1 00:00:00,033 --> 00:00:03,168 Sub extracted from file and improved by Se7enOfNin9 for addic7ed.com 2 00:00:07,265 --> 00:00:09,095 When the United States enters the war, 3 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:11,135 it's understood that a second front 4 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,280 is needed to defeat Nazi Germany. 5 00:00:14,380 --> 00:00:16,495 The Red Army and Soviet people have 6 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,396 taken the brunt of the Nazi onslaught for nearly a year, 7 00:00:19,421 --> 00:00:22,919 and now Soviet leader Joseph Stalin demands 8 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,300 that the Western Allies do their part. 9 00:00:25,500 --> 00:00:28,220 The Allies disagree where to attack. 10 00:00:28,420 --> 00:00:30,959 American military leaders want to invade France, 11 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,919 the most direct route to Berlin. 12 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:34,780 But Churchill and his generals, 13 00:00:34,980 --> 00:00:38,380 still haunted by the horrible cost of World War I, 14 00:00:38,580 --> 00:00:42,100 are reluctant to invade Europe before they're ready. 15 00:00:42,340 --> 00:00:44,600 And so the decision is made to attack 16 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,700 the Germans in North Africa, 17 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,740 in an invasion codenamed Operation Torch. 18 00:00:51,020 --> 00:00:55,020 The Americans, inexperienced and untested, 19 00:00:55,420 --> 00:00:57,159 are about to battle the Wehrmacht 20 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:58,860 for the very first time. 21 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:02,079 All wars changed the world, 22 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:03,959 but none of them changed the world 23 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:05,980 like the Second World War did. 24 00:01:06,340 --> 00:01:07,740 Japan's on the march. 25 00:01:07,765 --> 00:01:09,780 Germany is on the march. 26 00:01:10,660 --> 00:01:13,780 No one can imagine a nightmare they're about to unleash, 27 00:01:14,220 --> 00:01:17,159 the most destructive war in human history. 28 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,119 Suddenly, the world is turned upside down, 29 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,200 and all hell is let loose. 30 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,260 The West is stunned by the speed of the advance. 31 00:01:28,020 --> 00:01:31,359 You get the Allies led by the big three... 32 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,919 Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin... 33 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:35,839 men who were dealing with 34 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,740 immensely complicated questions. 35 00:01:38,946 --> 00:01:43,140 It's the biggest military operation of human history. 36 00:01:43,340 --> 00:01:44,919 The Allies have to come together 37 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:46,359 not just militarily, 38 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:47,799 but industrial scale 39 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:49,860 it's a global perspective. 40 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:51,799 They have to fight in every climate 41 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,700 from the Arctic to the jungles of the Pacific 42 00:01:54,900 --> 00:01:58,460 to the deserts of Africa and the depths of the ocean. 43 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,080 But there was no certainty of victory. 44 00:02:04,260 --> 00:02:07,380 It was going to be a horrific bloodbath. 45 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:09,715 We see humans at their absolute worst, 46 00:02:09,740 --> 00:02:12,040 how they treat other human beings. 47 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:13,895 And we see them at their absolute best, 48 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:16,290 willing to give their lives that others might live. 49 00:02:16,380 --> 00:02:20,676 World War II was a struggle in which there could be one victor... 50 00:02:21,517 --> 00:02:23,111 and one vanquished. 51 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,319 The British base of Gibraltar 52 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,820 has long guarded the opening to the Mediterranean. 53 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:55,239 Steady as a rock. 54 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,120 For nearly 240 years, 55 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,280 Gibraltar has stood sentinel above the harbor, 56 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,240 watching over the Mediterranean fleet, 57 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,600 the strongest fortress in the world. 58 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,680 On November 5, 1942, 59 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,600 Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower 60 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,479 lands at the military airstrip. 61 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:13,999 He's arrived to take command 62 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,440 of a joint U.S.-British ground operation 63 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,360 in North Africa, codenamed Torch. 64 00:03:25,623 --> 00:03:28,679 This campaign will eventually open a second front 65 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:30,959 against German and Italian forces 66 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,000 already fighting in Africa. 67 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,759 Operation Torch is an extremely complex landing. 68 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,600 In all, we're gonna be depositing a force 69 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:47,680 of around 100,000 troops. 70 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:49,480 And in order to deliver that force, 71 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,560 we've got to use 300 merchantmen 72 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:54,375 guarded by roughly 300 warships. 73 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,360 Three Allied task forces are involved 74 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:00,340 in the complex maneuver. 75 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,780 The east and center forces will land in Algiers and Oran. 76 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,860 The west task force, sailing from America, 77 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,460 will land on the beaches of Casablanca. 78 00:04:16,056 --> 00:04:18,695 They have to rendezvous at sea, 79 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:20,040 hundreds of miles away, 80 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,440 and then carry out simultaneous landings 81 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,040 across nearly 1,000 miles of North African Coast. 82 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:30,220 Nothing remotely like it had ever been carried out before. 83 00:04:30,516 --> 00:04:35,159 Eisenhower is hand-picked by President Roosevelt to lead the alliance, 84 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,340 to the surprise of many American and British military commanders. 85 00:04:39,540 --> 00:04:42,479 He's been a high-level staff officer for years, 86 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,140 but this will be his first wartime operation. 87 00:04:46,420 --> 00:04:50,020 Dwight Eisenhower, a year ago, had been a Colonel. 88 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:53,980 And now, he's been advanced to Lieutenant General. 89 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,000 Eisenhower has never held a combat command. 90 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,740 He was not actively involved in World War I. 91 00:05:00,940 --> 00:05:02,920 Never seen the Somme. 92 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:04,800 Never seen Passchendaele. 93 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:09,220 Never seen a man die in their arms, in combat. 94 00:05:09,540 --> 00:05:11,720 Who is this man, Eisenhower? 95 00:05:12,899 --> 00:05:15,019 Eisenhower is wickedly competitive 96 00:05:15,044 --> 00:05:16,759 and really intelligent. 97 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:18,946 And the other thing is, he's not an ego. 98 00:05:18,971 --> 00:05:20,399 He's pretty humble. 99 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,880 He gets along with people, which is utterly important 100 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:24,720 when you think about the center of gravity 101 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,655 for the Allies in World War II, is the alliance. 102 00:05:29,061 --> 00:05:32,540 From day one, in Eisenhower's new role as supreme commander, 103 00:05:32,603 --> 00:05:34,655 he has a pile of problems on his plate. 104 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,080 He has to run this gigantic operation. 105 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,600 Nothing on this scale has ever been done before. 106 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:41,660 He has to keep it secret. 107 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:44,735 Eisenhower will need to coordinate 108 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,375 the American and British commands 109 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,420 and synchronize all elements of Torch. 110 00:05:50,700 --> 00:05:53,795 Ultimately, every aspect of the operation, 111 00:05:53,820 --> 00:05:57,740 including preparing unproven American soldiers for combat, 112 00:05:57,765 --> 00:05:59,445 is on his shoulders. 113 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:03,919 One of the reasons they've chosen North Africa 114 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,440 as a theater for American troops 115 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:08,495 is because it will give them an opportunity 116 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:10,160 of blooding them... they're inexperienced. 117 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:13,040 Most of them hadn't even seen combat up to this point... 118 00:06:13,315 --> 00:06:16,700 against an incredibly formidable foe. 119 00:06:17,260 --> 00:06:19,620 The German troops were battle hardened. 120 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:21,999 They'd been in the field now for two full years. 121 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,479 They'd conquered various kinds of climbs, 122 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,840 various kinds of terrain, various kinds of enemies, 123 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:29,980 and they'd beaten them all. 124 00:06:30,780 --> 00:06:35,679 By the summer of 1942, the Nazi empire is huge. 125 00:06:35,780 --> 00:06:39,040 It goes all the way from the western coast of France 126 00:06:39,065 --> 00:06:42,445 to well inside the borders of the Soviet Union. 127 00:06:42,470 --> 00:06:44,399 So that's the whole of continental Europe, 128 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,820 effectively, is controlled by the Nazis. 129 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:49,560 The Germans control most of Europe, 130 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,880 but that's not the sum total of Hitler's ambitions. 131 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,560 Germany has to be a global empire, 132 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:57,160 he says many times. 133 00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,879 And so now, the focus turns outside of Europe 134 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:01,580 to North Africa. 135 00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:03,920 German and Italian forces 136 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:07,080 are already fighting the British in North Africa, 137 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,160 threatening the Suez Canal, 138 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,980 the vital supply line between Britain and India. 139 00:07:13,900 --> 00:07:15,919 British imperial strategists 140 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,000 have always been obsessed with the Suez Canal. 141 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,039 It is the great artery of the British Empire. 142 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,520 It joins Britain and its empire in the East, 143 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,780 particularly India, the jewel of the British Empire. 144 00:07:28,531 --> 00:07:31,055 The danger is that the Axis forces move 145 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:34,200 from there to control of the oil fields of the Middle East. 146 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:35,879 And if all of that happens, 147 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,000 they're gonna sever the supply lines 148 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:39,620 to the rest of the empire. 149 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:41,560 Prime Minister Winston Churchill 150 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,920 also wants to get the Americans in the fight 151 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,820 against the Axis as soon as possible. 152 00:07:47,469 --> 00:07:49,106 Roosevelt believed... 153 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:54,560 that American troops need to be in the field against the Axis powers 154 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:56,439 in 1942. 155 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,295 The people needed to feel that we were striking back. 156 00:08:02,201 --> 00:08:05,387 We need to figure out how to fight a modern battle. 157 00:08:05,412 --> 00:08:09,060 And this is where the army is gonna use as its proving ground. 158 00:08:09,260 --> 00:08:11,679 There are valuable lessons to be learned. 159 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:13,860 North Africa might be a place to do it. 160 00:08:15,350 --> 00:08:17,580 But there's an immediate challenge. 161 00:08:17,940 --> 00:08:21,159 The future landing spots on North Africa's coast 162 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:23,780 are on Vichy French territory. 163 00:08:24,620 --> 00:08:26,679 The French empire is the second largest in the world, 164 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,279 behind only that of Great Britain, 165 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:32,900 with immense manpower and resources at its disposal. 166 00:08:33,100 --> 00:08:35,239 The French still control 167 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:39,100 Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. 168 00:08:40,949 --> 00:08:44,279 After France surrenders to Germany in 1940, 169 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,500 the country is split in two. 170 00:08:46,740 --> 00:08:50,759 The southern half of France is ruled by the Vichy government, 171 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,580 which collaborates with Nazi Germany. 172 00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:00,060 It's led by World War I hero Marshal Philippe Pétain. 173 00:09:03,860 --> 00:09:06,100 Eisenhower is anxious. 174 00:09:08,630 --> 00:09:10,799 Will the French in North Africa 175 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:13,300 resist the American landing? 176 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,759 No one's clear exactly how many soldiers 177 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:23,340 and how much military asset the French have in North Africa. 178 00:09:24,220 --> 00:09:27,159 What they do know is that the French have a lot 179 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,540 of very modern warships there. 180 00:09:30,060 --> 00:09:32,479 They also have about 120,000 soldiers, 181 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,199 although no one knows exactly how well trained they are 182 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,239 or, most crucially, what their morale is, 183 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:39,100 what they're inclined to do. 184 00:09:39,700 --> 00:09:42,639 American diplomats in North Africa believe 185 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,100 the French are unlikely to resist the invasion, 186 00:09:46,340 --> 00:09:48,420 but cannot guarantee it. 187 00:09:49,500 --> 00:09:52,399 Eisenhower has been sending messages 188 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,399 to various Vichy governors in North Africa, 189 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,540 hoping for cooperation. 190 00:10:02,833 --> 00:10:04,540 On November 7... 191 00:10:04,806 --> 00:10:09,080 over 600 ships gather at their meeting points out at sea. 192 00:10:09,979 --> 00:10:14,180 The warning order is flashed to the waiting ships. 193 00:10:15,140 --> 00:10:18,220 H-Hour is confirmed... November 8. 194 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,380 The Allies are ready to land. 195 00:10:37,933 --> 00:10:39,479 On November 7th, 196 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,879 more than 100,000 Allied troops 197 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,620 are waiting off the coast of North Africa. 198 00:10:49,795 --> 00:10:51,479 There's risk. 199 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,679 Amphibious operations require 200 00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:55,820 detailed, advance preparation. 201 00:10:55,932 --> 00:10:58,880 What are the tides? What's the footing gonna be? 202 00:10:58,900 --> 00:11:01,100 How close can landing craft get? 203 00:11:01,260 --> 00:11:02,439 Are there mines? 204 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:04,199 Are there underwater obstacles? 205 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:12,839 The first wave of landing craft 206 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,039 from East and Center task forces 207 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:18,620 set off for the beaches at Algiers and Oran. 208 00:11:20,470 --> 00:11:24,180 Shortly after, fighter support takes off from Gibraltar. 209 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,060 Ike Eisenhower must have been incredibly nervous 210 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:35,159 and was nervous, we know, from his naval aide, 211 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:39,780 who writes that Ike is like a "cat on bricks." 212 00:11:40,300 --> 00:11:43,199 Even though the weather was kind of bad the night before, 213 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,599 when they actually started unloading their landing craft 214 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,919 and moving those craft up to the beaches, 215 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:50,559 the surf is low enough that they're able 216 00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:52,721 to get their initial landing forces 217 00:11:52,746 --> 00:11:54,940 onto the beaches successfully. 218 00:11:55,740 --> 00:11:58,199 The first reports Eisenhower receives 219 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,340 from the landing craft on the beaches are encouraging, 220 00:12:02,220 --> 00:12:04,919 but when large Allied warships enter the ports 221 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,520 of Algiers and Oran, the French open fire. 222 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:16,439 The Allies keep moving 223 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,060 and overcome the French a day later. 224 00:12:20,060 --> 00:12:23,039 On the Atlantic landing point at Casablanca, 225 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:24,900 it's a different story. 226 00:12:25,767 --> 00:12:28,999 Eisenhower entrusts this force to his old friend, 227 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,020 Major General George S. Patton Jr. 228 00:12:32,300 --> 00:12:34,959 George Patton is an aggressive commander 229 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,060 who believes aggressive leadership. 230 00:12:37,260 --> 00:12:40,599 He is a fast-talking disciplinarian, 231 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,079 a character easily recognizable to the average soldier. 232 00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:48,400 As the Western Task Force nears shore, 233 00:12:49,166 --> 00:12:51,603 Patton delivers a speech to his troops 234 00:12:51,628 --> 00:12:54,300 over each ship's public address system. 235 00:12:55,260 --> 00:12:58,039 Soldiers and sailors, 236 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:00,759 it is not known whether the French African Army 237 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,420 will contest our landing, but all resistance, 238 00:13:04,660 --> 00:13:08,060 by whomever offered, must be destroyed. 239 00:13:10,578 --> 00:13:12,079 In the early morning, 240 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:16,260 Allied warships enter the harbor at Casablanca. 241 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,879 The French do as they've been instructed to do. 242 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:24,399 They resist. 243 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:28,839 This was an invading force, 244 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,620 and the French open fire on the ships. 245 00:13:31,820 --> 00:13:33,599 It's the last thing in the world 246 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,039 that an amphibious operation needs. 247 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,420 Just a couple of heavy shells can destroy a landing. 248 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,700 Despite French resistance, 249 00:13:44,300 --> 00:13:46,660 Americans continue their attack, 250 00:13:46,685 --> 00:13:48,940 from the air as well as by sea. 251 00:13:49,220 --> 00:13:52,079 The result is actually the largest naval battle 252 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,240 in the Atlantic during the war. 253 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:01,559 Despite Eisenhower's diplomatic efforts, 254 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:05,100 the troop landings face heavy French opposition. 255 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:09,030 Nobody on the American or British side, 256 00:14:09,055 --> 00:14:11,639 least of all Eisenhower, wants American forces 257 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:14,420 fighting French forces and does not want that to go on 258 00:14:14,460 --> 00:14:17,100 for any extended period of time at all. 259 00:14:17,340 --> 00:14:19,599 Eisenhower writes what he calls 260 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,020 the "Worries of a Commander." 261 00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:25,159 "No Frenchman immediately available, 262 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:27,159 "no matter how friendly toward us, 263 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:29,820 seems able to stop the fighting." 264 00:14:31,718 --> 00:14:34,980 Then, with Operation Torch in danger of failing, 265 00:14:35,220 --> 00:14:39,580 the Allies contact a senior French military officer 266 00:14:39,620 --> 00:14:42,340 with the power to provide a solution. 267 00:14:42,386 --> 00:14:44,400 It just so happens 268 00:14:44,425 --> 00:14:46,759 that the commander in chief of French forces, 269 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:48,439 Admiral Francois Darlan, 270 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,199 is in North Africa at this time, 271 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,780 visiting his son, who's stricken with polio. 272 00:14:53,020 --> 00:14:56,359 Although Darlan is a key Vichy collaborator, 273 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:58,359 he is the only man with the authority 274 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:00,940 to stop the French counterattack. 275 00:15:01,700 --> 00:15:04,999 Darlan had been a deep collaborator 276 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:09,199 with the Germans and the Nazi presence in Vichy, France. 277 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,820 And as distasteful as a figure he is, 278 00:15:12,866 --> 00:15:15,639 he holds the key to stopping 279 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,220 Vichy French resistance in North Africa. 280 00:15:18,420 --> 00:15:22,399 Eisenhower authorizes negotiations with Darlan. 281 00:15:29,540 --> 00:15:33,879 The Allies will put him in charge of French North Africa 282 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,820 if he agrees to an armistice. 283 00:15:37,179 --> 00:15:39,780 It's a dirty deal. It's an unpleasant one. 284 00:15:39,805 --> 00:15:41,159 It's a nasty one. 285 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:45,080 It's one that American journalists were absolutely appalled by. 286 00:15:45,740 --> 00:15:49,559 That evening, Darlan orders a general ceasefire 287 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:53,420 and tells all French forces to join the Allies. 288 00:15:53,660 --> 00:15:55,719 And so on November 11th, 289 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:57,860 in the port city of Casablanca, 290 00:15:58,060 --> 00:16:00,140 French guns fall silent. 291 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,655 Algeria and French Morocco have joined hands 292 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:08,679 with the Allies against Germany and Italy, 293 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:10,759 and this fact has immensely eased the difficulties 294 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,679 that face our united nations' commanders 295 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:14,239 in French North Africa. 296 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:16,999 Eisenhower thought it would save lives on both sides, 297 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,360 and it would allow them to get on to the military mission at hand. 298 00:16:21,426 --> 00:16:24,363 The Allies had landed in North Africa 299 00:16:24,388 --> 00:16:27,760 and have convinced the French to fight alongside them. 300 00:16:30,450 --> 00:16:33,199 Now, as they push east, 301 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,980 they will face tough, battle-hardened Axis forces. 302 00:16:44,191 --> 00:16:47,500 After the Allied landings, General Eisenhower moves 303 00:16:47,540 --> 00:16:50,820 his combined force across the North African desert. 304 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,360 The Allied plan is not simply to approach from the west. 305 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:01,283 Their strategy is more ambitious. 306 00:17:01,563 --> 00:17:03,760 The ultimate goal, if Torch works, is, 307 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,760 the United States and the British that land 308 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,400 in the western part of Africa will drive to the east. 309 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,720 The British that are in the east, in Egypt, 310 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:13,559 will drive to the west, 311 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:16,040 and they will capture a German-Italian army 312 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:17,960 in between those two pincers. 313 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,520 The British fighting in the east, The Eighth Army, 314 00:17:22,559 --> 00:17:25,000 has been battling the Afrika Korps... 315 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,560 ...led by the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel. 316 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:34,800 He had a mystique about him. 317 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,039 He had a World War I reputation. 318 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,400 He was a feared leader. 319 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,400 He had the fingertip feel of a battle. 320 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:48,023 For months, Rommel has pursued the British through Libya into Egypt, 321 00:17:48,270 --> 00:17:52,080 capturing vital supplies and threatening the Suez Canal. 322 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,589 The Afrika Korps' success 323 00:17:57,614 --> 00:18:00,775 has left Prime Minister Winston Churchill depressed 324 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,319 and politically vulnerable. 325 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,500 Churchill looks like he's lost his touch. 326 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:10,247 He faces two no confidence motions 327 00:18:10,272 --> 00:18:12,239 in Parliament, both of which he wins. 328 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,120 But as one Labour MP says, well, 329 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,360 you keep winning the debates, but you lose the battles. 330 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:20,080 Winston Churchill is in need of victories. 331 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,360 For Churchill and for Operation Torch, 332 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:27,760 one battle in North Africa will be critical. 333 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,159 Just weeks before the Allied landings, 334 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:32,800 the British Eighth Army, 335 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,620 led by General Bernard Montgomery, 336 00:18:35,963 --> 00:18:38,351 prepares his troops at a little-known 337 00:18:38,376 --> 00:18:41,160 railway junction called El-Alamein. 338 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:44,680 From here... 339 00:18:44,711 --> 00:18:48,086 Montgomery plans to launch a massive counteroffensive 340 00:18:48,153 --> 00:18:50,175 against the Afrika Korps. 341 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:54,800 El-Alamein shouldn't be viewed in isolation. 342 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,960 It's part of a broader Allied plan. 343 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,240 Montgomery's Eighth Army attacking Rommel from the east, 344 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:04,760 and meanwhile a vast amphibious landing 345 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,560 in the western half of North Africa, 346 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,640 Operation Torch, converging on Rommel from two directions 347 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:12,720 and eventually presenting him 348 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,680 with an insoluble operational dilemma, 349 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,880 trying to maintain himself against not just one, 350 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:21,820 but two superior enemies. 351 00:19:22,060 --> 00:19:23,720 Montgomery is reinforced 352 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,700 with American Sherman and Grant tanks, 353 00:19:27,180 --> 00:19:30,480 plus troops from India, New Zealand, South Africa, 354 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,220 and the rest of the British Commonwealth. 355 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:37,160 At last, Montgomery, who has been fighting the Wehrmacht 356 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,120 since the invasion of France, 357 00:19:39,420 --> 00:19:44,640 has the opportunity to go on the offensive against Rommel. 358 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,160 On the night of October 23, 1942, 359 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,720 Montgomery opens the battle with a massive barrage. 360 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:09,720 Montgomery knows he's got to proceed step by step, 361 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,240 1,000 yards by 1,000 yards. 362 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:14,280 Get the infantry in. 363 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:18,440 Clear the minefield. Open the way for the tanks. 364 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:20,080 Hold the ground. 365 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,840 Rommel fights back, 366 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,460 but he's hampered by lack of fuel. 367 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:38,200 After days of fighting, the Eighth Army prevails. 368 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:42,680 By the 11th day of the fighting, 369 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:45,640 Montgomery's superior numbers and material 370 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:47,640 finally begin to take effect. 371 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,640 The British infantry and the New Zealand infantry 372 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,120 finally break their way through the German lines 373 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,080 and open things up for the armor. 374 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,240 Tens of thousands of men, thousands of tanks, 375 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:06,638 hundreds of heavy artillery... heavy losses on both sides. 376 00:21:09,306 --> 00:21:10,746 Inevitably, 377 00:21:10,771 --> 00:21:14,131 the better supplied and armed force win out, 378 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,480 and that's Montgomery's Eighth Army. 379 00:21:18,786 --> 00:21:20,562 Winston Churchill is absolutely thrilled. 380 00:21:20,587 --> 00:21:22,289 This is years of planning and preparation. 381 00:21:22,314 --> 00:21:24,178 He bounces in for lunch with the king and queen, 382 00:21:24,202 --> 00:21:25,840 and he says, "I bring you victory." 383 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:27,240 And they think he's gone mad. 384 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,359 They haven't heard of any victories for years. 385 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:33,040 In London, at the Lord Mayor's luncheon, 386 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:36,640 Winston Churchill frames the victory at El-Alamein 387 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,940 and puts it into context. 388 00:21:39,060 --> 00:21:41,380 This is not the end. 389 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:45,500 No, it is not even the beginning of the end, 390 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,860 but it is perhaps the end of the beginning. 391 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,335 Montgomery's win here is one of the most 392 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:01,800 significant British victories of the entire war. 393 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,680 Montgomery has beaten Rommel at El-Alamein, 394 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,880 and Rommel is retreating as fast as he can. 395 00:22:08,876 --> 00:22:13,120 The critical pincer plan, the ultimate goal of Torch, 396 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:14,840 is underway. 397 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,880 Montgomery certainly undertakes an epic pursuit 398 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:22,278 from El-Alamein over the wire, the Egyptian-Libyan border, 399 00:22:22,303 --> 00:22:25,200 and now heading towards Tripoli. 400 00:22:25,743 --> 00:22:27,029 In the west, 401 00:22:27,054 --> 00:22:30,127 Eisenhower's troops have moved hundreds of miles. 402 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:35,760 Three weeks after landing, 403 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,640 they're only 12 miles outside Tunis, 404 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:39,520 the capital of Tunisia. 405 00:22:39,613 --> 00:22:41,213 When he learns this, 406 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:45,740 Adolf Hitler is determined to stop the Allies. 407 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:49,483 The war is not going the way he thought it was going to go, 408 00:22:49,508 --> 00:22:51,851 and now all of a sudden, you've got these Allies 409 00:22:51,876 --> 00:22:54,320 messing around in North Africa. 410 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:56,360 This isn't supposed to happen. 411 00:23:00,055 --> 00:23:02,215 Hitler sends reinforcements, 412 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:04,455 including an entire Panzer division, 413 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:06,855 to the ports and air bases around Tunis. 414 00:23:09,011 --> 00:23:11,360 Combined with Rommel's Afrika Korps, 415 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:16,295 there are now 100,000 German and Italian troops on the continent. 416 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:19,800 No one in either camp 417 00:23:19,825 --> 00:23:23,560 had ever envisioned a gigantic continental 418 00:23:23,605 --> 00:23:26,095 battle being fought for Tunisia. 419 00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:28,023 But that's where the fortunes of war 420 00:23:28,048 --> 00:23:29,928 have brought the two adversaries. 421 00:23:40,111 --> 00:23:42,551 Thanksgiving, 1942. 422 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,519 Near Tunis, American tanks clash with German Panzers 423 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:50,380 for the first time. 424 00:23:50,860 --> 00:23:53,760 The tank is the modern manifestation of land warfare. 425 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:55,800 The idea that tanks, American tanks, 426 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:57,319 are fighting German tanks... 427 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,080 this is what FDR said was gonna happen. 428 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:01,660 We're now pushing back against Germany. 429 00:24:01,980 --> 00:24:04,272 This is the actual battlefield, 430 00:24:04,297 --> 00:24:07,320 Germans on the left, Americans on the right. 431 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,115 P-38s move ahead of the advancing forces. 432 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,495 These scenes were photographed from a hill 433 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:17,279 overlooking the battlefield. 434 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:18,825 All logic would tell you, 435 00:24:18,850 --> 00:24:20,559 this is gonna go badly for the Americans. 436 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:22,880 They have no experience of warfare at this stage. 437 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,715 The Germans are hardened combat veterans. 438 00:24:25,740 --> 00:24:27,655 A lot of them have fought in Western Europe, 439 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:29,476 in all those victorious battles. 440 00:24:29,572 --> 00:24:31,879 These are German Mark IV tanks. 441 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,959 These are Panzer IVs with 75-millimeter guns, very effective. 442 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:37,439 And up against them, 443 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:40,320 you've got relatively light American tanks. 444 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:42,400 They've only got 37-millimeter guns, 445 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,999 and the skin of the armor isn't very effective. 446 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:49,399 The skirmish begins badly for the Americans, 447 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,780 who are supported by British troops. 448 00:24:51,980 --> 00:24:54,279 A British ammunition lorry is hit. 449 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,215 At the start of it, they get knocked back. 450 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,900 A whole troop of tanks gets wiped out. 451 00:25:02,630 --> 00:25:06,540 But the Allies have a second company of tanks in reserve. 452 00:25:07,100 --> 00:25:09,240 They're able to fire into the position 453 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:10,920 of the German armor that is very weak, 454 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:12,319 which is really around the belt, 455 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:14,040 and also at the back of the tank. 456 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,440 And they knock out, in the space of a few minutes, 457 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:18,395 eight German Panzers. 458 00:25:18,420 --> 00:25:20,475 Watch the tank in the center of the picture. 459 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,879 A blast on the left of the screen has struck the center tank. 460 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,040 It spins around, disabled. 461 00:25:29,946 --> 00:25:31,626 There it goes. 462 00:25:32,220 --> 00:25:34,140 The Panzers now withdraw. 463 00:25:34,180 --> 00:25:37,140 In this very first tank-to-tank skirmish, 464 00:25:37,165 --> 00:25:40,220 the Americans beat back the Germans. 465 00:25:40,460 --> 00:25:43,060 Black smoke indicates the end. 466 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,740 But the offensive stalls. 467 00:25:49,670 --> 00:25:53,679 Reinforcements sent by Hitler pummel them from land and air, 468 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:56,820 while the winter rains impede movement. 469 00:25:57,780 --> 00:25:59,500 Just before Christmas, 470 00:25:59,700 --> 00:26:02,119 General Eisenhower visits the front 471 00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:04,500 to consult with his troops and commanders. 472 00:26:04,700 --> 00:26:07,039 He concludes that there's no chance 473 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,519 of reaching Tunis in the current conditions 474 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,500 and calls off the advance. 475 00:26:11,860 --> 00:26:14,639 The U.S. Army report from this era, which says, 476 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,980 "At present, the Germans are making war better than we are." 477 00:26:26,570 --> 00:26:28,639 In the new year, President Roosevelt 478 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,835 and Prime Minister Churchill meet in Casablanca. 479 00:26:36,305 --> 00:26:38,780 President Roosevelt flies in, 480 00:26:39,060 --> 00:26:42,540 the very first president to fly while in office. 481 00:26:47,656 --> 00:26:50,483 The code name of Roosevelt's secret meeting with Churchill 482 00:26:50,508 --> 00:26:52,680 in Casablanca is Don Quixote. 483 00:26:53,961 --> 00:26:56,439 This is the first time that an American president 484 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,980 has left the United States during wartime. 485 00:27:02,308 --> 00:27:03,919 Moving a president of the United States 486 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:05,959 and his entourage is always a difficult thing. 487 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:07,599 In this case, they can't send him 488 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:09,239 by ship across the Atlantic Ocean 489 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,039 because of the presence of German U-boats. 490 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:14,119 So they send him on this insane trip by rail 491 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:15,759 from Washington to Miami, 492 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,599 then by a Clipper flying boat from Miami to Trinidad, 493 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,679 Trinidad to Brazil, Brazil to Gambia, 494 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,279 Gambia to Casablanca. 495 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,279 It's an incredibly arduous journey that Roosevelt 496 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,220 believed he had to make. 497 00:27:27,860 --> 00:27:30,599 Roosevelt and Churchill will meet numerous times 498 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,359 throughout the war and derive great benefit 499 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,700 from face-to-face meetings. 500 00:27:36,980 --> 00:27:38,879 Churchill can now play the part 501 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:40,900 of the great imperial warlord 502 00:27:41,100 --> 00:27:44,199 that, so far, he's been only through his speeches. 503 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:45,743 Now he can do it on the ground. 504 00:27:45,768 --> 00:27:47,519 And he does what he does best, which is, 505 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,399 he rolls out the maps and talks about grand strategy 506 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,323 with the U.S. president. 507 00:27:53,864 --> 00:27:56,679 Over 10 days, the two leaders and their staffs 508 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,980 discuss the progress of Operation Torch 509 00:28:00,460 --> 00:28:03,420 and plan the Allies' next steps. 510 00:28:05,435 --> 00:28:07,260 It's really the high water mark 511 00:28:07,420 --> 00:28:10,039 of the Roosevelt-Churchill relationship. 512 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:11,799 They're statesmen, 513 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,340 moving chess pieces around on a board. 514 00:28:15,820 --> 00:28:18,180 Just before they leave, they talk to reporters 515 00:28:18,220 --> 00:28:20,140 from around the world. 516 00:28:20,540 --> 00:28:23,039 The North African conference is the fourth occasion 517 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:24,559 on which the two great men have met 518 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,300 since the beginning of the war. 519 00:28:27,100 --> 00:28:30,540 To the surprise of many, including Churchill, 520 00:28:30,580 --> 00:28:34,280 Roosevelt announces a new war aim. 521 00:28:34,780 --> 00:28:36,420 A new phrase was born, 522 00:28:36,460 --> 00:28:39,060 "unconditional surrender" for the Axis. 523 00:28:39,300 --> 00:28:43,060 "Unconditional surrender" meant that Nazi Germany 524 00:28:43,100 --> 00:28:44,620 would have to fall. 525 00:28:44,660 --> 00:28:47,860 That did not mean that Germany had to be destroyed, 526 00:28:48,060 --> 00:28:51,560 but Nazi power had to be smashed. 527 00:28:51,660 --> 00:28:54,140 We would now call this "regime change." 528 00:28:54,940 --> 00:28:56,820 There will be no armistice. 529 00:28:56,980 --> 00:28:58,820 There will be no soft surrender. 530 00:28:58,860 --> 00:29:01,780 There will be no repetition of World War I. 531 00:29:01,980 --> 00:29:04,420 This is unconditional surrender. 532 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:07,759 It's quite something. 533 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,060 We're in early 1943, 534 00:29:10,100 --> 00:29:12,340 and it is not at all clear that the Allies 535 00:29:12,380 --> 00:29:14,015 are even winning the war. 536 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:16,195 They're having trouble taking Tunis, 537 00:29:16,220 --> 00:29:18,940 which is a very long way from Berlin. 538 00:29:19,140 --> 00:29:21,900 Yet Roosevelt and Churchill know that 539 00:29:22,140 --> 00:29:25,580 they can produce more than their adversaries. 540 00:29:25,620 --> 00:29:28,820 And if production goes as they think it will, 541 00:29:28,860 --> 00:29:31,895 they will be able to swamp the armies 542 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:34,679 that the Axis puts in the field against them. 543 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:37,799 As the conference ends, 544 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:41,140 Allied intelligence reveals Rommel's army, 545 00:29:41,180 --> 00:29:43,220 pursued by Montgomery, 546 00:29:43,770 --> 00:29:46,780 has joined with Hitler's reinforcements. 547 00:29:50,020 --> 00:29:51,660 But the Americans and the British 548 00:29:51,700 --> 00:29:53,655 now have them surrounded. 549 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:01,239 By the end of January 1943, 550 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:05,239 the Allies are finally gaining ground against the Axis powers 551 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:07,839 of Germany, Italy, and Japan. 552 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:13,780 In the Pacific, the Americans have secured Guadalcanal. 553 00:30:14,740 --> 00:30:17,599 The Allies successfully landed in the west, 554 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:19,735 and Montgomery's Eighth Army has pressed 555 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:23,580 Rommel's Afrika Korps across a wide front. 556 00:30:34,540 --> 00:30:38,860 The Allies now surround the Axis army deep inside Tunisia. 557 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:43,140 But before they can get far, 558 00:30:43,180 --> 00:30:45,700 Rommel plots a counteroffensive. 559 00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:50,820 He's identified a weak point in the Allied line, 560 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,220 at Kasserine Pass. 561 00:30:54,140 --> 00:30:56,460 Kasserine is this very narrow pass. 562 00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:58,279 It's only about 2 miles wide, 563 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,180 and it leads into the Dorsale Mountains they call them, 564 00:31:01,220 --> 00:31:04,319 the mountain range in the center of Tunisia. 565 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:07,260 You've got heights on either side of it. 566 00:31:07,780 --> 00:31:11,235 If Rommel can drive deep enough through Kasserine 567 00:31:11,260 --> 00:31:14,260 and into the rear areas of the Allied army, 568 00:31:14,300 --> 00:31:17,780 he can possibly turn the whole thing round. 569 00:31:18,260 --> 00:31:20,660 From there, he'll have all sorts of choices 570 00:31:20,700 --> 00:31:22,420 about what to do next... 571 00:31:22,780 --> 00:31:25,180 overrun Allied supply dumps, 572 00:31:25,380 --> 00:31:27,580 perhaps drive straight north to the sea 573 00:31:27,620 --> 00:31:31,540 and cut off the entire Allied force in Tunisia. 574 00:31:32,073 --> 00:31:35,660 There are 30,000 Allied troops in the region, 575 00:31:36,740 --> 00:31:41,340 but the narrow pass itself is guarded by just 2,000 men, 576 00:31:41,780 --> 00:31:44,860 spread thinly across the terrain. 577 00:31:45,500 --> 00:31:47,620 The Allied troops in the Kasserine Pass 578 00:31:47,660 --> 00:31:49,479 are the U.S. II Corps... 579 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:51,660 infantry, engineers, artillery... 580 00:31:51,700 --> 00:31:54,620 men who, by and large, are completely inexperienced. 581 00:31:54,900 --> 00:31:58,260 The Allied forces are distributed and dispersed, 582 00:31:58,460 --> 00:32:00,460 lacking mutual support. 583 00:32:00,635 --> 00:32:03,715 Air support is not dominant at this point. 584 00:32:09,860 --> 00:32:13,460 On February 19th, Rommel launches his attack. 585 00:32:15,261 --> 00:32:17,815 Until now, the Americans have had skirmishes with 586 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:21,595 the Germans but haven't faced a full-scale Panzer assault. 587 00:32:27,500 --> 00:32:30,460 This attack comes in with heavy artillery, 588 00:32:32,140 --> 00:32:34,580 rapid movement of German armor, 589 00:32:35,620 --> 00:32:40,215 and effective use of motorized infantry to clear positions. 590 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:44,475 The American forces are caught off guard. 591 00:32:47,660 --> 00:32:50,260 Not only is this their first major fight, 592 00:32:50,300 --> 00:32:52,660 but their commander is far behind the lines 593 00:32:52,700 --> 00:32:55,300 and doesn't communicate with the front. 594 00:32:55,900 --> 00:32:58,180 The results are devastating. 595 00:32:59,630 --> 00:33:01,000 These troops, 596 00:33:01,025 --> 00:33:03,240 slowly but surely, are being outgunned, 597 00:33:03,265 --> 00:33:05,980 outmaneuvered, outfought. 598 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:09,763 What starts out as a defeat becomes a bit of a route. 599 00:33:11,206 --> 00:33:14,860 And the Axis now begins streaming up this pass. 600 00:33:15,100 --> 00:33:17,020 It's just a steamroller. 601 00:33:17,500 --> 00:33:19,820 By the evening of the second day, 602 00:33:19,980 --> 00:33:23,300 U.S. defenses in the pass have collapsed. 603 00:33:23,340 --> 00:33:26,340 Around 2,500 soldiers are wounded, 604 00:33:26,380 --> 00:33:29,460 another 2,500 taken prisoner. 605 00:33:29,700 --> 00:33:32,580 Others abandon their vehicles and flee over the hills. 606 00:33:34,268 --> 00:33:36,480 Rommel's plan is working... 607 00:33:36,517 --> 00:33:37,770 but then... 608 00:33:37,804 --> 00:33:39,697 he pushes too far. 609 00:33:40,500 --> 00:33:42,239 He sends his troops forward, 610 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:44,239 seeking a way through the mountains 611 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:47,860 and allowing his supply lines to get dangerously long. 612 00:33:48,380 --> 00:33:50,340 Rommel might have thought he had 613 00:33:50,380 --> 00:33:52,039 the U.S. Army on the run, 614 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:54,140 but the momentum that he had established 615 00:33:54,180 --> 00:33:57,759 from that opening is now beginning to wear down. 616 00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:00,975 His losses are mounting, his supplies are running out, 617 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,695 especially tank ammunition and fuel. 618 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:06,460 As Rommel weakens, 619 00:34:06,500 --> 00:34:09,220 the U.S. Army steadies itself and regroups, 620 00:34:09,259 --> 00:34:11,146 blocking Rommel's breakout 621 00:34:11,185 --> 00:34:14,120 with a wall of U.S. artillery and air support... 622 00:34:23,993 --> 00:34:27,180 ...which ultimately forces Rommel to retreat. 623 00:34:29,780 --> 00:34:33,580 The Americans lose casualties and POWs taken. 624 00:34:33,620 --> 00:34:36,860 This is a real black eye for them. 625 00:34:37,580 --> 00:34:39,540 It is the punch in the face 626 00:34:39,580 --> 00:34:42,020 that the American doctrine isn't where it should be. 627 00:34:42,060 --> 00:34:44,020 We aren't fighting the way we should. 628 00:34:44,060 --> 00:34:45,939 We need better training. 629 00:34:45,979 --> 00:34:47,940 We need better leadership. 630 00:34:48,013 --> 00:34:50,959 Kasserine Pass condemns all of those weaknesses. 631 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:52,960 The result of this is gonna be that... 632 00:34:52,985 --> 00:34:55,160 Americans become much more serious 633 00:34:55,185 --> 00:34:57,519 about making sure their forces remain concentrated, 634 00:34:57,520 --> 00:34:59,180 particularly armored forces, 635 00:34:59,220 --> 00:35:01,815 that we're not going to allow them to be doled out 636 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,220 in little bits and pieces. 637 00:35:04,860 --> 00:35:07,975 General Eisenhower takes responsibility 638 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,540 for the initial breakdown at Kasserine Pass 639 00:35:10,580 --> 00:35:13,119 and makes changes to address logistical 640 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:15,560 and operational issues. 641 00:35:15,660 --> 00:35:19,620 He also reorganizes the Allied force in North Africa. 642 00:35:19,820 --> 00:35:23,220 His first move is to give General George Patton 643 00:35:23,260 --> 00:35:26,199 command of the U.S. II Corps. 644 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:28,060 Patton's a swashbuckler, 645 00:35:28,100 --> 00:35:30,460 and he's been waiting in the wings, 646 00:35:30,660 --> 00:35:32,540 and now it's his moment. 647 00:35:32,820 --> 00:35:35,220 He's a man who is a strong leader, 648 00:35:35,260 --> 00:35:38,300 and troops respond to strong leaders. 649 00:35:39,020 --> 00:35:41,620 His subordinate commanders all know 650 00:35:41,660 --> 00:35:44,060 that he will be up there on the battlefield, 651 00:35:44,100 --> 00:35:45,700 looking over their shoulders. 652 00:35:45,740 --> 00:35:48,600 And if they are not performing up to expectations, 653 00:35:48,625 --> 00:35:50,159 they're gone. 654 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:52,220 He tells his troops, famously, 655 00:35:52,260 --> 00:35:56,140 "You're not all going to be killed, only about 4% of you." 656 00:35:56,313 --> 00:35:58,913 He reassures them, you're probably gonna survive this, 657 00:35:58,938 --> 00:36:01,999 but death is going to be your companion going forward, 658 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:03,740 and I'm not going to spare you. 659 00:36:03,780 --> 00:36:07,020 We're gonna hit the Germans face to face and toe to toe. 660 00:36:07,740 --> 00:36:10,900 Eisenhower's troops are now prepared and in position 661 00:36:10,940 --> 00:36:15,580 to deal a final blow to the Axis powers in North Africa. 662 00:36:26,743 --> 00:36:29,141 After five months of combat, 663 00:36:29,166 --> 00:36:33,360 the combined Allied troops have become an effective fighting force. 664 00:36:35,540 --> 00:36:38,620 General Eisenhower now marshals these troops 665 00:36:38,660 --> 00:36:41,759 for what he hopes will be a final confrontation 666 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:43,960 with Rommel and the Axis. 667 00:36:44,220 --> 00:36:49,100 The Allied plan is to bleed Rommel's strength off. 668 00:36:49,660 --> 00:36:52,700 Anytime he faces the British, theoretically, 669 00:36:52,740 --> 00:36:55,620 he can have the Americans advancing into his rear. 670 00:36:56,020 --> 00:36:58,340 And every time he turns against the Americans, 671 00:36:58,380 --> 00:37:01,740 he can have Montgomery advancing into his rear. 672 00:37:06,371 --> 00:37:09,719 On March 20th, the Allies are ready to attack 673 00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:12,180 in a place called El Guettar. 674 00:37:14,844 --> 00:37:16,640 Patton tells his men, 675 00:37:16,700 --> 00:37:18,635 "We must be eager to kill. 676 00:37:18,660 --> 00:37:20,293 "If we fight viciously enough, 677 00:37:20,318 --> 00:37:22,400 we will live to return to our family 678 00:37:22,479 --> 00:37:24,200 as conquering heroes." 679 00:37:25,660 --> 00:37:28,599 The Germans become aware of that position 680 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:30,780 and say to themselves, 681 00:37:30,820 --> 00:37:33,879 we think we can eject the Americans fairly easily. 682 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:36,140 We did it before at Kasserine, right? 683 00:37:39,060 --> 00:37:41,919 As German Panzers burst onto the plains 684 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:44,839 at El Guettar with Stukas plunging down, 685 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:47,479 Patton deploys U.S. field artillery 686 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,420 and tank destroyers. 687 00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:56,759 Patton is very aware of how to use 688 00:37:56,760 --> 00:38:00,120 armor, infantry, and artillery all together. 689 00:38:00,340 --> 00:38:02,540 And when the Germans put in that attack, 690 00:38:02,580 --> 00:38:06,975 the Americans greet them with a true example of combined arms. 691 00:38:08,706 --> 00:38:10,460 And they absolutely shellac them. 692 00:38:20,580 --> 00:38:23,180 Having come right after Kasserine Pass, 693 00:38:23,220 --> 00:38:25,820 it has gone from failure to success. 694 00:38:34,373 --> 00:38:35,879 Over the next month, 695 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:38,799 the Allies squeeze the Axis armies. 696 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,820 And by early April, Eisenhower's forces 697 00:38:41,860 --> 00:38:45,220 and Montgomery's Eighth Army finally joined. 698 00:38:45,460 --> 00:38:47,460 Eisenhower rejoices. 699 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:52,860 We are at last operating on a single battle line. 700 00:38:54,946 --> 00:38:57,740 Now the Allies set their sights on Tunis. 701 00:38:58,220 --> 00:39:00,680 German resistance is ferocious. 702 00:39:00,820 --> 00:39:03,780 Every hill and pass is a struggle. 703 00:39:06,046 --> 00:39:08,719 But gradually, with concentrated firepower 704 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:10,540 from two sides, 705 00:39:10,580 --> 00:39:13,660 the Allies continue to move forward. 706 00:39:18,645 --> 00:39:20,279 Almost inch by inch, 707 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:23,900 the Axis position in Tunisia shrinks 708 00:39:25,260 --> 00:39:27,279 till it's little more than an arc 709 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:29,395 around the city of Tunis itself. 710 00:39:37,540 --> 00:39:41,039 On May 7, Allied troops entered Tunis 711 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:43,820 and the Axis forces surrender. 712 00:39:44,860 --> 00:39:46,719 After the capture of Tunis, 713 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:49,060 North Africa is finally free of the Nazis 714 00:39:49,100 --> 00:39:51,199 and their fascist Italian allies. 715 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:53,620 The North African Campaign is over. 716 00:39:55,223 --> 00:39:57,943 By tens, by hundreds, 717 00:39:58,253 --> 00:40:00,600 by thousands, they came. 718 00:40:00,860 --> 00:40:04,159 And at the end, 15 full divisions. 719 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:07,580 266,000 of their best men 720 00:40:07,620 --> 00:40:09,980 laid down their arms. 721 00:40:10,780 --> 00:40:15,220 Over a quarter of a million Germans and Italians are captured. 722 00:40:16,500 --> 00:40:20,020 Prisoners as far as the eye can see. 723 00:40:20,540 --> 00:40:23,060 This is a great moment for the Allied cause. 724 00:40:23,100 --> 00:40:27,020 There had been one disastrous encounter with the Germans 725 00:40:27,060 --> 00:40:29,220 after the other since this war began. 726 00:40:29,260 --> 00:40:32,180 And now, I think everyone on the Allied side, 727 00:40:32,220 --> 00:40:34,055 especially Roosevelt, would say, 728 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:36,775 the home folks can see that something 729 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,300 was going right in this war. 730 00:40:46,820 --> 00:40:50,239 Many high-ranking Axis commanders are captured, 731 00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:51,680 but not Rommel, 732 00:40:51,740 --> 00:40:54,560 who has been recalled to Germany by Adolf Hitler. 733 00:40:57,970 --> 00:41:00,415 The success of Operation Torch, 734 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:03,140 combined with British victory at El-Alamein, 735 00:41:03,180 --> 00:41:06,140 push the Nazis out of North Africa. 736 00:41:06,460 --> 00:41:09,399 It is the first step toward Allied victory 737 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:11,420 over the Third Reich. 738 00:41:11,900 --> 00:41:15,140 To give you a sense of the scale of the victory in Tunisia, 739 00:41:15,180 --> 00:41:17,460 Churchill orders the church bells to be rung. 740 00:41:17,500 --> 00:41:20,720 They haven't been rung during the course of the whole war. 741 00:41:20,900 --> 00:41:24,340 It's an unbelievable victory for the Allies. 742 00:41:24,660 --> 00:41:27,340 The tide of the war is turning, 743 00:41:27,500 --> 00:41:29,675 but it's unclear what's next. 744 00:41:34,180 --> 00:41:36,495 This great victory is a monument 745 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,612 to the perfection of cooperation among 746 00:41:38,637 --> 00:41:40,843 the fighting services of several nations. 747 00:41:40,980 --> 00:41:42,855 I know you would be proud of the way 748 00:41:42,886 --> 00:41:46,015 our own boys, your husbands, brothers, sons, 749 00:41:46,040 --> 00:41:49,500 and sweethearts have delivered here for you. 750 00:41:53,931 --> 00:41:55,479 Winston Churchill said, 751 00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:57,839 "The only thing worse than fighting with allies 752 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:00,180 is fighting without them." 753 00:42:00,420 --> 00:42:04,620 Operation Torch demonstrates that General Eisenhower 754 00:42:04,820 --> 00:42:08,559 could command the multinational coalition of military forces 755 00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:11,020 necessary to topple the Third Reich. 756 00:42:11,420 --> 00:42:14,060 There are many fronts in modern war. 757 00:42:14,260 --> 00:42:16,060 Because of its very nature, 758 00:42:16,260 --> 00:42:18,540 the role of gathering intelligence 759 00:42:18,740 --> 00:42:20,700 is often obscure and misunderstood. 760 00:42:20,900 --> 00:42:23,980 But when it's successful, it can be decisive. 761 00:42:24,180 --> 00:42:27,060 That's why a small English hamlet, 762 00:42:27,380 --> 00:42:31,100 purposefully located between Cambridge and Oxford, 763 00:42:31,273 --> 00:42:34,460 becomes a crucial front in World War II.