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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,799 April, 1944. 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:09,599 The Allies prepare for D-Day here in Dorset, England. 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,760 In France, the Nazis bolster their fortifications 4 00:00:16,839 --> 00:00:18,800 along the Normandy coastline. 5 00:00:22,199 --> 00:00:27,640 More than 7,000 vessels and 150,000 Allied troops 6 00:00:29,239 --> 00:00:30,719 approach the beaches. 7 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,640 They're met by a terrifying wall of Nazi defenses, 8 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,799 in the largest amphibious invasion in history. 9 00:00:57,479 --> 00:00:58,719 In this series, 10 00:00:59,719 --> 00:01:03,359 we investigate the most extraordinary events of World War II 11 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:06,200 from a brand-new perspective. 12 00:01:08,239 --> 00:01:11,079 Matching rarely seen archive film, 13 00:01:13,519 --> 00:01:15,560 photography from the frontline, 14 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,640 and remarkable aerial reconnaissance images 15 00:01:19,519 --> 00:01:24,760 to their original locations, we reconstruct the crucial battles, 16 00:01:28,719 --> 00:01:30,599 daring bombing raids, 17 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:39,560 and deadly terror weapons that changed the course of history. 18 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,479 Soaring over the battlefields, 19 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:51,000 we reveal the secrets of World War II from above. 20 00:01:58,439 --> 00:02:01,519 The 30th of June, 1943. 21 00:02:02,599 --> 00:02:07,359 An Allied reconnaissance plane approaches Normandy in Northern France. 22 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,919 It's flying a top-secret mission to photograph Nazi defenses 23 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,599 along this 80-kilometer stretch of coastline. 24 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,719 The Allied forces are planning a vast invasion here 25 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,639 to open a new front on mainland Europe. 26 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,920 The road to D-Day has begun. 27 00:02:34,439 --> 00:02:40,120 As they fly along the Normandy coast, the reconnaissance plane takes this photo. 28 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:47,960 It shows the exact locations of German gun positions under construction. 29 00:02:49,719 --> 00:02:52,879 They will form part of a line of coastal defenses 30 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,680 known as the Atlantic Wall. 31 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,039 In June, 1943, 32 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:07,159 the Nazis and Axis powers occupy the majority of mainland Europe. 33 00:03:07,759 --> 00:03:10,759 Hitler knows a counter-offensive is inevitable. 34 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:17,879 So he instructs his commanders to build an impenetrable wall of defenses 35 00:03:18,079 --> 00:03:22,560 from the French border with Spain, over 5,000 kilometers long, 36 00:03:22,879 --> 00:03:26,039 all the way to the northern tip of Norway. 37 00:03:30,479 --> 00:03:35,000 The Allies fly thousands of reconnaissance sorties along the Atlantic Wall 38 00:03:35,479 --> 00:03:40,479 to map out the German positions and try to locate any weak spots. 39 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,920 Near the town of Merville in Northern France, 40 00:03:46,639 --> 00:03:53,199 they take this photo in early 1944, which shows an area of intense activity. 41 00:03:58,079 --> 00:04:00,520 From above, it looks innocuous. 42 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,199 Four mounds of earth covered in grass. 43 00:04:08,599 --> 00:04:14,879 But a closer look reveals a secret German gun complex known as a battery. 44 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,879 The battery is home to four 100-millimeter howitzer guns. 45 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:25,040 To protect each gun, 46 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,959 German engineers build a huge steel-reinforced concrete cover over them, 47 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:35,439 called a casemate, and bury them beneath hundreds of tons of soil. 48 00:04:37,519 --> 00:04:41,319 The howitzers have a range of almost eight and a half kilometers. 49 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:47,120 They provide a formidable defense for a long stretch of the Normandy coast 50 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,720 and the nearby port. 51 00:04:52,840 --> 00:04:55,560 Local historian Geert Van den Bogaert 52 00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:00,560 investigates the battery to unlock the secrets of its construction. 53 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,000 With the intensification of the Atlantic Wall construction, 54 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:08,759 Merville saw work increase here to try and protect the guns. 55 00:05:10,639 --> 00:05:16,600 130 soldiers man the battery, which is designed to be impenetrable, 56 00:05:18,199 --> 00:05:21,800 both from aerial bombardment and ground assault. 57 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,240 So we're inside the personnel bunker here. 58 00:05:28,319 --> 00:05:33,240 You can clearly see where they slept. There's still parts of the bunk beds. 59 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:39,680 Definitely not an ideal place if you were claustrophobic. 60 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,319 Like here, they would peek out and see the entrance, 61 00:05:43,399 --> 00:05:45,840 and could spot anyone coming in. 62 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,720 The only other way to get out was right through there. The escape hatch. 63 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:57,399 You could try and get an idea of what was going on outside through the periscope, 64 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:02,319 especially if the enemy was up on top of the bunker. 65 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,439 Hitler has recently appointed Field Marshal Rommel 66 00:06:09,519 --> 00:06:13,360 as the inspector general of Nazi defenses in the west. 67 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:22,360 On the 6th of March, 1944, he visits Merville for the first time 68 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:27,160 and finds that only two of the main casemates have been completed. 69 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:30,759 In March, Rommel was quite unpleased 70 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,199 with the progress that had been made here at Merville, 71 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:34,720 and he wanted to speed up the work 72 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,399 and really, really pushed his local commanders. 73 00:06:40,639 --> 00:06:43,519 Young men were actually requisitioned to come and work here 74 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:45,519 around the clock to try and get things ready. 75 00:06:47,639 --> 00:06:52,040 These young men are made to pour concrete day and night under floodlights 76 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,439 to complete the remaining casemates. 77 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:00,439 Along with the four main howitzers, 78 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:05,839 the Germans install an anti-aircraft gun and a machine gun, 79 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,000 and dig trenches to connect the main buildings. 80 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:15,839 They also dig a 100-meter-long anti-tank ditch to the northeast, 81 00:07:16,439 --> 00:07:22,439 and surround the battery with two rings of barbed wire and sprawling minefields. 82 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:29,079 The Germans have two more machine gun positions to the east and to the south. 83 00:07:35,959 --> 00:07:41,879 Right along the Atlantic Wall, there's a vast array of heavy-duty weaponry. 84 00:07:45,399 --> 00:07:49,720 It's bolstered by the latest military technology, like radar, 85 00:07:54,279 --> 00:07:59,000 and protected by vast quantities of reinforced concrete. 86 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,600 Combined, they form a formidable defensive front. 87 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,160 But it is one the Allies must penetrate. 88 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,079 On the other side of the Channel, 89 00:08:18,759 --> 00:08:24,680 the Allied forces are preparing for the D-Day invasion right across Britain. 90 00:08:27,879 --> 00:08:32,240 The generals are meticulously planning every minute detail. 91 00:08:34,759 --> 00:08:40,120 Military equipment and tens of thousands of troops are arriving from the US. 92 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,879 And paratroopers practice large-scale drops 93 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:50,639 under the watchful eyes of Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower. 94 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,559 One of the biggest and most important training exercises 95 00:08:58,639 --> 00:09:01,759 will take place on the south coast of Dorset. 96 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,000 Its beaches are very similar to those in Normandy, 97 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:16,080 making it the ideal arena for trial runs for D-Day. 98 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,559 The surrounding area is also largely unpopulated, 99 00:09:21,799 --> 00:09:24,960 so the land can be cleared for live ammunition training, 100 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,039 and to ensure the exercises remain top secret. 101 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:37,399 In 1944, one of the key innovations that needs to be tested here 102 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,679 is the Duplex Drive, or DD tank. 103 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:47,720 For the landings, tanks will be a vital part of the Allied arsenal. 104 00:09:48,279 --> 00:09:51,879 But getting them onto the beaches will be no mean feat. 105 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,799 Pioneering British engineers have spent months 106 00:09:55,879 --> 00:09:59,759 designing and building this ingenious hybrid war machine. 107 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,559 It's a tank that floats in water. 108 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:13,200 John Pearson is the owner of this DD tank. 109 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:17,639 It's the last of its kind in the world. 110 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:23,159 I, personally, can't imagine how the inventor of the DD 111 00:10:23,399 --> 00:10:28,200 ever managed to convince people that you could put a canvas bag round a tank 112 00:10:28,279 --> 00:10:30,000 and put it in the sea and it would float. 113 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,039 The most important part of it being amphibious is the propeller, 114 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:42,519 which goes into and out of here like that, and steers like an outboard motor. 115 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,679 The other major part of the flotation equipment is the skirt, 116 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,200 which is inflated with compressed air. 117 00:10:52,879 --> 00:10:57,120 And when these become rigid, it lifts the top frame up, 118 00:10:59,799 --> 00:11:03,919 and it floats with the tank completely below the water surface. 119 00:11:04,879 --> 00:11:07,799 And so, when it's afloat, it looks just like a rubber boat. 120 00:11:09,399 --> 00:11:15,200 It is surprising that the crews could be persuaded to be launched at sea, 121 00:11:15,279 --> 00:11:16,360 to be honest. 122 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,919 It's not something I would do. I don't mind restoring it. 123 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,279 I don't mind driving it. I don't mind playing with it. 124 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:27,440 But the idea of consigning it to the sea with me inside it, forget it. 125 00:11:27,519 --> 00:11:30,960 I wouldn't do it. They're braver than me. 126 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,399 The plan is for amphibious tanks like this 127 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,600 to be the first to land on the Normandy beaches. 128 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:42,039 They have to be tested. 129 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:51,480 Exercise Smash is a full-scale rehearsal for D-Day, 130 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:53,600 right here in Studland Bay, 131 00:11:54,720 --> 00:12:00,559 complete with destroyers firing shells and infantry arriving on landing craft. 132 00:12:03,039 --> 00:12:08,600 Trooper Albert Price is 18 years old and is on board one of the DD tanks. 133 00:12:10,039 --> 00:12:14,399 Up to this point, his only training has been on inland lakes. 134 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:22,080 We knew we were being trained for D-Day as a special force, 135 00:12:22,399 --> 00:12:24,480 but it was all very hush-hush. 136 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:30,080 The one thing they didn't tell us was that floating around on a lake 137 00:12:30,159 --> 00:12:34,960 and floating around on the sea are two entirely different things. 138 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:43,360 A landing craft transports Albert's tank, 139 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:46,960 along with 18 others, to the mouth of the bay. 140 00:12:49,279 --> 00:12:53,679 They launch the DD tanks four and a half kilometers from the beach. 141 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,799 You always feel vulnerable in that sort of conveyance. 142 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,840 It doesn't look very sturdy at the best of times. 143 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,000 When you're just in a canvas box 144 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,919 and you're seeing every wave lifting you up, it's a bit frightening. 145 00:13:11,159 --> 00:13:15,720 During Exercise Smash, the weather continues to deteriorate. 146 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:20,279 The crews fight to keep control of their unsteady vessels. 147 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,639 In my case, there was suddenly a loud crash 148 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:29,240 and we ended up on top of a rock protruding out from the seabed. 149 00:13:33,399 --> 00:13:37,440 Albert's tank is one of six that are overwhelmed by the waves 150 00:13:37,639 --> 00:13:39,759 and sink during the exercise. 151 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:43,279 Six men drown. 152 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,320 It's a massive setback for the Allied commanders. 153 00:13:54,639 --> 00:14:00,519 High above the bay at Fort Henry, Supreme Commander General Eisenhower, 154 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,720 Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI 155 00:14:05,879 --> 00:14:08,759 visit to witness the training firsthand. 156 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,679 They've learned costly but valuable lessons during this exercise. 157 00:14:27,919 --> 00:14:33,919 It won't be long before these troops are coming ashore under fire from German guns. 158 00:14:35,039 --> 00:14:38,080 D-Day is less than two months away. 159 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:50,039 For the invasion, the Allied commanders have split the target landing sites 160 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,120 into five individually named beaches. 161 00:14:54,799 --> 00:14:57,360 The American divisions will lead the landings 162 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:02,159 on the beaches to the west, codenamed Utah and Omaha. 163 00:15:04,639 --> 00:15:07,519 The British and Canadians will attack on Gold, 164 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,559 Juno and Sword beaches to the east. 165 00:15:11,879 --> 00:15:15,399 The planners are most worried about Omaha Beach. 166 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,080 Viewing from above reveals why. 167 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,159 Steep bluffs surround Omaha Beach. 168 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,720 They give the German guns a formidable vantage point. 169 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,600 Local resident Magali Desquesne 170 00:15:41,759 --> 00:15:47,039 explores one of the Nazi fortifications high above the eastern end of the beach. 171 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,159 What's absolutely impressive from here 172 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:58,279 is that you are able to understand the topography of Omaha Beach. 173 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:04,080 The Germans could definitely take advantage of the high ground. 174 00:16:04,679 --> 00:16:07,919 Those bluffs are about 100 feet high. 175 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:13,679 From here, you can see all the way to the west end of Omaha Beach. 176 00:16:15,639 --> 00:16:18,480 You kind of feel in an amphitheater. 177 00:16:20,639 --> 00:16:25,399 This German complex includes a maze of zigzagging trenches. 178 00:16:26,679 --> 00:16:31,519 Some of the trenches lead into concealed gun positions called tobruks. 179 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:34,559 They're encased in concrete 180 00:16:34,639 --> 00:16:38,080 and are designed to house mortars or machine guns. 181 00:16:39,879 --> 00:16:42,440 You can see them almost like a concrete foxhole, 182 00:16:42,519 --> 00:16:46,080 because it's gonna give some protection to the soldiers 183 00:16:46,159 --> 00:16:48,480 and to the machine gun itself. 184 00:16:48,559 --> 00:16:52,960 And it gives them a complete rotation, a 360-degree rotation. 185 00:16:53,919 --> 00:16:57,240 The only way for this position to be captured 186 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:00,720 will be either a bomb being dropped just here 187 00:17:00,799 --> 00:17:02,919 or being captured by the infantry. 188 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:06,359 But to get here, 189 00:17:06,559 --> 00:17:11,160 approaching Allied infantry must first survive the beaches below. 190 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:17,240 The Germans really focused their defense strategy on defending the beach. 191 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,640 That's where they are concentrating most of their troops 192 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:25,440 to really make their defenses as efficient as possible. 193 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:30,119 Field Marshal Rommel has instructed his troops 194 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,720 to cover all the beaches with deadly obstacles. 195 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:40,279 These include vertical log posts with explosive mines mounted on top, 196 00:17:40,559 --> 00:17:47,200 nicknamed Rommel's asparagus, log wraps rising over two meters tall, 197 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,920 and anti-tank steel frames called Belgian Gates. 198 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,720 Lines of crossed steel beams, known as hedgehogs, 199 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:01,640 stretch as far as the eye can see. 200 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,519 Picture the beach with a couple of thousand obstacles. 201 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:10,359 And all over the Normandy coast, it's more than 10,000 of them, 202 00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:16,440 stopping the tanks right here on the beach as a way to stop any infantry. 203 00:18:18,319 --> 00:18:22,680 Without the support of the tanks, without the support of the artillery, 204 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,799 the progression won't be possible inland. 205 00:18:27,759 --> 00:18:31,839 Hitler himself is confident that Rommel's ferocious defenses 206 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:37,599 will ward off Churchill and the Allies, and prevent them opening a new front. 207 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:07,799 Despite his bravado, 208 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:12,160 Hitler has no idea when or where the Allies will strike. 209 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:24,359 The Nazi commanders continue to reinforce the defenses 210 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:26,839 right along the Atlantic Wall. 211 00:19:28,519 --> 00:19:34,279 In Normandy, one of the most fearsome fortifications is Pointe du Hoc. 212 00:19:37,759 --> 00:19:43,920 From above, it's clear why the peninsular is such a crucial strategic position. 213 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,839 Near-vertical cliffs, 30 meters tall, 214 00:19:50,559 --> 00:19:53,559 make it a daunting target for any military units 215 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,920 trying to launch an attack from the sea below. 216 00:19:59,559 --> 00:20:04,200 The Germans have excavated six open concrete pits. 217 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:10,960 Each pit houses a 155-millimeter-caliber gun. 218 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:18,079 They captured these huge cannons from the French when they invaded the region. 219 00:20:21,039 --> 00:20:24,319 Now the weapons have been turned against the Allies 220 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,000 to help ward off the inevitable counterattack. 221 00:20:33,079 --> 00:20:36,279 The site superintendent, Scott Desjardins, 222 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:41,119 investigates what makes Pointe du Hoc such a potent defensive position. 223 00:20:43,319 --> 00:20:47,039 Pointe du Hoc is a perfect position to put large-caliber guns 224 00:20:47,759 --> 00:20:50,319 because they have free range on both their left and right. 225 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:52,119 There's no obstructions at all. 226 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:56,680 So it's easy to understand why the Germans would have picked these firing positions 227 00:20:56,759 --> 00:20:57,960 here at the Pointe. 228 00:21:00,799 --> 00:21:02,960 This is one of the actual gun emplacements. 229 00:21:04,079 --> 00:21:06,079 The piece of steel there would have been where 230 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:08,799 the pinion of the cannon would have been. 231 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:11,960 And from there, it's turned left and right 232 00:21:12,519 --> 00:21:15,720 to whatever deflection they need to hit a target. 233 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:21,759 Their weaponry here was unique. 234 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,400 They have an incredible range, they're incredibly accurate, 235 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:28,599 which makes them incredibly dangerous. 236 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:36,960 They are really going to threaten our invasion 237 00:21:37,039 --> 00:21:39,839 if we don't make sure these guns are out of commission. 238 00:21:42,799 --> 00:21:48,640 The six 155-millimeter guns have a range of almost 20 kilometers. 239 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:56,000 They can fire across the entirety of both Utah and Omaha Beach. 240 00:21:57,279 --> 00:22:02,240 They also pose a serious threat to any approaching Allied warships. 241 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,079 So, on the 5th of April, 1944, 242 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:12,599 a group of A-20 Havoc bombers from the Ninth Air Force Division 243 00:22:13,079 --> 00:22:16,000 target the clifftop guns at Pointe du Hoc. 244 00:22:18,559 --> 00:22:20,599 The bombing continues for weeks, 245 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:27,480 turning the peninsular into a moonscape. 246 00:22:38,759 --> 00:22:41,920 This one was done by aerial bombardment, and it's a big one. 247 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:45,440 This is one of the biggest craters on the site. 248 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:48,720 You could easily fit a home here. 249 00:22:51,759 --> 00:22:55,240 You can imagine that with the destruction that was caused here 250 00:22:55,319 --> 00:22:58,759 that any German soldier within 300 meters of here 251 00:22:58,839 --> 00:23:01,000 becomes quickly non-combat ineffective. 252 00:23:01,319 --> 00:23:02,920 His insides are rattled. 253 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:09,680 There's absolutely no doubt that it took 254 00:23:09,759 --> 00:23:14,680 physical and mental deterioration on the German soldier himself. 255 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:17,279 It was terrible for morale. 256 00:23:17,599 --> 00:23:21,000 I would not have wanted to have been a German soldier here in April or May. 257 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:23,599 I imagine that life was pretty miserable. 258 00:23:27,079 --> 00:23:30,880 The relentless bombing severely damages three of the guns, 259 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:36,319 forcing the Germans to move the others to a less vulnerable position inland. 260 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:45,640 50 kilometers along the coast, the Allies also carry out 18 bombing raids 261 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:49,079 on the Merville Battery during April and May, 262 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:54,359 leaving huge craters in the aftermath. 263 00:23:55,519 --> 00:24:00,759 But the bombs have failed to cause any major damage to the four howitzer guns. 264 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,920 The concrete casemates have done their job. 265 00:24:07,839 --> 00:24:12,519 This battery remains a serious threat to the Allied invasion. 266 00:24:18,559 --> 00:24:23,079 As D-Day approaches, tens of thousands of Allied troops 267 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:26,519 make their way to ports along the south coast of England. 268 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,720 In the harbors and along the quays, nearly half a million troops 269 00:24:36,039 --> 00:24:42,160 and 144,000 vehicles are loading onto ships bound for Normandy. 270 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,279 Infantry arrive from nearby camps. 271 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,000 They board ships and landing craft. 272 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,559 Some of the troops embarking here are bound for Omaha Beach. 273 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,200 They will cross the Channel to France overnight. 274 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,880 So most of the first wave set off on the 5th of June. 275 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,640 Late on the same day, at airfields across England, 276 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:40,799 over 18,000 paratroopers and glider-borne infantry 277 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,759 prepare to depart to join the invasion. 278 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:51,599 Along with their rifles, they load up with extra rations, ammunition and grenades. 279 00:25:54,319 --> 00:25:56,720 Some even pack carrier pigeons 280 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,319 so they can send progress reports back across the Channel. 281 00:26:02,799 --> 00:26:08,119 Troops load heavy artillery, including anti-tank guns, into gliders. 282 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,240 These will be towed by aircraft across the Channel 283 00:26:13,319 --> 00:26:16,000 and released near the coast of Normandy. 284 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:20,799 At RAF Greenham Common, 285 00:26:21,319 --> 00:26:25,920 Supreme Commander of the Allied forces on D-Day, General Eisenhower, 286 00:26:26,599 --> 00:26:28,759 arrives to give his orders of the day. 287 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:32,519 Soldiers, sailors and airmen 288 00:26:32,599 --> 00:26:34,680 of the Allied Expeditionary Force, 289 00:26:35,519 --> 00:26:38,200 you are about to embark upon the great crusade 290 00:26:38,839 --> 00:26:41,079 toward which we have striven these many months. 291 00:26:41,759 --> 00:26:43,640 The eyes of the world are upon you. 292 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:48,839 We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck. 293 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:52,599 Many of these paratroopers 294 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:57,599 will cross the Channel to the Normandy beaches on C-47 Dakotas. 295 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:06,319 On board one of the planes is Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway, 296 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,119 British Commander of the Ninth Parachute Battalion. 297 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:19,319 We took off at about 10:30 p.m. and I walked down the aircraft. 298 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:22,839 I spoke to all the aircrew. 299 00:27:23,519 --> 00:27:25,519 I had taken a bottle of whiskey on board, 300 00:27:25,599 --> 00:27:28,559 so we all had a drink there and I passed it round. 301 00:27:29,519 --> 00:27:31,759 Otway's view from above gives him 302 00:27:31,839 --> 00:27:34,920 a unique glimpse of the scale of D-Day. 303 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,359 I actually stood in the door of my aircraft. 304 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:42,000 It was a most fantastic sight. 305 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:43,680 I could see all the ships, 306 00:27:43,759 --> 00:27:47,599 and they seemed to be already streaming towards the French coast. 307 00:27:51,519 --> 00:27:54,160 The Ninth Battalion's primary objective 308 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,000 is to destroy the Nazi-controlled Merville Battery, 309 00:27:58,319 --> 00:28:01,480 which threatens the troops landing on Sword Beach. 310 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,839 Each group of paratroopers has a carefully planned drop zone. 311 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,960 Otway's battalion is aiming for drop zone V, 312 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,079 a few kilometers southeast of Merville. 313 00:28:16,759 --> 00:28:20,759 Field Marshal Rommel has ordered many of the surrounding fields 314 00:28:20,839 --> 00:28:23,559 to be flooded as an extra deterrent, 315 00:28:23,839 --> 00:28:27,680 so it's essential that the paratroopers hit their targets. 316 00:28:29,799 --> 00:28:33,000 But navigating at night is extremely challenging, 317 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,400 and as Otway's Dakota approaches the French coast, 318 00:28:37,759 --> 00:28:40,440 they are spotted by the German defenses. 319 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:47,400 Quite suddenly, anti-aircraft fire, large and small, opened up on us, 320 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:51,000 and I was waiting to jump and there was an explosion. 321 00:28:53,559 --> 00:28:56,400 Otway is propelled out of his plane 322 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:01,240 as thousands of other paratroopers also make their descent near Merville. 323 00:29:02,079 --> 00:29:03,880 It was completely chaotic. 324 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,680 Aircraft going in all directions except the right ones, 325 00:29:06,759 --> 00:29:09,240 and all levels except for the right ones. 326 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:17,039 Amidst the chaos, most of the paratroopers miss their targets. 327 00:29:20,839 --> 00:29:24,200 Many land in Rommel's flooded fields and drown, 328 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:29,279 unable to escape under the weight of all their soaking wet kit. 329 00:29:30,559 --> 00:29:37,079 Of the 750 men in Otway's battalion, only 150 make it to the rendezvous point. 330 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:43,039 The decision was, "Do I go on with 150 or do I pack it in?" 331 00:29:43,119 --> 00:29:47,240 But I didn't hesitate. I said, "We must go on." 332 00:29:50,559 --> 00:29:55,119 A pathfinder group sent in advance has cut a couple of openings 333 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,559 in the battery's outer ring of barbed wire 334 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,559 and cleared two routes through the minefield. 335 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,400 A diversionary attack heads to the entrance of the battery. 336 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:13,200 At 4:30 a.m., Otway sends the primary attack groups 337 00:30:13,279 --> 00:30:16,400 through the two gaps created by the pathfinders. 338 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:19,880 The attack went in, 339 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:25,640 and there was a lot of machine gun fire coming from the Germans from both flanks. 340 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,200 The foreparties attacked the casemates. 341 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,599 There was some fairly severe hand-to-hand fighting. 342 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,759 By 5:00 a.m. on the sixth of June, 343 00:30:42,079 --> 00:30:45,359 the Ninth Battalion has completely occupied the battery. 344 00:30:52,039 --> 00:30:55,200 Out of 150 men that we went in with, all ranks, 345 00:30:55,279 --> 00:30:58,000 there were only 75 of us left standing on our feet. 346 00:30:58,079 --> 00:31:01,799 The others had been killed or wounded. It was rather horrible. 347 00:31:05,559 --> 00:31:10,519 Despite the losses, Otway is able to send a success signal. 348 00:31:11,119 --> 00:31:14,400 My signal officer had got a carrier pigeon, 349 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:19,759 and he tied a victory message round its leg and sent it off, 350 00:31:19,839 --> 00:31:23,480 and it arrived back at Whitehall that morning. 351 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,440 Shortly after the Ninth Battalion take the Merville Battery, 352 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:34,039 the Allied navies begin their bombardment on the German defenses. 353 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:43,480 Almost 7,000 vessels approach the north coast of France, 354 00:31:43,839 --> 00:31:46,799 including over 1,200 warships. 355 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:53,319 Ahead of the landings, minesweepers have cleared channels 356 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:56,680 to allow the warships to safely move into position. 357 00:31:58,119 --> 00:32:03,279 The larger ships have specific targets that each threaten the landing beaches. 358 00:32:05,839 --> 00:32:10,440 At 5:23 a.m., the Allied navies open fire. 359 00:32:20,759 --> 00:32:25,680 One of the flagships in the British fleet is HMS Belfast. 360 00:32:29,119 --> 00:32:34,039 Viewing from above gives a unique perspective of this mighty warship. 361 00:32:38,079 --> 00:32:41,119 The vessel is almost 200 meters long. 362 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:47,599 Its primary weapons are two triple turrets positioned at either end 363 00:32:48,319 --> 00:32:51,680 that have a range of over 22 kilometers. 364 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:59,400 It's also armed with a variety of anti-aircraft guns for defense, 365 00:33:00,519 --> 00:33:03,519 and additional double gun turrets along each deck. 366 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:12,000 They combine to create a formidable and lethal assault weapon. 367 00:33:17,559 --> 00:33:24,000 Lead curator Robert Rumble studies the ferocious arsenal of HMS Belfast. 368 00:33:25,839 --> 00:33:32,599 The firepower offered by large warships to smash German gun emplacements, 369 00:33:32,759 --> 00:33:38,680 bunkers, concrete positions was key to softening up the enemy positions. 370 00:33:40,759 --> 00:33:43,359 The shells raining down on the beaches 371 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:46,359 are stored in the heart of HMS Belfast. 372 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,680 A fortified steel cylinder 373 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:53,480 protects a cavernous munitions room beneath each turret. 374 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,160 Each room can hold up to 1,000 shells, 375 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,400 but every one has to be loaded by hand. 376 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:09,360 A sailor would have taken a shell... 377 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:13,280 It's worth remembering that these weigh over 50 kilos, 378 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,039 so they're incredibly heavy. 379 00:34:15,119 --> 00:34:18,199 Would have loaded them by hand into these hoists, 380 00:34:18,639 --> 00:34:21,679 and then the shell would have gone up the hoist, 381 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:24,800 all the way to the turret itself, 382 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,719 where the turret crew would have been ready to take them 383 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:30,119 and load them into the guns. 384 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:34,639 Four decks above, inside the turret towers, 385 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:39,760 the crews can load and launch eight shells a minute from each gun. 386 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,199 To load it, the gun would be brought to the horizontal, 387 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:52,239 breech opened, the loading tray brought over, 388 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:58,320 shell rammed up, powder bag dropped in behind it, 389 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:01,599 30 pounds of cordite, and that would be rammed up as well. 390 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:03,119 Breech closed, 391 00:35:04,599 --> 00:35:08,880 vent tube into the small breech at the back here, and that closed as well. 392 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:14,000 And then the gun would be brought up to the correct elevation, ready for firing. 393 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:19,000 At 5:27 a.m. on the sixth of June, 394 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:24,159 HMS Belfast fires all its main guns on the Normandy coast, 395 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:28,320 launching 96 shells a minute. 396 00:35:37,639 --> 00:35:40,199 These guns were what Belfast was all about. 397 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:46,679 The whole ship shook through the energy of all 12 guns firing at the same time. 398 00:35:48,079 --> 00:35:53,960 The sounds and the flash of the explosion out through the barrels was tremendous. 399 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:03,360 After two hours of the Allied warships battering their German targets, 400 00:36:05,199 --> 00:36:07,760 the amphibious landings begin. 401 00:36:11,039 --> 00:36:12,920 On the British and Canadian beaches, 402 00:36:14,519 --> 00:36:18,280 each brigade launches the Duplex Drive tanks first. 403 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:24,480 Behind them, landing craft packed with specialized assault vehicles, 404 00:36:25,599 --> 00:36:32,039 then the infantry, traveling on board multiple waves of smaller landing craft. 405 00:36:34,119 --> 00:36:38,880 Almost 25,000 British soldiers target Gold Beach. 406 00:36:40,239 --> 00:36:44,000 More than 21,000 Canadians approach Juno. 407 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:49,840 And a further 28,000 British troops zone in on Sword. 408 00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:56,320 Combined with the US forces landing on Utah and Omaha, 409 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:01,800 over 130,000 Allied soldiers prepare to disembark, 410 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,559 with the warships continuing to provide support. 411 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:13,440 They enter a maelstrom of German shells and bullets. 412 00:37:16,199 --> 00:37:17,639 Chaos ensues. 413 00:37:24,039 --> 00:37:25,559 Despite the carnage, 414 00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:31,079 wave upon wave of infantry arrive on the shoreline behind the tanks. 415 00:37:35,519 --> 00:37:36,960 On Gold Beach, 416 00:37:37,039 --> 00:37:41,599 the British commanders have learned their lessons from Exercise Smash. 417 00:37:43,079 --> 00:37:48,599 Given the rough seas, they only launch the DD tanks just off the beaches. 418 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,440 Most successfully land, 419 00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:57,559 and provide destructive and heavily-armored support for the infantry. 420 00:38:02,039 --> 00:38:07,000 20 kilometers down the coast, it's a different story on Omaha. 421 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:13,000 The Americans have launched their DD tanks 422 00:38:13,079 --> 00:38:15,760 over four and a half kilometers off the coast. 423 00:38:16,159 --> 00:38:18,960 And in the rough seas, most have sunk. 424 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:27,199 This leaves the infantry exposed as they land on the beach 425 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:29,199 in the most vulnerable position. 426 00:38:32,199 --> 00:38:33,480 The water line. 427 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,079 As they disembark the landing craft, 428 00:38:43,519 --> 00:38:48,679 they are sitting ducks for the German guns embedded high on the bluffs. 429 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,400 On the 6th of June, 1944, 430 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:07,639 most of the German guns are not aiming at the Allied navies out at sea. 431 00:39:09,639 --> 00:39:13,400 They are pointing directly along the Normandy beaches. 432 00:39:18,559 --> 00:39:19,960 Here at Omaha, 433 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:25,920 the gunners have easy prey. 434 00:39:29,159 --> 00:39:32,199 More than 34,000 American soldiers 435 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:36,599 are disembarking on this short stretch of sand. 436 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:46,960 With more German guns at the other end of Omaha, 437 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:52,239 the Allied troops are charging into a deadly web of defensive crossfire. 438 00:39:56,599 --> 00:40:00,360 One US soldier, who makes it onto the beach in the first wave, 439 00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:03,039 is Harley Reynolds. 440 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:08,679 The main message from his training is clear. 441 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:13,840 You've gotta get off the beach to be safe. 442 00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:18,639 You're gonna be killed on that beach. Get the hell off of it. 443 00:40:22,519 --> 00:40:24,480 When our boat hit land, 444 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:30,320 we had approximately 300 yards yet to go to the shingle bank. 445 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:36,079 It was the only protection that you had at all on that beach, behind that shingle. 446 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:41,679 I had 80 pounds of equipment on me. I ran, and I didn't miss a step. 447 00:40:42,199 --> 00:40:44,559 Never moved so fast in my life. 448 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:50,960 I had bullets come so close to me, I could feel the wind from it. 449 00:40:51,519 --> 00:40:53,760 You could hear the bullets zipping by. 450 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,400 You could hear them hit the men alongside of you. 451 00:41:01,159 --> 00:41:03,880 It's a terrible sound, to hear a bullet hit a man. 452 00:41:08,159 --> 00:41:13,960 I can remember thinking on that beach, no one was gonna survive. 453 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:22,000 My feeling was that we were 454 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:24,920 being sacrificed. 455 00:41:39,039 --> 00:41:43,679 Wave after wave of infantry arrive in Omaha's killing zone. 456 00:41:47,079 --> 00:41:51,000 The Americans suffer 2,500 casualties. 457 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:04,199 Eventually, enough survivors make it off the beaches and up the bluffs. 458 00:42:05,119 --> 00:42:07,440 They outflank the German positions. 459 00:42:10,679 --> 00:42:15,519 The improving morning light allows Allied warships to approach the beach 460 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:18,920 and target the bunkers housing the big guns. 461 00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:29,239 Ultimately, the sheer scale of the Allied invasion 462 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:31,920 is too much for the German defenses. 463 00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:35,840 D-Day is a huge success. 464 00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:41,440 Over the coming days, 465 00:42:41,679 --> 00:42:46,639 tens of thousands of Allied soldiers begin to progress inland. 466 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:54,679 In most of the coastal villages, they are welcomed as liberators. 467 00:43:02,039 --> 00:43:03,760 Many Germans surrender. 468 00:43:08,199 --> 00:43:09,480 Some do not. 469 00:43:15,559 --> 00:43:18,679 D-Day is a major turning point in the war. 470 00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:24,840 Once more, the Allies have a foothold in mainland Europe. 471 00:43:27,119 --> 00:43:30,760 But this victory has come at a heavy cost. 472 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:35,920 There are at least 10,000 Allied casualties, 473 00:43:36,599 --> 00:43:39,719 with more than 4,000 confirmed dead. 474 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:47,559 Thousands of civilians and Germans have also lost their lives. 475 00:43:52,039 --> 00:43:55,480 And a long road to Berlin lies ahead. 43020

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