Original subtitles

Narrator: APRIL 1945.

THE WAR IN EUROPE IS NEARLY OVER.

FOR TEN INDIVIDUALS

WHO LIVE THROUGH THE CHAOS AND THE HORROR,

THESE FINAL TEN DAYS WILL SHAPE THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

THE WESTERN ALLIES HAVE SWEPT THROUGH GERMANY AND ITALY,

DESTROYING THE FASCIST AXIS.

THE SOVIET ARMY HAS HACKED ITS WAY TO THE HEART OF BERLIN

AND IS ABOUT TO TAKE HITLER'S GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

RUSSIAN MOBS RAMPAGE THROUGH THE STREETS,

TERRORIZING THE INHABITANTS.

HIDING IN HIS BUNKER BENEATH THE DEVASTATED CITY,

HITLER IS NOT ONLY LOSING THE WAR,

HE'S LOSING HIS MIND.

INTELLIGENCE REPORTS SAY HE PLANS TO CONTINUE THE WAR

FROM HIS FORTRESS IN THE ALPS.

WHILE EISENHOWER SENDS TROOPS TO THE MOUNTAINS,

A NEW THREAT LOOMS IN THE NORTH.

THE RUSSIANS OCCUPY EASTERN EUROPE

AND ARE NOW MARCHING ON DENMARK.

BRITISH TROOPS RACE NORTH TO CUT THEM OFF.

THESE FINAL DAYS OF WORLD WAR II

WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES, AND THE WORLD, FOREVER.

29th OF APRIL.

NINE DAYS TO VICTORY.

THE GERMANS STILL HOLD WESTERN HOLLAND

IN THEIR DEADLY GRIP.

THEY HAVE CUT OFF ALL FOOD SUPPLIES

TO PUNISH THE INHABITANTS FOR AIDING THE ALLIES.

EACH DAY, NEARLY 1,000 PEOPLE DIE OF STARVATION.

TODAY THE GERMAN COMMAND IN HOLLAND

WILL FINALLY AGREE TO ALLOW THE ALLIED AIRLIFT

TO BRING FOOD TO RELIEVE THE FAMINE.

AT ROYAL AIR FORCE BASES IN ENGLAND,

LANCASTER BOMBERS PREPARE FOR TAKE‐OFF.

IN THEIR BOMB BAYS THEY CARRY FOOD FOR THE STARVING DUTCH.

BUT WHILE THE GERMANS HAVE AGREED TO A TEMPORARY TRUCE,

THEY STILL DEMAND TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE SITUATION.

NO ONE IS CERTAIN THEY WON'T SIMPLY SHOOT DOWN

ANY ALLIED AIRCRAFT FLYING IN OVER OCCUPIED HOLLAND.

21‐YEAR‐OLD FLIGHT LIEUTENANT JOHN CURRIE

IS WITH THE 460th SQUADRON OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE.

AS HE PREPARES TO TAKE OFF FOR HOLLAND,

HE DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER HE'S ON A FLIGHT OF MERCY

OR A SUICIDE MISSION.

Currie: THE TRUCE HAD BEEN ARRANGED.

THE PAPERS WEREN'T SIGNED UNTIL MAY 2nd.

SO THE FIRST THREE FLIGHTS

WERE REALLY WITHOUT THE GERMANS' AGREEMENT ON PAPER.

THE GERMANS NATURALLY WERE CONCERNED

ABOUT THE SITUATION OF HAVING 300 "LANCS" COMING FROM THE SEA.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS GONNA BE AN AIRBORNE INVASION,

A TRICK TO CONQUER

OR AT LEAST TO PUT THEM DOWN.

Narrator: THE GERMANS PLACE ANTI‐AIRCRAFT GUNS

NEAR EACH OF THE FOUR FOOD DROP ZONES.

IF THE ALLIES START DROPPING BOMBS INSTEAD OF FOOD,

THEY'RE READY.

Currie: THE DROP SITE WAS INDICATED

BY A BIG LARGE WHITE CROSS, WITH GREEN FLARES.

THE ONLY WAY TO LET THE FOOD GO WAS TO OPEN THE BOMB BAY DOORS.

THAT WAS NOT A VERY PRECISE METHOD OF DROPPING ANYTHING,

AND I REMEMBER THINKING AS WE APPROACHED THE DROP SITE,

SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE HIT

BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT MORE FAITH IN OUR AIMING SKILL

THAN WE HAD WITH THE METHOD WE WERE USING.

AND THERE WERE PEOPLE HIT.

Narrator: IN ALL, 242 ALLIED BOMBERS

DROP MORE THAN 500 TONS OF FOOD OVER HOLLAND

ON THE FIRST DAY ALONE.

THOUSANDS MORE WILL BE NEEDED

AS THE NAZIS CONTINUE TO STARVE THEIR OPPONENTS.

THAT SAME DAY,

AMERICAN PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL

AND HIS COMRADES IN EASY COMPANY

ARE SWEEPING AND SECURING A SMALL TOWN OUTSIDE MUNICH.

Lyall: IS ANYBODY THERE?

WE'RE AMERICANS.

ICH BIN AMERIKANER.

[MOANING]

Man: WE HEARD RUMORS, YOU KNOW,

THAT THEY HAD CONCENTRATION CAMPS,

AND HERE WE SEE THESE HUMAN SKELETONS.

THEY JUST LOOKED, YOU KNOW, LIKE A GHOST LOOKING AT YOU.

IT WAS THE SICKEST THING I EVER SAW IN MY LIFE.

WE ALSO SAW HUNDREDS OF BODIES PILED UP IN ONE CORNER.

WHAT THE GERMANS DID, THEY SHOT AS MANY AS THEY COULD,

AND THEY LEFT BEFORE WE GOT THERE.

BETWEEN THE STENCH AND THEM CRYING, ALL THAT STUFF‐‐

I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE‐‐ I HAD TEARS IN MY EYES.

I'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE.

Narrator: THE APPALLING BRUTALITY OF THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP

PROFOUNDLY SHAKES

THE BATTLE‐HARDENED PARATROOPERS.

THE WORST THING FOR ME, I WOULD THINK...

IT MADE YOU THINK THAT, MY GOD,

HOW COULD GOD LET THIS HAPPEN, YOU KNOW?

IT TESTS YOUR FAITH, AND I NEVER LOST MY FAITH.

I DON'T THINK ANY OF US EVER DID.

BUT HOW COULD PEOPLE DO THAT?

YOU HAD TO BE AN ANIMAL TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT.

SOME OF THE SS WERE ANIMALS, AND THEY ENJOYED DOING THAT.

WHAT I SAW THERE,

I COULD NEVER GET THAT OUT OF MY MIND, NEVER EVER.

I PRAYED ABOUT IT AND EVERYTHING ELSE,

BUT IT WON'T LEAVE.

BY THE 29th OF APRIL, THE REICH IS CRUMBLING.

GERMAN FORCES IN ITALY

FINALLY SIGN AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,

BUT TO THE WESTERN ALLIES,

WHO WILL NOW ADMINISTER THE POST‐WAR SETTLEMENT.

AS FAR AS GERMANY AND AUSTRIA ARE CONCERNED,

THEIR POST‐WAR ZONES OF OCCUPATION

WERE AGREED BY THE ALLIES

AT THE YALTA CONFERENCE IN FEBRUARY.

Narrator: IN FEBRUARY 1945,

THE THREE MAIN ALLIES‐‐

THE USA, BRITAIN, AND RUSSIA‐‐

MEET AT YALTA TO DECIDE THE FATE OF POST‐NAZI EUROPE.

THE SOVIETS GET THE EASTERN SECTORS

OF BOTH BERLIN AND VIENNA.

David: AND YET THE CITIES OF BERLIN, PRAGUE, AND VIENNA

CAN BE TAKEN BY WHOEVER GETS THERE FIRST.

STALIN, OF COURSE, IS DETERMINED THAT HIS TROOPS

WILL TAKE ALL THE CAPITALS,

AND HE DOESN'T MIND THE COST.

Narrator: STALIN CAN STILL STRIP THE ASSETS OF EACH CITY

BEFORE RETREATING INTO HIS AGREED OCCUPATION ZONE.

IN BERLIN, THE RUSSIANS' TARGET, THE REICHSTAG,

IS FINALLY IN SIGHT.

THEY'RE UNDER PRESSURE TO TAKE IT

BEFORE THE MAY DAY PARADE IN MOSCOW.

IF VASILY USTUGOV,

A GUNNER WITH RUSSIA'S 150th RIFLE DIVISION,

CAN HOIST THE RED FLAG ON ITS ROOF,

HIS NAME WILL BE IMMORTALIZED.

BUT THE CITY IS BEING DEFENDED TO THE DEATH,

EVEN BY BOYS AS YOUNG AS 12.

THE SS HANG ANYONE WHO REFUSES TO FIGHT.

Ustugov: THERE WERE A LOT OF GERMAN SOLDIERS

ON TOP OF THE BUILDINGS.

WHEN WE STARTED TO MOVE TOWARDS THE RIVER SPREE,

ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 29th,

THEY OPENED FIRE AND HIT US REALLY BADLY.

Narrator: VASILY USTUGOV AND HIS MEN

ARE ON THE MOVE NIGHT AND DAY.

SEVERELY EXHAUSTED, THEY BECOME EASY TARGETS FOR GERMAN SNIPERS.

Ustugov: WE SUFFERED BIG LOSSES

BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY EASY FOR THE GERMANS TO SHOOT AT US

FROM ABOVE.

OF COURSE I WAS AFRAID,

BUT WHEN WE WERE PREPARING FOR AN ATTACK,

WE WERE READY FOR ANYTHING.

YOU COULD GET WOUNDED OR KILLED.

MANY TIMES WHEN I WAS FIRING AT OTHERS, I WAS HIT.

IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT.

YOUR CANNON IS SMASHED.

YOUR MEN ARE LYING DEAD AROUND YOU.

YOU'RE WOUNDED AND BLEEDING.

IT'S A MATTER OF SECONDS.

WE WERE READY FOR ANYTHING.

BUT EVEN THOUGH WE WERE EXHAUSTED,

WE WERE NEVER INDIFFERENT.

WE WANTED TO LIVE, BUT WE KNEW WE HAD TO DO OUR JOB,

ESPECIALLY ON APRIL 30th.

WE WERE AT THE CENTER OF BERLIN, NEXT TO THE REICHSTAG,

ON THE EVE OF THE MAY DAY CELEBRATIONS.

THE RADIO, THE MORALE OFFICERS,

EVERYTHING WAS TELLING US

THAT THE WHOLE COUNTRY WAS HOLDING ITS BREATH.

Narrator: AFTER BATTLING ACROSS HUNDREDS OF MILES

TO GET TO BERLIN,

THIS FINAL SHORT SPRINT TO THE REICHSTAG

IS THE MOST DANGEROUS GROUND VASILY USTUGOV WILL EVER CROSS.

29th OF APRIL.

NINE DAYS TO VICTORY.

AFTER A WEEK OF VICIOUS FIGHTING,

THE RUSSIANS NOW OCCUPY MOST OF BERLIN.

IN THE EVENING, THEY GO LOOKING FOR THE SPOILS OF WAR.

THE REMAINING RESIDENTS OF GERDA PETERSOHN'S APARTMENT BLOCK

SEEK SAFETY IN NUMBERS.

GERDA AND HER SISTER KEEP OUT OF SIGHT.

[BABY CRYING]

[SPEAKING GERMAN]

[WOMEN SCREAMING]

[BABY CRYING, WOMEN SCREAMING]

[GUNSHOT]

Narrator: THERE ARE SOLDIERS EVERYWHERE.

THEY CAN ONLY ESCAPE TO THE DESERTED FLOOR ABOVE

AND HOPE THE BALCONY

IS THE LAST PLACE THE RUSSIANS WILL LOOK.

[BABY CRYING]

Narrator: THE BABY'S CRYING PUTS THEM IN GREAT DANGER.

THEY HAVE TO FIND SOME WAY TO QUIET THE CHILD,

AND QUICKLY.

THEN GERDA REMEMBERS THAT SHE HAS SOME RATIONS.

[BABY CRYING]

[BABY STOPS CRYING]

Gerda Petersohn: EVERY TIME, WHEN OUR BABY WANTED TO CRY,

WE PUT A SMALL MALT IN HER MOUTH

AND SHE WAS QUIET THEN.

BUT I HEARD EVERYTHING, WHAT HAPPENED IN OUR HOME,

IN OUR HOUSE.

AND THERE WAS A FRIEND OF MINE, THE SAME AGE AS I.

AND...I HEARD HER CRYING AND CRYING

AND IT WAS SO AWFUL, BECAUSE IT WAS IN MY ROOM,

IN MY BEDROOM IT HAPPENED.

AND I HEARD HER CRYING, AND I HEARD HER CRYING MY NAME.

I WAS SO AFRAID

THAT SOME SOLDIER COULD COME UPSTAIRS TO US THERE.

AND IF ONE WOULD HAVE COME, I WAS JUST READY TO JUMP DOWN.

NO ONE COULD HAVE TOUCHED ME.

I WAS READY TO JUMP DOWN.

AND SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS ACROSS THE STREET AND SO,

THEY HAVE DONE THIS‐‐

FRIEND OF MY SISTER.

SHE JUMPED DOWN WITH HER LITTLE SON.

AND, UH...

THIS WAS THE WORST NIGHT I EVER HAD, YES.

AND I NEVER FORGET IT.

Narrator: 30th OF APRIL.

EIGHT DAYS TO VICTORY.

THE RUSSIANS ARE IN BERLIN.

THEY HAVE TAKEN VIENNA,

AND ARE CLOSING IN ON THE CZECHOSLOVAKIAN CAPITAL,

PRAGUE.

David: CHURCHILL IS STILL URGING EISENHOWER

TO GET TO PRAGUE BEFORE THE RUSSIANS.

BUT EISENHOWER,

UNDER ORDERS FROM THE AMERICAN CHIEF OF STAFF,

GENERAL GEORGE MARSHALL,

ISN'T PREPARED TO SUFFER ANY CASUALTIES.

IN HIS OPINION, PRAGUE DOESN'T HAVE A MILITARY VALUE.

AND SO GENERAL PATTON IS ORDERED TO ADVANCE

ONLY AS FAR AS THE CZECH BORDER

WHEN HE COULD HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN IN PRAGUE WITHIN 24 HOURS.

Narrator: ALL OVER EASTERN EUROPE,

GERMANY'S IRON GRIP IS BEING REPLACED BY THE SOVIETS.

BUT TO THE WEST,

THE FULL EXTENT OF THE NAZI EVIL COMES AS A HORRENDOUS SHOCK.

A FEW MILES OUTSIDE MUNICH,

PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL OVERSEES THE LOCAL TOWNSPEOPLE

CLEANING UP A PLACE THEY CLAIM DIDN'T EXIST.

Lyall: MOVE IT!

Narrator: THE CONCENTRATION CAMP LAY RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSES,

YET THE RESIDENTS OF BUCHLOE SAY THEY DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THERE.

[COUGHING]

Lyall: THE PEOPLE OF THE AREA HAD TO KNOW

BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE WERE OUT ON THEIR FARMS

WORKING FOR THEM.

THEY HAD TO SEE THE COLUMNS OF SMOKE.

THEY HAD TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

BUT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME

THEY HAD TO GRAB HOLD OF THESE CORPSES.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME THEY HAD TO BATHE THESE WALKING SKELETONS.

MEN, WOMEN, WHATEVER‐‐ THEY HAD TO BATHE THEM.

AND YOU COULD SEE THAT THEY WERE SHAKING LIKE THIS, CRYING.

THEY GOT CAUGHT.

THAT'S WHAT IT WAS.

THEY'D TRY TO TELL YOU, "I REPENTED," YOU KNOW.

THAT'S CRAP.

Narrator: THERE IS LITTLE PITY FOR THE GERMANS IN BERLIN.

DURING THE DAY, THE SOVIET SOLDIERS ARE BUSY FIGHTING.

BUT IN THE EVENING, THEY GET DRUNK.

THEN THEY GO LOOKING FOR LOOT AND WOMEN.

Petersohn: THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS WENT FROM CELLAR TO CELLAR,

FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE.

ON OUR SIDE THERE WAS A BUTCHER

AND HIS DAUGHTER WAS ONLY 14 YEARS OLD.

AND NEXT DAY WE HEARD THAT SHE WAS SHOT DOWN

BECAUSE WHEN THE RUSSIAN SOLDIER WANTED TO COME BE WITH HER,

SHE GAVE HIM A PUSH.

AND THEN HE TOOK HIS GUN AND SHOT HER DOWN.

MY MOTHER SAID, "WE CANNOT STAY HERE ANYMORE IN THIS HOUSE.

WE'LL GO TO A FRIEND OF MY SISTER,

SOME STREETS AWAY,"

AND WE COULD STAY THERE THE NEXT DAYS.

BECAUSE THIS HOUSE THERE, THIS COULD BE CLOSED,

IT WAS NOT DAMAGED,

AND THERE HAVE BEEN MORE MEN IN THE HOUSE

WHO WATCHED EVERY NIGHT

AND CALLED, "COMMISSAR, COMMISSAR!"

THEY ALWAYS SAID, IF YOU CALL, "COMMISSAR, COMMISSAR!"

THEN THE SOVIET SOLDIERS STOP IT, SO...

Narrator: BERLIN IS ONLY HOURS AWAY FROM FALLING TO THE RUSSIANS.

THEY HAVE NOW FOUGHT THEIR WAY

TO THE VERY STEPS OF THE REICHSTAG,

ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE FROM HITLER'S BUNKER.

INSIDE THE BUNKER,

THE ATMOSPHERE IS TENSE AND BLEAK.

THERE IS NO DAY OR NIGHT.

PEOPLE LIVE IN A CONTINUAL TWILIGHT ZONE,

UNABLE TO SLEEP.

THEY SPEAK IN WHISPERS.

HITLER IS TERRIFIED OF BEING TAKEN ALIVE.

HE IS DETERMINED NOT TO SUFFER THE SAME HUMILIATING FATE

AS MUSSOLINI.

TELEPHONE OPERATOR ROCHUS MISCH AND THE REST OF THE BUNKER STAFF

ARE ALL TOO AWARE THAT THE CLOSER THE SOVIETS GET,

THE CLOSER HITLER IS TO TAKING HIS OWN LIFE.

Misch: EVERYBODY WAS ALREADY HALF DEAD.

IT WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE END.

I DON'T NOW IF YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT THOSE DAYS WERE LIKE‐‐

THE LACK OF SLEEP,

THE FEELINGS OF THINGS COMING TO AN END.

Narrator: THAT SAME MORNING OF APRIL 30th,

GENERAL WEIDLING, COMMANDER OF THE BERLIN GARRISON,

INFORMS THE FUHRER THAT FOOD AND AMMUNITION ARE RUNNING LOW.

WITH RESISTANCE TO THE RUSSIANS COLLAPSING

AND HIS OWN HEAD OF THE SS AND GESTAPO, HEINRICH HIMMLER,

OFFERING TO SURRENDER TO THE ALLIES,

HITLER FEELS BETRAYED AND DEPRESSED.

HE KNOWS NOW THE WAR IS LOST.

THAT AFTERNOON, HITLER SAYS GOODBYE TO HIS STAFF.

THEN, AT ABOUT 3 O'CLOCK, LOOKING OLD AND HAGGARD,

HE RETIRES TO HIS STUDY WITH HIS WIFE, EVA BRAUN.

AS THE MINUTES TICK BY,

A TENSE, ANXIOUS SILENCE FILLS THE BUNKER.

Misch: WE KNEW HE WOULD SHOOT HIMSELF.

EVERYBODY WAS WAITING TO SEE

WHETHER THEY COULD HEAR THE SHOT.

AND THEN SOMEBODY CALLED OUT, "I THINK THE TIME HAS COME."

I DIDN'T HEAR THE SHOT, BUT SOMEONE MUST HAVE HEARD IT,

AND WHEN THEY MADE THE CALL, EVERYTHING WENT QUIET.

IT WAS QUIET FOR A FEW MINUTES,

THEN WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHO OPENED THE DOOR...

BUT WHEN THE DOOR WAS OPENED, I WANTED TO SEE.

I WENT OVER A FEW PACES TO THE RIGHT,

AND THERE I COULD SEE HOW HITLER HAD FALLEN,

AND EVA BRAUN WAS NEXT TO HIM ON THE SOFA.

Narrator: HITLER SHOT HIMSELF IN THE HEAD

AS HE BIT DOWN ON A CYANIDE CAPSULE.

FOR EVA, THE CYANIDE WAS ENOUGH.

Misch: AFTER I SAW IT, I RAN AWAY,

BUT I BECAME FRIGHTENED AND CONFUSED AND RAN BACK.

AS I CAME BACK, I COULD SEE HOW HITLER

WAS BEING WRAPPED IN BLANKETS ON THE FLOOR.

AND THEN I SAW...

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHETHER IT WAS HITLER OR EVA BRAUN

WHO WAS CARRIED OUT FIRST.

THEN I RAN AWAY.

I WENT TO THE COMMANDER OF OUR UNIT

IN THE NEW REICH CHANCELLERY AND MADE MY REPORT:

THE FUHRER IS DEAD.

NOTHING MATTERED ANYMORE.

NOTHING MATTERED.

ALL I CAN REMEMBER DOING

IS CLOSING THE LARGE HANDLES OF THE STEEL DOORS.

THEN I BECAME FRIGHTENED.

I KNEW THIS WAS CONCRETE.

HOW WOULD I GET OUT OF HERE?

COULD I GET OUT?

Narrator: ADOLF HITLER AND EVA BRAUN

ARE THEN TAKEN OUTSIDE BY HIS STAFF,

DOUSED IN PETROL,

AND BURNT IN A BOMB CRATER.

THE ENEMY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DISPLAY OR DEFILE HIS CORPSE.

NOW IT IS UP TO HIS SUCCESSOR,

THE NEW FUHRER, GRAND ADMIRAL DOENITZ,

TO TRY AND STOP THE MASSACRE

AND THE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF BERLIN.

JUST AFTER 6 O'CLOCK THAT EVENING,

VASILY USTUGOV AND HIS COMRADES IN THE 150th RIFLE DIVISION

FORCE THEIR WAY INTO THE MAIN HALL OF THE REICHSTAG.

THE FIGHTING IS FEROCIOUS AND INTENSE...

THE CASUALTIES HIGH.

Ustugov: IT WAS A HUGE DARK BUILDING.

THERE WASN'T EVEN A SINGLE CANDLE IN THERE.

IF YOU TRY TO GET SOMEWHERE IN THE DARK,

YOU RISK BEING KILLED BY YOUR OWN MEN.

IT'S EASIER TO KILL YOUR OWN TROOPS IN THE DARK

THAN THE ENEMY.

THINGS LIKE THAT

HAPPENED TO THE RUSSIANS AND THE GERMANS ALIKE.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE

AND WHO'S IN FRONT OF YOU IN A DARK CITY.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE ONLY ONE GOAL:

TO FLY THEIR FLAG FROM THE REICHSTAG,

THE HEART AND SOUL OF NAZI GERMANY.

Ustugov: THERE WERE THREE FLAGS.

THE FIRST WAS CARRIED BY SERGEANT PYATNITSKY

WHO WAS KILLED ON THE STEPS OF THE REICHSTAG.

IT WAS PICKED UP BY ANOTHER SOLDIER.

THE SECOND FLAG WAS CARRIED BY LIEUTENANT SOROKIN AND HIS MEN.

AND THE LAST ONE WAS OF OUR BATTALION.

Narrator: JUST BEFORE 11 P. M. ON THE 30th OF APRIL, 1945,

THE CAPITAL OF HITLER'S THIRD REICH

IS OFFICIALLY UNDER A RUSSIAN FLAG.

BUT THE BIGGEST WAR IN HISTORY IS NOT OVER YET.

IT IS MAY THE 1st, 1945.

SEVEN DAYS TO VICTORY.

HITLER IS DEAD.

BERLIN HAS FALLEN TO THE COMMUNISTS

IN TIME FOR MAY DAY.

THE CITY HAS YET TO OFFICIALLY SURRENDER,

BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S MIND:

COULD THIS BE THE END OF THE WAR?

AS SOON AS THE NEWS OF HITLER'S DEATH REACHES THE ALLIES,

THEY CONCENTRATE ALL THEIR EFFORTS

ON NEGOTIATING AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

WITH HIS SUCCESSOR, GRAND ADMIRAL DOENITZ.

BUT DOENITZ CAN'T BE CONTACTED,

AND IN ANY CASE, HE'S ONLY INTERESTED

IN SURRENDERING TO THE WESTERN ALLIES,

SO AS TO SAVE AS MUCH OF GERMANY AS POSSIBLE

FROM RUSSIAN OCCUPATION.

Narrator: IN HITLER'S BUNKER,

SOME 50 FEET BELOW THE RUINS OF BERLIN,

GERMAN CHIEF OF STAFF GENERAL KREBS

HAS JUST BEEN TO SEE THE RUSSIAN COMMANDER,

GENERAL ZHUKOV, FOR THE SECOND TIME,

TO REQUEST A CEASE‐FIRE.

ZHUKOV REJECTED HIM.

HE WILL ONLY ACCEPT AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

OF ALL GERMAN FORCES.

KREBS CANNOT CONCEIVE OF BEING TAKEN ALIVE BY THE SOVIETS.

SUICIDE IS THE ONLY OPTION.

ONLY A FEW NOW REMAIN IN THE BUNKER.

HITLER'S TELEPHONE OPERATOR, ROCHUS MISCH, IS ONE OF THEM.

EVEN THOUGH I WAS TIRED AND NUMB

AND I DIDN'T CARE WHAT HAPPENED,

I PULLED OUT A PISTOL IN CASE I HAD TO SHOOT MYSELF.

IF YOU SEE ALL THIS DEATH‐‐

HITLER DEAD, EVA BRAUN DEAD, KREBS DEAD‐‐

YOU BECOME INDIFFERENT.

I COULD NOT LEAVE MY POST.

I WAS A SOLDIER.

I HAD TO STAY HERE.

IF I RAN AWAY, THEY WOULD SHOOT ME AS A DESERTER.

Narrator: EVEN AFTER HITLER'S DEATH,

REPORTS KEEP COMING IN OF SS TROOPS

GATHERING AT BERCHTESGADEN IN THE BAVARIAN ALPS.

PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL AND EASY COMPANY

ARE ON THEIR WAY TO ENGAGE THESE HARDENED NAZIS.

THEY PASS SCORES OF DEFEATED GERMAN TROOPS

TRYING TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE WEST.

Lyall: YOU'D BE COMING DOWN THE SHORTER ROADS,

NOTHING BUT MASS GERMANS SURRENDERED,

MARCHING IN LOCK STEP DOWN THE ROAD.

THAT WAS A GOOD SIGHT.

AS FAR AS YOU COULD SEE, IT WAS GERMANS.

Narrator: THE NAZI EMPIRE IS SPIRALING INTO CHAOS.

EVERYWHERE GERMAN FORCES ARE TRYING TO SECURE

A SEPARATE PEACE WITH THE WESTERN ALLIES.

THEY SIMPLY CANNOT FACE SURRENDERING TO THE RUSSIANS,

WHOM THEY CONSIDER INFERIOR

AND WHO WILL NO DOUBT TORTURE THEM AND CONDEMN THEM

TO HARD LABOR IN SIBERIA.

Lyall: THEY DIDN'T WANT THE RUSSIANS

BECAUSE THEY KNEW WHAT HAPPENED IN RUSSIA.

THEY DID HORRIFIC THINGS TO RUSSIA.

SO IF I WAS A RUSSIAN,

I'D BE DAMN SURE I WAS GOING TO DO SOME DAMAGE TO THEM, TOO‐‐

ALL OF THEM, ALL OF THEM.

Narrator: THE 2nd OF MAY.

SIX DAYS TO VICTORY.

THE ALLIES RECEIVE NEWS

THAT THE RUSSIAN ARMY HAS TAKEN ROSTOCK ON THE BALTIC.

THEY ARE RAPIDLY CLOSING IN ON DENMARK

FROM WHERE THEY CAN CONTROL THE ENTIRE REGION.

NOW IT ISN'T JUST A MATTER OF ENDING THE WAR;

IT'S HOW IT WILL END.

THE NEXT FEW DAYS WILL DETERMINE THE SHAPE OF EUROPE

FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

CHURCHILL RECEIVES REPORTS OF PARACHUTISTS

LANDING IN THE VICINITY OF COPENHAGEN.

AND FOR THIS REASON, HE'S ABSOLUTELY DESPERATE

FOR MONTGOMERY TO GET THE BALTIC FIRST

SO AS TO STOP THE RUSSIANS GETTING INTO DENMARK.

Narrator: ON THE 2nd OF MAY,

MONTGOMERY'S FORCES TAKE THE CITY OF HAMBURG.

COMMANDO CLIFF MORRIS AND HIS COMRADES

ARE MAKING THEIR FINAL PUSH TO DENMARK.

BRITISH FORCES FINALLY REACH THE BALTIC

AND SEAL OFF THE DANISH PENINSULA

A MERE SIX HOURS BEFORE THE RUSSIANS GET THERE.

THE WESTERN ALLIES HAVE KEPT THE SOVIETS

OUT OF DENMARK AND NORTHWEST GERMANY.

David: MONTGOMERY QUICKLY ESTABLISHES AN EASTERN FLANK

FROM THE BALTIC TO THE ELBE.

THE ROADS AROUND HERE, OF COURSE,

ARE CROWDED WITH THOUSANDS OF TROOPS AND REFUGEES

POURING TOWARDS THE WEST,

TRYING TO ESCAPE THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE.

BRITISH FORCES MEET WHOLE GERMAN UNITS,

COMPLETE WITH ARMS AND EQUIPMENT, TRYING TO SURRENDER.

DURING THE 2nd AND 3rd OF MAY,

MONTGOMERY'S MEN TAKE HALF A MILLION PRISONERS.

Narrator: AT 3 P. M. ON THE SAME DAY,

THE BERLIN GARRISON FINALLY SURRENDERS UNCONDITIONALLY

TO THE RED ARMY.

THE FEROCIOUS TWO‐WEEK BATTLE FOR THE GERMAN CAPITAL

HAS COST THE RUSSIANS OVER 300,000 CASUALTIES.

THE GERMANS SUFFER WELL OVER 100,000 DEAD AND INJURED,

WITH A FURTHER 480,000 TAKEN PRISONER.

BENEATH THE CARNAGE, IN HITLER'S BUNKER,

ONLY A SKELETON CREW REMAIN.

THEY INCLUDE THE NAZI PROPAGANDA MINISTER, JOSEF GOEBBELS,

THE BUNKER'S ENGINEER,

AND THE TELEPHONE OPERATOR, ROCHUS MISCH.

Misch: WE WERE THE LAST GOVERNMENT, AS IT WERE‐‐

THE THREE OF US.

IT WAS OVER.

I SAID TO GOEBBELS, "WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO DO?"

HE THEN SAID I COULD GO.

"WE KNEW HOW TO LIVE, SO WE WILL ALSO KNOW HOW TO DIE."

SO THEN I PULLED OUT ALL THE CABLES,

EVERYTHING IN SOCKETS,

AND NOBODY COULD REACH US ANYMORE.

Narrator: ROCHUS MISCH THEN FINALLY LEAVES THE COFFIN‐LIKE BUNKER

FOR THE LAST TIME.

A FEW MINUTES LATER, GOEBBELS SHOOTS HIMSELF.

HIS WIFE HAS ALREADY POISONED THEIR SIX CHILDREN

AND THEN KILLED HERSELF.

THE BUNKER HAS BECOME A GHASTLY TESTIMONIAL

TO THE NAZIS' EVIL MADNESS.

THAT SAME AFTERNOON,

MONTGOMERY FINALLY RECEIVES THE MESSAGE

HE HAS LONG BEEN WAITING FOR:

THE COMMANDER OF ALL NORTHERN GERMAN FORCES FACING HIM

IS PREPARED TO SURRENDER.

MONTGOMERY MIGHT THINK THE WAR IS FINISHED,

BUT IT'S NOT OVER YET FOR PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL

AND EASY COMPANY.

THEY APPROACH THE MOUNTAINS,

UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE WAITING FOR THEM.

Lyall: I DIDN'T KNOW IF ANYTIME THEY WOULD COME OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS.

THEY KNOW THE MOUNTAINS.

THEY'RE ALPINE TROOPS, NUMBER ONE.

NUMBER TWO, THEY KNOW WHERE EVERY LITTLE HOLE IS,

SO IT'S LIKE REAL WARFARE.

YOU DON'T KNOW TILL YOU STEP ON IT, RIGHT?

SO THAT ALWAYS STAYED IN MY MIND‐‐

YOU WALK DOWN A STREET,

YOU GOT NINE EYES ALL AROUND THE PLACE.

I STILL GOT IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, WHAT I'M GONNA FACE.

WHAT I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA FACE ANYWAY.

WE WERE BRIEFED THAT WE WERE GONNA TAKE THESE PEOPLE ON.

Narrator: 3rd OF MAY.

FIVE DAYS TO VICTORY.

FOR THE MOST PART,

THE RUSSIANS HAVE LEFT THE SUBURBS

FOR THE CENTER OF BERLIN.

GERDA PETERSOHN AND HER FAMILY VENTURE BACK TO THEIR APARTMENT.

NOTHING CAN PREPARE THEM

FOR WHAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE DONE TO THEIR HOME.

Petersohn: YOU CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

Narrator: BERLIN IS NOT THE ONLY CITY

THAT HAS BEEN SACRIFICED TO THE RED ARMY.

David: DOWN IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA, MEANWHILE,

THE GERMANS ARE STILL FIERCELY RESISTING RUSSIAN ATTACKS

FROM BOTH THE NORTH AND THE EAST.

AND GENERAL PATTON'S U. S. 3rd ARMY

THREATENS TO ATTACK FROM THE WEST.

PATTON, OF COURSE, WANTS TO LIBERATE PRAGUE.

BUT THE AMERICAN CHIEF OF STAFF, GENERAL MARSHALL,

TELLS EISENHOWER TO LEAVE PRAGUE TO THE RUSSIANS‐‐

OF COURSE ANOTHER DECISION

WHICH WILL HAUNT EISENHOWER FOR YEARS TO COME.

Narrator: 4th OF MAY.

FOUR DAYS TO VICTORY.

PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL AND EASY COMPANY

MOVE EVER CLOSER TO A DEADLY SHOWDOWN IN THE MOUNTAINS

WITH THE FANATICAL SS.

THE SILENCE IS MENACING.

THEY COULD BE DRIVING INTO A TRAP.

THEIR NERVES ARE ON EDGE.

Lyall: YEAH, SURE, YOU'RE SCARED.

I DON'T CARE HOW BIG AND BOLD AND BAD YOU THINK YOU ARE,

IF YOU'RE NOT LIKE THIS, YOU'RE CRAZY.

YOU HAD TO HAVE BEEN TO BE THERE.

BUT, YEAH, WE ALL HAD THE SAME IDEA:

BEING SO CLOSE TO THE END OF THE WAR,

I HOPE I CAN GET THROUGH THIS.

I EXPECTED TO FIND A LOT OF GUERRILLA POCKETS,

HIT‐AND‐RUN AMBUSHES ON YOU AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

PURE GUERRILLA WARFARE.

THEY COME OUT BEHIND TREES, ON TOP OF TREES,

ALL OVER THE PLACE.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.

Narrator: MEANWHILE, IN THE NORTH,

JUST AFTER 5 P. M.,

A DELEGATION OF TOP GERMAN OFFICIALS

VISIT BRITISH FIELD MARSHAL MONTGOMERY.

THEY SIGN AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER TO THE WESTERN ALLIES

OF ALL GERMAN FORCES FACING MONTGOMERY IN NORTHERN GERMANY.

THE SURRENDER IS SIGNED AT 6.30 P. M.,

AND COMES INTO EFFECT THE FOLLOWING DAY,

THE 5th OF MAY, AT 8 A. M.

THIS WAS REALLY THE SORT OF PINNACLE OF HIS CAREER IN A WAY.

HERE WAS HE,

HAVING STARTED AS A VERY JUNIOR OFFICER IN 1908,

WHEN HE WAS COMMISSIONED FROM SANDHURST,

RECEIVING THE SURRENDER

OF TWO MILLION OF THE NATION'S ENEMIES.

SO IT WAS A VERY MOVING OCCASION FOR HIM.

Narrator: NEWS OF THE CAPITULATION

HASN'T REACHED THE FRONT LINES.

COMMANDO CLIFF MORRIS AND HIS COMRADES

ARE PREPARING TO CAPTURE THE BALTIC PORT OF KIEL.

IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, HE'LL BE OUT OF A JOB.

HE WRITES IN HIS DIARY...

"TODAY WE HAVE PASSED THROUGH LUBECK

AND HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED AT NEUSTADT,

WHERE WE ARE STAYING IN LARGE MARINE BARRACKS

WHICH WERE USED FOR LIVING QUARTERS BY CAMP STAFF.

THIS TIME IT HAS BEEN A WALKOVER AND A JOY TRIP FOR US.

WHITE FLAGS WERE HANGING EVERYWHERE

AND GERRY TROOPS WERE SURRENDERING IN THEIR THOUSANDS."

Narrator: 5th OF MAY.

THREE DAYS TO VICTORY.

IN THE RUINS OF THE GERMAN CAPITAL,

THERE IS HARDLY ANY FOOD LEFT.

ITS INHABITANTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED

TO EATING WHATEVER THEY CAN FIND.

PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO SELL WHATEVER THEY HAVE LEFT

IN ORDER TO BUY WHAT LITTLE IS STILL AVAILABLE.

EVEN BREAD IS SCARCE AND EXPENSIVE.

TWO SLICES MUST LAST A WHOLE DAY.

WHILE THE RUSSIANS RANSACK BERLIN,

ITS PEOPLE ARE STARVING.

THAT SAME MORNING OF THE 5th OF MAY,

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT JOHN CURRIE OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE

RETURNS TO HIS BASE IN ENGLAND.

IT'S HIS THIRD FOOD DROP TO HOLLAND THIS WEEK.

WITH UP TO 500 DROPS A DAY, THE ALLIED PILOTS

HAVE MANAGED TO SAVE THOUSANDS OF GRATEFUL DUTCH PEOPLE

FROM THE GERMAN‐IMPOSED FAMINE.

THEY COULD SENSE THEN

THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE LIBERATED VERY SOON.

THEY REALLY WENT WILD, EXCITED,

AND THEY WERE ON THE ROOFS

AND WAVING THROUGH THE TOP STORIES

OF THE OLD DUTCH BUILDINGS OF THREE OR FOUR STORIES

AND YOU'D SEE THESE PEOPLE UP ON THE TOP STORIES

WAVING THEIR THINGS.

IT WAS A GREAT FEELING.

YOU COULD ALMOST FEEL IT COMING FROM THE GROUND,

THE APPRECIATION THAT THEY WERE SHOWING.

Narrator: DURING THE 10 DAYS OF THE AIRLIFT,

OVER 11,000 TONS OF FOOD ARE DELIVERED TO HOLLAND.

BUT FOR MANY IT IS TOO LATE.

SOME 20,000 PEOPLE STILL DIE OF STARVATION.

ON THE 5th OF MAY,

THE GERMAN OCCUPATION OF HOLLAND COMES TO AN END.

GENERAL BLASKOWITZ, THE GERMAN COMMANDER‐IN‐CHIEF,

FINALLY SURRENDERS IN THE PRESENCE OF PRINCE BERNHARDT.

AND AFTER FIVE YEARS OF OCCUPATION,

AMSTERDAM IS ALSO LIBERATED.

TODAY THE FIRST BRITISH VICTORY SALVO OF THE WAR

IS FIRED AT MONTGOMERY'S HEADQUARTERS

AS THE CEASE‐FIRE IN NORTHERN GERMANY AND DENMARK

COMES INTO FORCE.

ALL OVER EUROPE GERMAN ARMIES ARE COLLAPSING.

Lyall: WHEN I ARRIVED AT BERCHTESGADEN

I WAS APPREHENSIVE, SCARED,

THE WAR'S ABOUT OVER, AND I WANNA LIVE.

YOU'RE PUTTING EXTRA SENSES OUT THERE...

REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A SHOOTOUT THERE.

THEY ALL HAD THEIR LITTLE WHITE FLAGS OUT THERE,

BUT THAT DON'T MEAN NOTHING.

REAL QUIET.

BUT WHEN IT'S REAL QUIET,

YOU WORRY MORE THAN WHEN THERE'S A LOT OF NOISE.

Narrator: PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL AND EASY COMPANY

REACH THEIR FINAL DESTINATION.

Lyall: THIS IS WAY TOO QUIET.

MIGHT BE A TRAP.

Narrator: THEY HAVE ENDURED 11 MONTHS OF RELENTLESS COMBAT

SINCE D‐DAY.

THIS IS THEIR LAST MISSION.

THEY MUST GET THROUGH IT ALIVE.

AGAINST ALL EXPECTATIONS,

THEY TAKE HITLER'S MOUNTAIN RETREAT

WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT.

WITH NO LAST STAND IN THE ALPS,

IS THIS, AT LAST, THE FINAL GASP OF THE DYING NAZI REGIME?

7th OF MAY, 1945.

AT 2 A. M.

TWO POWERFUL NAZI GENERALS‐‐

GENERAL JODL AND GENERAL‐ADMIRAL VON FRIEDEBURG

ARRIVE AT ALLIED HEADQUARTERS.

THE DAY BEFORE, EISENHOWER REFUSED THEIR OFFER

TO SURRENDER ONLY TO THE WEST.

TODAY THEY HAVE INSTRUCTIONS FROM GRAND ADMIRAL DOENITZ,

HITLER'S SUCCESSOR,

TO SIGN THE UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER OF ALL GERMAN FORCES.

THIS CONFIRMS THE TOTAL DEFEAT OF THE THIRD REICH.

IT IS SIGNED BY REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH OF THE ALLIED COUNTRIES.

ALL HOSTILITIES WILL CEASE

AT ONE MINUTE PAST 11 P. M. ON THE 8th OF MAY, 1945.

WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE IS OFFICIALLY OVER.

NEWS OF THE END OF THE WAR

IS GREETED WITH RIOTOUS CELEBRATIONS

IN THE ALLIED AND LIBERATED COUNTRIES.

THE RUSSIANS SIGN THE GERMAN SURRENDER A DAY LATER,

AND ON THE 9th OF MAY,

STALIN DECLARES THE WAR IS OVER.

AND JUST AS IT WAS FORESHADOWED ON THE 25th OF APRIL,

AN IRON CURTAIN THEN COMES DOWN,

DIVIDING GERMANY AND EUROPE IN HALF.

THE COLD WAR IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

David: WELL, THE THIRD REICH IS NO MORE,

BUT FOR THE INHABITANTS OF SOVIET‐OCCUPIED EASTERN EUROPE

IT MIGHT SEEM AS IF THEY'VE SIMPLY EXCHANGED

ONE TOTALITARIAN OVERLORD FOR ANOTHER.

MONTGOMERY AND CHURCHILL, OF COURSE, ARE HORRIFIED.

THEY BOTH BELIEVE THEY'VE WON THE WAR, BUT LOST THE PEACE.

AND EVEN IN THE HOUR OF VICTORY,

CHURCHILL IS FILLED WITH FOREBODING

AND HE WRITES LATER, "THE SOVIET MENACE, OR SO IT SEEMED TO ME,

HAD ALREADY REPLACED THE NAZI FOE."

Narrator: FOR GERDA PETERSOHN AND MANY EAST EUROPEANS,

LIFE UNDER THE SOVIETS IS ONE OF HARDSHIP AND REPRESSION.

Petersohn: SO I HAD TO WORK IN A MILITARY HOSPITAL,

CARRY DEAD BABIES AWAY,

AND I HAD TO CLEAN AND...

IT WAS A HARD TIME

AS LONG AS THE RUSSIANS HAVE BEEN IN OUR PART OF BERLIN.

Narrator: BUT ON THE 8th OF MAY, 1945,

THE FUTURE SEEMS BRIGHT

AND FREE OF THE DANGERS AND DEPRAVATIONS

OF THE LAST SIX YEARS.

THE HORRORS OF THE WAR ARE PAST

AND PEOPLE CAN GET ON WITH THEIR LIVES.

GENERAL EISENHOWER GOES ON TO BECOME

THE 34th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

HE DIES IN 1969.

FIELD MARSHALL MONTGOMERY

IS GIVEN THE TITLE 1st VISCOUNT MONTGOMERY OF ALAMEIN.

HE'S THEN APPOINTED DEPUTY COMMANDER OF NATO.

HE DIES IN 1976.

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT JOHN CURRIE

RETURNS TO AUSTRALIA AFTER THE WAR,

WHERE HE WORKS AS A REPORTER, AND THEN IN PUBLIC SERVICE.

HE LIVES IN PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Currie: IT WAS A SORT OF A...

VERY MIXED FEELINGS WHEN IT ENDED,

BECAUSE WE'D BEEN TRAINING FOR THREE OR FOUR YEARS,

AND THEN THE MATCH WAS CALLED OFF.

IT WAS SORT OF... IT WAS A BIT OF A SHOCK.

YOU WERE OUT OF A JOB.

Narrator: COMMANDO CLIFF MORRIS RETURNS TO ENGLAND IN 1945

AND ENJOYS A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A BOXER,

AS WELL AS WORKING IN THE BAKING INDUSTRY.

HE NOW LIVES IN WEST SUSSEX, IN THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND.

AFTER THE WAR, ITALIAN PARTISAN URBANO LAZZARO MOVES TO BRAZIL.

MANY YEARS LATER, HE IS NOW BACK IN ITALY

AND LIVES IN PIEMONTE.

AMERICAN PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL

GOES ON TO FIGHT IN KOREA AND VIETNAM.

HE LIVES IN MARYLAND.

I STAYED IN THE SERVICE.

THEY SAVED ME WITH THE KOREAN WAR,

BROUGHT ME BACK TO REALITY AGAIN, YOU KNOW.

BUT WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT JUST COULDN'T MAKE IT.

Narrator: GERMAN ARMY TELEPHONE OPERATOR ROCHUS MISCH

IS TORTURED AND INTERROGATED IN MOSCOW

BEFORE SERVING AS A WITNESS AT THE NUREMBERG TRIALS.

HE IS THEN SENT TO SIBERIA FOR NINE YEARS.

HE NOW LIVES IN BERLIN.

RUSSIAN GUNNER VASILY USTUGOV STAYS ON IN BERLIN

AS PART OF THE SOVIET OCCUPYING FORCE UNTIL 1946.

HE RETIRES FROM THE RED ARMY A LIEUTENANT‐GENERAL IN 1985.

HE LIVES IN MOSCOW.

FARLEY MOWAT, WHO SERVED AS A CAPTAIN

IN THE CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICE IN HOLLAND,

GOES ON TO BECOME CANADA'S MOST WIDELY READ AUTHOR.

HE LIVES IN PORT HOPE, CANADA.

WAR IS AN ACT OF ABSOLUTE LUNACY.

NOT JUST PARTIAL LUNACY, BUT ABSOLUTE LUNACY.

AND IT MAY BE THE MOST DISTINGUISHING FEATURE

OF THE HUMAN SPECIES AS AN ANIMAL,

THAT WE ARE SUBJECT

TO THIS TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE KIND OF LUNACY,

FROM WHICH THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION THAT I DREW,

AND I HAVE RETAINED IT,

IS THAT IT IS PROBABLY THE SYMPTOM OR SYMBOL

OR DIAGNOSTIC INDICATION

OF THE WAY WE ARE GOING TO END.

Narrator: WHEN THE AMERICANS FINALLY ARRIVE IN BERLIN

IN JULY 1945,

GERDA PETERSOHN IS RELIEVED TO DISCOVER

THAT HER HOME IS IN THE AMERICAN SECTOR.

BUT SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH AND MARRIES

A DOCTOR FROM EAST BERLIN

AND LIVES THERE THROUGH THE LONG, HARD YEARS

OF THE COLD WAR

UNTIL GERMANY'S REUNIFICATION.

SHE AND HER HUSBAND STILL LIVE IN BERLIN.