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Tom ward (narrates):
A ruined village
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pitted and scarred
by its wartime past.
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You see a warzone
kind of frozen in Amber.
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A ghostly fleet of ships
lost in the wilderness,
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doomed to destruction.
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There's something really
quite spooky about it.
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A bridge to nowhere,
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hidden in the forest
that came to a grisly end.
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It has this other
worldly quality to it,
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and it doesn't really
feel like it should be,
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you know, in our world.
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And strange metal structures
concealed in dense woodland.
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It's deep in the
Maine wilderness
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far from anything,
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what is it and what
is it doing here?
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Once, they were some of
the most advanced structures
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and facilities on the planet,
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at the cutting edge of
design and construction.
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Today, they stand abandoned,
contaminated, and sometimes deadly.
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But who built them and how?
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And why were they abandoned?
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(Theme music)
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On the arid plains
of northern Spain,
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265km from its capital,
Madrid, lies a ghost town.
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(Grim music)
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Although the town
has a strange beauty,
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the ruins of hollowed-out
buildings are everywhere,
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and rubble is piled
up in the empty streets.
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(Birds chirp)
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The story goes that if
you listen hard enough,
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you can hear
voices from the past.
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You see the ruins of a city
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that clearly suffered
some kind of disaster.
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Was it an earthquake, you know?
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Was it some kind of
rushed evacuation?
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What knocked
down these buildings
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and why were they never rebuilt?
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Its name is belchite.
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To add to the strangeness,
there's another town
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with the same
name right next to it.
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Why are there two
belchites side by side?
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And what happened to cause
such devastation to one of them?
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And then you look closer
and you see something
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odd about some of these ruins.
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They're not just eroded
by weather and gravity,
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they're chipped away.
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Look closer and you
can see bullet holes,
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damage from mortar fire.
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This is a unique
form of erosion.
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This is the erosion of war.
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Which army was responsible
for destroying the town
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and why was it never rebuilt?
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(Dramatic music)
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(Cannon fires)
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For the reasons,
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we need to look to
the bloody civil war
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that ripped Spain
apart in the last century.
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(Cannon fires)
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In 1936,
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Spain was a deeply
divided country
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that was politically torn
between the extreme right and left.
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The nationalist fascists and
the anti-fascist Republicans.
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Leading the nationalist side
was general Francisco Franco,
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a man who would
eventually rule Spain
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with an iron fist until
his death in 1975.
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Franco was supported
by other fascist countries,
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notably Mussolini's Italy
and Hitler's Nazi Germany.
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The Republicans drew their
support from the Soviet union
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and from the famous
international brigades,
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the paramilitary units
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who fought in support of
the popular front government
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of the second Spanish
republic, during the civil war.
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The Spanish civil war
started as a conflict
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within Spain itself, you had
a very left-wing government
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and then right-wing
forces in the military,
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basically staged a coup
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against their own
elected government.
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By the following year,
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these right-wing nationalist
forces under general Franco
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were controlling a
large part of Spain.
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In an attempt to slow
down their advance,
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in August 1937,
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republican forces
decided to attack zaragoza.
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The city was the regional capital
and the communication centre
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for the important aragon front.
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It isn't so
strategically important,
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but it was an
important enough city
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that it would have been a
real blow to nationalist morale.
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On route to zaragoza
was belchite.
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The original republican
plan was to bypass the village
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but that wasn't what happened.
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Instead its forces attacked.
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So, here, you have
belchite with a few thousand,
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not elite, Spanish
nationalist troops,
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but they are
supplied well enough,
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armed well enough that they
turned the town into a small fortress.
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Instead of going
straight for zaragoza,
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which they could have taken,
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they get bogged down in
this village of 3,800 people.
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Who were the men who
fought to take belchite?
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And what was their
connection to a fighting unit
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from the United States?
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When the world
learned that Franco
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and his fascist compatriots
were trying to overthrow
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the elected government of Spain,
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there was really
a lot of outrage
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and a lot of people
wanted to come and help
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this beleaguered government.
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And so, a lot of
people from the west
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came to volunteer and assist.
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Around 3,000 of those volunteers
were from the United States.
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They formed the
Abraham Lincoln battalion
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and made their way to belchite.
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By belchite, the
Abraham Lincoln battalion
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has been through a
couple of major campaigns,
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they are really veterans,
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they're first rate
troops at this time,
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they weren't when they started.
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But at this point, they
have learned on the job,
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and they're pretty
effective soldiers.
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It was these motivated
and battle-hardened soldiers
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that made the
assault on belchite.
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Juan Simon, a tour
guide in the old town,
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explains how the Americans
and their republican allies
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attacked the town.
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(Cannon fires)
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The civilians who
were unable to escape
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hid in their cellars as the
battle raged above them.
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The town was
essentially under siege.
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They were cut off from
the outside food, water.
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It was really quite a
brutal way to take a city
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without much concern for the
lives or the welfare of the civilians
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who were trapped inside.
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But the nationalist forces
had a strategic advantage.
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From the top of this tower,
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which is still disfigured
by the shellfire,
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they had a clear line of fire down
onto the republican troops below.
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Once the republican troops
had taken out the machine-gun,
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the Lincoln battalion
was able to force its way
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in through the
church of st augustine.
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These are...
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Really the worse
kinds of battles.
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It's up close and it's personal.
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The noise, the explosions...
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You're going
building to building,
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and that means
throwing hand grenades,
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that means demolishing things,
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that means setting
fire to buildings
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to actually literally
burn your enemy out.
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It's a high casualty
form of warfare.
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After two weeks of
brutal and savage fighting,
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the Americans and their allies
finally took control of the town.
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It was very bloody,
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very devastating to
the local population.
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When Ernest Hemingway,
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who was covering
the Spanish civil war
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for American newspapers,
when he arrived in belchite,
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he said the city was less
a town than a bad smell.
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Decomposing in the
blistering summer sun,
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bodies from both sides
piled up in the streets.
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In total, 3,000
people were killed.
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Were the gains worth
the awful bloodshed?
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Abraham Lincoln battalion
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talked of this as one
of the toughest fights
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in the war.
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And they aren't sure
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why their elite brigade
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was diverted to a
house-to-house battle.
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But somehow, it happened.
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It was really one of the
big screw-ups of the war,
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is the offensive,
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they gained a little territory
and literally accomplished
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no strategic effect at all.
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Six months later, the
tables were turned,
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when nationalist
forces retook belchite,
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but why was the
town never rebuilt?
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Franco didn't want
belchite to be restored
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because he knew it
had propaganda value.
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This was one of the great
battles that the nationalists lost.
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You would think that you would
want to celebrate your victories, but no.
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If you're a dictator and you
can point to a horrific disaster
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where many civilians
lost their lives,
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then you can stand up and say,
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"if it weren't for me, this
would keep happening."
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Franco wouldn't let
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the local population
rebuild the city,
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but eventually they decided
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they just needed to build
a new town next door.
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Today, the town stands as
a memorial to the thousands
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who lost their lives here
and as a stark reminder
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of the tragedy and
brutality of the civil war.
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When you see belchite today,
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you see a warzone
kind of frozen in Amber.
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You see the effects,
you see the bullet holes,
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you see where the
mortar shells fell,
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and you see the tragedy of war,
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and how so often wars aren't
just fought between armies,
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they're often fought between armies
with civilians caught in the middle,
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and that's what happened here,
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that's what makes
it so heartbreaking.
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On the western coast of
Canada, in Powell river,
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a small town 170km from
Vancouver is an astonishing sight.
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Ships stretch across the water.
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One connected to the other,
listing gently towards the shore.
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It looks like a
decaying ghost fleet
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00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,320
with their crews
mysteriously missing.
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There's something really
quite spooky about it.
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They're covered in barnacles,
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and moss, and seaweed,
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it's almost as if nature is
claiming them back again.
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Heavy rusting chains
extend across their decks,
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their crews have
long since gone...
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00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:04,800
What secrets do the ships hold?
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00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:08,816
People think
there's still treasure
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00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:10,080
somewhere deep inside,
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00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,136
and if they can just get in
there and see what's there,
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00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,120
maybe they'll find
something really interesting.
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00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:19,200
It's hard to tell how
old the ships are
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or where they're from...
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00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,280
But there's one thing
they all have in common.
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The really unusual thing
about these boats is that,
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00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,200
unlike most, they're
not made of steel,
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00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:35,880
these ones are made of concrete.
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00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:41,360
They've definitely inspired a
sense of mystery growing up.
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00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,480
You start to wonder, like,
"what are these things?
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00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:46,760
"Where did they come from?
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00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:48,920
What is their story?"
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00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:51,400
How are they connected
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00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,280
to one of the deadliest
weapons ever made?
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00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,000
The answers are rooted
in the desperate days
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00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:05,880
of the end of the world war I.
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00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,360
There had already been
three years of trench warfare
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00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:12,960
on the western front,
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00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,080
which had resulted
in a bloody stalemate.
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00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:20,440
The allied big push
on the somme in 1916,
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00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:22,720
which was supposed
to break the deadlock,
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00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,400
had lasted four months and
gained practically nothing.
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00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:33,280
The allied corps received
a boost in April 1917
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00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,160
when the United States
declared war on Germany.
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00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:38,400
Within 15 months,
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00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,040
there were a million
us troops in France.
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00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,880
Although these vast numbers
were committed to the land war,
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00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:51,600
the us also urgently needed
to expand its naval fleet.
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00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,760
But it was running
out of raw materials.
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00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:57,040
It had to find a
solution to the problem.
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00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,360
They come up with the
idea "let's try concrete."
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00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:10,040
Well, problem with most
concretes is they're too heavy.
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00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:12,960
Now, they had to develop,
and they succeeded
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00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:18,360
in developing a new type of
concrete that was light but still
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00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:19,640
very, very strong.
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00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,960
During world war I,
they were a go-to option
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00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,320
because they didn't take up
the important raw materials,
253
00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,680
like steel that were
needed for the war effort,
254
00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:31,520
and they could be made cheaply
255
00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,480
and much more
functionally out of concrete,
256
00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,600
and concrete, of
course, does float.
257
00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,960
The ships so impressed
the us government
258
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,680
that they ordered 24 of them.
259
00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:49,080
And they're completed
just as the war ends,
260
00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:50,360
but they're put into service
261
00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:52,400
and they actually
worked pretty well.
262
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,960
Once you've made
a concrete ship,
263
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,480
it is actually quite
a long-lasting thing.
264
00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,960
Concrete, unlike steel,
doesn't get metal fatigue,
265
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,280
doesn't wear
out, it doesn't rust.
266
00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:12,240
So, potentially,
267
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:15,160
you have a very
easy-to-maintain kind of ship.
268
00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:21,360
In fact, the ships
were so effective
269
00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,040
that when there was
a shortage of steel
270
00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:24,920
during the world war ii,
271
00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:28,280
naval architects once
again turned to concrete.
272
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:33,560
All of them had a
very similar purpose,
273
00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:35,920
which was mainly
to act as freight ships
274
00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:38,400
and for storage because
they're very good at holding
275
00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,520
large amounts of
material and keeping it dry.
276
00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:49,080
But what are ten cargo
ships from two world wars
277
00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:51,080
doing here in British Colombia.
278
00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,640
This is the ghostly fleet
that the locals call the hulks.
279
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:01,760
Around the beginning
of the last century,
280
00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,880
paper mills sprung
up all along the coast,
281
00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:06,920
including here at Powell river.
282
00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,200
The logs used to make the paper
283
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,600
were transported
to the mill by water
284
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:16,520
and then unloaded
into a log pond.
285
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,040
It had to be big
enough to store the logs
286
00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:24,240
and be protected from the elements
to keep it safe for the workers.
287
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,640
The only problem here is
it's exposed to severe winds
288
00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,120
from both the
north and the south,
289
00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,080
and they needed to find a
way to shelter the log ponds.
290
00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,240
So, the mill owners decided
to build a breakwater,
291
00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:43,560
a barrier built into the
sea to protect the log pond
292
00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:45,560
from the force of the waves,
293
00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,360
as mechanical engineer
Matthew denniston explains.
294
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:52,800
So, typically a
breakwater structure
295
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,320
would be made of large
rocks, dumped in big piles
296
00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:57,856
and they would build
up from the sea floor
297
00:18:57,880 --> 00:18:59,280
to make that protection,
298
00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:00,360
where in our case,
299
00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,120
it's far too deep to make
this type of breakwater.
300
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:05,240
So, I think the light
bulb just came on,
301
00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:07,120
"hey, why not use
ships instead?"
302
00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,240
Steel being in salt
water in the ocean
303
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:14,520
deteriorates very
quickly if it's not protected.
304
00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,680
And we found that we
would have a steel ship
305
00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,440
that would come in and it
would maybe last 20 years
306
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,280
before it had to be
decommissioned,
307
00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,360
where these concrete ships
were already 40 years old,
308
00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:26,600
coming into replace them,
309
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:29,880
and had still lasted
another 50 plus years.
310
00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:37,960
In 1948, the first concrete
ships arrived in Powell river.
311
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,840
But how effective would
they be as a breakwater?
312
00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,680
The ships were anchored down
and chained together to form a,
313
00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:51,080
sort of, artificial reef.
314
00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,360
To help them
withstand the elements,
315
00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:59,040
they were weighed down with
gravel and they list to one side,
316
00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,400
so their decks are
angled towards the shore.
317
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:04,936
They're actually much
heavier than ordinary ships,
318
00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,800
so much more effective
in keeping the water
319
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:08,880
and the weather at bay.
320
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:16,200
One of the ships is the
'quartz', and it has a hidden past.
321
00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:21,680
So, one of the most
unique things about this ship
322
00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:25,640
is that it was actually a part of
some of the first nuclear testing
323
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,760
that the us military
did on bikini atoll,
324
00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:33,960
and this ship specifically was
part of the nuclear test baker.
325
00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:35,000
(Loud blast)
326
00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:36,520
The test bomb propelled
327
00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,400
a dome of water
1.5km wide into the sky.
328
00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,240
It created a wall
of radioactive mist
329
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:47,080
that contaminated many
of the surrounding ships,
330
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:48,480
including the 'quartz'.
331
00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:53,960
They were simply there to see
332
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:56,640
the effect of the
nuclear blast on ships.
333
00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:00,840
So, you know, they had ships
of every type and description
334
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:05,240
at bikini atoll and they wanted
to get radioactivity readings,
335
00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:07,960
they also wanted to
see the blast effect
336
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,120
of the nuclear weapons
would have at different ranges.
337
00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,280
Ten years later
and radiation-free,
338
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:22,240
the 'quartz' arrived at Powell
river to join the other concrete ships.
339
00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,440
The service life was
supposed to only be 15 years,
340
00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,320
when in reality, here
we are 75 years later,
341
00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:34,440
and they are still
holding strong.
342
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,960
So, why are there now
plans to sink some of them?
343
00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:45,920
(Instrumental music)
344
00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:47,000
Today,
345
00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:50,080
the paper mill no longer
needs such a large log pond.
346
00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,880
The plans now are to sink
some or most of the ships
347
00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:57,200
and allow them to
become a natural reef,
348
00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:59,040
bringing to life again
349
00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:01,360
the underwater maritime
colony and community.
350
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:07,120
The ships are an extraordinary
story of creation and technology.
351
00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:11,400
They were born
out of desperation,
352
00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:15,240
out of a need to find a way to
build ships with new materials,
353
00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,160
and yet when that need was gone,
354
00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,840
they found another use
here acting as a breakwater,
355
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,360
and when even that
role is completing,
356
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,880
they're now gonna find another
one down on the seabed as reefs.
357
00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:31,640
They really are a testimony
to the creativity and creation
358
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:33,800
of what can be done
with new materials.
359
00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,480
Hidden deep within woodland
in south-east Germany,
360
00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:49,080
600km from its capital,
Berlin, is a strange sight.
361
00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:54,200
(Eerie music)
362
00:22:56,520 --> 00:23:01,080
A cold and bleak landscape
disfigured by charred rock.
363
00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:04,800
There's a real
air of foreboding.
364
00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:07,360
You can tell that
something bad happened.
365
00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:12,000
It looks entirely natural
366
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:16,120
until you see metal
spikes puncturing the stone.
367
00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:20,680
You're walking along, and
suddenly the floor turns to concrete,
368
00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,400
and then you see an
embedded footprint there,
369
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:24,560
and you keep walking,
370
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:27,000
and then further along,
there's another footprint.
371
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,920
And immediately, you
think, "what went on here?
372
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:33,920
"Who made these footprints?
373
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:35,800
And what happened to them?"
374
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,160
The mystery deepens
the further you go.
375
00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:47,200
Rusted corroded steel and
badly weathered concrete
376
00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:50,600
is twisted violently out of
any recognisable shape.
377
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,040
Whatever happened here
would take one heck of a force
378
00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:00,480
to cause this much damage.
379
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,000
And there's more.
380
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,680
Concealed beneath the forest
floor is a mysterious tunnel...
381
00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:09,840
Nearby, just visible
through the trees
382
00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:11,600
are strange depressions.
383
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:16,600
And what's most
sinister is an arch...
384
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:19,680
A bridge to nowhere.
385
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:22,920
How are they all connected?
386
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:31,160
You've got what
looks like a giant rib
387
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,840
of some massive dinosaur
sticking out of the earth.
388
00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,440
There is something
really fantastical about it.
389
00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,400
It has this other
worldly quality to it,
390
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,520
and it doesn't really
feel like it should be,
391
00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:45,680
you know, in our world.
392
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,080
Who constructed this arch?
393
00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:52,560
And why did its builders
die in their thousands?
394
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:56,120
And what cataclysmic
event caused its destruction?
395
00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,000
(Dramatic music)
396
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,720
In the final years
of the world war ii,
397
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,360
the allied bombing campaign
against Germany reached its peak.
398
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:17,400
The Germans have lost control,
not only the airspace over France,
399
00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,200
the allied landing areas,
400
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,800
but they have lost
control of the airspace
401
00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:23,280
over their own country.
402
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,280
(Loud blast)
403
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,040
Despite the millions
of tonnes of bombs
404
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:32,160
dropped on German cities
such as Hamburg and Cologne,
405
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,280
there had not been a complete
collapse in civilian morale,
406
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,560
which had been part of the aim,
407
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,680
nor had Germany's industrial
capacity and production
408
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,160
been severely reduced.
409
00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:46,120
That changed towards
the end of the war
410
00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,920
when targeted attacks
on German infrastructure
411
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,360
and her industrial heartlands
began to take effect.
412
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,240
Allied bombs were
destroying German factories,
413
00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:01,160
severely affecting her
ability to continue fighting.
414
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,120
(Loud blasts)
415
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:06,760
So, the Germans
had to find some way
416
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,400
to defend themselves
against the allied onslaught.
417
00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:12,720
(Loud blasts)
418
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:14,520
So, German high command
419
00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,240
decided to move production of
certain armaments into caves.
420
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:23,560
The problem the Germans have
421
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,880
is that it's really, really hard
422
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,440
to make caves in rock.
423
00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,040
Their clever solution is
424
00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,440
they're gonna make
giant artificial caverns
425
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:39,600
where there was no cave before.
426
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:44,040
And this is the
result, weingut eins,
427
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:47,200
a vast concrete structure
that the Germans hoped
428
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:49,720
would allow them to keep
their war machine running.
429
00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:54,400
But what were they
going to build here?
430
00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:55,560
And why was it hidden
431
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,320
deep within a forest in
south-east Germany?
432
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,440
Local historian,
dr erhard bosch,
433
00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:10,960
explains that the site had to match
a very specific set of requirements.
434
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,680
In order to be able to
build concrete buildings,
435
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,800
you need gravel, you need
water, you need cement,
436
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,440
and you need steel,
and all that was here.
437
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:30,240
It was weingut's sheer size
that sucked in resources.
438
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:38,080
This bunker presented all
sorts of engineering challenges.
439
00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:40,960
It would consist of
12 separate arches
440
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,480
and be a quarter of a mile long.
441
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:47,560
Each arch would be
over a hundred feet wide.
442
00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:49,920
It's a major
construction project.
443
00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:54,440
A workforce of over 10,000
was gathered together,
444
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,160
and construction of the
first arch began in July 1944.
445
00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:03,120
Building arches is a challenge.
446
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,520
They're very strong shapes
when they're actually finished.
447
00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:08,560
But while you're
constructing them,
448
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:12,560
you have to keep them
supported in order to keep it stable.
449
00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,960
Usually, a timber or
steel frame was used,
450
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,400
but dwindling resources
451
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,000
meant that the builders
had to use another material.
452
00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:28,680
You need as much
gravel as possible
453
00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,960
because the construction
method you're gonna use
454
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,840
requires mountains of gravel.
455
00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,440
They could pile up this
gravel into an immense shape,
456
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:45,040
this arch shape, and then create
their concrete arch on top of that.
457
00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:49,200
But how would these
vast mounds of gravel
458
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,160
be moved from
one arch to another?
459
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:55,280
A few hundred kilometres
away, there's a clue.
460
00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:02,520
This was an underground tunnel
with mine carts on a rail track.
461
00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,600
Once each arch was completed,
462
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,720
the gravel that was beneath it
463
00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,320
was dumped down through
hatches into these waiting carts,
464
00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:13,960
which would then take the gravel
along to the next construction site.
465
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,960
The pressure was
on to finish the bunker,
466
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:20,840
to begin production of a plane
467
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,600
the Germans hoped would
change the course of the war.
468
00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:29,800
It was the world's first operational
jet-powered fighter aircraft,
469
00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:32,280
the messerschmitt me 262.
470
00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,640
Overhead was a roof that
was virtually bombproof.
471
00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:43,920
We are here under
the 7th archway,
472
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:48,800
the foundations to the
left and right go 17m deep.
473
00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,520
In the lean concrete layer,
you can see it up here,
474
00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:54,160
it has broken away
in some places.
475
00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,720
The first reinforcing
rods can be seen.
476
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,440
They reinforced 5m of concrete.
477
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:03,560
When complete,
478
00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,640
the factory would have seen
production on a massive scale.
479
00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:11,680
They wanted to dig
further down from here
480
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,880
and would have had
eight factory floors.
481
00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,280
When you consider the overall
area that they would have had,
482
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:19,960
the manufacturing area,
483
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,840
that's an area of
114,000 square metres.
484
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:27,320
That is approximately
14 football pitches.
485
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,360
Who built these enormous arches?
486
00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,800
And what is their connection
to these deep caverns,
487
00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:40,080
hollowed out of the
ground, just over 3km away?
488
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,240
These craters are all
over this particular area,
489
00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:48,920
and it's hard to tell
exactly what happened here
490
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,000
to create these holes
just by looking at them.
491
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,320
But their size and
their depth are ominous.
492
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,120
What were these craters?
493
00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,640
And how were they linked
to thousands of deaths
494
00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:05,480
deep in the German woodland?
495
00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,640
It was because slave
labourers from the death camps
496
00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:14,800
were forced to build weingut.
497
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,640
Their huts once stood
where the craters now are.
498
00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,680
They had no heat, they
had no toilet facilities,
499
00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:29,840
they had no washing facilities,
they didn't even have fresh water.
500
00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:34,160
They didn't have enough to eat,
501
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:39,560
so you can imagine that they
became emaciated very quickly.
502
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:43,680
If they did try to escape, they
were shot if they were caught.
503
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:50,400
Four thousand of the weingut
slave labourers died here.
504
00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:56,880
By the end of April 1945,
505
00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,040
only seven arches
had been completed.
506
00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:03,600
But the allies were already
sweeping through Germany.
507
00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,920
The area was liberated and
placed under American control
508
00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:08,120
the following month.
509
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,440
So, why is there now
only one arch left standing?
510
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,320
The clue is in the
twisted steel and concrete.
511
00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:21,800
If there were another world war,
512
00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,080
the Americans thought they
might adopt a bunker like this
513
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,600
for their own military
installations back in the us.
514
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:33,160
But first, they wanted to
see just how strong it was.
515
00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:36,440
So, they decided to blow it up.
516
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,880
The us blew the
arches up one by one
517
00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:44,880
until they had discovered
how much explosive power
518
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:46,920
each structure could withstand.
519
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:54,040
So, all of the cold war
era nuclear bunkers
520
00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:57,000
are based in their structure
521
00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,480
on tests that were done in 1947
522
00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:02,600
here at weingut eins.
523
00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:08,160
After it was destroyed,
weingut was abandoned.
524
00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,640
When I look at the
ruins of weingut eins,
525
00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:20,200
that terrible slave
labour project
526
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:24,720
that was designed to keep
the Nazi war machine going,
527
00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:27,360
I look at its failure.
528
00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,920
And I know that when power
529
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:34,040
is untrammelled by justice,
530
00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:38,840
it can only go so far
before it destroys itself.
531
00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:47,240
In a remote forest in Maine
532
00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:50,320
at the north-eastern
tip of the United States
533
00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,960
is something you don't
expect to stumble across.
534
00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:58,800
(Eerie music)
535
00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:03,200
You're in this part of
Maine that is overgrown
536
00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:06,560
with trees and low
forest and it's very scenic.
537
00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:08,000
And then in the middle of it,
538
00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,520
you can see the remnants
of old cables and machinery.
539
00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,280
There are two identical
structures made of metal,
540
00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:21,960
completely rusted out with
what appears to be a pipe,
541
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:23,400
coming out of the back of it.
542
00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:28,520
You can see a
large old engine...
543
00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:32,680
Clearly something
technical and industrial
544
00:34:32,720 --> 00:34:35,440
used to dominate this space.
545
00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:43,040
It looks like some mad
experiment gone wrong...
546
00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:48,680
An eccentric scientist who decided
to create something fantastical
547
00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:50,320
in the middle of nowhere.
548
00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:53,200
But what is it?
549
00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:57,200
And how is it related to these
two dilapidated locomotives?
550
00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:02,760
You come across what
looks like a pulley system
551
00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:06,640
and these rusted and
corroded pieces of metal,
552
00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:09,280
which looks like
broken pieces of trash.
553
00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:12,480
(Birds chirp)
554
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,920
The entire woodland
is full of mystery.
555
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:18,440
Normally, tracks
connect something...
556
00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,040
But these just end abruptly...
557
00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,560
But are they somehow
joined and, if so, how?
558
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,720
And then you have the
fact that it's so remote,
559
00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:36,440
it's deep in the Maine
wilderness, far from anything,
560
00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:39,640
so the question is what is
it and what is it doing here?
561
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:48,200
To find out,
562
00:35:48,240 --> 00:35:51,440
we need to look to an industry
that helped define Maine
563
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,520
and make america great during
the 19th and early 20th centuries...
564
00:35:56,720 --> 00:35:58,200
The logging industry.
565
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:06,280
Northern Maine has 18
million acres of forest land,
566
00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,560
and at the turn
of the last century,
567
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,640
it was the hub of
the logging industry,
568
00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:14,600
at the time when
timber was king.
569
00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:21,760
The usa was growing fast
and so was demand for wood,
570
00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:25,840
but it was not only domestic
demands that were driving the industry.
571
00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:27,800
During the late 19th century,
572
00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:30,160
the industrial revolution
was in full swing
573
00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,240
in countries such
as Great Britain.
574
00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:35,080
It too had an insatiable
appetite for lumber.
575
00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,440
In fact, it is estimated
that at one point,
576
00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:44,040
Maine had the largest shipping
port for lumber in the world.
577
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,520
And so, forests were being
felled at breakneck speed
578
00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:53,520
by lumber barons eager to profit
from these huge new markets.
579
00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:01,720
Matthew laroche, superintendent
of the allagash wilderness waterway,
580
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:03,880
explains how it worked.
581
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,400
The loggers would come up
the river systems cutting pine,
582
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,640
and as the pine got depleted,
583
00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:12,400
they would just keep
moving up the rivers.
584
00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:18,280
You know, cutting down
the tree is the easy part.
585
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:23,560
The hard part is getting that
giant log out of wherever it fell
586
00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:26,080
and into some kind of
transportation system
587
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:28,480
that can get it to the
sawmill or the paper mill.
588
00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:34,440
The nearest sawmill was
in bangor, 145 miles away.
589
00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:38,160
The only problem was they
needed to find a way to transport
590
00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:40,920
all these logs between
one lake and another
591
00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,120
across a really
narrow strip of land.
592
00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:47,960
This isolated stretch of land
593
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,960
lay between eagle
and Chamberlain lakes.
594
00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:58,680
And it was only about 3,000 feet,
just a little more than half a mile,
595
00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:02,280
but if you were gonna
drag all those logs by oxen,
596
00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:04,800
it might as well
have been 50 miles.
597
00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:11,680
How would they overcome
the problem of hauling
598
00:38:11,720 --> 00:38:15,080
thousands of logs across
this narrow strip of land?
599
00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:20,200
A way had to be
found to bridge the gap.
600
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,880
And this is what
they came up with...
601
00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:28,800
An ingenious system
of rails, cable, and iron,
602
00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:30,960
powered by the
technology of the day.
603
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:34,800
It was called
eagle lake tramway.
604
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:42,440
Essentially, the tramway
was a small railway
605
00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:46,400
that was pulled by a cable
loop and powered by steam.
606
00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:53,920
But this narrow strip of land
was in the middle of nowhere.
607
00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,920
How would they be able
to transport the parts?
608
00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:02,040
So, all the material
came by rail to Greenville,
609
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:04,480
up moosehead lake
with steam boats,
610
00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:06,040
and then landed
at north east carry,
611
00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:09,080
and from there, it was
brought in with horses on sleds
612
00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:11,120
in the middle of the wintertime.
613
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:15,640
We're talking about a 35-mile
trip with sleds and horses
614
00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:16,960
to get this material in here.
615
00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:23,200
It took 12 arduous months
to build the tramway.
616
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:26,920
But would it actually work?
617
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:30,616
When they originally
put this together,
618
00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:34,400
they had to bolt all of
these dollies to the cable,
619
00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:36,080
and it turned out that
620
00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:37,696
they tightened the
bolts down all the way
621
00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:38,976
but it wasn't
quite tight enough,
622
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:40,840
so everything slipped
and nothing worked.
623
00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:44,480
And they then had to take
thousands of bolts back out
624
00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:48,080
and it turned out the threads
didn't go far enough down the bolt.
625
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:50,000
So, they had to get
out a filing system
626
00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:53,560
and extend the threads
a little bit one at a time
627
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:55,240
and then put it
all back together.
628
00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:58,200
(Birds chirp)
629
00:39:58,240 --> 00:40:00,120
Once it was finished,
630
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:04,240
the workers watched nervously
as the trucks crawled along.
631
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:08,840
And they noticed it wasn't going
as fast as they had expected.
632
00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:12,840
That was because there's
a bump along the path.
633
00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:16,720
And once the logs got over
the bump, the weight of the logs
634
00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:18,960
helped it pick up steam
the rest of the way.
635
00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:24,160
Would the tramway
system be able to move
636
00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:28,280
thousands of logs over land
to mills in bangor and beyond?
637
00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:34,120
The tramway ran on
these rails right here.
638
00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,360
There was a top layer
and a bottom layer.
639
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:39,640
And these trucks, and
there's one right there,
640
00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:43,720
the logs went onto
those little pointed things.
641
00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:46,360
The logs would be pulled
on the eagle lake end,
642
00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:49,040
and they would travel
on this top layer of rails
643
00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:50,176
all the way to Chamberlain lake,
644
00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:51,960
and then roll off the
end of the tramway,
645
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:53,136
and dump into Chamberlain lake,
646
00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:55,720
and then from there, it was
log drive down to bangor.
647
00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:02,600
The logs moved at 5km an
hour, powered entirely by steam.
648
00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:10,480
These are the boilers
which created steam,
649
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:14,680
ran through these pipes
up here, over to this engine,
650
00:41:14,720 --> 00:41:16,320
that would drive this belt.
651
00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:20,040
And the belt drove the
machinery over here.
652
00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:21,800
These reduction gears
653
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:25,520
and the big final drive over
there with the u-shape cut outs in it
654
00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,520
was where the trucks fit into.
655
00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:28,736
The cable fit right into there
656
00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,800
and it would drive
the logs over there
657
00:41:31,840 --> 00:41:33,896
and dropped them right into
Chamberlain lake over there.
658
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,760
It was quite an engineering
model for the time.
659
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:44,360
The tramway operated
from 1903 to 1909,
660
00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:48,320
carrying in total 100
million board feet of timber.
661
00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:54,000
But why did the lumber barons
abandon such an effective system
662
00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:55,720
after only six years?
663
00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:01,200
Eventually, a small
railroad was built
664
00:42:01,240 --> 00:42:06,040
that was able to move the logs in
an even more convenient fashion.
665
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:09,240
And in fact, this was the way
that logging was being done
666
00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:11,840
across new england at that time.
667
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,280
There were dozens of
small little rail lines being built
668
00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:17,160
into all kinds of
wilderness areas
669
00:42:17,200 --> 00:42:20,920
for the sole purpose
of extracting the timber.
670
00:42:22,240 --> 00:42:24,160
They did not remove the tramway
671
00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:26,800
from this location when
they stopped using it
672
00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:29,440
primarily because it
was such a remote area,
673
00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:30,736
they couldn't
really take it out.
674
00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:33,016
I suppose they didn't really
know if they would use it again,
675
00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:34,080
but they never did.
676
00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:36,240
Once they had shut it
down, it never got used again.
677
00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:39,400
(Birds chirp)
678
00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:47,520
Now, the tramway is rusting away
679
00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:50,360
and gradually being
reclaimed by nature.
680
00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:55,200
When I come here and I
see people looking at them
681
00:42:55,240 --> 00:42:56,896
and they are asking
a bunch of questions,
682
00:42:56,920 --> 00:42:58,536
"how did they get it
here, "what did it do,
683
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:00,920
"when did it work,
how much did it move",
684
00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:03,720
it kind of renews your
enthusiasm for the site.
685
00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:06,360
When I see this kind of thing,
686
00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:11,520
it just makes me think
about the enormous effort,
687
00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:17,080
the sweat, the ingenuity that
went into these kinds of projects
688
00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:19,360
and into building
the United States.
689
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:27,160
(Instrumental music)
690
00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:34,680
Now, they lie abandoned,
691
00:43:34,720 --> 00:43:38,320
but once, they were at the
cutting edge of engineering.
692
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,960
There are echoes from history
in these decaying structures.
693
00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:47,480
They remind us of terror and war
694
00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:51,360
but also of great innovation
and human endeavour.
695
00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:00,440
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