1 00:00:01,710 --> 00:00:04,003 [intense music] 2 00:00:05,172 --> 00:00:07,716 - By the late fall of 1943, 3 00:00:07,758 --> 00:00:09,927 the Western Allies and the Soviet Union 4 00:00:09,968 --> 00:00:13,138 have dealt the Third Reich multiple blows. 5 00:00:13,180 --> 00:00:15,349 The Allies have dislodged the Germans 6 00:00:15,390 --> 00:00:17,559 from North Africa and Sicily, 7 00:00:17,601 --> 00:00:20,521 and are fighting their way up the Italian boot. 8 00:00:20,562 --> 00:00:21,855 While the Red Army, 9 00:00:21,897 --> 00:00:24,775 after victories at Stalingrad and Kursk, 10 00:00:24,816 --> 00:00:27,778 pushes West towards Germany. 11 00:00:27,945 --> 00:00:30,072 The next step for the Allies 12 00:00:30,113 --> 00:00:34,076 is the long anticipated invasion of Northern Europe. 13 00:00:34,910 --> 00:00:36,161 [intense music] 14 00:00:36,161 --> 00:00:38,121 - All wars change the world, 15 00:00:38,121 --> 00:00:40,165 but none of them changed the world like 16 00:00:40,207 --> 00:00:41,333 the Second World War did. 17 00:00:42,584 --> 00:00:43,794 - Japan's on the march. 18 00:00:43,835 --> 00:00:45,212 Germany's on the march. 19 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:47,965 - No one can imagine the nightmare 20 00:00:48,006 --> 00:00:49,258 they're about to unleash 21 00:00:50,175 --> 00:00:53,178 the most destructive war in human history. 22 00:00:53,220 --> 00:00:56,098 - Suddenly the world is turned upside down 23 00:00:56,139 --> 00:00:57,849 and all hell is let loose. 24 00:00:57,891 --> 00:00:59,726 [intense music] 25 00:00:59,768 --> 00:01:02,688 - The West is stunned by the speed of the advance. 26 00:01:04,063 --> 00:01:07,276 - You get the Allies led by The Big Three, 27 00:01:07,317 --> 00:01:09,820 Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, 28 00:01:09,861 --> 00:01:14,533 men who are dealing with immensely complicated questions. 29 00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:18,829 - It's the biggest military operation of human history. 30 00:01:18,996 --> 00:01:21,081 - The Allies have to come together, 31 00:01:21,123 --> 00:01:23,792 not just militarily, but industrial scale. 32 00:01:23,834 --> 00:01:26,003 It's a global perspective. 33 00:01:26,003 --> 00:01:26,920 - They have to fight 34 00:01:26,962 --> 00:01:28,797 in every climate from the Arctic 35 00:01:28,839 --> 00:01:31,008 to the jungles of the Pacific, 36 00:01:31,049 --> 00:01:32,593 to the deserts of Africa, 37 00:01:32,634 --> 00:01:34,094 and the depths of the ocean. 38 00:01:34,136 --> 00:01:37,014 [intense music] 39 00:01:37,055 --> 00:01:40,309 - But there was no certainty of victory. 40 00:01:40,350 --> 00:01:43,353 It was going to be a horrific bloodbath. 41 00:01:43,395 --> 00:01:45,522 - We see humans at their absolute worst, 42 00:01:45,564 --> 00:01:47,899 how they treat other human beings, 43 00:01:47,941 --> 00:01:50,027 and we see them at their absolute best, 44 00:01:50,068 --> 00:01:52,654 willing to give their lives that others might live. 45 00:01:52,696 --> 00:01:54,656 - World War II was a struggle 46 00:01:54,698 --> 00:01:59,119 in which there could be one victor and one vanquished. 47 00:01:59,161 --> 00:02:01,872 [intense music] 48 00:02:03,790 --> 00:02:05,917 [explosion blasting] 49 00:02:05,959 --> 00:02:08,669 [air siren wailing] 50 00:02:15,636 --> 00:02:17,137 [plane engine buzzing] 51 00:02:17,304 --> 00:02:19,723 [intense music] 52 00:02:19,765 --> 00:02:21,266 - [Reporter] Rings over the mountains by Baghdad 53 00:02:21,308 --> 00:02:22,768 and the Dead Sea. 54 00:02:22,893 --> 00:02:24,645 Three planes from the supreme headquarters of Britain, 55 00:02:24,686 --> 00:02:26,647 the United States, and the USSR 56 00:02:26,688 --> 00:02:28,440 bring to the capital of Persia the leaders 57 00:02:28,482 --> 00:02:30,108 of the war against Germany. 58 00:02:30,150 --> 00:02:31,568 This is for the three-way conference 59 00:02:31,610 --> 00:02:34,446 so long expected, so often postponed. 60 00:02:34,488 --> 00:02:37,240 [intense music] 61 00:02:38,992 --> 00:02:41,203 - Tehran is a hugely important conference. 62 00:02:41,244 --> 00:02:44,331 It's the first time The Big Three get together in person. 63 00:02:44,373 --> 00:02:47,918 You've got Joe Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union. 64 00:02:47,959 --> 00:02:50,712 You've got Roosevelt, President of the USA. 65 00:02:50,754 --> 00:02:52,714 And you've got Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 66 00:02:52,756 --> 00:02:55,384 the warlord of the British Empire. 67 00:02:55,425 --> 00:02:57,928 This is the central organizing brain 68 00:02:57,969 --> 00:02:59,930 for the Allied War effort, 69 00:02:59,971 --> 00:03:02,557 and they're gonna establish at this conference 70 00:03:02,599 --> 00:03:04,643 the roadmap, the blueprint 71 00:03:04,685 --> 00:03:06,395 for how they're gonna defeat the axis 72 00:03:06,436 --> 00:03:07,813 in the Second World War. 73 00:03:07,854 --> 00:03:10,065 [guns blasting] 74 00:03:10,107 --> 00:03:12,275 - [Tom] Since the US entry into the war, 75 00:03:12,317 --> 00:03:14,861 American and British military strategists 76 00:03:15,028 --> 00:03:17,531 have debated the best way to defeat Nazi Germany. 77 00:03:18,740 --> 00:03:20,158 - The British wanna prosecute this war 78 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,285 as they have prosecuted past ones, 79 00:03:22,327 --> 00:03:25,455 mastery of the sea, control of commerce, 80 00:03:25,497 --> 00:03:27,499 raids around the periphery 81 00:03:27,666 --> 00:03:30,127 until the enemy simply collapses. 82 00:03:30,168 --> 00:03:32,045 [guns blasting] 83 00:03:32,087 --> 00:03:33,547 - [Tom] The British advocate 84 00:03:33,588 --> 00:03:36,383 for campaigns in North Africa and the Mediterranean, 85 00:03:36,425 --> 00:03:39,886 but American military leaders, along with the Soviets, 86 00:03:39,928 --> 00:03:42,097 want the Allies to directly attack. 87 00:03:42,139 --> 00:03:43,557 [guns blasting] 88 00:03:43,598 --> 00:03:44,808 - The Red Army's been carrying 89 00:03:44,975 --> 00:03:46,935 the burden of the land war for years. 90 00:03:46,977 --> 00:03:48,186 [explosion blasting] 91 00:03:48,228 --> 00:03:50,147 Millions, literally millions 92 00:03:50,188 --> 00:03:52,441 of casualties on a thousand-mile front. 93 00:03:53,567 --> 00:03:55,569 And so to the big concern for Stalin 94 00:03:55,610 --> 00:03:58,447 is when are you going to open a second front? 95 00:03:58,488 --> 00:04:00,657 [intense music] 96 00:04:00,824 --> 00:04:02,284 - So the Americans are looking at the map 97 00:04:02,284 --> 00:04:04,327 and saying, "We can cross the channel 98 00:04:04,369 --> 00:04:06,371 from Britain, hit France. 99 00:04:06,413 --> 00:04:08,123 Why wouldn't you just do that?" 100 00:04:08,165 --> 00:04:09,374 [intense music] 101 00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:10,750 - For the British Empire, 102 00:04:10,792 --> 00:04:13,044 they could think of nothing worse. 103 00:04:13,086 --> 00:04:14,504 [intense music] 104 00:04:14,546 --> 00:04:16,464 Churchill's entire generation 105 00:04:16,505 --> 00:04:19,593 of British politicians either fought in or commanded 106 00:04:19,634 --> 00:04:22,721 in the First World War and was scarred. 107 00:04:23,930 --> 00:04:25,724 And so the idea of gambling everything 108 00:04:25,766 --> 00:04:28,727 on a cross channel invasion into France, 109 00:04:28,769 --> 00:04:30,479 the exact place, by the way, 110 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:31,938 that so many terrible things happened 111 00:04:31,980 --> 00:04:34,900 in trench warfare back in the First World War, 112 00:04:35,066 --> 00:04:37,277 all that mattered was we don't do that again. 113 00:04:37,319 --> 00:04:39,780 [intense music] 114 00:04:39,821 --> 00:04:41,323 - [Dan S.] Winston Churchill is thinking, 115 00:04:41,323 --> 00:04:43,492 "Maybe we land in Greece and Yugoslavia. 116 00:04:43,533 --> 00:04:45,368 Maybe we push up through Slovenia. 117 00:04:45,410 --> 00:04:47,120 Maybe we land in Norway." 118 00:04:48,038 --> 00:04:51,333 Stalin says, "I don't care about any of this stuff. 119 00:04:51,374 --> 00:04:53,126 It's nonsense. 120 00:04:53,168 --> 00:04:56,087 Get in some ships, cross the English Channel, 121 00:04:56,129 --> 00:04:57,672 land in France, 122 00:04:57,714 --> 00:05:00,091 and open up that proper second front against the Germans." 123 00:05:01,718 --> 00:05:03,970 - If you think about Allied leadership, 124 00:05:04,012 --> 00:05:06,598 it looks as if it's The Big Three, 125 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,517 but what Roosevelt understands, 126 00:05:08,558 --> 00:05:10,310 what Stalin understands, 127 00:05:10,352 --> 00:05:13,522 and what Churchill, to his great anguish, 128 00:05:13,563 --> 00:05:15,524 is coming to understand 129 00:05:15,524 --> 00:05:18,568 is that there's only room for two people at the summit 130 00:05:18,610 --> 00:05:19,986 and that the fate of his nation 131 00:05:20,028 --> 00:05:21,613 was to be somewhat in eclipse. 132 00:05:21,655 --> 00:05:24,241 [intense music] 133 00:05:24,282 --> 00:05:27,160 - [Robert] At Tehran, the Americans and the Soviets 134 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,454 finally get their way, 135 00:05:29,496 --> 00:05:32,332 a big American-dominated invasion 136 00:05:32,374 --> 00:05:35,043 of Western Europe, Operation Overlord. 137 00:05:35,043 --> 00:05:37,087 [intense music] 138 00:05:37,128 --> 00:05:38,588 - [Tom] Operation Overlord 139 00:05:38,630 --> 00:05:40,674 will be a massive coordinated invasion 140 00:05:40,715 --> 00:05:42,884 by air, land, and sea 141 00:05:42,884 --> 00:05:45,929 scheduled to launch in May, 1944, 142 00:05:45,971 --> 00:05:47,722 a mere six months away. 143 00:05:47,722 --> 00:05:49,641 [intense music] 144 00:05:49,683 --> 00:05:53,270 If it succeeds, the Western Allies and the Red Army 145 00:05:53,311 --> 00:05:56,064 will be able to advance on Germany from two fronts. 146 00:05:57,524 --> 00:06:00,151 But who is to command this enormous effort? 147 00:06:02,153 --> 00:06:04,531 - The obvious choice is George Marshall. 148 00:06:04,573 --> 00:06:07,117 George Marshall is the army chief of staff 149 00:06:07,158 --> 00:06:10,996 and he is unquestionably the most respected military man, 150 00:06:11,037 --> 00:06:13,832 certainly in the United States and maybe even the world. 151 00:06:15,458 --> 00:06:17,961 - [Sarada] And so everybody assumes that he's gonna get it. 152 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:20,338 What becomes clear, though, 153 00:06:20,505 --> 00:06:22,090 is that Roosevelt realizes 154 00:06:22,132 --> 00:06:24,759 that he can't have Marshall out of Washington. 155 00:06:24,801 --> 00:06:27,345 He needs him too much to be sort 156 00:06:27,387 --> 00:06:30,348 of running the entire war effort. 157 00:06:31,391 --> 00:06:33,310 And so then the question is, "Who?" 158 00:06:34,769 --> 00:06:36,605 - [Dan S.] Montgomery, Churchill's star general, 159 00:06:36,646 --> 00:06:38,648 is absolutely certain 160 00:06:38,690 --> 00:06:40,525 that there is one man perfectly suited 161 00:06:40,567 --> 00:06:43,111 to be supreme commander of the Allied effort, 162 00:06:43,945 --> 00:06:46,239 and that is Montgomery himself. 163 00:06:46,281 --> 00:06:48,158 [intense music] 164 00:06:48,199 --> 00:06:50,285 - [Tom] But with the American contribution 165 00:06:50,285 --> 00:06:54,122 in men and material about to dominate the Allied effort, 166 00:06:54,164 --> 00:06:57,375 it's clear that an American must be placed in command. 167 00:06:57,417 --> 00:07:00,128 [intense music] 168 00:07:01,254 --> 00:07:04,841 President Roosevelt selects General Dwight Eisenhower, 169 00:07:04,841 --> 00:07:07,510 a protege of George Marshall 170 00:07:07,552 --> 00:07:08,887 and the successful commander 171 00:07:09,054 --> 00:07:11,097 of the campaigns in North Africa and Sicily. 172 00:07:11,264 --> 00:07:13,767 [intense music] 173 00:07:13,808 --> 00:07:15,935 - [Michel] Roosevelt sees in Eisenhower 174 00:07:15,977 --> 00:07:17,354 the kind of political skill 175 00:07:17,395 --> 00:07:20,023 and savvy that's going to be necessary 176 00:07:20,065 --> 00:07:21,733 to keep the alliance together 177 00:07:21,775 --> 00:07:23,234 and to pull off what is going to be 178 00:07:23,276 --> 00:07:25,487 one of the most high-risk military operations 179 00:07:25,528 --> 00:07:26,905 in all of human history. 180 00:07:26,946 --> 00:07:30,075 [intense music] 181 00:07:30,116 --> 00:07:31,910 - [Dan S.] At the same time, 182 00:07:31,951 --> 00:07:34,371 Eisenhower did not have a huge CV of combat experience. 183 00:07:34,412 --> 00:07:37,499 He hadn't served in France during the First World War, 184 00:07:37,666 --> 00:07:40,543 and so, many of his competitors looking around going, 185 00:07:40,585 --> 00:07:41,753 "How did this guy get the job?" 186 00:07:41,795 --> 00:07:44,172 [intense music] 187 00:07:44,214 --> 00:07:47,467 - [Sarada] British General Montgomery maybe encapsulates 188 00:07:47,509 --> 00:07:50,345 the criticism of Eisenhower when he says, 189 00:07:50,387 --> 00:07:51,846 "Nice chap, no soldier." 190 00:07:51,888 --> 00:07:54,599 [intense music] 191 00:07:59,771 --> 00:08:01,356 - [Tom] Hitler and his high command 192 00:08:01,481 --> 00:08:04,234 know the Western Allies are going to invade Northern Europe, 193 00:08:05,276 --> 00:08:08,071 but they don't know when and they don't know where. 194 00:08:08,113 --> 00:08:10,907 [intense music] 195 00:08:10,949 --> 00:08:12,659 - [Robert] Hitler is not surprised 196 00:08:12,826 --> 00:08:14,202 that an invasion is coming. 197 00:08:14,202 --> 00:08:16,871 He said so at the end of 1943. 198 00:08:16,913 --> 00:08:18,081 "They'll be here next year. 199 00:08:18,123 --> 00:08:20,291 We have to be ready to meet them." 200 00:08:20,333 --> 00:08:21,710 - In his own mind, 201 00:08:21,751 --> 00:08:25,004 he was willing this cross channel invasion 202 00:08:25,004 --> 00:08:27,048 because he said, "You know, whenever they come 203 00:08:27,090 --> 00:08:29,217 and wherever they come, we're gonna beat them." 204 00:08:29,259 --> 00:08:31,177 [intense music] 205 00:08:31,219 --> 00:08:34,722 - An amphibious Landing is a very demanding operation, 206 00:08:34,764 --> 00:08:39,184 and so he thinks he will throw his reserves to the west 207 00:08:39,227 --> 00:08:41,563 and push the Allies back into the sea. 208 00:08:42,272 --> 00:08:43,523 - [Geoffrey] He'd then be able to win the war 209 00:08:43,565 --> 00:08:44,899 by turning everything he has 210 00:08:45,066 --> 00:08:46,443 against the Soviet Union in the east. 211 00:08:46,484 --> 00:08:49,654 [intense music] 212 00:08:49,696 --> 00:08:50,613 - [Tom] Under the direction 213 00:08:50,655 --> 00:08:52,532 of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel 214 00:08:54,159 --> 00:08:55,827 the Germans accelerate the construction 215 00:08:55,869 --> 00:08:57,245 of the Atlantic Wall, 216 00:08:57,495 --> 00:08:58,997 [timber cracking] 217 00:08:59,789 --> 00:09:02,917 a network of bunkers, minefields, and beach obstacles 218 00:09:02,959 --> 00:09:06,838 stretching several thousand miles from France to Norway. 219 00:09:08,465 --> 00:09:11,801 Much of the work is performed by conscripted French labor. 220 00:09:11,843 --> 00:09:14,554 [intense music] 221 00:09:14,596 --> 00:09:16,765 - [Robert] Rommel is already a known commodity. 222 00:09:16,806 --> 00:09:19,476 He's beloved by the German people. 223 00:09:19,517 --> 00:09:22,771 He's young, he's unorthodox, he's energetic. 224 00:09:24,022 --> 00:09:25,982 He's a man very much to the Fuhrer's taste. 225 00:09:26,024 --> 00:09:26,816 He wakes up early. 226 00:09:26,858 --> 00:09:28,401 He works hard all day. 227 00:09:28,401 --> 00:09:30,195 He gets the job done. 228 00:09:31,237 --> 00:09:33,615 And choosing Rommel tells the West, 229 00:09:33,656 --> 00:09:35,200 "You've got your work cut out for you." 230 00:09:35,241 --> 00:09:37,952 [intense music] 231 00:09:43,416 --> 00:09:45,752 - [Tom] By January, Operation Overlord, 232 00:09:45,794 --> 00:09:47,378 the joint British American plan 233 00:09:47,545 --> 00:09:48,838 to invade Northwest Europe, 234 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:50,715 has been largely mapped out. 235 00:09:50,757 --> 00:09:52,217 [intense music] 236 00:09:52,342 --> 00:09:55,136 The coast of Normandy is chosen as the landing site 237 00:09:55,178 --> 00:09:59,599 because of its long, flat beaches, numerous access roads, 238 00:09:59,641 --> 00:10:02,769 and proximity to the deep water port of Cherbourg. 239 00:10:04,646 --> 00:10:07,899 When Eisenhower and his staff take control of Overlord, 240 00:10:08,066 --> 00:10:09,984 they look to expand the scale 241 00:10:10,026 --> 00:10:12,195 and scope of the entire operation. 242 00:10:13,196 --> 00:10:14,823 - [Craig] From the very beginning, 243 00:10:14,864 --> 00:10:16,241 it was clear to Eisenhower 244 00:10:16,282 --> 00:10:19,119 that a three-division invasion in northern France 245 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:20,411 would not be adequate. 246 00:10:21,871 --> 00:10:25,083 The Allies use six divisions to invade Sicily. 247 00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:27,752 - [Dan S.] Eisenhower realizes if you've got one shot at this, 248 00:10:27,794 --> 00:10:30,171 you've gotta cross this brutal stretch of water 249 00:10:30,213 --> 00:10:32,757 and land on a heavily defended coastline 250 00:10:32,799 --> 00:10:35,260 manned by one of the best armies in history, 251 00:10:35,426 --> 00:10:37,178 you need to bring overwhelming force. 252 00:10:38,012 --> 00:10:39,722 You go for the king, you best not miss. 253 00:10:39,764 --> 00:10:42,684 [intense music] 254 00:10:42,684 --> 00:10:44,144 - [Geoffrey] But he has to somehow get the Brits 255 00:10:44,185 --> 00:10:46,229 to come around and agree. 256 00:10:46,271 --> 00:10:49,190 His act of genius is to name Montgomery 257 00:10:49,232 --> 00:10:51,651 commander of the ground forces in the invasions. 258 00:10:51,693 --> 00:10:52,777 He says, "Monty, will you do this?" 259 00:10:52,819 --> 00:10:53,653 Monty says, "Yes." 260 00:10:53,695 --> 00:10:54,988 And then Eisenhower says, 261 00:10:55,029 --> 00:10:56,281 "But I think three divisions is a bit small. 262 00:10:56,322 --> 00:10:57,365 Shouldn't it be bigger?" 263 00:10:57,532 --> 00:10:58,783 Monty says, "Oh, should be much bigger." 264 00:10:59,242 --> 00:11:01,828 It's a perfect example of Eisenhower's leadership style. 265 00:11:01,870 --> 00:11:03,413 He gets buy-in from people 266 00:11:03,454 --> 00:11:05,707 and then get whatever he wants done, done. 267 00:11:05,748 --> 00:11:08,251 [intense music] 268 00:11:08,293 --> 00:11:10,712 - [Tom] Overlord increases to five beaches 269 00:11:10,753 --> 00:11:12,046 and six divisions, 270 00:11:12,088 --> 00:11:14,299 which delays the operation for a month. 271 00:11:14,465 --> 00:11:16,384 [intense music] 272 00:11:16,426 --> 00:11:18,970 - [Robert] Eisenhower knows that in delaying Overlord, 273 00:11:19,012 --> 00:11:20,597 he's running a risk, 274 00:11:20,638 --> 00:11:22,432 and the risk is he's gonna use 275 00:11:22,473 --> 00:11:23,975 that extra month for preparation. 276 00:11:24,017 --> 00:11:26,477 But, of course, so is his adversary. 277 00:11:26,519 --> 00:11:29,856 [boots clomping] 278 00:11:29,898 --> 00:11:31,232 With each passing day, 279 00:11:32,817 --> 00:11:35,445 German defenses are going to get stronger. 280 00:11:35,486 --> 00:11:36,321 [intense music] 281 00:11:39,407 --> 00:11:40,742 [intense music] 282 00:11:44,871 --> 00:11:46,247 - [Tom] Field Marshall Erwin Rommel 283 00:11:46,289 --> 00:11:48,666 believes the first 24 hours 284 00:11:48,708 --> 00:11:51,544 of the invasion will be decisive. 285 00:11:51,586 --> 00:11:52,962 He will say to an aide, 286 00:11:53,004 --> 00:11:55,715 "The fate of Germany depends on the outcome. 287 00:11:56,841 --> 00:11:58,760 For the Allies as well as Germany, 288 00:11:58,801 --> 00:12:00,762 it will be the longest day." 289 00:12:01,846 --> 00:12:03,681 - [Geoffrey] Rommel thinks that you have to defeat 290 00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:05,016 the Allied invasion 291 00:12:05,058 --> 00:12:06,643 when it comes at the water's edge. 292 00:12:06,684 --> 00:12:09,229 [intense music] 293 00:12:09,270 --> 00:12:10,605 But the thing is, there's so many points 294 00:12:10,647 --> 00:12:12,232 that the Allies can invade. 295 00:12:12,273 --> 00:12:14,525 [intense music] 296 00:12:14,567 --> 00:12:16,611 They've scattered fortifications everywhere. 297 00:12:16,653 --> 00:12:18,112 So he's like, 298 00:12:18,154 --> 00:12:20,365 "How do I take this incomplete Atlantic wall 299 00:12:20,406 --> 00:12:21,783 and fill in the gaps?" 300 00:12:21,824 --> 00:12:23,326 And the way you do it 301 00:12:23,451 --> 00:12:24,786 is you do it with things that are relatively cheap, 302 00:12:24,827 --> 00:12:26,788 like tank obstacles, like mines. 303 00:12:26,829 --> 00:12:27,747 [explosion blasting] 304 00:12:27,789 --> 00:12:29,749 [intense music] 305 00:12:29,791 --> 00:12:32,085 - [Tom] Rommel's strategy is to stop the Allies 306 00:12:32,126 --> 00:12:33,711 on the beaches. 307 00:12:33,753 --> 00:12:36,673 He can then bring in his panzers where necessary. 308 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:39,717 - [Robert] Rommel has a lot of experience 309 00:12:39,759 --> 00:12:41,052 fighting the Western powers. 310 00:12:41,094 --> 00:12:42,971 He knows this isn't gonna be easy. 311 00:12:43,012 --> 00:12:44,847 Every minute he prepares, 312 00:12:44,889 --> 00:12:47,642 he believes is a minute closer to a German victory. 313 00:12:47,642 --> 00:12:50,311 [intense music] 314 00:12:58,027 --> 00:13:00,571 - [Tom] In Britain, the Allies amass resources 315 00:13:00,613 --> 00:13:02,156 for Operation Overlord. 316 00:13:04,033 --> 00:13:07,203 The United States sends soldiers, tanks, aircraft, 317 00:13:07,203 --> 00:13:09,122 and large amounts of supplies. 318 00:13:10,957 --> 00:13:12,292 - [Geoffrey] You have to coordinate 319 00:13:12,333 --> 00:13:14,335 this massive Allied coalition, 320 00:13:14,377 --> 00:13:16,796 which by now is entirely dominated by the Americans, 321 00:13:16,838 --> 00:13:18,589 you know, on the supply side, right? 322 00:13:18,631 --> 00:13:21,968 Gotta ship over all the oil, all the material, 323 00:13:22,010 --> 00:13:22,802 all the vehicles. 324 00:13:22,844 --> 00:13:24,846 [intense music] 325 00:13:24,887 --> 00:13:28,474 - The scale of Operation Overlord is just enormous. 326 00:13:28,516 --> 00:13:32,729 You are talking about nearly 7,000 vessels involved. 327 00:13:32,770 --> 00:13:37,191 You are talking about tens of thousands of artillery pieces. 328 00:13:37,233 --> 00:13:39,986 You are talking about hundreds of thousands of men. 329 00:13:42,947 --> 00:13:44,824 But what that means is that Britain, 330 00:13:44,866 --> 00:13:46,409 for the last two and a half years, 331 00:13:46,451 --> 00:13:49,912 has just been turning into one huge great big military camp. 332 00:13:49,954 --> 00:13:52,165 [intense music] 333 00:13:52,206 --> 00:13:53,750 - [Tom] To deceive the Germans, 334 00:13:53,791 --> 00:13:56,919 the Allies devise and execute a deception plan. 335 00:13:58,212 --> 00:14:02,258 Operation Fortitude is a false army operation created 336 00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:04,594 to trick the Germans into thinking the Allies 337 00:14:04,635 --> 00:14:06,721 will land at Pas-de-Calais, 338 00:14:07,805 --> 00:14:10,349 which is the shortest root across the English Channel. 339 00:14:11,601 --> 00:14:13,436 - [Dan C.] The elements that were involved 340 00:14:13,478 --> 00:14:15,563 in trying to convince the Germans 341 00:14:15,605 --> 00:14:17,482 that the attack was coming in another place, 342 00:14:17,523 --> 00:14:21,194 another direction, another location, it's massive. 343 00:14:21,235 --> 00:14:23,738 [intense music] 344 00:14:23,905 --> 00:14:25,114 - False radio traffic. 345 00:14:25,156 --> 00:14:26,949 The creation of false armies. 346 00:14:28,117 --> 00:14:30,036 They used dummy vehicles, 347 00:14:30,078 --> 00:14:32,371 balloons, and rubber tanks, and aircraft. 348 00:14:33,623 --> 00:14:35,333 - [Geoffrey] This is all part of the deception campaign 349 00:14:35,374 --> 00:14:38,377 to keep the Germans guessing until the last second. 350 00:14:38,419 --> 00:14:41,130 [intense music] 351 00:14:42,215 --> 00:14:44,092 - [Tom] Eisenhower hopes Fortitude 352 00:14:44,133 --> 00:14:45,510 will prompt the Germans 353 00:14:45,551 --> 00:14:48,596 to concentrate their forces near Calais 354 00:14:48,638 --> 00:14:49,972 rather than Normandy. 355 00:14:50,014 --> 00:14:51,974 [intense music] 356 00:14:52,016 --> 00:14:52,975 - [Michel] The Germans have about 357 00:14:53,017 --> 00:14:54,602 three quarters of a million men 358 00:14:54,602 --> 00:14:56,479 who are poised to be able to mobilize 359 00:14:56,521 --> 00:14:58,940 to wherever the Allies invade in northern Europe. 360 00:14:59,941 --> 00:15:02,235 And so he knows that this is going to be a race. 361 00:15:02,276 --> 00:15:04,028 It's going to be the Allies over water 362 00:15:04,070 --> 00:15:05,571 and the Germans over land, 363 00:15:05,613 --> 00:15:06,948 and the Germans are always going 364 00:15:06,989 --> 00:15:10,284 to have an advantage in moving over land. 365 00:15:10,284 --> 00:15:12,495 And so Eisenhower needs to slow them down. 366 00:15:13,955 --> 00:15:16,582 The only tool that Eisenhower has at his disposal 367 00:15:18,292 --> 00:15:19,377 are the bombers. 368 00:15:19,544 --> 00:15:21,129 [intense music] 369 00:15:21,170 --> 00:15:25,216 [plane engines buzzing] 370 00:15:25,258 --> 00:15:27,552 - Eisenhower knows from previous experience 371 00:15:27,593 --> 00:15:31,556 he can't pull off an amphibious invasion and keep it ashore 372 00:15:31,597 --> 00:15:33,766 without dominance in the air. 373 00:15:33,808 --> 00:15:36,561 Unless Allied air power is there for Eisenhower, 374 00:15:36,602 --> 00:15:39,105 this landing is never gonna happen. 375 00:15:39,147 --> 00:15:40,606 [intense music] 376 00:15:40,648 --> 00:15:43,109 - [Tom] Starting in 1944, 377 00:15:43,151 --> 00:15:44,902 Allied Air Force strategy 378 00:15:44,944 --> 00:15:47,029 focuses on destroying the Luftwaffe 379 00:15:47,071 --> 00:15:49,282 so that troops can land in Normandy without fear 380 00:15:49,282 --> 00:15:50,575 of German air attacks. 381 00:15:50,616 --> 00:15:52,952 [plane engines buzzing] 382 00:15:52,994 --> 00:15:55,913 But Eisenhower also wants to hit railways 383 00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:58,958 and transportation hubs throughout France. 384 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,127 [intense music] 385 00:16:01,169 --> 00:16:03,212 - [Dan S.] Eisenhower wants the roads destroyed. 386 00:16:03,254 --> 00:16:05,089 He wants the bridges destroyed. 387 00:16:05,131 --> 00:16:08,134 He wants the railway yards destroyed. 388 00:16:08,176 --> 00:16:09,760 He does not want one German unit 389 00:16:09,802 --> 00:16:11,721 moving two miles down the road 390 00:16:11,721 --> 00:16:14,015 without him having to build another bridge. 391 00:16:14,056 --> 00:16:16,017 And so Eisenhower says, 392 00:16:16,058 --> 00:16:18,728 "Those very valuable bomber formations 393 00:16:18,769 --> 00:16:20,396 need to be working to my plan." 394 00:16:20,438 --> 00:16:22,565 [plane engines buzzing] 395 00:16:22,607 --> 00:16:24,358 Now, the bomber commander is like, 396 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,944 "No, we've got our own way of winning this war." 397 00:16:27,862 --> 00:16:28,654 - [Dr.Grant] Everybody wants to support 398 00:16:28,696 --> 00:16:30,406 the landings in Normandy, 399 00:16:30,448 --> 00:16:32,533 but the Allied Air Forces argue 400 00:16:32,575 --> 00:16:34,118 that the best way to do that 401 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,079 is to continue with more heavy attacks on Germany. 402 00:16:37,121 --> 00:16:40,041 [intense music] 403 00:16:40,082 --> 00:16:42,585 - [Michel] This becomes a knockdown drag out fight. 404 00:16:43,419 --> 00:16:46,672 So Eisenhower, you know, basically threatens to resign, 405 00:16:46,714 --> 00:16:49,842 if he's not given control over all the air forces. 406 00:16:49,842 --> 00:16:51,844 He's fighting day in and day out 407 00:16:51,886 --> 00:16:54,138 with the British, with the French, 408 00:16:54,180 --> 00:16:55,848 with his own bosses back in Washington 409 00:16:55,890 --> 00:16:57,642 on every little detail of the war. 410 00:16:57,683 --> 00:17:00,603 And everyone is throwing up nothing but obstructions, 411 00:17:00,603 --> 00:17:03,773 and he just doesn't have time for this anymore, right? 412 00:17:03,814 --> 00:17:05,650 He is at his wits end. 413 00:17:06,651 --> 00:17:10,363 - [Dan S.] He needs overwhelming strength to guarantee success 414 00:17:10,363 --> 00:17:11,696 because you know what? 415 00:17:11,821 --> 00:17:14,242 You've got one of history's most effective armies, 416 00:17:14,617 --> 00:17:18,119 Hitlers panzers, who will be hurled 417 00:17:18,162 --> 00:17:20,330 at those Allied landing forces 418 00:17:20,373 --> 00:17:22,040 so they can chop you down in the shallows 419 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:23,834 and turn the waters red with your blood. 420 00:17:23,876 --> 00:17:24,835 [intense music] 421 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:28,798 [intense music] 422 00:17:28,798 --> 00:17:30,091 [horn blaring] 423 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,645 - [Tom] Early spring 1944. 424 00:17:42,687 --> 00:17:45,189 Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower 425 00:17:45,231 --> 00:17:48,818 has now been given full command of all Allied air forces. 426 00:17:51,737 --> 00:17:54,282 - [Dr. Grant] In the end, he's got the air power weapon 427 00:17:54,323 --> 00:17:58,452 he needs to attack the French transportation system. 428 00:17:58,494 --> 00:18:02,123 That's roads, railways, and bridges 429 00:18:02,123 --> 00:18:04,709 that the Germans will use to move forces 430 00:18:04,750 --> 00:18:06,335 to oppose the landings. 431 00:18:06,377 --> 00:18:09,046 [intense music] 432 00:18:10,298 --> 00:18:11,924 - [Geoffrey] And so he wins, and we take that for granted, 433 00:18:11,966 --> 00:18:13,134 but it wasn't easy, you know? 434 00:18:13,175 --> 00:18:14,719 He had to like wrestle 435 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,179 with all these powerful figures and powerful egos, 436 00:18:17,346 --> 00:18:19,015 not only within the US military, 437 00:18:19,056 --> 00:18:21,017 but the British military as well. 438 00:18:22,268 --> 00:18:23,603 It's another example 439 00:18:23,603 --> 00:18:25,646 of Eisenhower's real quality as a leader. 440 00:18:25,688 --> 00:18:27,857 [plane engines buzzing] 441 00:18:27,898 --> 00:18:30,776 And so for 90 days before D-Day, 442 00:18:30,818 --> 00:18:32,945 you've got thousands of sorties. 443 00:18:34,155 --> 00:18:35,823 - [Pilot] Bombs away. 444 00:18:35,865 --> 00:18:36,824 [intense music] 445 00:18:36,866 --> 00:18:40,202 [explosion blasting] 446 00:18:40,202 --> 00:18:44,165 By P-47 and B-26 marauders 447 00:18:44,165 --> 00:18:46,667 that are flying behind the German lines 448 00:18:49,587 --> 00:18:52,632 in the Pas-de-Calais in Normandy 449 00:18:52,673 --> 00:18:55,760 is just absolutely punishing the road and rail network. 450 00:18:55,801 --> 00:18:56,886 [explosion blasting] 451 00:18:56,927 --> 00:18:59,513 [intense music] 452 00:18:59,555 --> 00:19:02,642 [explosion blasting] 453 00:19:03,893 --> 00:19:06,562 [intense music] 454 00:19:12,735 --> 00:19:14,528 - [Tom] Defending multiple fronts, 455 00:19:14,570 --> 00:19:15,946 the resources of Hitler 456 00:19:15,988 --> 00:19:18,282 and his Third Reich are stretched thin. 457 00:19:18,282 --> 00:19:20,993 [intense music] 458 00:19:22,411 --> 00:19:24,163 - [Dr. Lieb] For the Germans in 1944, 459 00:19:24,205 --> 00:19:26,791 their last big trump card are the tanks. 460 00:19:26,832 --> 00:19:28,334 [gun blasting] 461 00:19:28,376 --> 00:19:31,003 [intense music] 462 00:19:31,962 --> 00:19:34,548 [gun blasting] 463 00:19:35,758 --> 00:19:37,802 Rommel's plan is to deploy them as close 464 00:19:37,843 --> 00:19:39,720 as possible to the beaches. 465 00:19:40,971 --> 00:19:43,641 The advantage is that you can bring them in 466 00:19:43,641 --> 00:19:45,643 much quicker as reinforcements, 467 00:19:46,769 --> 00:19:50,523 but this idea runs against traditional German doctrine. 468 00:19:50,523 --> 00:19:52,024 It's totally the opposite. 469 00:19:52,066 --> 00:19:54,318 [tank motor buzzing] 470 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,655 - [Robert] The orthodox approach amongst German commanders 471 00:19:57,697 --> 00:20:01,534 is to group your tank divisions into a concentrated mass, 472 00:20:01,575 --> 00:20:03,411 let the Allies land, 473 00:20:03,452 --> 00:20:06,497 and then, as they stumble into the French interior, 474 00:20:06,539 --> 00:20:10,167 hit them at a time and place of your choosing. 475 00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:13,170 [gun blasting] 476 00:20:13,212 --> 00:20:14,797 - [Geoffrey] But Rommel says, 477 00:20:14,839 --> 00:20:16,841 "Look, realistically we can't maneuver against them 478 00:20:16,882 --> 00:20:18,092 when they come inland 479 00:20:18,134 --> 00:20:19,719 because they have total air superiority." 480 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,179 - [Dr. Lieb] The only person 481 00:20:22,304 --> 00:20:25,391 who can decide which option will be the better one 482 00:20:25,433 --> 00:20:26,600 is Hitler himself. 483 00:20:27,810 --> 00:20:31,313 But Hitler never wants to give too much power into one hand. 484 00:20:32,106 --> 00:20:33,899 - [Tom] Suspecting that the Allies 485 00:20:34,066 --> 00:20:35,526 will land near Calais, 486 00:20:35,568 --> 00:20:39,488 Hitler spreads his panzers along Northwestern France, 487 00:20:39,530 --> 00:20:42,658 but he reserves operational control for himself. 488 00:20:43,826 --> 00:20:45,745 - [Robert] They can only be released into combat 489 00:20:45,786 --> 00:20:47,121 by Hitler's express order, 490 00:20:47,163 --> 00:20:49,832 which is probably the Achilles' heel of that plan. 491 00:20:49,874 --> 00:20:52,418 [intense music] 492 00:20:56,464 --> 00:20:59,008 [horn blaring] 493 00:21:02,011 --> 00:21:04,138 - [Tom] In the spring of 1944, 494 00:21:04,180 --> 00:21:06,682 there are over two and a half million troops 495 00:21:06,682 --> 00:21:08,809 from multiple Allied nations 496 00:21:08,851 --> 00:21:10,686 crowded into Southeast England. 497 00:21:10,728 --> 00:21:13,981 [intense music] 498 00:21:14,148 --> 00:21:17,234 - The invasion would send ashore combat experienced troops 499 00:21:17,276 --> 00:21:19,653 who had participated in landings previously 500 00:21:19,695 --> 00:21:22,114 as well as troops who had never done it before. 501 00:21:22,156 --> 00:21:23,574 [intense music] 502 00:21:23,783 --> 00:21:25,534 - [Michel] So the way you prepare is you have exercises. 503 00:21:25,576 --> 00:21:28,370 You have rehearsals just like in a play. 504 00:21:28,412 --> 00:21:31,081 So a series of exercises are undertaken 505 00:21:31,081 --> 00:21:33,417 to include something called Exercise Tiger. 506 00:21:33,584 --> 00:21:36,128 [intense music] 507 00:21:41,717 --> 00:21:45,471 Exercise Tiger is going to invade a beach 508 00:21:45,513 --> 00:21:46,847 called Slapton Sands. 509 00:21:46,889 --> 00:21:50,351 And Slapton Sands is a British resort town 510 00:21:50,392 --> 00:21:53,187 that remarkably looks exactly 511 00:21:53,229 --> 00:21:55,022 like parts of the Normandy coast. 512 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,443 - [Tom] Secrecy is vital for this training mission. 513 00:21:59,443 --> 00:22:02,738 3,000 British citizens are evacuated from the area. 514 00:22:04,031 --> 00:22:06,283 - Operational security is absolutely paramount. 515 00:22:06,325 --> 00:22:09,328 The Allies have to have tactical surprise 516 00:22:09,370 --> 00:22:10,704 on the morning of D-Day, 517 00:22:10,746 --> 00:22:13,415 so the Germans must be completely blindsided. 518 00:22:13,457 --> 00:22:16,168 [guns blasting] 519 00:22:17,878 --> 00:22:20,673 - [Tom] It's a practice run for D-Day, 520 00:22:20,714 --> 00:22:23,384 but from the start, things go horribly wrong. 521 00:22:24,093 --> 00:22:26,554 Because of a breakdown in communication, 522 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,432 the navy fires on its own men. 523 00:22:32,643 --> 00:22:35,145 - [Martin] As if that tragedy wasn't bad enough, 524 00:22:35,187 --> 00:22:37,940 the next day something even worse happens. 525 00:22:38,107 --> 00:22:40,985 [intense music] 526 00:22:41,026 --> 00:22:43,404 - [Michel] In the middle of the night, the LSTs, 527 00:22:43,404 --> 00:22:46,866 these large ships that have personnel and tanks in them, 528 00:22:46,907 --> 00:22:49,493 are preparing to do their part in Exercise Tiger 529 00:22:49,535 --> 00:22:52,246 and circling about to do the second landing wave. 530 00:22:52,413 --> 00:22:53,831 And then, all of a sudden, 531 00:22:53,873 --> 00:22:56,876 a pack of German fast boats, or E-boats, 532 00:22:56,917 --> 00:22:58,711 stumbles upon these LSTs. 533 00:23:01,005 --> 00:23:02,590 - [Craig] And the Germans began firing, 534 00:23:02,631 --> 00:23:04,884 and tracer bullets are flying across the ships, 535 00:23:04,925 --> 00:23:06,343 and some of the men on board thought, 536 00:23:06,385 --> 00:23:10,306 "Wow, this is a pretty realistic exercise." 537 00:23:10,347 --> 00:23:13,392 And it wasn't really until the torpedoes began 538 00:23:13,434 --> 00:23:16,604 to explode against the sides of the LSTs 539 00:23:16,645 --> 00:23:20,107 that they realize this is not a realistic exercise. 540 00:23:20,149 --> 00:23:21,233 This is an attack. 541 00:23:21,275 --> 00:23:24,153 [intense music] 542 00:23:24,194 --> 00:23:26,530 - [Geoffrey] They sink three LSTs, 543 00:23:26,572 --> 00:23:28,240 which are really precious by this point. 544 00:23:28,282 --> 00:23:29,783 They need every one. 545 00:23:30,034 --> 00:23:34,079 - [Craig] More than 700 men were killed in Exercise Tiger. 546 00:23:34,121 --> 00:23:37,041 So this was a very costly loss of life. 547 00:23:38,626 --> 00:23:41,921 - [Michel] If a, you know, well-controlled, dress rehearsal 548 00:23:41,962 --> 00:23:44,840 goes this badly under the best of possible conditions, 549 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:46,842 what's going to happen 550 00:23:46,884 --> 00:23:50,137 when they can't just stroll ashore on a British resort town, 551 00:23:50,179 --> 00:23:51,805 but are being fired at by German guns? 552 00:23:54,892 --> 00:23:55,893 [intense music] 553 00:24:02,608 --> 00:24:04,735 - [Tom] Operation Overlord has been planned down 554 00:24:04,777 --> 00:24:06,403 to the closest detail, 555 00:24:07,363 --> 00:24:10,824 but there's one crucial element no one can anticipate, 556 00:24:12,952 --> 00:24:13,786 the weather. 557 00:24:13,827 --> 00:24:16,330 [intense music] 558 00:24:16,372 --> 00:24:17,122 - [Michel] They have a three-day window, 559 00:24:17,164 --> 00:24:19,041 June 5th to June 7th. 560 00:24:19,083 --> 00:24:22,002 If they delay the invasion past that window, 561 00:24:22,044 --> 00:24:24,630 the moon is no longer going to be right 562 00:24:24,672 --> 00:24:25,923 for the airborne operation, 563 00:24:25,965 --> 00:24:27,925 the tides are no longer going to be right 564 00:24:27,967 --> 00:24:29,677 for the landing forces, 565 00:24:29,718 --> 00:24:33,931 and this delicate ballet of air, ground, and naval forces 566 00:24:33,973 --> 00:24:37,017 won't have the necessary weather conditions 567 00:24:37,059 --> 00:24:39,353 to coordinate and hit the beach with full force. 568 00:24:39,395 --> 00:24:41,897 [intense music] 569 00:24:41,939 --> 00:24:43,232 - [Tom] Eisenhower and his staff 570 00:24:43,273 --> 00:24:45,985 rely on Group Captain James Stagg 571 00:24:46,026 --> 00:24:48,070 and his team of meteorologists 572 00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:52,366 to provide the most accurate advice possible. 573 00:24:52,408 --> 00:24:55,536 [boat motor buzzing] 574 00:25:01,041 --> 00:25:03,377 - [Michel] The weather leading up to the original D-Day 575 00:25:03,544 --> 00:25:05,087 is gorgeous, 576 00:25:05,129 --> 00:25:08,549 and it's so good that it almost feels like an omen. 577 00:25:08,882 --> 00:25:10,384 It's two days before the invasion. 578 00:25:10,426 --> 00:25:13,637 They're gearing up to launch on June 5th as scheduled, 579 00:25:13,679 --> 00:25:15,723 and James Martin Stagg comes to Eisenhower 580 00:25:15,764 --> 00:25:17,099 as part of the command conference 581 00:25:17,141 --> 00:25:20,185 and says, "There's been a turn in the weather. 582 00:25:20,227 --> 00:25:21,311 A storm is a-brewin'." 583 00:25:21,353 --> 00:25:24,648 [intense music] 584 00:25:24,690 --> 00:25:27,109 - [Paul] It's just frankly terrible news. 585 00:25:27,151 --> 00:25:29,403 15-foot waves in the channel, high winds, 586 00:25:29,445 --> 00:25:32,197 unpredictable seas, rolling fronts 587 00:25:32,239 --> 00:25:33,657 coming in from all directions, 588 00:25:33,824 --> 00:25:36,869 and it's just the last thing they can possibly deal with. 589 00:25:36,910 --> 00:25:38,829 [intense music] 590 00:25:38,871 --> 00:25:42,207 - [Dan S.] Amphibious operations are a total nightmare, 591 00:25:42,249 --> 00:25:44,084 and on top of that, the English Channel 592 00:25:44,126 --> 00:25:46,336 is a rough stretch of water. 593 00:25:46,378 --> 00:25:48,756 You get winds that howl up that channel, 594 00:25:48,797 --> 00:25:51,467 that kick up a swell, that make it impossible to operate, 595 00:25:51,508 --> 00:25:53,802 you know, ships near the coastline. 596 00:25:53,844 --> 00:25:57,639 - [Craig] Eisenhower had to consider what that meant. 597 00:25:57,681 --> 00:26:00,601 And he said, "Well, we'll postpone making a decision 598 00:26:00,642 --> 00:26:03,562 until four o'clock in the morning when you'll know more." 599 00:26:03,562 --> 00:26:06,273 [intense music] 600 00:26:06,315 --> 00:26:08,442 Four o'clock in the morning on the 4th. 601 00:26:08,442 --> 00:26:11,028 Stagg came in looking not happy 602 00:26:11,070 --> 00:26:13,197 and said "It's gonna be worse. 603 00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:17,576 We'll have to postpone until the 6th of June." 604 00:26:17,618 --> 00:26:20,537 [intense music] 605 00:26:20,579 --> 00:26:22,956 - [Paul] The pressure's really there now to, 606 00:26:22,998 --> 00:26:26,710 well, we really want to try and get this done in this window 607 00:26:26,752 --> 00:26:28,378 or they've gotta wait again 608 00:26:28,545 --> 00:26:30,964 for all the situations to coalesce, 609 00:26:31,006 --> 00:26:32,883 the weather, and the tides, and the moon. 610 00:26:32,925 --> 00:26:34,468 It might be a few weeks. 611 00:26:34,510 --> 00:26:35,469 It might be months. 612 00:26:36,303 --> 00:26:37,888 And the problem is 613 00:26:37,930 --> 00:26:40,265 you've got all these hundreds of thousands of men in camps 614 00:26:40,307 --> 00:26:43,060 who've been sharpened to this edge of ready to go in 615 00:26:43,227 --> 00:26:44,603 and get their job. 616 00:26:44,728 --> 00:26:45,729 Then, you've gotta say to them, "Actually, no, sorry lads. 617 00:26:45,771 --> 00:26:47,147 We're gonna back down again." 618 00:26:47,189 --> 00:26:49,817 [intense music] 619 00:26:51,777 --> 00:26:53,862 - [Tom] Even the Germans think the conditions 620 00:26:53,904 --> 00:26:56,240 are unsuitable for an invasion. 621 00:26:57,491 --> 00:26:59,284 - [Dr. Lieb] Rommel gets his weather report 622 00:26:59,326 --> 00:27:00,953 on the 4th of June, 623 00:27:00,994 --> 00:27:02,621 and doesn't look very good, 624 00:27:02,788 --> 00:27:05,124 and he thinks there will be no opportunities 625 00:27:05,124 --> 00:27:07,709 for the Allies to land for the coming days, 626 00:27:08,752 --> 00:27:11,588 and so he decides to go to Germany 627 00:27:11,630 --> 00:27:14,508 and celebrate his wife's birthday. 628 00:27:14,550 --> 00:27:15,884 The problem, though, is 629 00:27:16,009 --> 00:27:18,137 that the Germans don't have meteorological stations 630 00:27:18,178 --> 00:27:21,306 in the Atlantic, in contrast to the Allies. 631 00:27:21,348 --> 00:27:23,725 And where does the weather in Europe mostly come from? 632 00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:24,852 From the Atlantic. 633 00:27:24,893 --> 00:27:28,105 [intense music] 634 00:27:28,146 --> 00:27:30,440 - [Tom] Late in the evening on June 4th, 635 00:27:30,482 --> 00:27:32,192 the Allies receive a report 636 00:27:32,234 --> 00:27:34,194 from a weather station in Ireland. 637 00:27:34,236 --> 00:27:35,946 [intense music] 638 00:27:35,988 --> 00:27:37,364 - [Martin] Captain Stagg is gonna come in and go, 639 00:27:37,406 --> 00:27:39,157 "Alright, the weather conditions 640 00:27:39,199 --> 00:27:40,826 look like they're going to improve, 641 00:27:40,868 --> 00:27:44,997 such that in the afternoon on Tuesday, June 6th, 642 00:27:45,038 --> 00:27:46,290 you might be able to pull it off." 643 00:27:46,331 --> 00:27:49,001 [intense music] 644 00:27:50,210 --> 00:27:52,504 - [Tom] Eisenhower polls his commanders. 645 00:27:52,546 --> 00:27:55,132 [intense music] 646 00:27:56,216 --> 00:27:59,469 But the final decision is his alone. 647 00:28:00,804 --> 00:28:02,472 - [Martin] Eisenhower will ultimately reflect on this 648 00:28:02,514 --> 00:28:03,724 20 years afterward, 649 00:28:03,891 --> 00:28:05,893 and he'll say that he felt like the loneliest man 650 00:28:05,934 --> 00:28:07,853 in all of England. 651 00:28:08,770 --> 00:28:12,190 And what must have run through that man's mind 652 00:28:12,232 --> 00:28:14,693 was, "Well, the gliders are not gonna do well 653 00:28:14,735 --> 00:28:16,194 in winds that are this high. 654 00:28:16,236 --> 00:28:17,362 The paratroopers are all gonna be blown off course." 655 00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:19,907 [intense music] 656 00:28:19,948 --> 00:28:22,451 He had to recognize all of the things 657 00:28:22,492 --> 00:28:24,244 that are going to go wrong, 658 00:28:24,286 --> 00:28:25,704 not things that might go wrong, 659 00:28:25,746 --> 00:28:27,664 but definitely gonna go wrong. 660 00:28:27,706 --> 00:28:29,291 [intense music] 661 00:28:29,333 --> 00:28:32,044 "But at the same time, I can't come back next month. 662 00:28:32,085 --> 00:28:33,795 I can't come back in August. 663 00:28:33,837 --> 00:28:35,631 It's now or never." 664 00:28:35,839 --> 00:28:37,591 [intense music] 665 00:28:37,633 --> 00:28:38,842 - [Michel] And he is sitting there 666 00:28:38,884 --> 00:28:40,469 listening to the wind howling around, 667 00:28:41,803 --> 00:28:44,640 and he says, "Okay, let's go." 668 00:28:48,060 --> 00:28:49,561 [intense music] 669 00:28:55,484 --> 00:28:58,195 - [Tom] Operation Overlord, D-Day, 670 00:28:58,236 --> 00:29:02,199 is the largest amphibious invasion in history, 671 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,327 and it's being attempted by a coalition of many nations, 672 00:29:05,369 --> 00:29:09,081 some of which have lived under the Nazi yoke for years. 673 00:29:10,415 --> 00:29:12,876 The whole world awaits the outcome. 674 00:29:13,794 --> 00:29:16,004 - [Dr. Grant] As the invasion got closer, 675 00:29:16,046 --> 00:29:18,006 Eisenhower got more tense. 676 00:29:18,048 --> 00:29:21,051 He's smoking four packs of cigarettes a day. 677 00:29:21,093 --> 00:29:23,387 He's barely sleeping. 678 00:29:23,428 --> 00:29:24,763 - [Michel] He has nothing left to do, 679 00:29:24,763 --> 00:29:26,932 but wait to hear whether or not 680 00:29:26,974 --> 00:29:28,642 he made the right call 681 00:29:28,684 --> 00:29:30,936 in the middle of the night, sleep deprived. 682 00:29:30,978 --> 00:29:33,230 [intense music] 683 00:29:33,271 --> 00:29:35,107 But the most important thing though, I think, 684 00:29:35,148 --> 00:29:36,608 he does in that period, 685 00:29:36,650 --> 00:29:39,695 is he goes out and personally visits 686 00:29:39,736 --> 00:29:40,779 the 101st Airborne. 687 00:29:40,946 --> 00:29:43,532 [intense music] 688 00:29:45,909 --> 00:29:47,786 - [Tom] The 101st Airborne, 689 00:29:47,828 --> 00:29:49,955 along with the 82nd Airborne, 690 00:29:49,997 --> 00:29:52,249 and the British 6th Division 691 00:29:52,290 --> 00:29:55,127 will be the first to land behind enemy lines. 692 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,840 The job of the Airborne is to seize the causeways 693 00:29:59,881 --> 00:30:02,509 and cover the flanks of the landing troops. 694 00:30:03,468 --> 00:30:05,554 They will be the first soldiers 695 00:30:05,595 --> 00:30:07,639 to fight the Germans in Normandy. 696 00:30:09,725 --> 00:30:12,310 - [Michel] Eisenhower with no fanfare, 697 00:30:12,352 --> 00:30:14,730 just walks among all these young men, 698 00:30:17,274 --> 00:30:21,153 all of whom are no older, really, than his own son, 699 00:30:22,279 --> 00:30:24,573 and he makes a point 700 00:30:24,614 --> 00:30:27,159 of looking each one of them in the eye 701 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:28,201 as he shakes their hand. 702 00:30:28,243 --> 00:30:30,871 [somber music] 703 00:30:32,247 --> 00:30:34,332 He gets an estimate that about 50% 704 00:30:34,374 --> 00:30:36,334 of the paratroopers are gonna be killed. 705 00:30:38,545 --> 00:30:41,882 And so as he's shaking hands, 706 00:30:41,882 --> 00:30:45,552 every other soldier is someone who he has every reason 707 00:30:45,594 --> 00:30:47,387 to believe he has sent to their death. 708 00:30:47,429 --> 00:30:50,015 [somber music] 709 00:30:52,476 --> 00:30:54,352 The most important thing he could do in that moment 710 00:30:54,394 --> 00:30:56,396 was just be there for them. 711 00:30:56,438 --> 00:30:59,024 [men laughing] 712 00:31:01,068 --> 00:31:02,569 And he spends all night doing that, 713 00:31:02,611 --> 00:31:03,820 goes up to the roof nearby, 714 00:31:03,987 --> 00:31:05,322 watches the whole thing take off. 715 00:31:05,322 --> 00:31:07,532 [somber music] 716 00:31:07,574 --> 00:31:08,867 That's how he begins D-Day. 717 00:31:08,909 --> 00:31:11,453 [intense music] 718 00:31:18,001 --> 00:31:19,544 - [Tom] Under a full moon 719 00:31:21,046 --> 00:31:23,840 paratroopers, including The 101st Airborne, 720 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:25,967 start dropping behind enemy lines. 721 00:31:26,009 --> 00:31:27,719 [plane engines buzzing] 722 00:31:27,761 --> 00:31:30,472 [intense music] 723 00:31:32,099 --> 00:31:35,852 Before dawn landing crafts are lowered into the water, 724 00:31:35,894 --> 00:31:37,479 and troops start to board. 725 00:31:37,521 --> 00:31:40,232 [intense music] 726 00:31:42,859 --> 00:31:46,863 At sunrise, a fleet of warships launch a naval barrage. 727 00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:49,491 [guns blasting] 728 00:31:56,456 --> 00:31:58,041 - [Dan S.] Ultimately, the ground troops 729 00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:00,335 are gonna land on five beaches, 730 00:32:00,377 --> 00:32:03,088 two American beaches, Omaha and Utah, 731 00:32:04,172 --> 00:32:05,632 a Canadian beach, Juno, 732 00:32:06,925 --> 00:32:10,512 and then Gold and Sword, the British beaches. 733 00:32:12,013 --> 00:32:15,517 They're then gonna try and link up those different beaches 734 00:32:15,559 --> 00:32:18,603 and then push inland to take on and destroy 735 00:32:18,645 --> 00:32:20,522 the might of the German army in France. 736 00:32:20,564 --> 00:32:23,316 [intense music] 737 00:32:25,735 --> 00:32:27,112 - [Paul] The morning of during the trip, 738 00:32:27,154 --> 00:32:29,072 the weather patterns are still chopping about 739 00:32:29,114 --> 00:32:30,949 and the wind is still blowing. 740 00:32:30,991 --> 00:32:32,784 It's not an ideal situation 741 00:32:32,826 --> 00:32:36,037 to start plowing these boats towards the coast there. 742 00:32:36,079 --> 00:32:37,038 - [Geoffrey] Right from the jump, 743 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:38,290 the weather's a huge issue. 744 00:32:39,499 --> 00:32:41,751 I mean, there's a six foot swell on D-Day. 745 00:32:41,793 --> 00:32:44,546 [intense music] 746 00:32:45,714 --> 00:32:47,048 - [Paul] The waves are swamping over the sides. 747 00:32:47,090 --> 00:32:49,551 You're standing in freezing cold water. 748 00:32:49,593 --> 00:32:51,178 You are there with 30 other guys. 749 00:32:51,344 --> 00:32:53,555 If one vomits, you all vomit. 750 00:32:55,473 --> 00:32:57,893 Sea spray is lashing into your face there. 751 00:32:57,934 --> 00:32:58,727 You can't see. 752 00:32:58,768 --> 00:32:59,853 Your eyes are stinging. 753 00:32:59,895 --> 00:33:02,480 [somber music] 754 00:33:03,481 --> 00:33:05,275 The longer that goes on, 755 00:33:05,317 --> 00:33:07,194 the more you are thinking to yourself, 756 00:33:07,235 --> 00:33:09,988 "What is gonna happen when that ramp goes down?" 757 00:33:10,030 --> 00:33:10,947 [intense music] 758 00:33:10,989 --> 00:33:14,242 [plane engine buzzing] 759 00:33:16,161 --> 00:33:19,122 - [Tom] Omaha is the largest of the beaches, 760 00:33:19,164 --> 00:33:22,250 a strip of the Normandy coast six miles wide. 761 00:33:23,877 --> 00:33:25,921 - [Geoffrey] It's different from all the other beaches 762 00:33:25,921 --> 00:33:28,173 in that it's almost like an amphitheater. 763 00:33:28,215 --> 00:33:30,217 You know, you've got these high bluffs 764 00:33:30,258 --> 00:33:31,259 overlooking the beach, 765 00:33:31,426 --> 00:33:33,053 almost like a extended bowl. 766 00:33:33,094 --> 00:33:35,889 [intense music] 767 00:33:35,931 --> 00:33:39,643 You'd be coming in, gray skies, smoke, noise. 768 00:33:39,643 --> 00:33:41,019 Ramp would drop, 769 00:33:41,186 --> 00:33:43,271 and then there's this just absolute massive fire. 770 00:33:43,313 --> 00:33:44,189 [ramp thuds] 771 00:33:44,231 --> 00:33:46,858 [guns blasting] 772 00:33:51,279 --> 00:33:52,989 - [Col. Douds] 85 machine guns laying down 773 00:33:53,031 --> 00:33:54,616 100,000 rounds a minute. 774 00:33:54,658 --> 00:33:57,327 [guns blasting] 775 00:34:07,921 --> 00:34:10,882 [somber music] 776 00:34:10,882 --> 00:34:12,342 People start getting shot and killed. 777 00:34:12,384 --> 00:34:13,927 You see dead people floating in the water. 778 00:34:13,969 --> 00:34:17,054 [somber music] 779 00:34:17,097 --> 00:34:17,973 You're soaking wet. 780 00:34:18,014 --> 00:34:18,848 You don't run up the beach. 781 00:34:18,889 --> 00:34:20,391 You stagger up the beach. 782 00:34:21,434 --> 00:34:22,851 Guys are trying to clear obstacles. 783 00:34:22,893 --> 00:34:24,187 You're trying to move ahead. 784 00:34:24,228 --> 00:34:25,605 [plane engine buzzing] 785 00:34:25,647 --> 00:34:26,898 Your senses are overwhelmed 786 00:34:26,940 --> 00:34:28,650 with all the things going around you. 787 00:34:28,692 --> 00:34:31,444 [intense music] 788 00:34:31,485 --> 00:34:33,697 - [Paul] That first wave is getting mowed down 789 00:34:33,737 --> 00:34:34,947 in great numbers. 790 00:34:34,989 --> 00:34:37,534 It's roughly 85% killed or wounded 791 00:34:37,574 --> 00:34:39,411 in the assault waves on Omaha. 792 00:34:39,452 --> 00:34:42,871 [intense music] 793 00:34:42,914 --> 00:34:44,581 - [Craig] Eisenhower is receiving only 794 00:34:44,623 --> 00:34:46,208 intermittent reports, 795 00:34:46,251 --> 00:34:48,295 except, of course, that on Omaha Beach, 796 00:34:48,335 --> 00:34:50,255 it's not going as planned. 797 00:34:51,672 --> 00:34:54,634 While he tried to project a confident demeanor, 798 00:34:54,676 --> 00:34:56,511 you know that inside him 799 00:34:56,553 --> 00:34:59,014 he's just roiling with concern. 800 00:34:59,055 --> 00:35:01,433 [intense music] 801 00:35:01,474 --> 00:35:02,976 - [Dan C.] Failure is another Dunkirk. 802 00:35:03,018 --> 00:35:04,644 Failure's the loss of all your equipment. 803 00:35:04,686 --> 00:35:07,772 Failure is your troops being marched off into captivity. 804 00:35:08,732 --> 00:35:10,275 If everything goes wrong, 805 00:35:10,317 --> 00:35:11,526 it means a longer war. 806 00:35:12,777 --> 00:35:14,696 - [Tom] The day before the landings 807 00:35:14,738 --> 00:35:17,407 General Eisenhower, knowing the risks 808 00:35:17,449 --> 00:35:19,951 and understanding the responsibility, 809 00:35:19,993 --> 00:35:21,161 penned a brief note. 810 00:35:22,245 --> 00:35:23,705 "My decision to attack 811 00:35:23,747 --> 00:35:27,125 was based upon the best information available. 812 00:35:27,167 --> 00:35:29,252 The troops did all that bravery 813 00:35:29,294 --> 00:35:31,755 and devotion to duty could do. 814 00:35:31,796 --> 00:35:33,214 If any blame or fault is attached to the attempt, 815 00:35:33,214 --> 00:35:34,924 If any blame or fault is attached to the attempt, 816 00:35:35,842 --> 00:35:36,760 it is mine alone." 817 00:35:36,801 --> 00:35:38,553 [guns blasting] 818 00:35:38,553 --> 00:35:39,596 [plane engine buzzing] 819 00:35:42,682 --> 00:35:43,892 [intense music] 820 00:35:43,892 --> 00:35:44,768 [plane engine buzzing] 821 00:35:44,768 --> 00:35:46,102 [guns blasting] 822 00:35:49,522 --> 00:35:51,900 - [Tom] On the morning of the Normandy invasion, 823 00:35:52,067 --> 00:35:54,778 the first wave of American troops at Utah Beach 824 00:35:54,944 --> 00:35:57,989 land almost a mile south of their target, 825 00:35:59,199 --> 00:36:01,868 but quickly regroup and manage to take the beach 826 00:36:01,910 --> 00:36:02,744 and push inland. 827 00:36:02,786 --> 00:36:05,038 [men chattering] 828 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,666 The British landings at Gold and Sword beaches 829 00:36:07,707 --> 00:36:08,917 go better than expected. 830 00:36:10,919 --> 00:36:12,337 But at Juno Beach, 831 00:36:12,379 --> 00:36:14,297 the first wave of Canadian troops 832 00:36:14,464 --> 00:36:16,841 meets tough German resistance. 833 00:36:16,841 --> 00:36:19,636 [guns blasting] 834 00:36:21,513 --> 00:36:25,475 And at Omaha Beach, rough seas and intense German fire 835 00:36:25,517 --> 00:36:27,602 wreak havoc on the first American troops. 836 00:36:27,602 --> 00:36:30,271 [intense music] 837 00:36:30,313 --> 00:36:31,147 [gun blasting] 838 00:36:31,189 --> 00:36:33,108 But more men are on their way. 839 00:36:33,149 --> 00:36:36,069 [intense music] 840 00:36:36,111 --> 00:36:37,737 - [Geoffrey] The German defenders on the Atlantic wall, 841 00:36:37,904 --> 00:36:40,073 they look out that morning, 842 00:36:40,115 --> 00:36:41,449 and they're stunned by what they see. 843 00:36:41,491 --> 00:36:42,992 I mean, they see 844 00:36:43,034 --> 00:36:45,286 the biggest fleet ever gathered for an invasion. 845 00:36:45,328 --> 00:36:46,371 The Germans all talked about 846 00:36:46,413 --> 00:36:48,456 how they were so densely packed. 847 00:36:48,498 --> 00:36:51,459 It looked like you could just walk from ship to ship. 848 00:36:51,626 --> 00:36:54,129 [guns blasting] 849 00:36:55,380 --> 00:36:57,507 - [Dr, Lieb] For the average German soldier on D-Day, 850 00:36:57,549 --> 00:37:01,344 the experience is something totally new. 851 00:37:01,386 --> 00:37:03,471 [gun blasting] 852 00:37:03,513 --> 00:37:04,931 This naval bombardment- 853 00:37:04,973 --> 00:37:07,600 [gun blasting] 854 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,854 It really shakes up the psyche of the German soldiers. 855 00:37:10,895 --> 00:37:12,147 [intense music] 856 00:37:12,188 --> 00:37:13,481 [guns blasting] 857 00:37:13,481 --> 00:37:16,276 [plane engine buzzing] 858 00:37:16,317 --> 00:37:17,819 [guns blasting] 859 00:37:18,069 --> 00:37:19,904 - [Robert] There are two crucial German command failures. 860 00:37:20,363 --> 00:37:23,283 One is that Rommel isn't there. 861 00:37:23,283 --> 00:37:27,036 He's back in Germany celebrating his wife's birthday. 862 00:37:27,078 --> 00:37:28,621 When he hears that the landing has happened, 863 00:37:28,788 --> 00:37:30,749 he says something along the lines of, 864 00:37:30,790 --> 00:37:33,626 "How could I have been so stupid?" 865 00:37:33,668 --> 00:37:36,087 Even more important is Hitler. 866 00:37:36,129 --> 00:37:37,881 [intense music] 867 00:37:37,922 --> 00:37:40,091 - [Col. Douds] The morning of the invasion, June 6th, 1944, 868 00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:42,177 Adolf Hitler is asleep, 869 00:37:42,218 --> 00:37:44,304 but nobody will dare wake him up, 870 00:37:44,345 --> 00:37:47,640 even though word has come in about this invasion starting. 871 00:37:47,682 --> 00:37:51,394 - [Robert] So in the crucial five or six or seven hours 872 00:37:51,436 --> 00:37:53,438 when the Germans might have landed 873 00:37:53,480 --> 00:37:55,982 some quick blow against the Allies, 874 00:37:56,024 --> 00:37:58,651 those Panzer divisions in the central reserve 875 00:37:58,693 --> 00:38:00,779 that can only be released into combat 876 00:38:00,945 --> 00:38:02,697 by Hitler's express order 877 00:38:02,739 --> 00:38:04,949 are pretty much without a commander. 878 00:38:06,326 --> 00:38:09,037 - [Dr. Lieb] As a consequence, the German's reactions on D-Day 879 00:38:09,078 --> 00:38:10,705 end up a big mess. 880 00:38:10,747 --> 00:38:13,333 [intense music] 881 00:38:14,834 --> 00:38:17,796 - [Tom] By midday, the troops at Gold, Sword, 882 00:38:17,837 --> 00:38:20,882 Juno, and Utah have started to push inland, 883 00:38:22,133 --> 00:38:25,553 and momentum finally shifts at Omaha Beach. 884 00:38:26,513 --> 00:38:30,391 The sheer scale of the invasion helps turn the tide, 885 00:38:30,433 --> 00:38:34,312 but it also comes down to individual acts of bravery. 886 00:38:34,354 --> 00:38:37,398 [intense music] 887 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:38,817 At Pointe du Hoc 888 00:38:38,942 --> 00:38:42,612 US Army Rangers scale 100-foot cliffs under fire. 889 00:38:42,654 --> 00:38:45,865 [intense music] 890 00:38:45,907 --> 00:38:49,786 At Utah Beach, Brigadier General Teddy Roosevelt Jr, 891 00:38:49,828 --> 00:38:53,122 the son of former president Theodore Roosevelt, 892 00:38:53,164 --> 00:38:56,209 leads a division that lands south of the target. 893 00:38:57,836 --> 00:38:59,045 - [James] They came ashore and he suddenly realized 894 00:38:59,087 --> 00:39:00,880 that they were in completely the wrong bit. 895 00:39:00,922 --> 00:39:02,131 And he said, "To hell with it. 896 00:39:02,173 --> 00:39:04,425 The war starts here." 897 00:39:04,467 --> 00:39:07,804 - [Tom] Roosevelt's son, Captain Quentin Roosevelt II, 898 00:39:07,846 --> 00:39:10,431 is in the first landing wave at Omaha. 899 00:39:10,473 --> 00:39:12,559 They're the only father son duo 900 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:14,769 who will land on the beaches that day. 901 00:39:14,811 --> 00:39:16,938 [intense music] 902 00:39:16,980 --> 00:39:19,315 Corporal Waverly Woodson, 903 00:39:19,357 --> 00:39:23,152 a medic with the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion 904 00:39:23,194 --> 00:39:25,864 is wounded before he even hits the beach. 905 00:39:27,574 --> 00:39:29,909 - [Col. Douds] But he will treat almost 200 members 906 00:39:29,951 --> 00:39:33,204 of the US Army, Navy, and British Navy 907 00:39:33,246 --> 00:39:35,081 as they come ashore on Omaha Beach, 908 00:39:35,123 --> 00:39:38,835 all the while under intense mortar and machine gun fire. 909 00:39:38,877 --> 00:39:41,921 [gulls squawking] 910 00:39:41,921 --> 00:39:44,465 [somber music] 911 00:39:47,218 --> 00:39:49,721 - [Tom] By the end of the day on June 6th, 912 00:39:49,762 --> 00:39:52,307 the Allies have secured all five beaches 913 00:39:52,348 --> 00:39:53,600 and have pushed inland. 914 00:39:53,641 --> 00:39:56,644 [somber music] 915 00:39:56,686 --> 00:39:57,979 In the coming days, 916 00:39:58,146 --> 00:40:00,440 they will link up with the airborne forces 917 00:40:00,481 --> 00:40:04,611 to create a continuous, connected front along the coast. 918 00:40:06,237 --> 00:40:08,531 - [Dan S.] It was Eisenhower who meshed 919 00:40:08,573 --> 00:40:09,991 all of the different nationalities. 920 00:40:10,033 --> 00:40:11,910 He brought 'em together, 921 00:40:11,951 --> 00:40:13,912 and Eisenhower deserves a lot of credit. 922 00:40:14,871 --> 00:40:15,788 - [Col. Douds] He's accountable. 923 00:40:15,830 --> 00:40:17,081 He's responsible. 924 00:40:17,081 --> 00:40:19,542 That's what leaders do in good times and bad. 925 00:40:20,251 --> 00:40:21,502 Right man for the job. 926 00:40:22,837 --> 00:40:23,713 - [Michel] Eisenhower understands, 927 00:40:23,755 --> 00:40:25,089 probably better than anyone, 928 00:40:25,214 --> 00:40:27,842 now the real hard fighting on the continent of Europe 929 00:40:27,842 --> 00:40:28,801 is about to begin. 930 00:40:30,553 --> 00:40:33,556 And at the same time, there's a ray of hope. 931 00:40:33,598 --> 00:40:36,559 Allied victory is increasingly going to become possible. 932 00:40:38,394 --> 00:40:42,148 The US theory of how you can wage war 933 00:40:42,190 --> 00:40:43,983 has now been proven correct. 934 00:40:44,025 --> 00:40:46,569 You can have a multinational alliance 935 00:40:46,611 --> 00:40:49,614 pull off the most complex military operation 936 00:40:49,656 --> 00:40:52,241 the world had ever seen. 937 00:40:52,283 --> 00:40:53,910 - [Col. Douds] It's not just the infantry. 938 00:40:53,952 --> 00:40:55,870 It's all the airmen that set the conditions. 939 00:40:55,912 --> 00:40:57,455 It's all the Coast Guardsmen 940 00:40:57,497 --> 00:40:59,332 and the sailors that drew the ships. 941 00:40:59,374 --> 00:41:01,000 It's all the people who manufactured 942 00:41:01,042 --> 00:41:02,919 all the stuff back in Detroit. 943 00:41:02,961 --> 00:41:05,672 It's a global effort to make D-Day work. 944 00:41:05,713 --> 00:41:07,298 [somber music] 945 00:41:07,340 --> 00:41:09,592 - [President Roosevelt] My fellow Americans, 946 00:41:09,634 --> 00:41:11,552 in this poignant hour, 947 00:41:12,679 --> 00:41:16,307 I ask you to join with me in prayer. 948 00:41:17,517 --> 00:41:22,397 Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, 949 00:41:24,357 --> 00:41:27,402 this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, 950 00:41:28,945 --> 00:41:33,992 a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, 951 00:41:34,575 --> 00:41:35,243 and our civilization, 952 00:41:37,078 --> 00:41:40,039 and to set free a suffering humanity. 953 00:41:40,081 --> 00:41:43,376 [intense music] 954 00:41:43,418 --> 00:41:45,920 - [Jon] President Roosevelt says in his D-Day prayer, 955 00:41:47,005 --> 00:41:49,424 "Our forces will be thrown back. 956 00:41:49,465 --> 00:41:52,010 Their road will be long and hard." 957 00:41:52,051 --> 00:41:55,471 - [Roosevelt] But we shall return again and again. 958 00:41:57,807 --> 00:41:59,767 And we know that by thy grace 959 00:42:00,935 --> 00:42:03,771 and by the righteousness of our cause, 960 00:42:03,813 --> 00:42:05,982 our sons will triumph. 961 00:42:07,567 --> 00:42:10,069 - [Tom] On D-Day, the 101st Airborne, 962 00:42:10,111 --> 00:42:13,364 just hours after being addressed by General Eisenhower, 963 00:42:13,406 --> 00:42:16,826 parachuted into occupied France. 964 00:42:16,868 --> 00:42:19,537 Despite being scattered across enemy territory, 965 00:42:19,579 --> 00:42:22,415 these men clear the path for American forces 966 00:42:22,457 --> 00:42:26,544 to emerge off Utah Beach and begin the advance on Germany. 967 00:42:27,628 --> 00:42:29,922 A second front is firmly established 968 00:42:29,922 --> 00:42:31,215 on the continent of Europe. 969 00:42:32,425 --> 00:42:35,511 In the Pacific war, the boundaries are enormous, 970 00:42:35,553 --> 00:42:38,765 ranging through Asia and into numerous remote islands 971 00:42:38,806 --> 00:42:40,433 across the ocean. 972 00:42:40,475 --> 00:42:43,478 Attacking this new front will require 973 00:42:43,519 --> 00:42:46,355 the most advanced aircraft ever built.