Original subtitles

- They were able to do

what no one else had been able to do in the past.

(tense string music)

- To climb this mountain in winter,

to not be detected,

to attack an enemy that was heavily fortified,

an enemy that was prepared for them

to sneak up on them and ambush them.

- (gunshot) - It was just an impossible mission.

(dramatic music) - (explosions)

- If these defensive positions can be broken...

- (explosions)

- ...the Allies can then drive toward Rome.

If Rome can be liberated,

they can then move toward liberating all of Europe.

- (rapid gunfire)

- (man speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: This first mountain to be taken,

which would then lead on to all that followed,

and create the force's legend,

the battle of Monte La Difensa was their baptism of fire.

(dramatic opening string music)

- (footsteps approaching)

MAN: Lieutenant Piette, reporting for debriefing, Sir.

- Enter, Lieutenant.

Please sit.

Lieutenant Piette...

we will proceed with your mission debriefing.

Between the 1st and the 9th of December 1943,

you took part in Operation Raincoat in Italy.

The aim was to recapture Monte La Difensa from the Germans,

enabling the Allies to continue their reconquest of Italy.

Is that correct?

- That is correct, Sir.

- Lieutenant, you and your men succeeded

where so many others have failed.

So, tell me... your account is essential.

- It all began on the evening of the 1st of December...

...with my men, and we were approaching la Difensa.

(chilling, ominous music)

We had left our barracks in Santa Maria.

We now had around 30 miles to cover before reaching our target...

...Monte La Difensa.

(energised, tense music)

Along with Monte Camino and Monte Maggiore...

...this mountain was a crucial objective

in clearing the way to Rome.

- (cannons and guns firing)

PIETTE: For several weeks...

the Americans and British had been fighting in an attempt

to break through the German defences

on the summits of this mountain range,

an impregnable line of strongholds known as the Winter Line.

- (man speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: What's clear is that the Germans had no intention

of abandoning this mountain.

Monte Camino and Monte La Difensa were

far too important for their defence strategy.

So, it looked as if it was going to be a major battle.

- (explosions)

PIETTE: After all the failed attempts to take La Difensa,

our unit, the First Special Service Force,

was the Allies' last hope of breaking the deadlock.

(tense music builds)

- (man speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: The arrival of the First Special Service Force

on the battlefields took place at the very end of November 1943.

At the time, the American infantry realised

they were not capable of progressing into the mountains

the way they thought they could.

- (vehicle rattling) - (engine humming)

- The first Special Service Force looks like a good option

because everything else has failed...

...because every other attempt to take this mount,

every conventional warfare attempt

to take this mountain range has failed, you know?

So, they... the leadership decided we have to,

you know, try something new.

(dramatic, determined music)

PIETTE: I belonged to a company of almost a hundred Force men.

We were all trained in mountaineering,

and winter warfare tactics and difficult terrain.

We had come from the United States and Canada.

And now, we were only a few hours away from our first battle.

- (gun fires) - (explosions)

- Hey, guys, hold on tight!

(music intensifies)

- (explosions)

PIETTE: As we approached La Difensa,

we were caught in the middle of the firefight.

- (gunfire)

PIETTE: The Allied artillery was shelling the mountain

to soften up enemy positions and create a diversion

to help cover our approach.

- (explosions continue)

- That was close.

- There's a lot of young guys.

There's a lot of, essentially, boys in this group,

and they realise, now, that this is for real.

The Germans aren't going anywhere.

They now know that, uh... for the first time,

they are entering a battle.

- (distant gunfire)

(dramatic battle music)

- Lieutenant, you were aware that two attempts

to take La Difensa had failed, with considerable losses.

What was your state of mind at that moment?

- We were focussed, Sir.

And we were confident in the very targeted training

that we had been given for almost a year.

Hand-to-hand combat, climbing, and stealth approach techniques.

Of course, we were aware of the risks...

but we were ready. - (distant explosions)

- (engine stops)

- I can't go any further.

Let's go!

- Come on, we're getting out.

Let's go! PIETTE: Let's go!

- Lieutenant, you take the lead.

- Understood, Captain.

My Company Commander, Captain Rothlin...

...trusted me to lead the way with the Platoon I commanded.

- Larry Piette was interesting because he was an all-American boy.

He was from Appleton, Wisconsin.

He was a highly intelligent young man.

He was a motivated young man.

He was educated. He was a leader,

He was an all-American in a lot of ways.

- (distant gunfire) (ominous music)

PIETTE: We began our approach to the base of La Difensa.

Three companies of around a hundred men each followed,

one after the other,

keeping a safe distance to reduce the risk of being spotted.

We still had just over nine miles to cover

with all of our equipment on our backs.

- It's just not them climbing this mountain.

It's them... They have 100-pound packs.

In some cases, they're carrying 150-pound packs.

If they have specialised weapons like heavy machine guns,

and they're carrying it... (chuckles)

...they're carrying ammunition, they're carrying water.

PIETTE: Time was of the essence as we had

to get to the rendezvous position before sunrise.

Our entire strategy for seizing the summit depended

on taking the Germans by surprise.

- It's absolutely essential

that they get to the base of the mountain

and this tree line at the bottom, that they're hidden there.

If they're not in the tree line by the time the sun comes up,

then the Germans at the top may spot them.

And then, the element of surprise goes away.

PIETTE: Of course, we were motivated and determined.

But the reality of the War was ever-present.

(chilling music)

(solemn music)

We came across the body of a soldier...

...an American...

who had sacrificed his life for this mountain.

It was a grim reminder of what lay ahead.

(solemn music continues)

- Third American Division.

Last month's offensive.

- Now we know what to expect.

PIETTE: I could sense MacKinnon's nervousness...

his fear...

...but we had to press on.

- MacKinnon was one of the youngest.

He was, uh... 16 years old when he joined the Army.

He had to lie about his age to get in.

He was young and eager.

He wanted to get involved.

He wanted to... to be part of the War.

Uh... He was motivated.

- I think, you know, uh...

a lot of these men are thinking of families.

You know, they're thinking of their mothers and their fathers

and their wives and their girlfriends and...

they're understanding that, uh... they may never see them again.

(nervously determined music)

PIETTE: We knew some of us would not make it home.

But we were ready.

This is what we spent a year training for.

- (soldiers chattering)

- When the recruitment went out for the First Special Service Force,

they recruited from within the Army.

These guys had all been in the Army already.

They were looking for men that had outdoor experience.

- They were really looking for hardy, almost, 19th century men...

...original cowboys, uh...

as they existed in the 1930s and 1940s,

you know, to men this operation.

And they actually sent out a, um...

...you know, a bulletin to bases, you know,

right across Canada and the United States asking for,

you know, a very, very specific type of man to volunteer for this unit.

(dramatic musical burst, tense piano music)

The leader of the force, um... Colonel Frederick,

he truly had it in his mind to, uh...

give his men the most specialised

and in a lot of ways, a bizarre training

that you can conceive of for the military.

He really used his imagination.

They were trained to fight with knives.

They were trained, uh... to use

every single major weapon in the Allied armoury.

They were trained, um... to be super soldiers, essentially.

(tense, ominous music) - (wind whooshing, whistling)

PIETTE: After over six hours of marching without a rest,

we arrived at the foot of La Difensa.

There was not enough time to carry out the attack before daybreak...

...so we set up camp until the following evening.

We knew the climb and battle ahead would be gruelling.

- (Bucci speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: The German defences were well positioned

on all the mountain ridges, so they could observe each other.

Each machine gun and mortar nest was within sight of the next,

creating visual connection between all the main points.

(dramatic music)

Advancing without being seen was therefore impossible.

- What was the strategy for getting your men

and weapons to the summit of La Difensa?

I need your version, Lieutenant.

- Understand our only option, Sir,

was to go this way, via the north face.

- Why the north, Lieutenant?

- It was the only direction

the Germans did not expect us to approach from.

- (wind whistling)

PIETTE: They never imagined that we'd take on a 230-foot-high cliff.

- The Force was going to take the steepest incline

as their way of achieving surprise.

It was decided that they would do this because two frontal assaults

up the... the more gradual incline failed.

The Germans had all of their machine guns and...

and, uh... mortar positions pointed

toward the southern slope.

(tense, pulsating music)

By coming up the back, the Germans didn't expect it.

They didn't think it was possible.

PIETTE: As I stood before this almost-vertical cliff,

I realised just how difficult it would be

to get our men and equipment to the summit.

Captain Rothlin had ordered us to anchor the ropes.

So I sent four of my scouts.

- (exhales sharply)

(exhales sharply)

- Fenton, Van Ausdale...

...Ross, Dauphinais...

...you'll prepare the ground.

Head out and scout the area. Let's go !

- (speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: They had essentially been hunters,

trappers and mountaineers.

They lived in the woods and in the Rocky Mountains

and were therefore people who had already been explorers as civilians.

(energised, determined music)

- Lieutenant... if I understand correctly,

at that moment, this entire operation depended on your scouts?

- That was the decision that had been made, Sir.

- And if they failed?

PIETTE: It was a risk... (sighs)

- (wind whooshing)

PIETTE: ..and we took it.

(ominous music)

- (wind whistling)

- To lead the way up Monte la Difensa was crazy.

You had to be crazy to do it.

That's why they chose two scouts -

Howard Van Ausdale and Tommy Fenton -

who are a little bit crazy. (chuckles)

(tense, suspenseful music)

- (grunts)

(panting)

(exhaling sharply, breathing heavily)

NADLER: Howard Van Ausdale has this Aboriginal native Indian blood.

It appears that he was part Cherokee,

that he had a Cherokee mother.

A lot of the men looked up to him like a father figure.

- He was one of the oldest members of... of the Force.

He was noted by many of the men in the First Special Service Force

as one of the best scouts that they had.

He could read terrain, uh... like no one else.

And that's going to play a big role in...

in operations in the future.

- (grunting)

- (both panting) (heroic, determined music)

- They have to remain silent.

They have to remain unseen.

Any noise or cough...

...a sneeze... could again jeopardise the entire operation.

(tense, suspenseful music)

- (whispers) Shush. Don't move.

- I think Fenton and Van Ausdale,

when they saw that German sentry walking away

from on top of the mountain, just thought, you know,

"Oh, my God..." (laughs)

..."the enemy is this close", you know?

I think they're getting a sense of just how...

...small and compact this area is.

- (speaks Italian) TRANSLATOR: All went well,

but if they had been discovered,

the whole mission would have failed

because the Germans would have realised

that an attack was happening on that side of the mountain.

- (sighs)

(uneasy music)

PIETTE: After waiting for over an hour,

Fenton and Van Ausdale returned safe and sound.

They confirmed that they'd anchored the ropes

and that sentries were keeping a vigilant watch over the summit.

- Well, today, they have ropes

with carabiners that they can connect and...

harnesses that you can tie on...

tie on to the... to the ropes.

Van Ausdale and... and Fenton and... and...

they just used ropes.

That was it.

- (softly) Oh, dear.

PIETTE: Now that the ropes were attached,

we could move on to the next stage...

...getting our men to the summit in the middle of the night.

And without making a sound.

(tense, pulsating music)

(dramatic, suspenseful, pulsating music)

- (grunting softly, panting)

PIETTE: We began our ascent.

- (wind whooshing)

PIETTE: The 230-foot-high cliff face was extremely slippery.

And there were only two ropes for our troops to climb.

- (Bucci speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: The initial assault came about

thanks to this group of men

who scaled these rock walls on the north of the mountain.

They penetrated the enemy lines

just after the artillery barrage had ended.

PIETTE: After climbing for 30 minutes...

our company reached the summit.

- You're in the middle of nowhere.

The enemy is just ahead of you.

In some cases,

the enemy is so close, you can smell them.

(energetic, suspenseful music)

PIETTE: The defences were scattered.

To have any chance of success...

...we had to cover the entire plateau.

- (Bucci speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: At this moment, in accordance with their training,

the Force men had to split into three small groups...

one going to the right...

one to the centre and one to the left,

to start infiltrating the enemy lines.

They did this silently,

in total darkness.

and whenever they came across any enemies,

they dispatched of them without making a sound.

- (all grunting)

PIETTE: We were waiting for all companies

to be in place before launching the attack.

But things suddenly escalated. - (rapid gunfire)

- Come on, guys, go, go, go!

(dramatic battle music) - (rapid gunfire continues)

- Let's go, guys!

- (rapid gunfire continues)

OFFICER: What triggered this battle? - (gunshot)

- How did you lose the element of surprise?

- In fact, we were spreading out as quietly as possible...

...waiting for the rest of the company to... arrive at the summit.

And then, there was a noise.

A stone rolling, I think.

A first shot, then another.

- (beating heart)

- It happened very quickly.

(tense, rapidly pulsating music)

- (gunfire)

- Come on! Let's go, guys!

- (gunfire continues)

PIETTE: The battle had begun.

- (speaks German)

- Let's go.

PIETTE: We had to dislodge hundreds of Germans

from their defensive positions, one by one.

- (gunfire)

- (all grunting, shouting in German)

- (both straining)

- (grunting)

PIETTE: The combat was extremely harsh.

These were battle-hardened Germans.

- (panting)

- (groaning, choking)

- (Bucci speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: By doing so, they create

a strong spirit of camaraderie,

a kind of fraternal bond,

each one protecting the other,

achieving the kind of cooperation now found

in modern-day special forces.

- (rapid gunfire)

- Right flank! - (gunfire continues)

- (bullets ricocheting) - (air horns blaring)

PIETTE: We gained ground in the first few minutes.

Once the element of surprise had worn off,

the Germans started to organise their counter-attack.

And several enemy snipers got into position for precision shooting.

- (gun clicks) (suspenseful music)

- (gun fires)

- (gun clicks)

- (gun fires)

- (grunting)

- (gun clicks)

- (groaning, panting)

(music builds) - (gun fires)

- (gunfire continues)

PIETTE: I moved from position to position

to coordinate our actions as much as possible.

Spread out!

Regain and secure your positions!

Come on, guys!

Two of my youngest soldiers, MacKinnon and Syd...

...were out in front positions.

- Syd and Don MacKinnon are friends, you know?

They know each other quite well, and they're quite friendly.

And when he turns around,

he sees his friend is mortally injured,

you know, which was just very, very shocking.

- Here, Sergeant, come on.

(exhales sharply)

PIETTE: It was MacKinnon's first combat experience.

I hoped he'd be able to hold it together.

- (continuous gunfire)

(sombre music)

(determined battle music)

PIETTE: At 3,000 feet,

reinforcements would take a long time to arrive.

We were on our own. - (exhales sharply)

Sergeant! Come on!

- (distant gunfire continues)

PIETTE: Captain Rothlin and I saw the first German soldiers surrender.

- (soldier speaks German)

(poignant music)

PIETTE: But some of them kept shooting.

- (gunfire) - Captain! Rothlin!

(panting) Rothlin!

(solemn music) - (gunfire continues)

- I think the loss of, uh... Rothlin was a blow.

It was a blow to Piette. It was a blow to everyone.

He was the first senior officer to die on that hill.

(reflective music)

- Piette fills the void.

He's next in line to command the company.

A lot of the men are in shock that Rothlin has been killed,

and Piette quickly realises

that we don't have time to be in shock.

PIETTE: The battle had left many soldiers dead.

We counted 20 dead among our ranks...

but almost four times that on the enemy side.

At daybreak, we tended to our wounded,

including young Dauphinais...

- (softly gasping and wincing in pain)

PIETTE: We had won a tactical victory

that many thought impossible.

We had succeeded in taking La Difensa.

But the Germans had retreated to the nearby summit of La Remetanea.

They were also launching counter-attacks

from the surrounding hills.

The mission was far from over.

- Colonel Frederick, the First Special Service Force commander,

told the men to consolidate the positions.

Supplies were very slow being brought up.

Uh... The wounded had to be taken down.

It was an eight-hour trip from the top of the mountain

to the aid station.

The men at this point are exhausted...

from the... the march the night before,

climbing the ropes.

Not to mention there was continuous mortar fire.

- (continuous gunfire)

(solemn music)

- What do we do now, Lieutenant?

- We await orders, Sergeant.

- (distant gunfire)

- I understand why you waited...

...as you needed to regain your strength,

receive ammunition, take care of the wounded.

But according to my information...

you stayed at the top of La Difensa for over two days.

Why did you stay so long?

- Sir, while we were advancing,

two other attacks were being carried out simultaneously.

British troops were attacking Monte Camino,

and further north...

the Americans were supposed to take care of Monte Maggiore.

The problem is that,

by setting off too quickly towards Remetanea...

...we were exposed to German fire from the other two summits.

It was therefore essential...

to wait until our comrades had liberated the other two summits

before finishing the job.

(soft string music)

We waited for two days and two nights

until the coast was clear.

- (sighs)

PIETTE: While we waited,

my men tried to get their strength back.

- Hey, Ross! - Mm?

- Tired already? - (sighs) Just a little.

- (coughing, sniffling)

- (sighs)

Here, it's top shelf. You'll see.

- (sighs)

(scoffs) As good as a roaring fire, right?

- (laughter)

- Frederick had ordered that whisky

and condoms be brought to the mountain.

Whisky for warmth. These men didn't have blankets.

They didn't have tents or anything like that,

basically just shelter halves they threw over themselves.

The condoms were... was to keep, uh... to keep their rifles dry,

a trick they had learned in the Aleutians.

- (water dripping) - (soap suds squelching)

PIETTE: Meanwhile... I got ready to take command...

...which now fell on my shoulders.

(tense music)

After Captain Rothlin's death...

...I had the responsibility of commanding the first company.

- (razor scratches softly)

- For many, being an officer

and a gentleman meant shaving every morning.

And if that had to be done with cold water

and in the middle of combat,

he felt it had to be done.

- It was important for a man like Larry Piette

to strike an example and to, you know... (sighs)

...act like a leader and look like a leader.

- It's a sign of leadership that you can...

...still maintain hygiene

and take care of the... the... the normal things like shaving.

A sign of control...

that he's still in control of the situation.

- (gunfire) (dramatic battle music)

PIETTE: On the 5th of December, news finally came through.

Americans on our right flank had taken Monte Maggiore.

Even though the British on our left flank

were still fighting on Monte Camino,

we could launch the final offensive.

(intense music)

- Come on, come on, let's go!

PIETTE: The final assault on La Remetanea was now imminent.

It was our last chance to break through

the German lines and clear the road to Rome.

- Their mission is not complete, just the first phase.

There are still pockets of resistance.

There was still a... a large task ahead.

There was another objective to take.

They had to stay focussed.

- Come on, let's go! Van Ausdale, to your right!

VAN AUSDALE: OK!

- (gunfire) - Forward, forward, forward!

- (distant solders shouting) - (rapid gunfire continues)

- On the right, up top!

- Men on the cliff! Left flank!

PIETTE: It was going to be a tough fight.

Dozens of Germans were still entrenched behind rock formations.

- (rapid gunfire)

PIETTE: The enemy had the dominant defensive positions.

- (gun fires continuously)

- Forward! - Forward, forward, forward!

- Two men on either side!

- Spread out! (dramatic battle music)

- (gun fires)

- (gunfire continues) - Grenade!

- Grenade!

- Oh! - (grenade explodes)

- (exhales deeply)

- (breathing deeply)

- (exhales deeply) - (distant gunfire)

- (rapid gunfire)

- (soldiers shouting)

- (breathing heavily) Come on!

- (gun clicking)

- (rapid gunfire continues)

PIETTE: After several hours of fierce combat,

we finally overcame all the enemy positions.

- (gun fires)

PIETTE: The Germans retreated,

abandoning the summit of La Remetanea.

(tense battle music)

- Stop! Don't move. On your feet!

(soft, chanted choral music)

- We succeeded! Ha!

Whoo-oo-oo-oo!

(gentle, reflective piano music)

PIETTE: My comrades and I had certainly paved the way.

- (all chuckling in relief)

PIETTE: But it was to the entire Unit...

...that we owed this unexpected victory.

- (panting softly)

- You succeeded.

You accomplished something that, uh...

everyone thought was impossible.

You got through the Winter Line... opened the road to Rome.

- It took six days, Sir.

The toughest six days of my life.

- Hm.

Lieutenant...

...with the men of the Force,

you came from the United States and Canada...

to fight at our sides, thousands of miles from home.

Why?

- Sir...

...for your freedom.

Our freedom.

(tranquil string music)

- (video crackling softly)

- (people cheering)

- This accomplishment, uh... proved

to military leaders and theorists

that, uh... special warfare had a place,

you know, in the modern military; you know, it was an effective tool.

- (Bucci speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: To remember these men

who sacrificed everything for an ideal of freedom...

is to understand that freedom and peace come at a price.

- (crowd cheering)

- (Bucci speaks Italian)

TRANSLATOR: Younger generations must be led

to understand that our society is one

that has emerged from the ruins of war.

That the society we live in rests on the shoulders

of those who sacrificed their lives in war.

- (wind whooshing softly)

(soft, solemn, reflective piano music)

- There's this one point where Joe Glass -

this, uh... very prominent member of the First Special Service Force,

you know, he was one of the first men on Difensa -

at one point, Joe Glass is at home,

in his home in Helena, Montana.

And the phone rings.

And he answers the phone.

And this very familiar voice comes on the line.

It's Larry Piette.

(laughs) You know, it's his...

his... his old officer Lee... Larry Piette.

And they're talking. And Larry Piette says...

at one point, he says,

"Joe, we really took that mountain, didn't we?"

(laughs) And, uh... Joe thought about it,

and he says, "Yeah, Larry, we really took that mountain."

- (wind whistling)

- And they did it.

And they carried this... this... this... this pride with them,

you know, for the rest of their lives.