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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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00:00:12,780 --> 00:00:15,980
It arrived in Europe
on September 1, 1939,
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00:00:16,180 --> 00:00:18,460
when Germany invaded Poland.
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00:00:19,460 --> 00:00:23,320
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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The new empires of the East and the West,
the Japanese and German,
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have reached maximum expansion
during 1942.
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In the minds of some it had sprouted
a great vision...
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...that Japan will unite its borders
with Germany, which will advance to the east.
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Conquerors would meet
on the Indian subcontinent.
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But in 1942,
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Germany and Japan would suffer
defeats which, according to Churchill,
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were "if not the beginning of the end,
at least the end of the beginning".
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EPISODE 8:
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
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In May 1942, imperial ambitions
of Japan are tested at sea.
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The Battle of Midway did not return
the fate of war, but he subdued it.
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His fate changed once
with the gap between the two camps
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in terms of replenishment.
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the US, which was supposed to provide
Coalition 75% of the raw material,
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demonstrated a capacity
outstanding to deliver it
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in seemingly unlimited quantities.
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It was said that in 1943,
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The US was producing a tank
every five minutes,
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a plane every 30 minutes
and one aircraft carrier per week.
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Germany knew that the extension
war decreases its chances.
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But on June 28, 1942,
hopes were high.
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Operation Blau, launched against
weak Soviet concentrations,
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those on the southern front,
at the entrance to the Caucasus, it was going well.
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Stalin had been warned of the offensive
by British intelligence
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and a complete battle plan
from a downed German plane.
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He dismissed the warnings
as false information.
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Stalin was waiting for the resumption
the attack on Moscow.
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But Hitler chose another plan,
confusing the Soviet troops.
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This encouraged Hitler
to make a decision
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considered by many
as his most expensive mistake.
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He divided his army.
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After the occupation of Crimea,
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sent Army Group A
on the shore of the Black Sea
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to occupy the important cities
Maikop, Groznyi and Baku oil fields.
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In 12 days it advances over 550 km.
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Hitler ordered Army Group B
to advance towards Stalingrad.
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We were sent to Stalingrad
within the 24th Army.
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I arrived in Kamîşin by train.
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Further, the railway
it was completely destroyed.
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So, from Kamishin to Stalingrad
I walked.
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I traveled about 100 km.
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It was August 1942.
We advanced only at night.
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We advanced only at night,
because the day...
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...the Germans bombed everything that moved.
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But where were the Soviet planes?
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Why were there only German planes
in the air?
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In the initial bombing
for two days over Stalingrad,
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at least 40,000
of Soviet citizens were killed.
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At the beginning of the assault,
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Soviet anti-aircraft guns
they aimed at the German tanks.
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Their crews consisted of women
and were decimated almost completely.
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00:06:03,411 --> 00:06:06,911
One and a half million women
Soviets served in the army,
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about 490,000 of them at the front,
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receiving an extra privilege
to their male comrades:
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100 grams of soap.
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On August 19, Army Group B
launched the offensive at Stalingrad.
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in four days
reaches the outskirts of the city.
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What could go wrong?
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At Stalingrad, I weighed only 48 kg.
I was always hungry.
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I remember with sadness
on that front.
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Stalin's Decree 227 provided
that the Red Army must resist.
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It predicted that the retreat
it means death. It worked.
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00:07:15,476 --> 00:07:20,227
Other measures taken also helped
by Stalin. He reopened the churches.
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He invoked the holy fatherland, not the party.
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For the first time after the Revolution,
officers were called by rank,
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and the role of the political commissar
was reduced to almost zero.
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In August, Stalin appointed the general
Gheorghi Zhukov, the 42-year-old son of a shoemaker,
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deputy supreme commander,
sending him to Stalingrad.
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Stalingrad was called Tsaritsyn
until 1925,
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when it was named after Stalin
for his role in the civil wars.
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Saving the city that bore his name
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it was a title of glory
for the Soviet leader.
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Namely, its destruction has become
an obsession for the führer.
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Lavrenti Beria, the infamous boss
of Stalin's secret police,
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he understood this start
out of pride.
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Of the battle he says
that it is the "confrontation of two rams".
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On August 23, von Paulus,
at the head of the 6th Army,
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the largest formation in
Wehrmacht, with 290,000 soldiers,
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reached the Volga,
north of Stalingrad.
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00:08:44,251 --> 00:08:49,311
The next day, on August 24,
Zhukov arrived at Stalingrad.
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00:08:55,134 --> 00:08:59,026
On September 2, Hitler ordered
that, after the capitulation of the city,
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all men to be killed.
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Stalingrad stretched for 40 km
on both sides of the Volga.
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The river bed was 1,300 m wide there.
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In September, the defense was secured
of a garrison on the west bank,
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within a maximum perimeter of 15 km
in the widest part.
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The Germans were 200 m from the river
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when, on September 14, at 5:00 p.m.,
general Alexandr Rodimtsev
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he led 10,000 infantrymen
from the 13th Guards Division
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beyond the Volga,
in an attack on the steep bank.
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There were 320 survivors.
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At the end of September, 90%
from Stalingrad was occupied by the Germans.
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It turned out that it wasn't enough.
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There was a time when our artillery
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could not defeat the Tiger tanks,
who attacked their positions.
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They were charging straight ahead
on our anti-tank artillery.
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They were at a distance of about 50 m.
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They destroyed the cannon next to us.
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I attacked him with anti-tank grenades
and I set it on fire.
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I fired on the crew
who came out of the burning tank...
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...without mercy, with anger, among the curses.
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I trashed that tank.
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No one was injured, being destroyed
a single piece of artillery.
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Everyone dug their own
small individual trenches.
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We took shelter in them.
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In early November,
Soviet resistance renewed
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and winter, the ally
always of Russia,
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they thwarted the advance into the Caucasus
of von Kleist's Panzer Army,
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stopping it at Orjonikidze.
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At the first frost on the Volga, Marshal Zhukov
and Stavka, the Great Headquarters,
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began to plan the counterattack,
Operation Uranus...
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...intended to encircle Stalingrad
German 6th Army.
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00:11:50,228 --> 00:11:53,593
Russian military formations
they were known as fronts.
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General Vatutin's Southwest Front
would attack from the north,
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where she was stationed
Romanian 3rd Army.
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00:12:01,736 --> 00:12:05,310
General Yeremenko's Stalingrad front,
advancing from the south of the city,
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he also had to fight with the Romanians
on the way north
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towards Kalaci,
where it made the junction with Vatutin.
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The Don Front was led
by a survivor of Stalin
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who had been tortured
and subjected to two false executions.
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His name
it was Konstantin Rokosovsky.
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He had to press him
on Paulus
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to prevent him from reacting
to the maneuvers of the rear troops.
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Soviet troops were coming
from an empire
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with 120 nationalities.
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00:12:39,706 --> 00:12:43,308
I had a soldier from Belarus,
Pavel Matveevich Hodtskevich.
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He was a mathematics-physics assistant
at the Gomel Institute.
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00:12:48,669 --> 00:12:54,538
Another, Petruş, was Ukrainian.
His last name came with a first name.
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I had another Tatar, Mubarakshi.
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He knew how to cut dead horses.
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00:13:08,944 --> 00:13:13,781
Anatoli Ţaruha was
from distant Siberia.
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He lived 700 km from the railway.
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00:13:18,705 --> 00:13:21,692
He saw a train for the first time
only when it was incorporated.
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Everyone was different
gripped by the same strong fist.
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We always supported each other
each other.
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Such people are we.
Of course, I don't remember them all.
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On November 11, 1942, the Germans have
resumed the assault on Stalingrad.
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After a week, the South-Western Front
and the one on the Don attacked.
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00:14:04,465 --> 00:14:07,115
Stalingrad front
advanced the next day.
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00:14:07,316 --> 00:14:12,093
Until November 20,
Vatutin had already advanced 40 km.
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00:14:13,805 --> 00:14:17,228
On November 22, he captured
the bridge over the Don in Kalaci,
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00:14:17,456 --> 00:14:22,762
and on Nov. 23, the south-western fronts
and from Stalingrad they make the junction.
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Zhukov sent a million soldiers,
almost 1,000 tanks
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and over 1,000 planes
against the enemy.
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00:14:31,855 --> 00:14:37,170
330,000 Axis soldiers
were now surrounded in der Kessel,
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00:14:37,470 --> 00:14:41,693
in "cauldron",
a region of 55 km by 30 km.
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The 3rd Romanian Army was destroyed,
and the 4th Romanian Army suffered losses.
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00:14:52,420 --> 00:14:55,166
General Paulus,
the commander of the encircled army,
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estimated that he needs
of 750 tons of supplies daily.
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00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:04,705
Hermann Göring boasted
that the Luftwaffe can accomplish the mission.
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Obviously, it failed.
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00:15:07,787 --> 00:15:11,509
Göring retired to the Ritz hotel,
in Paris.
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For Hitler, his retreat
worse, capitulation, were out of the question.
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He ordered the 6th Army
to stay in position.
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00:15:25,787 --> 00:15:30,702
On Nov. 27, Hitler created a new one
formation, Army Group Don.
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Hitler asked her commander,
von Manstein, to save Paulus.
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At the end of November,
The Red Army launched new attacks.
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After seven days of fierce fighting,
von Manstein is forced to drop out.
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imagine,
it was December to January.
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I was shy, I was afraid
to give orders to the elders.
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Some were 25-30 years old.
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00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:14,626
When I was drinking, I would tell them
that I neither smoke nor drink.
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00:16:14,826 --> 00:16:22,028
I told them: "Don't forget, I'm not stopping you,
but keep the peace before the battle."
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"Don't get drunk,
tomorrow we go to battle."
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00:16:34,189 --> 00:16:39,220
In the middle of the Russian winter, they fought
for each street and building.
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00:16:40,228 --> 00:16:43,132
Rokosovsky said
that the German army is a machine,
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00:16:43,332 --> 00:16:46,853
and "cars can be destroyed".
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00:16:47,189 --> 00:16:51,496
"People are not machines,
but they too can be destroyed."
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00:16:57,998 --> 00:17:04,319
13,000 Soviet soldiers were
executed as deserters or cowards.
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00:17:04,719 --> 00:17:07,406
They were forced to undress
before being executed,
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00:17:07,606 --> 00:17:14,526
that reusable uniforms do not have
demoralizing bullet holes.
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00:17:17,068 --> 00:17:20,738
The mood improved
following the performance of Soviet weapons.
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00:17:21,138 --> 00:17:26,108
The T34 tank, based on the project
the American Walter Christie,
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00:17:26,369 --> 00:17:30,642
could compete with any tank,
and the Katiuşa launcher had no equal.
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00:17:30,942 --> 00:17:35,160
It was effective and terrifying.
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00:17:36,703 --> 00:17:40,206
Nine days later than it had been
scheduled for December 12
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00:17:40,506 --> 00:17:44,841
von Manstein launched the operation
Wintergewitter, "Winter storm".
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00:17:45,145 --> 00:17:48,583
The offensive, supported by the Hoth Group
of General Hermann Hoth,
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00:17:48,889 --> 00:17:52,568
it was going well until he met
a daring resistance on the river Mişkova.
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00:17:52,868 --> 00:17:57,645
Then the Soviet 2nd Army intervened
of the Guard, led by gl. Malinovsky.
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00:17:57,931 --> 00:18:00,051
Operation "Winter Storm"
was rejected
200
00:18:00,251 --> 00:18:04,651
and von Manstein understood
that his rescue mission had failed.
201
00:18:05,651 --> 00:18:10,620
On December 16, Soviet troops
launch the "Little Saturn" offensive,
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00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,431
against the Italian 8th Army,
which is destroyed.
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00:18:20,857 --> 00:18:26,118
Tatinskaia airfield, used
of Germans for resupply,
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00:18:26,363 --> 00:18:28,969
had fallen into the hands of the Soviets.
205
00:18:29,401 --> 00:18:33,996
On Christmas Eve, the Stalingrad Front
pierced the 4th Romanian Army,
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00:18:34,271 --> 00:18:38,673
which had made the junction with the Hoth Group,
advancing towards the lower Don.
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00:18:38,973 --> 00:18:41,751
Von Manstein withdrew the Hoth Group.
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00:18:43,053 --> 00:18:51,049
I saw it coming
three silhouettes with machine guns.
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00:18:53,230 --> 00:18:58,587
They were Germans.
They walked with their hands up.
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00:18:58,787 --> 00:19:03,732
They knew it was useless to shoot anymore,
because they would have been killed on the spot.
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00:19:04,597 --> 00:19:10,100
I searched them.
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00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:20,100
I saw that they had hands
and black ears, frozen.
213
00:19:20,300 --> 00:19:28,686
They were some kids
for about 17-18 years.
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00:19:29,986 --> 00:19:35,275
I noticed that one of these officers,
for they were officers, by the way,
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00:19:35,475 --> 00:19:37,761
he put his hand in his pocket.
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00:19:37,961 --> 00:19:43,053
I grabbed his hand and ordered him
in German: "Hands up!".
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00:19:43,253 --> 00:19:46,842
I looked for it in my pocket
and he had a grenade.
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00:19:48,942 --> 00:19:53,837
Our division commander ordered
let's shoot him. I executed the order.
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00:19:59,793 --> 00:20:03,277
On December 28,
as a result of the worsening of the situation,
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00:20:03,563 --> 00:20:09,192
Hitler allowed the withdrawal of some troops
from the Konstantinov-Armavir line.
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00:20:09,492 --> 00:20:13,505
Now they were more than 200 km away
of Stalingrad.
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00:20:20,105 --> 00:20:22,932
It was time for the finals to begin.
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00:20:25,332 --> 00:20:30,029
The Soviet assault has begun
on January 10, 1943.
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00:20:31,929 --> 00:20:35,183
Yeremenko advanced
on the eastern bank of the Volga.
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00:20:35,483 --> 00:20:39,354
An offensive perimeter
consisting of six Soviet armies
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00:20:39,678 --> 00:20:42,882
it tightened like a net
from the west bank.
227
00:20:43,175 --> 00:20:48,063
The 65th Army in the middle advanced
8 km on the first day.
228
00:20:48,455 --> 00:20:52,863
After two days, the Don Front
led by Rokosovsky
229
00:20:53,102 --> 00:20:58,798
had lost over 250 tanks
and 26,000 soldiers.
230
00:21:04,647 --> 00:21:10,576
The German troops were supplied
now with only 40 tons per day.
231
00:21:10,876 --> 00:21:15,943
On January 17, the German troops lose
last supply airfield.
232
00:21:16,238 --> 00:21:22,053
On January 23, from Stalingrad
the last German plane flies.
233
00:21:23,681 --> 00:21:29,042
"And in 1,000 years the Germans will speak
about fighting with respect and piety",
234
00:21:29,341 --> 00:21:33,583
declared Hermann Göring on the radio
on January 30.
235
00:21:34,599 --> 00:21:38,940
That day, Hitler advanced him
Paulus in the rank of field marshal.
236
00:21:39,554 --> 00:21:43,261
No German Field Marshal
he never laid down his arms.
237
00:21:43,465 --> 00:21:49,711
Hitler thus expected Paulus
to fight to the last soldier
238
00:21:49,954 --> 00:21:53,867
or commit suicide
instead of being captured.
239
00:21:54,367 --> 00:21:57,622
One day later, on January 31, 1943,
240
00:21:57,822 --> 00:22:02,065
Field Marshal Friederich von Paulus
he surrendered
241
00:22:02,265 --> 00:22:06,280
in the south of Stalingrad
The 62nd Army, led by Chuikov.
242
00:22:06,630 --> 00:22:09,045
Von Paulus stated:
"I have no intention"
243
00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,876
"to kill myself
for this Bavarian corporal."
244
00:22:23,750 --> 00:22:28,678
The Germans had a name for
the battles that destroyed the buildings of the city:
245
00:22:28,978 --> 00:22:32,061
Rattenkrieg, "rat war".
246
00:22:32,423 --> 00:22:36,888
It spawned legends about the battles
from the Tractor Factory, from the Great Silo
247
00:22:37,088 --> 00:22:41,154
or from the Central Station, whose fate
was turned 15 times,
248
00:22:41,475 --> 00:22:45,080
or from "Pavlov's house",
where Sergeant Pavlov and his unit
249
00:22:45,281 --> 00:22:48,790
they lasted 59 days
until they were released.
250
00:22:50,843 --> 00:22:56,562
But even acts of heroism
yield to the reality of modern warfare.
251
00:22:58,482 --> 00:23:02,279
When and the Tractor Factory,
subjected to artillery bombardment
252
00:23:02,479 --> 00:23:05,891
with a density of 300 guns
per square kilometer
253
00:23:06,247 --> 00:23:09,964
capitulated, the battle of Stalingrad
it ended
254
00:23:10,370 --> 00:23:14,454
It had lasted 199 days.
255
00:23:17,918 --> 00:23:23,811
After the uproar of the gusts
machine gun,
256
00:23:24,011 --> 00:23:25,753
there was silence.
257
00:23:25,953 --> 00:23:30,954
The battle was over.
There was complete silence.
258
00:23:31,154 --> 00:23:33,831
It was unnatural.
259
00:23:38,899 --> 00:23:42,834
On February 3, the Führer announced
fall of the city
260
00:23:43,034 --> 00:23:45,914
declaring four days of mourning.
261
00:23:49,664 --> 00:23:53,722
The official statement stated
that the entire 6th Army
262
00:23:53,922 --> 00:23:58,273
was decimated to the last
soldier until the last bullet.
263
00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:06,680
Actually, 91,000 prisoners
they were forced to march in Moscow.
264
00:24:09,732 --> 00:24:12,807
Of these, 5,000 had
to survive.
265
00:24:18,652 --> 00:24:21,578
After the surrender of Stalingrad,
German radio broadcast
266
00:24:21,782 --> 00:24:25,366
the adagio from the 7th Symphony
by Anton Bruckner.
267
00:24:26,384 --> 00:24:32,726
Three years later, it will be rebroadcast
after the announcement of Hitler's death.
268
00:24:40,425 --> 00:24:43,066
From the winter of 1942,
269
00:24:43,435 --> 00:24:47,344
German propaganda
redefined war.
270
00:24:48,358 --> 00:24:52,236
This was no longer a crusade
of the destruction of Judeo-Bolshevism,
271
00:24:53,284 --> 00:24:59,022
but a life and death fight
against the "Asian horde".
272
00:24:59,322 --> 00:25:02,572
In this sense, the great orchestrator
of German propaganda
273
00:25:02,806 --> 00:25:06,520
gave a reference speech
on February 18.
274
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,482
Joseph Goebbels asked the question:
275
00:25:09,782 --> 00:25:14,759
"Wolt ihr den totalen Krieg?"
"Do you want an all-out war?"
276
00:25:15,033 --> 00:25:20,326
"You want a more radical war
than we can even imagine?"
277
00:25:20,627 --> 00:25:26,419
Radio listeners heard the reaction
fanaticism of the carefully chosen audience.
278
00:25:27,069 --> 00:25:33,601
They heard Goebbels conclude
with the quote used by the Nazis in 1920:
279
00:25:34,691 --> 00:25:40,262
"People, stand up
and unleash the storm!"
280
00:25:44,462 --> 00:25:47,224
The storm that broke loose
on Stalingrad
281
00:25:47,524 --> 00:25:53,409
it ended the lives of 1,130,000
by Soviet soldiers.
282
00:25:55,866 --> 00:26:00,205
From the side of the Axis
850,000 soldiers perished.
283
00:26:10,705 --> 00:26:12,880
Stalingrad was a failure,
284
00:26:13,092 --> 00:26:16,393
but losing a fight
it does not mean losing the war.
285
00:26:16,593 --> 00:26:22,923
The Soviet Union had to be expelled
a single invader.
286
00:26:24,041 --> 00:26:30,797
At the end of 1942, the German troops
occupied 14 sovereign states:
287
00:26:31,097 --> 00:26:34,417
France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg,
Denmark, Norway,
288
00:26:34,658 --> 00:26:37,647
Austria, Czechoslovakia,
Poland, Greece, Yugoslavia,
289
00:26:37,848 --> 00:26:40,264
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
290
00:26:40,564 --> 00:26:43,991
Soviet republics Ukraine
and Belarus were occupied,
291
00:26:44,213 --> 00:26:48,919
Italy was an ally as well
and Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
292
00:26:49,919 --> 00:26:55,872
The eastern front was contested
of two great continental powers.
293
00:26:56,209 --> 00:26:59,150
So, it was the battle
from Stalingrad decisive?
294
00:27:01,504 --> 00:27:06,562
As at Midway, and at Stalingrad both
camps suffered major losses.
295
00:27:09,074 --> 00:27:12,800
That's what he demonstrated
that the German empire was not invincible,
296
00:27:13,257 --> 00:27:17,287
that the Soviet generals
they were the size of their German counterparts
297
00:27:17,498 --> 00:27:21,480
and especially that the USSR
she allowed herself
298
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:24,983
to pay the price
exorbitantly expensive victories.
299
00:27:25,286 --> 00:27:27,243
He will also pay it at Kursk,
300
00:27:27,525 --> 00:27:33,530
when the Wehrmacht, with presence
massive in the USSR, will resume the offensive.
301
00:27:36,530 --> 00:27:42,437
Battles of Stalingrad and Midway
and the upheaval in North Africa
302
00:27:43,003 --> 00:27:50,385
the Allies convinced
that they have passed the critical moment.
303
00:27:52,104 --> 00:27:54,640
This is not the end.
304
00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:59,156
It's not even
the beginning of the end.
305
00:27:59,607 --> 00:28:03,287
But it's likely
the end of the beginning.
306
00:28:04,787 --> 00:28:09,276
Churchill was referring to
at the second battle of El Alamein.
307
00:28:10,076 --> 00:28:12,715
As we saw in July and August,
308
00:28:13,130 --> 00:28:15,729
Rommel was stopped
in northern Africa.
309
00:28:16,330 --> 00:28:20,329
His newly arrived opponent,
Montgomery, was put to the test
310
00:28:20,530 --> 00:28:25,362
when Rommel launched the offensive
on the fuel tank.
311
00:28:25,716 --> 00:28:29,773
Fuel supply
it was problematic for Afrika Korps.
312
00:28:31,773 --> 00:28:35,774
Rommel intended to break through
the allied positions at Alam Halfa.
313
00:28:36,017 --> 00:28:40,531
It was rejected again in September
he withdrew to the initial positions.
314
00:28:41,731 --> 00:28:49,017
Montgomery wanted to ensure his supremacy
in all compartments before combat.
315
00:28:50,517 --> 00:28:53,505
Some of his tactics
they were less orthodox.
316
00:28:56,205 --> 00:29:01,517
He placed fake tanks, to confuse
the enemy on the scene of the attack,
317
00:29:02,020 --> 00:29:04,995
and he hid the real tanks.
318
00:29:06,495 --> 00:29:10,752
The tanks were hidden under the frames
covered with painted tarpaulin,
319
00:29:10,952 --> 00:29:13,491
to resemble trucks,
and they really looked like these.
320
00:29:13,792 --> 00:29:16,884
There were many tanks hidden like that
behind the front.
321
00:29:17,234 --> 00:29:22,014
The trucks had been parked
elsewhere and moved at night.
322
00:29:22,328 --> 00:29:25,278
And this confused the Germans.
323
00:29:25,978 --> 00:29:32,134
The Second Battle of El Alamein
it started on the night of 22 oct 1942
324
00:29:32,434 --> 00:29:38,358
with the first massive British bombing
after the end of the First World War.
325
00:29:41,050 --> 00:29:45,172
The poor Germans cashed it
hate everything.
326
00:29:45,372 --> 00:29:52,240
Montgomery attacked
with over 1,000 pieces of artillery
327
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:53,605
on the El Alamein line.
328
00:29:53,805 --> 00:29:56,771
The projectiles fell like hail.
329
00:30:02,671 --> 00:30:06,788
The offensive line stretched
from the shore to the south,
330
00:30:07,013 --> 00:30:09,368
towards the Qattara depression,
impossible to pass.
331
00:30:09,668 --> 00:30:12,892
On the southern flank, the British 13th Corps
of General Brian Horrocks
332
00:30:13,192 --> 00:30:17,221
would face the Italian 10th Corps
of General Benvenuto Gioda.
333
00:30:18,221 --> 00:30:21,340
His goal was to push
Rommel's tanks to the south.
334
00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:23,397
The main attack was in the north,
335
00:30:23,603 --> 00:30:27,778
General Oliver Leese's 30th Corps
advancing through the minefields.
336
00:30:28,304 --> 00:30:33,973
The New Zealanders and the South Africans were fighting
at the southern extremity of this body,
337
00:30:34,233 --> 00:30:39,438
the first succeeding in conquering
heights of Miteriya.
338
00:30:40,251 --> 00:30:45,273
On the coast, the advance of the Australian 9th Division
was slowed by minefields,
339
00:30:45,490 --> 00:30:49,817
as well as forward
1st and 10th Armored Divisions.
340
00:30:50,717 --> 00:30:55,712
On Oct. 25, Rommel, in Germany for
medical treatment at the time of the attack,
341
00:30:56,012 --> 00:31:00,254
returned to Africa
in charge of the Afrika Korps.
342
00:31:03,952 --> 00:31:09,148
The northern and southern flanks of
The Allies stalled on October 25.
343
00:31:09,663 --> 00:31:14,663
The dreaded 88 mm anti-tank gun
it was extremely effective.
344
00:31:14,963 --> 00:31:17,601
The battle had arrived
in a moment of balance.
345
00:31:18,701 --> 00:31:22,701
Illumination projectiles were launched,
whistling could be heard.
346
00:31:23,101 --> 00:31:25,201
They were no longer contained.
347
00:31:26,201 --> 00:31:29,701
If you threw yourself on the ground
at every whistle, you didn't get up.
348
00:31:30,201 --> 00:31:34,901
In the next two days, the fighting
they did not have a decisive result.
349
00:31:35,201 --> 00:31:38,501
On October 28,
Churchill expressed his dismay.
350
00:31:38,801 --> 00:31:42,601
Allied reinforcements were to arrive
at the western end of the coast,
351
00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:50,001
in French North Africa, what were they going to do
junction with troops advancing from the east.
352
00:31:50,901 --> 00:31:54,201
On October 29,
Montgomery changed the plan.
353
00:31:54,901 --> 00:31:58,901
As part of the Supercharge operation,
placed the Australian Division ashore,
354
00:31:59,101 --> 00:32:00,801
to simulate the attack.
355
00:32:01,901 --> 00:32:04,301
The attack was launched on November 2,
356
00:32:04,601 --> 00:32:09,101
six days before disembarkation
in the French territories of North Africa.
357
00:32:11,801 --> 00:32:15,701
I remember a tank of ours
on fire
358
00:32:16,001 --> 00:32:20,801
I could hear a voice asking for help.
He was saying: "Help! Help me!"
359
00:32:22,201 --> 00:32:26,201
The radio operator was transmitting
when the tank was hit.
360
00:32:27,101 --> 00:32:33,401
Someone was stuck there with the station open.
"For God's sake, help me!"
361
00:32:35,201 --> 00:32:38,601
One of our tanks fired
upon him, and the voice died away.
362
00:32:43,301 --> 00:32:46,101
It grinds me terribly.
363
00:32:47,201 --> 00:32:50,501
Through the Supercharge operation,
The Allies break through the Axis lines.
364
00:32:50,701 --> 00:32:56,701
Rommel, running out of fuel
and ammunition, he is forced to retreat.
365
00:32:57,201 --> 00:33:01,101
Pursuing Rommel in Libya
started on November 4th.
366
00:33:01,401 --> 00:33:06,401
On November 10, Churchill declared
that it is "the end of the beginning".
367
00:33:07,901 --> 00:33:10,401
One morning I saw a lot of smoke.
368
00:33:12,301 --> 00:33:17,601
A reconnaissance unit announced
that there is a massive exodus.
369
00:33:18,601 --> 00:33:23,001
The Germans were retreating.
I followed them to the shore.
370
00:33:24,401 --> 00:33:27,801
The Second Battle of El Alamein
it was a victory for the Allies.
371
00:33:28,001 --> 00:33:30,601
The enemy was in full retreat.
372
00:33:31,001 --> 00:33:34,001
But certain clarifications are required.
373
00:33:34,601 --> 00:33:36,601
In mid-1942,
374
00:33:36,801 --> 00:33:41,901
in North Africa, there were eight
Italian and four German divisions.
375
00:33:42,201 --> 00:33:46,001
In the Balkans, there were 12 Italian divisions,
respectively five German.
376
00:33:46,301 --> 00:33:51,001
Another 26 German divisions were
in western Europe and 12 in Norway.
377
00:33:51,301 --> 00:33:57,101
197 Axis divisions were located
on the Eastern Front.
378
00:33:59,801 --> 00:34:02,101
ROMMEL, ON THE RUN
379
00:34:04,401 --> 00:34:10,801
Although Rommel was retreating, he was fighting with
the tenacity with which this general has accustomed us.
380
00:34:11,901 --> 00:34:14,601
8th Army advancing west,
in Rommel's footsteps,
381
00:34:14,801 --> 00:34:20,301
represented, perhaps, the last stump
of joy of a former great empire.
382
00:34:22,101 --> 00:34:24,101
On the other side of North Africa,
383
00:34:24,445 --> 00:34:28,745
allied troops were entering the war
against Hitler
384
00:34:28,945 --> 00:34:33,145
under the command of the general
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
385
00:34:33,445 --> 00:34:35,345
The Yankees were coming.
386
00:34:37,445 --> 00:34:41,245
Operation Torţa, the allied invasion
in the French regions of North Africa,
387
00:34:41,545 --> 00:34:44,945
started on November 8,
when the landings from three areas
388
00:34:45,145 --> 00:34:47,745
they met a strong
French resistance.
389
00:34:48,945 --> 00:34:52,845
They were loyal troops
the Vichy French government.
390
00:34:55,645 --> 00:34:59,645
A French ship started
to shoot at us.
391
00:34:59,945 --> 00:35:01,945
I think it was called Vichy French.
392
00:35:02,245 --> 00:35:07,745
Our warship
sank her near the wharf.
393
00:35:09,045 --> 00:35:12,445
All troop carriers
394
00:35:12,945 --> 00:35:16,845
entered landing formation,
side by side
395
00:35:17,095 --> 00:35:20,395
and the soldiers landed on the beach.
396
00:35:22,195 --> 00:35:26,995
Many such LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel),
who landed troops on the beach,
397
00:35:27,295 --> 00:35:30,795
they could not dock properly.
398
00:35:31,195 --> 00:35:36,395
Unfortunately, many soldiers
who carried heavy weapons
399
00:35:36,895 --> 00:35:40,695
they drowned because of it
the weight of the equipment.
400
00:35:44,195 --> 00:35:46,195
Western Task Force
of General Patton
401
00:35:46,395 --> 00:35:49,395
landed in three places
on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.
402
00:35:49,595 --> 00:35:51,895
Central Operative Group
landed at Oran,
403
00:35:52,095 --> 00:35:56,095
and the Eastern Task Force disembarked
west of Algiers, also in Algeria.
404
00:35:58,095 --> 00:36:03,495
On November 10, Admiral François Darlan,
high commissioner of the Vichy regime in Algiers,
405
00:36:03,695 --> 00:36:07,095
ordered the end of resistance
in the face of invasion.
406
00:36:07,595 --> 00:36:10,795
Prime Minister of the Vichy Government,
Pierre Laval, fled to Berlin
407
00:36:10,995 --> 00:36:14,295
to assure Hitler
that Darlan acted illegally.
408
00:36:14,595 --> 00:36:18,995
But the Führer was not impressed.
The next day he ordered the German troops
409
00:36:19,195 --> 00:36:24,995
to occupy all of France,
ending the "Free Zone".
410
00:36:26,195 --> 00:36:30,795
He sent to the leader of the Vichy government,
Philippe Pétain, a justification of his action.
411
00:36:31,095 --> 00:36:32,995
"It's unfortunate," he wrote to her,
412
00:36:33,195 --> 00:36:38,195
"that the unscrupulous Anglo-Saxons
and especially the scheming Jews"
413
00:36:38,495 --> 00:36:43,095
"they interpreted the conciliatory actions
of the New Reich"
414
00:36:43,395 --> 00:36:45,395
"as a sign of weakness".
415
00:36:45,695 --> 00:36:51,795
Hitler continued: "The instigators of Paris
I demand the dismemberment of the German Reich".
416
00:36:52,095 --> 00:36:56,395
He complained that they "follow
the enslavement of the German people"
417
00:36:56,695 --> 00:37:03,695
"and the restoration of full rights
to plunder for the Jews."
418
00:37:07,695 --> 00:37:10,195
On November 11, 1942,
419
00:37:10,495 --> 00:37:14,295
on the anniversary of the armistice
from the First World War,
420
00:37:14,995 --> 00:37:18,195
the French in North Africa
they signed an armistice with the Allies
421
00:37:18,395 --> 00:37:21,095
who started
to advance towards Tunis.
422
00:37:24,095 --> 00:37:28,095
It remained in effect until April,
when it became a launch pad
423
00:37:28,395 --> 00:37:30,995
in the invasion of Sicily.
424
00:37:38,195 --> 00:37:42,995
The campaigns in the Pacific were changing
the balance of power in war.
425
00:37:45,295 --> 00:37:48,095
An archipelago
with almost 1,000 islands,
426
00:37:48,395 --> 00:37:52,895
the Solomon Islands, were offshore
the northeast coast of Australia.
427
00:37:53,695 --> 00:37:57,595
The Japanese called
the main island Gadarukararu.
428
00:37:57,895 --> 00:38:02,695
The Americans called it Cactus,
but her name is Guadalcanal.
429
00:38:02,995 --> 00:38:06,095
Japanese troops landed there
in April 1942
430
00:38:06,295 --> 00:38:08,895
and they built an air base.
431
00:38:09,295 --> 00:38:15,995
Such a base threatened Australia
and operations in this theater of war.
432
00:38:16,295 --> 00:38:19,895
On July 2, the chiefs of staff
Americans ordered
433
00:38:20,095 --> 00:38:22,595
the capture of the Solomon Islands.
434
00:38:26,195 --> 00:38:31,695
On August 7, American forces
they landed at Guadalcanal.
435
00:38:31,995 --> 00:38:35,395
It was the first landing
of American forces in the Pacific
436
00:38:35,695 --> 00:38:38,495
and the first islands in a long line
437
00:38:38,795 --> 00:38:42,595
which would remain permanently
inscribed in American history.
438
00:38:43,595 --> 00:38:46,795
The Marines' primary target
who landed at Red Beach
439
00:38:46,995 --> 00:38:49,995
it was the airstrip
built by the Japanese.
440
00:38:50,295 --> 00:38:53,495
When the marines invaded
airstrip, on August 12,
441
00:38:53,795 --> 00:38:59,295
they named it after the major
Lofton Henderson, killed at Midway.
442
00:38:59,595 --> 00:39:01,495
Henderson Field became the scene
443
00:39:01,695 --> 00:39:04,795
one of the bloodiest
battles in the pacific.
444
00:39:06,995 --> 00:39:10,395
The night after landing,
a Japanese naval task force
445
00:39:10,595 --> 00:39:14,195
consisting of seven cruisers and
a destroyer caught an allied force
446
00:39:14,495 --> 00:39:19,695
navigating the 15 km wide channel
between Guadalcanal and the island of Savo.
447
00:39:19,995 --> 00:39:22,595
He sank American cruisers
and Australian.
448
00:39:22,795 --> 00:39:29,295
The allied camp lost
1,270 sailors, and the Japanese, 34.
449
00:39:31,995 --> 00:39:35,395
After the battle near the island of Savo,
The US Navy withdrew,
450
00:39:35,695 --> 00:39:39,195
leaving without support
Marines from Guadalcanal.
451
00:39:41,495 --> 00:39:48,895
But the Japanese did not take advantage of the opportunity.
They did not bring reinforcements until August 18.
452
00:39:51,095 --> 00:39:55,895
The first counterattack of the Japanese
took place on August 21.
453
00:39:56,195 --> 00:39:58,195
They launched the attack at night.
454
00:39:59,895 --> 00:40:05,695
They considered the Americans, effeminate
being, hates fighting at night.
455
00:40:06,295 --> 00:40:12,595
Colonel Ichiki, with 900 men,
attacked the river Tenaru.
456
00:40:13,595 --> 00:40:16,095
The Japanese were destroyed.
457
00:40:16,595 --> 00:40:19,195
The Americans lost 35 soldiers.
458
00:40:19,495 --> 00:40:23,195
Colonel Ichiki did
harachiri, ritual suicide.
459
00:40:23,495 --> 00:40:28,095
It is said that the bodies of the Japanese
they ended up being food for the crocodiles.
460
00:40:31,295 --> 00:40:35,395
In August, the continuation of the actions
ships in the Solomon Archipelago
461
00:40:35,695 --> 00:40:38,395
put the Americans back in the lead.
462
00:40:38,695 --> 00:40:42,395
Their planes were already operating
from Henderson Field.
463
00:40:42,995 --> 00:40:47,595
Thus, they limited the supply
the Japanese Imperial Army
464
00:40:47,795 --> 00:40:50,695
to the ships that raced
to Bougainville at night.
465
00:40:50,995 --> 00:40:54,595
The Americans called them
Tokyo Night Express.
466
00:40:55,595 --> 00:41:01,195
The next significant attack was
led by General Kawaguchi.
467
00:41:03,295 --> 00:41:07,695
Battle of Bloody Ridge (Edson's Ridge),
since September, has been hotly contested.
468
00:41:08,095 --> 00:41:10,895
The Japanese were repulsed,
losing 600 soldiers.
469
00:41:11,095 --> 00:41:14,195
The Marines lost 150.
470
00:41:14,895 --> 00:41:21,195
At the end of September, the general
Vandegrift had 23,000 riflemen.
471
00:41:22,195 --> 00:41:24,195
In the face of this danger,
472
00:41:24,395 --> 00:41:30,395
the Japanese sent him from Rabaul
on gl.-lt. Hyakutake with the 17th Army.
473
00:41:32,695 --> 00:41:37,495
In mid-October, the Japanese
they had consolidated their workforce to 20,000.
474
00:41:42,295 --> 00:41:45,795
The battle for Guadalcanal dragged on
from mid-October
475
00:41:46,095 --> 00:41:51,595
until final evacuation
of the Japanese in February 1943.
476
00:41:54,595 --> 00:41:58,295
In the first two weeks of
December, US 1st Marine Division,
477
00:41:58,495 --> 00:42:03,695
severely affected after six weeks
of fights and tropical diseases,
478
00:42:03,995 --> 00:42:09,495
it was replaced by three marine divisions
from Corps 14, led by gl. Alexander Patch.
479
00:42:09,995 --> 00:42:12,895
Patch immediately went on the offensive.
480
00:42:13,195 --> 00:42:18,895
In January, Japan understood
that his position in Guadalcanal is unviable.
481
00:42:20,395 --> 00:42:25,895
Hunger and disease did
greater losses than the enemy.
482
00:42:27,395 --> 00:42:31,995
The evacuation order was given,
and the troops were taken to New Guinea.
483
00:42:32,595 --> 00:42:36,595
By February, they were killed
1,600 American soldiers,
484
00:42:36,795 --> 00:42:42,795
and 32,000 Japanese soldiers
they fell victim to fighting or disease.
485
00:42:43,595 --> 00:42:46,595
The Imperial Japanese Army did not
a better evolution
486
00:42:46,895 --> 00:42:50,195
nor in the parallel campaign
from New Guinea.
487
00:42:50,795 --> 00:42:54,395
THE WAR
FROM THE JUNGLE OF NEW GUINEA
488
00:42:54,895 --> 00:42:57,395
And now, a statement
from the jungle of New Guinea,
489
00:42:57,795 --> 00:43:02,095
from an Australian cameraman
just back from the front, Damien Parer.
490
00:43:02,395 --> 00:43:07,095
It's a strange war. You don't see any
Japanese, although it is 20 m away.
491
00:43:07,495 --> 00:43:10,495
They are experts in the art of dissimulation.
492
00:43:10,895 --> 00:43:14,395
About 40% of our soldiers
wounded in these battles...
493
00:43:16,595 --> 00:43:20,395
...they didn't see any Japanese soldiers,
at least not one alive.
494
00:43:22,395 --> 00:43:28,795
In July 1942, an Australian battalion
and one infantry puppet
495
00:43:28,995 --> 00:43:35,195
were sent from Port Moresby
to Buna, on the north coast.
496
00:43:35,695 --> 00:43:40,195
Buna had a small airfield, of which
Douglas MacArthur needed
497
00:43:40,495 --> 00:43:42,995
as a base
for subsequent operations.
498
00:43:43,695 --> 00:43:49,295
The small detachment got the name
a beach in Sydney, Maroubra Force.
499
00:43:49,595 --> 00:43:52,095
His route followed the Kokoda Trail,
500
00:43:52,395 --> 00:43:56,595
through the dense jungle
of the Owen Stanley mountain range.
501
00:43:57,695 --> 00:44:02,095
Force Maroubra has arrived in the village
Kokoda, half way,
502
00:44:02,395 --> 00:44:03,495
in mid-July.
503
00:44:03,795 --> 00:44:08,595
MacArthur's order was to arrive
to Buna until the end of the month.
504
00:44:09,695 --> 00:44:14,995
Frustrated by the failure of the Sea
Corals and from Port Moresby,
505
00:44:15,195 --> 00:44:18,395
the Japanese chose a ground approach.
506
00:44:19,395 --> 00:44:23,495
A detachment of 2,000 soldiers
led by Colonel Yosuke Yokoyama
507
00:44:23,795 --> 00:44:26,195
landed at Gona on July 21.
508
00:44:26,495 --> 00:44:29,695
They had the order
to advance to Kokoda.
509
00:44:31,195 --> 00:44:36,795
The first contact between the Japanese and
The Force Maroubra took place two days later.
510
00:44:37,795 --> 00:44:41,395
The 7th Australian Division was
deployed to New Guinea in August,
511
00:44:41,595 --> 00:44:46,095
and in the middle of the month, a brigade
the march to Kokoda began.
512
00:44:52,295 --> 00:44:55,995
The route was in a region
affected by malaria.
513
00:44:56,195 --> 00:45:01,895
For each wounded,
seven soldiers were killed by the disease.
514
00:45:03,395 --> 00:45:06,795
And the supply was problematic.
515
00:45:07,295 --> 00:45:10,895
In the eight days needed by the carters
to reach the soldiers,
516
00:45:11,095 --> 00:45:15,395
they consumed half
from the food they were carrying.
517
00:45:15,995 --> 00:45:18,895
Two days after departure
7th Australian Division,
518
00:45:19,195 --> 00:45:24,195
the main Japanese force,
with 11,500 soldiers, landed at Buna.
519
00:45:24,495 --> 00:45:30,095
By the end of the war,
157,646 Japanese soldiers
520
00:45:30,295 --> 00:45:32,595
they will have been sent to New Guinea.
521
00:45:34,195 --> 00:45:37,595
Only 6% of them had
to survive.
522
00:45:41,095 --> 00:45:43,795
An important scene of hostilities
was Milne bay.
523
00:45:44,295 --> 00:45:47,995
Here reinforcements are arriving, after the attempt
the Japanese to create an outpost
524
00:45:48,195 --> 00:45:50,195
was foiled by the Australians.
525
00:45:52,995 --> 00:45:57,195
When I met the Japanese at Milne,
we fought with them for four nights.
526
00:45:57,495 --> 00:46:02,595
They were setting up their machine guns
next to a tree
527
00:46:02,895 --> 00:46:06,095
beyond the airfield runway.
528
00:46:06,795 --> 00:46:12,195
As one was knocked down,
another took his place.
529
00:46:14,395 --> 00:46:18,095
They lasted for a good few hours.
530
00:46:18,695 --> 00:46:22,995
During this time we were sending troops,
infantrymen, on the other side,
531
00:46:23,495 --> 00:46:26,395
which gradually
they ensured our advantage.
532
00:46:27,495 --> 00:46:30,395
The Japanese left behind
88 dead soldiers.
533
00:46:32,795 --> 00:46:37,995
One had been shot
several times in the stomach.
534
00:46:38,495 --> 00:46:41,995
He had put both hands into the wound.
535
00:46:42,295 --> 00:46:48,395
His face showed pain, agony.
536
00:46:49,395 --> 00:46:56,195
You couldn't help but think
that he is someone's son, father or husband.
537
00:46:59,995 --> 00:47:05,295
On September 6, the Japanese
they were forced to abandon.
538
00:47:05,795 --> 00:47:09,295
Their troops were evacuated
in Rabaul.
539
00:47:09,695 --> 00:47:14,295
The Japanese were suffering their first defeat
categorical at Milne Bay,
540
00:47:14,595 --> 00:47:19,495
who had prevented them from
establish an air base there.
541
00:47:19,895 --> 00:47:21,895
After another two weeks
of fierce battles,
542
00:47:22,095 --> 00:47:25,795
the Australians were advancing
on the Kokoda Trail.
543
00:47:26,595 --> 00:47:31,095
They secured their objective, Buna,
after weeks of fighting in the jungle,
544
00:47:31,295 --> 00:47:35,795
in terrible conditions
of heat, humidity and diseases.
545
00:47:38,995 --> 00:47:45,095
In the Papua New Guinea campaign,
The Allies lost 8,500 soldiers in the battle,
546
00:47:45,295 --> 00:47:47,395
and the Japanese, 12,000.
547
00:47:47,895 --> 00:47:51,795
Both camps lost
many more because of diseases.
548
00:47:53,295 --> 00:47:56,695
The advance was arduous,
and her price was high.
549
00:47:56,995 --> 00:48:00,495
But the danger he had planned
over Australia had been removed.
550
00:48:09,295 --> 00:48:11,395
In the next episode
from "The Price of Empire",
551
00:48:11,595 --> 00:48:16,295
the upheavals of the situation
in favor of the Allies is gaining momentum.
552
00:48:16,595 --> 00:48:21,195
During 1943, at sea,
in the air, in Eastern Europe, in Italy,
553
00:48:21,395 --> 00:48:25,295
in north africa,
on the Eastern Front and in the Pacific,
554
00:48:25,595 --> 00:48:29,895
the Axis powers
suffers blow after blow.
555
00:48:30,295 --> 00:48:33,595
If in 1942 it had been
the end of the beginning
556
00:48:33,895 --> 00:48:37,395
it was probably the beginning of the end.
557
00:48:39,395 --> 00:48:44,395
Root: Viasat History
Trans-synchro: vonRichthofen
Subs.ro Team @ www.subs.ro