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September, 1943, Operation Avalanche,
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Italy's D-Day landings is underway.
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165,000 Allied troops storm the beaches in
a bid to liberate Italy from Nazi control.
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00:00:18,963 --> 00:00:23,016
Once on land, they must fight
their way through the perilous
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mountain terrain and heavily
fortified enemy territory.
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If the Allies can take
back Europe from the south,
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victory over the
Nazis is within reach.
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This will be one of the longest
and bloodiest campaigns of the war.
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In this series, we investigate the most
extraordinary events of World War II
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from a brand new perspective,
matching rarely seen archive film,
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photography from the front
line, and declassified aerial
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reconnaissance images
to their original locations.
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We reconstruct the crucial battles
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daring bombing raids and deadly terror
weapons, which changed the course of history.
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Soaring over the battlefields, we reveal
the secrets of World War II from above.
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9th of September, 1943, a
reconnaissance aircraft flies over the
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clear blue waters of the
Mediterranean Sea in southern Italy.
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The onboard camera takes this photo.
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Allied HQ are examining the
progress of their audacious plan,
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a vast flotilla of
warships and landing craft
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heading straight for the coast of
Italy, which is under Nazi control.
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By 1943, the tide of World War II changes.
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The Nazis still have a stranglehold
on most of Western Europe,
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but the Allies have liberated North
Africa and occupy the island of Sicily.
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They now plan to launch a full-scale
amphibious invasion of mainland Italy.
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The British Eighth Army
will sweep in from the south
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while the US Fifth Army will
land on the beaches of Salerno
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and fight their way along the coast to
finally capture Rome from the Nazis.
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The Allies choose this beach along
the coast of Salerno as the landing zone.
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It's near to airfields and major roads that
will be crucial to help them move inland.
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The first wave sets off
shortly before dawn and sails
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across calm seas towards
the small town of Paestum.
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00:03:32,941 --> 00:03:37,023
But as the troops hit the surf
and step onto the golden sand,
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they have no idea of
the horror that lies ahead.
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Archaeologist Tony Pollard investigates
a set of ruins along the Salerno coastline.
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What we have is a really well-built,
well-disguised, perfectly positioned bunker
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which will protect
soldiers, but also it will kill
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men on the beach, in
the surf and in the water.
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00:04:08,743 --> 00:04:13,640
When Sicily falls, Italian
morale is at an all-time low
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and the fascist
government is overthrown.
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The Italian military announces
its surrender to the Allies
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just a day before the landings
and vacates the bunkers.
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Now, German troops move
in, ready to repel the Allies.
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00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,280
The Allied troops that land
here face a ferocious opponent
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in a place where they
had expected an easy ride.
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There's a strange kind of
teardrop-shaped hollow in the floor.
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This must be part of the gun mount.
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This is a really small space.
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You're not gonna have a big gun in here.
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It's not an artillery piece.
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It's gonna be a machine gun.
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And I'd be using a German weapon
like an MG42, a really deadly weapon.
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00:05:04,383 --> 00:05:13,016
The MG42 is nicknamed Hitler's
buzzsaw and fires 25 rounds every second.
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00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:17,360
It spits out a deadly
spray of covering fire
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that cuts right through
the Allied attackers.
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The gunner would have been behind here.
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This would be an incredibly busy,
noisy, smelly, frightening place to be.
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What remains of this bunker
today is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Below the gun emplacement is
an entire underground structure
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that gives the Germans a
huge defensive advantage.
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Going back downstairs,
you already feel safer
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because you're now
really under the beach.
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And these concrete and stone structures
would provide excellent protection
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from all of that steel
that's flying around,
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be it from bombs or
artillery shells or bullets.
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The best part of this entire
thing is this emergency exit,
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which allows you to
disappear into the dunes.
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And I think this is a
point whereby troops
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could move out into
their positions, spread out,
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and from there effectively
defend this sector of the beach.
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Strongholds like this line the full
length of Salerno's 32-kilometer-long beach.
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German forces have protected
the whole of their front line.
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Allied attackers have nowhere to hide.
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An army is never more exposed
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than when they're coming
out of the water onto the land.
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00:07:03,361 --> 00:07:06,007
And this is just an absolute trap for them.
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It's perfectly set up to kill men
before they even step foot on dry land.
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Thousands of men are killed.
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It's absolute slaughterhouse.
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Under heavy fire on
the beach, Allied attackers
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hug the ground as German
shells land around them.
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Medics and troops desperately
try to shelter the wounded.
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Without more protection,
they'll all be slaughtered.
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Military historian Alexandra Churchill
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explores the ingenious solution the
Allies deploy to help defend their troops.
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It's called a landing craft tank.
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This extraordinary machine is
crucial to the Allied invasion of Italy.
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The landing craft tank is interesting
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because it's made to operate in shallow
water, but it's also made to carry a lot.
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The key thing is it can
carry tanks right up onto
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the beach and deploy
them straight into action.
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The vessel measures 59 meters long and
has a top speed of 17 kilometers per hour.
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It may lack speed and
stealth, but it is massive
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and can carry tons of
equipment and machinery.
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The concept of these vessels is
so simple when you think about it.
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I mean, they were around pre-Dunkirk,
but as soon as Dunkirk happens,
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you know that at some
point in the future of this war,
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you are going to have to
invade mainland Europe.
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You are gonna have to get back
into Europe to try and defeat the Nazis.
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The Allies need to quickly
produce hundreds of landing craft,
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but by late 1940, British
shipyards are at full capacity,
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replacing battleships and merchant
vessels lost to the German U-boats.
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What's fantastic about the landing
craft is these are made in sections.
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Any old factory that deals
with steel can churn these out
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because you're just churning out
pre-fabricated, really simple blocks of metal.
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The Allies don't only mass-produce
armored transport vehicles.
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They also manufacture military equipment
and weapons at an astounding rate.
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This is a Mark IV Sherman tank.
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It's comparatively light for a
tank, so it's nimble, it's quick.
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Thousands and thousands of
these come off the production line.
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One of these landing
craft can carry 11 Sherman tanks,
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making them a key
tool on the road to Rome.
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When you are invading,
when you are turning up,
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first off, this is a way to
deliver tanks into the area.
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They sail right into the
beach, and then the door
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slams down, and all of
these are just ready to go,
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and the front ones can be firing
shells at defenses as they come off.
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Would I have wanted to be
on one of these? Absolutely not.
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War correspondent
Frank Gillard
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is on board one of the
vessels that lands on the beach.
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We were due to land
on the Solano beaches at dawn,
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that we'd have
a fairly easy landing.
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My goodness, we couldn't
have been more wrong.
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It was the toughest
assault landing of the war.
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I never came closer to
death than the actual landing itself
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under the most
intense fire on the beaches.
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Everybody around you is picked off, and
you are the one who manages to escape.
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The first wave of the Allied invasion
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stalls despite deploying
the landing craft tanks.
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Allied troops desperately need backup.
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Over the course of 48
hours, 84 landing craft tanks arrive,
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bringing with
them around 200 tanks.
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Their first goal is to bludgeon
a safe path off the beach.
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They pummel the German
defenses with their guns,
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but German tanks hidden
in the dunes fire back.
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This beach would
have been plastered with
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fire, artillery, mortar,
machine gun, grenades,
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and littered with dead
bodies and wounded men.
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An absolute horror show.
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00:11:41,916 --> 00:11:46,520
After the surrender of Italy,
a lack of preparation from the Germans
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gives the Allies the edge.
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00:11:49,001 --> 00:11:51,920
If the Germans had
totally had their act together,
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they should have been
able, in those circumstances,
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to cut the Allies to pieces and
push them back into the sea.
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The battle is fierce.
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It takes the Allies six days
to slowly gain the upper hand
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and land enough firepower
to secure the coastline.
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The cost for the crews on
board the landing crafts is high.
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Many ships are blown up or sunk.
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Despite the odds, the Allies
defeat the Germans at Salerno,
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but it's clear that getting to
Rome will be no walk in the park.
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After being hit by heavy losses in Salerno,
the Allies capture the port city of Naples
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to help them bring much-needed
reinforcements inland.
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Rome is now just a three-hour drive away
with a major highway leading directly to it.
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But blocking the Allies' path,
running the breadth of Italy,
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is a series of heavily
defended German fortifications
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that cross the treacherous
mountain terrain.
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The only suitable passing point is
through the village of San Pietro in Fine.
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In December, 1943, a
brutal battle erupts here.
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The terrain around San
Pietro is a defender's paradise.
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Every valley could conceal
a German machine gun nest.
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Every hill village
becomes a potential citadel.
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Intense rainfall and rough terrain
rule out the use of tanks or heavy armor.
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This forces the Allies to
walk on foot or rely on mules.
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Historian Marco Maria Attarano explores
how the battle for San Pietro in Fine
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marks a savage new
chapter in the war in Italy.
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The Germans disarmed the local population
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and confiscate all kinds of vehicles,
food, and other goods that they can find
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to fortify their positions
around this area.
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This is what is left of
the original farming village
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that was home to about
1,400 people back in the day.
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You can see the ruins
here of where the people
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used to live and where
the cattle used to be.
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The Germans turned San
Pietro's gray stone houses
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and thick stone walls into a fortress.
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The fighting that took
place in the area was so brutal
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and so restless that
basically the Allied soldiers
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that are fighting
start referring to the
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valley that lies ahead
as the valley of death.
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Nazi forces set up fortified
positions in and around the town,
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including machine gun nests,
anti-tank ditches, and minefields.
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Among the most feared
German defenses are booby traps,
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improvised explosives connected
to trip wires and barbed wire.
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The Nazis make use of every
resource at their disposal.
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The Germans decide to use
all the male local population
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as forced labor in order to help the German
troops put up all the defensive system.
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San Pietro is a formidable
obstacle,
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but the U.S. Commander General Mark Clark
knows the only route across the steep valley
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is through the village.
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San Pietro was the
key to the Lurie Valley.
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We knew it and the enemy knew it.
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We had to take it even though
the immediate cost would be high.
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00:16:08,883 --> 00:16:13,563
Clark orders his men to begin
their assault on the 8th of December.
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Alongside them are troops from
the 1st Italian Motorized Group.
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This is very significant
because it marks the beginning
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of a new phase of the collaboration
between the Allies and the Italians.
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The Allies now fight alongside
the Italians throughout the region
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to flush out the German defenders.
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00:16:35,825 --> 00:16:41,274
But most of their initial attacks are
repelled and they suffer heavy casualties.
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00:16:43,207 --> 00:16:48,320
Allied artillery returns fire to
try to silence the defenders.
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Shells smash into the stone
buildings, reducing the village to rubble.
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00:16:58,156 --> 00:17:01,669
Marco explores the local
caves where the villagers
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00:17:01,694 --> 00:17:05,694
shelter in a desperate
attempt to escape the fighting.
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00:17:09,183 --> 00:17:12,840
More than 500
townspeople flee the village
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and find refuge in
this system of grottoes and caves,
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00:17:17,161 --> 00:17:20,080
which are
then expanded by hand.
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00:17:20,081 --> 00:17:26,240
And you can actually see the signs
and the marks of the tools that were used,
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from pickaxes to shovels
to even forks and spoons,
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and create communication doors
between each of these caves.
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Living conditions in the caves are dire.
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Space is tight and food
and drinking water is scarce.
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They have a handful of dried figs,
walnuts, and wild vegetables to eat from.
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00:17:49,361 --> 00:17:53,080
The only access to water that
they have, it was to collect rainwater.
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00:17:53,081 --> 00:17:55,400
You can feel their desperation
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00:17:55,401 --> 00:17:58,600
in what must have been
quite a situation to live through.
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After fierce fighting,
the Allies struggle to gain control
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00:18:05,601 --> 00:18:07,960
and all attacks on the town fail.
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As they sweep for mines, legendary
Hollywood director John Huston
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is part of a US Army
film unit at San Pietro.
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His cameras capture
these extraordinary scenes
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00:18:21,761 --> 00:18:24,663
of Allied soldiers
fighting in the hills.
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00:18:25,110 --> 00:18:29,760
The footage reveals the brutal reality
of the battle for this small village.
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00:18:32,063 --> 00:18:36,160
In order to break the deadlock,
the Allies bring in tanks.
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00:18:39,015 --> 00:18:42,760
A battalion of Sherman
tanks and a British Valentine
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00:18:42,761 --> 00:18:46,840
start up the narrow road under
the cover of a smoke screen.
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00:18:48,643 --> 00:18:50,476
But they don't get very far.
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German mines and artillery
shells soon decimate their numbers.
228
00:19:00,101 --> 00:19:04,720
Of the 16 tanks that
set off, only four return.
229
00:19:09,267 --> 00:19:13,000
On the 16th of December,
the Allies make one last attack
230
00:19:13,001 --> 00:19:15,950
and the Germans are
finally forced to withdraw.
231
00:19:16,081 --> 00:19:20,343
San Pietro is left in total devastation.
232
00:19:20,641 --> 00:19:25,720
Sheer tenacity has won the Allies the
high ground, but the cost is immense.
233
00:19:27,676 --> 00:19:31,480
The battle for San Pietro
in Fine and the valley below
234
00:19:31,481 --> 00:19:34,880
results in
16,000 Allied casualties.
235
00:19:34,881 --> 00:19:37,674
Around 300 villages are also dead.
236
00:19:38,896 --> 00:19:43,680
This is a costly battle for both the
defending Germans, the advancing Allies,
237
00:19:43,681 --> 00:19:46,320
but also and especially
for the local population.
238
00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,640
In fact, it has been
said that for every meter
239
00:19:50,641 --> 00:19:55,080
of the Allied advance, the
Allied forces lost one soldier.
240
00:19:58,696 --> 00:20:03,170
It has taken the Allies 10
days to capture this small village,
241
00:20:03,681 --> 00:20:07,440
and an even more deadly
battle now lies ahead of them.
242
00:20:12,036 --> 00:20:19,256
After seizing San Pietro in Fine from Nazi
control, the Allies face another obstacle.
243
00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:25,976
They must capture the town of Cassino,
the linchpin of the Gustav defensive line,
244
00:20:26,441 --> 00:20:29,400
which guards the main
road through the mountains.
245
00:20:31,949 --> 00:20:35,742
To take Cassino, the Allies
split their forces
246
00:20:36,783 --> 00:20:41,640
with an amphibious assault team
landing further north at Anzio.
247
00:20:42,663 --> 00:20:47,280
The plan is to cut off the
German supply line from the north
248
00:20:47,281 --> 00:20:49,916
and force them
to retreat from Cassino.
249
00:20:57,023 --> 00:21:04,503
On the 22nd of January,
1944, the Allies land in Anzio.
250
00:21:05,663 --> 00:21:08,480
This time, the Allied forces are prepared
251
00:21:08,505 --> 00:21:12,578
for fierce resistance after
the carnage at Salerno.
252
00:21:14,791 --> 00:21:17,998
Incredibly, the landings
are virtually unopposed,
253
00:21:18,121 --> 00:21:21,440
and the only real harassment
is from enemy air attacks.
254
00:21:23,780 --> 00:21:27,920
In Anzio, the Allies achieve
the element of surprise.
255
00:21:29,414 --> 00:21:32,803
They successfully land
their forces on the shore.
256
00:21:34,323 --> 00:21:38,000
By the end of the day, 36,000 troops
257
00:21:38,001 --> 00:21:42,320
and 3,200 vehicles have
been delivered into the town.
258
00:21:43,943 --> 00:21:49,160
The landing catches the German
commander, General Kesselring, off guard,
259
00:21:49,161 --> 00:21:51,696
but he has anticipated
a deception like this.
260
00:21:52,321 --> 00:21:55,676
Instead of hurling his men
against Anzio's beaches,
261
00:21:55,921 --> 00:21:59,669
in three days he seals the
perimeter around the town.
262
00:22:00,481 --> 00:22:04,716
As the Allies try to move out,
they discover they are trapped.
263
00:22:12,536 --> 00:22:17,756
On the 5th of February, 1944, 13 days
after the landing here,
264
00:22:20,481 --> 00:22:24,480
huge explosions suddenly
pummel the Allies on the beach.
265
00:22:27,856 --> 00:22:31,296
They have no idea where
the shells are being fired from.
266
00:22:34,429 --> 00:22:39,480
It's a mega weapon that can wreak
carnage on an unprecedented scale.
267
00:22:41,436 --> 00:22:43,640
The K5 railway gun.
268
00:22:46,641 --> 00:22:52,720
This is one of the largest land-based
artillery guns ever built by Nazi forces.
269
00:22:53,716 --> 00:22:59,280
Engineer Zeynab Adegan investigates
one of only two of these guns that survive.
270
00:23:01,410 --> 00:23:03,760
This isn't a gun, this is a machine.
271
00:23:03,761 --> 00:23:08,160
This is like a terrifying,
huge monster machine.
272
00:23:10,570 --> 00:23:11,496
Wow.
273
00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:15,463
No wonder the Allies were
bloody scared of this thing.
274
00:23:18,036 --> 00:23:22,030
Walking up to this gun really makes
me in awe of the magnitude of it.
275
00:23:22,801 --> 00:23:25,156
This is one of the
biggest and baddest guns.
276
00:23:25,561 --> 00:23:27,590
It's a weapon of mass
destruction, essentially.
277
00:23:30,070 --> 00:23:36,196
When fully assembled, the
K5 mega gun weighs 218 tons.
278
00:23:36,996 --> 00:23:45,729
It has a 21 meter long barrel that can fire
255 kilogram shells over 60 kilometers.
279
00:23:47,905 --> 00:23:50,896
This gun is a true terror weapon.
280
00:23:53,009 --> 00:23:58,280
With such a huge range, it can be hidden
many kilometers away from the beach,
281
00:23:59,456 --> 00:24:04,916
targeting men, supplies and
ammunition completely unopposed.
282
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,160
The Allies nicknamed this gun Anzio Annie.
283
00:24:10,161 --> 00:24:13,760
They believe the shells are
coming from a single gun,
284
00:24:13,761 --> 00:24:19,783
but in fact, the Germans have two,
which they name Robert and Leopold.
285
00:24:20,201 --> 00:24:24,400
Together, they rain terror
onto the beaches of Anzio.
286
00:24:24,401 --> 00:24:25,970
They were able to
target a fuel dump and that
287
00:24:25,995 --> 00:24:28,996
actually created a fire,
which lasted about three days.
288
00:24:29,601 --> 00:24:32,830
The amount of damage it
causes is absolutely immense.
289
00:24:33,161 --> 00:24:35,596
It's constantly setting the Allies back.
290
00:24:38,370 --> 00:24:40,551
The sound that this gun
would have made when
291
00:24:40,576 --> 00:24:43,283
it went off would have
been absolutely deafening.
292
00:24:47,556 --> 00:24:52,200
Allied commanders are desperate to
find the mega guns and take them out.
293
00:24:54,516 --> 00:24:58,898
From the Bay of Anzio, they
calculate the firing trajectory
294
00:24:58,923 --> 00:25:02,963
back to an area in the
hills, 40 kilometers away.
295
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,490
Reconnaissance planes spot two railway guns
296
00:25:07,881 --> 00:25:10,720
and send in fighter
bombers to take them out.
297
00:25:11,661 --> 00:25:14,676
The pilots report direct hits on the guns,
298
00:25:14,961 --> 00:25:17,643
so the Allies believe
they have silenced them.
299
00:25:19,409 --> 00:25:22,711
What the Germans did very
cleverly was actually create decoys,
300
00:25:22,736 --> 00:25:24,800
and essentially they made
these guns out of wood.
301
00:25:24,801 --> 00:25:26,523
That really helped to fool the Allies.
302
00:25:28,021 --> 00:25:30,087
The Allies may be in the right area,
303
00:25:30,521 --> 00:25:34,200
but the Nazis have hidden the
real Robert and Leopold guns
304
00:25:34,201 --> 00:25:39,330
deep inside a railway tunnel, where
they are safe from aerial attacks.
305
00:25:40,330 --> 00:25:43,600
The Allies fail to destroy
the mega weapons,
306
00:25:43,601 --> 00:25:47,360
which swiftly return to terrorize
the men on the beaches.
307
00:25:50,756 --> 00:25:52,863
Just thinking and trying
to picture the amount of
308
00:25:52,888 --> 00:25:55,870
damage it would have
caused is really mind-boggling.
309
00:25:56,056 --> 00:25:59,120
Honestly, this gun is a
huge testament to the
310
00:25:59,145 --> 00:26:00,750
Germans and their
fight during World War II.
311
00:26:03,730 --> 00:26:07,676
The Allies are pinned down
and trapped on the coast.
312
00:26:07,721 --> 00:26:10,436
The only way to break through to Rome now
313
00:26:10,556 --> 00:26:14,983
is to launch a direct offensive
on the Gustav Line itself.
314
00:26:15,241 --> 00:26:20,296
To do this, they must cross
the Rapido River and storm
315
00:26:20,321 --> 00:26:24,003
a near impregnable citadel
that stands in their way.
316
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:32,646
Flying over Southern Italy
reveals an extraordinary sight,
317
00:26:34,732 --> 00:26:37,852
the mountaintop
monastery of Monte Cassino.
318
00:26:42,039 --> 00:26:47,736
The first abbey of Monte Cassino
was established almost 1,500 years ago.
319
00:26:47,761 --> 00:26:51,290
The current structure
is built like a fortress.
320
00:26:51,396 --> 00:26:55,929
Its huge stone walls
are more than 45 meters tall,
321
00:26:56,090 --> 00:26:59,030
and three meters
thick at their base.
322
00:26:59,055 --> 00:27:02,800
Along the top are battlements
like those on a castle.
323
00:27:04,010 --> 00:27:09,210
The building stands on an imposing
outcrop above the town of Cassino.
324
00:27:09,350 --> 00:27:15,120
It forms the linchpin of the German
defensive area known as the Gustav Line.
325
00:27:16,043 --> 00:27:20,007
Even if the Allies make
it across the Marshy river
326
00:27:20,032 --> 00:27:22,680
every move they
make will be within sight
327
00:27:22,681 --> 00:27:25,920
of the Nazi troops
perched on top of this hill.
328
00:27:28,156 --> 00:27:31,669
The road to Rome that
runs through the valley below
329
00:27:31,694 --> 00:27:36,330
is deadly, an easy target
for Nazi artillery strikes.
330
00:27:40,289 --> 00:27:43,951
Military historian Lynette
Nussbacher explores
331
00:27:43,976 --> 00:27:48,350
why it is critical for the Allies
to take this medieval fortress.
332
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:56,360
Monte Cassino is vital ground for the
Allies' operations to cross the Gustav Line.
333
00:27:56,510 --> 00:28:01,409
Up here, you can see 50
kilometres in every direction.
334
00:28:02,685 --> 00:28:09,530
When the Allies can feel that
monastery looking down at them...
335
00:28:12,410 --> 00:28:16,640
..every window could house
a German artillery spotter.
336
00:28:18,367 --> 00:28:20,560
Under the laws of armed conflict,
337
00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,110
the abbey should be
exempt from military attacks.
338
00:28:24,870 --> 00:28:28,956
The Germans are notorious for war crimes.
339
00:28:30,203 --> 00:28:35,984
The Nazis say there are no
Germans up here with binoculars
340
00:28:36,009 --> 00:28:38,325
looking down below.
341
00:28:38,350 --> 00:28:43,200
The Nazis say, "Do not attack the monastery
342
00:28:43,356 --> 00:28:46,370
"because it's a
cultural treasure.
343
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,440
" Do we believe the Nazis?
344
00:28:49,590 --> 00:28:51,480
We do not believe the Nazis.
345
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,920
The Allied commanders say
the Nazis lie about everything.
346
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,430
If the Nazis really have somebody up here,
347
00:28:59,455 --> 00:29:02,936
we'll all be killed
trying to cross the river.
348
00:29:05,716 --> 00:29:09,200
From their observation
posts high up on the mountain,
349
00:29:09,201 --> 00:29:13,943
the Germans thwart all Allied
efforts to take Monte Cassino.
350
00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:23,200
Over three weeks of fierce fighting,
the Allies cross the Rapido River
351
00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,280
and battle for high
ground north of the abbey.
352
00:29:27,281 --> 00:29:33,376
But by 12 February, the
exhausted Allied troops grind to a halt
353
00:29:33,401 --> 00:29:36,760
less than a
kilometre from the abbey walls.
354
00:29:39,196 --> 00:29:44,880
The fighting in the hills is savage,
unrelenting and hand-to-hand.
355
00:29:44,881 --> 00:29:50,263
Machine-gun nests and booby traps
turn every ravine into a killing zone.
356
00:29:53,383 --> 00:29:56,770
The soldiers getting wounded
are coming back and saying,
357
00:29:56,900 --> 00:30:02,183
"If only we could smash that
monastery, we would be winning.
358
00:30:03,103 --> 00:30:04,840
" And maybe they
were right or maybe they
359
00:30:04,841 --> 00:30:08,400
were wrong, but the
military logic is clear.
360
00:30:08,650 --> 00:30:14,563
One way to deny that vital ground
to the Germans is to smash it.
361
00:30:20,287 --> 00:30:25,576
The Allied troops down in the valley grow
to detest the sight of the imposing abbey.
362
00:30:27,296 --> 00:30:33,640
British officer Kenneth Leach serves
with the Royal Artillery at Monte Cassino.
363
00:30:33,641 --> 00:30:37,760
You ask the ordinary
squaddy in the front line
364
00:30:37,885 --> 00:30:40,400
whether he wanted the
monastery bombed or not,
365
00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:43,200
he wanted it bombed because he
felt that eyes were looking at him
366
00:30:43,201 --> 00:30:48,243
all the time, and you feel that
everything you do is observed.
367
00:30:48,850 --> 00:30:53,143
It was very cold and bleak and hostile.
368
00:30:54,056 --> 00:30:59,080
The winter that the troops
experience here in Italy
369
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,520
is cold and it is super rainy.
370
00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:07,040
This is arguably the rainiest
winter in recent memory,
371
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:12,600
and that means the rivers are
high, all the low ground is flooded,
372
00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:17,720
everybody is very cold,
everybody is very wet.
373
00:31:20,381 --> 00:31:22,240
Despite the cold winter,
374
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:26,040
the Allies know they have
to attack Monte Cassino
375
00:31:26,090 --> 00:31:29,643
again if they want to
continue the drive to Rome.
376
00:31:34,549 --> 00:31:39,960
By mid-February 1944, the
Allied forces at Cassino are stalled.
377
00:31:42,209 --> 00:31:46,810
The US 5th Army is now
fighting the Germans on two fronts,
378
00:31:47,663 --> 00:31:54,316
at both Cassino and further along the
coast at Anzio, where they remain trapped.
379
00:31:55,081 --> 00:31:59,250
To break the deadlock, Allied
commanders move across troops
380
00:31:59,275 --> 00:32:02,520
from the British 8th Army
on the other side of Italy.
381
00:32:05,341 --> 00:32:08,347
The majority are from
New Zealand and India.
382
00:32:10,983 --> 00:32:16,516
They include Gurkhas from Nepal,
who are specialists in mountain warfare.
383
00:32:19,456 --> 00:32:22,840
The Allies have high hopes
for their new ground assault,
384
00:32:22,841 --> 00:32:28,256
but Major General Tuka, who
commands the Indian division, is worried.
385
00:32:29,050 --> 00:32:32,996
He believes any new attack
on the abbey would be suicidal.
386
00:32:34,523 --> 00:32:37,396
He asks the Allies to bomb
the monastery and the area
387
00:32:37,421 --> 00:32:41,000
that surrounds it to
protect the lives of his men.
388
00:32:46,803 --> 00:32:51,800
To do this, Allied forces use a
state-of-the-art twin-engine bomber.
389
00:32:54,390 --> 00:32:58,050
This is the American B-25 Mitchell.
390
00:33:00,530 --> 00:33:04,080
It is one of the most
versatile aircraft of the war
391
00:33:04,130 --> 00:33:07,963
and flies for
the first time in 1940.
392
00:33:09,176 --> 00:33:14,169
It measures 16 metres long,
has a 20-metre wingspan
393
00:33:14,649 --> 00:33:20,370
and is powered by two
1,700-horsepower Wright Cyclone engines.
394
00:33:21,370 --> 00:33:24,578
Pilot and former Royal
Marine Arthur Williams
395
00:33:24,603 --> 00:33:30,610
investigates this legendary bomber,
used for the raid on Monte Cassino.
396
00:33:32,643 --> 00:33:34,794
Now, I know I say this
about every single aeroplane
397
00:33:34,819 --> 00:33:38,600
I've ever seen or flown,
but I do love the B-25.
398
00:33:41,045 --> 00:33:45,440
The Mitchell really was a
very stable, good all-rounder.
399
00:33:45,790 --> 00:33:51,510
Very reliable, a steady workhorse, used
in all theatres of the Second World War.
400
00:33:52,929 --> 00:33:58,200
The B-25 has a top speed
of over 400 kilometres per hour
401
00:33:58,201 --> 00:34:02,016
and a range
of over 2,000 kilometres.
402
00:34:03,649 --> 00:34:05,160
Here we are at the nose section.
403
00:34:05,161 --> 00:34:08,760
The first thing that you can see,
really, is just how much perspex there is.
404
00:34:08,761 --> 00:34:11,960
They're great for visibility, but
I reckon for any crew members
405
00:34:11,961 --> 00:34:14,749
in the front there,
you'd feel quite exposed.
406
00:34:15,170 --> 00:34:20,596
Quite unique for the aircraft as well is
the fact that it's a nose-wheel aeroplane.
407
00:34:21,609 --> 00:34:25,680
The third wheel on most World
War II aircraft is positioned at the rear.
408
00:34:27,123 --> 00:34:32,640
The B-25 is one of the first planes where
this wheel is positioned at the front.
409
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:38,845
This comes with huge advantages
for the pilots operating the aircraft
410
00:34:38,870 --> 00:34:42,271
because it's just one less
thing to have to worry about.
411
00:34:42,296 --> 00:34:46,931
It's much easier to handle a
nose-wheel aeroplane on the ground,
412
00:34:46,956 --> 00:34:51,229
landing, taking off, taxiing, with
the third wheel being at the front.
413
00:34:52,436 --> 00:34:55,956
This plane needs a crew of
five people to fully operate.
414
00:34:56,385 --> 00:34:59,800
Here we are in the entrance
compartment of the B-25 Mitchell.
415
00:34:59,801 --> 00:35:02,080
As you can see, it's a very confined space.
416
00:35:02,130 --> 00:35:04,520
And the thing that you notice straight away
417
00:35:04,521 --> 00:35:08,716
is that to access any part of the
aeroplane, you've got to be about this big,
418
00:35:08,741 --> 00:35:12,440
because you've got to crawl through
loads of different little cubbyholes
419
00:35:12,441 --> 00:35:15,800
to get to the back of the aeroplane,
to get to the nose of the aircraft.
420
00:35:15,850 --> 00:35:19,496
The only two people
that get relative comfort in
421
00:35:19,521 --> 00:35:21,760
accessing their station
is the pilot and co-pilot.
422
00:35:23,409 --> 00:35:26,163
These planes are popular with their crews.
423
00:35:27,010 --> 00:35:28,880
The cockpit of the B-25 Mitchell,
424
00:35:28,881 --> 00:35:32,160
I'm sat in the second pilot
seat here, or the co-pilot seat,
425
00:35:32,161 --> 00:35:34,520
and really, the first
thing that strikes you
426
00:35:34,521 --> 00:35:37,556
actually is a really comfortable
place to be for a pilot.
427
00:35:38,050 --> 00:35:41,840
The display of all the instruments
is just as you'd want it to be.
428
00:35:41,915 --> 00:35:46,120
You've got fantastic visibility
out of all of the cockpit space.
429
00:35:46,170 --> 00:35:49,920
Many of the pilots loved this
aeroplane because it was easy to fly,
430
00:35:49,970 --> 00:35:53,360
and they also say that it could
take a hell of a lot of punishment too.
431
00:35:55,810 --> 00:36:01,563
This hard-hitting strafer aircraft
has 12.50-calibre machine guns.
432
00:36:02,283 --> 00:36:05,640
It becomes the most heavily
armed aircraft in the world.
433
00:36:07,894 --> 00:36:12,800
As a bomber, it can carry a
payload of over 1,300 kilograms.
434
00:36:15,043 --> 00:36:19,983
Alongside the B-17 Flying
Fortress and the B-26 Marauders,
435
00:36:20,370 --> 00:36:25,376
the B-25 will deliver the bombs
to obliterate Monte Cassino.
436
00:36:27,443 --> 00:36:31,623
Allied high command agonises
over whether to destroy the Abbey.
437
00:36:33,323 --> 00:36:40,456
But on 14 February 1944, an aerial
reconnaissance plane flies low over the building.
438
00:36:42,116 --> 00:36:46,276
The crew claim to see German
uniforms and a radio mast.
439
00:36:47,363 --> 00:36:50,116
Their report seals the Abbey's fate.
440
00:36:55,369 --> 00:37:02,189
On 15 February 1944,
256 bombers take off.
441
00:37:04,936 --> 00:37:09,353
The planes drop over 500
tonnes of high explosives
442
00:37:09,379 --> 00:37:12,743
and incendiary bombs
directly onto the Abbey.
443
00:37:17,569 --> 00:37:21,261
The raid turns the Abbey
into a shattered ruin.
444
00:37:22,694 --> 00:37:26,447
But the bombing has
unintended consequences.
445
00:37:32,716 --> 00:37:38,096
The bombing of Monte Cassino creates
an unexpected problem for Allied forces.
446
00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:47,440
When we blasted the monastery
on Monte Cassino, we created rubble.
447
00:37:47,490 --> 00:37:51,720
The whole mountain was
topped with this rubble.
448
00:37:51,770 --> 00:37:56,876
And that turned the mountain into
excellent cover for the defenders.
449
00:37:58,456 --> 00:38:03,236
The Germans wire and mine the area,
while troops hide amongst the rubble.
450
00:38:04,703 --> 00:38:08,640
It's really easy with hindsight to say
451
00:38:08,690 --> 00:38:12,749
that the Allies made the
Abbey worse by bombing it.
452
00:38:13,756 --> 00:38:16,120
But based on what they knew at the time,
453
00:38:16,170 --> 00:38:21,240
it is perfectly reasonable, from a
military point of view, to bomb the Abbey.
454
00:38:24,983 --> 00:38:29,560
It turned Monte Cassino into a moonscape.
455
00:38:31,349 --> 00:38:35,080
Failure to coordinate
the air raids with the land forces
456
00:38:35,130 --> 00:38:37,600
magnifies
the chaos on the ground.
457
00:38:37,650 --> 00:38:44,309
It killed Allied soldiers and killed
Italian civilians and didn't kill Germans.
458
00:38:44,810 --> 00:38:49,943
So it's not that this raid is
not justified or justifiable.
459
00:38:50,810 --> 00:38:54,480
This raid was not done properly.
460
00:38:56,196 --> 00:38:58,240
Tenacious fighting continues.
461
00:39:01,376 --> 00:39:06,649
The Germans put up fierce resistance,
repelling two more attacks from the Allies.
462
00:39:09,546 --> 00:39:11,312
From their foxholes,
463
00:39:11,337 --> 00:39:15,750
the German defenders send deadly
shells raining down on the Allies.
464
00:39:17,803 --> 00:39:22,469
On the 15th of March, Allied
planes take to the skies again.
465
00:39:24,069 --> 00:39:26,960
This time, they bomb the
town of Cassino
466
00:39:26,961 --> 00:39:31,544
and reduce it to rubble to flush out
the German defenders.
467
00:39:31,569 --> 00:39:35,956
But just like the Abbey,
the Germans fortify the ruins.
468
00:39:35,981 --> 00:39:38,663
They prostrate the Allies at every turn.
469
00:39:39,476 --> 00:39:45,029
Inside the ruins of the Continental
Hotel, they hide a tank destroyer.
470
00:39:46,029 --> 00:39:52,156
It takes out everything that moves around
it, stopping the Allies from advancing.
471
00:39:54,543 --> 00:40:00,084
On 11 May 1944, Allied
forces launch a massive attack
472
00:40:00,109 --> 00:40:03,016
on a 30-kilometre
section of the Gustav Line.
473
00:40:04,543 --> 00:40:07,936
The heavy bombardment and
lessons learnt from previous
474
00:40:07,961 --> 00:40:12,047
failed attempts mean that
this time, the plan works.
475
00:40:13,836 --> 00:40:18,084
Polish troops spearhead
the final assault on the Abbey.
476
00:40:18,109 --> 00:40:21,716
They fight hand-to-hand with
the remaining German defenders.
477
00:40:23,409 --> 00:40:29,229
On 18 May 1944, five
months after the first attack,
478
00:40:30,141 --> 00:40:33,987
British and Polish soldiers
finally storm the Abbey
479
00:40:34,953 --> 00:40:40,803
and raise the Union flag alongside the
Polish flag in the ruins of Monte Cassino.
480
00:40:41,569 --> 00:40:45,631
This effort is a real Allied effort.
481
00:40:46,084 --> 00:40:49,064
Everybody has come to fight in Italy
482
00:40:49,717 --> 00:40:55,270
because everyone needs Italy
liberated and Germany defeated.
483
00:40:55,796 --> 00:41:00,754
Allied Sherman tanks now roll
through the shattered town of Cassino.
484
00:41:01,283 --> 00:41:04,556
The road to Rome is finally open.
485
00:41:09,795 --> 00:41:15,563
As the Allies break through the Gustav
Line, the German 10th Army retreats.
486
00:41:16,496 --> 00:41:20,763
US General Mark Clark is
tasked with cutting them off.
487
00:41:21,349 --> 00:41:26,543
His forces have now broken out of ambush
and should be able to capture the Nazis.
488
00:41:27,263 --> 00:41:29,891
The senior American
commander in theatre, Mark Clark,
489
00:41:30,222 --> 00:41:35,209
has the opportunity to
encircle an entire German force
490
00:41:35,234 --> 00:41:39,263
that will be denied to
Hitler for defending Italy.
491
00:41:40,563 --> 00:41:43,789
All Mark Clark has to do is encircle them.
492
00:41:45,182 --> 00:41:48,455
But General Clark is very keen
493
00:41:49,555 --> 00:41:54,229
that if anyone is going to
be seen marching into Rome,
494
00:41:54,254 --> 00:41:58,503
liberating Rome, at the head
of an army, it's going to be him.
495
00:42:07,416 --> 00:42:11,336
Clark ignores orders to cut
off the retreating Germans.
496
00:42:11,868 --> 00:42:14,049
He heads straight for the capital.
497
00:42:15,587 --> 00:42:19,887
In doing so, he allows the
German 10th Army to escape.
498
00:42:23,694 --> 00:42:26,369
Jubilant crowds
celebrate the arrival of the
499
00:42:26,394 --> 00:42:30,496
Allied forces and
Clark's Fifth Army Corps.
500
00:42:31,081 --> 00:42:35,480
As Sherman tanks and army
jeeps storm past iconic landmarks
501
00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:40,310
that include the Colosseum
and the Piazza Venezia,
502
00:42:41,443 --> 00:42:44,369
Clark and his men
encounter little resistance.
503
00:42:46,016 --> 00:42:49,451
Their actions make Rome
the first European capital
504
00:42:49,476 --> 00:42:55,296
to be liberated from the
Nazis on 4th June 1944.
505
00:42:56,356 --> 00:43:00,240
The drive to Rome and the
struggle for Monte Cassino
506
00:43:00,663 --> 00:43:08,280
has resulted in around 55,000 Allied casualties
and 20,000 Germans killed or wounded.
507
00:43:12,662 --> 00:43:15,456
The cost in lives is immense.
508
00:43:15,721 --> 00:43:20,189
Thanks in part to General Mark
Clark's premature quest for glory,
509
00:43:20,401 --> 00:43:25,320
the war in Italy drags
on for another 11 months.
510
00:43:25,321 --> 00:43:28,803
But in their bitter struggle,
the Allies have liberated
511
00:43:28,828 --> 00:43:32,930
huge territory and learned
many important lessons.
512
00:43:35,321 --> 00:43:38,876
The battle for Rome
also diverted many critical
513
00:43:38,901 --> 00:43:42,676
German divisions out of
the rest of the continent.
514
00:43:43,376 --> 00:43:45,996
Two days after the liberation of Rome,
515
00:43:46,481 --> 00:43:50,589
news arrives of the successful
D-Day landings in Normandy.
516
00:43:51,241 --> 00:43:54,383
Ultimate victory in Europe is in sight.
46350
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