All language subtitles for World War II Secrets From Above - Season 2 - EP-05 - Road To Rome

af Afrikaans
ak Akan
sq Albanian
am Amharic
ar Arabic
hy Armenian
az Azerbaijani
eu Basque
be Belarusian
bem Bemba
bn Bengali
bh Bihari
bs Bosnian
br Breton
bg Bulgarian
km Cambodian
ca Catalan
ceb Cebuano
chr Cherokee
ny Chichewa
zh-CN Chinese (Simplified)
zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)
co Corsican
hr Croatian
cs Czech
da Danish
nl Dutch
en English
eo Esperanto
et Estonian
ee Ewe
fo Faroese
tl Filipino
fi Finnish
fr French
fy Frisian
gaa Ga
gl Galician
ka Georgian
de German
el Greek
gn Guarani
gu Gujarati
ht Haitian Creole
ha Hausa
haw Hawaiian
iw Hebrew
hi Hindi
hmn Hmong
hu Hungarian
is Icelandic
ig Igbo
id Indonesian
ia Interlingua
ga Irish
it Italian
ja Japanese
jw Javanese
kn Kannada
kk Kazakh
rw Kinyarwanda
rn Kirundi
kg Kongo
ko Korean
kri Krio (Sierra Leone)
ku Kurdish
ckb Kurdish (Soranî)
ky Kyrgyz
lo Laothian
la Latin
lv Latvian
ln Lingala
lt Lithuanian
loz Lozi
lg Luganda
ach Luo
lb Luxembourgish
mk Macedonian
mg Malagasy
ms Malay
ml Malayalam
mt Maltese
mi Maori
mr Marathi
mfe Mauritian Creole
mo Moldavian
mn Mongolian
my Myanmar (Burmese)
sr-ME Montenegrin
ne Nepali
pcm Nigerian Pidgin
nso Northern Sotho
no Norwegian
nn Norwegian (Nynorsk)
oc Occitan
or Oriya
om Oromo
ps Pashto
fa Persian
pl Polish
pt-BR Portuguese (Brazil)
pt Portuguese (Portugal)
pa Punjabi
qu Quechua
ro Romanian
rm Romansh
nyn Runyakitara
ru Russian
sm Samoan
gd Scots Gaelic
sr Serbian
sh Serbo-Croatian
st Sesotho
tn Setswana
crs Seychellois Creole
sn Shona
sd Sindhi
si Sinhalese
sk Slovak
sl Slovenian
so Somali
es Spanish
es-419 Spanish (Latin American)
su Sundanese
sw Swahili
sv Swedish
tg Tajik
ta Tamil
tt Tatar
te Telugu
ti Tigrinya
to Tonga
lua Tshiluba
tum Tumbuka
tr Turkish
tk Turkmen
tw Twi
ug Uighur
uk Ukrainian
ur Urdu
uz Uzbek
vi Vietnamese
cy Welsh
wo Wolof
xh Xhosa
yi Yiddish
yo Yoruba
zu Zulu
Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:01,286 --> 00:00:06,190 September, 1943, Operation Avalanche, 2 00:00:06,215 --> 00:00:09,116 Italy's D-Day landings is underway. 3 00:00:10,014 --> 00:00:17,840 165,000 Allied troops storm the beaches in a bid to liberate Italy from Nazi control. 4 00:00:18,963 --> 00:00:23,016 Once on land, they must fight their way through the perilous 5 00:00:23,041 --> 00:00:26,680 mountain terrain and heavily fortified enemy territory. 6 00:00:27,863 --> 00:00:32,020 If the Allies can take back Europe from the south, 7 00:00:32,021 --> 00:00:35,980 victory over the Nazis is within reach. 8 00:00:36,005 --> 00:00:41,485 This will be one of the longest and bloodiest campaigns of the war. 9 00:00:53,956 --> 00:01:00,460 In this series, we investigate the most extraordinary events of World War II 10 00:01:00,461 --> 00:01:06,580 from a brand new perspective, matching rarely seen archive film, 11 00:01:08,696 --> 00:01:14,716 photography from the front line, and declassified aerial 12 00:01:14,741 --> 00:01:19,900 reconnaissance images to their original locations. 13 00:01:22,756 --> 00:01:25,340 We reconstruct the crucial battles 14 00:01:30,369 --> 00:01:38,609 daring bombing raids and deadly terror weapons, which changed the course of history. 15 00:01:39,461 --> 00:01:46,520 Soaring over the battlefields, we reveal the secrets of World War II from above. 16 00:01:53,186 --> 00:01:59,316 9th of September, 1943, a reconnaissance aircraft flies over the 17 00:01:59,341 --> 00:02:04,216 clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea in southern Italy. 18 00:02:04,521 --> 00:02:07,500 The onboard camera takes this photo. 19 00:02:09,596 --> 00:02:14,383 Allied HQ are examining the progress of their audacious plan, 20 00:02:14,621 --> 00:02:17,856 a vast flotilla of warships and landing craft 21 00:02:18,341 --> 00:02:22,380 heading straight for the coast of Italy, which is under Nazi control. 22 00:02:24,436 --> 00:02:29,220 By 1943, the tide of World War II changes. 23 00:02:30,463 --> 00:02:34,160 The Nazis still have a stranglehold on most of Western Europe, 24 00:02:35,649 --> 00:02:40,740 but the Allies have liberated North Africa and occupy the island of Sicily. 25 00:02:42,396 --> 00:02:48,780 They now plan to launch a full-scale amphibious invasion of mainland Italy. 26 00:02:48,781 --> 00:02:52,300 The British Eighth Army will sweep in from the south 27 00:02:52,301 --> 00:02:56,820 while the US Fifth Army will land on the beaches of Salerno 28 00:02:56,821 --> 00:03:02,800 and fight their way along the coast to finally capture Rome from the Nazis. 29 00:03:08,643 --> 00:03:14,280 The Allies choose this beach along the coast of Salerno as the landing zone. 30 00:03:15,536 --> 00:03:21,020 It's near to airfields and major roads that will be crucial to help them move inland. 31 00:03:23,461 --> 00:03:27,496 The first wave sets off shortly before dawn and sails 32 00:03:27,521 --> 00:03:32,550 across calm seas towards the small town of Paestum. 33 00:03:32,941 --> 00:03:37,023 But as the troops hit the surf and step onto the golden sand, 34 00:03:37,048 --> 00:03:41,634 they have no idea of the horror that lies ahead. 35 00:03:44,387 --> 00:03:50,480 Archaeologist Tony Pollard investigates a set of ruins along the Salerno coastline. 36 00:03:52,130 --> 00:03:59,960 What we have is a really well-built, well-disguised, perfectly positioned bunker 37 00:03:59,961 --> 00:04:03,943 which will protect soldiers, but also it will kill 38 00:04:03,968 --> 00:04:07,410 men on the beach, in the surf and in the water. 39 00:04:08,743 --> 00:04:13,640 When Sicily falls, Italian morale is at an all-time low 40 00:04:13,641 --> 00:04:16,363 and the fascist government is overthrown. 41 00:04:16,801 --> 00:04:20,520 The Italian military announces its surrender to the Allies 42 00:04:20,521 --> 00:04:24,480 just a day before the landings and vacates the bunkers. 43 00:04:26,036 --> 00:04:30,803 Now, German troops move in, ready to repel the Allies. 44 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,280 The Allied troops that land here face a ferocious opponent 45 00:04:35,281 --> 00:04:39,320 in a place where they had expected an easy ride. 46 00:04:39,321 --> 00:04:45,280 There's a strange kind of teardrop-shaped hollow in the floor. 47 00:04:45,281 --> 00:04:48,680 This must be part of the gun mount. 48 00:04:48,681 --> 00:04:50,760 This is a really small space. 49 00:04:50,761 --> 00:04:53,200 You're not gonna have a big gun in here. 50 00:04:53,201 --> 00:04:55,240 It's not an artillery piece. 51 00:04:55,241 --> 00:04:56,700 It's gonna be a machine gun. 52 00:04:56,701 --> 00:05:02,383 And I'd be using a German weapon like an MG42, a really deadly weapon. 53 00:05:04,383 --> 00:05:13,016 The MG42 is nicknamed Hitler's buzzsaw and fires 25 rounds every second. 54 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:17,360 It spits out a deadly spray of covering fire 55 00:05:17,361 --> 00:05:20,120 that cuts right through the Allied attackers. 56 00:05:22,987 --> 00:05:25,120 The gunner would have been behind here. 57 00:05:28,507 --> 00:05:35,063 This would be an incredibly busy, noisy, smelly, frightening place to be. 58 00:05:40,849 --> 00:05:45,396 What remains of this bunker today is just the tip of the iceberg. 59 00:05:48,903 --> 00:05:53,120 Below the gun emplacement is an entire underground structure 60 00:05:53,121 --> 00:05:56,680 that gives the Germans a huge defensive advantage. 61 00:05:59,003 --> 00:06:02,440 Going back downstairs, you already feel safer 62 00:06:02,441 --> 00:06:05,320 because you're now really under the beach. 63 00:06:06,170 --> 00:06:13,360 And these concrete and stone structures would provide excellent protection 64 00:06:13,361 --> 00:06:15,840 from all of that steel that's flying around, 65 00:06:15,841 --> 00:06:19,000 be it from bombs or artillery shells or bullets. 66 00:06:20,610 --> 00:06:24,789 The best part of this entire thing is this emergency exit, 67 00:06:25,481 --> 00:06:28,990 which allows you to disappear into the dunes. 68 00:06:29,721 --> 00:06:32,091 And I think this is a point whereby troops 69 00:06:32,116 --> 00:06:36,600 could move out into their positions, spread out, 70 00:06:36,601 --> 00:06:41,103 and from there effectively defend this sector of the beach. 71 00:06:42,823 --> 00:06:49,155 Strongholds like this line the full length of Salerno's 32-kilometer-long beach. 72 00:06:50,543 --> 00:06:53,983 German forces have protected the whole of their front line. 73 00:06:54,361 --> 00:06:57,343 Allied attackers have nowhere to hide. 74 00:06:57,550 --> 00:07:00,600 An army is never more exposed 75 00:07:00,601 --> 00:07:03,360 than when they're coming out of the water onto the land. 76 00:07:03,361 --> 00:07:06,007 And this is just an absolute trap for them. 77 00:07:06,521 --> 00:07:11,740 It's perfectly set up to kill men before they even step foot on dry land. 78 00:07:13,787 --> 00:07:15,120 Thousands of men are killed. 79 00:07:15,121 --> 00:07:17,040 It's absolute slaughterhouse. 80 00:07:22,714 --> 00:07:26,516 Under heavy fire on the beach, Allied attackers 81 00:07:26,541 --> 00:07:30,080 hug the ground as German shells land around them. 82 00:07:32,361 --> 00:07:36,120 Medics and troops desperately try to shelter the wounded. 83 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,496 Without more protection, they'll all be slaughtered. 84 00:07:45,676 --> 00:07:48,680 Military historian Alexandra Churchill 85 00:07:48,681 --> 00:07:53,970 explores the ingenious solution the Allies deploy to help defend their troops. 86 00:07:54,641 --> 00:07:57,143 It's called a landing craft tank. 87 00:07:57,641 --> 00:08:02,721 This extraordinary machine is crucial to the Allied invasion of Italy. 88 00:08:03,281 --> 00:08:05,460 The landing craft tank is interesting 89 00:08:05,461 --> 00:08:12,289 because it's made to operate in shallow water, but it's also made to carry a lot. 90 00:08:13,216 --> 00:08:15,243 The key thing is it can carry tanks right up onto 91 00:08:15,268 --> 00:08:17,720 the beach and deploy them straight into action. 92 00:08:19,607 --> 00:08:25,840 The vessel measures 59 meters long and has a top speed of 17 kilometers per hour. 93 00:08:27,223 --> 00:08:31,000 It may lack speed and stealth, but it is massive 94 00:08:31,001 --> 00:08:34,060 and can carry tons of equipment and machinery. 95 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,951 The concept of these vessels is so simple when you think about it. 96 00:08:37,976 --> 00:08:42,740 I mean, they were around pre-Dunkirk, but as soon as Dunkirk happens, 97 00:08:42,741 --> 00:08:46,480 you know that at some point in the future of this war, 98 00:08:46,481 --> 00:08:48,920 you are going to have to invade mainland Europe. 99 00:08:48,921 --> 00:08:52,460 You are gonna have to get back into Europe to try and defeat the Nazis. 100 00:08:53,890 --> 00:08:57,760 The Allies need to quickly produce hundreds of landing craft, 101 00:08:58,680 --> 00:09:03,720 but by late 1940, British shipyards are at full capacity, 102 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,560 replacing battleships and merchant vessels lost to the German U-boats. 103 00:09:10,453 --> 00:09:14,920 What's fantastic about the landing craft is these are made in sections. 104 00:09:14,921 --> 00:09:18,200 Any old factory that deals with steel can churn these out 105 00:09:18,201 --> 00:09:23,580 because you're just churning out pre-fabricated, really simple blocks of metal. 106 00:09:26,593 --> 00:09:30,760 The Allies don't only mass-produce armored transport vehicles. 107 00:09:30,761 --> 00:09:35,600 They also manufacture military equipment and weapons at an astounding rate. 108 00:09:36,930 --> 00:09:39,320 This is a Mark IV Sherman tank. 109 00:09:39,321 --> 00:09:43,720 It's comparatively light for a tank, so it's nimble, it's quick. 110 00:09:43,721 --> 00:09:46,800 Thousands and thousands of these come off the production line. 111 00:09:46,801 --> 00:09:51,280 One of these landing craft can carry 11 Sherman tanks, 112 00:09:51,281 --> 00:09:54,680 making them a key tool on the road to Rome. 113 00:09:54,681 --> 00:09:57,080 When you are invading, when you are turning up, 114 00:09:57,081 --> 00:10:02,080 first off, this is a way to deliver tanks into the area. 115 00:10:02,230 --> 00:10:05,431 They sail right into the beach, and then the door 116 00:10:05,456 --> 00:10:07,760 slams down, and all of these are just ready to go, 117 00:10:07,761 --> 00:10:13,260 and the front ones can be firing shells at defenses as they come off. 118 00:10:17,430 --> 00:10:20,103 Would I have wanted to be on one of these? Absolutely not. 119 00:10:22,296 --> 00:10:24,720 War correspondent Frank Gillard 120 00:10:24,721 --> 00:10:27,863 is on board one of the vessels that lands on the beach. 121 00:10:28,267 --> 00:10:31,560 We were due to land on the Solano beaches at dawn, 122 00:10:31,561 --> 00:10:33,840 that we'd have a fairly easy landing. 123 00:10:33,841 --> 00:10:36,120 My goodness, we couldn't have been more wrong. 124 00:10:36,121 --> 00:10:38,880 It was the toughest assault landing of the war. 125 00:10:38,881 --> 00:10:42,960 I never came closer to death than the actual landing itself 126 00:10:42,961 --> 00:10:45,480 under the most intense fire on the beaches. 127 00:10:45,481 --> 00:10:50,280 Everybody around you is picked off, and you are the one who manages to escape. 128 00:10:52,256 --> 00:10:54,440 The first wave of the Allied invasion 129 00:10:54,441 --> 00:10:58,636 stalls despite deploying the landing craft tanks. 130 00:10:58,921 --> 00:11:01,400 Allied troops desperately need backup. 131 00:11:02,396 --> 00:11:07,360 Over the course of 48 hours, 84 landing craft tanks arrive, 132 00:11:07,361 --> 00:11:10,160 bringing with them around 200 tanks. 133 00:11:12,050 --> 00:11:16,520 Their first goal is to bludgeon a safe path off the beach. 134 00:11:16,521 --> 00:11:19,360 They pummel the German defenses with their guns, 135 00:11:20,387 --> 00:11:23,480 but German tanks hidden in the dunes fire back. 136 00:11:26,361 --> 00:11:30,120 This beach would have been plastered with 137 00:11:30,121 --> 00:11:34,280 fire, artillery, mortar, machine gun, grenades, 138 00:11:34,281 --> 00:11:38,520 and littered with dead bodies and wounded men. 139 00:11:38,521 --> 00:11:40,120 An absolute horror show. 140 00:11:41,916 --> 00:11:46,520 After the surrender of Italy, a lack of preparation from the Germans 141 00:11:46,521 --> 00:11:48,530 gives the Allies the edge. 142 00:11:49,001 --> 00:11:51,920 If the Germans had totally had their act together, 143 00:11:51,921 --> 00:11:54,760 they should have been able, in those circumstances, 144 00:11:54,761 --> 00:11:58,476 to cut the Allies to pieces and push them back into the sea. 145 00:12:01,933 --> 00:12:03,943 The battle is fierce. 146 00:12:04,241 --> 00:12:08,440 It takes the Allies six days to slowly gain the upper hand 147 00:12:08,441 --> 00:12:11,880 and land enough firepower to secure the coastline. 148 00:12:13,420 --> 00:12:17,760 The cost for the crews on board the landing crafts is high. 149 00:12:17,761 --> 00:12:20,143 Many ships are blown up or sunk. 150 00:12:20,705 --> 00:12:25,160 Despite the odds, the Allies defeat the Germans at Salerno, 151 00:12:25,161 --> 00:12:30,703 but it's clear that getting to Rome will be no walk in the park. 152 00:12:41,601 --> 00:12:48,600 After being hit by heavy losses in Salerno, the Allies capture the port city of Naples 153 00:12:48,601 --> 00:12:51,960 to help them bring much-needed reinforcements inland. 154 00:12:53,156 --> 00:12:59,560 Rome is now just a three-hour drive away with a major highway leading directly to it. 155 00:13:01,136 --> 00:13:05,400 But blocking the Allies' path, running the breadth of Italy, 156 00:13:05,401 --> 00:13:09,516 is a series of heavily defended German fortifications 157 00:13:09,541 --> 00:13:12,594 that cross the treacherous mountain terrain. 158 00:13:13,761 --> 00:13:19,643 The only suitable passing point is through the village of San Pietro in Fine. 159 00:13:20,082 --> 00:13:25,370 In December, 1943, a brutal battle erupts here. 160 00:13:31,516 --> 00:13:36,080 The terrain around San Pietro is a defender's paradise. 161 00:13:39,210 --> 00:13:42,816 Every valley could conceal a German machine gun nest. 162 00:13:43,521 --> 00:13:46,680 Every hill village becomes a potential citadel. 163 00:13:49,443 --> 00:13:54,760 Intense rainfall and rough terrain rule out the use of tanks or heavy armor. 164 00:13:55,710 --> 00:14:00,600 This forces the Allies to walk on foot or rely on mules. 165 00:14:04,696 --> 00:14:11,050 Historian Marco Maria Attarano explores how the battle for San Pietro in Fine 166 00:14:11,241 --> 00:14:14,490 marks a savage new chapter in the war in Italy. 167 00:14:15,636 --> 00:14:17,996 The Germans disarmed the local population 168 00:14:18,161 --> 00:14:24,000 and confiscate all kinds of vehicles, food, and other goods that they can find 169 00:14:24,001 --> 00:14:26,720 to fortify their positions around this area. 170 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:30,800 This is what is left of the original farming village 171 00:14:30,801 --> 00:14:34,680 that was home to about 1,400 people back in the day. 172 00:14:34,681 --> 00:14:37,867 You can see the ruins here of where the people 173 00:14:37,892 --> 00:14:42,114 used to live and where the cattle used to be. 174 00:14:43,234 --> 00:14:46,560 The Germans turned San Pietro's gray stone houses 175 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,480 and thick stone walls into a fortress. 176 00:14:50,689 --> 00:14:54,003 The fighting that took place in the area was so brutal 177 00:14:54,201 --> 00:14:58,000 and so restless that basically the Allied soldiers 178 00:14:58,001 --> 00:15:00,320 that are fighting start referring to the 179 00:15:00,321 --> 00:15:03,040 valley that lies ahead as the valley of death. 180 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,886 Nazi forces set up fortified positions in and around the town, 181 00:15:12,321 --> 00:15:17,400 including machine gun nests, anti-tank ditches, and minefields. 182 00:15:20,123 --> 00:15:23,903 Among the most feared German defenses are booby traps, 183 00:15:24,361 --> 00:15:29,410 improvised explosives connected to trip wires and barbed wire. 184 00:15:29,761 --> 00:15:33,836 The Nazis make use of every resource at their disposal. 185 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:40,040 The Germans decide to use all the male local population 186 00:15:40,041 --> 00:15:45,600 as forced labor in order to help the German troops put up all the defensive system. 187 00:15:46,654 --> 00:15:49,780 San Pietro is a formidable obstacle, 188 00:15:49,987 --> 00:15:55,070 but the U.S. Commander General Mark Clark knows the only route across the steep valley 189 00:15:55,236 --> 00:15:56,920 is through the village. 190 00:15:56,921 --> 00:16:00,200 San Pietro was the key to the Lurie Valley. 191 00:16:01,243 --> 00:16:03,763 We knew it and the enemy knew it. 192 00:16:04,001 --> 00:16:07,743 We had to take it even though the immediate cost would be high. 193 00:16:08,883 --> 00:16:13,563 Clark orders his men to begin their assault on the 8th of December. 194 00:16:13,841 --> 00:16:18,547 Alongside them are troops from the 1st Italian Motorized Group. 195 00:16:18,721 --> 00:16:21,436 This is very significant because it marks the beginning 196 00:16:21,461 --> 00:16:26,054 of a new phase of the collaboration between the Allies and the Italians. 197 00:16:27,509 --> 00:16:32,376 The Allies now fight alongside the Italians throughout the region 198 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,800 to flush out the German defenders. 199 00:16:35,825 --> 00:16:41,274 But most of their initial attacks are repelled and they suffer heavy casualties. 200 00:16:43,207 --> 00:16:48,320 Allied artillery returns fire to try to silence the defenders. 201 00:16:48,321 --> 00:16:54,329 Shells smash into the stone buildings, reducing the village to rubble. 202 00:16:58,156 --> 00:17:01,669 Marco explores the local caves where the villagers 203 00:17:01,694 --> 00:17:05,694 shelter in a desperate attempt to escape the fighting. 204 00:17:09,183 --> 00:17:12,840 More than 500 townspeople flee the village 205 00:17:12,841 --> 00:17:17,160 and find refuge in this system of grottoes and caves, 206 00:17:17,161 --> 00:17:20,080 which are then expanded by hand. 207 00:17:20,081 --> 00:17:26,240 And you can actually see the signs and the marks of the tools that were used, 208 00:17:26,241 --> 00:17:30,429 from pickaxes to shovels to even forks and spoons, 209 00:17:30,561 --> 00:17:33,916 and create communication doors between each of these caves. 210 00:17:35,156 --> 00:17:38,236 Living conditions in the caves are dire. 211 00:17:38,561 --> 00:17:43,240 Space is tight and food and drinking water is scarce. 212 00:17:43,241 --> 00:17:49,360 They have a handful of dried figs, walnuts, and wild vegetables to eat from. 213 00:17:49,361 --> 00:17:53,080 The only access to water that they have, it was to collect rainwater. 214 00:17:53,081 --> 00:17:55,400 You can feel their desperation 215 00:17:55,401 --> 00:17:58,600 in what must have been quite a situation to live through. 216 00:18:01,043 --> 00:18:05,600 After fierce fighting, the Allies struggle to gain control 217 00:18:05,601 --> 00:18:07,960 and all attacks on the town fail. 218 00:18:09,067 --> 00:18:14,360 As they sweep for mines, legendary Hollywood director John Huston 219 00:18:14,361 --> 00:18:18,203 is part of a US Army film unit at San Pietro. 220 00:18:18,476 --> 00:18:21,760 His cameras capture these extraordinary scenes 221 00:18:21,761 --> 00:18:24,663 of Allied soldiers fighting in the hills. 222 00:18:25,110 --> 00:18:29,760 The footage reveals the brutal reality of the battle for this small village. 223 00:18:32,063 --> 00:18:36,160 In order to break the deadlock, the Allies bring in tanks. 224 00:18:39,015 --> 00:18:42,760 A battalion of Sherman tanks and a British Valentine 225 00:18:42,761 --> 00:18:46,840 start up the narrow road under the cover of a smoke screen. 226 00:18:48,643 --> 00:18:50,476 But they don't get very far. 227 00:18:50,770 --> 00:18:55,563 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

Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.