 00:33:58,095 --> 00:34:02,070 will negate the tanks maneuverability and speed 482 00:34:02,079 --> 00:34:07,079 what is worse behind every corner there can be an Allied tank. 483 00:34:10,054 --> 00:34:13,063 Von Lauchert sends his infantry troops into the town instead. 484 00:34:14,042 --> 00:34:17,093 They are to scout ahead for American tanks and clear resistance. 485 00:34:21,076 --> 00:34:24,014 As German soldiers move into Clervaux, 486 00:34:24,056 --> 00:34:27,019 American snipers in the castle take aim. 487 00:34:38,091 --> 00:34:41,032 The Germans try to disrupt the sniper fire, 488 00:34:43,074 --> 00:34:45,054 but the shells do little damage. 489 00:34:47,091 --> 00:34:50,021 However, with their overwhelming numbers, 490 00:34:50,058 --> 00:34:52,071 German troops bypass the fortress 491 00:34:52,079 --> 00:34:56,013 and fight their way toward the command post in the Claravallis hotel. 492 00:34:58,051 --> 00:35:03,010 Fuller's 110th has delayed the German push towards Bastogne for two days. 493 00:35:04,081 --> 00:35:07,010 But his men have paid a heavy price. 494 00:35:07,085 --> 00:35:09,023 Well, the numbers are the numbers. 495 00:35:09,031 --> 00:35:12,077 Most of these American formations are outnumbered anywhere from about 2 to 1 496 00:35:12,086 --> 00:35:15,040 to 10 to 1 depending on where we're talking about. 497 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:19,007 We get help in three hours or something we might hold out for that, 498 00:35:19,015 --> 00:35:20,057 but that's not really the situation here. 499 00:35:23,012 --> 00:35:25,091 Colonel Fuller knows he cannot delay much longer. 500 00:35:26,079 --> 00:35:30,004 He calls general Cota and asks for reinforcements... 501 00:35:30,012 --> 00:35:33,071 or permission to fall back to set up a new defensive line. 502 00:35:34,021 --> 00:35:35,084 Both requests are denied. 503 00:35:36,030 --> 00:35:40,005 Cota is unequivocal, "Hold at all costs". 504 00:35:40,013 --> 00:35:41,076 Nobody comes back. 505 00:35:45,014 --> 00:35:48,014 Fuller throws in his final tanks against the German attack. 506 00:35:51,056 --> 00:35:54,031 They navigate the narrow roads towards the castle. 507 00:35:55,086 --> 00:35:57,090 The lead tank rounds a corner, 508 00:35:57,098 --> 00:35:59,082 and heads down a side street. 509 00:36:05,003 --> 00:36:09,033 When the American tanks erupt in flames, it is the last of Fuller's reserves. 510 00:36:10,029 --> 00:36:13,054 And gives von Lauchert's men free reign to advance. 511 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,084 The German armor column can move deeper into Clervaux. 512 00:36:20,076 --> 00:36:25,051 Inexorably closer to, ah, Fuller's Command Post at the Claravallis Hotel. 513 00:36:29,002 --> 00:36:30,035 Across town, 514 00:36:30,043 --> 00:36:34,015 the command post is already under pressure from German infantry attacks. 515 00:36:38,061 --> 00:36:41,036 You have guards outside who are now under fire 516 00:36:41,044 --> 00:36:43,007 and have been driven inside. 517 00:36:43,015 --> 00:36:46,032 You have people trying to figure out the next course of action, 518 00:36:46,041 --> 00:36:48,058 get out of there or burn papers. 519 00:36:51,083 --> 00:36:56,038 Or round up a new crew to go and fight this group of Germans we just spotted 520 00:36:56,046 --> 00:37:00,000 or deal with this tank, scrounge up any weapons you can get. 521 00:37:00,055 --> 00:37:03,022 Get General Cota on the line! 522 00:37:04,047 --> 00:37:06,089 Fuller radios General Cota an update 523 00:37:06,097 --> 00:37:08,097 and prepares to give his men the order to withdraw. 524 00:37:09,006 --> 00:37:10,010 Reinforcements now! 525 00:37:12,077 --> 00:37:16,010 Abruptly, a shell rips through the hotel's first floor, 526 00:37:16,019 --> 00:37:17,073 knocking out the power. 527 00:37:17,081 --> 00:37:22,074 Fuller and what is left of his 110th are trapped and out of time. 528 00:37:26,011 --> 00:37:28,078 December 17th, 1944. 529 00:37:30,091 --> 00:37:32,087 Clervaux, Luxembourg. 530 00:37:33,066 --> 00:37:35,033 2nd Panzer Division, 531 00:37:35,041 --> 00:37:37,058 led by Colonel Meinrad von Lauchert 532 00:37:37,096 --> 00:37:40,059 has breached the American-held town of Clervaux, 533 00:37:40,067 --> 00:37:43,017 seven miles into the American line. 534 00:37:44,063 --> 00:37:47,030 Von Lauchert traps Colonel Fuller and his men in a hotel, 535 00:37:47,039 --> 00:37:49,030 which serves as their command post. 536 00:37:51,076 --> 00:37:53,072 German soldiers storm in, 537 00:37:53,081 --> 00:37:56,098 and fire fights break out in the lobby and ground floor hallways. 538 00:37:59,019 --> 00:38:00,082 He's had, what is now 539 00:38:00,090 --> 00:38:03,053 kind of a famous conversation with the 28 Division Chief of Staff, 540 00:38:03,061 --> 00:38:04,082 Colonel Gibney. 541 00:38:04,090 --> 00:38:08,028 And Fuller compares himself to Colonel Travis at the Alamo saying, 542 00:38:08,036 --> 00:38:09,070 "We're about to be overrun." 543 00:38:11,083 --> 00:38:15,033 Fuller does not feel the chief of staff and General Cota 544 00:38:15,041 --> 00:38:17,029 appreciate the gravity of the situation. 545 00:38:17,062 --> 00:38:19,058 He returns to the crisis at hand... 546 00:38:22,025 --> 00:38:25,080 when an explosion rips into the room, injuring several men. 547 00:38:28,034 --> 00:38:30,059 Now he's got wounded people 548 00:38:30,068 --> 00:38:34,093 so Fuller becomes this sort of impromptu medic trying to staunch the bleeding. 549 00:38:36,010 --> 00:38:39,040 He bandages the eyes of a man blinded by the blast... 550 00:38:41,056 --> 00:38:43,052 ...but others are too far gone. 551 00:38:46,036 --> 00:38:48,078 Gunfire and fighting continue on the ground floor, 552 00:38:49,032 --> 00:38:51,066 when a member of staff finds a way out. 553 00:38:52,033 --> 00:38:56,037 There's like a fire escape type ladder that'll lead from one of the top floors 554 00:38:56,045 --> 00:39:00,050 all the way to the ridgeline provided you don't fall from that ladder 555 00:39:00,058 --> 00:39:01,075 to the street below. 556 00:39:03,042 --> 00:39:06,084 Fuller inches along, 50 feet above the ground below. 557 00:39:09,055 --> 00:39:11,089 Here's this 50-year-old man trying to hang on 558 00:39:11,097 --> 00:39:14,089 and get across this horizontal ladder, basically crawl across it 559 00:39:14,097 --> 00:39:18,035 while this wounded blind guy is behind him trying to hang on. 560 00:39:23,086 --> 00:39:27,007 Fuller and a small group of soldiers make it across and away. 561 00:39:27,069 --> 00:39:28,074 Let's go! 562 00:39:28,082 --> 00:39:30,032 As they escape into the woods, 563 00:39:31,003 --> 00:39:33,028 the 110th command post falls. 564 00:39:37,075 --> 00:39:40,033 Across town, about 100 US Soldiers 565 00:39:40,041 --> 00:39:43,021 holdout in the ramparts of the medieval castle. 566 00:39:46,071 --> 00:39:49,001 The Germans pummel the walls and gate... 567 00:39:51,068 --> 00:39:53,047 but cannot break through. 568 00:39:54,047 --> 00:39:56,060 They decide on another approach. 569 00:39:57,001 --> 00:40:00,094 They figure out maybe we ought to fire incendiary rounds 570 00:40:01,002 --> 00:40:03,027 to set the roof of the castle on fire 571 00:40:03,035 --> 00:40:06,019 and maybe that'll flush the defenders out. 572 00:40:09,049 --> 00:40:11,003 Incoming! 573 00:40:13,057 --> 00:40:16,041 It works. Fires break out across the castle. 574 00:40:22,046 --> 00:40:23,067 The American commander, 575 00:40:23,075 --> 00:40:27,063 not willing to risk the lives of the civilians hidden in the cellar, 576 00:40:28,009 --> 00:40:29,051 surrenders. 577 00:40:33,034 --> 00:40:36,093 When Clearvaux falls, the road to Bastogne opens, 578 00:40:37,001 --> 00:40:38,089 and the Germans hurry forward, 579 00:40:39,031 --> 00:40:42,052 only to be slowed again, at each cross road. 580 00:40:44,077 --> 00:40:49,019 All along the front, makeshift resistance continues to harass their advance. 581 00:40:51,082 --> 00:40:54,091 The Germans fight for four days to reach Bastogne 582 00:40:54,099 --> 00:40:59,049 and create the bulge in the Allied line that gave a name to the infamous battle. 583 00:41:03,087 --> 00:41:06,063 But the critical delay means Bastogne can be reinforced 584 00:41:06,071 --> 00:41:08,038 and defended by the Allies. 585 00:41:11,084 --> 00:41:14,030 The battle will rage for five more weeks, 586 00:41:17,089 --> 00:41:20,010 but by failing to take Bastogne early, 587 00:41:20,051 --> 00:41:23,014 the German operation is doomed almost from the start. 588 00:41:25,085 --> 00:41:29,011 Within a month, the Allies once again force the Germans 589 00:41:29,019 --> 00:41:30,086 to retreat back to the border. 590 00:41:35,003 --> 00:41:40,049 Of the 3,200 members of the 110th, only one in seven is not killed, 591 00:41:40,083 --> 00:41:42,054 wounded or captured. 592 00:41:42,062 --> 00:41:47,008 The 110th basically fought to extinction in the Bastogne corridor. 593 00:41:47,017 --> 00:41:50,042 And in about a three-day period the regiment was shattered. 594 00:41:50,050 --> 00:41:52,038 Its records, to a great extent, were lost. 595 00:41:52,088 --> 00:41:55,055 Their sacrifice was not acknowledged. 596 00:41:55,063 --> 00:41:59,026 No medals were awarded and no regimental honors bestowed. 597 00:41:59,072 --> 00:42:01,085 Later on, when the army hierarchy 598 00:42:01,093 --> 00:42:05,006 was considering presidential unit citations and whatever 599 00:42:05,014 --> 00:42:09,006 there really wasn't anybody in house to speak up for the 110th infantry. 600 00:42:09,086 --> 00:42:13,044 Colonel Hurly Fuller, Sergeant JJ Kuhn, 601 00:42:13,053 --> 00:42:17,095 and Sergeant Stanley Showman are all captured by the Germans 602 00:42:18,003 --> 00:42:20,057 and serve the rest of the war in POW camps. 603 00:42:21,099 --> 00:42:26,066 They are liberated in 1945, and return to the United States. 604 00:42:28,025 --> 00:42:32,017 Once released, Colonel Fuller advocates for the American 110th. 605 00:42:33,005 --> 00:42:35,088 But he just does not have the influence. 606 00:42:35,097 --> 00:42:39,034 He does not have the pull, uh, to get the recognition for his regiment 607 00:42:39,043 --> 00:42:41,035 that he otherwise would've hoped for 608 00:42:41,043 --> 00:42:44,077 and also the fact that he himself had become a POW 609 00:42:44,085 --> 00:42:48,085 was always going to be a bit of a sticking point in that regard. 610 00:42:48,094 --> 00:42:50,010 Reasonable or not. 611 00:42:50,085 --> 00:42:54,040 Colonel Meinrad von Lauchert pushed farther into Allied lines 612 00:42:54,048 --> 00:42:56,015 than almost any other German commander. 613 00:42:57,061 --> 00:43:01,012 Colonel Meinrad von Lauchert will continue to fight 614 00:43:01,020 --> 00:43:06,025 the Allied troops tooth and nail with his 2nd Panzer Division 615 00:43:06,033 --> 00:43:09,096 and he will continue to do so until March, 1945 616 00:43:10,004 --> 00:43:13,029 when he is with his back against Rhine River. 617 00:43:13,038 --> 00:43:16,067 But by that time nothing much remains of his crack unit. 618 00:43:17,088 --> 00:43:19,055 Operation Watch on the Rhine, 619 00:43:20,005 --> 00:43:23,043 or Battle of the Bulge proves costly for both sides. 620 00:43:25,081 --> 00:43:29,002 The German army suffers about 120,000 casualties. 621 00:43:30,098 --> 00:43:35,032 In the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans lose their last reserves. 622 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:40,036 And when the Soviets attack in a major offensive, in mid-January 1945, 623 00:43:40,045 --> 00:43:42,099 the German front and the east collapse very quickly. 624 00:43:43,007 --> 00:43:47,062 So, two weeks later, the Soviets are only 50 miles away from Berlin. 625 00:43:48,012 --> 00:43:52,063 So, the real winner of the Battle of the Bulge is-- are not the Americans, 626 00:43:52,071 --> 00:43:54,079 it's the Soviets and Stalin. 627 00:43:55,071 --> 00:43:58,076 The western Allies will need to regroup and resupply 628 00:43:58,084 --> 00:44:00,022 before advancing into Germany. 629 00:44:02,034 --> 00:44:04,089 But, the Germans will now fight on home turf 630 00:44:04,097 --> 00:44:08,039 and the war in Europe will continue for four more months. 631 00:44:08,047 --> 00:44:10,010 Captioned by Visual Data Media Services 54208

Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.