Original subtitles

Narrator: APRIL 1945.

THE BIGGEST WAR IN HISTORY IS NEARING ITS END.

IN TEN EXTRAORDINARY DAYS, THE NAZI EMPIRE WILL COLLAPSE.

AFTER SIX YEARS OF BRUTAL BLOODSHED,

NEARLY 50 MILLION PEOPLE ARE DEAD.

MILLIONS MORE ARE HOMELESS AND STARVING.

FOR TEN INDIVIDUALS TRAPPED IN THE HORROR AND CHAOS,

THESE TEN DAYS WILL SHAPE THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

A BATTLE‐WEARY PARATROOPER IS STUNNED

WHEN HE STUMBLES ACROSS THE NAZIS' MOST GHASTLY SECRET.

A RUSSIAN SOLDIER‐‐

PART OF THE LARGEST SOVIET ARMY IN HISTORY‐‐

WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO CONQUER BERLIN.

BENEATH THE DEVASTATED CITY,

A TELEPHONE OPERATOR IS LOCKED IN A BUNKER WITH ADOLF HITLER.

HE WONDERS IF HE WILL GET OUT ALIVE.

ABOVE THEM, A 19‐YEAR‐OLD GIRL SUFFERS THE SAVAGE INVASION,

AND PRAYS FOR SALVATION.

THESE FINAL DAYS OF WORLD WAR II

WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES AND THE WORLD FOREVER.

Narrator: SOME 50 FEET BELOW THE STREETS OF BERLIN,

HITLER CONDUCTS A WAR WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN LOST.

LOCKED IN HIS CONCRETE COMMAND POST,

THE FUHRER DOESN'T BELIEVE HIS MIGHTY ARMIES

ARE BEING CRUSHED BY ALLIED FORCES.

HE WON'T LISTEN TO HIS GENERALS,

WHO TELL HIM THE ALLIES HAVE NOW BROUGHT THE FINAL BATTLE

RIGHT TO HIS DOORSTEP.

IN THE CLOSING DAYS OF WORLD WAR II,

GENERAL EISENHOWER LEADS THE MOST POWERFUL MILITARY

EVER ASSEMBLED UNDER ONE MAN.

THE ALLIED FORCES, WITH TROOPS FROM 16 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES,

ARE SWEEPING WEST ACROSS GERMANY.

FROM THE SOUTH,

THEY ARE PUSHING UP THROUGH MUSSOLINI'S ITALY.

AND FROM THE EAST,

THE LARGEST RUSSIAN ARMY IN HISTORY HAS OVERRUN POLAND

AND IS NOW SURROUNDING BERLIN.

PINNED DOWN IN HIS BUNKER,

HITLER CANNOT SEE THAT HIS LAST DAYS ARE NUMBERED.

HE'S VOLATILE.

HE STILL BELIEVES HIS POWERFUL LEGIONS WILL SAVE HIM.

BERLIN IS A FORTRESS, HE DECLARES,

AND MUST BE DEFENDED TO THE LAST.

HE WILL STAY TO THE BITTER END.

WITH HIM IS HIS TELEPHONE OPERATOR,

ROCHUS MISCH.

IT WAS VERY DEPRESSING DOWN THERE,

AND I DID NOT FEEL AT ALL HAPPY

THAT THE HEAD OF THE UNIT HAD POSTED ME TO THE BUNKER.

I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED NOT TO HAVE DONE MY DUTY THERE.

Narrator: AS THE RED ARMY

TIGHTENS ITS NOOSE AROUND THE GERMAN CAPITAL,

WITHIN THE CITY, THERE'S A NEWS BLACKOUT.

PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENING.

19‐YEAR‐OLD GERDA PETERSOHN AND HER MOTHER

DEPEND ON THE WEEKLY NEWSREELS FOR INFORMATION,

BUT ALL FOOTAGE IS CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED BY JOSEPH GOEBBELS,

THE NAZI MINISTER FOR PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT AND PROPAGANDA.

THIS FILM PORTRAYS THE RUSSIANS AS A SAVAGE HORDE,

OUT TO MURDER, RAPE, AND STEAL.

Petersohn: MY MOTHER ALWAYS SAID,

"OH, THIS CANNOT HAPPEN IN BERLIN, NEVER.

IN THE COUNTRY, YES, BUT NOT HERE."

SHE WAS WRONG.

Narrator: THE RUSSIANS ARE BENT ON TAKING BRUTAL REVENGE

FOR THE ATROCITIES THE GERMANS COMMITTED AT STALINGRAD.

FOR GERDA, IT'S AN ANXIOUS WAITING GAME.

SHE KNOWS THEY WILL BE CONQUERED,

BUT BY WHOM?

Petersohn: WE HOPED THAT THE AMERICANS OR THE BRITISH

WOULD COME.

THIS WAS OUR HOPE.

AND THEY COULD HAVE COME, YOU KNOW.

THEY STOOD AT ELBE UNTIL THE RUSSIANS CAME AROUND BERLIN,

BUT THIS WAS AN ARRANGEMENT.

IF THEY WANTED, THEY COULD HAVE COME FIRST.

[SIREN]

Narrator: BY APRIL 25th,

BERLIN IS COMPLETELY SURROUNDED.

AS PLANNED,

THE RED ARMY LINKS UP WITH THE AMERICANS AT THE RIVER ELBE,

60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY.

EUROPE IS NOW CUT IN HALF.

IT'S THE BEGINNING OF A DIVISION

THAT WILL LAST FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS.

[TRAIN WHISTLE]

BERLINERS CAN HEAR THE RUMBLE OF WAR

GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER.

BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA

OF THE AWESOME FIREPOWER AIMED RIGHT AT THEM.

TWO AND A HALF MILLION SOVIET TROOPS,

MORE THAN 40,000 GUNS AND MORTARS,

OVER 6,000 TANKS, AND 8,500 AIRCRAFT

ARE READY TO STORM THE CITY.

THE RUSSIANS HAVE AMASSED

THE GREATEST MILITARY MACHINE IN THEIR HISTORY

TO CRUSH THE CAPITAL OF THE THIRD REICH.

[MAN YELLS IN RUSSIAN]

Narrator: ON THE STREETS,

IT'S A VICIOUS FIGHT TO THE DEATH.

ALL EXPERIENCED GERMAN TROOPS

HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE FRONT LINES,

AND NOW MERE BOYS‐‐ SOME AS YOUNG AS 12‐‐

ARE BEING ENLISTED TO DEFEND THE CITY ITSELF.

DESERTERS WILL BE EXECUTED.

THE RUSSIANS BLAST THEIR WAY

INTO BERLIN'S NORTHERN AND EASTERN SUBURBS.

VASILY USTUGOV,

A GUNNER WITH THE 150th RIFLE DIVISION,

IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE ASSAULT.

HIS GOAL IS THE REICHSTAG‐‐

HITLER'S GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

STALIN WANTS THE SOVIET FLAG FLYING FROM ITS ROOF

BEFORE THE MAY DAY PARADE IN MOSCOW.

THE MAN WHO PLANTS IT THERE WILL WIN EVERLASTING GLORY.

OUR DIVISION, NUMBER 150,

WE WERE ASKED TO TAKE THE REICHSTAG.

WE HAD TO GET TO IT FIRST.

WE REACHED THE OUTSKIRTS OF BERLIN FROM THE EAST.

I LOST A LOT OF MY MEN IN THE FIERCE BATTLE.

THE GERMANS SENT EVERYONE THEY COULD TO STOP US.

I WAS SHOT AT FROM HOUSES, FROM WINDOWS,

AND MY JOB WAS TO TAKE OUT THOSE WHO WERE SHOOTING.

Narrator: AS THE FIGHTING RAGES IN THE SUBURBS,

ORDINARY PEOPLE TRY TO SURVIVE IN WHAT IS LEFT OF BERLIN.

ONE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES,

AFTER MORE THAN 13,000 TONS OF BOMBS HAVE HIT THE CITY.

70 PERCENT OF ITS BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.

THERE'S NO GAS, NO ELECTRICITY, NO RUNNING WATER.

LATER THAT DAY, GERDA PETERSOHN GOES OUT TO FETCH WATER

FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD PUMP.

WHAT LITTLE INFORMATION GETS THROUGH THE NAZI NEWS BLACKOUT

SHE PICKS UP HERE, FROM NEIGHBORS

AND FROM LEAFLETS DROPPED BY RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN PLANES,

URGING BERLINERS TO SURRENDER.

Narrator: BUT THE AMERICANS ARE NOT COMING.

GERDA HAS NO WAY OF KNOWING IT,

BUT THEIR FATE HAS ALREADY BEEN SEALED.

THE SOVIET BEAR IS AT THE DOOR.

THE SOVIET BOMBARDMENT OF BERLIN CONTINUES.

BUT BERLINERS ARE IN THE DARK

ABOUT HOW FAST THE NOOSE IS TIGHTENING AROUND THEM.

FOOD IS SO SCARCE THAT JUST TO SURVIVE IS A RISK.

Petersohn: PEOPLE TOLD US

THERE'S A TRAIN ON THE RAILWAY, WITH FOOD.

AND I WAS NO HERO, BUT I WANT TO HAVE SOME FOOD FOR MY FAMILY,

SO I HURRIED AND RUSHED ACROSS THE STREET,

AND THERE WAS A BIG HOLE IN THIS.

AND SEE I JUMPED DOWN, AND THERE WAS A TRAIN

AND ALL THE PEOPLE THERE TO FIND THINGS TO EAT.

SUDDENLY, RUSSIAN AIRPLANES CAME SHOOTING AGAINST US.

AND I SAW SOME FALLING DOWN.

AND I THOUGHT, "NO, I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY YOUNG LIFE THIS WAY."

AND I GRASPED A SMALL PARCEL

AND ROLLED OUT OF THE TRAIN.

SO I RUSHED AND HURRIED HOME.

THEN LATER ON, I SAW WHAT'S INSIDE THE PARCEL.

IT WAS FOOD FOR AIR FORCES

WITH SCHO‐KO‐KOLA, CASHEWS WITH MALT.

Narrator: THOUGH GERDA DREAMS OF RESCUE BY AMERICAN GIs,

IT IS THIS LITTLE RATION PACK THAT WILL SAVE HER LIFE.

THE CITIZENS IN THE GERMAN CAPITAL

MAY PRAY FOR DELIVERANCE BY THE WEST,

BUT NEARLY 500 MILES AWAY,

IN THE FRENCH SCHOOLHOUSE

WHICH SERVES AS THE ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,

THE SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, GENERAL EISENHOWER,

HAS OTHER PLANS.

HE'S ALREADY DECIDED TO KEEP HIS TROOPS OUT OF BERLIN.

WELL, EISENHOWER IS A CAREFUL STRATEGIST.

AND MUCH TO CHURCHILL AND MONTGOMERY'S FURY,

HE'S ALREADY DECIDED THAT A RACE FOR BERLIN

BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN TROOPS WILL SOW THEIR ALLIANCE.

Narrator: EISENHOWER IS GETTING DISTURBING REPORTS

ABOUT A NAZI PLAN TO CARRY ON THE WAR

FROM HITLER'S RETREAT NEAR BERCHTESGADEN,

HIGH IN THE BAVARIAN ALPS.

THIS IS ANOTHER REASON BERLIN IS OFF THE TABLE‐‐

EISENHOWER NEEDS HIS FORCES

FOR A POTENTIALLY LONG AND BLOODY BATTLE

IN THE MOUNTAINS,

AND SO HE MAKES ONE OF THE MOST MOMENTOUS DECISIONS

AT THE WAR'S END:

BERLIN WILL BE LEFT TO THE SOVIETS.

David: IT'S A DECISION THAT WILL HAUNT HIM

FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,

IT WILL HAVE TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES

FOR THE PEOPLE OF BERLIN FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

Narrator: IT'S NOT ONLY BERLINERS

WHO ARE SHOCKED AT BEING ABANDONED TO THE RUSSIANS.

EISENHOWER'S ALLY, FIELD MARSHAL MONTGOMERY,

BRITISH COMMANDER OF ALLIED FORCES IN NORTHERN GERMANY,

IS EQUALLY APPALLED AND FRUSTRATED.

UNLIKE EISENHOWER, MONTGOMERY BELIEVES IT'S VITAL

TO GAIN CONTROL OVER EUROPE'S MAIN CITIES

BEFORE THE SOVIETS DO.

HE DOESN'T TRUST THEM.

THE RUSSIANS HAVE ALREADY INSTALLED PUPPET REGIMES

IN THE COUNTRIES THEY'VE "LIBERATED."

THEREFORE, BERLIN BECAME A PRIME OBJECTIVE FOR MONTGOMERY.

WHEN EISENHOWER OVERRULES HIM,

IT'S ANOTHER BLOW TO THEIR ALREADY ROCKY RELATIONSHIP.

MY FATHER THOUGHT EISENHOWER WAS A VERY GREAT MAN.

AND AS A PERSON, AS A DIPLOMAT, AS A STATESMAN,

HE HAD A HUGE REGARD FOR HIM.

WHEN EISENHOWER DECIDED TO TAKE PERSONAL CONTROL,

WHICH MY FATHER THOUGHT WAS AN ERROR‐‐

HE THOUGHT IT EITHER SHOULD BE HIM COMMANDING THE AMERICANS

OR BRADLEY COMMANDING THE WHOLE OPERATION,

BOTH OF WHOM WERE EXPERIENCED BATTLEFIELD COMMANDERS‐‐

MONTY AND BRADLEY.

BUT EISENHOWER DECIDED TO KEEP THE TWO FRONTS SEPARATE

AND ADVANCE ALONG BOTH FRONTS,

WITH MONTY IN THE NORTH AND BRADLEY IN THE SOUTH.

THE PROBLEM WITH GOING FORWARD ON ALL FRONTS

IS THERE WASN'T THE LOGISTIC ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

Narrator: MONTGOMERY'S NEW OBJECTIVE

IS TO CROSS THE ELBE RIVER

AND PUSH NORTH TO THE BALTIC SEA.

HIS MISSION IS TO SEAL OFF THE GERMAN FORCES IN SCANDINAVIA

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,

TO PREVENT THE SOVIETS FROM REACHING DENMARK.

HE KNOWS THAT, ONCE IN DENMARK,

THE COMMUNISTS WOULD CONTROL THE ENTIRE BALTIC.

A BRITISH COMMANDO, CLIFF MORRIS,

IS WITH MONTGOMERY'S FORCES PUSHING TOWARDS THE BALTIC.

IT'S BEEN A LONG, TOUGH YEAR FOR HIM.

HE WAS AMONG THE VERY FIRST TO COME ASHORE IN FRANCE ON D‐DAY.

HE KEEPS A DAILY DIARY.

Morris: "WE'VE BEEN STAYING HERE FOR TEN DAYS

DURING WHICH WE'VE BEEN HAVING A SMASHING TIME

GETTING WELL FED, PLENTY OF REST AND RECREATION.

THE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER CROSSED THE ELBE

UNDER COVER OF A WHITE FLAG

AND ENTERED THE TOWN OF LAUENBURG.

HE APPROACHED THE ENEMY AND ASKED THEM TO SURRENDER.

THEY REFUSED, AS THE TOWN WAS BEING HELD BY THE SS.

THEY SAID THEY WOULD FIGHT FOR IT.

WE HAVE GIVEN THEM 48 HOURS TO THINK IT OVER

BEFORE ACTION BEGINS."

Narrator: THE ALLIES ARE CRUSHING THE GERMAN ARMY

ALL ACROSS EUROPE.

THEY'VE CUT OFF THEIR FOOD AND FUEL.

WITHOUT THESE STAPLES,

THE NAZI WAR MACHINE IS POWERLESS.

HOWEVER, IN THE NETHERLANDS, THE WAR HAS REACHED A STALEMATE.

THE CANADIAN FIRST ARMY HAS LIBERATED MOST OF THE COUNTRY,

BUT THE GERMANS STILL OCCUPY THE WEST.

TO PUNISH THE DUTCH FOR AIDING THE ALLIES,

THE NAZIS HAVE CUT OFF THEIR FOOD SUPPLIES.

NEARLY 1,000 PEOPLE ARE DYING EACH DAY OF STARVATION.

IF THE ALLIES ATTACK,

THE GERMANS THREATEN TO BLOW UP THE NORTH SEA DYKES,

FLOODING THE COUNTRY AND KILLING THOUSANDS MORE.

EISENHOWER IS TRYING TO NEGOTIATE A TRUCE

WITH THE GERMAN COMMAND IN HOLLAND,

SO THE ALLIES CAN AIRLIFT FOOD TO THE STARVING DUTCH.

WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT,

THE GERMANS COULD SHOOT DOWN ANY AIRCRAFT COMING IN.

CAPTAIN FARLEY MOWAT IS AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER

WITH THE 1ST CANADIAN LIBERATION BRIGADE IN HOLLAND.

Mowat: MY JOB WAS LOOKING FOR GERMAN WEAPONS,

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, WE'D SAY TODAY.

I DIDN'T FIND TOO MANY, AS WE SAY TODAY.

Narrator: KEN COTTAM, A FELLOW INTELLIGENCE OFFICER,

HAS A DARING IDEA.

WORKING INDEPENDENTLY,

THEY CAN SPEED UP THE TRUCE NEGOTIATIONS

WITH THE GERMANS.

BUT WHAT HE PROPOSES IS NOT ONLY ILLEGAL

BUT EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

Mowat: COTTAM DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING

REALLY EXTRAVAGANT AND INTERESTING,

AND IT WAS JUST AT THE END OF THE WAR.

WE KNEW THAT THE WHOLE THING WAS GOING TO BE OVER SHORTLY.

SO WHAT HE ARRANGED ACTUALLY

WAS, THROUGH SOME FRIEND OF HIS IN THE GERMAN INTELLIGENCE,

A SAFE CONDUCT

TO CROSS INTO THE GERMAN‐OCCUPIED PART OF HOLLAND

AND GO TO THE HEADQUARTERS

OF THE GERMAN DISTRICT REGIONAL COMMANDER,

GENERAL BLASKOWITZ, IN HILLVERSUM.

AND HE WANTED ME TO GO ALONG, TOO.

Narrator: WITH COMMAND STRUCTURES BREAKING DOWN

AND INCREASINGLY DISRUPTED COMMUNICATIONS,

MANY REGIONAL GERMAN UNITS ARE TRYING TO CUT THEIR OWN DEALS.

Mowat: KEN HAS PERSUADED SENIOR STAFF

THAT IT'S IMPERATIVE TO ESTABLISH DIRECT TALKS

BETWEEN OURSELVES AND GENERAL BLASKOWITZ.

HE'S JUST RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL SAYING

THAT HE'D LIKE TO DISCUSS A SEPARATE TRUCE WITH THE ALLIES.

WE'RE GOING TO CROSS OVER GERMAN LINES TOMORROW.

I AM MORE THAN A LITTLE NERVOUS.

Narrator: THEIR SECRET JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF NAZI TERRITORY

WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES

FAR BEYOND THEIR WILDEST AMBITIONS.

[AIR RAID SIREN]

IN ITALY, THE WAR HAS LEFT THE COUNTRY IN CHAOS.

THE REGIME OF THE FASCIST DICTATOR,

HITLER'S ALLY, BENITO MUSSOLINI,

HAS COLLAPSED.

THE ALLIES ARE BATTLING THEIR WAY NORTH,

DEFEATING GERMAN FORCES

WITH THE HELP OF LOCAL ARMED RESISTANCE GROUPS.

CONVOYS OF DEFEATED NAZIS AND THEIR SYMPATHIZERS

ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE THE COUNTRY.

IT'S EARLY MORNING.

Man: HEY, URBANO!

Narrator: URBANO LAZZARO IS A MEMBER OF A RESISTANCE GROUP

THAT HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF A SMALL TOWN

ON THE SHORES OF LAKE COMO.

HE IS ABOUT TO BE PART OF AN EVENT

THAT WILL ENGRAVE HIS NAME IN HISTORY.

THE GROUP'S LEADER HAS NEWS THAT A GERMAN CONVOY IS APPROACHING,

MAKING FOR NEUTRAL SWITZERLAND.

APPARENTLY IT'S CARRYING A VERY IMPORTANT PASSENGER.

THE RESISTANCE HAVE AGREED WITH THE GERMANS

THAT THEY CAN STOP AND SEARCH ALL VEHICLES.

GERMANS CAN LEAVE,

BUT ANY ITALIANS TRYING TO SNEAK OUT WILL BE ARRESTED.

THE FASCISTS MUST ANSWER FOR THEIR CRIMES.

[MEN SPEAKING ITALIAN]

Narrator: URBANO LAZZARO

IS ABOUT TO CATCH A VERY BIG FISH.

Lazzaro: CAVALIERE BENITO MUSSOLINI!

IT WAS A REAL SHOCK TO SEE THIS POWERFUL MAN

WHO COMMANDED 54 MILLION ITALIANS

REDUCED TO NOTHING.

IT REALLY STRUCK ME.

Narrator: IN A CAR FOLLOWING THE CONVOY,

THEY FIND AN ITALIAN WOMAN.

SHE IS MUSSOLINI'S MISTRESS, CLARA PETACCI.

Petacci: BENITO!

Narrator: THE RESISTANCE HOLDS THEM PRISONER IN THE TOWN HALL

ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS GOVERNMENT

ALSO CAUGHT TRYING TO ESCAPE.

LATER, MUSSOLINI AND HIS MISTRESS

ARE TRANSFERRED TO A MORE SECURE LOCATION UP IN THE HILLS.

THE PLAN IS TO TAKE THEM TO MILAN TO STAND TRIAL.

David: WELL, MUSSOLINI'S CAPTURE

ACTUALLY DOESN'T MAKE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE

TO THE ALLIES' CAMPAIGN IN ITALY.

AND THE REASON IS THAT THEIR RECENT OFFENSIVE,

BACKED BY AN UPRISING OF STARVING ITALIAN CIVILIANS,

ALREADY HAS THE GERMANS ON THE RUN.

ALSO, SOME OF THE SENIOR GERMAN COMMANDERS IN ITALY

HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN NEGOTIATING WITH THE ALLIES FOR SOME TIME

AND THEY'RE ON THE VERGE OF SIGNING AN UNOFFICIAL SURRENDER.

MUSSOLINI KNOWS THIS,

AND HE ALSO KNOWS THAT WITHOUT HIS GERMAN BACKERS,

HIS FASCIST REGIME CAN'T SURVIVE.

Narrator: ANY SATISFACTION

GENERAL EISENHOWER FEELS OVER THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN

IS OVERSHADOWED BY TWO GRAVE CONCERNS.

CAN HE PREVENT THE GERMAN SS

FROM MAKING A BLOODY LAST STAND IN THE BAVARIAN ALPS?

AND, MORE URGENTLY,

CAN HE SECURE A TRUCE WITH THE GERMAN COMMAND IN HOLLAND

SO HE CAN START AIRLIFTING IN FOOD

TO ALLEVIATE THE GROWING FAMINE?

WHAT EISENHOWER DOESN'T KNOW IS THAT IN HOLLAND,

TWO CANADIANS, FARLEY MOWAT AND KEN COTTAM,

HAVE ALREADY EMBARKED ON A DANGEROUS SECRET MISSION

BEHIND ENEMY LINES.

THESE TWO OFFICERS ARE ATTEMPTING TO SPEED UP THE TRUCE

THAT WILL MEAN FOOD FOR THE STARVING DUTCH.

Mowat: UNLIKELY AS IT MAY SEEM,

I'M PRESENTLY SITTING IN A VERY LARGE GREENHOUSE.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS THE RESISTANCE HEADQUARTERS.

WHO WOULD HAVE CONCEIVED

OF PUTTING THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN A GREENHOUSE?

CLEVER, REALLY, AS IT IS SURELY THE LAST PLACE

THE GERMANS WOULD HAVE LOOKED FOR IT.

THOUGH WITH ALL THE GLASS BEING RATTLED

BY THE THUMP OF GRENADES EXPLODING NEARBY,

I'M BEGINNING TO WISH I WAS BACK IN THE GERMANS' CAMP.

Narrator: THE DAY BEFORE,

THE TWO CANADIANS HAD DRIVEN ACROSS NO‐MAN'S LAND

TO MEET THE GERMAN COMMANDER‐IN‐CHIEF,

GENERAL BLASKOWITZ.

Mowat: IT WAS VERY SCARY DRIVING INTO GERMAN‐OCCUPIED TERRITORY

BEFORE THE TRUCE WAS ESTABLISHED.

YOU REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL WAS GONNA HAPPEN.

BUT IT WAS ALSO WILDLY EXHILARATING.

IF YOU HAD ENOUGH RUM IN YOU,

AND I ALWAYS MADE SURE THAT I DID,

YOU COULD MANAGE IT ALRIGHT.

I WOULD HATE TO HAVE DONE IT SOBER.

ONCE OR TWICE WE RAN INTO GERMAN COLUMNS.

ONE WAS AN SS COLUMN IN THEIR BLACK UNIFORMS,

LOOKING VERY, VERY FRIGHTENING.

THE RECOGNITION OF THE FACT THAT THIS WASN'T A GERMAN CAR

AND IT WASN'T FILLED WITH GERMAN SOLDIERS

CAME OVER THESE GUYS...

IT WAS LIKE A COMIC FILM.

YOU COULD ALMOST SEE THE EXPRESSIONS

CHANGE IN THEIR FACE.

MAYBE THEY WERE JUST TOO SURPRISED.

Narrator: MOWAT AND COTTAM

SURVIVE THE HARROWING TRIP TO THE GERMAN HQ

AND ARE DELIVERED AT GUNPOINT TO THE ICY GERMAN COMMANDER,

GENERAL BLASKOWITZ.

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND]

THE TWO OFFICERS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT.

ONE FALSE MOVE, AND THEY COULD BE SHOT.

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND]

BUT IT APPEARS THE GERMANS RESPECT THEIR NERVE.

Mowat: THE GERMANS FED US HUGE PLATES OF ARMY STEW,

WHICH THEY THEN APOLOGIZED FOR BECAUSE IT WAS MAINLY HORSE.

THINGS ARE TOUGH ALL OVER!

PERHAPS TO COMPENSATE, THEY THEN PLIED US WITH PLUM BRANDY.

AS KEN SPOKE FLUENT GERMAN,

WE DECIDED HE SHOULD BE THE ONE TO TALK TO THE GENERAL.

[CHUCKLES]

THEY WERE VERY COURTEOUS.

THERE WAS A LOT OF SALUTING, INTRODUCING ONE TO ANOTHER.

OH, AND I REMEMBER ONE GUY, HE WOULD BE AN OBERLEUTNANT,

WHO GOT VERY FRIENDLY

AND PRODUCED HIS SISTER'S PHOTOGRAPH FROM HIS HANDBOOK,

FROM HIS POCKETBOOK,

AND SHOWED IT TO ME AND SAID, "IS SHE NOT LOVELY?"

I SAID, "YES, YES, SHE'S BEAUTIFUL."

"WHEN YOU'RE IN DRESDEN, YOU MAY LOOK HER UP."

I DIDN'T DO IT, OF COURSE,

BUT NEVER MIND, IT WAS A NICE THOUGHT.

Narrator: A BOTTLE OF BRANDY LATER,

COTTAM AND GENERAL BLASKOWITZ RETURN.

HE HAS AGREED TO A TRUCE.

BUT THEY CAN'T COUNT THIS AS A SUCCESS JUST YET.

THE TRUCE STILL HAS TO GO UP THE LINE

TO THE GERMAN HIGH COMMAND.

BLASKOWITZ HAS TAKEN A HUGE RISK.

Mowat: HE MUST HAVE PERSUADED BLASKOWITZ

THAT THE TRUCE WAS INEVITABLE

AND THAT IF HE MOVED NOW,

HE WOULD GAIN SOME BROWNIE POINTS.

SO THE STORY IS THAT THAT LITTLE EXPEDITION OF OURS

MAY HAVE SHORTENED THE WAR IN HOLLAND BY A DAY OR TWO.

MAYBE.

I REALLY THOUGHT WHEN WE WENT IN THERE,

THAT COTTAM HAD BITTEN OFF MORE THAN HE COULD CHEW.

Mowat: WHEN WE LEFT GENERAL BLASKOWITZ' HEADQUARTERS,

I THOUGHT WE'D BE HEADING BACK TO OUR OWN SIDE.

BUT NOT KEN.

WE WENT THE OTHER WAY, TO AMSTERDAM,

DEEP INSIDE NAZI‐OCCUPIED TERRITORY,

WHERE WE MADE CONTACT WITH THE LOCAL RESISTANCE GROUP.

KEN AND COLONEL MICHELS, THEIR LEADER,

WERE NOW TRYING TO RADIO NEWS OF THE TRUCE

BACK TO OUR OWN HEADQUARTERS AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.

Narrator: TIME IS RUNNING OUT

FOR THE THOUSANDS OF STARVING DUTCH.

THE TRUCE NEGOTIATED WITH GENERAL BLASKOWITZ

MUST BE APPROVED BY BOTH SIDES.

MOWAT AND COTTAM CAN ONLY SIT AND WAIT.

[AIR RAID SIREN]

Narrator: MILLIONS OF SOVIET SOLDIERS,

BACKED BY THOUSANDS OF TANKS, ROCKETS, AND AIRCRAFT,

ARE REDUCING THE GERMAN CAPITAL TO RUBBLE.

THEY'VE CONQUERED THREE QUARTERS OF THE CITY.

VASILY USTUGOV AND HIS COMRADES BATTLE FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE

AS THEY MOVE EVER CLOSER TO THE GOAL:

THE REICHSTAG.

BUT IT'S A MISSION THAT COMES AT A HIGH COST.

ON AVERAGE, OVER THESE TEN DAYS,

THE RUSSIANS WILL SUFFER TWELVE CASUALTIES

EVERY SINGLE MINUTE.

MANY SOVIET SOLDIERS,

FUELED BY ALCOHOL, A HATRED OF THE GERMANS,

AND A DESIRE FOR REVENGE,

UNLEASH A FRENZY OF KILLING, LOOTING, AND RAPING.

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS HITLER AND WHAT HE DID IN RUSSIA

WAS QUITE OBVIOUS.

THE ATROCITIES HIS ARMY COMMITTED AGAINST CIVILIANS

WERE TERRIBLE.

THEY BURNED, BOMBED, AND EXECUTED CIVILIANS

IN GREAT NUMBERS.

THEY KILLED ABOUT 18.5 MILLION CIVILIANS.

I AM OFTEN ASKED ABOUT HOW WE TREATED THE LOCALS,

ESPECIALLY THE WOMEN.

I CAN'T SAY BEYOND A SHADOW OF DOUBT

THAT NOBODY DID ANYTHING WRONG,

ESPECIALLY IN THE REARGUARD.

BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT OUR COMMANDER,

GENERAL ZHUKOV,

WAS NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON TO LET HIS TROOPS GO WILD.

OUR ORDERS WERE VERY STRICT

AND WE WERE VERY CLOSELY SUPERVISED

BY POLITICAL AND COUNTERINTELLIGENCE OFFICERS.

IF SOMEONE GOT CAUGHT, THEY WERE SEVERELY PUNISHED.

THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ISOLATED INSTANCES IN THE BATTALION,

BUT IN MY PLATOON, I NEVER WITNESSED ANY OF THIS.

Narrator: GERDA PETERSOHN

IS HIDING FROM THE RUSSIANS IN A CELLAR

WITH HER FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS.

Petersohn: DURING THE DAY IT WAS VERY QUIET OUTSIDE.

YOU HEARD NOTHING.

THERE HAVE BEEN NO SOLDIERS, NO NOTHING WAS AROUND US.

AND IT WAS SO QUIET, AND SUDDENLY IN THE AFTERNOON,

THE FIRST TANK WE HEARD ROLLING ALONG THE STREET.

AND WE ALL HAD BEEN QUIET IN OUR CELLAR, SITTING THERE,

DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WOULD COME.

AND THEN, QUIET AGAIN.

AND SUDDENLY, SOMETHING SHOOTING...

I DON'T KNOW WHAT.

AND THE FIRST RUSSIAN WORD‐‐ "STOI!"

[MACHINE GUN FIRE]

I WILL NEVER FORGET

THE FIRST RUSSIAN SOLDIER I SAW, SOVIET SOLDIER I SAW,

IN OUR SMALL DOOR OF OUR CELLAR.

IT WAS A MONGOL.

I STILL SEE HIM.

[BABY CRYING]

Narrator: THE RUSSIANS GRAB

WHATEVER OF VALUE THEY CAN LAY THEIR HANDS ON

AND TAKE AWAY THE ONLY TWO MEN IN THE GROUP.

BUT PRISONERS AND TRINKETS ARE NOT ALL THEY ARE AFTER.

AS THE RUSSIANS RAMPAGE THROUGH BERLIN,

SOME 50 FEET BELOW THE CITY,

HITLER COMPARES HIMSELF TO HIS HERO,

FREDERICK THE GREAT OF PRUSSIA.

HE WAITS IN VAIN FOR HIS ARMIES TO SAVE THE REICH

FROM THE BARBARIANS.

YESTERDAY HE TURNED DOWN AN ESCAPE PLAN

FROM GENERAL WEIDLING,

THE COMMANDER OF THE BERLIN GARRISON.

HAVING CUT HIMSELF OFF FROM REALITY,

HE REFUSES TO FLEE.

HE WANTS TO FALL HEROICALLY AT THE HEAD OF HIS TROOPS.

WITH HIS ARMIES DEFEATED AND IN TATTERS,

IT IS YET ANOTHER SIGN OF HIS WEAK GRASP OF THE SITUATION.

ROCHUS MISCH, HIS TELEPHONE OPERATOR,

IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE LEFT IN THE BUNKER.

HE BEGINS TO FEAR FOR HIS OWN LIFE.

Misch: I THOUGHT I'D NEVER GET OUT OF THERE ALIVE.

IT WAS LIKE A CONCRETE COFFIN FOR ME,

THE DEATH CHAMBER I COULD NO LONGER LEAVE.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE BUNKER.

[AIR RAID SIREN]

[DOG BARKING]

Narrator: APRIL 28TH.

TEN DAYS TO VICTORY.

THE RESISTANCE DRAG MUSSOLINI AND HIS MISTRESS

FROM THE FARMHOUSE WHERE THEY WERE HELD OVERNIGHT.

THE PLAN IS TO TAKE THEM TO MILAN

TO STAND TRIAL FOR THEIR CRIMES.

URBANO LAZZARO,

THE YOUNG ANTI‐FASCIST WHO ARRESTED MUSSOLINI,

IS DISMAYED BY THIS TURN OF EVENTS.

Lazzaro: I ONLY FOUND OUT LATER WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

IF I HAD BEEN THERE, I WOULD NOT HAVE AGREED TO THE KILLING.

I WANTED A PUBLIC TRIAL...

THEN, OF COURSE, A DEATH SENTENCE.

BUT EVERYTHING DONE LEGALLY, PROPERLY, AND FAIRLY.

I WANTED A RETURN TO THE RULE OF LAW.

Narrator: THE RESISTANCE TAKE THE BODIES

OF MUSSOLINI, CLARA PETACCI, AND OTHER FASCISTS TO MILAN.

PEOPLE VENT THE HATRED THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED TO EXPRESS

WHEN THE DICTATOR WAS IN POWER.

FOR HISTORIANS, HOW MUSSOLINI DIED

IS ONE OF THE GREAT CONTROVERSIES OF THE WAR.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DEBATE

OVER THE EXACT DETAILS OF MUSSOLINI'S EXECUTION.

AND ONLY RECENTLY THERE HAVE BEEN NEW CLAIMS

THAT THEY WERE IN FACT KILLED BY TWO ITALIANS

WORKING FOR BRITISH INTELLIGENCE,

THE PARTISANS THEN CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY

FOR POLITICAL GAIN.

THE REASON, APPARENTLY, WAS THAT MUSSOLINI

HAD SOME COMPROMISING LETTERS FROM CHURCHILL

OFFERING HIM A SEPARATE PEACE OF THE ALLIES.

IF THIS HAS BEEN TRUE,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS BREACH OF THE ALLIES' AGREEMENT

TO SEEK ONLY THE UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER OF ALL AXIS POWERS.

WHEN MUSSOLINI'S GOVERNMENT COLLAPSED, OF COURSE,

CHURCHILL HAD TO GET THOSE LETTERS BACK

IN CASE THE DESPERATE DICTATOR

WAS TEMPTED TO USE THEM AS BLACKMAIL.

Narrator: THAT SAME DAY,

IN THE MIDDLE OF A GREENHOUSE IN NAZI‐OCCUPIED AMSTERDAM,

FARLEY MOWAT WAITS FOR NEWS

OF THE FIRST FOOD AIRLIFT TO TAKE OFF FROM ENGLAND.

HE HOPES THEIR HARD‐WON TRUCE WITH THE GERMANS

HAS OPENED THE WAY FOR THE BADLY NEEDED HUMANITARIAN RELIEF.

Mowat: "LAST NIGHT WE RECEIVED CONFIRMATION

THAT THE CEASE‐FIRE WE NEGOTIATED WITH THE GERMANS

IS NOW OFFICIAL.

THE CELEBRATIONS WENT ON ALL NIGHT.

THE ENTIRE POPULACE

IS CELEBRATING THE COMING LIBERATION

FROM A DIET OF POTATOES AND TULIP BULBS.

NOW ALL THEY HAVE TO AGREE

ARE HOW AND WHERE THE FOOD IS TO BE DELIVERED."

Narrator: BUT THEIR EFFORTS ARE NOW FRUSTRATED

BY POWERS BEYOND THEIR CONTROL.

Michels: IT JUST CAME IN OVER THE WIRE.

IT'S NOT GOOD NEWS.

THE FOOD DROP HAS BEEN POSTPONED.

BAD WEATHER IN ENGLAND.

Mowat: THAT'S TYPICAL.

Narrator: IN HOLLAND, THE WAR ENDS IN A WAVE OF BITTER RETRIBUTION.

THE DUTCH RESISTANCE SHOWS NO MERCY

FOR THOSE WHO COLLABORATED WITH THE GERMANS.

THOSE CAUGHT ARE SEVERELY PUNISHED BY THE RESISTANCE

FOR BETRAYING THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS.

[SCREAM AND GUNSHOT]

Mowat: AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF THOUSANDS

DID END UP IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS

AS A RESULT OF BEING BETRAYED BY COLLABORATORS.

SOME COLLABORATORS WERE SHOT ARBITRARILY.

MOST WERE DEALT WITH IN MUCH LESSER VIOLENT FASHION,

BUT THEY WERE IDENTIFIED,

THEIR BELONGINGS WERE SEIZED,

A LOT OF THEM HAD EQUIPMENT THEY'D GOT THROUGH...

STOLEN THROUGH THEIR CONTACTS WITH THE GERMAN ARMY.

SO IT WAS A KIND OF A REVENGE OPERATION.

Narrator: AS THE GERMAN CAPITAL

BRACES ITSELF FOR THE FINAL RECKONING,

EVERY DAY THE WAR DRAGS ON BRINGS MORE PAIN AND SUFFERING.

WITH MOST OF THE MEN AWAY FIGHTING OR DEAD,

THE WOMEN OF BERLIN ARE IN CONTINUAL DANGER

FROM THE SOVIET INVADERS.

MARAUDING SOLDIERS KICK IN THEIR DOORS.

IF THEY MUST GO OUT,

THEY MAKE THEMSELVES AS UNATTRACTIVE AS POSSIBLE

BY DIRTYING THEIR FACES.

GERDA AND HER FAMILY FIND OUT THE HARD WAY,

IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK.

Petersohn: MY SISTER‐IN‐LAW,

SHE LIVED WITH HER PARENTS SEVERAL STREETS AWAY FROM US.

SHE WAS BROUGHT TO US,

AND SHE WAS HURT HERE, AT HER THROAT,

BECAUSE THE NIGHT BEFORE,

SHE WAS RAPED SEVERAL TIMES BY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS,

AND HER PARENTS AND SHE DECIDED TO END THEIR LIVES

AND WENT UP TO HANG THEMSELVES.

AND BOTH PARENTS SOON HAVE BEEN DEAD,

BUT SHE WAS SAVED BY A NEIGHBOR

AND BROUGHT TO US.

[SOLDIERS SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

Narrator: 29TH OF APRIL.

IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, WITH NINE DAYS TO GO,

A MYSTERIOUS VISITOR APPEARS IN THE FUHRER'S BUNKER.

Misch: HE WAS A COMPLETE STRANGER,

NOT SOMEONE WHO CAME TO MEETINGS.

MY FRIEND TOLD ME

THAT HE WAS AN OFFICIAL FROM THE REGISTRY OFFICE.

THE FUHRER WAS GOING TO GET MARRIED.

I WAS TAKEN ABACK AND SAID "WHAT?"

AND HE SAID, "YES, THE FUHRER IS GOING TO MARRY."

Narrator: IN THE VERY EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING,

WITH THE RUSSIAN ARMY ONLY A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY

AND THE BUNKER SHAKING FROM NEARBY EXPLOSIONS,

HITLER AND EVA BRAUN ARE MARRIED.

WHILE HITLER WAS IN HIS GLORY, HE DISMISSED MARRIAGE.

HIS BRIDE WAS GERMANY.

BUT EVA BRAUN,

A PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANT FROM BAVARIA, HAS STUCK BY HIM.

EVEN KNOWING THE DANGER,

SHE'S CHOSEN TO COME TO THE BUNKER

AND REFUSES TO LEAVE.

AFTER YEARS OF LIVING IN THE SHADOWS AS HIS MISTRESS,

SHE'S FINALLY WON WHAT SHE HAS ALWAYS WANTED:

RECOGNITION.

SHORTLY AFTERWARDS,

HITLER DICTATES HIS LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

IN IT HE BLAMES THE WAR AND GERMANY'S DEFEAT ON THE JEWS

AND HE EXHORTS THE GERMAN PEOPLE

TO KEEP TO THE PRINCIPLES OF NATIONAL SOCIALISM,

ESPECIALLY ITS RACIAL LAWS.

HE ASSURES HIS PEOPLE THAT THEIR SIX‐YEAR STRUGGLE

WILL ONE DAY BE RECOGNIZED

AS "THE MOST GLORIOUS AND VALIANT MANIFESTATION

OF A NATION'S WILL TO EXIST."

HE APPOINTS GRAND ADMIRAL DOENITZ

TO SUCCEED HIM AS GERMANY'S LEADER,

TO CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE.

NOT EVEN THE DEATH OF ADOLF HITLER

WILL END THE WAR.

IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE 29TH OF APRIL,

IN NORTHWEST GERMANY,

MONTGOMERY'S GUNS BEGIN POUNDING THE TOWN OF LAUENBURG

ACROSS THE ELBE RIVER.

THEY PROVIDE COVER FOR BRITISH COMMANDOS

TO CROSS OVER AND TAKE THE TOWN.

FROM THERE, THEY WILL BLAZE THEIR WAY TO THE BALTIC SEA.

CROSSING THE RIVER,

CLIFF MORRIS AND NUMBER 6 COMMANDO UNIT

COME UNDER HEAVY FIRE FROM GERMAN MACHINE GUNS.

IT'S ONE OF THE FIERCEST LINES OF RESISTANCE STILL LEFT.

WITH THE WAR NEARLY OVER,

NO ONE WANTS TO BE AMONG THE LAST TO BE KILLED.

[SCREAMING]

Narrator: HAVING CROSSED THE ELBE RIVER,

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WANTS THEIR TROOPS TO PUSH EAST

TO STRENGTHEN THEIR INFLUENCE OVER POST‐WAR EUROPE.

THE BRITISH NOW SEE THE ADVANCING SOVIET ARMY

AS A GREATER THREAT THAN THE GERMANS,

WHO ARE BEING DEFEATED ON ALL FRONTS.

THE RUSSIANS WERE PLAYING A DIFFERENT GAME

TO WHAT THE ALLIES WERE.

ALTHOUGH IT WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY

THAT I DON'T THINK WE COULD HAVE ACHIEVED THE SUCCESS WE HAD

IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE RUSSIANS.

THE RUSSIANS SUFFERED BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY CAVALIER‐‐

PHENOMENAL CASUALTIES IN THEIR OPERATIONS

ON THE EASTERN FRONT.

Narrator: THE WESTERN ALLIES

ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE OF EASTERN EUROPE

IN EXCHANGE FOR THE SOVIETS

TAKING THE LION'S SHARE OF THE CASUALTIES.

BUT THIS MEANS LITTLE TO THE MEN OF COMMANDO UNIT 6.

ALL THEY KNOW IS THAT EACH MINUTE THEY CAN STAY ALIVE

BRINGS THEM THAT MUCH CLOSER TO THE END OF THE WAR.

AS THE BRITISH COMMANDOS ENTER THE TOWN OF LAUENBURG,

THERE ARE SIGNS OF AN EARLIER BATTLE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE GERMAN ARMY

HAS ABANDONED LAUENBURG TO THE ALLIES.

PERHAPS THEY DON'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT

BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND SOVIET FORCES

RACING EACH OTHER TOWARDS THE BALTIC SEA.

WHEN WE ARRIVED,

WE SPOTTED THE SITUATION

AND WE SPREAD OUT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ROADS

AND WE HAMMERED ON EACH DOOR AS WE WENT PAST IT

AND SAID THE MILITARY'S HERE.

WE TOLD THEM TO STAY INSIDE AND THEY WOULDN'T GET SHOT.

Narrator: AGAINST THE THUNDER AND CHAOS OF THE WAR,

THE STILLNESS OF THE TOWN IS UNNERVING.

MORRIS'S TRAINING TELLS HIM NEVER TO TRUST THE SILENCE.

[SNEEZE]

Morris: WHO'S THERE?

I'VE GOT A HAND GRENADE.

HAND GRENADE!

[CLANKING]

Narrator: WHILE COMMANDO CLIFF MORRIS AND HIS COMRADES

BATTLE THEIR WAY NORTH TO THE BALTIC,

AMERICAN PARATROOPER CLANCY LYALL

OF THE 101st AIRBORNE DIVISION IS TRAVELING SOUTH.

HE IS ON HIS WAY TO A SHOWDOWN

WITH AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF HITLER'S ELITE SS TROOPS

IN THE ALPS.

EN ROUTE, THEY'LL STUMBLE UPON THE MOST HORRIFIC SECRET

OF THE NAZI REGIME.