All language subtitles for wwii.battles.in.color.s01e03.1080p.web.h264-cbfm_Subtitles01_Unnamed

[Narrator] In 1942, Field
Marshal Erwin Rommel,

the Desert Fox, brings
blitzkrieg to Egypt.

[gun blasting]

All that stands between
his panzers and Cairo

is the British Eighth Army.

General Bernard Montgomery

must fight back in
the desert dunes.

[dramatic music]

Now, newly colorized footage

takes us to the
heart of the action.

[gun rattling]

100-degree heat, brutal
sandstorms, and swarms of flies

create punishing
fighting conditions.

-[explosions blasting]
-[airplane engines whirring]

As German fighter aces
dominate the skies,

British battleships
contest the seas.

[guns booming]

The Battle of El Alamein

will decide the fate
of North Africa.

[dramatic music]

[gentle thoughtful music]

British Flight
Lieutenant Robert Milward

records his descent into
the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Europe is on the brink of war.

But 2,000 miles from London,

Milward has time
to see the sights.

The pyramids at Giza are
top of any tourists' list.

Milward saves much of his
film for the Great Pyramid.

The last intact wonder
of the ancient world.

But he's not here for R&R.

He's collecting new
Bristol Blenheim bombers,

destined for the front
lines of the coming war.

The British have maintained
a colonial presence in Egypt

since the late 19th century.

They fight against
the Ottoman Turks

to defend it during
the First World War,

and they prepare to do so
again against the Germans

and Italians during
the Second World War.

[Narrator] The jewel in Egypt's
crown is the Suez Canal.

[Robert] The Suez Canal is the
lifeline of the British Empire.

It's the link between
the British Isles

and that gigantic Asian
empire that sustains Britain.

[Narrator] Ships carrying oil
from Iran, food from India,

or troops from Australia, can
use the canal as a shortcut

between the Indian Ocean
and the Mediterranean.

It saves a two-week detour
around Africa on each trip.

But it makes North Africa
coveted real estate

for ambitious imperial powers.

[crowd cheering]

In the German city of
Munich, Fuhrer Adolf Hitler

receives Italian Duce
Benito Mussolini.

The two men have formed a
fascist military alliance,

known as the Axis.

Hitler has great
success in Europe

in the early stages of
the Second World War.

But Mussolini is frustrated

by the rather limited
Italian contribution.

[Benito] For fascism,
the growth of empire,

is an essential
manifestation of vitality,

and it's opposite a
sign of decadence.

Mussolini's great vision
is to rebuild Italy

in the image of the
ancient Roman Empire.

Italy already has
colonies in North Africa,

and Mussolini wants
to link these up

and create a new Italian empire
in that part of the world.

[gentle thoughtful music]

[Narrator] Mussolini orders
his troops to invade Egypt.

[guns blasting]

It's a disaster.

Mussolini's Armata is a far
cry from Hitler's Wehrmacht.

Much like their plumed helmets,

their equipment dates
back to an earlier era.

Instead of a blitz,

their tactics rely
on static encampments

and a slow advance.

Just 30,000 British soldiers

push 150,000 Italians
back into Libya.

[Philip] It was a
complete walkover.

I saw thousands of
Italian prisoners

delighted that the war
was over.

[Narrator] If Italy
fails in Africa,

the southern borders
of the Third Reich

will become vulnerable.

[tense music]

Hitler is alarmed by
this turn of events.

[Adolf] The British
would have free use

of a dozen divisions.

We must make every
effort to prevent this.

We must render effective
assistance in North Africa.

[Narrator] Nazi
propaganda film crews

tout the arrival of
the new Afrika Korps

in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

It's the first
time German forces

have traveled this far south.

But they say they are prepared
for the 115-degree heat.

The soldiers sport new
olive-colored desert uniforms

made from lightweight
cotton instead of wool

and topped with a
wide-brimmed sun helmet.

Steel Panzer III tanks

will act as an oven
in the fierce sun,

so they add cooling ports
to the engine hatches.

Watching on is their
newly appointed commander,

the maverick general,
Erwin Rommel.

[Robert] General Rommel
is Hitler's

favorite field commander.

He has what Hitler wants,
boldness, surprise, speed.

He's sent to North Africa

simply to support
the Italian ally.

But as the world is
about to find out,

you rarely limit Rommel
in terms of his aims.

[dramatic music]

[Narrator] 400 miles
east of Tripoli,

the Afrika Korps pass
under the Arch of Philaeni.

This 100-foot high
ornate landmark

straddles the only road
between Tripoli and Cairo.

It was commissioned
by Mussolini,

as part of his attempt to
recreate the Roman Empire.

The inscription
at the top reads,

"Oh almighty Sun,

"you will never look upon
a city greater than Rome."

Rommel may disagree.

Technically, Rommel is
under Italian command,

but he chooses to ignore
the Italian orders

to simply defend Libya.

His idea is to win
North Africa,

to gain glory for
the German Army,

and of course, personal
glory for himself.

[Erwin] It is
during the pursuit,

when the beaten enemy is still
dispirited and disorganized,

that most prisoners are made
and most booty captured.

[tank rattling]

[tense ominous music]

[Narrator] To take Cairo
and the Suez Canal,

Rommel must cross 750 miles
of the northern Sahara Desert.

The landscape is
incredibly hostile.

It's arid, there's
very limited water,

the troops are dehydrated
for much of the time.

It's a very unpleasant
environment.

Hot by day, freezing by night.

[Narrator] The desert
will push any army,

and its supply lines,
to the limit.

The one defending
the settlements

that cling to the North
African coastline,

is a hastily assembled
fighting force.

[Alexander] The only way the
British Empire

can keep pace with
Axis mobilization

is by drawing upon the resources
of the British Empire,

the colonies, the dominions,
and Britain's allies.

[Narrator] British
tank crews are joined

by large infantry divisions
from Australia, South Africa,

and New Zealand,

who include a battalion
of Maori tribal soldiers.

The 4th Indian Division

features a section of
motorcycling military police.

These disparate divisions

will become known as
the British Eighth Army.

But they initially struggle
to operate effectively.

Eighth Army is torn
between fighting

the Axis forces in Africa
and contributing strength

to Britain's ongoing
campaigns elsewhere.

There's also a failure to
concentrate force effectively

and to instill co-operation
between the different arms.

[Narrator] Rommel
catches them cold.

In March 1941,

the Panzerarmee Afrika
descend from the desert dunes.

[gun blasting]

And attack the British
camp at El Agheila.

Wrecked vehicles are
left behind

by the hasty British retreat.

By the end of the day,

Rommel is surveying
the captured city,

and already pushing
on to the next target.

Rommel has a small force,

a division plus, maybe
a division and a half.

But because it's so small,
he can whip it around

in a way that the British
simply cannot match,

and frankly,
cannot even understand.

[Narrator] British vehicles
are old and worn-out.

Under pressure,
they break down,

and organized retreat
turns into harried flight.

[Ray] It seemed that
everyone was doing their best

to put the greatest
distance between themselves

and the enemy, everybody was
rushing headlong back to Egypt.

[tank rumbling]

[dramatic music]

[Narrator] Rommel's success
makes him a German hero.

This film footage from the
desert becomes a highlight

of "The German Weekly Review,"

a propaganda newsreel
series released in cinemas

across the Reich.

For audiences used to
the snowy struggles

of the Eastern Front,

the unstoppable
advance in Africa

is a welcome morale boost.

[Newscaster speaks
in foreign language]

Rommel is ever-present
on-screen,

surveying destroyed vehicles
and captured territory.

He plays up to the cameras,

British anti-gas goggles found
in a captured command vehicle

soon become a trademark.

The newsreels dub him Der
Wustenfuchs, the Desert Fox.

German morale is high.

In their downtime, they
create a makeshift funfair

complete with boxing ring,
carousel, and strength test.

-[hammer thuds]
-[bell rings]

A chameleon gives
camouflage tips,

and even a tortoise is
recruited to the Nazi cause.

The desert is a
completely alien territory

for the German Army.

The German soldiers have never
fought in a similar terrain,

under similar heat,

their training is all
concentrated on a war in Europe.

[Narrator] It's so hot they
can fry eggs on their Panzers.

But there is little
time to sleep

during the relentless advance.

[Rolf] Every night we
were completely exhausted.

We had only one thought,
"Let's get to Cairo."

This is where we
really wanted to go.

[Narrator] The newsreel footage

is not just
overblown propaganda.

Rommel's troops are forcing
the British Army back

across the barren
desert towards Egypt.

[truck engines whirring]

In June 1942,

Rommel seizes the last
British stronghold in Libya,

the port town of Tobruk.

The Nazis take 32,000 captives.

[tense music]

[dramatic music]

German propaganda
cameras record the moment

the garrison commander, Major
General Klopper, surrenders.

With the port in their hands,

fresh supplies power
the Afrika Korps

towards the Egyptian border.

[tank engine whirring]

[gentle music]

On the same day at
the White House,

British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill

visits President
Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As U.S. troops parade down
New York's 5th Avenue,

the men plan America's
first deployment

to the European war.

A massive invasion
of North Africa.

But they fear Egypt will fall
before the U.S. can mobilize.

As a stopgap, Roosevelt agrees
to send some of America's

most advanced tanks and mobile
artillery to the desert.

If Britain can hold Egypt long
enough for it to get there.

[dramatic music]

After taking Tobruk, Rommel
is promoted to field marshal,

and given full control over
all 100,000 Axis forces

in North Africa.

As they enter Egypt, Rommel's
focus turns to Cairo.

Take it, and he will
control North Africa

and the Suez Canal.

[gentle thoughtful music]

British civilians in the city,

alarmed by the news
from the border,

begin a mass evacuation.

Author Olivia Manning
observes the panic.

[Olivia] We were
amazed to find uproar

when we reached the station.

The train packed with every
sort of European refugee.

The Egyptian porters
entered into the excitement,

with shouts of,
"Germans coming!

"You go! Germans come!"

[Narrator] After 50 years
of British occupation,

many Egyptians see the
Germans as liberators.

But to the British,
they're a threat,

approaching at full
speed across the sand

and now also, from the air.

-[airplane engines whirring]
-[suspenseful music]

Home movie footage

shot by members of
Luftwaffe fighter wing 27

shows graders scraping
airfields from the desert,

ready for the arrival
of German air power.

During the early
stages of the campaign,

the German Luftwaffe is
able to fight successfully

against a weakened
Royal Air Force

and to support the German
operations on the ground.

[airplane engine whirring]

[Narrator] In the
skies over the desert,

gun cameras attached to
Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft

reveal the high-speed
fighter's distinct advantage.

[guns blasting]

A few direct hits
from wing-mounted

are all they need to send

the slower British
Hurricanes down.

[airplane engine chugging]

Newsreels make German
aces celebrities.

Hans-Joachim Marseille is fresh
from the Battle of Britain.

There he had a
reputation as a skilled

but reckless pilot
and a womanizer.

He's often grounded for being
too tired to fly sorties.

But he embraces the
asceticism of desert life

and becomes a hero to the
Hitler Youth camps back home.

-[dramatic music]
-[airplane engine whirring]

He gains fame for
extreme attack angles

and diving right into the
middle of enemy formations.

[Hans-Joachim] You've
gotta be able to shoot

from any position.

From left or right turns,
out of a roll, on your back.

Only then can you plunge into
the middle of an enemy swarm

and blow it up from the inside.

[explosion blasts]

[Narrator] Marseille's
aircraft tail

is decorated for his
100th kill.

Nazi propaganda names
him The Star of Africa,

a walking example of German
dominance of the desert skies.

[airplane engines whirring]

On the ground, the
British Eighth Army

has retreated back into Egypt.

The dire situation
warrants a personal visit

from the British prime
minister.

By going to Egypt, Winston
Churchill wants to demonstrate

that he's got command
of the situation,

both to the British public,

but more importantly
to his American allies.

[Narrator] Churchill insists
Rommel must be defeated,

and Axis forces pushed
out of North Africa.

This considerable challenge
requires a top talent

to oversee the ground forces.

Churchill's initial pick
to lead the Eighth Army

is Lieutenant General
William Strafer Gott

who's a veteran
of the desert war.

But as he's flying to
take up his appointment

he's shot down by a
German Messerschmitt

and he's burnt to
death in the wreckage.

[Narrator] Out of options,

Churchill agrees
to the appointment

of Lieutenant-General
Bernard Montgomery.

[gentle suspenseful music]

In a profession known for
gigantic personalities,

Montgomery might have
been near the top.

Even his own British
colleagues see him as arrogant

and self-obsessed

and just a thoroughly
unpleasant personality.

[Narrator] But Montgomery
is also

a highly experienced commander
with a keen eye for detail.

Every nuance has to be perfect
before he's ready to march,

and he won't march until he is

absolutely certain of success.

[Narrator] As he whips
Eighth Army into shape,

Montgomery is a constant,
visible presence,

building a reputation
to rival Rommel's.

Instead of goggles, he adopts
a black tank regiment beret

to connect with
the rank and file.

[Howard] When he
wanted something to

After he arrived,
morale soared.

[Narrator] Under
Montgomery's guidance,

the Eighth Army
begin to punch back.

[guns blasting]

Rommel's advance stalls

near the small railroad
station of El Alamein.

The new front line is just
150 miles west of Cairo.

The terrain here presents
a natural choke point.

To the north, the sea.

To the south a vast, unpassable
expanse of salt marshes

known as the Qattara
Depression.

[boots squelching]

The 25 mile stretch of
rocky desert in between

forces a tactical
battle of wits.

Rommel wants to keep the
Allies on the defensive.

When the first attempt to
break through the British lines

at El Alamein fails,
Rommel decides to dig in.

He hopes that he
will be able to

bring up more reinforcements
to the front line

in order to relaunch
the offensive.

[Narrator] Between
July and October,

Axis engineers create a
three-mile-deep killing zone

of defensive positions,
mines, and barbed wire.

They christen them
the Devil's Gardens.

Panzer divisions patrol,

ready to react to
Allied breakthroughs.

[dramatic music]

If Montgomery is
to achieve his task

of pushing Rommel
out of Africa,

the Eighth Army must find a way

through these brutal defenses.

[gentle thoughtful music]

The British Eighth Army

and German and Italian
Panzerarmee Afrika

dig in for the impending
battle at El Alamein.

Now, they bear the brunt of
the brutal desert conditions.

The North African
desert creates

enormous wear and tear
on the troops' vehicles,

on their equipment,
on their weapons,

and it's a very
difficult environment

for the human body too.

[Narrator] Vast sandstorms
scour the soldiers.

Wind speeds can reach
90 miles an hour.

[Erwin] We gasped
in breath painfully

through handkerchiefs
held over our faces

and sweat poured off our
bodies in the unbearable heat.

[wind whistling]

[Narrator] Once
the storm passes,

swarms of sand flies arrive.

Drawn to food, human waste,
and dead bodies,

they are a relentless nuisance.

[Alexander] Flies get into
food, contaminate fluids,

and can turn even fairly
minor wounds septic.

[Narrator] Despite
signs urging the Germans

to boil water before
use, disease is common.

Rommel himself contracts
dysentery and jaundice,

which lead to a liver
infection, low blood pressure,

and fainting fits.

On September 22nd, he flies
back to Germany to recuperate.

Just as Rommel
departs the desert,

help arrives for the
British Eighth Army.

Testing footage from
the Detroit Tank Arsenal

in Warren, Michigan,

shows the capabilities of
the new Sherman M4 tank.

With a top speed of
25 miles per hour,

it can keep up with
the German panzers,

and like them, has a
rotating central turret

to give the 75-millimeter
gun all-round fire.

But the armor is an inch
thicker than the Panzer IV.

[Matthias] The Sherman
is a very well-designed

medium-sized tank,

which combines a powerful
gun with good armament,

and speed of maneuver.

And this gives the Allies

the upper hand in the
North African campaign.

[Narrator] 318 Sherman tanks

and 100 Priest 105 millimeter
self-propelled guns

roll into the desert.

Enough firepower and armor
to match Rommel's panzers.

Montgomery begins to plan a
major offensive of his own.

[gentle mysterious music]

First, he needs to reclaim the
skies over the battlefield.

The Desert Air Force takes off.

[airplane engines whirring]

[Matthias] The aircraft of the
Desert Air Force

are aging but numerous.

And they're trying to
overwhelm the German aircraft

that are technologically
more advanced

but available in far
more limited numbers.

[Narrator] The fighting
begins to take a toll

on the outnumbered Luftwaffe.

Hans-Joachim Marseille
loses weight.

When two of his closest
friends are shot down,

he starts sleepwalking
and stops talking.

Signs of post-traumatic
stress disorder.

[airplane engines whirring]

On September 30th,
his Messerschmitt

and goes into a dive.

Marseille attempts to
jump but miscalculates.

He smashes into the tail, then
plummets to the desert floor.

[airplane crashing]

His body can only be identified
by medals on the uniform.

Once it's recovered,

Italian engineers
construct a pyramid shrine

on the spot he was found.

A replica stands
there to this day.

Every Axis aircraft lost

reduces their ability
to control the skies.

During October, their numbers
fall from 770 to just 350,

and the British Royal Air Force

begin to dominate the desert.

Now Montgomery's
ground offensive at

It's code-named
Operation Lightfoot.

Infantry will lead the attack,
moving through the minefields

and clearing paths
for the tanks.

The attack will start with a
massive artillery bombardment.

[dramatic music]

5.5-inch medium guns

can fire a 100-pound
shell over nine miles.

They aim for the furthest
German positions.

[guns blasting]

Closer to the front, the
numerous 25-pound guns open up.

The new American-made
Priest mobile artillery

gets in on the action too.

[Private Crawford] The whole
horizon spewed heavenwards

in a fount of orange
and blood-red flame.

A tidal wave of sound
hammered on our eardrums

and whipped our shirts
against our chests.

[Narrator]
Montgomery's insistence

on close communication
pays off.

Each one of the first
882 shells

land at exactly
the same moment.

[explosions blasting]

[Martin] The whole sky
was red with gunfire.

The shells were howling over
you, exploding around you,

it was just horrible.

We thought that the world
was coming to an end.

[Matthias] The initial
artillery bombardment

is hugely effective.

It destroys German
and Italian guns,

it causes casualties
amongst the infantry,

it cuts the communication lines,

and it also has a
very severe effect

on the morale of the enemy.

[Narrator] Under
artillery cover,

the minesweepers move in.

Operation Lightfoot's
name is apt.

The infantry charged
with clearing the mines

will want to tread carefully.

It's one of the war's
most nerve-racking jobs.

Some are lucky enough
to get mine detectors.

But most infantry just use
bayonets to prod the ground.

[tense music]

Thousands of mines must
be carefully unearthed

and defused to provide a path
wide enough for the tanks.

[Brigadier McMeekan]
In the face of enemy fire,

the sappers worked steadily
on, keeping to their drill.

It takes guts to
stay standing up

when everyone else is either
running forward or lying down.

[explosion blasts]

[Narrator] But under
heavy fire,

the minesweepers can
only clear narrow paths.

Tank columns advance
but run out of space,

and become gridlocked.

-[tank engines rumbling]
-[dramatic music]

Tracks churn up dust.

Entire columns
head the wrong way.

As dawn breaks,
German artillery spots

the unprotected Allied
armor stuck in the sand.

[guns blasting]

[T.M. Lindsey] Suddenly
all hell broke loose.

The tank crews saw
armor-piercing tracer shells

screaming from all
over the place,

then the explosions
of tanks blowing up,

sheets of flame as
they caught fire.

Montgomery is ruthless
when it comes to accepting

Allied casualties
in this operation.

He understands that he
needs to fight his way

through the
German-Italian positions,

and he is willing to
accept high casualties

on the Allied side,
in order to achieve this.

[gun blasting]

[Narrator] Battle rages up
and down the 25-mile line.

The Eighth Army
inflict heavy damage,

but the Panzerarmee Afrika
do not concede much ground.

[suspenseful music]

[gun blasting]

The battle hangs in
the balance.

On the evening of October 25th,

a rested Erwin Rommel
returns to North Africa

and takes personal
control of the battle.

The Desert Fox prepares
his panzers to push back.

Rommel has over 100,000 troops
and 500 tanks at his command.

But they're under pressure,

consuming vast amounts
of food and fuel.

Rommel's entire
front at El Alamein

is determined by logistics.

Every bullet, every bottle
of water, every pair of socks

has to be shipped from
Europe to North Africa

and then to the
El Alamein front by truck.

Supply is the limiting
factor for Rommel.

[Narrator] Most vital is fuel.

The tanks and the
trucks supplying them

demand 66,000 gallons
every day.

[fuel trickling]

With no place to
hide in the desert,

the supply chain is
an obvious target

for the British Royal
Air Force.

Nose cameras from
Bristol Beaufighter

reveal Axis supply convoys
being strafed at close range.

[guns blasting]

[airplane engines whirring]

The supply lines are
especially vulnerable

to the RAF aircraft based on
a small British island colony

still holding out in the center
of the Mediterranean, Malta.

[dramatic music]

Malta provides the
Allies with a base

in the central Mediterranean

which some liken to an
unsinkable aircraft carrier

from which they can launch
anti-shipping strikes

at the supply lines sustaining
Axis forces in Africa.

[Narrator] In 1942, the
Luftwaffe begin a campaign

to bomb Malta into submission.

There are 154 days of
continuous air raids.

[bombs blasting]

6,700 tons of bombs fall on
the Grand Harbour area alone.

[gentle thoughtful music]

The 250,000 islanders
determinedly struggle

for survival.

[Grace] We did not
have anything to eat.

Always hungry.

Community kitchens
provided us with food.

But we were never satisfied.

[Narrator] By summer,
Malta is almost out of food,

fuel, and ammunition.

Germany draws up
plans for an invasion.

If the island falls,

Rommel will be able to build
up his forces unchallenged.

The British government devise

an audacious scheme
to relieve the island.

Operation Pedestal.

[tense music]

14 merchant ships
packed with supplies

enter the Mediterranean.

At the center of the
fleet is the SS Ohio,

the biggest American
tanker built to this point,

transporting 170,000
barrels of fuel

for the planes
defending the island.

Protecting this precious
cargo are two battleships,

three aircraft
carriers, cruisers,

destroyers, and submarines.

The largest naval escort
force in the war so far.

The Germans take notice.

Cameras on the ships
film Axis aircraft

flying towards the fleet,

and anti-aircraft crews
rushing to man the guns

as they return fire.

-[guns blasting]
-[dramatic music]

[airplane engines whirring]

British destroyers
drop depth charges

to ward off marauding U-boats.

[water splashing]

[explosion blasts]

Tracer rounds illuminate
the evening sky,

as the Royal Navy blast
away at the German bombers.

[guns blasting]

The SS Ohio comes under
concentrated attack.

War correspondent Anthony
Kimmins is on board.

[Anthony] If ever
there was an example

of dogged perseverance
against all odds, this was it.

Any of those hundreds of
bombs in the right place

and she would have gone
up in a sheet of flame.

[Narrator] The Allies
suffer heavy losses.

Over 500 sailors and
airmen are killed.

Nine of the 14 merchant
ships are destroyed.

Finally, the remaining
convoy reaches Malta.

Crucially, the SS Ohio
has made it through.

But only just.

The massive tanker
was hit by a torpedo

and is so badly damaged it
must be towed into the harbor.

It will never sail again.

Maltese dock workers

frantically unload
the vital fuel

from the sinking ship.

It allows the British
Royal Air Force

to continue to wreak havoc
on the Axis supply lines.

[guns blasting]

1/3 of Rommel's supply
ships are going to be sunk

in the course of this campaign,

it's a big problem
for the Germans.

-[guns blasting]
-[airplane engines whirring]

[Narrator] In the desert,

Rommel's mounting supply
setbacks make it difficult

to the Allied pressure
at El Alamein.

By late October,
his Panzerarmee is reduced

to fewer than 300
operational tanks.

Montgomery knows that if he
can draw them into the open

and take them out,

the Axis position will
become unsustainable.

He orders a massive offensive.

Operation Supercharge
will be led by New Zealand

and British infantry.

They will attempt
to create a funnel

for two further waves of
tanks and self-propelled guns.

It will be the biggest
concentration of force

in North Africa so far.

At 1:00 a.m., hundreds of
British troops go over the top.

[Peter] There was
the deafening crash

-of the shells bursting,
-[shell booms]

interspersed with
fierce bursts of fire

from German and
British Tommy-guns,

[guns rattling]

and occasionally the crash
of a British hand grenade

exploding in a trench.

[dramatic music]

-[gun blasting]
-[explosion blasts]

[Narrator] The battlefield
becomes a confusion

of heavy smoke
and swirling sand,

hiding the Axis positions.

The Devil's Garden is
living up to its name.

[tense music]

The right flank of the New
Zealand infantry advance

is entrusted to the
28th Maori Battalion.

[gentle music]

Newly restored footage from
the New Zealand archives

shows the soldiers
in their homeland

as they prepare
to depart for war.

Descended from the
indigenous Polynesian people

who settled in New
Zealand 600 years ago,

the Maori are proud to
show off their distinctive

South Pacific culture
for the cameras.

[soldier shouting
in foreign language]

They perform the Haka,

a war challenge staged
when different tribes meet.

[soldiers yelling]

Intimidating tongue
and facial gestures,

as well as displays of
weapons and fighting moves,

indicate the performing
group's readiness for a fight.

[soldiers yelling]

It will be put to the test
in Operation Supercharge.

[Harry] I heard
someone calling my name

saying he was badly hit.

We couldn't stop
and carried on.

Right at that moment,

a bullet passed through
the butt of my weapon.

[Narrator] The 28th
Maori Battalion

suffer over 100 casualties.

[explosion blasts]

But they hold the right flank.

[explosion blasts]

The infantry cut a
large channel

through the Axis'
desert defenses.

But further back, a formidable
line of German artillery

and anti-tank guns
is still intact.

[guns blasting]

It's going to take something

heavier than infantry
to take them out.

94 Sherman and Grant tanks

of the British 9th
Armored Brigade

blast across the open terrain.

With no cover, the German guns
wreak havoc on their advance.

-[guns blasting]
-[explosions booming]

The losses mount.

But Montgomery is
committed to the action.

He sends over 100 tanks

from the 1st Armored
Division to join the battle.

[tank engine rumbling]

As they advance, the remaining
German and Italian tanks

finally counterattack.

[tense dramatic music]

El Alamein is now a clash
of tank versus tank.

[explosion booms]

[guns blasting]

Captain Keith Douglas

experiences the battle inside
a British Crusader tank.

[Keith] The turret was
full of fumes and smoke.

Empty cartridge and shell
cases littered the floor.

I coughed and sweated. Fear had
given place to exhilaration.

The enemy fire
grew more intense.

I crouched in the turret,
expecting at any moment

the crash which would
bring our disintegration.

It's a grind.

And the British take
huge casualties,

much heavier than expected,

but the Germans take
even heavier ones.

The German panzer
force is decimated

by Operation Supercharge.

[Narrator] Burning tanks
dominate the landscape.

The Panzerarmee Afrika had 500

at the start of the offensive.

Only 35 remain.

Montgomery knows
victory must be near.

[tank engine whirring]

-[shell clanking]
-[gun blasting]

24 hours into
Operation Supercharge,

British Eighth Army infantry
launch renewed attacks

along the front line.

With no tanks left
to support them,

the Axis defenders in the
Devil's Garden begin to crack.

[gun rattling]

At the end, Rommel
doesn't have the reserves

or reinforcements to
sustain his position.

[Narrator] With his
defenses failing,

Rommel has no choice.

He orders a full withdrawal.

Rommel knows that he has to
concede defeat at Alamein,

and withdraw deeper into Libya,
to shorten his supply lines,

and build up his strength again,

if he is to save his army
to fight another day.

[Narrator] As
British tanks pursue,

news cameraman Terry Ashwood
gets right to the action,

rolling film from the
top of a supply lorry

as shells land around him.

-[explosion blasts]
-[dramatic music]

[Terry] Shelling and bombing
can be quite unpleasant.

So the next time you see this
sort of thing on the screen,

remember the poor old
cameraman who is trying to duck

and take pictures
at the same time.

[tank engine whirring]

[Narrator] Rare footage
reveals a high-level

German officer in
the act of surrender.

General Ritter von Thoma

is one of the most
experienced panzer commanders

in the German Army.

He's been captured
whilst attempting

a desperate rear-guard action,
protecting Rommel's retreat.

Montgomery invites von
Thoma to dinner that evening

to discuss the battle.

[General Ritter von Thoma]
I was staggered

at the exactness
of his knowledge,

he seemed to know as much
about our position as I did.

[Narrator] But aside
from von Thoma,

the British fail to catch

the rapidly departing
German commanders.

The actual breakthrough
comes as a bit of a surprise

to the Eighth Army,
and as a consequence,

the army is quite
slow to react to it.

Montgomery also wants
to be absolutely certain

that he has defeated the
Germans and Italians,

and that he's won this battle

before he rushes into a pursuit.

[Narrator] The wily Desert
Fox has turned tail.

But North Africa
has become a trap.

[dramatic music]

2,000 miles west, the
plans made by Roosevelt

and Churchill five months
earlier come to fruition.

Operation Torch, a massive
Anglo-American invasion force

commanded by General
Dwight Eisenhower

approaches northwest Africa.

In scenes that foreshadow
D-Day,

U.S. infantry crash
from landing craft,

and paratroopers jump from
C-47 transport planes.

[airplane engines whirring]

They aim to snatch total
control of North Africa

using overwhelming force.

[Edwin] Violent,
rapid, ruthless combat

is the only way to win.

Make it tough and
make it violent.

[gun blasting]

[Narrator] As Rommel moves
west, he has some successes

against the relatively
inexperienced Americans.

[tank engine rumbling]

But despite
reinforcements from Italy,

his army is overstretched.

Rommel and the Axis
forces now face

Montgomery's troops
advancing from the east,

a new Anglo-American army
advancing from the west.

They're caught in between,

and whilst there are gonna
be tough battles ahead,

from a campaign
perspective it's game over.

[Narrator] Film from the
U.S. Army Signal Corps

reveals American Lee tanks
clashing with Panzer Mark IVs.

[explosion blasts]

As the enemy turns to flee,

swastika flags on the
rear become visible.

They're meant to
mark out the panzers

as friendly to the Luftwaffe.

[gun blasting]

Now they provide
a helpful target

for supporting
British artillery.

Trapped between
two Allied armies,

Rommel advises Hitler
to allow a full retreat.

The request is denied, and
Rommel flies back to Germany.

He will never return to Africa.

The Allies hunt down
his remaining forces.

In total, the Axis
powers suffer

400,000 casualties
in North Africa.

It's a major setback for
Germany's war effort.

Mussolini's dream of a new
Roman Empire lies in tatters.

El Alamein is 180 degrees.

From Axis victory
to Allied victory,

and really, the rest of the
war is going to be nothing

but a series of
Allied victories.

[Narrator] In London,
Winston Churchill reflects

on the importance of the
events at El Alamein.

This is not the end.

It is not even the
beginning of the end.

But it is perhaps, the
end of the beginning.

[audience applauding]

[Narrator] Newsreels celebrate
Montgomery's firm grip

on the Eighth Army,

and prove it is possible
to defeat Germany

on the battlefield.

The liberation of Europe is
no longer a distant dream.