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NARRATOR: Normandy, France.
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One month after D-Day.
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A Canadian regiment confronts
a notorious SS Panzer unit...
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accused of horrific war crimes.
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So, the Canadians and the 12th SS
have a very vicious personal war.
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NARRATOR: For the Germans,
this leaves no room for compromise.
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It's only victory or death.
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NARRATOR: On June 6th, 1944,
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allied forces finally
land troops in Normandy
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D-Day was a battle.
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The allies still need to win the war.
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(inaudible)
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NARRATOR: July 8th, 1944.
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Outskirts of Caen, France.
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The Canadian Regina Rifles
prepare to do their part
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to liberate the French city.
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They scout the approach to their
objective in the northwest sector.
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And what they saw they didn't like.
It was extremely flat.
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There was very little cover.
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NARRATOR: Lieutenant Colonel
Foster Matheson
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has brought along his company commanders--
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Acting Major Gordon Brown,
Major Eric Syme, and Major Stuart Tubb,
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to find the best way forward.
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And they're driving around in universal
carriers and at one point they get lost.
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NARRATOR: The driver takes a wrong turn...
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and they find themselves
in the midst of fighting.
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The Regina Rifles
quickly come under attack.
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(gunfire)
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One of the drivers is shot and killed...
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the passengers dive for cover.
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As the battle rages around them,
the vehicles try to reverse course.
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(gunfire)
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In the confusion,
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the carriers start to pull away
leaving the officers behind.
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It proves to be yet another setback
in the quest to take Caen.
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Only 12 miles from the coast
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allied forces had planned to take
the city on D-Day.
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But more than a month later,
the goal has proved stubbornly elusive.
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Both sides understood
that the capture of Caen was crucial to
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going through the rest of the country,
that if you could capture Caen,
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you could enter the rest of France.
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NARRATOR: 860,000 allied troops
are bottled up at the Normandy beachhead.
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The allies need their forces
to break out into France,
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then east for Paris.
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Caen is a critical road and rail hub.
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DAVID: The Germans understood,
if you can defend Caen,
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you can block the Allies' advance.
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TIM: These are armored divisions
that had hundreds of tanks.
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They needed good roads
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and so they were going to be
passing through Caen
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to strike at the Allies
who were on the beaches
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and who of course were very vulnerable.
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NARRATOR: The Regina Rifles
have landed in a battle
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A month earlier, on D-Day plus one,
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the Reginas had seized
the town of Bretteville, not far away.
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The Reginas withstood four counterattacks
from the 12th SS Panzer division,
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inflicting 152 German casualties
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and destroying six tanks to hold the town,
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Go, Go! Go!
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(gunfire)
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NARRATOR: They haul themselves
onto the back of a vehicle
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loaded to their surprise,
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with crates of explosives.
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They duck for cover as enemy fire
riddles the vehicle,
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and can only hope,
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that a bullet doesn't
ignite a fatal explosion.
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(gunfire)
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Earlier that day,
General Bernard Montgomery
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To support the operation,
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the Regina Rifles must take
the Abbaye D'ardenne,
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TIM: It was a stone fortress.
It had a large tower.
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And from the heights of that tower
they could see the entire countryside.
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And so, it's a really critical position.
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A strong point that the Germans will use
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both to observe the Allies
coming off the beaches
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and from where they will launch
their counterattacks.
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NARRATOR: Flat grain fields
surround the Abbaye on all sides,
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providing clear lines of sight
for German snipers.
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The Germans occupy the only cover--
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a dirt mound, that once held
anti-aircraft guns,
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partway across the field.
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Brown's D Company on the left along with
Tubb's C Company on the right
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are to pass the mounds and advance
the remaining 700 yards to the Abbaye.
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At 1700 hours allied artillery
begins to shell the Abbaye D'ardenne,
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in preparation for the assault.
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The barrage is meant to soften up
German defenses
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they had encountered earlier.
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Their commanding officer
is Standartenfuhrer Kurt Meyer.
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The 33-year old colonel is one of
Germany's youngest divisional commanders.
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Kurt Meyer is an extremely
courageous and brave officer.
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But at the same times,
he's also extremely ruthless.
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He's very much determined to
the cause of Nazism and is also
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determined to instill this
ideology into his men.
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NARRATOR: Meyer's Panzer division
is made up of former Hitlerjugend.
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The infamous "Hitler Youth" movement
Raised a generation of German children
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to believe in their Aryan superiority.
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PETER: For the SS leadership,
12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Youth
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is a kind of symbol for
the next generation of Nazism.
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PETER: The main building, as such,
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would be too much exposed to
allied artillery fire
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or allied air bombardment.
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So, he situates his headquarters
in a secondary building, in the cellar,
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so that he's protected.
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NARRATOR: As the allied shelling
of the Abbaye continues,
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Brown, and the rest of the Regina Rifles
try to move into the field
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from which they are to attack.
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But it proves difficult.
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DAVID: Well the Regina Rifles
are pinned down
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because the village of Authie
is not cleared.
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This means that the Germans
are also able to
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bring fire to bear down on the Rifles.
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NARRATOR: German counter
battery fire also opens up.
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is the most effective artillery piece
in the Nazi arsenal,
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and feared by allied tankers everywhere.
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In ground combat,
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it has a maximum range
of over 16,000 yards.
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And a well-trained crew can fire a round
every three seconds.
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The 88 quickly destroys
three Sherman tanks.
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As their crews escape,
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they draw German machine gun fire
from the nearby mound.
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Unwilling to stay exposed
to the German artillery,
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the remaining tanks retreat.
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TIM: The fighting in Normandy
is often envisioned
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as a slashing tank assaults,
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um, and almost blitzkrieg
like attacks on the enemy.
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But, this was combined arms warfare
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and if the tanks got too far
in front of the infantry,
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they were easily knocked out
by anti-tank guns
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that are very effective
at this point in the war.
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NARRATOR: With their tank support gone,
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all three Regina Rifle companies
are trapped in the open.
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The German barrage continues.
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The Canadians risk being wiped out
before they can even leave their lines.
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NARRATOR: July 8th, 1944.
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German artillery targets
the Regina Rifles' position
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as they prepare to attack
the Abbaye D'ardenne,
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which blocks access
to the French city of Caen.
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(explosions)
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The Regina Rifles are dubbed
"farmer johns" by other Canadian units
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because they come
from a rural part of Canada.
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NARRATOR: Pinned down due to enemy fire,
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the Johns miss the jump-off time
for their attack against the Abbaye.
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In the chaos and the confusion,
units are late arriving to the front
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and in fact most of
the, the three attacking,
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um, Regina companies get there,
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um, after the barrage has gone off.
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And so, with communications broken down
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there's really a dire situation here.
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The Reginas are looking at
attacking this fortress
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with almost no artillery support.
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NARRATOR: The Reginas can only take cover
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and wait for the German barrage to ease.
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At 1800 hours, 30 minutes
after their jump off time,
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the Reginas commence their assault,
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with Major Eric Syme's
B Company in the lead.
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The Germans have put the time to good use.
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PETER: During this pause,
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the German defenders are able to regroup
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and sight their machine guns,
sight their anti-tank guns.
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And this is the worst-case
scenario for any army.
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NARRATOR: As the three Regina companies
start out Baker Company
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(gunfire)
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Caen is considered so critical,
General Field Marshall Erwin Rommel
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has assigned elite units to defend it.
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Overseeing the defense of Normandy,
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Rommel had invested heavily
in the Atlantic wall.
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PETER: It is a series of bunkers,
block houses,
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casements, fortified positions
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along the French, Belgian,
Dutch, Danish and Norwegian coast.
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It is supposed to ward
off an Allied invasion.
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NARRATOR: Based on Rommel's experience
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with the allies in North Africa
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he knew German tanks were vulnerable to
allied air superiority.
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Rommel believed the allies had
to be defeated on the beaches
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in the earliest hours of the invasion.
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The German failure to do so on D-Day,
makes the fighting more desperate.
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PETER: Germans are still
determined to fight,
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because they think
if the Allies win the war,
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this would mean the annihilation
of the German people.
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NARRATOR: This was especially true
of German military leadership,
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like Kurt Meyer,
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who commands the 12th SS Panzer division,
which holds the Abbaye.
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PETER: How they understand war
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is that it must be fought
in the most ruthless way
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because it is a struggle for survival.
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NARRATOR: Meyer has encountered
Canadian units before.
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The Canadians and the 12th
SS Hitler Youth had clashed,
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uh, since the 7th of June.
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So, really the second day of the fighting.
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Um, and there had been fierce
battles all over the front.
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NARRATOR: On June 7th and 8th,
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Meyer's unit executed
18 Canadian prisoners of war
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at the Abbaye D'ardenne,
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in flagrant violation of
the Geneva Convention.
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PETER: For people like Meyer
or for SS officers,
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it's all or nothing.
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And there is no way of
compromising with the enemy
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so it's only victory or death.
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(gun cocking)
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(gunshot)
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NARRATOR: Now, the 12th SS Hitlerjugend
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believed that if they are captured
or surrender to the Canadians,
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they will be executed in retaliation.
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And so, the Canadians and the 12th SS
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have a very vicious, personal war.
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Faced with heavy gunfire,
B Company must run, or crawl,
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in short bursts to avoid being hit.
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The Germans open up with mortar fire,
machine gun fire, sniper fire.
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And the Regina Rifles are
being picked off one by one.
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(speaking in German)
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(gunfire)
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NARRATOR: As they inch their way forward,
the company suffers heavy casualties.
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TIM: There's no easy way
to take out machine guns.
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Machine guns firing 500 bullets a minute,
firing on an arc.
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You have to sacrifice soldiers
to take that out.
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NARRATOR: They have no choice
but to keep moving.
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NARRATOR: Three companies
of the Regina Rifles commence
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an assault against the Abbaye D'ardenne.
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Across more than 1100 yards of open field,
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without tank support,
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and one half hour after
their artillery barrage lifts.
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B Company leads the way.
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DAVID: Baker Company advances slowly
and using whatever cover is available.
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But there's not a lot of cover.
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The Regina Rifles
were very weak at this point.
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They had lost a lot of soldiers
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in the fighting
in the first month of Normandy.
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NARRATOR: As frontline
troops at the sharp end,
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they get very little sleep
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and endure unimaginable stress.
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DAVID: There's no question that
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the lack of sleep
and the continual engagement
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with the enemy that just
combined will wear anyone down.
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NARRATOR: It has been four
weeks of constant combat.
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DAVID: So as these soldiers are
engaged with the German enemy,
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as they're approaching the Abbey,
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there are soldiers that are breaking down.
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00:20:10,584 --> 00:20:11,627
There are soldiers that are crying.
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There are soldiers that are
catatonic and can't even move.
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NARRATOR: This now includes
baker company's commander, Major Syme,
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who succumbs to what is called,
battle exhaustion.
242
00:20:24,848 --> 00:20:27,309
Major! Major!
243
00:20:28,352 --> 00:20:29,519
I need a medic!
244
00:20:31,605 --> 00:20:33,106
NARRATOR: Though the Canadian division
245
00:20:33,190 --> 00:20:36,151
had undertaken psychiatric screening
prior to deployment
246
00:20:37,569 --> 00:20:41,448
conditions like battle exhaustion
or battle fatigue
247
00:20:41,531 --> 00:20:44,076
prove unpredictable
and claim many soldiers.
248
00:20:47,329 --> 00:20:49,915
By late July 1944,
249
00:20:49,998 --> 00:20:53,043
battle fatigue makes up 25%
250
00:20:59,549 --> 00:21:02,261
After D-Day the British
and Canadian army group
251
00:21:02,344 --> 00:21:06,431
established front-line centers
to treat battle exhaustion.
252
00:21:07,975 --> 00:21:11,353
Therapy is simple-- sedation and sleep.
253
00:21:12,145 --> 00:21:13,480
You want to treat them quickly.
254
00:21:13,563 --> 00:21:15,023
You want to treat them effectively
255
00:21:15,148 --> 00:21:16,733
and then you want them back
in the front line.
256
00:21:21,989 --> 00:21:25,033
(gunfire)
257
00:21:25,158 --> 00:21:28,120
NARRATOR: As Major Syme
is carried from the field
258
00:21:28,203 --> 00:21:31,206
the remainder of B Company
continues to press to the mound.
259
00:21:33,750 --> 00:21:38,213
As they are making those hard yards,
Riflemen would lay down fire,
260
00:21:38,672 --> 00:21:41,883
Bren machine gunners
would lay down heavier fire.
261
00:21:48,557 --> 00:21:51,184
The way they knocked out
those machine guns
262
00:21:51,268 --> 00:21:53,020
was to use grenades for the most part.
263
00:21:53,103 --> 00:21:54,604
And those grenades explode
264
00:21:54,688 --> 00:21:56,690
and they send shrapnel of course,
265
00:21:56,773 --> 00:21:59,484
and that's how,
ultimately, they knock out the mound.
266
00:22:15,292 --> 00:22:18,337
NARRATOR: The Germansare forced
to retreat back towards the Abbaye.
267
00:22:31,975 --> 00:22:36,146
To achieve the objective,
Baker Company is gutted.
268
00:22:36,229 --> 00:22:39,524
Sixty-one out of 100 men
become casualties.
269
00:22:50,202 --> 00:22:52,496
With the mound finally in Canadian hands,
270
00:22:52,579 --> 00:22:56,750
C Company and D Company
now continue the advance
271
00:22:56,833 --> 00:22:58,960
and pass through the remains of B Company.
272
00:22:59,086 --> 00:23:01,380
DAVID: From that position,
Baker Company can then provide
273
00:23:01,463 --> 00:23:03,256
covering fire for the other two companies.
274
00:23:03,340 --> 00:23:05,884
You have Dog Company on the left,
Charlie Company on the right.
275
00:23:06,218 --> 00:23:09,346
And Baker Company will provide
very important covering fire,
276
00:23:09,429 --> 00:23:11,807
which will allow the other
troops to move up slowly.
277
00:23:11,932 --> 00:23:15,018
So, the idea simply here is what we call
fire and movement.
278
00:23:15,102 --> 00:23:17,562
Someone's shooting. Someone's moving.
279
00:23:22,776 --> 00:23:25,946
NARRATOR: To prevent his men
from meeting B Company's fate,
280
00:23:26,446 --> 00:23:29,616
Major Stu Tubb,
the commander of C Company,
281
00:23:30,075 --> 00:23:33,286
orders high explosive mortars
against the Abbaye complex.
282
00:23:35,705 --> 00:23:40,085
He hopes the distraction
will provide his men much needed coverage.
283
00:23:41,420 --> 00:23:43,255
But Tubb receives word
284
00:23:43,380 --> 00:23:46,425
that the Reginas have no high
explosive mortars available,
285
00:23:46,508 --> 00:23:48,760
and he is offered smoke instead.
286
00:23:53,473 --> 00:23:57,060
This works for a while,
until the wind comes up.
287
00:23:58,270 --> 00:24:01,982
They're now wide open
and exposed completely to German fire.
288
00:24:02,065 --> 00:24:03,692
All hell breaks loose.
289
00:24:10,866 --> 00:24:12,701
(gunfire)
290
00:24:21,626 --> 00:24:23,128
NARRATOR: Facing heavy enemy fire
291
00:24:23,211 --> 00:24:26,965
C and D Companies
of the Canadian Regina Rifles
292
00:24:27,048 --> 00:24:31,428
must attack the Abbaye D'ardenne
across 700 yards of open field.
293
00:24:31,553 --> 00:24:33,138
They have just learned
294
00:24:33,221 --> 00:24:35,015
that they've run out of
high explosive mortars
295
00:24:35,140 --> 00:24:37,350
to subdue the German counter fire.
296
00:24:38,435 --> 00:24:41,897
Such shortages have
proved a problem across the allied front.
297
00:24:47,194 --> 00:24:51,323
Just three weeks before
a Major storm struck the Normandy coast.
298
00:24:52,073 --> 00:24:57,329
800 ships and vessels were stranded,
damaged or destroyed on June 19th.
299
00:24:57,412 --> 00:24:59,581
To further cripple allied supply lines,
300
00:24:59,664 --> 00:25:02,375
already hindered,
by a lack of a deep-water port.
301
00:25:02,792 --> 00:25:04,836
All units were having to make do.
302
00:25:09,716 --> 00:25:12,385
Advancing in the open would be suicidal.
303
00:25:12,469 --> 00:25:15,347
So, the Reginas fire
smoke to cover their advance.
304
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,352
Once more, acting Major Gordon Brown
and D Company
305
00:25:20,435 --> 00:25:22,395
press forward on the left flank.
306
00:25:26,316 --> 00:25:29,444
But with the men still 500 yards
short of the Abbaye,
307
00:25:30,111 --> 00:25:31,655
wind clears the smoke.
308
00:25:33,990 --> 00:25:36,159
With the companies now exposed.
309
00:25:36,660 --> 00:25:37,577
(speaking in German)
310
00:25:38,036 --> 00:25:39,663
NARRATOR: The Germans have clear shots.
311
00:25:47,712 --> 00:25:50,924
(gunfire)
312
00:25:53,510 --> 00:25:58,557
In the chaos C company's
13th platoon stumbles into a minefield.
313
00:26:03,770 --> 00:26:05,855
(explosions)
314
00:26:18,243 --> 00:26:20,453
NARRATOR: The minefield creates
a shooting gallery.
315
00:26:21,580 --> 00:26:23,915
TIM: Riflemen and snipers
and machine gunners
316
00:26:23,999 --> 00:26:26,835
will turn upon those isolated soldiers
317
00:26:26,918 --> 00:26:30,505
who are stuck in the middle,
unsure of where is safe.
318
00:26:33,341 --> 00:26:35,468
NARRATOR: As their losses mount,
319
00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:39,097
Major Stu Tubb enters the minefield
to help extract his men.
320
00:26:42,267 --> 00:26:44,644
Tubb falls to German machine gun fire.
321
00:26:59,326 --> 00:27:03,413
Wiping out the enemy's leadership
is a time honored military strategy.
322
00:27:03,496 --> 00:27:06,791
And that is a technique
that the Allies and the Germans use,
323
00:27:06,875 --> 00:27:11,796
that snipers would aim for those NCOs
or those lieutenants or those captains
324
00:27:11,921 --> 00:27:16,676
to try to in, in effect
decapitate the unit.
325
00:27:24,976 --> 00:27:26,686
(gunfire)
326
00:27:26,811 --> 00:27:30,690
NARRATOR: Without leadership,
C Company retreats to the mound.
327
00:27:31,149 --> 00:27:34,569
They have lost 85 out of 106 men.
328
00:27:36,905 --> 00:27:39,491
General Bernard Montgomery's
stated goal at Caen
329
00:27:39,574 --> 00:27:41,618
was to draw in German troops to kill,
330
00:27:41,701 --> 00:27:44,120
wound or capture as many as possible.
331
00:27:44,204 --> 00:27:45,497
A war of attrition.
332
00:27:46,706 --> 00:27:48,541
But the campaign to capture Caen
333
00:27:48,708 --> 00:27:50,794
proves costly to everyone involved.
334
00:27:53,213 --> 00:27:56,716
Allied aerial bombing to
support Operation Charnwood
335
00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:58,843
began the night before, on July 7th.
336
00:28:02,138 --> 00:28:06,726
More than 460 aircraft dropped
6000 bombs on the city.
337
00:28:09,938 --> 00:28:13,233
While the bombing improved
the morale of allied soldiers,
338
00:28:15,193 --> 00:28:18,446
the strategic impact
on German troops was minimal.
339
00:28:18,530 --> 00:28:19,739
The rubble created
340
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,868
hinders the allied advance
and retreat by German forces.
341
00:28:25,704 --> 00:28:28,957
It also has got an impact on French
civilian population.
342
00:28:29,124 --> 00:28:34,421
Because, French civilians perished
and this had a negative influence
343
00:28:34,504 --> 00:28:37,465
on the attitude of the French
population towards the Allies.
344
00:28:47,726 --> 00:28:51,813
retreat to Authie to bring back
stretchers for their wounded.
345
00:29:00,572 --> 00:29:02,949
Almost three hours after
commencing their attack
346
00:29:03,032 --> 00:29:03,867
on the Abbaye D'ardenne,
347
00:29:04,576 --> 00:29:06,578
Gordon Brown's D Company
348
00:29:06,786 --> 00:29:09,456
remain the only Regina Rifles
left in the fight.
349
00:29:15,044 --> 00:29:17,547
Still hundreds of yards
from their objective,
350
00:29:19,090 --> 00:29:21,676
the covering smoke has also
just cleared on their position.
351
00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:24,929
And leaves them dangerously
exposed to enemy fire.
352
00:29:28,183 --> 00:29:31,561
The 12th SS quickly pin down
Brown and his men again.
353
00:29:38,902 --> 00:29:40,528
Several of the Reginas are hit.
354
00:29:45,658 --> 00:29:49,037
(gunfire)
355
00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:50,830
To limit the company's casualties,
356
00:29:50,914 --> 00:29:53,416
Brown and his men push forward
in short bursts,
357
00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:56,127
often gaining just a few feet at a time.
358
00:30:02,634 --> 00:30:05,637
German troops at the Abbaye
have the ideal weapon
359
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,555
to prevent Brown from
achieving his objective.
360
00:30:10,183 --> 00:30:14,229
The MG-42 is arguably the best
machine gun of World War II.
361
00:30:16,147 --> 00:30:18,024
At 1200 rounds per minute,
362
00:30:18,107 --> 00:30:22,153
its rate of fire outpaces
comparable allied machine guns.
363
00:30:23,863 --> 00:30:26,741
Light, reliable and easy to deploy,
364
00:30:27,075 --> 00:30:31,120
the MG-42 has a range of
nearly 1,100 yards.
365
00:30:39,379 --> 00:30:41,422
To avoid the German machine guns
366
00:30:41,548 --> 00:30:43,466
D company's number 16 platoon
367
00:30:43,675 --> 00:30:46,010
makes a flanking move
to the left of the Abbaye.
368
00:30:51,266 --> 00:30:54,102
The remaining Regina Rifles
continue their frontal assault.
369
00:31:01,317 --> 00:31:03,903
his runner reports to
acting Major Gordon Brown,
370
00:31:04,237 --> 00:31:07,282
that number 16 platoon has vanished.
371
00:31:13,746 --> 00:31:16,040
NARRATOR: July 8th, 1944.
372
00:31:16,749 --> 00:31:18,293
As darkness falls,
373
00:31:18,418 --> 00:31:21,504
the Regina Rifles continue their assault
on the Abbaye D'ardenne.
374
00:31:22,088 --> 00:31:26,467
A fortified position that controls access
to the French city of Caen.
375
00:31:27,302 --> 00:31:30,096
With reports that some of his men
are missing
376
00:31:30,179 --> 00:31:33,016
and knowing he needs them all
to seize the Abbaye,
377
00:31:35,935 --> 00:31:39,898
acting Major Gordon Brown
goes in search of his 16th platoon.
378
00:31:57,248 --> 00:31:59,334
and he thinks that's his lost platoon.
It's not.
379
00:31:59,417 --> 00:32:01,252
It's a group of the Can Scots,
380
00:32:01,336 --> 00:32:03,796
who have stumbled into the battle somehow,
381
00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,382
and there are many wounded there.
382
00:32:08,593 --> 00:32:09,886
NARRATOR: Brown tries to help.
383
00:32:10,345 --> 00:32:13,014
He bandages some of the more
seriously wounded.
384
00:32:13,765 --> 00:32:15,016
TIM: And he's not sure what to do,
385
00:32:15,141 --> 00:32:17,894
of course human instinct
is to care for them,
386
00:32:18,019 --> 00:32:20,772
but that's not the role
of a company commander.
387
00:32:20,939 --> 00:32:23,816
And so, he rightly gives them his water.
388
00:32:25,735 --> 00:32:27,445
He must have been parched.
389
00:32:29,364 --> 00:32:31,491
NARRATOR: Unable to do any more for them,
390
00:32:32,951 --> 00:32:35,954
Brown turns back
to rejoin the rest of his company.
391
00:32:37,330 --> 00:32:40,124
TIM: He did the right thing.
He did what he had to do.
392
00:32:40,208 --> 00:32:41,834
He did what a soldier had to do,
393
00:32:41,918 --> 00:32:44,462
was to keep pushing
on to the final objective.
394
00:32:48,299 --> 00:32:49,842
NARRATOR: When he returns,
395
00:32:50,259 --> 00:32:52,637
Brown finds D Company
in the thick of battle.
396
00:32:54,931 --> 00:32:58,393
TIM: D Company is spread
out over the battlefield.
397
00:32:58,518 --> 00:33:00,687
They're facing a
fortress a stone fortress,
398
00:33:00,853 --> 00:33:02,772
the Germans are firing at them non-stop.
399
00:33:04,732 --> 00:33:07,068
I'm amazed at how they could
have pushed their way forward.
400
00:33:08,820 --> 00:33:11,698
NARRATOR: They make a daring
charge for the Abbaye walls.
401
00:33:16,953 --> 00:33:20,373
TIM: They do call in some smoke,
and the smoke is quite effective.
402
00:33:20,498 --> 00:33:24,043
It obscures the front,
uh, for precious minutes.
403
00:33:28,881 --> 00:33:31,426
NARRATOR: The men shoot
and throw grenades on the run.
404
00:34:00,705 --> 00:34:03,082
With the Regina Rifles closing in,
405
00:34:03,166 --> 00:34:06,419
Colonel Kurt Meyer had made plans
to protect his fighting strength
406
00:34:06,502 --> 00:34:08,463
and asks for permission to retreat.
407
00:34:11,382 --> 00:34:14,719
PETER: He gets the answer, no.
There is no way to retreat.
408
00:34:15,386 --> 00:34:18,514
The, reason for that is in the mindset
409
00:34:30,777 --> 00:34:34,030
Hitler's order to hold
the city to the last bullet,
410
00:34:34,112 --> 00:34:37,074
would mean the needless
and futile sacrifice of his men.
411
00:34:37,784 --> 00:34:40,870
Thus, the desperate fighting on July 8th,
412
00:34:40,953 --> 00:34:44,081
was to bide time for the evacuation
of Meyer's wounded soldiers
413
00:34:44,165 --> 00:34:45,792
under the cover of darkness.
414
00:34:46,375 --> 00:34:49,128
They devise a plan to delay
the capture of the Abbaye,
415
00:34:49,212 --> 00:34:52,340
and make it as costly as
possible for the Canadians.
416
00:35:01,182 --> 00:35:02,767
The Regina Rifles encounter
417
00:35:02,934 --> 00:35:05,186
the German soldiers left
to cover the withdrawal.
418
00:35:07,146 --> 00:35:08,606
(gunfire)
419
00:35:11,609 --> 00:35:13,694
They launch one final assault
420
00:35:13,903 --> 00:35:16,072
and they find a way through
421
00:35:31,254 --> 00:35:32,880
and he tells them to dig
in outside of the walls.
422
00:35:34,048 --> 00:35:36,175
NARRATOR: Having fought
the Germans for a month now
423
00:35:36,300 --> 00:35:38,177
Brown knows they are not safe yet.
424
00:35:39,137 --> 00:35:41,597
The Germans will have
pre-ranged their guns.
425
00:35:43,057 --> 00:35:45,560
One of the nice things about
occupying a position
426
00:35:45,643 --> 00:35:46,936
when you're on the defense is
427
00:35:47,019 --> 00:35:48,688
you have it perfectly placed
on your map,
428
00:35:48,771 --> 00:35:51,440
which means your artillery
knows exactly where to hit it.
429
00:35:54,819 --> 00:35:57,655
NARRATOR: Learning that allied
troops have reached the walls,
430
00:35:57,780 --> 00:36:00,950
Meyer orders an artillery
barrage against the Abbaye.
431
00:36:05,705 --> 00:36:06,998
Brown's shrewd orders
432
00:36:07,081 --> 00:36:09,167
prevent further casualties
amongst his men.
433
00:36:13,838 --> 00:36:16,507
But they have yet to completely
achieve their objective
434
00:36:16,674 --> 00:36:18,801
to occupy the Abbaye itself.
435
00:36:22,096 --> 00:36:25,224
(explosions)
436
00:36:29,729 --> 00:36:33,191
NARRATOR: Heavy German shelling
prevents acting Major Gordon Brown
437
00:36:33,274 --> 00:36:35,735
and the rest of
the Regina Rifles' D Company
438
00:36:35,943 --> 00:36:37,987
from fully capturing the Abbaye D'ardenne.
439
00:36:44,452 --> 00:36:47,205
(gunfire)
440
00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:51,209
As the men endure the barrage,
their lost platoon finally reappears.
441
00:36:55,796 --> 00:36:59,383
During their absence,
16th platoon has been busy.
442
00:37:01,510 --> 00:37:04,555
16th Platoon is able to achieve
something pretty remarkable.
443
00:37:13,314 --> 00:37:16,609
NARRATOR: They've knocked out
a battery of German 88 guns.
444
00:37:17,902 --> 00:37:20,363
This means that any Sherman tanks
coming up behind them
445
00:37:20,446 --> 00:37:23,115
are now free to move
in the open countryside.
446
00:37:27,370 --> 00:37:28,996
NARRATOR: The platoon's reappearance
447
00:37:29,163 --> 00:37:31,540
brings the company's strength
to 70 soldiers
448
00:37:32,083 --> 00:37:34,085
but Brown knows he needs more men,
449
00:37:34,210 --> 00:37:37,463
if he's going to take and hold the Abbaye.
450
00:37:37,588 --> 00:37:40,591
TIM: They've fought for
five and a half hours.
451
00:37:40,716 --> 00:37:44,345
They've lost about 200
soldiers killed and wounded.
452
00:37:44,428 --> 00:37:47,014
Many of them left strewn
over the battlefield.
453
00:37:47,139 --> 00:37:50,184
And now in the dark crying out for help.
454
00:37:50,726 --> 00:37:53,479
Um, but there's no communication
from front to rear.
455
00:37:53,562 --> 00:37:56,274
Um, though, there's no wireless.
There's no telephones.
456
00:37:57,817 --> 00:37:59,652
NARRATOR: Brown, and a lieutenant
457
00:37:59,735 --> 00:38:01,696
return to the village of Authie on foot
458
00:38:01,779 --> 00:38:05,616
to request reinforcements
and inform headquarters of their progress.
459
00:38:15,376 --> 00:38:16,585
But on their way,
460
00:38:16,711 --> 00:38:19,171
the two men are caught
in a sustained mortar attack.
461
00:38:22,925 --> 00:38:26,637
(explosions)
462
00:38:28,055 --> 00:38:30,683
They endure the 80-round bombardment.
463
00:38:32,518 --> 00:38:35,813
The shelling is another phase
of Colonel Kurt Meyer's plan
464
00:38:35,896 --> 00:38:39,108
to cover the German retreat of
the 12th SS from Caen.
465
00:38:41,110 --> 00:38:45,114
Meyer's withdrawal proves sensible,
to protect the unit's fighting strength.
466
00:38:47,992 --> 00:38:49,744
By the second week of July,
467
00:38:50,077 --> 00:38:52,038
German battle casualties in western Europe
468
00:38:52,288 --> 00:38:54,540
totaled more than 100,000 men.
469
00:38:55,791 --> 00:38:58,002
Yet German command had managed to replace
470
00:38:58,085 --> 00:39:00,254
only 9% of their manpower losses.
471
00:39:03,424 --> 00:39:04,633
Late into the night,
472
00:39:04,842 --> 00:39:07,970
Brown returns to the Abbaye walls
with reinforcements...
473
00:39:08,429 --> 00:39:12,308
the Regina Rifles A-Company,
which had been held in reserve.
474
00:39:34,747 --> 00:39:35,873
DAVID: It's an eerie calm.
475
00:39:36,916 --> 00:39:39,001
I couldn't imagine what
it'd be like to look around
476
00:39:39,085 --> 00:39:41,670
and not hear bullets
whizzing by your face.
477
00:39:41,796 --> 00:39:44,173
And not hear artillery
rounds exploding around you.
478
00:39:44,590 --> 00:39:47,760
And suddenly realize
that for a brief period there's some calm.
479
00:39:47,843 --> 00:39:48,886
You've done it.
480
00:39:58,187 --> 00:40:02,191
NARRATOR: At first light,
the Regina Rifles A and D Companies
481
00:40:02,274 --> 00:40:04,652
advance cautiously into the courtyard.
482
00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:10,408
PETER: So, when Meyer retreats,
483
00:40:10,533 --> 00:40:14,745
he tries to delay the enemy's advance
by leaving snipers.
484
00:40:14,829 --> 00:40:19,166
This gives his own troops
time to withdraw in good order.
485
00:40:19,959 --> 00:40:25,840
With snipers and booby traps,
the enemy doesn't feel secure.
486
00:40:25,923 --> 00:40:28,134
He doesn't know where the enemy is,
where he's coming from,
487
00:40:28,217 --> 00:40:30,636
so he must be very
cautious when he advances.
488
00:40:54,034 --> 00:40:58,080
Inside the Abbaye they discover
the headquarters in the cellar.
489
00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:26,734
He--he later talks about
almost being delirious, uh, hallucinating.
490
00:41:42,625 --> 00:41:44,001
climbs into the bed,
491
00:41:45,878 --> 00:41:47,421
and falls asleep.
492
00:42:01,644 --> 00:42:04,313
The western half of Caen to the Orne River
493
00:42:04,772 --> 00:42:07,691
would fall to the allies
by the end of July 9th.
494
00:42:11,153 --> 00:42:12,988
During Operation Charnwood,
495
00:42:13,113 --> 00:42:16,867
the Regina Rifles suffer 216 casualties,
496
00:42:16,951 --> 00:42:19,328
including 36 men killed.
497
00:42:20,246 --> 00:42:22,915
DAVID: In terms of
the casualties on that day,
498
00:42:22,998 --> 00:42:26,335
something like 50% of the combat soldiers
499
00:42:26,418 --> 00:42:28,587
were killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
500
00:42:28,671 --> 00:42:32,508
The casualties were so severe for
Charlie Company and Baker Company
501
00:42:32,925 --> 00:42:35,344
that after this combat
on the 8th and 9th of July,
502
00:42:35,469 --> 00:42:36,679
they were non-operational.
503
00:42:39,223 --> 00:42:41,767
NARRATOR: French civilians
are also deeply affected.
504
00:42:54,196 --> 00:42:55,155
After the war,
505
00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:57,783
Colonel Kurt Meyer faces trial
for war crimes
506
00:42:57,866 --> 00:43:01,328
for his part in the execution of
Canadian prisoners of war
507
00:43:01,412 --> 00:43:02,997
at the Abbaye D'ardenne.
508
00:43:05,124 --> 00:43:08,711
Meyer would be sentenced to death
later commuted to life imprisonment.
509
00:43:11,130 --> 00:43:13,757
He serves nine years
before being released.
510
00:43:15,259 --> 00:43:17,636
The two Canadian company commanders,
511
00:43:17,761 --> 00:43:19,471
Majors Stuart Tubb and Eric Symes,
512
00:43:19,597 --> 00:43:21,432
recover and survive the war.
513
00:43:22,975 --> 00:43:26,103
Major Tubb is later awarded
the Distinguished Service Order
514
00:43:26,186 --> 00:43:29,231
for his leadership and coolness
in the face of enemy fire.
515
00:43:30,316 --> 00:43:33,527
Gordon Brown continues to
serve throughout the war,
516
00:43:34,361 --> 00:43:36,655
and would earn
the Distinguished Service Order
517
00:43:36,780 --> 00:43:39,450
for personal valor and devotion to duty.
518
00:43:40,909 --> 00:43:43,120
While ultimately successful,
519
00:43:43,245 --> 00:43:45,289
the capture of Caen, confirms that
520
00:43:45,372 --> 00:43:48,542
allied gains could be slow and sometimes
measured only in yards.
521
00:43:49,251 --> 00:43:51,295
PETER: It is clear to the Allies
522
00:43:51,378 --> 00:43:54,214
the road to Berlin
is not a simple walkover.
523
00:43:54,590 --> 00:43:57,801
It will be a costly and bloody campaign.
524
00:43:59,511 --> 00:44:03,641
NARRATOR: And the war in Europe
would continue for another 10 months.
525
00:44:07,353 --> 00:44:09,355
Captioned by Visual Data Media Services44196
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