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9th May, 1940.
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In France and Britain, things had
been quiet in the war up to now.
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00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,959
Life had gone on
almost as in peacetime.
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00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:18,199
In this small French town,
not far from the German border,
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the children continued
to go to school as normal.
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But this would be their last class.
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EXPLOSION
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On the next day,
the German soldiers invaded France.
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00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,959
Life would never be
quite the same again.
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00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:43,359
This series is the epic story
of World War Two.
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00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,839
As it raged across
countries and continents.
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00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,439
As millions of soldiers fought
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
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00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:56,399
Banzai!
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00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,959
It is the moving story of
the millions of civilians
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00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:03,959
whose homes were
destroyed and lives disrupted...
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00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,719
..as they were caught up
in the cataclysm of war.
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00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,719
To tell this story,
the best footage of the war has been
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painstakingly transformed, using
digital techniques, into colour.
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Along with original
colour home movies,
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it gives a completely
new perspective
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to one of the greatest events
of the last century.
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00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,919
This is the powerful story of
the apocalypse and of the people
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who fought the Second World War.
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10th May, 1940.
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At dawn, the Germans unleashed
their offensive in the West.
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German paratroopers
were dropped into Holland.
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They were the vanguard,
the first of three million invaders.
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The Wehrmacht marched into Belgium,
all part of Hitler's deception plan.
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The Germans pretended they were
going to attack France through
neutral Belgium as they did in 1914.
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The commander in chief of the Allied
forces, French General Gamelin,
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ordered the British
and French armies
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to enter neighbouring Belgium.
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Gamelin moved
his motorised divisions,
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the elite of the French army,
into Belgium,
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along with the entire
British Expeditionary Force.
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These were the best soldiers he had.
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00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:16,119
Their task was to stop
the German advance through Belgium.
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Hitler, in his headquarters,
was delighted.
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00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,879
His deception plan had worked!
40
00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,879
He exclaimed,
"I could weep for joy."
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00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,639
He instructed Field Marshal Goering,
in command of the air force,
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not to bomb the French
and British columns,
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and to let them proceed
deep into Belgian territory.
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Then he attacked them from the rear.
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His real offensive was through
the Ardennes forest.
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According to the
French high command,
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"No tank could ever get through
those densely-forested hills."
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00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:14,239
But nothing stopped
the German panzers
except their own traffic jams.
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00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,279
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands,
Belgium and Luxembourg,
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people who were lucky enough to
own cars were the first to flee.
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00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:43,719
The Germans continued
their diversionary tactics,
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invading Belgium with
specially-trained airborne forces.
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SINGING IN GERMAN
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The sappers belted out the song
they had sung in Poland,
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"The girls will have to wait,
comrades!
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"It's time to go, comrades!"
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On 11th May, at daybreak,
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German paratroopers
were dropped into Belgium.
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00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:12,919
Their goal was
to capture the linchpin
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of the Belgian defence system,
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Fort Eben-Emael on the Albert Canal,
reputed to be impregnable.
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An intrepid German soldier
was filmed on the top of a turret,
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setting off explosives.
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The fort was captured
in less than 24 hours.
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Film of the triumphant conquerors
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would create a reputation
of German invincibility.
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After the fort fell,
people scrambled
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to catch the last trains to Paris.
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00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:15,439
In the French capital,
the Red Cross was swamped.
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00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:20,559
Belgian refugees were transferred
to cattle trucks heading south.
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00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:34,239
As the Germans entered Liege,
the panic spread.
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Faced with such a show of force, the
only thing to do was obey or flee.
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EXPLOSIONS
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For hundreds of years,
wars had been fought here.
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And throughout history, farmers
had always been the last to flee,
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to abandon their animals.
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The Flemish poet
Emile Verhaeren had written,
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"The people around here
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"have nothing at all,
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"Nothing before them
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"but the endlessness
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"of the open road.
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"The people who work the fields,
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"the people round here,
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"have only endless misfortune."
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The Germans unleashed
an aerial offensive,
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destroying crossroads...
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..airfields...
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..refineries and fuel supplies.
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Cities in northern
and eastern France were bombed.
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00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,759
The French were now facing
the reality of modern warfare.
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In the Netherlands,
the port of Rotterdam was ablaze.
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The result of a German
terror-bombing raid,
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like the one on Warsaw.
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But these bombs were dropped
afterthe city had surrendered,
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another of Hitler's war crimes.
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In London, there was a new
prime minister, Winston Churchill.
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His first speech revealed his
determination to keep fighting.
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"I will say, without a doubt,
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"that the fate of Holland
and Belgium, like that of Poland,
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"Czechoslovakia and Austria,
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"will be decided
by the victory of the British Empire
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"and the French Republic."
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00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,719
But things had taken a sudden
turn for the worse in France.
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00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,279
In just three days, the Germans
had swept through the Ardennes
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and were advancing towards
the French defensive line
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on the Meuse River.
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MACHINE-GUN FIRE
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Closing the net
with their pincer movement,
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the Germans tried to entrap
the Allied troops massed in Belgium.
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00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:13,879
The German advance rapidly
overwhelmed the French defences.
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With hand grenades, machine guns...
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..they took the town
of Sedan in one day.
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00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,959
Success at Sedan
proved to be the key to victory.
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BOMBS WHINE
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00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,959
EXPLOSION
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The next obstacle for the Germans
was the Meuse river.
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00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:38,399
On the night of 13th May,
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they brought in girders
to bridge the river.
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00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,559
The French fought back.
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00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:47,559
But the Germans neutralised
the French artillery,
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00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,999
and the next morning their sappers
finished the bridge,
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00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,999
galvanised by their general, Heinz
Guderian, a 42-year-old Prussian.
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A great armoured warfare strategist,
125
00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:02,519
he deployed tanks to strike
with force, daring and speed.
126
00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,919
The blitzkrieg, or "lightning war",
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00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:10,919
was intended to give the enemy
no time to react.
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00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:16,799
First in were the tanks, then the
infantry, all supported by aircraft,
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00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:21,119
especially the Stuka.
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00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:27,679
The Stukas were dive-bombers
equipped with sirens.
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00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,079
Their highly-trained pilots
released their bombs
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00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:38,079
at the last minute
with lethal precision.
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00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:49,319
The French premier, Paul Reynaud,
telephoned Churchill in alarm.
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00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:53,359
"They've broken through the front,
the road to Paris is open."
135
00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,959
The French generals were at a loss,
unable to react to the crisis.
136
00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:07,519
With the Allied forces tied up
in Belgium, how could they stop
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00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:11,519
the German advance?
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00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,239
Paris, in late May, 1940.
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00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:29,239
The French authorities
were struggling to deal with
the increasing number of refugees.
140
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,519
All of Belgium and northern France
seemed to be pouring into the city.
141
00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:39,359
Schools, hospitals
and barracks were soon overflowing.
142
00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:47,759
For these people,
their exile had begun.
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00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,279
Information was sparse,
rumours abounded.
144
00:12:56,280 --> 00:13:00,279
Had Gamelin, the French general,
committed suicide?
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00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:03,519
No. But the French high command
now realised
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00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,999
that the Germans
were heading for the coast
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00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,199
and the Allies
had fallen into a trap.
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00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,199
A counterattack was ordered,
and a young colonel
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00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:16,919
named Charles de Gaulle
distinguished himself
at the head of a tank brigade.
150
00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,479
The French army possessed more tanks
and many were of better quality
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00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,359
The French soldiers
kept asking themselves,
153
00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,359
"Why isn't our air force
protecting us?"
154
00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:08,119
Badly led and poorly organised,
155
00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,439
the French pilots
were outnumbered three to one,
156
00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,639
but they fought on regardless.
157
00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:17,639
1,000 German pilots were
shot down and taken prisoner.
158
00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,319
The British government
repeatedly asked its French ally
159
00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:25,079
to hand over these pilots
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00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:27,399
in order to transfer them
to Canada...
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00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,119
in vain.
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00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:32,119
This proved to be
a terrible blunder.
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00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:35,479
When the armistice was signed,
these pilots returned to Germany
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00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,479
and were then able to join
the battle against Britain.
165
00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:48,199
The German panzers moved swiftly
through the towns and villages
of northern France.
166
00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,519
Valiantly,
French and British soldiers
167
00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:06,639
tried to slow the German advance.
168
00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,119
MACHINE-GUN FIRE
169
00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:14,119
But the Germans crushed
any pockets of resistance.
170
00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:25,599
The French commanders
no longer knew where the enemy were.
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00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,919
A staff officer, Captain Beaufre.
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00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,319
"We kept receiving
more and more bad news.
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00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:34,639
"The atmosphere was unbelievable.
174
00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,799
"After eight days in a row
of disastrous news,
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00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:41,799
"we were being worn down
psychologically.
176
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,799
"That was also the first time
I ever saw a man cry."
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00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,879
The Germans finally fought their
way through to the English Channel.
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00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,959
Their deception plan
worked brilliantly.
179
00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,959
Lured into Belgium,
the British Expeditionary Force
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00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,439
and the French armed forces
were now encircled.
181
00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:09,439
On 28th May, the Belgian king
surrendered, along with his army.
182
00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,079
The British Expeditionary Force
withdrew towards the coast.
183
00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:19,279
The Allied armies
were on the brink of disaster.
184
00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:28,679
In Paris, the French premier,
Paul Reynaud, dismissed Gamelin
185
00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,359
and appointed a new commander,
General Weygand, 72 years old,
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00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:38,639
one of the architects of the Allied
victory in 1918. To bolster morale,
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00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,439
Reynaud named another
World War I hero as vice-premier,
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00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:45,919
84-year-old Marshal Petain,
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00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,879
who would soon turn his back
on Reynaud's policies.
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00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:52,799
But Weygand had no choice,
he too was forced to order
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00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:55,399
a full retreat towards Dunkirk.
192
00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,999
Hitler let them go.
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00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,719
Maybe this was a gesture of mercy
towards Great Britain
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00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,759
and he was hoping
for a separate peace.
195
00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:08,759
Or had Goering assured him
that his air force was capable
of preventing an evacuation?
196
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,439
400,000 men flooded onto the beach,
helpless and in disarray.
197
00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:19,079
They had one last chance,
to escape across the Channel.
198
00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:25,039
Churchill ordered any vessel that
could float to go and get them.
199
00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:31,039
Destroyers, minesweepers, trawlers,
tugboats, barges, luxury yachts,
200
00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,599
and even the Thames fireboat.
201
00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:41,879
The flotilla of "little ships"
sailed across the Channel
202
00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:45,879
to rescue the besieged troops.
203
00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:01,879
On the outskirts of Dunkirk,
British and French troops
204
00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,519
held back the Germans,
with heavy losses.
205
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,519
Goering sent in the Luftwaffe's
Stukas and bombers.
206
00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,759
AEROPLANE ENGINE SCREAMS
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00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,999
224,000 British and 114,000 French
troops were successfully evacuated,
208
00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:57,759
rescued from death or capture.
209
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,919
CHEERING
210
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The British army was saved.
211
00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:07,959
But it was in tatters.
212
00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:21,279
The French were sent back
to Brittany in a final attempt
213
00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,279
to defend their country.
214
00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:51,119
The British were sent off
to be re-equipped.
215
00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:56,039
All of Great Britain hailed Dunkirk
as an extraordinary feat.
216
00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:59,919
Churchill, however,
put it into perspective.
217
00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:03,919
He told the House of Commons,
"Wars are not won by evacuations."
218
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:10,799
Even so, it was then,
219
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:14,799
in those first days of June 1940,
that the "Dunkirk spirit" was born.
220
00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,639
The British people now had
to face up to fighting on alone.
221
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,679
Some thought it was time
to make peace with Hitler.
222
00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:37,079
On 4th June, Churchill,
who was also battling the defeatists
223
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:40,079
within government, spoke out.
224
00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,079
His words made history.
225
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:46,079
"We shall fight on the beaches, on
the landing grounds, in the fields,
226
00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:48,839
"in the streets and on the hills.
227
00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,199
"We shall never surrender."
228
00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:56,199
Finally, on that same day,
the Germans took Dunkirk.
229
00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,679
Abandoned equipment was everywhere,
230
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:07,679
lavishly filmed by
the Wehrmacht's propaganda units.
231
00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:12,319
The British forces
had left behind almost everything.
232
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,599
And the beach was littered
with wreckage.
233
00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:42,559
Hitler proclaimed
the Battle of Dunkirk as
"the greatest battle in history"
234
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:49,239
and said the 4th of June would now
be a national holiday in Germany.
235
00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,559
In spite of their success, the
Germans also suffered huge losses.
236
00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,599
Guderian allowed his soldiers
to take a break.
237
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:07,599
They were proud of their general
and marked their equipment
with his initial, G.
238
00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,919
THEY LAUGH AND SPEAK GERMAN
239
00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:16,479
Most of them were drunk
with fatigue.
240
00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:20,199
After fighting non-stop,
night and day,
241
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:24,199
they had hardly slept in four weeks.
242
00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,919
ENGINE ROARS
243
00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:43,319
The offensive continued.
244
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,319
France looked like
it was about to collapse.
245
00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:55,839
But Reynaud and De Gaulle,
246
00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,879
now General and Undersecretary
of State for War,
247
00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,879
were determined
to continue the fight.
248
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,199
On the 10th of June, 1940, in Rome,
249
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,479
the Italian dictator Mussolini,
250
00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:20,479
"Il Duce",
had a big announcement to make.
251
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:36,559
Mussolini was already dreaming
of his share of the spoils.
252
00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:39,519
Corsica, Nice, Savoy,
253
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:41,839
Tunisia, Malta.
254
00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,839
The Allies called his declaration
of war 'a stab in the back'.
255
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:55,239
General Rommel's troops stormed
into Normandy and entered Rouen.
256
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,599
Paris was declared an open city.
257
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,079
It was turned over to the enemy
without a fight in order to be
258
00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:26,079
spared the fate of
Warsaw and Rotterdam.
259
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,679
The French government had
already evacuated to Bordeaux
260
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,679
as the Germans approached Paris.
261
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:38,599
Abandoned by their government,
many Parisians fled.
262
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:43,399
All of France seemed to take to the
road, an event that would come to be
263
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:45,239
known by a biblical name -
264
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:49,239
the Exodus.
265
00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,399
Six million French men and women
set off towards the river Loire,
266
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,639
the last line of defence.
267
00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:01,639
But there was no defence
against the Stukas.
268
00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:13,759
At daybreak,
269
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:15,679
on the 14th of June 1940,
270
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:19,679
the Germans entered Paris.
271
00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:32,559
The Nazi Swastika flew triumphantly
over the French capital.
272
00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:42,359
The first act of the German
occupiers was to seize records from
273
00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:45,559
the abandoned ministries -
274
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,119
lists of spies, of Jews,
of Freemasons.
275
00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:52,599
Even the original copy
of the Treaty of Versailles
276
00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:54,919
that so humiliated Germany in 1919
277
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:58,799
was sent off to Hitler.
278
00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:02,119
The Exodus had come to a halt.
279
00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:05,559
The bridges over the
Loire had been blown.
280
00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,559
There was nowhere left to flee to.
281
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:16,039
Petain, in Bordeaux, wanted
to put an end to the suffering.
282
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:24,679
The Germans continued their
relentless advance south
283
00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:28,679
with such speed that the
French army began to disintegrate.
284
00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,119
It's losses were huge.
285
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:37,119
In one month,
100,000 French soldiers had died,
286
00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:41,559
more than in the first
month of the First World War.
287
00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:53,039
One million, eight hundred and fifty
thousand soldiers
288
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,079
were taken prisoner, along with
36,000 officers and 176 generals.
289
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:11,439
Among the prisoners,
were many African soldiers
290
00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:15,439
from the French colonial troops.
291
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:19,759
3,000 African soldiers
and officers from the French army
292
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,519
were shot and killed
after they were captured.
293
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,479
Racism was rampant
among the German soldiers
294
00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:29,479
after seven years
of Nazi indoctrination.
295
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,799
Marshal Petain was appointed
to head the French government.
296
00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:45,519
On the 17th of June,
297
00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,839
those who had remained in
Paris listened to Petain.
298
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:50,399
The First World War hero now
299
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,799
announced that he was
seeking an Armistice.
300
00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:56,799
RADIO CRACKLES
301
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:18,279
German radio translated this speech
announcing France's capitulation.
302
00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:33,039
Some people in France were
able to receive the BBC.
303
00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:35,439
General de Gaulle
had arrived in London.
304
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,159
On the 18th of June,
he denounced the Armistice.
305
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:43,159
A few days later,
he recorded a new speech.
306
00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:02,239
As he toured Paris,
Hitler received a telegram of
307
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:06,239
congratulations from Stalin.
308
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:16,479
On the 22nd of June 1940, Hitler
arrived in Compiegne, near Paris,
309
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,319
to accept the French surrender.
310
00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:24,159
Everything was designed
to humiliate the losers.
311
00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:26,839
Hitler had brought in the same
railway car that was used for
312
00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,839
the signing of the 1918 Armistice
that had sealed Germany's defeat.
313
00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,879
His revenge was complete.
314
00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,719
The French delegation was
led by General Huntziger.
315
00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:22,399
An interpreter read out a
diatribe accusing France of
316
00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,599
declaring war without any reason.
317
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,799
Hitler did not utter a single world.
318
00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,199
Then he stood up and left.
319
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,319
The French delegates
had been informed
320
00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:37,639
of the terms of the Armistice.
321
00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:41,559
One of them they objected to,
handing over all the anti-Nazi
322
00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:45,399
Germans who had taken
refuge in France.
323
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:46,959
Huntziger tried to negotiate.
324
00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:49,959
The Germans refused.
325
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,079
The Armistice was signed as it was.
326
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:54,839
It was a humiliation for France
327
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:58,839
and a catastrophe for Britain
who had lost its major ally.
328
00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:12,879
Hitler visited the men who had
delivered the stunning victory.
329
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,919
He was more solemn when he entered
Strasbourg and its cathedral.
330
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:27,719
Alsace and Lorraine
were German once again,
331
00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:31,719
as he promised they would be
in Mein Kampf.
332
00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:37,359
The spoils of the French campaign,
2,000 tanks,
333
00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:41,799
5,000 cannons, 300,000 rifles,
334
00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:47,119
four million rounds of ammunition.
335
00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:57,079
The other spoils were the factories,
336
00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,999
the harbours,
all the riches of France.
337
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,799
It was the French
who had declared war.
338
00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,759
As a consequence, they would have
to pay the equivalent of 100 million
339
00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:10,759
dollars a day in compensation.
340
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:15,519
General Huntziger visited
Germany for the first meeting
341
00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:19,519
of the commission charged with
applying the terms of the Armistice.
342
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:32,159
To spare troops,
Hitler decided to let
343
00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,199
France retain partial sovereignty
344
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,999
under a government at his beck
and call, and with a limited army,
345
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:42,999
stripped of heavy weapons,
just to maintain order.
346
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,519
France was divided in two -
an occupied zone in the north
347
00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,519
and along the entire Atlantic coast
giving the Germans all the ports.
348
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,839
Italy controlled the Mediterranean
area and occupied a narrow ribbon
349
00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:58,799
along the Alps.
350
00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:02,799
The rest was called a "free zone"
with a new capital, Vichy.
351
00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:11,959
This spa town had been chosen
because of its many hotels.
352
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:14,839
In early July,
Marshal Petain moved in,
353
00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,839
along with all
the government ministries.
354
00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,239
However,
the Vichy government continued
355
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,239
to control a vast colonial empire
356
00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:41,239
and above all,
a still-powerful navy.
357
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:45,839
Hitler demanded that its ships
be disarmed and remain in their
358
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,839
ports for he was afraid the navy
might join forces with Britain.
359
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,959
Churchill feared the opposite - that
it would fall into German hands.
360
00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:02,119
He ordered the Royal
Navy to neutralize it.
361
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:07,039
A British naval force sailed to
one of France's biggest naval bases,
362
00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:11,079
Mers el Kebir in Algeria.
363
00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:14,319
Churchill was taking no risks.
364
00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:16,679
An ultimatum was dispatched.
365
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,679
"Either join us,
scuttle your own ships,
366
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:21,799
"or leave for the West Indies."
367
00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:24,479
The Vichy government
ignored the demands.
368
00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:27,159
The Royal Navy opened fire.
369
00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:30,719
Two French battleships,
370
00:34:30,720 --> 00:34:34,719
two cruisers
and a destroyer were sunk.
371
00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:38,879
Twelve hundred French
sailors were killed.
372
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,959
Seeking to show his people,
the world and, above all,
373
00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,999
the United States
how determined he was,
374
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,119
Churchill had struck
out at his former ally,
375
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,799
whose fleet could have helped the
Germans land on British shores.
376
00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:59,799
The ministers in Vichy wanted
to declare war on Britain.
377
00:35:00,240 --> 00:35:04,239
Petain disagreed,
saying one defeat is enough.
378
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:17,319
CHEERING
379
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,399
All of Germany
cheered Hitler
380
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,279
for his stunning lightning conquest
of Europe.
381
00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:23,879
He now saw himself
382
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:27,879
as the greatest war leader of all
time,on a par with Napoleon.
383
00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:30,759
And, like the Emperor Napoleon,
384
00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:34,759
no-one dared to
contradict him any more.
385
00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:47,279
The Germans occupied the Channel
Islands, Jersey and Guernsey -
386
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,839
the first step towards
an invasion of Britain.
387
00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:54,839
But Hitler held off.
388
00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:58,839
The British were, after all,
Anglo-Saxons, distant cousins.
389
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:03,319
An alliance with Britain
was still a possibility.
390
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:07,319
All Europe would be German,
and the ocean British.
391
00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:11,439
But Churchill refused to negotiate.
392
00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:15,359
The British prepared for a
German invasion and removed
393
00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:18,119
all signs and nameplates.
394
00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:22,119
It was rumoured that the Germans
had won the Battle of France
because they had good maps.
395
00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:28,839
Another urgent measure was
396
00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:32,839
to evacuate the children to
the countryside for safety -
397
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:37,399
a painful process.
398
00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:54,919
The young women of Britain enlisted,
399
00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,919
along with their mothers
and grandmothers.
400
00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:06,319
Every woman had to help to
defend her home
401
00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:10,319
against the fearsome German
paratroopers.
402
00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:15,399
♪ LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY
403
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,399
The men joined up as local defence
volunteers in the Home Guard,
404
00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:22,399
even veterans of
the First World War.
405
00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:25,119
Even Chelsea Pensioners joined up.
406
00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:29,119
While civilians were mobilised, the
Army, rescued at Dunkirk, reformed.
407
00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:36,599
America supplied the rifles,
408
00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:40,599
machine guns and anti-aircraft guns
and soldiers prepared for battle.
409
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:51,079
Churchill delivered another of
his great speeches to inspire
410
00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:53,959
the British people.
411
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,359
(WINSTON CHURCHILL) The Battle
of Britain is about to begin.
412
00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:01,359
Let us therefore
brace ourselves to our duties
413
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:04,079
and so bear ourselves
414
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:06,199
that if the British Empire
415
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:10,199
and its Commonwealth
last for a thousand years,
416
00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:14,239
men will still say,
417
00:38:14,240 --> 00:38:18,239
"This was their finest hour."
418
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:24,719
One of Churchill's principal weapons
419
00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:28,719
was the Royal Air Force
along with its superb aircraft,
420
00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:32,759
like the Spitfire with its
Rolls-Royce Merlin engine-
421
00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:36,759
the best fighter plane in the world.
422
00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:42,199
Britain also excelled in
the field of electronics.
423
00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:44,079
A Briton had invented radar.
424
00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:48,079
In the RAF Ops rooms, radar was
used for detecting enemy aircraft
425
00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:53,319
and guiding pilots towards them.
426
00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:59,839
Pilots from all over the
British Empire were joined
427
00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,879
by airmen who had managed
to flee their countries
under German occupation.
428
00:39:04,240 --> 00:39:07,759
Poles, Dutch, Belgians, Czechs
429
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:11,119
and quite a few Americans.
430
00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,119
Their country might be neutral,
but they weren't.
431
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:24,199
And there were Free French Forces,
along with de Gaulle.
432
00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:31,959
Some of the RAF pilots were
Oxford and Cambridge students.
433
00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:36,239
One of them, Richard Hillary,
wrote before going into combat...
434
00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:40,159
"We were known as
the long-haired boys.
435
00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:43,479
"We were disillusioned and spoiled.
436
00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,439
"The press referred to us
as the Lost Generation.
437
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:49,439
"Superficially, we were selfish and
egocentric.
438
00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:54,359
"The war gave us an opportunity to
prove to ourselves and to the world
439
00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:56,239
"that, undisciplined though
we might be,
440
00:39:56,240 --> 00:40:00,239
"we were a match for Hitler's
dogma-fed youth."
441
00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:10,479
These German pilots had been
trained in the Hitlerjugend,
442
00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:14,759
the Hitler Youth,
with the sole idea of revenge.
443
00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:18,159
They felt they were the elite.
444
00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:22,159
Their leader, Goering, was one of
the regime's most popular figures.
445
00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:31,279
Goering, who loved a life of luxury,
had turned the Hotel Ritz in Paris
446
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:34,959
into the Luftwaffe's
French headquarters.
447
00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:37,799
He had promised Hitler
that, in five days,
448
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:41,799
he could destroy the Royal Air
Force, take control of the air
449
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:46,199
and enable the Wehrmacht to invade
Britain.
450
00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:49,719
And the Luftwaffe now had a
big advantage - it could use
451
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:53,719
all of France's airfields,
their installations and equipment.
452
00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:58,919
Its pilots had plenty of experience,
like Adolf Galland,
453
00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:02,919
with his trademark cigar,
who had fought against
the Republicans in Spain.
454
00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:07,239
Or Werner Molders,
an ace from the Battle of France.
455
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:11,679
He was one of those pilots
shot down, taken prisoner
456
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:13,639
and then returned to the Germans.
457
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:17,639
He was now leading the aerial
offensive against Britain.
458
00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:31,399
Taking off from these fields in
occupied France, the Germans began
459
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:34,279
to attack convoys in the Channel,
460
00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:38,279
then coastal ports and then
the airfields in southern England
461
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:43,039
in the engagement that would be
called the Battle of Britain.
462
00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:47,039
The Luftwaffe shot down
400 British aircraft
463
00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:51,039
at the cost of 1,000 of their own.
464
00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:55,879
But the RAF pilots held out.
465
00:41:56,120 --> 00:42:00,119
GUNFIRE
466
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:12,639
Churchill proclaimed that,
467
00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:16,639
"Never, in the field of human
conflict, was so much owed
by so many to so few."
468
00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:25,559
Hitler was forced to postpone
his plans to invade Britain.
469
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:30,199
This was his first setback.
470
00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:32,319
He decided to change tactics.
471
00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:35,159
He said,
"The British will surrender when
472
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:39,159
"their cities have been destroyed."
473
00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:43,359
German bombers attacked British
cities like London and Coventry.
474
00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:45,719
This was the Blitz,
with its daily bombings.
475
00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:49,719
But this change in targets was a
fatal mistake on Hitler's part,
476
00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:53,399
because if he had continued bombing
the airfields,
477
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,239
he could have
broken the Royal Air Force.
478
00:42:56,240 --> 00:43:00,239
Bombing the cities relieved
the pressure on the RAF.
479
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:21,639
But the British people
were now in the firing line.
480
00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:26,079
Those who had gardens
dug shelters in them.
481
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,879
Some slept in the Underground
482
00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:35,879
and still went to work the next day.
483
00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:48,639
People rarely lost their
confidence or sense of humour.
484
00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:54,159
London was bombed,
with only a single respite,
485
00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:56,999
for 76 consecutive nights.
486
00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:59,919
40,000 civilians were killed.
487
00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:03,719
200,000 homes were damaged.
488
00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:07,719
The determined spirit of the
people of Britain became legendary.
489
00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:12,039
♪ We'll have a barrel of fun... ♪
490
00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:16,399
♪ BAND PLAYS "ROLL OUT THE BARREL"
491
00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:20,919
♪ We'll have a barrel of fun
492
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:25,519
♪ Roll out the barrel... ♪
493
00:44:28,440 --> 00:44:30,999
Hitler was exasperated.
494
00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:34,999
He called Churchill, "A Jew-ridden,
half-American drunkard."
495
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:38,439
From then on,
whenever he was thwarted,
496
00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:42,439
he would vent his fury against
the Jews.
497
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:49,919
On the 12th of October 1940,
on the day of Yom Kippur,
498
00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:54,719
a ten-foot-high wall was
erected around the Warsaw ghetto,
499
00:44:54,720 --> 00:44:58,719
enclosing 500,000 Jews -
men, women, children, old people -
500
00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:05,999
who would all suffer horribly
from hunger, cold and poverty.
501
00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:46,079
In his retreat in the Bavarian Alps,
the Berghof, Hitler was filmed
502
00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:50,599
by his mistress, Eva Braun,
as he celebrated Christmas 1940,
503
00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:55,599
surrounded by the
children of Nazi dignitaries.
504
00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:59,599
He was planning another big gamble,
to conquer new living space
505
00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:03,879
in the East by launching a massive
invasion of the Soviet Union.
506
00:46:04,040 --> 00:46:07,119
But having failed to take
Britain, he had to move quickly
507
00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:11,119
before Churchill was able
to draw America into the war.
508
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:19,119
Hitler's next offensive
would set the world ablaze.
509
00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:31,359
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