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The war was wreaking havoc in the East
since 1937,
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when Japan invaded China.
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It arrived in Europe
on September 1, 1939,
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when Germany invaded Poland.
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It has gained worldwide scope
on December 7, 1941,
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when the Japanese planes attacked
the US naval base at Pearl Harbor.
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The war affected all continents...
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...and it lasted six years.
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It ended with a new weapon,
for a new era.
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This is the story of the greatest
event in human history
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and these men
they took part in it.
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They witnessed the shootings
and the tragedies of war
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from wherever battles took place.
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Their testimony is an element
from the history of the formation of our world...
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...by those who could pay...
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...and by those who
they couldn't take it anymore...
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...the price of empire.
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WORLD WAR II:
THE PRICE OF EMPIRE
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In mid-1942,
the war in Europe was in full swing
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and at a turning point at the same time.
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By the middle of the war, Hitler was occupying
one tenth of the planet's surface
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and controlled a population that equaled
approximately with that of the USA.
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In the middle of the war,
he had won an empire.
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At the end of it, he would lose it.
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And Japan had already built its own
a vast empire in the midst of war.
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It had gone like a flash
over the Asia-Pacific region,
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until he had occupied a sixth
from the surface of the globe,
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after which she also started
to take it down the slope.
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EPISODE 7:
THE TURNING POINT
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In 1925, Winston Churchill stated:
"It's unthinkable"
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"as in our lifetime
and our children"
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"Japan endangers safety
British Empire in the East".
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Even in 1939, it calmed the population
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regarding possible intentions
of Japan against Singapore.
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"There will be no attack
which we cannot anticipate."
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But it was.
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The southern area, rich in resources,
it was vital to Japan.
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The price of silk, the main commodity
export of Japan,
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it had dropped to half
during the Great Economic Crisis.
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And Japan was poor in resources.
Something had to be done.
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In 1938,
military spending swallowed 75%
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from the total expenses
of the Japanese government.
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That is why Japan was not satisfied
with only one attack.
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The US could no longer use it
no Pacific battleship,
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but not numerous cruisers
and destructive.
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The British and Dutch fleets from
the Far East were destroyed,
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and the Australian one was kicked out
in port.
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Following the battles, Japan
did not lose a single battleship,
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aircraft carrier or cruiser.
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He gained very significant resources,
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including 70%
of world tin production,
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the bulk of natural rubber production
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and the oil one
from the Dutch East Indies,
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which, at that time, exceeded production
from Iran and California in one place.
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He accomplished this in one
attack, carried out in two campaigns:
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in Asia and the Pacific.
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We will see first
asian offensive,
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within which he conquered
Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore,
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Burma and the Dutch East Indies.
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The day after Pearl Harbor,
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a few Japanese planes took off from
Vietnam and they bombed Singapore,
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and others took off from Taiwan
and they bombed the Philippines.
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They invaded the New Territories in the first
part of the capture of Hong Kong.
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The two main British ships
from the area, Prince of Wales and Repulse,
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they started from Singapore, don't let them
the Japanese to land in Malaya.
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Not being protected by aviation,
on December 10,
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both reached the bottom of the water,
following Japanese air attacks.
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Thailand, then known as
Siam, was occupied on December 9
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and officially became Japan's ally
on December 14.
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Siam, another state
what is considered neutral
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and made himself known
defense intentions of aggression,
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he also gave in.
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The Japanese army could now cross
Thailand to reach Burma.
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To get there faster, they will try
to build a railway
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which would gain great notoriety.
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On December 15, Japanese troops
they entered Burma.
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Total invasion of the country
was to be released in January.
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On December 16 they arrived in Borneo,
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and on December 18
they passed to Hong Kong Island.
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On January 7, the Japanese
had taken possession of Sarawak,
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and after two days
they reached the island of Celebes.
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On January 19 it was falling
and the north of the British island of Borneo.
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It's a world conflagration. No one
he doesn't know how far he can go.
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The Dutch Empire in the East
Far away he is preparing for war.
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The Dutch East Indies, what they produced
1/7 of the Dutch economy,
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were a crucial objective
for the Japanese campaign.
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Annual production
of 65,000,000 barrels of oil
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could influence Japan's capacity
to wage long-term war.
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But the Dutch destroyed the wells.
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In the Malayan peninsula, gl. Tomoyuki Yamashita
advancing with the 25th Imperial Japanese Army.
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Yamashita, whose victories would i
nicknamed "The Tiger of Malaya",
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had 150 tanks,
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which weren't even there
too strong, but that didn't matter.
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The British forces he was fighting
they had no tanks at all.
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British defences, weakened by
the resources sent to Europe,
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it was wasted.
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The Japanese advanced into Malaya
on two fronts:
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across the border with Siam
and along the west coast,
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and from Kota Bharu,
along the east coast.
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The British in Malaya formed
defense lines,
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but they did not extend their flanks.
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They had learned nothing from the lesson
the German blitzkrieg in the Ardennes.
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Just like in Europe,
they were attacked on the flanks
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of infiltrated enemy troops
through areas considered "impenetrable".
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In this case, through the jungle.
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On December 31, the last British forces
and of the Commonwealth crossed the road,
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evacuating Malaya and occupying
island-fortress Singapore.
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The biggest disaster
of British imperial history
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was going to take place
in less than two months.
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In mid-January,
the commander-in-chief of ABDACOM,
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American-English-Dutch-Australian forces,
General Wavell,
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which had been removed
from North Africa,
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ordered Arthur Percival,
the commander of Malaya,
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to prepare Singapore for the siege.
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Before Singapore fell,
the Japanese who were making their way
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through the Dutch East Indies,
current Indonesia,
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they were already jumping from one island to another
and suppressed any opposition.
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Small Dutch garrisons and more
were sent to defend the islands,
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but their position was hopeless,
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the plans, rudimentary
and the equipment, inadequate.
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The fate of the Australian formation
Gull Force,
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sent to help the Dutch
from the island of Ambon, was representative.
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Australian troops have arrived
on Ambon on December 17,
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just two weeks
before the Japanese.
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We were only 1,100,
and the Dutch were about the same number.
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The Dutch were leading them
on local soldiers.
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So the fighting lasted very little,
and at the end of January,
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beginning of february
the Dutch capitulated.
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The Australians had to
let them capitulate too.
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Then I was taken prisoner.
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The survivors would have their share
three years of hard captivity.
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The first landing of the Japanese
in Singapore on February 8,
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it took place at no week
after he had conquered Ambon.
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After four days, a ship carrying
Australian nurses also injured
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who were evacuated from Singapore
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was bombed and sunk
of Japanese planes.
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The bulk of the survivors has arrived
on Bangka,
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an island, like Ambon,
from the Dutch East Indies.
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An officer on the ship
surrendered to the Japanese,
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who ordered the 22
nurses and a civilian woman
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to advance in the water.
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When the water reached their middle,
were mowed down with a machine gun.
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they all died
except for Vivian Bullwinkel.
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Vivian Bullwinkel survived
the war and testified
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before the Court
for war crimes in Tokyo.
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She said of the massacre:
"We entered the water and they fired at us."
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"Nobody cried.
We knew this was coming."
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The day before the massacre
from Bangka, on February 15,
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General Percival had surrendered
Singapore Garrison,
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with all 130,000
of his soldiers,
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in the hands of an invading army
half as much as his.
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Having to face
a numerically superior enemy
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and having about as many losses
as the defenders, 9,000 in number,
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Yamashita's call to surrender
to avoid ruin was a bluff.
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But General Arthur Percival,
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thin as a tsar, in shorts
and with a neat mustache,
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only good to be a scapegoat
in the event of such a disaster,
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had untrained soldiers,
without air support,
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with which to face the Japanese
so battle-hardened.
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His desire as the one million civilians
Singaporeans be safe
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prevailed before anything else.
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That's why he surrendered,
at the head of his soldiers,
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many of whom would suffer
horribly in the years that followed.
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Yamashita couldn't believe it
what luck had come upon him,
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as he admitted.
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For Japanese public opinion,
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the unlikely collapse
of the British Empire in the East
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it was quite a success.
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After Singapore capitulated,
the Asahi Shimbun newspaper headline:
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"The denouement of the war
from the Pacific".
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The Japanese government distributed
sweets for all children.
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They said I won.
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Japan had occupied all of Southeast Asia,
as well as the southern front.
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After all,
it was one-sided propaganda.
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It was said that Indonesia
and all other Asian countries
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they had been released
under the domination of the West
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and that now all the inhabitants
they were trying to learn Japanese.
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Indeed, I thought so.
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When Singapore surrendered,
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they fell prisoners
55,000 Indian soldiers.
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00:13:12,217 --> 00:13:16,477
40,000 of them volunteered to fight
in the Indian National Army,
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formed by Japanese and led
by the respected Subhas Chandra Bose,
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who claimed to be fighting the English
for the independence of India.
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00:13:26,617 --> 00:13:31,921
Then, in 1942, Churchill
will say in a speech in London:
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"I did not become the prime minister
His Majesties"
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"to lead the dissolution
British Empire."
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But that's exactly what happened.
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This war changed everything,
brought the end of the British Empire.
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00:13:48,795 --> 00:13:53,015
The British won the war,
but they lost their empire.
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The conjuncture he had made like only a few
thousands to decide the fate of millions
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had been exposed
and his fragility was seen.
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Singapore had capitulated.
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00:14:05,931 --> 00:14:09,449
The empire was dead
and though he were to rise,
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he would be like a zombie.
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00:14:18,195 --> 00:14:21,130
Japanese slogan
"we are all asian"
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and the claim that he would lead a crusade
for driving the whites out of Asia
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00:14:25,578 --> 00:14:27,657
caught on immediately
in the souls of people.
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00:14:27,857 --> 00:14:29,734
But, like Hitler, in Europe,
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the Japanese knew how to conquer
an empire, but not to keep it.
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In a short time, they became more hated
than the colonial masters.
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They took the bread from the Chinese's mouths,
they forced Korean women into prostitution,
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they used filipinos to practice
fight with the bayonet. It was not going to turn out well.
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But the conquered will no longer be
return to their former masters.
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At the end of the fighting,
they would take another road.
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00:15:06,662 --> 00:15:10,840
The Dutch colonial government moved
in Australia in early March,
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when the wave of Japanese conquests
traversed the East Indies,
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effectively leading to collapse
the Dutch empire.
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00:15:20,576 --> 00:15:24,569
West of the Dutch Indies and Malaya
the fight was on for Burma,
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looming battle
to open the way to India.
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00:15:32,344 --> 00:15:35,186
Japanese planes
taken off from Thailand
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00:15:35,486 --> 00:15:38,989
they launched the first bombardment
over the capital, the city of Rangoon,
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00:15:39,230 --> 00:15:41,475
on December 23.
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00:15:44,375 --> 00:15:49,664
Japanese reinforcements arrived in
January and they started for the capital.
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00:15:49,881 --> 00:15:53,250
Moulmein, emerging city
in the poems of Rudyard Kipling,
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capitulated at the end of the month.
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00:15:56,442 --> 00:16:01,131
We knew we couldn't stay at the border
forever. We had to leave sometime.
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This withdrawal from Burma
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was considered
a personal limit.
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Although we had fought, no one else
he thought so because we were back.
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And we consider
that we must be given the opportunity
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00:16:20,394 --> 00:16:24,121
to settle our accounts with the Japanese,
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let's show them
that they are not above us.
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The troops opposing the advance
the Japanese were mainly Indian divisions
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who formed the Burmese army,
together with British units.
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00:16:36,767 --> 00:16:40,371
The armies were in the north of the country
the 5th and 6th of the Chinese,
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00:16:40,614 --> 00:16:43,702
commanded by the American general
Joe Stilwell,
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00:16:43,994 --> 00:16:47,502
a stern character,
nicknamed "Joe the bear".
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00:16:47,941 --> 00:16:51,737
The Japanese entered Rangoon
on March 5.
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00:16:53,136 --> 00:16:58,165
After 14 days, another general was appointed
at the head of the 1st Burma Corps.
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00:17:01,165 --> 00:17:03,532
This is about William Slim.
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00:17:04,727 --> 00:17:07,142
The Japanese is a tough enemy
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00:17:07,670 --> 00:17:10,731
and is not recognized
too easily defeated.
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00:17:11,487 --> 00:17:15,586
At the end of April, the Japanese
they cut off the Burma road.
234
00:17:17,230 --> 00:17:21,372
General Stilwell began the march
to the south, to join the Allies.
235
00:17:21,688 --> 00:17:25,929
On 15 May, he entered Assam,
in British India.
236
00:17:29,843 --> 00:17:30,850
After five days,
237
00:17:31,154 --> 00:17:34,300
after the longest retreat
from British military history,
238
00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:40,656
of 1,000 km,
Bill Slim was entering India with the troops.
239
00:17:40,956 --> 00:17:44,111
According to Slim,
"People seemed like bait".
240
00:17:44,411 --> 00:17:48,354
But he added:
"But they also looked like soldiers".
241
00:17:49,154 --> 00:17:52,769
I didn't want them to put the Japanese
rule over India.
242
00:17:52,969 --> 00:17:57,684
We all thought it would be much worse
under Japanese occupation.
243
00:17:58,099 --> 00:18:00,715
We had had our share of bad things...
244
00:18:03,289 --> 00:18:05,417
...but now an even greater evil was coming.
245
00:18:12,217 --> 00:18:15,300
It was said that winter saved the Russians.
246
00:18:15,562 --> 00:18:19,027
On the British in Burma,
he saved the monsoon.
247
00:18:19,327 --> 00:18:23,693
The fighting would resume
only after six months.
248
00:18:30,514 --> 00:18:34,919
When I was 19-20 years old, those who
they wanted to be soldiers, they were examined.
249
00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:43,379
So at the age of 20, I joined Unit 37.
Our group was sent to Burma.
250
00:18:44,321 --> 00:18:48,018
Sometimes we were scared.
251
00:18:48,544 --> 00:18:52,230
There were some little snakes there,
but very poisonous. They were scary.
252
00:18:52,809 --> 00:18:57,293
There was also a kind of scorpion that looked
like a cancer, but it could kill you.
253
00:18:57,493 --> 00:18:59,050
It was very poisonous.
254
00:18:59,250 --> 00:19:05,152
Once a scorpion entered the house
and it reached me.
255
00:19:05,352 --> 00:19:09,053
I picked it up surprised,
but then it stung me with its tail.
256
00:19:09,253 --> 00:19:11,830
I shouldn't have laid hands on him.
257
00:19:12,030 --> 00:19:17,330
I walked like this for half a day.
258
00:19:26,630 --> 00:19:29,733
Japanese advance
through the islands of the Pacific had taken place
259
00:19:30,033 --> 00:19:35,313
in the same months as the attack
over Asia and the East Indies
260
00:19:35,613 --> 00:19:39,871
and constituted
an equally great success.
261
00:19:41,490 --> 00:19:45,172
The Pacific Ocean has almost half
from the surface water of the planet.
262
00:19:45,472 --> 00:19:49,779
It covers a larger area
than all continents combined.
263
00:19:50,081 --> 00:19:53,856
Its immensity dominates
dry portions
264
00:19:54,101 --> 00:19:58,927
that rises above its waves.
But precisely these islands
265
00:19:59,233 --> 00:20:04,375
made it possible to expand the "sphere
of co-prosperity" in the Pacific.
266
00:20:05,874 --> 00:20:11,215
A ring of fortified islands
could defend the empire thus formed.
267
00:20:11,684 --> 00:20:16,693
At Versailles, Japan had received as a gift
part of these islands.
268
00:20:17,007 --> 00:20:21,885
Marshall Islands, Caroline
and Mariana had been German colonies.
269
00:20:22,233 --> 00:20:26,971
The defensive ring was undermined
of two American outposts:
270
00:20:27,271 --> 00:20:30,221
Wake and Guam.
271
00:20:31,255 --> 00:20:35,069
Three days after Pearl Harbor,
the Japanese landed on Guam,
272
00:20:35,369 --> 00:20:38,731
who had surrendered before 06:00,
the same morning.
273
00:20:40,131 --> 00:20:45,208
The first Japanese attack on the island
Wake had been pushed back by the defense.
274
00:20:46,682 --> 00:20:49,875
The more intense attack since December 23
brought the expected result:
275
00:20:50,076 --> 00:20:52,468
Wake surrendered the same day.
276
00:20:54,418 --> 00:20:58,550
The day before, on December 22,
the Japanese landings on Luzon
277
00:20:58,750 --> 00:21:02,411
signaled the beginning of the battle for
the conquest of the Philippine archipelago.
278
00:21:03,211 --> 00:21:05,973
American Commander,
General Douglas MacArthur,
279
00:21:06,173 --> 00:21:09,358
had 130,000 soldiers in uniform,
280
00:21:10,615 --> 00:21:15,854
but 100,000 of them were Filipinos,
trained for marches and parades.
281
00:21:16,154 --> 00:21:19,729
They knew how to salute ceremoniously,
but they had never fought.
282
00:21:21,341 --> 00:21:23,642
MacArthur began
to withdraw his forces.
283
00:21:23,842 --> 00:21:29,272
By January 5th he had managed to install it
one American and seven Filipino divisions,
284
00:21:29,563 --> 00:21:31,783
80,000 soldiers, at Bataan,
285
00:21:32,107 --> 00:21:35,496
where they had to endure an attack
supported by the Japanese.
286
00:21:35,997 --> 00:21:40,213
On January 22, MacArthur ordered
already the withdrawal of all forces
287
00:21:40,413 --> 00:21:42,440
at the last line of defense,
288
00:21:42,862 --> 00:21:45,668
operation completed on the 26th of the month.
289
00:21:47,168 --> 00:21:50,121
On February 8, the president
Filipino Quezon proposed to him
290
00:21:50,358 --> 00:21:55,299
President Roosevelt
to give his country full autonomy,
291
00:21:55,553 --> 00:21:58,411
so that he can proclaim himself
neutrality.
292
00:21:58,623 --> 00:22:00,249
He hoped to oblige thus
293
00:22:00,449 --> 00:22:04,136
both US forces,
as well as the Japanese forces to leave.
294
00:22:06,147 --> 00:22:10,429
Although he supported self-determination
in the Atlantic Charter,
295
00:22:10,729 --> 00:22:12,432
Roosevelt rejected his proposal,
296
00:22:12,635 --> 00:22:17,192
but he said that the Filipino soldiers
they could surrender if they wanted to.
297
00:22:17,692 --> 00:22:21,479
He then added that American troops
they will fight to the end.
298
00:22:27,079 --> 00:22:30,586
President Quezon left
Philippines on February 20.
299
00:22:30,886 --> 00:22:35,252
Gl. MacArthur left on March 11.
They both went to Australia.
300
00:22:35,553 --> 00:22:38,289
The Japanese continued their invasion,
301
00:22:38,589 --> 00:22:42,705
launching a fierce offensive on
to the enemy in Bataan on April 3.
302
00:22:44,856 --> 00:22:48,636
On April 9, the allied forces
of Battan surrendered.
303
00:22:48,886 --> 00:22:52,775
78,000 soldiers started
along the long road of the prisoner.
304
00:22:54,275 --> 00:22:56,314
It's about the death march
from Bataan,
305
00:22:56,579 --> 00:22:59,578
a road of over 100 km
made by the scorching sun,
306
00:22:59,779 --> 00:23:02,278
with food and water at all.
307
00:23:03,030 --> 00:23:07,162
Among those who went to prison
there were also 12,000 Americans.
308
00:23:07,465 --> 00:23:12,122
Only a third of them will survive
Japanese captivity.
309
00:23:15,722 --> 00:23:18,323
The fighting continued
in the rest of the Philippines, in Mindanao,
310
00:23:18,523 --> 00:23:20,630
Luzon, Corregidor.
311
00:23:20,930 --> 00:23:24,216
But on May 5, General Wainwright
he already had to teach
312
00:23:24,416 --> 00:23:27,804
the garrison of 15,000 soldiers
from Corregidor.
313
00:23:28,804 --> 00:23:30,816
Five days later, on May 10,
314
00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,994
the last troops surrendered
of the Allies in the Philippines.
315
00:23:37,294 --> 00:23:41,951
The Japanese began to disembark
in New Guinea on March 8.
316
00:23:42,451 --> 00:23:45,590
Other landings followed,
and on March 22,
317
00:23:45,841 --> 00:23:50,933
Japanese planes were bombing the port
Darwin, from northern Australia.
318
00:23:59,133 --> 00:24:03,313
It was clear that the Japanese were coming
to invade us
319
00:24:03,527 --> 00:24:06,977
and that everything was done in a hurry.
320
00:24:08,077 --> 00:24:10,933
You could easily join the army.
321
00:24:11,333 --> 00:24:18,157
If you weren't coughing too bad
and you could tell white from black,
322
00:24:18,357 --> 00:24:21,071
then you were declared medically fit.
323
00:24:21,353 --> 00:24:26,639
I enlisted a week ago
before I turned 19.
324
00:24:28,180 --> 00:24:31,704
When Douglas MacArthur established his
headquarters in Brisbane,
325
00:24:31,904 --> 00:24:35,770
is already facing
with a very gloomy situation.
326
00:24:36,370 --> 00:24:39,387
Basically, the whole region
from the Southwest Pacific
327
00:24:39,687 --> 00:24:42,217
had fallen into the hands of the Japanese.
328
00:24:43,717 --> 00:24:47,941
The US had announced
that he gives priority to Germany.
329
00:24:48,241 --> 00:24:51,470
So MacArthur could not count on it
many soldiers.
330
00:24:51,870 --> 00:24:54,089
But at least a country leader
he was determined
331
00:24:54,389 --> 00:24:59,846
to resist the Japanese
as a priority.
332
00:25:00,552 --> 00:25:05,927
The whole government guided him
the Minister of War
333
00:25:06,353 --> 00:25:12,822
to announce the necessary regulations
for full mobilization
334
00:25:13,482 --> 00:25:17,887
of all resources,
both human and material,
335
00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:22,522
from this Community of Nations
for her defense.
336
00:25:22,839 --> 00:25:26,966
That means
that every being in this country
337
00:25:27,466 --> 00:25:30,261
is now,
whether he likes it or not
338
00:25:30,561 --> 00:25:37,103
in the service of the government and brings
the contribution to the defense of Australia.
339
00:25:40,301 --> 00:25:42,597
John Curtin, Australian Prime Minister,
340
00:25:42,912 --> 00:25:46,612
in a passionate confrontation
with Churchill, asserted his right
341
00:25:46,912 --> 00:25:50,250
to withdraw the Australian troops
from the European war,
342
00:25:50,450 --> 00:25:52,850
to fight the enemy
right on the doorstep.
343
00:25:53,150 --> 00:25:57,850
In March 1942, most soldiers
Australians were already home,
344
00:25:58,050 --> 00:26:01,050
ready to fight in the Pacific.
345
00:26:04,350 --> 00:26:07,550
In setting strategy
which Japan had to apply,
346
00:26:07,750 --> 00:26:10,750
those gathered in Tokyo had not succeeded
to agree.
347
00:26:11,350 --> 00:26:15,750
The Navy insisted on occupying
southern part of New Guinea,
348
00:26:15,950 --> 00:26:20,450
from where they could launch missions
to New Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa,
349
00:26:20,650 --> 00:26:23,550
extending and strengthening the tone
defensive perimeter
350
00:26:23,750 --> 00:26:28,250
and isolating Australia from support
and supplies provided by America.
351
00:26:29,050 --> 00:26:33,450
The Combined Fleet, led by the admiral
Yamamoto, was of a different opinion.
352
00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:38,650
He supported the attraction of the American fleet
from the Pacific in an all-out battle,
353
00:26:38,850 --> 00:26:41,950
which would have led to its destruction.
354
00:26:43,550 --> 00:26:48,750
Unfortunately for them, but as it was
as expected, they made a compromise.
355
00:26:49,050 --> 00:26:53,850
They adopted both strategies,
but in an attenuated form.
356
00:26:55,850 --> 00:27:01,250
The invasion force assembled at Rabaul
he would apply the Navy's strategy.
357
00:27:02,250 --> 00:27:07,350
On 4 May the convoy departed for Port Moresby,
gateway to New Guinea.
358
00:27:08,350 --> 00:27:09,850
Not even a week before
359
00:27:10,050 --> 00:27:12,450
American aircraft carriers
Hornet and Enterprise
360
00:27:12,650 --> 00:27:17,350
they had left Pearl Harbor
with the destination Coral Sea.
361
00:27:17,650 --> 00:27:23,550
Two others, Lexington and Yorktown,
they had gone forward 14 days.
362
00:27:24,050 --> 00:27:27,650
On May 4, the battle began
from the Coral Sea,
363
00:27:27,850 --> 00:27:33,050
when Yorktown executed an airstrike
on the fleet that left Rabaul.
364
00:27:39,050 --> 00:27:42,050
the next day,
the main Japanese attack force,
365
00:27:42,250 --> 00:27:45,250
concentrated around aircraft carriers
Shokaku and Zuikaku,
366
00:27:45,450 --> 00:27:47,650
entered the Coral Sea.
367
00:27:49,150 --> 00:27:54,350
On May 7, the American fleet fought
with the Japanese one without great results,
368
00:27:54,550 --> 00:27:57,950
but, around 08:00,
on the morning of May 8,
369
00:27:58,250 --> 00:28:00,950
the aircraft carriers discovered
mutual positions.
370
00:28:02,450 --> 00:28:06,550
It was the first time that the combatants
engaged in a naval battle
371
00:28:06,750 --> 00:28:09,250
they did not see their opponents at all.
372
00:28:11,850 --> 00:28:13,850
Lexington was attacked
and abandoned.
373
00:28:14,050 --> 00:28:16,450
Shokaku was damaged
and forced to withdraw,
374
00:28:16,650 --> 00:28:21,950
and Zuikaku was not damaged,
but he lost 40% of his planes.
375
00:28:22,250 --> 00:28:25,750
The consequences would be immense.
376
00:28:26,450 --> 00:28:29,050
The fact that the Americans had to
to withdraw
377
00:28:29,250 --> 00:28:31,750
was considered by the Japanese
a victory.
378
00:28:32,094 --> 00:28:38,994
But now Japan was forced to give up
to the invasion of New Guinea from the sea.
379
00:28:39,294 --> 00:28:42,994
On landing, they would have been confronted
with the Australian defence,
380
00:28:43,194 --> 00:28:46,594
made up of several detachments.
381
00:28:46,894 --> 00:28:54,394
As we shall see, the Japanese have decided
to attack Port Moresby from the land.
382
00:28:54,794 --> 00:28:58,294
Admiral Yamamoto's argument
related to an alternative strategy
383
00:28:58,494 --> 00:29:01,594
was supported by an action
held on April 18,
384
00:29:01,894 --> 00:29:05,694
which did not cause much damage
and resulted in only 50 deaths.
385
00:29:05,994 --> 00:29:08,594
THE TOKYO RAID
DOOLITTLE'S
386
00:29:09,394 --> 00:29:13,894
on that day
16 modified B-25 bombers
387
00:29:14,094 --> 00:29:19,094
they took off from the Hornet aircraft carrier
to bomb the city of Tokyo.
388
00:29:19,394 --> 00:29:24,994
The raid went down in history with its name
to the commander: "The Doolittle Raid".
389
00:29:25,594 --> 00:29:28,894
The planes could not turn
at the aircraft carrier,
390
00:29:29,094 --> 00:29:31,194
so they continued their flight
to China,
391
00:29:31,394 --> 00:29:33,894
where they collapsed
most of them.
392
00:29:36,294 --> 00:29:40,194
The crews that fell into the hands
the Japanese became prisoners.
393
00:29:40,494 --> 00:29:43,294
Three were shot
of firing squads.
394
00:29:43,594 --> 00:29:46,794
The crews that crashed
in China they survived.
395
00:29:48,294 --> 00:29:52,194
But the most important thing
what had happened to Japan.
396
00:29:52,494 --> 00:29:54,994
The city of Tokyo had been bombed.
397
00:29:55,294 --> 00:29:58,694
Bombs had fallen even close
by the Imperial Palace.
398
00:29:59,094 --> 00:30:02,594
The bombs had endangered
the life of the emperor.
399
00:30:02,994 --> 00:30:08,294
Such a shock and such a shame they demanded
a reaction from the military caste
400
00:30:08,494 --> 00:30:12,294
whose first responsibility
was to defend the emperor.
401
00:30:12,794 --> 00:30:17,094
They began to plan a counterattack
to neutralize US capability
402
00:30:17,294 --> 00:30:20,794
to launch attacks
on the Japanese islands.
403
00:30:21,294 --> 00:30:27,294
Japanese strategists were taking into account
the possibility of flights from China.
404
00:30:27,494 --> 00:30:32,294
Therefore, on April 21, at just
a few days after the Doolittle raid,
405
00:30:32,594 --> 00:30:35,694
Japanese Expeditionary Army
from China received order
406
00:30:35,894 --> 00:30:40,494
to destroy air bases
from Zhejiang and Jingxi.
407
00:30:40,794 --> 00:30:44,894
In mid-May, the Chinese se
they had already retreated east of Zhejiang.
408
00:30:45,194 --> 00:30:47,694
Towards the end of May,
the second Japanese army was advancing
409
00:30:47,894 --> 00:30:49,394
and at the beginning of July
410
00:30:49,594 --> 00:30:53,394
the expeditionary army had reached its
all objectives.
411
00:30:53,994 --> 00:30:58,594
But before that, in May, he had arrived
the big moment for Yamamoto.
412
00:30:58,894 --> 00:31:02,194
The action of the fleet would annihilate
finally
413
00:31:02,394 --> 00:31:05,794
the American naval force in the Pacific
and, an important aspect,
414
00:31:06,094 --> 00:31:08,794
they could handle it
and a small Hawaiian island
415
00:31:09,094 --> 00:31:13,494
which had supported the aircraft carriers on
that the Doolittle raid had been executed.
416
00:31:13,694 --> 00:31:18,294
It was a place 3,100 km away
from the nearest continent,
417
00:31:18,494 --> 00:31:22,294
from any direction: Midway.
418
00:31:23,194 --> 00:31:26,894
American cryptanalysts,
led by Joseph Rochefort,
419
00:31:27,194 --> 00:31:33,294
they knew the Imperial fleet was on its way
spe a place called AF,
420
00:31:33,594 --> 00:31:37,094
but they did not know where this AF was located.
421
00:31:37,494 --> 00:31:41,894
From the center, the Americans transmitted
a fake message to own fleet,
422
00:31:42,194 --> 00:31:46,194
in which they announced that those from Midway
they ran out of drinking water.
423
00:31:46,394 --> 00:31:50,294
The Japanese fell into the trap
and they took the message,
424
00:31:50,494 --> 00:31:54,494
transmitting
that AF had run out of water.
425
00:31:55,794 --> 00:32:01,594
The American fleet knew now
that AF stood for Midway
426
00:32:01,794 --> 00:32:06,494
and that the Imperial Japanese Navy
he was heading there.
427
00:32:07,394 --> 00:32:11,094
They took part in the battle
not much more than 60 ships.
428
00:32:12,094 --> 00:32:15,694
The fate of the island was not to be decided
but by fleets of warships,
429
00:32:15,994 --> 00:32:20,894
but of the approximately 500 planes
which the combatants will use
430
00:32:21,094 --> 00:32:25,294
like long-barreled cannons.
431
00:32:27,694 --> 00:32:29,394
After the Battle of the Coral Sea,
432
00:32:29,594 --> 00:32:34,094
the aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku
they could no longer attack Midway.
433
00:32:35,294 --> 00:32:38,294
The aircraft carrier Yorktown,
damaged in the same battle,
434
00:32:38,594 --> 00:32:42,394
would have needed
three months of repairs.
435
00:32:42,894 --> 00:32:47,694
But how did 1,400 workers succeed?
to fix it in two days,
436
00:32:47,994 --> 00:32:50,694
the aircraft carrier was able to resume its position
in the American fleet.
437
00:32:50,894 --> 00:32:54,394
This is how the war is won
with all kinds of heroes.
438
00:32:56,194 --> 00:32:59,794
In a diversion, the Japanese
they sent Admiral Hosogaya
439
00:32:59,994 --> 00:33:01,394
north of the Aleutian Islands,
440
00:33:01,594 --> 00:33:05,394
but Admiral Chester W. Nimitz,
commander of Pacific operations,
441
00:33:05,594 --> 00:33:07,294
he was not fooled.
442
00:33:07,594 --> 00:33:09,394
He ordered the troops to rendezvous
443
00:33:09,594 --> 00:33:14,194
where he expected to attack the enemy,
i.e. at Midway.
444
00:33:14,694 --> 00:33:17,694
Task Force 16,
of Admiral Raymond Spruance,
445
00:33:17,994 --> 00:33:20,694
and operative group 17,
of Admiral Jack Fletcher,
446
00:33:20,994 --> 00:33:24,094
they went together
at the meeting place
447
00:33:24,394 --> 00:33:27,294
like the Japanese
to write history.
448
00:33:29,794 --> 00:33:35,294
They went to fight an enemy
who exceeded them in all respects.
449
00:33:38,394 --> 00:33:44,294
The battle began on June 4,
when Admiral Nagumo's planes
450
00:33:44,794 --> 00:33:49,194
they attacked planes
and military facilities on Midway.
451
00:33:49,694 --> 00:33:54,394
When they returned to the aircraft carriers,
Nagumo decided to re-equip them with bombs,
452
00:33:54,594 --> 00:33:59,394
not with torpedoes, and launched
a second attack on the island.
453
00:34:00,394 --> 00:34:04,594
Meanwhile, the fleet was pushing back
attacks by American planes.
454
00:34:04,894 --> 00:34:08,894
The Americans suffered massive losses
without any success.
455
00:34:10,694 --> 00:34:12,894
But not without effect.
456
00:34:13,594 --> 00:34:16,194
The aircraft carriers were
somewhat scattered,
457
00:34:16,494 --> 00:34:19,094
planes were flying over at low altitude,
458
00:34:19,294 --> 00:34:24,694
and the flight decks were full of planes
which had to be rearmed and refueled.
459
00:34:25,194 --> 00:34:30,394
At 10:20, Nagumo gave the order
to prepare for launch.
460
00:34:30,694 --> 00:34:33,094
After five minutes,
they would launch the attack
461
00:34:33,294 --> 00:34:36,894
which, the admiral thought,
he would bring them a great victory.
462
00:34:37,294 --> 00:34:39,794
But these five minutes
463
00:34:39,994 --> 00:34:45,294
they would decisively change course
battle and even war.
464
00:34:50,294 --> 00:34:53,694
On the first day we attacked
about 30 ships of all kinds:
465
00:34:53,994 --> 00:34:57,494
battleships, cruisers,
destroyers, transport ships.
466
00:34:57,794 --> 00:35:00,494
- The next day we hit their aircraft carriers.
- Did you manage to do something?
467
00:35:00,694 --> 00:35:02,894
- And how!
- I put them in the bottom.
468
00:35:03,194 --> 00:35:06,094
In those five minutes,
Commander Wade McClusky,
469
00:35:06,394 --> 00:35:09,594
from the 6th Bombardment Squadron
from the USS Enterprise,
470
00:35:09,894 --> 00:35:14,994
led his 37 Dauntless bombers
in a dive from 4,400 m altitude
471
00:35:15,294 --> 00:35:19,294
in a 70 degree dive,
with a speed of 280 knots.
472
00:35:23,794 --> 00:35:28,094
The first hit was the aircraft carrier
Akagi, then Kaga and lastly Soryu,
473
00:35:28,294 --> 00:35:31,294
when they joined
and the bombers on Yorktown.
474
00:35:31,694 --> 00:35:34,394
Japan lost four aircraft carriers,
475
00:35:34,694 --> 00:35:38,294
more than 2,000 people
and 250 planes.
476
00:35:38,594 --> 00:35:43,294
D.P.D.V. of the loss of human life,
this battle was not a decisive one.
477
00:35:44,394 --> 00:35:49,394
But it was a first-rate battle
due to the influence on history.
478
00:35:52,394 --> 00:35:56,894
Japan's losses equalized
regarding the power of the fleets.
479
00:35:57,294 --> 00:36:00,794
Between 1942 and 1944,
480
00:36:01,094 --> 00:36:07,694
Japan would add
six new aircraft carriers, and the USA, 14.
481
00:36:07,994 --> 00:36:09,494
In fact, for the rest of the war,
482
00:36:09,694 --> 00:36:13,394
to any large ship launched into the water
by the Japanese construction sites
483
00:36:13,694 --> 00:36:16,694
they would correspond to 16
built by Americans.
484
00:36:17,894 --> 00:36:20,594
Word of Midway has arrived
to Prime Minister Tojo
485
00:36:20,794 --> 00:36:22,594
worded ambiguously, as usual.
486
00:36:22,894 --> 00:36:26,494
"Navy," he reported
General Moritake Tanabe,
487
00:36:26,894 --> 00:36:29,294
"he made a big mistake".
488
00:36:30,094 --> 00:36:33,694
Japan did not lose any territory
because of this mistake.
489
00:36:33,994 --> 00:36:38,794
The effects would be felt
towards the end of 1943,
490
00:36:39,094 --> 00:36:42,594
when the Americans started
to penetrate the defensive perimeter,
491
00:36:42,994 --> 00:36:47,394
and Japan also had ships,
and unsuitable aircraft.
492
00:36:47,694 --> 00:36:54,194
In 1942, Japan lost two
times more planes than it produced.
493
00:36:57,894 --> 00:36:59,694
As the naval forces clashed
494
00:36:59,894 --> 00:37:03,794
at the first crossroads of the war,
in the battle of the midway islands,
495
00:37:05,294 --> 00:37:11,294
in Western Europe, the war
it took place almost entirely in the air.
496
00:37:13,594 --> 00:37:15,194
For a long time it was the only way
497
00:37:15,494 --> 00:37:19,494
by which Great Britain
could reach the enemy.
498
00:37:19,694 --> 00:37:25,394
A third of British production
it was dedicated to the air offensive.
499
00:37:25,594 --> 00:37:29,494
At the beginning of the war, the bombing
it was done according to some strict rules.
500
00:37:29,694 --> 00:37:34,194
In 1939, the Chamberlain government
had rejected the suggestion
501
00:37:34,394 --> 00:37:36,294
the bombing of the Mountains
black forest,
502
00:37:36,494 --> 00:37:39,194
on the grounds that they were mostly
private property.
503
00:37:39,494 --> 00:37:44,794
But, as is obvious,
when you're in trouble, you try anything.
504
00:37:45,094 --> 00:37:50,194
Almost 150,000 were built
of Merlin engines at Rolls-Royce.
505
00:37:50,494 --> 00:37:55,194
Some of the most famous planes
they went with the V12 engine:
506
00:37:55,494 --> 00:37:58,194
Spitfire, Hurricane,
Mosquito, Mustang
507
00:37:58,444 --> 00:38:01,644
and Avro Lancaster,
with its four engines.
508
00:38:02,044 --> 00:38:04,644
The Lancaster plane was
a heavy bomber.
509
00:38:05,144 --> 00:38:08,144
With a carrying capacity
of bombs up to 6.35 tons,
510
00:38:08,444 --> 00:38:11,244
surpassed the Boeing B-17
"Flying Fortress"
511
00:38:11,544 --> 00:38:14,744
and the German Heinkel He-111 planes
and Junkers Ju-88,
512
00:38:15,044 --> 00:38:18,244
which they could not transport
more than 3 tons.
513
00:38:21,544 --> 00:38:24,244
Considered the best
world night bomber,
514
00:38:24,544 --> 00:38:27,244
Lancaster was not without fault, however.
515
00:38:28,244 --> 00:38:30,444
Bad location
of the emergency hatch
516
00:38:30,744 --> 00:38:34,844
reduced the average survival rate
of the crew of seven members
517
00:38:35,044 --> 00:38:37,144
to 1.3 people.
518
00:38:37,444 --> 00:38:41,744
The Halifax bomber, less so
appreciated, it had a rate of 2.45.
519
00:38:42,744 --> 00:38:46,844
Avro Lancaster, the most powerful
and most efficient bomber in the world,
520
00:38:47,044 --> 00:38:51,544
one of the most important weapons
designed by the United Nations.
521
00:38:53,544 --> 00:38:56,844
This bomber has started
to be used by the British Air Force
522
00:38:57,044 --> 00:39:01,844
with the GEE system
of radionavigation.
523
00:39:03,044 --> 00:39:05,244
This fact gave impetus
British aviation
524
00:39:05,444 --> 00:39:07,944
to redo its bombing strategy.
525
00:39:17,344 --> 00:39:23,144
On February 14, 1942, it was issued
Area Bombing Directive.
526
00:39:23,544 --> 00:39:28,644
Ruhr industrial region
and especially the city of Essen, in the center,
527
00:39:28,844 --> 00:39:33,144
were among the main objectives,
like Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Cologne
528
00:39:33,344 --> 00:39:35,544
and other cities.
529
00:39:35,844 --> 00:39:39,044
The bomber offensive contributed
considerably
530
00:39:39,344 --> 00:39:41,744
on winning the war,
no doubt.
531
00:39:42,044 --> 00:39:44,244
But it was a relentless operation.
532
00:39:47,244 --> 00:39:51,744
The strategy was to be applied
by a new commander:
533
00:39:53,444 --> 00:39:56,144
Arthur Harris, "The Bomber" Harris,
534
00:39:56,444 --> 00:39:59,944
one of the most controversial
Allied commanders.
535
00:40:00,344 --> 00:40:02,344
If each of you will succeed,
536
00:40:02,644 --> 00:40:07,644
you will deal a devastating blow
the enemy in his vital parts.
537
00:40:08,144 --> 00:40:10,644
Shoot him directly in the chin.
538
00:40:11,344 --> 00:40:13,944
Broadcast the message to everyone
groups, at all positions.
539
00:40:14,244 --> 00:40:17,344
You listened to Marshal Arthur Harris,
the commander of the Bombardment Command,
540
00:40:17,544 --> 00:40:21,144
giving instructions for performance
of the biggest air raid.
541
00:40:21,444 --> 00:40:25,144
At different airfields in the country,
over 1,000 bombers
542
00:40:25,344 --> 00:40:28,144
They were getting ready
to fly over the biggest...
543
00:40:28,544 --> 00:40:34,144
Harris had the responsibility
the application of the new directive,
544
00:40:34,444 --> 00:40:39,144
which states that the purpose
the bombing was to...
545
00:40:42,444 --> 00:40:44,544
They didn't know exactly where they were dropping the bombs.
546
00:40:44,744 --> 00:40:47,444
Others can say what they want,
I know what I saw.
547
00:40:47,744 --> 00:40:49,244
They bombed everywhere.
548
00:40:49,644 --> 00:40:52,644
Especially when I got to Nuremberg,
549
00:40:53,144 --> 00:40:55,644
the city had been made one with the earth.
550
00:40:56,294 --> 00:40:59,594
Only in places
you could still see something standing.
551
00:40:59,994 --> 00:41:03,294
It was a pitiful picture.
And the old people...
552
00:41:03,594 --> 00:41:07,094
To see an old woman trying
to shake the rubble off the bricks...
553
00:41:07,294 --> 00:41:08,494
They were ready to redo everything.
554
00:41:08,694 --> 00:41:12,294
They knew they lost the war,
but they did not want to lose their lives.
555
00:41:12,994 --> 00:41:17,294
"Concentrate the attacks
on the morale of the enemy population"
556
00:41:17,494 --> 00:41:20,994
"and especially
on industrial workers."
557
00:41:21,294 --> 00:41:27,394
This strategy is likely to remain
the most controversial of the war.
558
00:41:27,894 --> 00:41:31,594
Prewar anticipations stimulated
bomber expenses
559
00:41:31,794 --> 00:41:33,894
and advocated their use.
560
00:41:34,194 --> 00:41:40,794
The official strategy anticipated a rate
of 50 victims per ton of bombs.
561
00:41:41,094 --> 00:41:45,594
Basically, the Nazi bombings have
caused one casualty per ton of bombs,
562
00:41:45,794 --> 00:41:49,394
and those carried out by the British
on Germany, half.
563
00:41:49,794 --> 00:41:52,994
Since 1941, even Churchill
he began to doubt
564
00:41:53,194 --> 00:41:56,694
of the forecasts regarding
the effectiveness of the bombings.
565
00:41:56,994 --> 00:42:01,194
"It is debatable
if the bombing itself"
566
00:42:01,494 --> 00:42:04,994
"It will be a decisive factor
in this war."
567
00:42:05,594 --> 00:42:08,694
Essen was attacked first,
on the night of March 8 to 9,
568
00:42:08,894 --> 00:42:13,494
and then Lübeck,
on the night of March 28 to 29.
569
00:42:13,894 --> 00:42:16,794
234 planes participated in the attack.
570
00:42:17,094 --> 00:42:20,794
13 of them were damaged.
Lübeck had no chance.
571
00:42:21,094 --> 00:42:24,894
They were produced in the port of Lübeck
engines for Nazi submarines.
572
00:42:25,294 --> 00:42:31,594
It was a beautiful medieval town,
which was completely destroyed.
573
00:42:32,094 --> 00:42:35,494
In retaliation, Hitler ordered
to attack British cities
574
00:42:35,694 --> 00:42:38,794
considered beautiful
who thus automatically became targets.
575
00:42:39,094 --> 00:42:42,994
All were recommended to tourists
by guides such as Baedeker,
576
00:42:43,194 --> 00:42:47,794
hence the name under which
these raids became known.
577
00:42:49,294 --> 00:42:51,794
Heavy losses in time
the Augsburg raid
578
00:42:51,994 --> 00:42:54,394
they made Harris
to give up the daytime raids.
579
00:42:54,594 --> 00:42:57,894
Towards the end of April, the bombers
they started flying at night.
580
00:42:58,194 --> 00:43:01,494
Rostock suffered massive losses,
and at the end of May
581
00:43:01,794 --> 00:43:05,794
the city of Cologne was hit, in the first
raid with 1,000 bombers.
582
00:43:06,094 --> 00:43:12,494
The order was brief.
"Objective: to destroy the city of Cologne."
583
00:43:12,794 --> 00:43:16,194
After two days, about the same
bombers attacked Essen,
584
00:43:16,394 --> 00:43:19,394
and, at the end of June, Bremen.
585
00:43:21,194 --> 00:43:25,094
Harris thought unmoved,
until the end of the war
586
00:43:25,394 --> 00:43:27,994
that the bombings had
bring Germany to its knees.
587
00:43:28,294 --> 00:43:32,294
That industry disruption
and demoralizing civilians,
588
00:43:32,594 --> 00:43:36,294
victims of the strategy he called
euphemistically "homelessness",
589
00:43:36,594 --> 00:43:38,894
they would hurry
the end of the war.
590
00:43:39,294 --> 00:43:41,094
Area bombing
had the advantage
591
00:43:41,294 --> 00:43:44,094
to not require precise targeting.
592
00:43:44,294 --> 00:43:46,194
As various reports had proven,
593
00:43:46,394 --> 00:43:49,394
the logistics at their disposal
he did not allow them such a thing.
594
00:43:50,394 --> 00:43:56,094
The Butt Report, analyzing efficiency
the bombings of the summer of '41,
595
00:43:56,394 --> 00:43:59,494
stated that only 25%
from the pilots had launched the bombs
596
00:43:59,694 --> 00:44:01,994
within 8 km of the target.
597
00:44:02,294 --> 00:44:06,694
In the moonless nights
only one pilot out of 20 managed something like that.
598
00:44:06,994 --> 00:44:08,894
In fact, in 1941,
599
00:44:09,194 --> 00:44:12,594
the bombers had
more losses than they had caused.
600
00:44:12,894 --> 00:44:16,994
Many crews were dying, as it were
said British historian John Keegan,
601
00:44:17,294 --> 00:44:20,494
"more to fill craters
rural areas of Germany".
602
00:44:23,994 --> 00:44:26,994
They had not prepared at all
603
00:44:28,794 --> 00:44:32,594
like the crews
who performed 30 missions
604
00:44:33,194 --> 00:44:39,194
to say to the officers on their return:
"Here's why you need to beware".
605
00:44:39,594 --> 00:44:45,294
"Maintain the altitude of 2,100 m
or 3,000 m."
606
00:44:45,594 --> 00:44:47,594
"That's the best way to defend yourself."
607
00:44:47,794 --> 00:44:49,294
But they didn't do it that way.
608
00:44:49,794 --> 00:44:53,294
It means we didn't find it
than some inexperienced recruits
609
00:44:53,594 --> 00:44:56,594
to carry out bombing raids
in Germany.
610
00:44:57,594 --> 00:45:03,394
It is wrong to think that the bombers
they attacked defenseless civilians.
611
00:45:03,894 --> 00:45:05,594
The cities were well defended.
612
00:45:05,794 --> 00:45:10,094
German anti-aircraft defense
had a million employees.
613
00:45:10,494 --> 00:45:15,294
Although they represented only 7%
from the British military forces,
614
00:45:15,594 --> 00:45:18,194
the bomber crews
had losses of 24%
615
00:45:18,394 --> 00:45:20,794
of the total number of deaths
from the British Army.
616
00:45:29,394 --> 00:45:33,194
As I was leaving the targeted area,
caught me in the beam of the projector.
617
00:45:33,694 --> 00:45:39,694
I thought about it countless times
what did i do then
618
00:45:40,194 --> 00:45:44,394
I am convinced that I should have stayed
at the same altitude
619
00:45:44,794 --> 00:45:46,794
and not fly straight.
620
00:45:47,494 --> 00:45:51,594
But I tried
to get out of the beam of the projector,
621
00:45:51,894 --> 00:45:56,394
increasing speed and descending into a dive.
622
00:45:57,394 --> 00:46:01,494
Indeed, I have escaped the light,
but after a while
623
00:46:01,894 --> 00:46:05,494
the machine gunner was reporting that we were under attack
of a fighter plane.
624
00:46:05,994 --> 00:46:11,594
And again I had to protect myself
as I deemed necessary.
625
00:46:12,094 --> 00:46:18,394
I resorted to diving again and, how
it's natural, I lost altitude.
626
00:46:18,994 --> 00:46:23,894
I thought I had arrived
at an altitude of about 150 m.
627
00:46:24,394 --> 00:46:26,994
When there, I crashed into a tree.
628
00:46:30,194 --> 00:46:33,794
I remember they came to me
two crew members and said:
629
00:46:33,994 --> 00:46:37,194
"Come on Carl, you have to get out of here."
630
00:46:39,394 --> 00:46:40,694
Which I did.
631
00:46:42,394 --> 00:46:44,994
the eye,
who was in front of me
632
00:46:45,894 --> 00:46:49,194
and the radio operator
633
00:46:49,894 --> 00:46:51,994
they died when the plane crashed.
634
00:46:52,294 --> 00:46:54,494
There were only three of us left.
635
00:46:57,694 --> 00:47:01,094
The morality of area bombing
stirs up disputes even today.
636
00:47:01,294 --> 00:47:05,794
The fact that it targeted the civilian population
regardless of age or gender
637
00:47:05,994 --> 00:47:10,494
caused some to compare them
with the massacre of the holocaust.
638
00:47:12,094 --> 00:47:15,194
Of course the bombing involved
certain risks.
639
00:47:15,394 --> 00:47:19,194
It was not a cowardly attack on
defenseless civilians.
640
00:47:21,494 --> 00:47:25,694
Tens of thousands lost their lives
of aviators from the Allied camp.
641
00:47:33,894 --> 00:47:38,894
There is a big difference between the camps
of concentration and bombings.
642
00:47:39,194 --> 00:47:41,894
Both camps appealed
to area bombings,
643
00:47:42,094 --> 00:47:48,494
thinking they will win the war
thanks to this strategy.
644
00:47:51,194 --> 00:47:54,194
But no camp,
apart from the Nazi one,
645
00:47:54,394 --> 00:47:58,794
did not claim that the killing of Jews,
of Gypsies, Slavs and others
646
00:47:59,094 --> 00:48:02,594
would influence
the outcome of the war.
647
00:48:13,094 --> 00:48:15,894
In the next episode
from "The Price of Empire",
648
00:48:16,894 --> 00:48:18,694
two other turning points
marks
649
00:48:18,894 --> 00:48:22,694
"the end of the beginning",
to quote Churchill.
650
00:48:23,394 --> 00:48:27,694
Rommel's defeat at El Alamein
and the fate of the German army,
651
00:48:27,994 --> 00:48:31,394
violently attacked by the Red Army,
"with bloody fangs and claws",
652
00:48:31,694 --> 00:48:34,494
in a place called Stalingrad.
653
00:48:37,494 --> 00:48:42,494
Root: Viasat History
Trans-synchro: vonRichthofen
Subs.ro Team @ www.subs.ro