All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S09E09.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[und]

[narrator] Famous,
yet deserted.

Prized, coveted and assaulted.

The wreckage of sites
that became battlegrounds.

A town drenched in infamy.

The victim
of a notorious raid.

[Jim Meigs] Everything is
in the same state of decay.

This isn't just a ruin.
It's something more.

[narrator] A facility famed
for break outs,

subjected to a daring
break in.

subjected to a daring
break in.

[Katherine Landdeck]
In this case, the idea
of who is the invader,

and who is the invaded,
is pretty blurred.

[narrator] The musical
heartbeat of a city,

brought down
by racial division.

[Onyeka] There were raids.
There were arrests.

People were taken away.

[narrator] And a micronation
off the coast of England,

stormed by a band
of mercenaries.

So Sealand was now occupied
by a gang of Germans

with guns and plenty of money.

with guns and plenty of money.

[narrator] This is Mysteries
of the Abandoned.

Raiders and Invaders.

Decaying relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Sites haunted by the past.

Their secrets waiting
to be revealed.

Hugging the banks
of the River Glen,
in west Central France,

is a settlement
that appears derelict,

yet tenderly preserved.

[Rob] This looks like
the perfect place

to have a very happy,
very productive
agricultural village.

So why is there no one here?

[Jim] What's striking is how

[Jim] What's striking is how

everything is in
about the same degree
of decay.

As if this town was abandoned

and destroyed all at once.

[Katherine] You come
into the church

and you see this giant bell.

But it's not right.
It's been melted.

And you can't imagine
what kind of heat
must've done that.

[narrator] Nearby,
in the village's cemetery,

rows of neat headstones
seem unremarkable,
until you look closer.

rows of neat headstones
seem unremarkable,
until you look closer.

Many of the graves
share the same date.

And many of the graves
belong to children.

[Rob] Your heart just sinks.

It makes you wonder
what on earth happened here.

[Philippe] For me,
going through the village
is a pilgrimage.

You can imagine
the life before.

You can imagine the people
who lived in these houses.

[narrator] Philippe Lacroix
has been mayor of this area
since 2014.

His village and their
shattered site
share the same name.

Oradour-sur-Glane.

Its ghostly streets
disguise a thriving past.

[Philippe] It was
very commercial.

[Philippe] It was
very commercial.

There were a lot of shops
and professionals.

It was a very active village.

We had about
1,600 inhabitants
in the whole commune.

[narrator] Day trippers,
shoppers,

and pupils attending
the village's two schools,
swelled its numbers.

Among them were members
of Philippe's family.

So why has this
thriving community vanished?

[Jim] One clue is this
ancient car,

[Jim] One clue is this
ancient car,

that's sitting in a very
prominent location,

gradually rusting away.

This is a very particular
type of car.

It's a Peugeot 202.

A model that was introduced
just a couple of years
before World War II.

[narrator] The fate of Oradour
is wrapped up in the chaos
and destruction

of the second World War.

But this relatively tranquil
part of France

never echoed to the sound
of battle

or the waves of bombers
that pounded Europe
from the skies.

The village lay
in the so-called free zone
of France.

While the Germans occupied
the north and west
of the country,

this was an area administered
by the Vichy regime,

French collaborators who ruled
on behalf of their
German masters.

[Jim] Life in Vichy, France
was a very tenuous affair.

[Jim] Life in Vichy, France
was a very tenuous affair.

In theory, they had
a certain amount
of governmental autonomy.

And yet the German military
was always there,
hovering over everything.

And always suspicious
of the local population.

[Katherine] They're going
to be essentially left alone,

as long as they do
what they're told.

As long as they collaborate
or at least don't
actively fight

against the Germans
that are in the area.

[narrator] Not every French
citizen was so compliant.

[narrator] Not every French
citizen was so compliant.

Disparate bands of guerrillas,
collectively known as
"The Resistance",

disrupted the German war
effort in any way possible.

You can imagine
the fault lines of distrust

running through French society
during this period.

[narrator] For four years,
Oradour-sur-Glane

existed under this
uneasy atmosphere.

But then events far away,
on the beaches
of northern France,

But then events far away,
on the beaches
of northern France,

would change everything.

The date was June 6th, 1944.

D-Day.

The liberation of France
had begun.

Seeing the German
defeat imminent,
galvanizes the French.

It fires up the French spirit.

[Katherine] The French
Resistance is ramping
up their activities.

They're becoming
more aggressive
and taking even more risks.

They're becoming
more aggressive
and taking even more risks.

[Jim] The sense of excitement
must've been overwhelming.

Here, finally, after years,

the allies were coming
to save France
from the Germans.

The villagers must've thought
they can only hold on
until the allies get there.

[Philippe] What we do know,
is that in Oradour,
there was no resistance.

And as they had done nothing,
they thought they
were protected.

So for the people from
Oradour, they felt safe.

So for the people from
Oradour, they felt safe.

The war was over.

[narrator] But on June 10th,
1944,

four days after D-Day,
Germany soldiers arrived.

The villagers had no idea why.

Local mayor, Philippe Lacroix,

recalls speaking to eye
witness, Robert Hebras,

about how he felt
during this mysterious visit.

[Philippe]
His mother told him,

"You should hide
because they are going
to take you to Germany."

He replied,
"But I see them everyday.

He replied,
"But I see them everyday.

I see soldiers
everyday in Limoges.

They have never done
anything to me.

My papers are in order.
There is no risk."

The population
and the villagers
felt completely at peace.

[narrator] Unfortunately,
these were not the typical
German troops

Robert Hebras had lived
alongside for the last
four years.

These were members
of the second
SS Panzer Division,

Das Reich.

[Lynette] The SS is
in a sense,

[Lynette] The SS is
in a sense,

the Nazi Party's own army.

It's Hitler's own army.

It's separate from the older,
more traditional German army.

[Rob] They were
the fanatics
of the Germany army,

trusted to carry out
Hitler's most barbaric orders,
without hesitation.

[narrator] The unit that
crossed the village's bridge
that warm afternoon,

[narrator] The unit that
crossed the village's bridge
that warm afternoon,

were ominously known as
"Der Fuhrer Regiment."

Led by SS Commander,
Adolf Diekmann,

and hard bitten from years
of fighting
in hellish conditions

on the eastern front,

they had been resupplying
in the area,

when they received the order
to move north,

to reinforce their beleaguered
comrades in Normandy.

[Lynette] The whole German
armed forces

operating in the Soviet Union,
have been brutalized.

operating in the Soviet Union,
have been brutalized.

These are no longer
soldiers in war time.

These are monsters in uniform.

[Jim] They weren't
just passing through.

They came like they had
a mission.

The SS troops said
they needed to check
people's papers.

They started rounding
everybody up,

pulling them out of shops
and homes

and assembling them
in the central square.

[Philippe] And then they
brought up the idea
that there were weapons.

[Philippe] And then they
brought up the idea
that there were weapons.

And that those who had weapons
would be searched for.

And those who did not
have weapons,
will be released.

It was a way to neutralize
and reassure the population
at the time,

when they were beginning
to have concerns.

[narrator] It was all a lie.

In fact, Diekmann
and the Der Fuhrer Regiment

were carrying out
a murderous plan,

perfected on the battle
ravaged towns
throughout the eastern front.

[Katherine] The SS comes
up onto this village

and they're very clever
about the way
they do this, right.

They come in one end
of the town,
but only half of them do.

The other half goes
to the other end

and surrounds the town
so that no one can escape.

[Jim] They began to divide
the townspeople
up into groups.

The women and children
were taken

and ordered inside
the local church,

and ordered inside
the local church,

the biggest building in town.

Groups of men were taken
to a variety of barns

and other buildings
in smaller groups

and ordered inside
those structures.

You can only imagine
the anxiety, the fear

that was going through
these people's minds.

But I doubt they really
expected what would
happen next.

[narrator] Their fate
would shock the world

and pose questions
that many are still struggling
to fathom today.

and pose questions
that many are still struggling
to fathom today.

[narrator] June 10th, 1944.

Four days after the Normandy
landings began,

the SS Der Fuhrer Regiment

ordered north in response
to the allied invasion,

roll into the village
of Oradour.

Initially explained
as a simple exercise
to check papers,

they then began separating
the townspeople.

Once the villagers were
all split up,

the murdering began.

[narrator] This was one
of the six killing sites.

The Laudy Barn.

Here, after the initial
volley of fire,

the German soldiers
passed through their victims

shooting any that moved.

They then set the building
on fire.

Five men, including
Robert Hebras,

played dead before escaping
the inferno.

played dead before escaping
the inferno.

As similar horrors unfolded
in the other barns,

more than 400 women
and children huddled together

in Saint Martin church.

They certainly
thought that in this place
they would be protected,

which unfortunately,
was not the case.

[Jim] In the church where
the women and children
were gathered,

they attempted to set off
some kind of a smoke bomb
or a gas bomb,

they attempted to set off
some kind of a smoke bomb
or a gas bomb,

to kill the people inside.

[Philippe] There was
an explosion and smoke spread
throughout the church.

In the extreme heat,
as it was mid-June,
and mixed with the gas,

stained glass windows
then exploded

and air came rushing
into the church.

At that moment,
the SS came back in.

They shot at the women
and children.

Once they subdued
most of the occupants,

the SS piled wood
on top of their bodies,
some still alive,

and set the place ablaze.

[narrator] In the chaos,
some sensed an opportunity.

A local woman,
Madame Rouffanche.

She saw her own daughter
killed when the shooting
began.

She knew that there was
a step ladder
behind the altar.

She got the step ladder
and propped it up,

climbed out through the window
and dropped ten feet
to the ground.

climbed out through the window
and dropped ten feet
to the ground.

[Philippe] A mother
with her baby
followed her out.

They jumped through
the central window.

Unfortunately, when they
arrived in the meadow,
just behind,

the baby screamed.

A guard close by heard
and killed both the mother
and the baby.

He also shot Madame Rouffanche
several times.

She passed herself
off as dead.

They thought she was dead,
so they didn't finish her off

and she was found alive
two days later.

[narrator] Elsewhere,
soldiers searched the village

for anyone that had evaded
the initial round up
and finished them off.

By the end of the day,

only seven people
are thought to have survived
the horror.

Six hundred and forty three
had been brutally murdered.

[Philippe] This tragedy
was extremely painful,

especially for mothers
who lost their children.

Some of which
disappeared in the massacre.

Some of which
disappeared in the massacre.

And some from other villages
were present in Oradour
that day too.

So after the war,

a lot of towns
had no children.

[narrator] As the village
burned, a question remained.

Why was Oradour-sur-Glane
targeted?

[Lynette]
The commanding officer
of the Der Fuhrer Regiment

was angry that
a German officer

had been captured
by the French Resistance.

had been captured
by the French Resistance.

And the response was
to kill the local population,

as a demonstration
of German power.

[Katherine] But normally
when that happens
there's a lot of...

grandstanding
and verbalization
that this is why,

and messaging.

But there was none of that.

There's no good explanation
other than just pure cruelty.

[narrator] Even
some of the battalion's
SS superiors

were appalled
by their actions.

Diekmann faced
a court-martial.

But soon, he and many of his
murderous comrades

were killed in the battles
raging in Normandy,

and the matter forgotten.

Eventually, in 1953,

some of the soldiers
from the SS unit

were tried for their parts
in the massacre.

were tried for their parts
in the massacre.

Two of them
were sentenced to death.

All the others
were given a prison sentence
of only eight to 12 years.

[narrator] Survivor
Madame Rouffanche,

having spent a year recovering
from five gunshot wounds,

was there to give evidence.

But the death sentences
were never carried out,

and the men released
soon after.

General Charles de Gaulle
decreed that the village
should never be rebuilt,

but remain a memorial
to French suffering
and sacrifice.

but remain a memorial
to French suffering
and sacrifice.

A new village
was built nearby,

where Madame Rouffanche
remained till her death
in 1988.

It's present mayor, Philippe,
has his own deep connection
to this harrowing site.

On June 10th,
I lost five members
of my family

in the massacre
at Oradour-sur-Glane.

I lost my uncle, my aunt,
my grandfather's brother,
and his wife,

I lost my uncle, my aunt,
my grandfather's brother,
and his wife,

and our three little cousins,
who were three, two,
and 16 days old.

In our family,
we didn't talk about it.

And we weren't the only ones.

Many families were
in this situation.

There was very little talk
about it.

That's why I always thought
that everything had to be done

to prevent it
from happening again.

[narrator] Today,
these haunting ruins
and their tragic story

[narrator] Today,
these haunting ruins
and their tragic story

attract people
from across the globe.

[Philippe] Oradour is
the most visited site
in the Haute-Vienne.

We have between 250,000
and 300,000 visitors per year.

This place has
a special meaning.

Because when the landscape
disappears,

the whole memory disappears.

Hence, the need
to preserve the village.

[narrator] Off England's
east coast is an outpost,

[narrator] Off England's
east coast is an outpost,

once declared terra nullius,

nobody's land.

As you come up on this,
this looks like an abandoned
oil platform

or something like that
with these two big towers
that are kind of rusting.

But it's too small
to be a modern oil rig.

[Dominic]
Once you're on board,

you can see that
the whole thing
is just botched together.

you can see that
the whole thing
is just botched together.

It's got masses
of rusting old metal,

rivets that are decades old,
and everything just slathered
in black paint.

[narrator] But inside are
signs of recent habitation.

[Rob] The structure
in the middle looks like

it's been
randomly thrown together.

It's steampunk meets
Swiss Family Robinson.

[Lynette] The fact that
we have evidence

[Lynette] The fact that
we have evidence

of stuff left lying around
says that perhaps,

there was no
organized departure
from this place.

Perhaps
people left in a hurry.

Perhaps they haven't
left at all.

[narrator] What makes
this rusting platform
so precious,

that raiders would try
to seize it?

that raiders would try
to seize it?

[narrator] Out in the middle
of the sea,

is a curious structure
that has been fought over
for decades.

[Dominic] This place
is ten miles off
the east coast of England

in the freezing North Sea.

If you're gonna come here,

you're probably gonna get wet.

There is no dock,
there is no jetty.

You just pull your boat up,

You just pull your boat up,

and ask the people up above
if they wouldn't mind
lowering the winch

to haul you up on deck.

[narrator] Liam Bates
knows this place
better than most.

[Liam] It was a lot
less welcoming back then.

There were heavy machine guns
all over the place.

There were heavy machine guns
all over the place.

It-- it was a--
It was very much
an active working fortress.

It would've been quite a--
Quite a frightening place
to be.

[narrator] This is
a Maunsell Fort,

built when Britain
faced invasion.

[Katherine] So this platform
was built during World War II

with the idea that
it was going to be
a defensive position.

Something that's going to keep
the Germans from laying mines
in the area.

Something that's going to keep
the Germans from laying mines
in the area.

And it's going to be
a forewarning

if German aircrafts
come towards the shore.

[Dominic] There were
loads of these built
in the North Sea.

But after the war,
most of them were demolished.

But not this one, apparently.

[Liam] So this room
in wartime
in the second World War,

would have been
for the officers
to spend time in.

It was, um, part of the honor
of being, you know,
a higher-ranking officer.

To be able to actually
spend some time
up on the deck level.

To be able to actually
spend some time
up on the deck level.

'Cause the marines and sailors
would have been, uh

spending the vast
majority of their day
down in the towers.

[narrator] But things have
changed since this
was an officer's mess.

This is the home
of Prince Liam
of Sealand.

In 1966, Liam's grandfather,
Roy Bates, lived in the UK.

He ran a pirate radio station.

[Lynette] In Britain,
back in the '50s

and right on through the '60s,

commercial radio
wasn't really a thing.

And people created illegal
commercial radio stations
called pirate radio stations,

by putting them on top
of buildings in city centers
that would be hard to detect.

[narrator] Roy Bates
made money broadcasting
pop records.

But it was against the law.

But it was against the law.

[Liam] And
the British government
did everything they could.

They used every law
in the book
to shut them down.

And for all intents
and purposes, they did.

So, my grandpa,

not being the kind of man
that could take no
for an answer,

he thought, "Well,
where's the next jurisdiction

which's out of
the UK government's reach?"

[narrator] Roy put
his young family
on a fishing trawler,

and sailed to a site outside
British territorial waters.

[Katherine] They get
to this platform
and claim it as their own.

[Katherine] They get
to this platform
and claim it as their own.

They raise a flag
that they've designed
themselves,

declare themselves
Prince and Princess

of the new
Principality of Sealand.

[Rob] Prince Roy
declared it a principality
mainly for practical reasons.

He couldn't
declare it a kingdom
and call himself the King,

because the Queen of England
might have had a thing or two
to say about that.

[Liam] I think this was
another excuse
for another big adventure.

[Liam] I think this was
another excuse
for another big adventure.

And so, off he went,
further out to sea.

[narrator] From Sealand,

Prince Roy could broadcast
radio signals outside the law.

But the outpost
also became a home.

So, this is a bedroom.

It's got
all the creature comforts
you'd expect

anywhere in the world.

I don't know if you can hear,
but that's actually

I don't know if you can hear,
but that's actually

the waves lapping up against
the side of the tower.

And if you follow me
through here,

we have another bedroom.

[Dominic] Apart from being
one hell of a
conversation starter,

Sealand was the real
long-term home

of Prince Roy and his family.

But they also found a way
to work the land

as a data storage center,

for companies and individuals
that didn't want governments
prying on their information.

[Liam] Well. Trying to sum
my grandfather up
in a--

In a few words is
a bit challenging.

Hard as nails,

larger than life,

and he just had this
sheer passion for adventure.

[narrator] Yet, Sealand
was about to receive
some unwelcome guests.

[narrator] On
an artificial island
known as Sealand

in the North Sea,

resident Prince Michael
was alone.

His son Liam recalls
the dramatic events

-that unfolded
that day in 1978.
-[helicopter whirring]

A helicopter approached
from the direction of Europe
over there.

And as they approached,
he was trying to persuade them
not to land, you know,

and waving them away,

and waving them away,

when he recognized
who they were.

On board, was a German,
a business associate
of his father's.

And the man said that he'd
just done some business deal
with Michael's father,

and now needed
to come on board
to sign some paperwork.

The main defense
is very rudimentary.

It's actually just this mast
that you can see here.

And that-- That'll prevent
helicopters from being
able to land

'cause, uh, it's quite
a small space anyway.

[Katherine] Michael is not
feeling really good
about this,

but there was
just enough truth

but there was
just enough truth

to the story that the Germans
were giving him,

that he said okay,
and lowered
the defenses.

[narrator] A group of men
stepped onto Sealand.

Each of them armed.

[Lynette] The invaders

grab hold of Michael
and they lock him up.

[Liam] I think
his main concern

as he's told me over the years
was that he was put
in this room

with no food or water,

with no food or water,

and nobody knew he was here.

Apart from the guys
that had thrown him in here.

There is no way out.

The whole room
you're standing in now,

is made of steel
that's nearly an inch thick.

[narrator] Sealand had been
conquered.

And Prince Michael
was a prisoner
in his own home.

The mercenaries,
inspired by the idea
of an international takeover,

had grand plans
to expand Sealand
with additional forts.

had grand plans
to expand Sealand
with additional forts.

A bank, hotel, and casino.

Yet, after just three days,

they let Prince Michael go.

Whatever the reason,

releasing him
would soon backfire.

[Liam] A few days
after my father
was released from captivity,

him and his father
hatched a plan
to recapture Sealand.

They code-named it,
"Operation Trident."

[Katherine] Fortunately
for Roy,

he has a friend
who is not only a stuntperson,

he has a friend
who is not only a stuntperson,

but flies helicopters
for shows like
James Bond, right?

They take the doors off,

they bring ropes with them,
and they arm themselves.

They fly out to Sealand.

[Liam] To approach Sealand
stealthily,

they made sure
that they approached
into the wind,

and that would suppress
the sound of the helicopter
to a great degree.

-They also flew
very close to the sea,
-[helicopter whirring]

and at the absolute
maximum speed that
the helicopter would allow.

and at the absolute
maximum speed that
the helicopter would allow.

[Dominic] When they arrived
over Sealand,

they noticed that the Germans
had put the anti-helicopter
defenses up.

So Roy and his team rappelled
from the helicopter

down onto Sealand.

And they were armed
with shotguns.

[Liam] I don't think that
they ever stopped to consider
that they might get killed.

Obviously, it was a risk.

They went out
armed to the teeth.

Even the pilot had a revolver
in his jacket, you know.

[Katherine] They rappel down,
uh, to the platform,

[Katherine] They rappel down,
uh, to the platform,

and they fire one shot
off a rifle.

And this big "boom."

[gunshot]

[Liam] My father launched
himself off of the helipad

down onto the deck here,
at which point

the butt of his
sawed-off shotgun
hit the deck,

let a round off
right next to his head,

and all of the invaders ran
out of the buildings

with their arms in the air
in surrender.

[Rob] The invaders decided
that they weren't so into
this fight after all.

They weren't willing
to go down fighting
for the glory of Sealand.

They weren't willing
to go down fighting
for the glory of Sealand.

But Roy was.

[narrator] The Prince had
retained the throne
of Sealand.

Most of the invaders
were released.

but their leader
was sent below.

[Liam] His name's Putz.

Putz was tried for treason
by my grandfather, Prince Roy.

He was sent to the jail
down at the bottom
in the north tower here.

He was sent to the jail
down at the bottom
in the north tower here.

He served three months
of his sentence.

[Katherine] It gets
to the point where Germany

sends a diplomat
from their London office

to Sealand to negotiate
for the release
of this German national.

Of course, Bates does release
the prisoner and let's him go.

[Liam] He would have been here
indefinitely, I'm sure,

if the German ambassador
hadn't negotiated
for his release.

I mean, you know,
the punishment for treason

is a lot more heavy
in every other country.

[narrator] Since 1978,

Sealand has never
been invaded again.

But if anyone should try,
Liam's family will be ready.

[Liam] We have various
contingency plans

and plans drawn up
for that kind of thing.

So, yeah, we're prepared.

[narrator] Today,
the sovereignty of Sealand
remains an open question.

[narrator] Today,
the sovereignty of Sealand
remains an open question.

[Dominic] In a strictly
legal sense,

Sealand is part
of the archipelago
of Great Britain,

and so has no independent
sovereignty.

But the longer it's tolerated
and not interfered with,

arguably the more rights
it and its people may acquire.

[narrator] But the invasion
may have had
an unintended benefit,

when Prince Roy hosted
the German ambassador.

He uses that point
from that moment forward,

He uses that point
from that moment forward,

that Germany
is essentially recognizing
the Principality of Sealand

as a legitimate nation.

And that is the tool
that they're able to use
from that moment forward.

[narrator] In San Francisco
Bay on a tiny outcrop,

is a complex everyone knows.

is a complex everyone knows.

[Jim] The setting is iconic.

You can see
the San Francisco skyline.

There is no doubt about
where you are.

[narrator] Known as The Rock,

it's possibly the most
infamous prison in the world.

Everybody knows it
as one of the most remote

and secure prisons
in all of history.

[narrator] Surrounded
by icy waters,

[narrator] Surrounded
by icy waters,

escape stories,
both real and imagined,
have become legendary.

But once upon a time,

a determined group
actually decided to break in.

This is a lesser-known story
about Alcatraz,

but equally as significant
as the rest.

Alcatraz became a place
of symbolic resistance.

In this place the line
is blurred between who
are the invaders

and who are the invaded.

and who are the invaded.

[reporter] It's hail
and farewell to Alcatraz.

The big Rock in San Francisco
Bay plays host to the press
on its closing day.

[narrator] Shutdown in 1963,

it was designated surplus land
by the federal government.

Six years later, though,

a group set out on a mission

that would capture
the world's attention.

[Onyeka] As one journeys
through this once
penal institution,

[Onyeka] As one journeys
through this once
penal institution,

one sees the signs
of recent occupation.

These signs indicate
that this became
a place of resistance.

[Katherine] There's writing
on the water tower.

And then you go
to the cell blocks,

and there's writing,

and it's names
of American presidents.

Why are their names written
in these prison blocks?

[narrator] Those responsible
for their scrawling,

[narrator] Those responsible
for their scrawling,

saw this as a place
where a great injustice
could be challenged.

Elijah Oakes' family
was among them.

[Elijah] So, when
the occupiers first
arrived on the island,

my grandfather and my
family ended up staying
right over here

in the second window
from the side.

[narrator] Elijah's
grandfather was one of
14 Native Indians

that made it past
the coast guard
on a cold night in 1969.

that made it past
the coast guard
on a cold night in 1969.

[Sascha] They called
themselves the "Indians
of All Tribes."

And when they
landed on Alcatraz,

they dispersed in all
directions to assume control.

[Katherine]
They had real plans.

They wanted to start
an American Indian
cultural center.

They wanted to start a school.

They wanted to make
this something special.

[Jim] The organizers also
saw it as a platform

[Jim] The organizers also
saw it as a platform

for them to get out
an urgent message

about what was going
on in native communities
around the country.

[Sascha] Native Americans,
to this very day,

are subject to extreme racism,

they have fewer
economic opportunities.

And let's not forget,

that the entire continent
once belonged to them.

[narrator] Elijah's
grandfather was Richard Oakes,
leader of the revolt.

[narrator] Elijah's
grandfather was Richard Oakes,
leader of the revolt.

For him, this small
island could symbolize
that very fact.

[Elijah] Indians of All Tribes
decided to occupy Alcatraz

because in my
grandfather's words,

now, on one side
of the United States

you have the Statue
of Liberty,

and this is pretty much
the entire opposite.

The quote from my
grandfather is that,

"Those entering
the Golden Gate
will first see Indian land.

Let's be reminded
of the true history
of this nation.

A land once ruled
by free and noble Indians."

[narrator] Occupying federal
land was hugely controversial.

But to many,

what they were doing
was simply reclaiming
what was rightfully theirs.

[Onyeka] For 400 years,
the Native Americans
had been robbed

and their land had
been stolen from them.

The island of Manhattan
for example,

was sold on the basis
of a few colored beads
and silk cloth.

It is this precedent that
Native American activists
seized upon

It is this precedent that
Native American activists
seized upon

when they tool Alcatraz,

and said that they
would also pay

$24 worth of beads
[chuckles]

and some silk cloth
for the island of Alcatraz.

in recompense for what
the Americans had done
to them.

[Sascha] As far as the Indians
of All Tribes were concerned,

this wasn't an invasion.

It was a reclamation.

The land that was once theirs
would be so again.

And this place of imprisonment

And this place of imprisonment

would become their
place of freedom.

[narrator] In fact,
it was written into U.S. law

that the Native American
people had rights
to this land.

[Onyeka] So, Alcatraz had been
labeled as surplus land.

And under a number
of treaties,

surplus land was supposed
to be available

for occupation
by Native American people.

This clause was probably
one of those

that the writers
had never intended

that the writers
had never intended

that Native Americans
would be able to act upon.

But that's precisely
what these activists
intended to do,

acting upon the letter
of American law.

[narrator] How would
the U.S. Government respond?

Would they abide
by the laws they set,

or forcibly remove
the occupiers?

[narrator] In 1969,

a group of Native Americans
landed on Alcatraz Island

with a mission to reclaim
what was once theirs,

and to highlight
the prejudices

they suffered
under American imperialism.

But living on an abandoned
prison island

But living on an abandoned
prison island

would prove challenging.

They had to establish
shelter, food,

and how they were gonna deal
with the media.

[Sascha] Most of the occupiers
moved into the Broadway
cell block.

And you had whole families
living behind bars

in cells that once held
America's most dangerous
criminals.

[Katherine] Of course this
is an isolated space.

It's an island, and they
don't have the ability
to grow food.

They don't have
wells for water.

So everything has to
be brought in by ships

and get around the coast guard
who's trying to actively stop
them from getting supplies.

[narrator] At first, what they
were doing was greeted
with admiration by many.

Money and supplies flooded in.

[Sascha] The occupiers
found the perfect billboard
for their cause,

the water tower,
easily visible
for miles around.

So they put slogans up

like, "Welcome to
free Indian land.

Indian's welcome."

Indian's welcome."

[narrator] Prison cells
were assigned to those
responsible for racist policy.

Among them,
Governor of California,

Ronald Reagan.

Their message was
strong and clear,

and the people of America
were listening.

But something was about
to happen that would
change everything.

[Katherine] In early 1970,

about six months after
the occupation had begun,

there's a fire.

We don't know
how it was started.

But the warden's house
is burned down.

And importantly,
the lighthouse
is destroyed by fire.

Now, this is gonna
be significant

because the lighthouse
was still actively used

there in San Francisco Bay.

And not long after,
you have two oil ships

that collide and spill
hundreds of thousands
of gallons of oil.

So this is a real
turning point

[Sascha] Luckily, no one
was killed in the fire.

But it's at that point
that the headlines
turned against the occupiers

and you started to see
stories about how they
were anarchists,

or hooligans,

or just students
too lazy to work.

[narrator] Though they claim
they didn't cause the fire

and made attempts
to fix the lighthouse,

public support waned.

And then,

the group were dealt
another blow.

the group were dealt
another blow.

[Katherine] Richard Oakes
was such an important part

of the leadership
of the occupation of Alcatraz.

But tragically, uh,
his 13-year-old
stepdaughter died.

[Elijah] What had happened
is that they were playing
in the Ira Hayes building

and she had slipped in a fall
while she was playing
with other children.

And they had called,
uh, 911,

and they had flown her
to Oakland Hospital.

and they had flown her
to Oakland Hospital.

And two to three days later
she was pronounced dead.

And, uh, yeah,
at that point,

my family had decided
that they were going to leave.

It's too big of a tragedy.

[narrator] With their
charismatic leader gone,

others soon followed.

The Nixon administration
seized the opportunity.

[Sascha] The government
took the extraordinary step

of cutting off the electoral
supply to the island.

At that point,
life on Alcatraz,

already inhospitable,
became even more difficult.

[narrator] In June of 1971,

the Federal Government finally
decided to send in agents

to forcibly remove anyone
still on the island,

going against the laws
they, themselves had set.

The following year,
Richard Oakes was killed,

and the white man who shot him
was acquitted of all charges.

and the white man who shot him
was acquitted of all charges.

[Jim] The occupation
of Alcatraz

didn't turn into the kind
of permanent outpost

that the organizers
had hoped for,

but their message did endure.

[Katherine] They inspired
an entire generation
of American Indians,

of Indigenous people
to take their own charge,

to have their own voice

in the civil rights movement
and the activism of the day.

in the civil rights movement
and the activism of the day.

[Elijah] It's a real
sense of honor

to be out here and,
uh, experience

the island now, you know,

and the impact that it's left
for the entire Indigenous
rights movement.

It's a tremendous legacy.
It really is.

It's, uh,
it's powerful indeed.

Yeah.

[narrator] Next up
on Mysteries of the Abandoned,
Raiders and Invaders...

[narrator] Next up
on Mysteries of the Abandoned,
Raiders and Invaders...

An epic ruin built
to defend the most
unlikely of treasures.

A music mecca in New Orleans

that dared to take
on the authorities,

and paid the price.

And the legacy
of a military exercise
that terrified the West.

[narrator] On Mysteries
of the Abandoned,
Raiders and Invaders...

A complex of ruins,

the epicenter of a terrifying
show of strength.

A famous club visited
by musical greats,

yet besieged by police.

And the sort after island,

targeted by pirates
and nation-states alike.

In the state of Louisiana,

where the great Mississippi
meets the Gulf of Mexico,

lies the vibrant city
of New Orleans.

[Jim] We're on LaSalle Street

in the central city
neighborhood.

It's not a neighborhood
that tourists usually
spend a lotta time in.

[narrator] Among well-kept
homes are a scattering
of rundown structures.

One such building
could easily be overlooked.

One such building
could easily be overlooked.

It's dilapidated,
some of the windows
are boarded up,

and you can see where
the old signs
and hoardings used to be.

As you enter
through the old doors,

you see what looks
to be a reception area
or ticket booth.

[Jim] In one part
of the complex,

there's a perfectly
preserved barber chair.

[narrator] Out front,
one distinctive sign
has survived.

[narrator] Out front,
one distinctive sign
has survived.

and reveals what
this place once was.

And this sign
should call up memories

for any fan
of American roots music.

This locale
has a legendary name
in music history.

The Dew Drop Inn
was a light, and this light
attracted people

from all over New Orleans
and all over America.

[narrator] As well
as great names,
it attracted huge controversy.

[narrator] As well
as great names,
it attracted huge controversy.

This place was victim
to constant raids.

[narrator] The Drop
was pushing
the boundaries,

and it would
bring the wrath
of the local law.

Curtis Doucette
is a property developer

trying to restore this club
to its former glory.

So we are in the space
that was the nightclub,
and there was a stage here.

It wasn't just music,
there was full entertainment,
I mean, a full show.

[narrator] By the 1950's,
The Drop, as it was known,

had become a mecca
for America's R&B greats.

You had folks
like Duke Ellington, um,

Ella Fitzgerald,
Ike and Tina Turner.

People like Ray Charles,
Otis Redding, James Brown,

Little Richard even
wrote a song about it.

This was a gathering place.

Not just to see great music
being performed,

but a place where
musicians could hang out
when they're in town.

but a place where
musicians could hang out
when they're in town.

One newspaper called it
the South's
swankiest nightspot.

[narrator] It's fame
and popularity was born

out of the restrictions
of living
in the Jim Crow South.

[Onyeka] So Jim Crow
is the colloquial
name given

to the laws that separated
American citizens
from each other.

White institutions
were financed
and maintained.

Whereas,
the separate institutions
for African Americans,

Whereas,
the separate institutions
for African Americans,

were left to dilapidate
or didn't exist at all.

In some cases,
hotels were white only,

and there were no hotels
for African Americans.

[Jim]
One of the great ironies
and injustices of this era

was that Black musicians
were often invited
to play white clubs,

but they couldn't even
necessarily sit at the bar
and have a drink in that club,

or stay in the neighborhood
where the club was located.

or stay in the neighborhood
where the club was located.

[narrator] That left
a gap in the market.

A fact not lost
on one young man working
nearby on LaSalle Street.

The man behind
this whole complex
was named, Frank G. Painia.

And he was a real visionary,

and a real representative
of a kind of entrepreneurship

that helped build
the Black community

that helped build
the Black community

in the days of Jim Crow
and segregation.

[narrator] His grandson,
Kenneth Jackson,

recalls how he seized
the opportunities
these laws could offer.

[Kenneth] He was a barber
by trade and he started
his barber business.

And when the property
came up for sale,

he and his brother decided
to purchase one side
of the building.

And they had the idea
to start a club, you know,
to start, like a bar,

And they had the idea
to start a club, you know,
to start, like a bar,

and then they added on
live entertainment.

[narrator] Kenneth
has fond memories
of living here as a kid,

and enjoying
this unusual playground.

[Kenneth]
We'd come in and when
they were cleaning up the bar,

and they had a set
of instruments
that were on a stage.

And you could get up there
and beat on a drum,

or play with the piano
or stuff like that, you know?

It was a festive environment.

Everybody wanted
to have a good laugh,

and it just
felt like a family.

and it just
felt like a family.

[narrator] Frank had also
purchased the other side
of the building.

Allowing him to further
expand the business.

[Curtis] There's 29
rooms here, most of them
are very small rooms.

So this is a...
one of the smaller rooms,

and one of the few rooms
that actually
have a bathroom in it.

[narrator] Soon,
the Drop was added
to the famous Green Book.

[Nehemiah]
So this was basically a guide

[Nehemiah]
So this was basically a guide

for how African American
motorists were to navigate
the Jim Crow South.

and let them know where
they could be arbitrarily
denied service, food, lodging.

Not to mention,
being arrested
for no good reason.

This was an essential tool
for anyone Black in that age
trying to travel.

[Onyeka]
The Dew Drop Inn therefore,
formed part of a network

of Green Book led
institutions that kept up,

and maintained a space
for African American
entertainers.

and maintained a space
for African American
entertainers.

In many ways, these places
provided a heartbeat,

and a lifeline
for this culture.

[Jim] It's heartbreaking
to think this was necessary,

and the injustice
of it still rankles,
but this was the reality.

So the Dew Drop Inn
was kind of a beacon

on this landscape
of hospitality for anyone
who came through the area.

[narrator] Ray Charles
and Little Richard

made the most
of Frank's hospitality.

made the most
of Frank's hospitality.

Both lived
and recorded here
in the mid-1950's.

But it was Frank's
open door policy

that was so unusual
for the time.

You had, uh, guys,
that dressed up like women,

and, you know,
it was just part
of the atmosphere.

[narrator]
At Frank's request,

the famous
female impersonator,
Patsy Vadalia

became resident bartender,
performer and emcee.

became resident bartender,
performer and emcee.

Vadalia, known as The Toast
of New Orleans,

hosted an annual gay ball,
held here each Halloween.

We're talkin'
a who's who of entertainment
back in the days.

It was just a place
where musicians,

if they weren't playing there,
they would come there
to find out where work was.

[Jim] So the Dew Drop Inn
was an anchor for a whole
network of musicians.

[Jim] So the Dew Drop Inn
was an anchor for a whole
network of musicians.

During a period
when these musicians

were not only transforming
American music,

they were making music
that would transform popular
music around the world.

[narrator] But in such
a racist, divided society,

this level of tolerance
and success would draw
some serious heat.

[narrator] In the 1950's,
the Dew Drop Inn was famous
for attracting R&B royalty.

But its open door policy
wasn't going unnoticed.

[Onyeka]
Frank Painia, the organizer,

made a space
that was inclusive,
not exclusive.

made a space
that was inclusive,
not exclusive.

African Americans mixed
with their white counterparts.

They even embraced notions
of gender fluidity.

And had theme nights in which
people were able to explore
various forms of sexuality.

In a way which would have been
unheard of, in the established
nightclubs of New Orleans.

[Kenneth] My grandfather
didn't care, you know.

It was like he felt that,
you know, they deserved
to be seen in their own way.

It was like he felt that,
you know, they deserved
to be seen in their own way.

[Sascha] It really took
an immense amount of courage

for him to offer
this open door policy,
but he did suffer for it.

[Onyeka]
The authorities decided
to shut down the Dew Drop Inn.

This meant that
on a weekly basis
there were raids,

there were arrests,
people were taken away.

[Kenneth] If they knew
that they had white people
in here,

they would arrest
everybody in the place,

and take 'em all down,
and charge 'em
with racial mixing.

and take 'em all down,
and charge 'em
with racial mixing.

[Curtis]
There's also times when
there weren't just raids,

but there was just harassment.

Police driving by
telling people,

"You better not go inside,
if I catch you inside there,
then I'm taking you to jail."

[narrator] These arrests
were commonplace.

But after one particular raid,
Frank decided to fight back.

[Jim] In 1952, the actor,
Zachary Scott got arrested
at the Dew Drop Inn

for disturbing the peace.
And Frank Painia got arrested

for disturbing the peace.
And Frank Painia got arrested

for the crime
of serving Blacks
and whites together,

which was actually against
the New Orleans city code.

[Kenneth]
After that raid, you know,

that's when they went ahead
and filed a lawsuit.

[narrator]
Frank sued the city,

arguing the Jim Crow laws
were unconstitutional.

[Sascha] Painia
took the suit all the way up
to a federal court

but before a verdict
could be reached,

the civil rights laws
were passed in 1964,
legally ending segregation.

the civil rights laws
were passed in 1964,
legally ending segregation.

[Nehemiah] This is absolutely
what Frank wanted,
but incidentally

it actually contributed
to the demise
of the Dew Drop Inn.

[Curtis] People didn't come
to the Dew Drop

as much as they did
because they had options.

And particularly, options
that had been taken away
from them

for a very long time.

[narrator] Sadly,
Frank died of cancer

just a few years
after the dance hall closed,
in the late 1960's.

just a few years
after the dance hall closed,
in the late 1960's.

[Kenneth] As a person,
my grandfather was a real,
all-around nice guy.

And he loved for people
to enjoy themselves.

He tried to help people
whenever he could.

[narrator] In 2005,
a deadly blow was delivered,

not just to the Drop,
but many businesses
in the area.

Those of us who were here
during Hurricane Katrina,

we remember the infamous
water marks.

This is one of the ways
we know how high

This is one of the ways
we know how high

the water settled,
in, in a place like this.

So this, you know, looks like,
maybe two and half feet or so,
that the water settled.

[narrator] The impact
of the hurricane was so great

that what was left
of the business
was forced to close,

and has sat
abandoned ever since.

Though devastated,
this place is far
from forgotten,

Though devastated,
this place is far
from forgotten,

and Curtis hopes
to bring it back to life.

[Curtis] I would say
my day job is an affordable
housing developer.

When I found out
about this place,

really the history
of it is what made me
fall in love.

And so this is
a passion project for me.

My goal for the Dew Drop Inn
is to make it

as close as possible
to what it used to be.

[Kenneth] It's in need
of a lotta repair, of course,

but I feel lucky or blessed
to have it still in existence.

but I feel lucky or blessed
to have it still in existence.

And with the potential
of bein' refurbished,
and reborn.

[narrator] In a remote region
of Indonesia,

is a defensive structure built
in an age of discovery,
conquest and greed.

[Michele]
It's an island paradise,
it's hot and humid,

[Michele]
It's an island paradise,
it's hot and humid,

there are fishing boats
dotting the landscape.

And at the water's edge,
there's a cluster
of one-story buildings.

[Sascha]
Further up the hill,
is what looks like a castle.

The imposing structure
suggests a military history.

But just whose battleground
was this tropical island?

[narrator]
The brutal construction,

at odds with the serene beauty
of the surrounding land,

suggests it was built
by people a long way
from home.

suggests it was built
by people a long way
from home.

It's design is typical of
the pentagon-shaped fortresses
found across Europe.

But here it's
on the remote island
of Banda Neira in Indonesia.

[Rob] There's a courtyard
in the center
with what looks like a well,

and these strange,
square blocks,

where it's really not clear
what their purpose was.

[Amma]
From the outer wall,
still armed with cannons,

you can see miles
into the distance.

you can see miles
into the distance.

[Sascha] So clearly,
this was set-up

to stave off any threat
from the oceans.

[narrator]
What was it here that required
such immense protection?

And what foreign force
risked slaughter

by launching a daring raid
to get their hands on it.

[Rob] This relic
was once the site
of a furious battle.

raged over the most
unlikely of treasures.

raged over the most
unlikely of treasures.

[narrator]
The Indonesian
island of Banda,

has long been coveted
for its natural resources.

Lukman Ang is a local guide.

born and raised
in this tropical paradise.

[Lukman] My profession
is a photographer,

but I also have
another profession
as a history observer.

but I also have
another profession
as a history observer.

And I learned the history
of my homeland

because this
is where the roots
of world history begin.

[narrator]
For hundreds of years,

the location
of the Banda Islands

and their sought after riches

remained a closely
guarded secret.

Their eventual discovery,
would change everything.

You need to know
that many of the great
European empires built today

You need to know
that many of the great
European empires built today

all started from this land.

[Rob] We've all heard
the phrase, "money
doesn't grow on trees."

Well, here in Banda, it did.

[Sascha] Space
was really the most valuable
commodity of the age.

And the Banda Islands were
the jewel in the crown
of this trade network.

It was the only known
place in the world

where you could grow
nutmeg and mace.

where you could grow
nutmeg and mace.

Nutmeg
was especially important

as it was thought
to prevent plague.

[Amma]
What value would you
put on something

that could cure you
of the plague?

Unsurprisingly,
Europeans would pay
an extortionate amount

for this medicine.

[narrator]
In the early 1500's,
only Asian and Arab traders

knew where to find
the prized spices.

Among Europe's fledgling
colonial forces

Among Europe's fledgling
colonial forces

the race was on

to find the islands
and seize control

of the lucrative trade
for themselves.

[Lukman] Banda became
a place that was like
an arena of war

for European sailors.

Starting from the Portuguese
and then the Spanish.

[narrator] The Dutch
were next to discover
the islands

and they swiftly forced out
their European rivals.

At first, they tried to strike
a peaceful deal with
Bandanese nobles

At first, they tried to strike
a peaceful deal with
Bandanese nobles

that would grant them
exclusive rights
to the island's riches.

But this contract alone
wasn't enough

to guarantee a monopoly.

And they soon turned
to another means of control.

In 1609,
the Dutch Admiral Verhoeven,

arrives in the Banda Islands
with a request
to build a fort.

But the Banda people aren't
going to hand over their land
so lightly.

Verhoeven and his men
were ambushed and killed.

Verhoeven and his men
were ambushed and killed.

The Dutch responded

by destroying local ships,
plundering villages
and executing local leaders.

[Sascha]
This extraordinary violence

led to the signing
of a peace treaty.

Which recognized Dutch
authority over Banda
and even more importantly,

over the spice trade.

And so, what began
as, you know, trade.

really involved colonization
and occupation.

[narrator] Fort Nassau,
built in 1609,

would prove to be only
the first of a number
of strongholds

constructed to safeguard
Dutch interests in the area.

What follows,
is a tragic story.

Stained in the blood
of locals,

spilt at the hands
of foreign invaders.

By 1621, the Dutch still felt

that they didn't have
a secure monopoly
on the nutmeg trade.

that they didn't have
a secure monopoly
on the nutmeg trade.

[narrator] Some locals
continue to trade
with other nations

in defiance of their treaty
with the Dutch.

The Dutch
had all the excuse they needed
to initiate a massacre.

Nobles were beheaded,
villages razed,
and islanders tortured.

It was a blood bath.

[Amma]
The native population

fell from 15,000
to a thousand

fell from 15,000
to a thousand

and maybe even
less than that.

By virtually annihilating
the Bandanese people,

the Dutch secure their
monopoly but
at a horrible cost.

In fact, the Dutch had killed
so many Bandanese people,

that they needed to turn
to and bring in

enslaved labor from
India and China
to work on the plantations.

So 1621 started a new chapter.

In which the Dutch took
total control of Banda.

In which the Dutch took
total control of Banda.

They built new infrastructures

and opened nutmeg
plantations

which were much more
modern and better

than the previous plantations.

[Rob] But the Dutch
weren't alone
in their endeavors.

The British also had their
eye on the region.

[narrator] The spice wars
were about to enter
a dangerous new era.

and for that, the Dutch
needed a new stronghold.

and for that, the Dutch
needed a new stronghold.

[Amma]
As tensions increased,

the Dutch built
the larger and more strategic,
Fort Belgica.

The Nassau Fort
is easy to attack
by anyone, openly.

So they took the initiative
to build a fortress
on the top of this hill.

[Michele] The Belgica Fort
which is still standing today

was begun in 1667,
it took six years to complete.

And once completed,
it could garrison 400 troops.

And once completed,
it could garrison 400 troops.

[narrator]
And every inch
of the fort's construction.

was intended to inspire
fear among locals

and deter any would be
European attackers.

[Lukman] Every time
I visit this place,

there is a kind of feeling
that reminds me

of how cruel it was
in the past.

Hundreds of years ago.

Because they forced
our people to build this fort
at gunpoint.

Because they forced
our people to build this fort
at gunpoint.

[Nehemiah] The outer ring
consists of a low wall

designed with five
bastions to cover all angles.

The inner ring
was built much higher

with five circular towers
that offer panoramic views.

[Lukman] This is a watch tower

whose function was to monitor
incoming ships
from the west and east.

whose function was to monitor
incoming ships
from the west and east.

And, at the same time,

to oversee Dutch
nutmeg plantations
in the Banda Islands.

[Sascha] From here
it was easy to spot

anyone trying to smuggle
spices illegally.

Those whom they caught,

they threw into these
cramped prison cells.

They were built for
political prisoners.

But also for any
of the locals

who dared to sell
nutmeg to anyone
but the Dutch.

[narrator] Capture
didn't just mean imprisonment.

[narrator] Capture
didn't just mean imprisonment.

It often meant
a death sentence.

So this place used
to have a pole.

A tall pole, quite high.

The prisoners
are usually tied up

and then they were
tortured, flogged,

sometimes constantly
interrogated.

"Why did you have to get
involved in the war
against the Dutch?"

"What was the reason?"

Some people were
found guilty

and then killed
in this place.

Their blood will then
flow through this
water channel.

Their blood will then
flow through this
water channel.

And while the execution
goes on

the Dutch people watched
from benches provided here.

[narrator]
But Dutch domination
of the Island's people

and the money spinning
spice trade

was nearing its end game.

The British were coming.

[narrator] For almost
150 years,

Fort Belgica helped Dutch
colonial invaders

control the Banda Islands.

And the lucrative trade
of nutmeg and mace.

It would take an audacious
sea born raid

to change the course
of the spice wars.

[Rob] The British
had never relinquished

their desire to get their
hands on the spice trade.

their desire to get their
hands on the spice trade.

[Nehemiah] And when
the Netherlands fell
to France

in the Napoleonic Wars,

The British sensed
an opportunity
and invaded the islands.

[narrator] In August, 1810,

A naval squadron commanded
by Captain Cole

arrived in the waters
of the Banda Sea.

[Lukman] The British troops
came from the Lontar Strait

to the west
of the Banda Islands.

They entered then anchored
in front of Nassau.

And finally, went up
to the fortress of Belgica
to attack.

And finally, went up
to the fortress of Belgica
to attack.

[Sascha]
From the towers
of this bastion

it seems impossible
the British could've
avoided detection.

The guards in their
sentry boxes

would've sighted them
as soon as they came
over the horizon.

But Captain Cole
was clever.

He arrived at night

under the cover
of darkness.

[Sascha] At sunrise,
Cole and his men

launched their
surprise attack
and stormed Fort Belgica.

They threw ladders against
the side of the ramparts
and climbed up

They threw ladders against
the side of the ramparts
and climbed up

under heavy musket fire.

[narrator] Rather than
stand and fight

the Dutch soldiers
fled for their lives.

[Michele] Within hours
the battle was over.

And the British claimed
control over the rest
of the island.

[narrator] The Dutch
were in no mood

to give up their prized
asset so easily.

They rallied their troops
and hit back.

They rallied their troops
and hit back.

[Rob] It wouldn't be long
before the Dutch
reclaimed their stake.

But Cole and his men

uprooted hundreds
of nutmeg seedlings

to replant in other colonies.

[narrator] With this,

the Dutch stranglehold
on the spice trade.
further weakened.

And as the colonial era
faded into history,

so too did the fort's
significance.

By the mid 1900's
it was completely abandoned.

By the mid 1900's
it was completely abandoned.

In 1991 Fort Belgica
was restored

and now serves
as a tourist destination.

Today, it's a powerful
reminder of a brutal era.

When savagery and greed
ruled supreme.

[Lukman] Like many places,

buildings with a dark history
need to be preserved

buildings with a dark history
need to be preserved

to learn how oppressed
our nation was.

[Sascha] The ruins
at Fort Nassau and Belgica

stand as a sign
of the violence

and destruction wrought
on this region
by the colonizers.

The Bendera really suffered
under European colonialism.

[Rob] These were state
funded trading organizations.

With the aim of increasing
influence on the world stage.

But in essence,
they were just pirates.

[narrator] In the former
Soviet republic of Belarus,

near the Russian border

is a disturbing reminder
of more troubled times.

[Sascha] It's actually
very hard to make sense
of this complex

when you first see it,
and that's kind of the point.

[narrator] Crumbling interiors

reveal a construction design
to command and conquer.

[Rob] There are bunker
like structures

built with thick,
reinforced concrete.

Meant for keeping
whoever was on the inside

safe from something.

And yet they afford
a very good view
of the surrounding landscape.

That was no accident.

[Amma] This complex
was built way out
in the middle of nowhere.

And that's crucial.

And that's crucial.

Given what they
were doing here

they could not be near
any large residential areas.

[narrator] This was
a theater of power

and the drama
that played out

intended to strike fear
into the hearts of enemies.

Near and far.

[Rob] In some ways,
what happened here

draws parallels with
modern day Russia.

[Amma] An event
of this size

looked like it could only
mean one thing.

looked like it could only
mean one thing.

A full scale invasion.

[narrator] How important
was this structure

to an event that threatened
to turn the Cold War red hot?

[narrator]
In the wilderness
of Belarus

a mighty slab
of crumbling concrete
dominates the area.

Yuriy Shapovalov was
an officer in the Soviet army.

He first came to this
location in 1981.

It's a pleasure
to be here 40 years later.

It's a pleasure
to be here 40 years later.

And see how everything
has changed.

How the trees have grown.

The trenches we dug,
everything has changed.

[narrator] At the time
of Yuriy's visit

the world was a very
different place.

[Yuriy]
The anticipated enemy

was known to be
from the west.

I can't even name
the precise one.

I can't even name
the precise one.

There were so many,
so many potential targets.

[Rob] You would've
had men in uniform

swarming all over
this place.

Whistles, shouts.

Crashes booming all around.

It would've felt
like utter chaos.

But this was organized chaos.

[Amma] Whoever
was in charge here

needed to build something
that was almost

a fully functioning city.

a fully functioning city.

And they had to do it
in record time.

[narrator]
And the super power
behind it

had all the motivation
they needed

to achieve
the staggering feat.

[Lynette] Up until 1980,
when the Soviet Union
invades Afghanistan,

there had been a decade
of detente

of increasing normalization
of relations between
the west and the east.

[Sascha] But by 1981,
that was done with

and the Cold War
was heating up
all over again.

and the Cold War
was heating up
all over again.

[narrator] To make
matters worse,

communist rulers in Moscow

were also facing
growing unrest
within their own borders.

[Rob] In the late 1970s
and early 1980s,

there's a wave
of anti-Soviet sentiment
in Poland.

And this is not good news
for the Soviet Union.

[narrator] The election
of a Polish pope

only served to add
fuel to the fire.

[Sascha]
Even under communist rule,

[Sascha]
Even under communist rule,

Poland had remained
one of the most Catholic
countries in Europe.

So to now have
a Catholic Polish pope,

calling so visibly
for resistance,

was a real threat
to communist rule
in the region.

So they need to take
care of things very quickly.

[Lynette] Moscow goes
to the Polish Defense Minister

and says, "You will crack down
or we will invade."

[narrator] Soon, troops
begin to amass

in the Soviet-controlled state
of Belarus,

which shares a border
with Poland.

[Yuriy] Here, we had
to set up a camp.

Build the tents.

The toilets.

The washrooms.

And after that,
we started setting up
the firing positions

for the military purposes.

[Lynette] So western analysts

see the Soviet Army
massing in eastern Europe.

And they have
got to take seriously,

the idea that this
is a Soviet land attack
against NATO.

[Amma] Something of this scale

definitely looked like
the precursor to an invasion.

[narrator] But not all
was as it seemed.

[narrator] But not all
was as it seemed.

These are the Dretun
training grounds.

Site of one of the largest
military drills
ever performed.

[Sascha] It was called,
"West 81" or "Zapad-81."

Zapad being the Russian word
for "west."

And on the surface,
it was just a massive
military exercise,

but it was something
more than that.

[helicopters whirring]

[helicopters whirring]

[Lynette] The Zapad exercise
program is a proof of concept.

And the concept they're
proving is that
the Soviet Army

can survive an American
nuclear attack

and then command
and coordinate a response.

[Yuriy] We are now standing
inside what used to be
a command post.

[Yuriy] We are now standing
inside what used to be
a command post.

In 1981, it looked
drastically different.

Everything was clean,
tidy and safe.

Everything was prepared
for the work
of the commanders,

officers and soldiers.

Those are
the observatory windows,

that allows you to observe
the battlefield
during the training.

that allows you to observe
the battlefield
during the training.

[narrator] Zapad-81

may have been presented
as a carefully orchestrated
training exercise,

but the west continued
to observe
with deep suspicion.

[Lynette] There was great
uncertainty about what was
going to happen next.

Everyone in the west
is acutely aware

that this could be cover
for World War III.

that this could be cover
for World War III.

[narrator] How would
the west react

to this menacing force
that was poised to strike?

[narrator] On the Belarusian
border in 1981,

NATO is concerned
that an enormous
Soviet war game

could be cover
for an imminent attack
on western Europe.

[Yuriy] The thing is,
we didn't consider NATO
or anyone.

We knew we had
the strongest force.

We knew we had
the strongest force.

And nobody
even talked about NATO.

We knew
they wouldn't last two hours.

[narrator] All the west
could do was watch and wait
as the drama unfolded.

The Soviets filmed
the entire production.

Running it like the set
of a Hollywood movie.

Only here, the missiles
were all real.

This is Akatsiya.

Self-propelled artillery.

That fires
at a 10 mile radius.

It's a horrible weapon,
that can destroy
the enemy's trench.

And its' fragments can kill
anything within 200 meters.

[narrator] News
of the exercises quickly
spread around the world.

[Yuriy] Back then,
the Soviet Army

was considered
to be the scariest.

We knew that there was no task
we couldn't accomplish.

And that was true.

[Lynette] It was theater.

It was national
security theater.

It was national
security theater.

The Soviet Army had a lot
of amphibious
armored vehicles.

And the problem is that
the armored vehicles

could not cross rivers
very well.

So what they did was
they built concrete lanes

across the bottoms
of the rivers,
just for this exercise.

[Sascha] It was
a demonstration
to the rest of the world

that the Soviets had
the numbers and the will

to overrun Europe
if they so wished.

to overrun Europe
if they so wished.

[narrator] But western leaders
were not the only ones spooked

by this menacing
Soviet propaganda.

The intimidation tactics
were also intended

to send a very powerful
message to Poland's
dissenting population.

[Lynette] One of the reasons
it has to look really good,

is that this is meant
to make clear

to the Polish government

to the Polish government

that the Soviet Army is ready
to invade Poland.

And there will be nothing
that the Polish government
can do about it.

That is very clearly
intended here.

[narrator] The exercises
at Dretun played out
for eight days straight.

And are said to have involved
up to 150,000 troops.

In Poland, the Soviets
didn't have to mount
a military incursion

to put down anti-Soviet
demonstrations,

to put down anti-Soviet
demonstrations,

in the way they had done
in Czechoslovakia in '68.

So you could say that
the show of force

was a big success
from the Soviet perspective.

[narrator] And much
to the relief
of nervous NATO forces,

on September 12th, 1981,

the Soviet military packed
up and headed home.

The Dretun training fields
would never again

host military maneuvers
of such magnitude.

host military maneuvers
of such magnitude.

[Yuriy] They left
everything behind
for the next exercise.

But unfortunately,
the Soviet Union fell
and everything was abandoned.

[Amma] There have been
many exercises
in the following decades,

but none that could
quite match this one,

in terms of the scale
and global attention.

[narrator] Today, the war
games at Dretun are over.

[narrator] Today, the war
games at Dretun are over.

But danger still remains.

[Yuriy] There were
cases where adults
and even children,

found shells and tried
to take them apart.

It usually results
in missing legs, arms
or eyes.

So don't do it.

[narrator] For soldiers
like Yuriy,

the Cold War cast
a long shadow.

And although full-scale war
never erupted,

And although full-scale war
never erupted,

the events of West 81
had a lasting impact.

[Yuriy] It's not
a Soviet Union anymore.

So we should probably
focus on peace more.

Focus on peaceful times.