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(Dramatic percussions)
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00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:04,920
Narrator: The
remote pacific site
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00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,080
where a strange
collection of structures
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00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:09,840
caught American forces unaware.
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00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,520
The Japanese military
fortified everything they could,
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00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:15,400
cave systems, tunnel systems
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00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,200
so that when the allied
forces finally landed
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00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:21,040
they would be entering
in to a meat grinder.
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00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,520
The derelict Irish prison
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00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,960
where the inmates struggled
to break in, as well as out.
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00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,960
A lot of very high
risk inmates arrive
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00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,920
and this place simply
isn't designed to hold them.
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00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:40,920
A massive complex in
France with an explosive past.
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00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,400
Woman: No-one knows
what happened for sure,
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00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,280
everything disappeared
in one huge bang.
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00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,440
Was it deliberate?
Was it accidental?
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00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:51,680
Was it sabotage?
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00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,080
And the Spanish ghost town
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00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,480
where us freedom fighters fought
to the death for a better world.
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We see a lot of graffiti
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which itself has
some real significance
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in solving this mystery.
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Decaying relics.
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00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,080
Ruins of lost worlds.
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Forged through years of
toil, now haunted by the past.
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00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,040
Their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:42,880
In the western pacific
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foreboding ruins scattered across
the Japanese island of ie jima
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make for a confounding site.
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This island is so unusual
looking, it's almost entirely flat
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but then you have
this bulging mountain
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standing right in
the middle of it.
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Looking down on it, it looks
almost like an aircraft carrier.
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00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,520
And someone has
built three runways here.
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00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,760
You'll see some old airfields
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00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,400
with weeds growing up, you know,
through cracks in the pavement.
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00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,040
It's not immediately
clear who was flying in
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or out of this place.
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00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,680
The modern day town
hides the first clue.
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00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,520
There's a building that
looks completely out of place
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00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,080
in a 21st century context,
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it looks battle scarred,
it's got gaping holes in it.
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00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,440
Structures hidden below
ground are no less intriguing.
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00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:46,120
And it has a lot of
naturally occurring caves,
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some of which could be engineered
in to excellent defensive positions.
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They're pretty well sheltered,
from the outside you have no idea
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00:02:55,600 --> 00:03:00,640
of what a large complex
exists behind those entrances.
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00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,560
What links the disused
runway to the blown out building
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00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,840
and the fortified caves
that lie below this island?
50
00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:19,040
A torn out concrete shell hiding
in the modern day town of ie
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00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,960
is the only building on the island
that survived the second world war.
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00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:29,360
Local guide tamae takamichi knows
exactly what this place once was.
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00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:33,816
Translation: "This
building is the remains
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00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:35,600
"of the municipal pawn shop.
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00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,800
"It was built before the war
and made out of concrete."
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The one old concrete
building left on this island
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00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,000
from the old days
is the pawn shop.
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00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,840
The pawn shop is pretty
much the local bank
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00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:58,080
and that means that it's
got to be a strong safe place.
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It has been torn to pieces,
it has clearly been in a fight.
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00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,920
Translation: "The big holes
are damaged from artillery.
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00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,120
"And the small ones
these are from rifle fire.
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1,000 miles from Tokyo,
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iejima is part of the
Japanese archipelago.
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00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,080
Since we're here
in the pacific ocean,
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a very contested space near
the home islands of Japan,
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00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:30,080
this place obviously
had military significance.
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00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:37,360
Iejima has got some
nice long runways
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00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,360
that go straight out
over the pacific ocean,
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00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:46,480
that means it's easy to
take off, it's easy to land,
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00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,320
it's a big safe airport.
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00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:53,880
During the second world war
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00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:57,320
these overgrown airfields
were among the largest in Asia,
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00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:02,240
the Japanese had built them to
aid their expansion in the pacific.
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00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,480
But by 1944 they'd been
forced to change their tactics.
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00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,480
The Japanese had learned
they didn't have the resources
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00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:14,160
to stop the Americans any more.
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00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:18,840
So, instead of going out to
meet in battle out over the ocean
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00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,280
they dug in, they
went to ground.
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00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:25,480
Meanwhile from
across the pacific,
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the Americans envied
iejima's airfields.
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If you don't have iejima
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00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:38,640
then you don't have that
clear path that takes you
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00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,640
from the American
mainland to Hawaii
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00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:47,280
and step by step across
the pacific to take Japan.
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00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:53,160
Iejima is the ideal place to
land heavy military equipment.
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00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,880
The island itself has got some
nice neatly shelving beaches
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around it's perimeter.
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00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,960
Then around the
island you can see
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00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,320
a whole bunch of
entrances to little caves.
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00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:10,880
These coastal caves lie below
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00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,400
the flat stone plateau
that covers this place.
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Punctuated only once.
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By mount gusuku, the
spectacular peak at it's heart.
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00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:29,360
The island itself is pretty
natural as a defensive position
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00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:33,080
because the pinnacle
in the middle of the island
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00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,280
enable an all around defence.
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00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:40,240
(Dramatic music)
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00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:43,160
On home turf the Japanese knew
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00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,000
just how to defend
this peculiar place.
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00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,000
What the Japanese
wanted to do ideally
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00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,720
was to make it difficult
for the Americans to land
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00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,040
by using artillery
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00:06:56,080 --> 00:07:00,600
and defend the island
in depth using infantry
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00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,920
who were comparatively
poorly prepared.
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00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,240
The Japanese
smashed the airfields,
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00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:12,720
built pillbox positions
and laid mines
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00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:17,080
but most importantly they
made full use of mount gusuku.
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00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,600
Below ground this limestone peak
is riddled with tunnels and caves
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which the Japanese plan to
use to move around undetected.
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00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:29,680
They secured the
tunnel entrances,
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00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,480
built machine gun
positions and fortified caves.
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00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:37,680
Some three-stories high with
look outs across the island.
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00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:45,760
They fortified everything they could
from cave systems, tunnel systems
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00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,600
so that when the allied
forces finally landed
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00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,640
they would be entering
into a meat grinder.
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00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,680
Iejima's civilian
population took refuge
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00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,200
in the caves round the coast.
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00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:03,960
Local residents like tamae
takamichi still revered this place.
120
00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,040
Translation: "It's a
sacred place on iejima,
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00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,000
"during the war many
people sought refuge here.
122
00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:19,080
"This place received many
mortar shell attacks from the sea
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00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,720
"so people came here
because it was safe."
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00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,960
With no idea what was
going on underground,
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00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,360
when the American
forces finally arrived
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00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,560
they weren't prepared for
an unseen and deadly foe.
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00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,200
16 April 1945
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the us army invades iejima.
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00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:47,160
The Americans had spent
the whole second world war
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00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,480
learning how to conduct
amphibious operations.
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00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:55,480
But the thousands of Japanese
soldiers installed in mount gusuku
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could see their every move.
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00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,520
The Americans
advance to the town of ie
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00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:04,560
was under constant ambush.
135
00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:10,360
And they couldn't tell civilians
and Japanese soldiers apart.
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00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,720
Translation: "During
the battle of iejima,
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00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:18,960
"civilians also took up arms.
138
00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:23,400
"Some civilians were
told by the Japanese army
139
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,040
"to fight with guns but
they mainly used grenades."
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00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:36,200
Slow progress and the
unexpected loss of hundreds of men
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00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:40,160
meant the Americans had to take
the high ground of mount gusuku
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00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,560
which lay beyond the town of ie.
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00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:45,880
The gruelling
conflict was witnessed
144
00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,720
by the famous us
war reporter Ernie pyle.
145
00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,880
Ernie pyle was an American
newspaper columnist
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00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:58,400
who was beloved for
his devotion to the troops.
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00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:01,200
He was one of these
war correspondents with a,
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00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:04,560
with a human touch,
he really knew the gis.
149
00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,880
Pyle was travelling with
the troops near the town of ie
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00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:13,760
when they came under fire,
a sniper hit him in the head.
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00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:16,360
Pyle was killed instantly.
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00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:20,320
True to his nature
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00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:23,040
he was pressing right up
close to be near the action
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00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:24,880
when he was killed on iejima.
155
00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:28,640
With pyle gone,
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00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,640
the Americans were
determined to get the job done.
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00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:34,560
Beyond pyle's memorial
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00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:38,680
today there's one other remnant
of the bitter battle that played out.
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00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:41,160
The shell of the
concrete pawn shop.
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00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,640
This building did
not necessarily serve
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00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:47,720
any strategic purpose
for the United States
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00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:49,480
but it was caught
in the crossfire.
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00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,240
They pulverised this pawn shop
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00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,880
on the way to pulverising
the Japanese headquarters.
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00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,640
The Americans eventually
took mount gusuku
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00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,040
but traces still lie
below this place
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00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:07,040
that suggest for the people
of ie the full horror of the war
168
00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:08,280
was not yet over.
169
00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:12,600
The Japanese military
convinced the population
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00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:16,280
that the American forces
would be like wild animals
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00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,880
and no-one would
survive their onslaught.
172
00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:24,520
On ie island they actually
issued people hand grenades.
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00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:26,680
If all else fails they
were to kill themselves
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00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,920
rather than suffer the
disgrace of surrender.
175
00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:31,560
In iejima's coastal caves
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00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,480
hundreds of civilians
took their own lives,
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00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:39,080
those in the near tear cave
didn't believe the propaganda
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00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:40,800
and chose not to.
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00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,440
Translation: "Many
died inside these caves.
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00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:53,840
"However at this particular
cave that tragedy didn't happen."
181
00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:01,240
After a gruelling six-day battle,
the Americans took iejima,
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00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:08,120
in total almost 5,000 Japanese and
more than 1,000 American soldiers
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00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,280
lost their lives in
the fight for iejima.
184
00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:17,560
And some claim that Japan's
resolute defence of this tiny island
185
00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,840
led the us to drop
the atomic bombs
186
00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,720
that finally ended
the war in this region.
187
00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:29,200
But iejima still had
one more role to play.
188
00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:33,656
Translation: "At
the end of the war
189
00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:36,400
"the Japanese went to
the Philippines via here."
190
00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:41,120
After taking off from iejima
191
00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,080
the delegation agreed
peace terms in Manilla
192
00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:46,880
before submitting
to a public display.
193
00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:53,760
We've all heard about the Japanese
surrendering to general mcarthur
194
00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,880
on the USS Missouri in Tokyo bay
195
00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:01,000
but in fact the initial
surrender happened here
196
00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,280
at one of these air strips.
197
00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:08,000
This is an almost forgotten
part of the history of the war.
198
00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:16,640
Today little remains of
the bloody battle for iejima.
199
00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,640
But the memory of the
thousands of soldiers and civilians
200
00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:22,760
who died here lives on.
201
00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,960
Translation: "This place is one
of the few places left from the war,
202
00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,400
"not only for iejima
but also for okinawa.
203
00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,600
"So we are
preserving it carefully."
204
00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,320
Marooned in the chilly
waters of the Celtic sea,
205
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,200
a cluster of structures guards
Ireland's biggest harbour.
206
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,640
This island unambiguously
has pride of place.
207
00:13:56,680 --> 00:14:01,920
It's exposed, it's
windy, it's isolated.
208
00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:06,280
There are ditches,
fences and walls,
209
00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,640
this says security and strength.
210
00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,480
It's really quite clear
that this place was a fort,
211
00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,800
so there's also a sense that there
was something else happening here.
212
00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:21,360
(Dramatic music)
213
00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:31,640
This part is dark, it's quiet,
there are bars on the windows,
214
00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,040
there's a sort of
oppressive feeling.
215
00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,200
And the darkness
just swallows you up
216
00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,040
the further you go inside.
217
00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:43,680
It feels like something
of a time machine,
218
00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:47,200
there are parts that are quite
obviously several centuries old
219
00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,880
and there are other bits that
only seem like 20 years old.
220
00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,000
At the centre of the
complex is a long building
221
00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,280
that appears to
offer up some clues.
222
00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,040
There's clearly evidence of fire
223
00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,120
having swept through
this place at some point.
224
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,440
It feels like something actually
quite violent happened here.
225
00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:09,200
It's those burnt out ruins
that really draw you in
226
00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,760
and make you wonder
what happened here.
227
00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:19,040
This is spike island.
228
00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,920
Today it sits in Irish waters
229
00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:25,560
yet these defensive structures
were built by the British
230
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:27,320
more than 200 years ago.
231
00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,320
Local historian Tom
O'Neill once worked here.
232
00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:36,040
The fort here was
built by the British
233
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,000
'cause they were always afraid
234
00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,840
that an enemy of theirs
would invade Ireland
235
00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:43,600
and use Ireland then as a base
236
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,960
through which to
attack the mainland UK.
237
00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,680
Building the
strategically vital fort
238
00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,880
cost almost 100 million
pounds in todays money.
239
00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:58,480
This was a really
significant project.
240
00:15:58,520 --> 00:15:59,920
They started in 1806
241
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:04,240
and it took 60 years to build
across to cross a 24 acre site
242
00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:06,200
and it's cutting edge
military technology.
243
00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,560
From here we can
actually get a perfect idea
244
00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,880
of how clever the design was
245
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,760
to make this fort as
strong as possible.
246
00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,200
Deep trenches surround the fort
247
00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,160
which is built in a
distinctive star shape
248
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,360
to protect it from
every direction.
249
00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,560
The design worked, no
enemy ever attacked the fort.
250
00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,960
But that doesn't mean it's going
to escape violence all together.
251
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:38,240
Much later in it's life
252
00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,040
it's going to be
attacked from within.
253
00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:45,000
The defensive role
wasn't the only thing
254
00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:46,760
this place was used for.
255
00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,840
There's more than one
story to tell about this place.
256
00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:56,080
Bars on windows, security
spikes and reinforced gates
257
00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:59,360
show how the British
retooled their prized bastion
258
00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,560
to control the Irish instead.
259
00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,640
Being on an island
with fortified high walls
260
00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,760
and excellent observation
and look-out positions
261
00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:14,160
that also made this
site ideal to be a prison.
262
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,440
In 1845 the great
famine hit Ireland
263
00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,520
and this imperious star shaped
fort became a paupers prison.
264
00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:25,640
People became more desperate
265
00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,080
and some were even willing
to be arrested and imprisoned
266
00:17:28,120 --> 00:17:29,880
just to get some food.
267
00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:32,840
The situation was so dire
268
00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:37,560
that these fortified walls soon
held thousands of prisoners.
269
00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,840
Additionally with the British
government using spike island
270
00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:44,320
as a stop over for convicts
en route to criminal colonies
271
00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:46,400
the population swelled.
272
00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:50,280
And the numbers kept on rising
273
00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:53,560
because of the numbers that
were being arrested and imprisoned
274
00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,480
until eventually
we had 2,500 here
275
00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,880
and that 2,500 made it
one of the largest prisons
276
00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:01,480
in the world at the time.
277
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,720
Eventually the famine passed
and the prison closed in 1883.
278
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:09,520
But this would
not last for long.
279
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,480
In 1916 when the Irish
Republicans rebelled
280
00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:17,680
against britain's
oppressive military rule
281
00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:20,160
the fort again
proved invaluable.
282
00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:22,760
During the Irish
war of independence
283
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,720
this site was bought back
in to use again as a prison.
284
00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:29,560
And some of the rooms have
changed very little since then.
285
00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:37,040
This was where the convicted
Republicans were held,
286
00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:39,320
this would have been
their living quarters,
287
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:41,880
their sleeping quarters,
their dining quarters,
288
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:43,520
their recreation quarters.
289
00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,680
With British soldiers
guarding republican internees
290
00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,160
hostility between
them was inevitable.
291
00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:54,480
There were some
pretty serious tension
292
00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:57,200
between these prisoners
who had fought on one side
293
00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,560
and the guards who
were their enemies.
294
00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:02,600
Obviously there was friction,
295
00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:03,656
these were the individuals
296
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,440
that had been attempting
to kill crown forces anyway.
297
00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,400
The famous revolutionaries
who came through this place
298
00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,320
ran rings round the British.
299
00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:18,200
There was one particularly important
individual here with the prisoners
300
00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:22,760
and his real name was Tom
Malone, he made a name for himself
301
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,480
attacking and
destroying rac barracks,
302
00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:30,080
he was fairly near the top of
the crown forces most wanted list
303
00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:33,960
and he was arrested in cork
city on Christmas morning 1920.
304
00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,960
Malone was a commander
in the republican army.
305
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,440
He was once described
as Ireland's Houdini
306
00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:43,560
when he escaped
this fortress jail
307
00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,240
helped by the prison's
catholic chaplain.
308
00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:55,280
His comrades had to remain inside
until Irish independence in 1921.
309
00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,160
But modern cell doors,
locks and partitions
310
00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:05,000
suggest spike island's role
as a prison wasn't yet over.
311
00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,720
In 1985 the fort was
again used as a prison
312
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,040
but a civilian prison this time.
313
00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:14,520
There had been a
spate of increased crime
314
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:17,320
and so spike island
was opened up again
315
00:20:17,360 --> 00:20:20,000
to absorb some of
these extra inmates.
316
00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:26,240
This time it was the Irish themselves
who put the prison fort to use.
317
00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:33,680
This area was converted
in to modern cells in 1985,
318
00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,760
there were 25
four-man-cells in total
319
00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:43,000
and that then gave the
civil prison a capacity of 102.
320
00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,920
Other blocks were
less well secured.
321
00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,480
The plan was to send fairly
low risk inmates to spike island
322
00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:52,600
and if that had been
followed through
323
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:54,160
there wouldn't have
been a problem.
324
00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,720
But when prison governors
got the opportunity
325
00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:58,080
to get rid of some prisoners
326
00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:00,720
well naturally enough they
got rid of their troublemakers
327
00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:02,280
if they possibly could.
328
00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,120
A lot of very high
risk inmates arrive
329
00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:09,240
and this place simply
isn't designed to hold them.
330
00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,840
Damage found at one
part of the makeshift jail
331
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:14,520
points to the consequences.
332
00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:17,640
As you look closer and
you see the damage,
333
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,720
you see the fire damage,
the charred windows,
334
00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:25,200
you realise that there was
some final dramatic event
335
00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:27,880
that was the last
chapter of this site.
336
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,760
Spike island, a fort turned
prison in the republic of Ireland.
337
00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:40,400
Tasked with housing a
number of high risk offenders
338
00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:42,480
in an ill-equipped cell block,
339
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,080
violence soon erupted.
340
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,560
Tom O'Neill was a
guard here at the time,
341
00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:49,960
he witnessed the
chaos that ensued.
342
00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:56,040
This was one of the dormitories
where prisoners were held in 1985.
343
00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:59,560
On the night of 31 August,
just before midnight,
344
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,080
the riot started.
345
00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:04,840
The prisoners simply
broke up the wooden floor
346
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:06,440
and set fire to it.
347
00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:10,040
And when the fire was on
348
00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:14,200
they simply kicked down the
wooden doors and escaped.
349
00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,360
They even managed
to get as far as the pier
350
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:20,656
but they couldn't
get any further
351
00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:23,280
and that's why you build
a prison on an island.
352
00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:24,880
They can't get off
353
00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:26,920
so they decide to do
the next best thing.
354
00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,640
They decide to break
back into the prison
355
00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,160
and destroy all
the records there.
356
00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:37,360
But the fully bastioned
British built fort
357
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,400
wasn't that easy to break into.
358
00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:44,480
The prisoners had to use an
excavator to break down the doors.
359
00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,880
The riot was just a
simple want of destruction,
360
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,760
photocopiers turned upside
down and smacked off the ground,
361
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,080
tins of paint opened and
scattered all over the place,
362
00:22:57,120 --> 00:22:59,920
just the want of
destruction of it really.
363
00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,160
The riot was
eventually contained,
364
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,880
spike island was used as a
prison for another 20 years.
365
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,880
The prison was remodelled
and made much more secure,
366
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:12,720
they'd learnt their lesson.
367
00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,960
Eventually it
closed fully in 2004
368
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,760
primarily because of the
cost of keeping prisoners here.
369
00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,960
Having spent nearly 200
years off limits to civilians,
370
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,520
spike island is now
open to the public.
371
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:36,360
It's colourful history preserved
for generations to come.
372
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:43,560
But what we really have here is
a place that provides snap shots
373
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,240
of Ireland's history
at crucial moments
374
00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,600
and a conflict that could
characterise that history
375
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:50,680
and the violence
that was there as well.
376
00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,800
In Spain, the remains
of a hilltop ghost town
377
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,360
reveal that this site
is steeped in religion.
378
00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:12,760
This place has been
inhabited for centuries
379
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,840
at least since the knight's
templar in the middle ages.
380
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,720
These little towns
in the Spanish hills
381
00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:23,200
were always on the
very edge of survival.
382
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,400
The most prominent
building is the church.
383
00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,760
It was clearly the
centre of this community.
384
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,480
But as you get a little closer
you can see it's in ruins.
385
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,240
This is a place that
has been torn to pieces
386
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,680
and here we've got buildings
387
00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:47,280
that look like they've been
scorched and crumbled.
388
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:50,560
A lot of these structures
have been levelled by artillery,
389
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:54,080
we see the stone work pot
marked with shell fragments,
390
00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:56,080
bullet holes that sort of thing.
391
00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:02,040
But there are traces
to who was at war here.
392
00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:05,480
We see a lot of graffiti
393
00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:07,720
which itself has
some real significance
394
00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:09,600
in solving this mystery.
395
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:11,360
Then if we poke
around a little more
396
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,880
we come across this plaque
to Robert hale merriman.
397
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,520
That does not sound Spanish
398
00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:25,040
and when I read further and I
see the name Abraham Lincoln,
399
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:30,680
I know that Americans have
done something significant here.
400
00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:38,040
A band of freedom fighters
once came to this desolate site
401
00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,520
and left their idealism
smashed in these ruins.
402
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,120
(Dramatic music)
403
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,200
This is called corbera d'ebre.
404
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,800
Today there's little left
of the thriving community
405
00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:58,360
where Joan Montana
father was born in the 1920s.
406
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:08,200
Translation: "We are in one of
the main streets of the old town.
407
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:12,000
"You have to imagine
it was all houses here.
408
00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,160
"You can even see the remains
of the original cobbled street.
409
00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:19,000
"And these are the
foundations of the house
410
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:20,800
"where my father was born."
411
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:28,720
Back then the residents of corbera
lived as they had done for centuries,
412
00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:32,680
the church and the land
owners held all the power.
413
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:37,656
Translation: "The main
church was built here
414
00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:39,520
"back in the 13th century.
415
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:43,400
"And the nerve centre
of this rural community
416
00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:44,880
"was the church square."
417
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:51,600
Once upon a time
this little Spanish village
418
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,040
might have been
filled with poor people
419
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,000
but they were poor people
420
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,240
who were strong in
their Christian faith
421
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:04,560
and they understood themselves
as subjects of a catholic monarchy.
422
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:10,800
Yet the damage rot on this church
suggests something changed.
423
00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:17,640
In 1931 a new left wing
government sought to rest control
424
00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,480
from the catholic land
owners who ruled Spain...
425
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:24,440
..But it faced
strong opposition.
426
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:31,320
There was an extreme
right wing military click
427
00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:36,880
who felt that they had
a chance to save Spain.
428
00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:41,120
You have senior army officers,
429
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:45,120
you've got some
very wealthy people
430
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:51,560
and you've got a catholic church
and that is the nationalist party.
431
00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:59,640
In 1936 led by the fascist
general Francisco Franco,
432
00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:04,120
the nationalists staged a coup
and a bitter civil war broke out.
433
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:08,280
The rubble of corbera
434
00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,720
reveals how the conflict
soon reached the town.
435
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,336
Translation: "Here we
can make out the traces
436
00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:18,760
"of a series of
historical marks.
437
00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:26,960
"This graffiti from the
time reads, "seized ciente"."
438
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,840
The ciente it's the
Spanish acronym
439
00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:34,960
for the national
labour confederation.
440
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,560
What that meant in
that place and that time
441
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,680
was that these guys
were anarchists.
442
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,320
The anarchists had taken
advantage of the conflict.
443
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:50,040
One armed faction
swept in to corbera.
444
00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:53,200
When the ciente anarchists
occupied this village
445
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:59,360
they saw the village priest
as part of the nationalists,
446
00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:02,000
the fascists, the enemy.
447
00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:05,280
And so they did them in.
448
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:12,000
The anarchists killed corbera's
priest and his assistants.
449
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,920
But when they left the
town itself was still standing.
450
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,640
Meanwhile the rest of Spain
was swept up in the uneven fight
451
00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:25,920
between the fascists nationalists
and the left wing Republicans.
452
00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:32,000
The Republicans, the government
side of the Spanish civil war
453
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:34,536
have to fight throughout with
one hand tied behind their back,
454
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:37,480
they have no American
aid, no British aid,
455
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,080
against this big
organised nationalist army
456
00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:44,320
completely funded and supplied
by fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
457
00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,760
In the 1930s there were
plenty of young idealists
458
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,160
who were willing to
fight for democracy.
459
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:59,120
2,800 Americans
volunteered to fight
460
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,000
on the republican side
in the Spanish civil war
461
00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:05,240
and they came to be
known as the Lincoln brigade.
462
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,240
Some of the most important
writers and thinkers of the day
463
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,480
wanted to go sign up to fight.
464
00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,360
Ernest Hemingway covered the
war as a newspaper correspondent
465
00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:17,800
and George orwell spent time
fighting with the Republicans.
466
00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:22,600
The cause attracted lesser
known freedom fighters too.
467
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,920
Robert haile merriman, the
commander of the Lincoln brigade
468
00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,840
and he gives up his studies
to go over and lead this brigade
469
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:32,360
in the Spanish civil war.
470
00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,880
By the start of 1938
471
00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,560
corbera had so far
escaped the carnage
472
00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,200
of Spain's vicious civil war
473
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:47,440
but pot-marked houses and
swathes of derelict ground
474
00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,320
suggest that this
would soon change.
475
00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:54,880
Corbera's proximity
to the ebro river
476
00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:57,640
meant the conflict
was fast approaching.
477
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,760
If the nationalists
can take the ebro river
478
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:02,280
and push to the sea,
479
00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,080
they're going to drive a wedge
between the republican stronghold
480
00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,560
so it's vital for the
nationalists to win there
481
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,200
and it's vital for the
Republicans to hold there.
482
00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:19,240
On the outskirts of corbera, merriman
and the exhausted Lincoln brigade
483
00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:21,320
dug in with Republicans.
484
00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:27,840
Translation: "By march 1938
485
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,520
"we know soldiers were camped
here, very close to corbera.
486
00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:38,920
"These soldiers were members
of the international brigade
487
00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:40,960
"and they were suffering a lot.
488
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:43,720
"They were being defeated
489
00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:47,360
"and they had come to the
vicinity of corbera to regroup."
490
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:55,480
Merriment believed if he could
just reach the republican held town
491
00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:58,080
he and his men would be safe.
492
00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:59,680
But unbeknown to him,
493
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:03,440
the fascist nationalist
had seized corbera.
494
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:07,360
Merriman was now
trapped behind enemy lines.
495
00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:11,840
And in April 1938
just outside corbera,
496
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:15,800
he unwittingly walked
into a nationalist camp.
497
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:17,600
And merriman and
his second in command
498
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:19,600
are captured by their enemies
499
00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:20,920
and so far as we can tell
500
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:22,536
they were probably
put up against a wall
501
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:25,160
and shot right
there on the spot.
502
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:31,440
The Republicans fought on,
eventually they recaptured corbera.
503
00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:34,480
But this bare hill, once
covered in houses,
504
00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:37,600
took the brunt of
the fascist revenge.
505
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,840
Translation: "The very day the
Republicans reconquered corbera
506
00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:44,640
"the bombing started.
507
00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:46,960
"And continued almost daily."
508
00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,360
Mussolini sends troops
to aide the nationalists
509
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,120
led by general franko,
510
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:56,720
the Germans send the condor
legion this advanced air force.
511
00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,000
Franko says I'm going to
destroy the Republicans
512
00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:00,760
in a battle of attrition
513
00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:05,040
and that battle is focused
on this village of corbera.
514
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:12,600
In August 1938 corbera was
occupied by republican forces
515
00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:17,040
putting it firmly in the crosshairs
of general franko's fascist army.
516
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,360
Translation: "This place
was protected from artillery fire
517
00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:26,600
"so some soldiers made
makeshift shelters here.
518
00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,480
"They dug in and took
advantage of the house wall.
519
00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:36,960
"And after the bombing
stopped the strafing started,
520
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:39,680
"we can still see the
impact on this wall."
521
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:44,800
When the battle of the
river ebro finally ended,
522
00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:48,000
most of corbera
had been destroyed.
523
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:53,280
Translation: "They call
corbera the eternal flame.
524
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:57,040
"Nails and other metallic things
are melted and fossilised here.
525
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:00,880
"We can even see the key
526
00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,200
"that was used to
open a tin of sardines."
527
00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:09,040
Just a glance at
the village of corbera
528
00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:10,640
and the destruction there,
529
00:34:11,720 --> 00:34:14,760
it points again to the savagery
of the Spanish civil war.
530
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:20,160
General franko's nationalist
party took control of Spain in 1939
531
00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:24,040
and ran the country as a
dictatorship for almost 40 years.
532
00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:28,600
When Spain was again
peaceful but a dictatorship
533
00:34:29,720 --> 00:34:31,160
the villagers came back
534
00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:33,760
and the place had been
pounded to smithereens.
535
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,800
They rebuilt their
village down by the road.
536
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:47,360
Today corbera remembers
those who fought to the death
537
00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:49,120
for a better world.
538
00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:56,000
They came to stop
the kind of fascism
539
00:34:56,040 --> 00:35:01,120
that was going to be the ruin
of Europe in the years to come.
540
00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,480
These are people
who were killing Nazis
541
00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:09,640
at a time when governments
weren't ready for that yet.
542
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,760
The first people to do that
543
00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:15,600
are these idealistic
volunteers in Spain.
544
00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,600
Near the border between
Germany and France,
545
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,240
in the long disputed
region of al sass
546
00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:30,680
lies a mysterious complex
with an explosive past.
547
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:37,000
There's a big central building
548
00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:42,280
where all the glass has
been shattered, blown out,
549
00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:44,520
something violent happened here.
550
00:35:45,240 --> 00:35:48,000
When you look up you've
got these crazy structures
551
00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:52,160
just perched high up there
above looking down on everything.
552
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,320
Whatever was being made
553
00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,800
someone went to great efforts
to try and sport it out of here.
554
00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:03,440
It has a train line running through
that's completely overgrown,
555
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:06,400
it's clearly not been
used in decades.
556
00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:10,800
And there on the tracks is
a train that's just been left.
557
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,560
This incongruous
collection of derelict buildings
558
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:16,920
seems to make little sense.
559
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:22,240
There's something here that
people are willing to kill over,
560
00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:24,800
it's that precious
and that essential.
561
00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,520
The first clue to
what's going on here
562
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:33,880
lies half a mile underground.
563
00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,360
They were digging for some
valuable commodity here
564
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,240
but it wasn't gold, it wasn't
diamonds, wasn't silver.
565
00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:43,280
(Dramatic music)
566
00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:47,680
This sprawling plant
is carreau rodolphe.
567
00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:50,000
It was built to extract
a precious mineral
568
00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:51,840
from deep underground.
569
00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:54,440
Jean misiano once worked here.
570
00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:58,560
Translation: "I spent 30
years working for this enterprise
571
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:01,240
"where working conditions
were incredibly tough.
572
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:06,720
"This is the elevator that carried
the miners both up and down.
573
00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:09,240
"We're at the top of
the rodolphe one shaft,
574
00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,640
"which went down 750 metres."
575
00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:15,680
It was nasty work
down in the mines.
576
00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:18,200
It was hot and cramped
577
00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:23,400
and if you hit a pocket of gas it
could trigger a deadly explosion.
578
00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:25,816
Translation: "It's
very dangerous here
579
00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:28,520
"and expensive trying
to get this mineral out."
580
00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:33,320
More than 600 people
lost their lives here
581
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:35,720
during a century of operation.
582
00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:41,080
What precious mineral
was worth this level of risk?
583
00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:47,560
Translation: "Carreau rodolphe
at the beginning of the 20th century
584
00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,040
"was a strategic place for
the production of a mineral
585
00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:51,960
"called potash."
586
00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:56,920
Potash is one of the
best fertilisers going
587
00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:01,520
and carreau rodolphe was
sitting on top of the motherload.
588
00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:02,960
(Dramatic classical music)
589
00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:06,440
The first mine
opened here in 1913
590
00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:09,720
to extract the mineral
the whole world wanted.
591
00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:12,800
At the beginning
of the 20th century
592
00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:15,640
you have a big
explosion in population,
593
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:19,760
we need to very quickly grow
more crops and better crops
594
00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:21,680
and for that you
need fertiliser.
595
00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:25,240
And a major part of
fertiliser is potassium
596
00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:31,680
and here potash, buried underground,
contains that magic ingredient.
597
00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:34,760
This site lies in El sass,
598
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:38,680
a region that France and
Germany had long fought over.
599
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,760
The opening of this place
made it even more desirable.
600
00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:48,080
Carreau rodolphe was one of
the only potash mines in the world
601
00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:49,880
outside of Germany
602
00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:52,440
but that put a huge
target on it's back.
603
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,720
When world war one
breaks out in August 1914,
604
00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:00,000
in that initial German
rush in to France.
605
00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:02,240
They over run the
carreau rodolphe
606
00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:04,960
and they take this
motherload of potash.
607
00:39:06,240 --> 00:39:12,160
Even more worrying is that potash
is the key ingredient in gunpowder.
608
00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:18,160
This overgrown railroad once
headed toward the battle trenches
609
00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:19,840
of world war one.
610
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,360
And it wasn't only carrying
the ingredients for gunpowder.
611
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:26,960
Intelligence reports suggested
that ammunition was seen leaving
612
00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:28,000
this industrial complex.
613
00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:33,440
Translation: "From 1914 to
1915 the Germans installed
614
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,880
"a narrow Gauge railway
starting here at carreau rodolphe.
615
00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:40,360
"The munitions were
transported to the front by train."
616
00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,640
Now that it was key to
the German war effort,
617
00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:48,240
both the British and
many French locals
618
00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:50,720
wanted to destroy this place.
619
00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:52,320
So who got there first?
620
00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:56,160
New years Eve
the last day of 1915,
621
00:39:56,680 --> 00:40:01,360
this whole potash
facility is just ripped apart
622
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,240
by a tremendous explosion.
623
00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:07,720
The entire complex
was reduced to rubble.
624
00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:12,120
The munitions secretly
stored at the factory
625
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:14,240
only added to the blast.
626
00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:21,360
It shook houses and rattled
windows 20 miles away from the site.
627
00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:25,200
But the mystery
persists. Who did it?
628
00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:29,600
It would make sense if it was
an allied aerial bombing attack
629
00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:30,760
on the mine,
630
00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:35,080
but if you asked the
locals they didn't believe it.
631
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:40,040
Translation: "Attacking on
the 31 December is symbolic
632
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:43,160
"since it's new years Eve
and everybody celebrates then
633
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,760
"so they might have
celebrated this victory too."
634
00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:49,560
It's an interesting date to
have an industrial accident,
635
00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:53,760
you'd normally expect that to happen
when everything was in full flow.
636
00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:55,200
We'll never know.
637
00:40:57,120 --> 00:40:58,360
Whatever caused it,
638
00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:00,520
the blast meant the
mine was out of action
639
00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:03,520
until long after the
first world war ended
640
00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:09,800
by which time carreau rodolphe
was back under French control.
641
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:14,440
It didn't actually
open again till 1929
642
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:16,800
but then it was into full flow
643
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:19,720
because the world
still needed potash.
644
00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:24,200
The crazed collection of
structures that littered the site
645
00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:27,360
were all built to supply
this pressing need.
646
00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:30,720
The thing that fascinates
me most about this site
647
00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:32,200
is of course the head stocks,
648
00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:35,680
these huge sheds that
you see up in the sky.
649
00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:40,080
The mine relied on lifting
hundreds of tonnes of rubble
650
00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:41,600
out of the ground,
651
00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:44,920
it was bought to the
surface on a cable system
652
00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:49,320
which ran through enormous pulley
wheels attached to the structures.
653
00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:52,200
Over the coming decades,
654
00:41:52,240 --> 00:41:56,040
500 million tonnes of
potash were mined here...
655
00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:01,440
..But as they dug even deeper,
the cost of extraction grew.
656
00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:06,160
Eventually in 2003 the
last mine shaft closed.
657
00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:11,880
(Upbeat music)
658
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:17,000
Today the dormant
mine stands empty.
659
00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:21,320
It may have seen
out two world wars
660
00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:25,040
but the hulk of the machinery
and what's left behind
661
00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:28,320
tells the story of the actual
people that worked here.
662
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:42,960
Abandoned, disintegrating,
reclaimed by nature.
663
00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:47,040
Structures once
at the cutting edge
664
00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:51,240
bearing witness to the
forces, pioneers and villains
665
00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:53,840
that defined the world today.
666
00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:59,120
Emblems of a shared
past standing in our present.
667
00:42:59,160 --> 00:43:02,160
Captioned by
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