1 00:00:27,268 --> 00:00:29,546 - [Narrator] 1941, Hitler sets into motion the building 2 00:00:29,650 --> 00:00:31,617 of a 90 square kilometer complex 3 00:00:31,721 --> 00:00:34,448 in the remote French village of Margival. 4 00:00:34,551 --> 00:00:38,176 - You're building a city in an area that is not developed, 5 00:00:38,279 --> 00:00:40,557 and you are trying to do that in secrecy. 6 00:00:40,661 --> 00:00:42,456 It sounds impossible, really. 7 00:00:42,559 --> 00:00:46,218 - It would be very difficult to get anywhere near this place 8 00:00:46,322 --> 00:00:48,186 as an unwanted visitor. 9 00:00:49,635 --> 00:00:50,981 - [Narrator] Meanwhile, on the eastern front, 10 00:00:51,085 --> 00:00:53,018 Hitler moves into the Wolf's Lair, 11 00:00:53,122 --> 00:00:56,470 a secret headquarters deep in the Polish wilderness. 12 00:00:56,573 --> 00:00:59,680 He will go on to spend more than 800 days in this fortress, 13 00:00:59,783 --> 00:01:01,785 commanding the war effort. 14 00:01:01,889 --> 00:01:05,341 - Hitler now personally wants to be close to the front 15 00:01:05,444 --> 00:01:07,619 so he can meddle directly. 16 00:01:07,722 --> 00:01:08,930 - [Narrator] In Margival, 17 00:01:09,034 --> 00:01:11,174 construction moves at a furious pace 18 00:01:11,278 --> 00:01:14,971 to develop an elaborate top secret complex, 19 00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:18,078 one which will dwarf the Wolf's Lair. 20 00:01:18,181 --> 00:01:20,666 - Architecture in Nazi Germany was 21 00:01:20,770 --> 00:01:25,154 like the word of national socialism expressed in stone. 22 00:01:25,257 --> 00:01:28,985 - The question is, is this the hallmark or harbinger 23 00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:32,161 for major action that was planned to come that didn't? 24 00:01:32,264 --> 00:01:34,611 - [Narrator] Just what is this colossal structure, 25 00:01:34,715 --> 00:01:37,856 and what could the Nazis be planning to use it for? 26 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,170 [dramatic theme music] 27 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,360 [rocks crumbling] 28 00:01:59,464 --> 00:02:02,087 [birds squawking] 29 00:02:02,191 --> 00:02:06,333 Late 1943, top German field marshall, Erwin Rommel arrives 30 00:02:06,436 --> 00:02:08,576 in the small village of Margival, France, 31 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,234 flanked by an extensive security detail. 32 00:02:12,891 --> 00:02:14,893 Already a hive of Nazi activity, 33 00:02:14,996 --> 00:02:17,378 since local train traffic had been cut off to the area 34 00:02:17,482 --> 00:02:20,519 in early February, local villagers are confined 35 00:02:20,623 --> 00:02:23,764 to their homes as top Nazi brass move into the city. 36 00:02:25,317 --> 00:02:27,595 Locals have become used to Nazi patrols, 37 00:02:27,699 --> 00:02:31,289 and villager comings and goings are being watched closely. 38 00:02:31,392 --> 00:02:33,532 Public buildings have been confiscated, 39 00:02:33,636 --> 00:02:35,327 and the local church watch tower taken 40 00:02:35,431 --> 00:02:39,435 down to avoid becoming a mark for allied bombings. 41 00:02:39,538 --> 00:02:41,195 Security is heightened 42 00:02:41,299 --> 00:02:44,405 as Rommel's detail moves to a restricted construction zone, 43 00:02:44,509 --> 00:02:47,822 90 square kilometers protected by an anti-aircraft 44 00:02:47,926 --> 00:02:50,342 and anti-tank defense line. 45 00:02:50,446 --> 00:02:52,172 What were the Nazis building, 46 00:02:52,275 --> 00:02:55,347 and what was Rommel here to inspect? 47 00:02:55,451 --> 00:02:59,489 - Margival is about 300 kilometers from the English channel, 48 00:02:59,593 --> 00:03:03,700 about 100 kilometers from the Belgian border. 49 00:03:03,804 --> 00:03:07,325 - This tiny French village is extremely rural, 50 00:03:07,428 --> 00:03:08,429 it's in the middle of nowhere. 51 00:03:08,533 --> 00:03:09,948 And it is tiny, 52 00:03:10,051 --> 00:03:13,365 there are fewer than 300 permanent residents there. 53 00:03:13,469 --> 00:03:16,817 Suddenly it's been taken over by the Nazis, 54 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:19,406 which would've been a massive change for the people 55 00:03:19,509 --> 00:03:22,063 who lived there and for the surrounding, 56 00:03:22,167 --> 00:03:24,859 what had been quiet landscape. 57 00:03:24,963 --> 00:03:26,136 [ominous music] 58 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:28,484 - [Narrator] But on December 23rd, 1941, 59 00:03:28,587 --> 00:03:32,384 Hitler signs an order of requisition to build at Margival, 60 00:03:32,488 --> 00:03:35,767 and two months later, the Nazis begin to descend. 61 00:03:36,733 --> 00:03:38,356 Train service is diverted. 62 00:03:38,459 --> 00:03:41,497 Eight villages are placed inside a security zone. 63 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,604 Nazis take over local buildings, houses, and edifices, 64 00:03:45,708 --> 00:03:48,918 and the signs of construction start to move in. 65 00:03:49,021 --> 00:03:53,992 - Not only did the Nazis fiercely occupy this rural region, 66 00:03:55,614 --> 00:03:58,514 they also requisitioned a number of the local businesses 67 00:03:58,617 --> 00:04:01,482 and companies so that they had absolute control 68 00:04:01,586 --> 00:04:03,346 over their equipment and products. 69 00:04:03,450 --> 00:04:08,178 Things like scaffolding, cement mixers, jackhammers, cranes. 70 00:04:09,594 --> 00:04:11,699 What on earth was going on here that they needed 71 00:04:11,803 --> 00:04:13,494 all of this stuff? 72 00:04:13,598 --> 00:04:18,568 - The requisition for the land was signed in late 1941, 73 00:04:19,466 --> 00:04:21,053 and by the end of 1942, 74 00:04:21,157 --> 00:04:25,679 there were 6,000 workers beginning to develop this land. 75 00:04:26,783 --> 00:04:27,957 That number increased quickly. 76 00:04:28,060 --> 00:04:31,374 Within a year, there were 6,000 workers. 77 00:04:31,478 --> 00:04:33,238 Within 18 months of getting started, 78 00:04:33,342 --> 00:04:36,034 there were 22,000 workers 79 00:04:36,137 --> 00:04:40,072 at work on a 90 square kilometer complex. 80 00:04:40,176 --> 00:04:43,697 - People in the area were probably in a state of fear, 81 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,044 one; because they couldn't understand 82 00:04:46,147 --> 00:04:48,736 what these people were up to because it was shrouded 83 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:52,153 in secrecy and they were very forcefully excluded. 84 00:04:52,257 --> 00:04:53,914 And also, there was the fear 85 00:04:54,017 --> 00:04:58,298 of if they inadvertently stumbled upon some secrets, 86 00:04:58,401 --> 00:05:00,541 they could pay a very heavy price for it. 87 00:05:00,645 --> 00:05:05,374 This sprawling area, this vast construction, 88 00:05:05,477 --> 00:05:08,480 what were the Nazis trying to do over here? 89 00:05:08,584 --> 00:05:10,171 [ominous music] 90 00:05:10,275 --> 00:05:12,622 - [Narrator] When Rommel arrives at this top secret base, 91 00:05:12,726 --> 00:05:15,004 he must go through three levels of security 92 00:05:15,107 --> 00:05:17,317 to reach the heart of the installation. 93 00:05:18,835 --> 00:05:22,287 - The level of secrecy and protection of this site was 94 00:05:22,391 --> 00:05:25,773 so important that there were different levels of security 95 00:05:25,877 --> 00:05:28,776 to get through before you got to the heart of the complex. 96 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:30,295 To start with, 97 00:05:30,399 --> 00:05:33,160 the surrounding fields were filled with landmines. 98 00:05:33,263 --> 00:05:35,852 There were then a number of layers of protection, 99 00:05:35,956 --> 00:05:40,340 from guard houses, and watch towers, and security points, 100 00:05:40,443 --> 00:05:42,203 all heavily armed. 101 00:05:42,307 --> 00:05:44,413 - Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. 102 00:05:44,516 --> 00:05:48,140 And so that kind of installation has both an offensive 103 00:05:48,244 --> 00:05:50,073 and defensive capability. 104 00:05:50,177 --> 00:05:51,454 - You zoom out, and out, and out, 105 00:05:51,558 --> 00:05:54,319 and it's quite a massive network of people 106 00:05:54,423 --> 00:05:57,495 and thinking that is needed to develop places. 107 00:05:57,598 --> 00:06:00,808 I can't think of strategies that would be effective 108 00:06:00,912 --> 00:06:04,087 to hiding this type of operation. 109 00:06:04,191 --> 00:06:07,401 Machines, movements, people, thoughts, planning, 110 00:06:07,505 --> 00:06:10,197 landscape change, concrete pouring. 111 00:06:11,371 --> 00:06:12,786 Just the work that needs to be done 112 00:06:12,889 --> 00:06:16,755 to even set up to do this work, there's a huge impact. 113 00:06:16,859 --> 00:06:19,379 Doing that in secrecy just seems impossible. 114 00:06:19,482 --> 00:06:21,898 - The secrecy surrounding this project was 115 00:06:22,002 --> 00:06:25,557 so important to the Nazis that the workforce were 116 00:06:25,661 --> 00:06:28,180 only ever assigned three months at a time 117 00:06:28,284 --> 00:06:31,391 before being rotated out somewhere else, 118 00:06:31,494 --> 00:06:34,635 to make sure that nobody ever got a clear idea 119 00:06:34,739 --> 00:06:36,844 as to the purpose or the function 120 00:06:36,948 --> 00:06:38,881 of any particular construction, 121 00:06:38,984 --> 00:06:41,884 nor as to the scale of the site as a whole. 122 00:06:41,987 --> 00:06:43,403 - The question is, 123 00:06:43,506 --> 00:06:47,855 is this the hallmark or harbinger for major action 124 00:06:49,098 --> 00:06:50,893 that was planned to come that didn't? 125 00:06:50,996 --> 00:06:52,584 - [Narrator] The bunkers found at its center 126 00:06:52,688 --> 00:06:56,277 are strongholds built of two meter thick concrete reinforced 127 00:06:56,381 --> 00:06:57,658 with steel. 128 00:06:57,762 --> 00:07:00,799 - Ordinance becomes more powerful, 129 00:07:00,903 --> 00:07:03,871 fortifications have to become more powerful as well, 130 00:07:03,975 --> 00:07:06,184 more robustly constructed. 131 00:07:06,287 --> 00:07:11,258 The whole idea of sloping surfaces that will bounce 132 00:07:12,604 --> 00:07:15,504 off an incoming shell rather than hold against it. 133 00:07:15,607 --> 00:07:17,126 - As engineers, we need to understand 134 00:07:17,229 --> 00:07:19,680 the different mechanical properties of our materials. 135 00:07:19,784 --> 00:07:21,889 Concrete is really strong, but it's also very brittle. 136 00:07:21,993 --> 00:07:24,892 If you can imagine a shell impacting concrete, 137 00:07:24,996 --> 00:07:27,377 the energy's going to propagate through and sort of burst. 138 00:07:27,481 --> 00:07:28,724 You end up with shards, 139 00:07:28,827 --> 00:07:30,346 you end up with shrapnel from concrete. 140 00:07:30,450 --> 00:07:31,865 Whereas with steel, 141 00:07:31,968 --> 00:07:34,212 it is able to absorb and dissipate that energy 142 00:07:34,315 --> 00:07:36,110 through its molecular structure. 143 00:07:36,214 --> 00:07:38,906 And it deforms, it changes its shape. 144 00:07:39,010 --> 00:07:40,598 And if you have really thick steel, 145 00:07:40,701 --> 00:07:43,428 that deformation is able to spread it over a larger area. 146 00:07:43,532 --> 00:07:45,085 If you have very thin steel, 147 00:07:45,188 --> 00:07:47,156 that deformation isn't able to be absorbed. 148 00:07:47,259 --> 00:07:49,779 The projectile penetrate right through it instead. 149 00:07:49,883 --> 00:07:53,645 So there's a function of thickness, of mass. 150 00:07:53,749 --> 00:07:55,647 - [Narrator] 80 years after Rommel's visit, 151 00:07:55,751 --> 00:07:58,581 these installations have succumbed to decay, 152 00:07:58,685 --> 00:08:00,859 but they are also familiar. 153 00:08:02,136 --> 00:08:03,586 [soft ominous music] 154 00:08:03,690 --> 00:08:06,347 When Hitler signs the order of construction at Margival, 155 00:08:06,451 --> 00:08:08,798 he sets into motion the methodical construction 156 00:08:08,902 --> 00:08:12,008 of bunkers designed by Organization Todt. 157 00:08:13,182 --> 00:08:15,391 - Architecture in Nazi Germany was 158 00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:20,465 like the word of national socialism expressed in stone. 159 00:08:21,673 --> 00:08:23,054 - The construction of this complex came 160 00:08:23,157 --> 00:08:25,746 under the jurisdiction of Organization Todt, 161 00:08:25,850 --> 00:08:29,129 which was the Nazi's engineering arm, if you like. 162 00:08:29,232 --> 00:08:32,132 And they had a number of standardized designs 163 00:08:32,235 --> 00:08:34,893 and construction techniques for different types of bunkers, 164 00:08:34,997 --> 00:08:36,826 different types of buildings. 165 00:08:36,930 --> 00:08:40,381 So they had standardized munition storage bunkers, 166 00:08:40,485 --> 00:08:43,661 standardized accommodation blocks and offices, 167 00:08:43,764 --> 00:08:48,113 standardized buildings built to protect sensitive equipment 168 00:08:48,217 --> 00:08:50,391 from bombardments above. 169 00:08:50,495 --> 00:08:54,568 And this site included an elaborate combination 170 00:08:54,672 --> 00:08:58,917 of a number of these different standardized designs. 171 00:08:59,021 --> 00:09:00,229 - There's clearly a plan behind all this. 172 00:09:00,332 --> 00:09:01,989 The walls are gonna be this thick, 173 00:09:02,093 --> 00:09:04,026 there's gonna be this much reinforcing in that concrete, 174 00:09:04,129 --> 00:09:06,546 it's gonna have these features that are effective 175 00:09:06,649 --> 00:09:10,515 for deflecting impact, that are effective for camouflaging. 176 00:09:10,619 --> 00:09:12,586 Every little detail is already thought 177 00:09:12,690 --> 00:09:14,312 out before they even touch ground there. 178 00:09:14,415 --> 00:09:16,866 It's an incredible operation of efficiency. 179 00:09:18,627 --> 00:09:21,871 - The Todt Organization had thousands and thousands 180 00:09:21,975 --> 00:09:26,876 of engineers, skilled workers, they had volunteer laborers, 181 00:09:28,291 --> 00:09:31,398 and they had as well slave labour. 182 00:09:31,501 --> 00:09:34,677 So there was a hierarchy of how people were treated. 183 00:09:34,781 --> 00:09:39,440 And at the bottom of that, the slave laborers, 184 00:09:39,544 --> 00:09:41,857 of course would've been burnt out and used up. 185 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,239 And ironically, todt means death. 186 00:09:46,896 --> 00:09:51,073 - You have the so-called racial enemies of the Nazi state, 187 00:09:51,176 --> 00:09:55,664 particularly European Jews who fall under German control, 188 00:09:55,767 --> 00:10:00,254 whose labor is exploited for war fighting purposes. 189 00:10:00,358 --> 00:10:02,532 And there we encounter another contradiction, 190 00:10:02,636 --> 00:10:04,569 because we have a regime suffering 191 00:10:04,673 --> 00:10:08,400 from a human resource deficit at the same time 192 00:10:08,504 --> 00:10:11,300 that it's intentionally murdering hundreds 193 00:10:11,403 --> 00:10:15,200 of thousands of Jews and/or working them to death. 194 00:10:15,304 --> 00:10:18,687 And the decision to use European Jews 195 00:10:18,790 --> 00:10:22,104 as forced laborers was not taken lightly by the regime, 196 00:10:22,207 --> 00:10:25,314 when it really had every intention on murdering them. 197 00:10:25,417 --> 00:10:27,143 So it was considered a sort of compromise. 198 00:10:27,247 --> 00:10:30,526 "Well, if we don't murder all of the Jews outright, 199 00:10:30,630 --> 00:10:34,012 then what we're going to do is employ their labor. 200 00:10:34,116 --> 00:10:35,704 But really, the goal is still to kill 201 00:10:35,807 --> 00:10:40,122 them through forced labor, and malnutrition, 202 00:10:40,225 --> 00:10:42,227 and just general abuse." 203 00:10:42,331 --> 00:10:45,127 And more and more, this forced labor, 204 00:10:45,230 --> 00:10:46,956 irrespective of who's performing it, 205 00:10:47,060 --> 00:10:50,891 comes to play a crucial role in the German war economy. 206 00:10:50,995 --> 00:10:55,275 And by 1944, one in four workers in Germany 207 00:10:55,378 --> 00:10:56,863 are forced laborers. 208 00:10:58,312 --> 00:11:00,832 - If you have unlimited people to do the work 209 00:11:00,936 --> 00:11:04,560 because you're willing to sacrifice them, 210 00:11:04,664 --> 00:11:06,873 if someone passes away, you just find someone else to do it. 211 00:11:06,976 --> 00:11:08,529 You throw 10 more people at a project, 212 00:11:08,633 --> 00:11:10,566 you're gonna move it along even faster. 213 00:11:10,670 --> 00:11:13,155 It's incredibly difficult to imagine 214 00:11:13,258 --> 00:11:16,745 that this was the approach that they took. 215 00:11:16,848 --> 00:11:18,919 [ominous music] 216 00:11:19,023 --> 00:11:21,059 - [Narrator] Why were the Nazis pouring resources 217 00:11:21,163 --> 00:11:24,580 into this sprawling complex in such a remote locale? 218 00:11:24,684 --> 00:11:27,238 [ominous music] 219 00:11:28,135 --> 00:11:29,516 [upbeat suspense music] 220 00:11:29,619 --> 00:11:32,381 The secrecy, coupled with the hyper acceleration 221 00:11:32,484 --> 00:11:35,384 of construction at Margival in Northwestern Europe, 222 00:11:35,487 --> 00:11:38,628 point to a larger German strategy for the region. 223 00:11:38,732 --> 00:11:42,667 - The crucial turning point in allocation of resources 224 00:11:42,771 --> 00:11:46,015 to fortifications in Northwest Europe 225 00:11:46,119 --> 00:11:48,328 is usually about the spring of 1942, 226 00:11:48,431 --> 00:11:51,572 because it's a few months after the Americans 227 00:11:51,676 --> 00:11:53,609 are in the war against Germany, 228 00:11:53,713 --> 00:11:56,267 and the Germans are about nine months into the war 229 00:11:56,370 --> 00:11:57,647 in the Soviet Union. 230 00:11:57,751 --> 00:11:59,615 And that war was supposed to be over already, 231 00:11:59,719 --> 00:12:01,099 but of course it's not. 232 00:12:01,203 --> 00:12:02,652 And then it's clear to anybody who's looking 233 00:12:02,756 --> 00:12:04,171 at the situation realistically 234 00:12:04,275 --> 00:12:06,035 that the war on the Eastern front is going to last 235 00:12:06,139 --> 00:12:08,244 a lot longer than originally envisioned, 236 00:12:08,348 --> 00:12:09,659 and may very well end badly. 237 00:12:09,763 --> 00:12:11,731 So in those circumstances, 238 00:12:11,834 --> 00:12:14,595 it's prudent to begin developing 239 00:12:14,699 --> 00:12:17,598 the defensive infrastructure in northwestern Europe 240 00:12:17,702 --> 00:12:19,462 to respond to an invasion 241 00:12:19,566 --> 00:12:21,361 that the allies are already planning. 242 00:12:21,464 --> 00:12:24,502 - It's more than likely that that invasion will occur 243 00:12:24,605 --> 00:12:27,747 along the French coast, and so this makes Northern France 244 00:12:27,850 --> 00:12:30,922 an important point, or at least a very important point 245 00:12:31,026 --> 00:12:33,131 for the future of the Second World War. 246 00:12:34,581 --> 00:12:36,169 - [Narrator] These would not be the only bunkers 247 00:12:36,272 --> 00:12:38,654 Rommel would be on the ground to inspect. 248 00:12:38,758 --> 00:12:40,863 In fact, at the time of his visit, 249 00:12:40,967 --> 00:12:45,454 Rommel is completing a tour of the entire Atlantic Wall. 250 00:12:45,557 --> 00:12:47,939 - He was kind of the inspector of fortifications, 251 00:12:48,043 --> 00:12:49,665 as it were, 252 00:12:49,769 --> 00:12:52,530 and he was making sure that these met all the requirements, 253 00:12:52,633 --> 00:12:55,188 and would be a place where Hitler could 254 00:12:55,291 --> 00:12:58,260 actually personally come and visit 255 00:12:58,363 --> 00:13:00,434 and preside over the front, as it were. 256 00:13:00,538 --> 00:13:02,989 This was certainly Rommel's burden, 257 00:13:03,092 --> 00:13:06,855 to ensure that all those requirements had been met. 258 00:13:06,958 --> 00:13:08,132 - The question is, 259 00:13:08,235 --> 00:13:09,927 how best to defend Western Europe given 260 00:13:10,030 --> 00:13:12,792 the limited resources available to the Germans? 261 00:13:12,895 --> 00:13:14,794 Building these fortifications is expensive. 262 00:13:14,897 --> 00:13:18,659 So we have Rommel who is arguing that the Germans need 263 00:13:18,763 --> 00:13:21,766 to put their fortifications as far forward as possible, 264 00:13:21,870 --> 00:13:24,804 because he believes, with reason, 265 00:13:24,907 --> 00:13:26,944 that if the allies are able to establish a foothold 266 00:13:27,047 --> 00:13:31,672 or a bridgehead, that it will be difficult to undo that. 267 00:13:32,881 --> 00:13:35,573 - [Narrator] Built from 1942 to 1944, 268 00:13:35,676 --> 00:13:37,817 under Hitler's Directive 40, 269 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:41,751 the Atlantic Wall commanded 3,200 miles of coastline, 270 00:13:41,855 --> 00:13:45,272 with mines, pill boxes and tanks. 271 00:13:45,376 --> 00:13:49,449 It required over 17 million cubic tons of concrete, 272 00:13:49,552 --> 00:13:53,280 and 1.2 million tons of steel. 273 00:13:53,384 --> 00:13:56,697 - As some Germans described the Atlantic Wall at the time, 274 00:13:56,801 --> 00:13:59,321 it wasn't really a wall in the literal sense, 275 00:13:59,424 --> 00:14:01,150 that was physically impossible. 276 00:14:01,254 --> 00:14:02,772 But they made the analogy 277 00:14:02,876 --> 00:14:05,396 that it was more like a long rope extending all the way 278 00:14:05,499 --> 00:14:07,501 from northern Norway down to the border 279 00:14:07,605 --> 00:14:09,089 between France and Spain. 280 00:14:09,193 --> 00:14:10,850 And that every so often, 281 00:14:10,953 --> 00:14:13,645 at points where seaborne attacks were likely, 282 00:14:13,749 --> 00:14:15,440 there was a knot tied in the rope, 283 00:14:15,544 --> 00:14:18,823 and the knot represented the local fortifications. 284 00:14:20,169 --> 00:14:21,861 - [Narrator] The sprawling 90 square kilometers 285 00:14:21,964 --> 00:14:25,519 of construction at Margival is a mere 300 kilometers 286 00:14:25,623 --> 00:14:26,935 from the Atlantic Wall, 287 00:14:28,453 --> 00:14:31,629 and is encircled by strategically placed defenses. 288 00:14:31,732 --> 00:14:33,942 - The layout is designed to follow something called 289 00:14:34,045 --> 00:14:35,771 a crossfire plan, 290 00:14:35,875 --> 00:14:39,292 whereby each bunker has a very well-defined area 291 00:14:39,395 --> 00:14:42,847 that can withstand a certain amount of attack from firearms 292 00:14:42,951 --> 00:14:46,886 or bombs whilst protecting the blind spots 293 00:14:46,989 --> 00:14:49,060 of surrounding structures. 294 00:14:49,164 --> 00:14:50,579 And to top it all off, 295 00:14:50,682 --> 00:14:53,064 there were a number of gun emplacements 296 00:14:53,168 --> 00:14:56,688 that housed large artillery, anti-tank 297 00:14:56,792 --> 00:14:59,519 and anti-aircraft guns. 298 00:14:59,622 --> 00:15:03,385 It would be very difficult to get anywhere near this place 299 00:15:03,488 --> 00:15:05,352 as an unwanted visitor. 300 00:15:05,456 --> 00:15:07,009 [upbeat suspense music] 301 00:15:07,113 --> 00:15:09,839 - It's in the theater of operations in Northwestern Europe. 302 00:15:09,943 --> 00:15:12,463 And therefore, in a circumstance where the allies 303 00:15:12,566 --> 00:15:15,915 increasingly are exercising air superiority, 304 00:15:16,018 --> 00:15:18,469 these forward command complexes have 305 00:15:18,572 --> 00:15:20,091 to be pretty well protected. 306 00:15:20,195 --> 00:15:23,888 - The scale of this facility is not a show of status. 307 00:15:25,303 --> 00:15:27,409 but it's scaling with the size of the operations 308 00:15:27,512 --> 00:15:29,376 that are being planned. 309 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:31,620 [upbeat suspense music] 310 00:15:31,723 --> 00:15:33,380 - [Narrator] Moving through the security checkpoints 311 00:15:33,484 --> 00:15:36,004 of the structure, more can be discovered. 312 00:15:37,350 --> 00:15:40,801 - This was not a Spartan military facility. 313 00:15:40,905 --> 00:15:43,390 It was a military headquarters, 314 00:15:43,494 --> 00:15:46,324 but it also had comforts that the Nazis didn't 315 00:15:46,428 --> 00:15:48,844 usually build in to their fortifications. 316 00:15:48,948 --> 00:15:52,330 And one example here is the infamous swimming pool. 317 00:15:52,434 --> 00:15:54,574 It was a system for capturing water, 318 00:15:54,677 --> 00:15:57,749 but also quite clearly a pool for swimming in. 319 00:15:57,853 --> 00:15:59,959 This was a creature comfort 320 00:16:00,062 --> 00:16:02,616 that had been built into the headquarters. 321 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,516 - A swimming pool is typically built below ground. 322 00:16:05,619 --> 00:16:06,793 You have to excavate out, 323 00:16:06,896 --> 00:16:08,933 you have to create a bowl in the earth. 324 00:16:09,037 --> 00:16:10,521 If it's soil, it's easy to excavate. 325 00:16:10,624 --> 00:16:12,005 If you hit rock, you have to blast that. 326 00:16:12,109 --> 00:16:13,213 It's quite hard to scrape away. 327 00:16:13,317 --> 00:16:14,525 And this is quite a big pool, 328 00:16:14,628 --> 00:16:17,114 so that excavation is significant. 329 00:16:17,217 --> 00:16:20,186 - Other notable features of the headquarters included 330 00:16:20,289 --> 00:16:22,464 a backup power station, 331 00:16:22,567 --> 00:16:25,122 which ensured that the headquarters could keep running, 332 00:16:25,225 --> 00:16:27,262 no matter what was happening all around it. 333 00:16:27,365 --> 00:16:30,127 And this suggests that this was a facility 334 00:16:30,230 --> 00:16:33,302 that was meant to be used in the long term 335 00:16:33,406 --> 00:16:36,719 and in increasingly difficult conditions. 336 00:16:36,823 --> 00:16:38,480 [upbeat suspense music] 337 00:16:38,583 --> 00:16:39,791 - [Narrator] The communications bunker 338 00:16:39,895 --> 00:16:42,967 also signals the site's importance. 339 00:16:43,071 --> 00:16:45,107 - One of the most important parts 340 00:16:45,211 --> 00:16:48,973 of this complex was bunker 005, 341 00:16:49,077 --> 00:16:52,425 the largest communications center built 342 00:16:52,528 --> 00:16:54,461 during the Second World War. 343 00:16:54,565 --> 00:16:58,465 And it was so important, it had its own power supply, 344 00:16:58,569 --> 00:17:02,676 its own water supply, its own air filtration system. 345 00:17:02,780 --> 00:17:07,750 It also had 600 telephone lines, and most significantly, 346 00:17:08,889 --> 00:17:12,100 one was a direct line to Berlin. 347 00:17:12,203 --> 00:17:14,723 [dramatic music] 348 00:17:14,826 --> 00:17:17,346 - [Narrator] Further exploration shows the site's potential 349 00:17:17,450 --> 00:17:20,453 as a strategic reporting station for field marshals. 350 00:17:21,971 --> 00:17:26,045 - Bunker 005 existed to serve as the communications hub 351 00:17:26,148 --> 00:17:30,152 in support of Hitler and the entire Nazi war machine, 352 00:17:30,256 --> 00:17:31,774 if needed. 353 00:17:31,878 --> 00:17:34,156 - The Germans have this huge coast, 354 00:17:34,260 --> 00:17:35,744 and there are many different places 355 00:17:35,847 --> 00:17:39,575 where invasion could happen, and limited resources. 356 00:17:39,679 --> 00:17:42,578 So they can't have strong points 357 00:17:42,682 --> 00:17:44,166 close to the coast everywhere, 358 00:17:44,270 --> 00:17:48,136 and that's why some of these command facilities 359 00:17:48,239 --> 00:17:53,210 are situated well inland, near road hubs and networks. 360 00:17:54,452 --> 00:17:56,385 So that irrespective of where an invasion 361 00:17:56,489 --> 00:17:58,836 or threat may materialize on the coastline, 362 00:17:58,939 --> 00:18:01,701 the command element is able to address it. 363 00:18:01,804 --> 00:18:03,082 [upbeat suspense music] 364 00:18:03,185 --> 00:18:04,600 - [Narrator] Along with being the Fuhrer, 365 00:18:04,704 --> 00:18:06,706 Hitler was the head of the high command, 366 00:18:06,809 --> 00:18:09,088 directing the armed forces. 367 00:18:09,191 --> 00:18:13,264 This included the war ministry, or OKW, 368 00:18:13,368 --> 00:18:16,129 alonged with the Lufftwaffe, Germany's Air Force, 369 00:18:16,233 --> 00:18:19,236 and the Kriegsmarine, the German Navy. 370 00:18:19,339 --> 00:18:20,789 [upbeat suspense music] 371 00:18:20,892 --> 00:18:23,757 - Where on one hand, Hitler can be terribly insistent 372 00:18:23,861 --> 00:18:26,553 that a particular course of action is followed, 373 00:18:26,657 --> 00:18:27,830 either at the strategic level, 374 00:18:27,934 --> 00:18:29,177 or even at the tactical level 375 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:31,110 where he increasingly intercedes, 376 00:18:31,213 --> 00:18:34,699 which shouldn't really have been his concern realistically. 377 00:18:34,803 --> 00:18:38,358 So on one hand, he can be terribly insistent on following 378 00:18:38,462 --> 00:18:41,361 this or that course of action, but at the same time, 379 00:18:41,465 --> 00:18:45,089 when it comes to making, especially longer term decisions, 380 00:18:45,193 --> 00:18:47,091 could be terribly indecisive 381 00:18:47,195 --> 00:18:50,232 about how resources should be allocated. 382 00:18:50,336 --> 00:18:52,096 We see this time and again with Hitler, 383 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:55,962 even early in the war when there's some uncertainty 384 00:18:56,065 --> 00:18:58,447 over what kind of Navy Germany's going to build, 385 00:18:58,551 --> 00:19:02,071 is it going to be a surface navy or a submarine navy? 386 00:19:02,175 --> 00:19:05,005 There's never any resolution to that question, 387 00:19:05,109 --> 00:19:07,180 and ultimately the Germans then go to war 388 00:19:07,284 --> 00:19:11,702 without a completely prepared Navy of either type. 389 00:19:11,805 --> 00:19:15,188 So it's a situation sometimes where no decision is made, 390 00:19:15,292 --> 00:19:18,812 which is even worse than making the wrong decision. 391 00:19:18,916 --> 00:19:20,331 - [Narrator] How does this complex 392 00:19:20,435 --> 00:19:23,231 outside of Margival factor into Hitler's strategy 393 00:19:23,334 --> 00:19:24,404 for the war? 394 00:19:27,580 --> 00:19:31,963 December 23rd, 1941, Hitler signs the order to build 395 00:19:32,067 --> 00:19:34,587 on the Western front at Margival. 396 00:19:34,690 --> 00:19:38,280 For months, he's been staying on the Eastern front. 397 00:19:38,384 --> 00:19:40,972 - The Wolf's Lair was a headquarters 398 00:19:41,076 --> 00:19:44,355 from which Hitler commanded the Second World War 399 00:19:44,459 --> 00:19:47,496 on the eastern front against the Soviet Union. 400 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,085 The Wolf's Lair was a much smaller facility, 401 00:19:50,189 --> 00:19:51,949 a much less comfortable one, 402 00:19:52,052 --> 00:19:56,229 but one at which Hitler spent 850 days of the war. 403 00:19:57,713 --> 00:20:00,164 - To fully appreciate the scale of the construction 404 00:20:00,268 --> 00:20:01,683 at Margival, 405 00:20:01,786 --> 00:20:03,892 you need to compare it to Hitler's primary residence 406 00:20:03,995 --> 00:20:06,308 throughout the war, the Wolf's Lair, 407 00:20:06,412 --> 00:20:09,518 which itself consisted of 200 buildings, 408 00:20:09,622 --> 00:20:14,592 it had its own power station, it housed up to 2000 people. 409 00:20:16,042 --> 00:20:20,357 Margival was 40 times the size of the Wolf's Lair. 410 00:20:21,254 --> 00:20:22,566 [upbeat suspense music] 411 00:20:22,669 --> 00:20:23,670 - [Narrator] The true purpose of the headquarters 412 00:20:23,774 --> 00:20:26,604 in Margival becomes clear. 413 00:20:26,708 --> 00:20:28,882 - The assumption, of course, that the Germans are having 414 00:20:28,986 --> 00:20:30,643 is they're gonna defeat the Soviet Union. 415 00:20:30,746 --> 00:20:31,609 [click clacking of soldiers marching] 416 00:20:31,713 --> 00:20:32,472 [canon explosion] 417 00:20:32,576 --> 00:20:33,404 [fire sputtering] 418 00:20:33,508 --> 00:20:34,681 And so once that happens, 419 00:20:34,785 --> 00:20:36,373 either they'll make peace with Britain 420 00:20:36,476 --> 00:20:39,307 or they're now going to return back to the original plan, 421 00:20:39,410 --> 00:20:43,000 Operation Sea Lion, and invade now Britain 422 00:20:43,103 --> 00:20:45,002 once they've taken out Russia. 423 00:20:45,105 --> 00:20:48,833 So you need that headquarters in that location. 424 00:20:48,937 --> 00:20:51,940 [upbeat suspense music] 425 00:20:52,043 --> 00:20:54,149 - [Narrator] The headquarters in Margival would become known 426 00:20:54,253 --> 00:20:57,117 as Wolfsschlucht II or W2, 427 00:20:57,221 --> 00:20:59,154 and would need to be perfectly situated 428 00:20:59,258 --> 00:21:02,502 to insulate Hitler from a potential invasion. 429 00:21:02,606 --> 00:21:06,989 The site is accessible via roads, railways, and rivers, 430 00:21:07,093 --> 00:21:10,303 along with four airports within 30 kilometers. 431 00:21:10,407 --> 00:21:13,548 - This particular, the headquarters, the Wolfsschluchts 432 00:21:13,651 --> 00:21:18,277 or the Wolf's Gorge was built in a strategic area, 433 00:21:18,380 --> 00:21:22,177 again, just before the German border would be looming 434 00:21:22,281 --> 00:21:24,662 up on the inside of France. 435 00:21:24,766 --> 00:21:28,563 It's far enough from the coast to be able to evacuate 436 00:21:28,666 --> 00:21:31,566 the Fuhrer, if that would be necessary. 437 00:21:31,669 --> 00:21:35,190 - This was a place in that sort of sweet spot, 438 00:21:35,294 --> 00:21:40,195 not in a major city, but definitely not isolated. 439 00:21:40,299 --> 00:21:42,059 - Some people have pointed out that it was close 440 00:21:42,162 --> 00:21:44,889 to where Hitler had fought in World War I. 441 00:21:44,993 --> 00:21:47,409 It's actually fairly close to Campaign, 442 00:21:47,513 --> 00:21:50,550 and that maybe it was some sort of nostalgia there. 443 00:21:50,654 --> 00:21:53,242 - I think he was thinking huge, 444 00:21:53,346 --> 00:21:57,592 so he wanted this to be almost like an underground city. 445 00:21:57,695 --> 00:22:00,249 This is where he was going to set up his base. 446 00:22:00,353 --> 00:22:01,320 He's getting ready. 447 00:22:02,700 --> 00:22:03,701 [action instrumental music] [rifle clicks] 448 00:22:03,805 --> 00:22:04,978 - [Narrator] Most importantly, 449 00:22:05,082 --> 00:22:06,463 the site has the perfect location 450 00:22:06,566 --> 00:22:08,913 for Hitler's preferred mode of transportation. 451 00:22:09,017 --> 00:22:13,193 - The accessibility of the site at Margival was a huge part 452 00:22:13,297 --> 00:22:16,024 of the design, so that you could get there by road, 453 00:22:16,127 --> 00:22:17,370 you could get there by river, 454 00:22:17,474 --> 00:22:19,545 but most importantly for Hitler, 455 00:22:19,648 --> 00:22:21,685 you could get there by rail. 456 00:22:21,788 --> 00:22:26,724 And more specifically, on his own custom built 17 car train, 457 00:22:27,932 --> 00:22:29,762 which had two locomotives, 458 00:22:29,865 --> 00:22:34,836 it had two anti-aircraft guns built into the train, 459 00:22:35,906 --> 00:22:38,736 and a 22 man security force. 460 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:40,220 [upbeat suspense music] 461 00:22:40,324 --> 00:22:43,534 - He can essentially go anywhere he needs to go, 462 00:22:43,638 --> 00:22:47,883 as long as the Nazis can control the railway system. 463 00:22:48,884 --> 00:22:50,541 [dramatic bass music] 464 00:22:50,645 --> 00:22:52,301 - [Narrator] The goal was to protect the Fuhrer at all costs 465 00:22:52,405 --> 00:22:54,649 as he traveled between the fronts. 466 00:22:54,752 --> 00:22:57,893 Documentation of each journey was destroyed after arrival, 467 00:22:57,997 --> 00:23:00,827 so it could not be used to plan attacks. 468 00:23:00,931 --> 00:23:02,622 [dramatic bass music] 469 00:23:02,726 --> 00:23:04,521 - One of the reasons for building the military headquarters 470 00:23:04,624 --> 00:23:08,076 here at Margival was because it lay upon a system 471 00:23:08,179 --> 00:23:10,147 of railway lines. 472 00:23:10,250 --> 00:23:15,014 And along this railway line, Hitler and the Nazis repurposed 473 00:23:16,498 --> 00:23:19,743 a large underground train tunnel to essentially create 474 00:23:19,846 --> 00:23:21,779 a bunker for Hitler's train. 475 00:23:21,883 --> 00:23:25,024 The tunnel was specially repurposed with two lines of track 476 00:23:25,127 --> 00:23:29,028 to allow Hitler's train or any other train to be parked 477 00:23:29,131 --> 00:23:30,892 and others to pass by. 478 00:23:30,995 --> 00:23:34,792 And was a place where Hitler's train could park, 479 00:23:34,896 --> 00:23:37,623 and essentially wait out any enemy attack. 480 00:23:39,107 --> 00:23:40,695 - [Narrator] The Vauxaillon tunnel was repurposed 481 00:23:40,798 --> 00:23:44,699 from the SNCF rail system's Paris-Soissons Margival line. 482 00:23:44,802 --> 00:23:46,217 [dramatic music] 483 00:23:46,321 --> 00:23:49,186 - It was 30 meters down from the plateau above. 484 00:23:49,289 --> 00:23:54,260 It was 650 meters long, and had two tracks along its length. 485 00:23:55,572 --> 00:23:57,712 The ends of the tunnel were also blocked 486 00:23:57,815 --> 00:24:00,128 off with doors reinforced 487 00:24:00,231 --> 00:24:04,512 by 50 millimeter thick steel plates. 488 00:24:04,615 --> 00:24:06,341 - A bullet is not going to penetrate that. 489 00:24:06,445 --> 00:24:09,448 A shell is going to deform it, but still be resisted 490 00:24:09,551 --> 00:24:12,002 and contain that blast on the right side of it. 491 00:24:12,105 --> 00:24:13,555 [rocks crumbling] 492 00:24:13,659 --> 00:24:16,524 - Anything that was parked up inside there would've been 493 00:24:16,627 --> 00:24:19,078 incredibly well protected. 494 00:24:20,597 --> 00:24:23,323 - [Narrator] The doors open and are driven by a winch. 495 00:24:23,427 --> 00:24:26,741 - Swinging that door alone is a heavy, heavy force. 496 00:24:26,844 --> 00:24:28,225 Imagine building these plates, 497 00:24:28,328 --> 00:24:29,433 and you can only build plates in certain sizes 498 00:24:29,537 --> 00:24:30,952 so you need to weld that together, 499 00:24:31,055 --> 00:24:33,886 so the fabrication of these doors alone is amazing. 500 00:24:33,989 --> 00:24:35,439 And then they're heavy as heck, 501 00:24:35,543 --> 00:24:38,062 so you've gotta have a crane in place to position those, 502 00:24:38,166 --> 00:24:41,549 and a hinge system to allow for a rotation of that. 503 00:24:41,652 --> 00:24:44,413 Just the operation of this door alone, 504 00:24:44,517 --> 00:24:46,795 it's really impressive to think about. 505 00:24:48,279 --> 00:24:49,798 - [Narrator] Ventilation shafts and escape hatches 506 00:24:49,902 --> 00:24:53,319 are installed to expel fumes from the tunnel. 507 00:24:53,422 --> 00:24:56,495 With this tunnel and three rings of security, 508 00:24:56,598 --> 00:25:00,775 a few bunkers left over from 1940 are quickly transformed 509 00:25:00,878 --> 00:25:03,916 into the next Fuhrer headquarters for Hitler. 510 00:25:04,986 --> 00:25:06,332 And inside the three rings, 511 00:25:06,435 --> 00:25:09,369 a comfortable welcome awaits the Fuhrer. 512 00:25:09,473 --> 00:25:13,960 - The underground bunker system built here for Hitler was 513 00:25:14,064 --> 00:25:17,274 a mix of comfort and command. 514 00:25:17,377 --> 00:25:21,002 It had the facilities he needed to manage the war, 515 00:25:21,105 --> 00:25:23,038 but it also had a whole series of rooms, 516 00:25:23,142 --> 00:25:25,213 like dining rooms, bedrooms, 517 00:25:25,316 --> 00:25:27,940 and other rooms where he could live 518 00:25:28,043 --> 00:25:30,183 while he managed the war. 519 00:25:30,287 --> 00:25:32,116 [dramatic music] 520 00:25:32,220 --> 00:25:33,980 [ominous music] [birds squawking] 521 00:25:34,084 --> 00:25:36,638 - [Narrator] Knowing this site to be the next Fuhrer bunker, 522 00:25:36,742 --> 00:25:38,847 theories circulate around the purpose 523 00:25:38,951 --> 00:25:42,161 of the large pool found within the complex. 524 00:25:42,264 --> 00:25:44,163 [ominous music] 525 00:25:44,266 --> 00:25:45,958 - First of all, Hitler didn't exercise. 526 00:25:46,061 --> 00:25:48,788 He was a sedentary character who, 527 00:25:48,892 --> 00:25:51,791 if he ever went for a walk, always walked downhill, 528 00:25:51,895 --> 00:25:53,448 and there was always a car at the bottom waiting 529 00:25:53,552 --> 00:25:55,312 to pick him up, 530 00:25:55,415 --> 00:25:58,004 which was one of the factors that aggravated his health 531 00:25:58,108 --> 00:26:00,524 as he got into his 40s and early 50s. 532 00:26:00,628 --> 00:26:02,008 So whether the pool was put 533 00:26:02,112 --> 00:26:05,736 there for other people's recreational use or not, 534 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:07,220 I mean, that's possible. 535 00:26:07,324 --> 00:26:09,947 - There are rumors that this swimming pool was 536 00:26:10,051 --> 00:26:13,882 actually installed for Eva Braun, who was a keen swimmer. 537 00:26:13,986 --> 00:26:15,332 And from that, 538 00:26:15,435 --> 00:26:17,886 you could deduce that there must have been plans 539 00:26:17,990 --> 00:26:21,027 for Hitler himself to spend large amounts 540 00:26:21,131 --> 00:26:22,684 of time here at Margival. 541 00:26:23,892 --> 00:26:24,928 [upbeat bass music] [swoosh effect] 542 00:26:25,031 --> 00:26:26,654 - [Narrator] Observing from above 543 00:26:26,757 --> 00:26:29,346 the massive 90 kilometer installation at Margival destined 544 00:26:29,449 --> 00:26:31,486 to house the Fuhrer himself, 545 00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:34,178 those building it and manning its battlements look 546 00:26:34,282 --> 00:26:37,665 constantly to the skies for signs of the enemy. 547 00:26:37,768 --> 00:26:38,942 [upbeat bass music] 548 00:26:39,045 --> 00:26:41,427 - It's a remarkable fact that despite 549 00:26:41,530 --> 00:26:46,087 the aerial reconnaissance undertaken by allied forces 550 00:26:46,190 --> 00:26:49,918 against France and against conquered Europe, 551 00:26:50,022 --> 00:26:52,714 this headquarters was never discovered 552 00:26:52,818 --> 00:26:55,510 by the allies during the war. 553 00:26:55,614 --> 00:27:00,239 - This gargantuan complex took two years to build. 554 00:27:00,342 --> 00:27:03,863 How on earth did it escape detection from the allies? 555 00:27:03,967 --> 00:27:05,831 [dramatic instrumental] [swoosh effect] 556 00:27:05,934 --> 00:27:06,935 - To try and do something like this quietly is, 557 00:27:07,039 --> 00:27:08,627 it sounds impossible, really, 558 00:27:08,730 --> 00:27:12,320 you're building a city in an area that is not developed, 559 00:27:12,423 --> 00:27:15,116 and you're trying to do that in secrecy. 560 00:27:15,219 --> 00:27:18,602 But every single move you make is impacting the land. 561 00:27:18,706 --> 00:27:20,397 You need to deforest things, you need to build things, 562 00:27:20,500 --> 00:27:22,088 you need to blast things, create roads. 563 00:27:22,192 --> 00:27:26,161 So our impact as humans in a space, it's evident over time. 564 00:27:26,265 --> 00:27:27,507 It's like a time lapse, 565 00:27:27,611 --> 00:27:28,888 you're gonna see movement on that ground. 566 00:27:28,992 --> 00:27:30,718 How do you build in secrecy around that? 567 00:27:30,821 --> 00:27:32,443 That's another variable that they're thinking 568 00:27:32,547 --> 00:27:34,273 about when they're developing here. 569 00:27:34,376 --> 00:27:37,034 We don't have to think about secrecy in our projects. 570 00:27:37,138 --> 00:27:40,520 We're able to be open and clear about what we're doing. 571 00:27:40,624 --> 00:27:42,246 Adding in that layer of complexity makes 572 00:27:42,350 --> 00:27:43,489 it really difficult. 573 00:27:44,973 --> 00:27:48,252 - What I find curious is that considering how many agents 574 00:27:48,356 --> 00:27:50,461 the allies would have in France, 575 00:27:50,565 --> 00:27:53,050 and the legendary French resistance, 576 00:27:53,154 --> 00:27:55,087 that there wasn't any intelligence coming 577 00:27:55,190 --> 00:28:00,161 from French resistance on, especially by 1944, 1943. 578 00:28:01,921 --> 00:28:04,027 So it does surprise me it wasn't detected. 579 00:28:04,130 --> 00:28:07,893 But again, if it's not near another target, 580 00:28:07,996 --> 00:28:10,758 we have those famous photographs of Auschwitz taken 581 00:28:10,861 --> 00:28:13,553 by the US Air Force, but only because they were bombing 582 00:28:13,657 --> 00:28:15,521 a facility near Auschwitz. 583 00:28:15,624 --> 00:28:16,936 [fighter jet engine roars] [bombs exploding] 584 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,939 - The allies have a reasonably complete picture 585 00:28:20,043 --> 00:28:22,839 of what the coastal defenses look like 586 00:28:22,942 --> 00:28:26,774 through their contacts with French resistance elements, 587 00:28:26,877 --> 00:28:28,396 many of whom are living or working 588 00:28:28,499 --> 00:28:32,296 in close proximity to these coastal fortifications. 589 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,126 And of course the coastal fortifications, 590 00:28:34,229 --> 00:28:36,093 by virtue of their location, 591 00:28:36,197 --> 00:28:39,476 cannot be completely hidden from allied observation. 592 00:28:39,579 --> 00:28:41,478 When we're talking about structures 593 00:28:41,581 --> 00:28:45,309 that are built further inland in occupied territory, 594 00:28:45,413 --> 00:28:47,622 they might not be so easily spotted 595 00:28:47,726 --> 00:28:50,694 by allied reconnaissance flights. 596 00:28:50,798 --> 00:28:51,971 [fighter jet engines roaring] [dramatic music] 597 00:28:52,075 --> 00:28:54,111 - Their priority is on getting ashore, 598 00:28:54,215 --> 00:28:56,527 and then overwhelming the German military, 599 00:28:56,631 --> 00:28:58,115 that's their top priority. 600 00:28:58,219 --> 00:28:59,703 So with that in mind, 601 00:28:59,807 --> 00:29:01,878 looking for secret bunkers in the middle of, in effect, 602 00:29:01,981 --> 00:29:03,672 nowhere isn't their top priority. 603 00:29:03,776 --> 00:29:05,329 Killing Germans on the beach 604 00:29:05,433 --> 00:29:08,091 and getting their own boys ashore is. 605 00:29:08,194 --> 00:29:12,578 [bombs exploding] [waves crashing] 606 00:29:12,681 --> 00:29:14,269 - [Narrator] Incredibly, 607 00:29:14,373 --> 00:29:17,617 two years of construction goes unabated and undetected, 608 00:29:17,721 --> 00:29:19,930 but that doesn't mean that another kind of attack 609 00:29:20,034 --> 00:29:21,587 isn't coming. 610 00:29:21,690 --> 00:29:23,278 [ominous music] 611 00:29:23,382 --> 00:29:25,246 - Their singular goal for these structures was to protect 612 00:29:25,349 --> 00:29:26,937 the senior command, that was it. 613 00:29:27,041 --> 00:29:28,352 Nothing was going to stop them from that. 614 00:29:28,456 --> 00:29:29,664 They didn't have those constraints. 615 00:29:29,768 --> 00:29:30,941 That was their one goal, 616 00:29:31,045 --> 00:29:32,287 every day they were thinking about that. 617 00:29:32,391 --> 00:29:33,772 And so it wasn't money, it wasn't labor, 618 00:29:33,875 --> 00:29:35,428 it wasn't materials, it wasn't logistics, 619 00:29:35,532 --> 00:29:36,671 it wasn't anything. 620 00:29:36,775 --> 00:29:37,914 The environment didn't factor in, 621 00:29:38,017 --> 00:29:39,294 people's lives did not factor in. 622 00:29:39,398 --> 00:29:42,781 That sole goal propelled them relentlessly 623 00:29:42,884 --> 00:29:45,784 to do whatever it took to make sure that that was achieved. 624 00:29:47,164 --> 00:29:49,718 - [Narrator] This suggests a prolonged battle. 625 00:29:49,822 --> 00:29:51,203 All of these structures are built 626 00:29:51,306 --> 00:29:53,032 to withstand continuous attack, 627 00:29:53,136 --> 00:29:56,380 and house Hitler for months, and even years. 628 00:29:57,657 --> 00:30:00,695 In 1942, Rommel visits Wolfsschlucht II 629 00:30:00,799 --> 00:30:03,560 to make final preparations for the assumed arrival 630 00:30:03,663 --> 00:30:06,770 of none other than Hitler himself. 631 00:30:06,874 --> 00:30:08,427 - People like Erwin Rommel, 632 00:30:08,530 --> 00:30:12,086 who was responsible for the defense of the French Coast, 633 00:30:12,189 --> 00:30:16,193 thought that troops, that mobile forces were the best way 634 00:30:16,297 --> 00:30:18,057 to combat any invasion. 635 00:30:18,161 --> 00:30:22,510 And he would've preferred to rely more on the fighting power 636 00:30:22,613 --> 00:30:26,514 of men and tanks rather than these fortifications. 637 00:30:26,617 --> 00:30:30,380 But ultimately, it was Hitler's view that held sway. 638 00:30:31,588 --> 00:30:33,555 - Rommel sees Wolfsschlucht II's needs 639 00:30:33,659 --> 00:30:35,143 as far more immediate, 640 00:30:35,247 --> 00:30:38,457 and sends a dispatch shortly after his visit requesting 641 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,460 he be stationed at W2 in anticipation 642 00:30:41,563 --> 00:30:43,738 of an upcoming invasion. 643 00:30:43,842 --> 00:30:46,603 His request is denied. 644 00:30:46,706 --> 00:30:50,538 This will all change June 6th, 1944. 645 00:30:51,988 --> 00:30:53,990 - It's inevitable that the allies sooner or later 646 00:30:54,093 --> 00:30:56,302 are gonna open up the second front. 647 00:30:56,406 --> 00:30:59,719 The only question is where on the French coast 648 00:30:59,823 --> 00:31:03,068 it's going to be, and so June 6th, it happens. 649 00:31:03,171 --> 00:31:05,898 - I mean, the great mystery is over, 650 00:31:06,002 --> 00:31:08,038 as to where the allies are gonna land, 651 00:31:08,142 --> 00:31:09,453 when they were gonna land. 652 00:31:09,557 --> 00:31:12,111 And the allies had gone to great lengths 653 00:31:12,215 --> 00:31:14,665 to conceal the actual details of D-Day. 654 00:31:14,769 --> 00:31:18,773 So the reality is already there on their very doorstep. 655 00:31:18,877 --> 00:31:23,812 - This is the invasion that everybody was dreading forever, 656 00:31:25,607 --> 00:31:28,196 and that the Russians were desperately asking for. 657 00:31:28,300 --> 00:31:29,991 It's the second front. 658 00:31:30,095 --> 00:31:33,995 It's, we're hitting now Northern Europe. 659 00:31:34,099 --> 00:31:39,035 - The D-Day landings for the Western allies really represent 660 00:31:40,346 --> 00:31:41,520 in the European theater of war at least, 661 00:31:41,623 --> 00:31:45,765 the culmination of years of planning. 662 00:31:45,869 --> 00:31:49,597 Because much like many of the German commanders, 663 00:31:49,700 --> 00:31:54,498 the Western allies were fixated on the challenges 664 00:31:54,602 --> 00:31:57,501 of penetrating this defended coastline. 665 00:31:57,605 --> 00:32:00,884 And from the perspective of the 1940s, 666 00:32:00,988 --> 00:32:04,853 landings against defended coastlines were not 667 00:32:04,957 --> 00:32:06,994 commonly attempted, 668 00:32:07,097 --> 00:32:09,997 because a landing force could become victims of weather, 669 00:32:10,100 --> 00:32:14,139 tide, and other natural phenomenon that were impossible 670 00:32:14,242 --> 00:32:17,418 to surmount with the technology of the day. 671 00:32:17,521 --> 00:32:20,179 Consequently, when the bridgehead, 672 00:32:20,283 --> 00:32:23,631 which was a combined amphibious and airborne bridgehead, 673 00:32:23,734 --> 00:32:27,980 is effectively established by the end of the 6th of June 674 00:32:28,084 --> 00:32:32,985 at a rather lower cost than what anybody dared to expect. 675 00:32:34,676 --> 00:32:37,714 And at least in part, that success on the 6th of June was 676 00:32:37,817 --> 00:32:42,788 a function of the Germans confused reaction to the landings. 677 00:32:43,513 --> 00:32:44,686 [dramatic music] 678 00:32:44,790 --> 00:32:46,171 - [Narrator] Under Hitler's command, 679 00:32:46,274 --> 00:32:47,896 the German war machine is still pouring resources 680 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:51,072 into the construction of Wolfsschlucht II. 681 00:32:51,176 --> 00:32:53,833 Meanwhile, the Atlantic Wall coastal defense can 682 00:32:53,937 --> 00:32:56,975 no longer hold back the allied forces. 683 00:32:57,078 --> 00:32:58,252 [bombs exploding] 684 00:32:58,355 --> 00:33:01,082 - This is a disaster for the Germans. 685 00:33:01,186 --> 00:33:04,637 The allies get a ground, a hold, beachhead, 686 00:33:04,741 --> 00:33:06,432 which wasn't supposed to happen. 687 00:33:06,536 --> 00:33:07,986 All these fortifications, 688 00:33:08,089 --> 00:33:09,642 all these things that were supposed 689 00:33:09,746 --> 00:33:11,851 to stop them in the water failed. 690 00:33:11,955 --> 00:33:13,612 And now they got a leak, 691 00:33:13,715 --> 00:33:17,340 and now the allies are pouring hundreds of thousands of men, 692 00:33:17,443 --> 00:33:18,997 and there's no stopping them. 693 00:33:19,100 --> 00:33:21,344 - [Narrator] Rommel sends frantic dispatches to Hitler, 694 00:33:21,447 --> 00:33:24,002 voicing how overwhelmed they are at the front. 695 00:33:24,105 --> 00:33:26,901 - The situation is becoming increasingly tense, 696 00:33:27,005 --> 00:33:31,181 because it's imperative at that stage 697 00:33:31,285 --> 00:33:33,252 that the Germans prevent the allies 698 00:33:33,356 --> 00:33:35,392 from breaking out of the Normandy peninsula. 699 00:33:35,496 --> 00:33:38,085 Contrary to the popular idea that Hitler is directing 700 00:33:38,188 --> 00:33:41,812 everything with the puppet strings at the very top, 701 00:33:41,916 --> 00:33:43,642 actually in many respects, 702 00:33:43,745 --> 00:33:45,713 power becomes quite decentralized, 703 00:33:45,816 --> 00:33:48,474 and there are so many different stakeholders involved 704 00:33:48,578 --> 00:33:51,408 that we end up with a sort of jungle when it comes 705 00:33:51,512 --> 00:33:55,792 to who is going to determine the direction 706 00:33:55,895 --> 00:33:57,483 of key strategic decisions. 707 00:33:57,587 --> 00:33:59,658 All of them claiming that they're the ones 708 00:33:59,761 --> 00:34:03,179 who are working toward Hitler's will. 709 00:34:03,282 --> 00:34:06,182 - [Narrator] Hitler sees the note and launches into a fury. 710 00:34:06,285 --> 00:34:09,288 He plans his first visit to W2. 711 00:34:09,392 --> 00:34:12,395 [soft ominous music] 712 00:34:12,498 --> 00:34:13,913 [upbeat suspense music] 713 00:34:14,017 --> 00:34:15,984 Frustrated by Rommel's view of the western front, 714 00:34:16,088 --> 00:34:19,574 Hitler prepares to make his first trip to W2. 715 00:34:19,678 --> 00:34:21,093 [upbeat suspense music] 716 00:34:21,197 --> 00:34:24,234 - Hitler now personally wants to be close to the front 717 00:34:24,338 --> 00:34:25,891 so he can meddle directly. 718 00:34:25,994 --> 00:34:29,550 And with allied troops now on the ground, 719 00:34:29,653 --> 00:34:33,036 Hitler's gotta be kept safe, as well as people visiting him. 720 00:34:34,348 --> 00:34:36,074 - [Narrator] With no time to travel by train, 721 00:34:36,177 --> 00:34:38,938 Hitler flies into Mets under Luftwaffe cover. 722 00:34:39,042 --> 00:34:40,768 He's been diverted from Enna, 723 00:34:40,871 --> 00:34:42,942 which had been bombed two days earlier. 724 00:34:43,046 --> 00:34:45,013 Hitler is then transferred to a car, 725 00:34:45,117 --> 00:34:47,637 and spends eight hours driving towards Margival 726 00:34:47,740 --> 00:34:49,225 under cover of darkness, 727 00:34:49,328 --> 00:34:51,606 taking many detours around severed routes 728 00:34:51,710 --> 00:34:54,092 and protected by SS officers. 729 00:34:55,438 --> 00:34:57,578 - Even his trip from Berlin is quite dangerous 730 00:34:57,681 --> 00:34:59,373 because he can't take a train anymore, 731 00:34:59,476 --> 00:35:01,616 the allies are better at bombing those things 732 00:35:01,720 --> 00:35:03,584 and are looking for trains on the move. 733 00:35:03,687 --> 00:35:05,033 And of course with them ashore, 734 00:35:05,137 --> 00:35:06,449 there's all sorts of questions 735 00:35:06,552 --> 00:35:09,590 about the security apparatus that's necessary. 736 00:35:09,693 --> 00:35:11,109 [upbeat suspense music] 737 00:35:11,212 --> 00:35:12,834 - [Narrator] In the depths of the Fuhrer bunker, 738 00:35:12,938 --> 00:35:16,942 Erwin Rommel awaits his arrival with nervous anticipation. 739 00:35:17,045 --> 00:35:19,979 He knows Hitler will not appreciate the dower news 740 00:35:20,083 --> 00:35:21,084 from the front. 741 00:35:22,396 --> 00:35:24,639 Within hours, Rommel will advise the Fuhrer 742 00:35:24,743 --> 00:35:27,159 to pull back from the Atlantic Wall, 743 00:35:27,263 --> 00:35:29,955 reinforcing them with Hitler's own OKW, 744 00:35:31,405 --> 00:35:33,855 which ultimately means losing ground to the allies. 745 00:35:33,959 --> 00:35:35,409 [upbeat suspense music] 746 00:35:35,512 --> 00:35:39,585 June 16th, 1944, Hitler arrives at W2 747 00:35:39,689 --> 00:35:42,070 with over 100 flack artillery poised 748 00:35:42,174 --> 00:35:44,314 to intercept enemies from above. 749 00:35:44,418 --> 00:35:46,765 He passes through three rings of security, 750 00:35:46,868 --> 00:35:49,526 towards what was intended to be the command center 751 00:35:49,630 --> 00:35:51,977 of another Reich victory. 752 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:53,496 [upbeat suspense music] [clock ticking effect] 753 00:35:53,599 --> 00:35:56,878 On no sleep, he enters the room to find Rommel ready 754 00:35:56,982 --> 00:35:58,984 to deliver the bad news. 755 00:36:00,192 --> 00:36:01,918 - Hitler arrives at the headquarters, 756 00:36:02,021 --> 00:36:04,541 and he's furious about the course of the war, 757 00:36:04,645 --> 00:36:06,129 he's extremely frustrated. 758 00:36:06,233 --> 00:36:08,200 And he meets his commanding generals there, 759 00:36:08,304 --> 00:36:10,340 he meets Rommel and others, 760 00:36:10,444 --> 00:36:14,551 and Hitler and his generals discuss the course of the war. 761 00:36:14,655 --> 00:36:17,175 - By June of 1944, the end is nay, 762 00:36:17,278 --> 00:36:19,487 but the only one who doesn't fully understand 763 00:36:19,591 --> 00:36:20,730 that is Hitler. 764 00:36:20,833 --> 00:36:22,318 And that I think is well documented. 765 00:36:22,421 --> 00:36:26,391 A lot of people who knew him and talked to him were 766 00:36:26,494 --> 00:36:28,876 consistently pointing out that he had lived in a fairytale. 767 00:36:28,979 --> 00:36:31,085 And so he was commanding fictitious armies. 768 00:36:31,189 --> 00:36:33,432 He wasn't listening to generals who were trying 769 00:36:33,536 --> 00:36:35,469 to tell him as nicely as possible 770 00:36:35,572 --> 00:36:38,886 that the war effort was done. 771 00:36:38,989 --> 00:36:41,268 - Some of the guys who haven't had physical contact 772 00:36:41,371 --> 00:36:42,717 with Hitler are kind of shocked 773 00:36:42,821 --> 00:36:47,170 by just how delusional Hitler is by now. 774 00:36:47,274 --> 00:36:49,276 He's getting high at night, 775 00:36:49,379 --> 00:36:52,658 he's on all sorts of amphetamines. 776 00:36:52,762 --> 00:36:54,833 The guy's hitting the pipe essentially, 777 00:36:54,936 --> 00:36:58,319 and that doesn't bring rational, unemotional thinking. 778 00:36:58,423 --> 00:37:03,151 - What exactly transpired, what kind of conversation is, 779 00:37:03,255 --> 00:37:05,084 there's a lot of speculation about that. 780 00:37:05,188 --> 00:37:07,915 But given what we know of Hitler in his last days, 781 00:37:08,018 --> 00:37:10,262 it's quite obvious to think he wasn't happy 782 00:37:10,366 --> 00:37:11,919 with what Rommel told him. 783 00:37:12,022 --> 00:37:15,819 And we know definitively that Rommel had contemplated 784 00:37:15,923 --> 00:37:18,166 and probably suggested surrender, 785 00:37:18,270 --> 00:37:21,273 which of course is not in Hitler's mind whatsoever. 786 00:37:21,377 --> 00:37:23,379 - That is a true turning point 787 00:37:23,482 --> 00:37:26,796 within Hitler's own inner circle, 788 00:37:26,899 --> 00:37:30,317 because now he's getting pushback from his own men. 789 00:37:30,420 --> 00:37:33,837 You can see him kind of unraveling. 790 00:37:33,941 --> 00:37:35,080 [upbeat suspense music] [clock ticking effect] 791 00:37:35,183 --> 00:37:37,151 - [Narrator] Hitler leaves in a rage, 792 00:37:37,255 --> 00:37:40,913 refusing reinforcements and plans for peace talks. 793 00:37:42,294 --> 00:37:44,779 Furious, he skips his next meeting with generals 794 00:37:44,883 --> 00:37:46,747 about the state of troops in France, 795 00:37:46,850 --> 00:37:49,025 and returns home to Germany. 796 00:37:49,128 --> 00:37:50,682 [upbeat suspense music] [clock ticking effect] 797 00:37:50,785 --> 00:37:54,444 - Hitler cuts his meeting with senior generals short, 798 00:37:54,548 --> 00:37:57,689 citing a security threat due to the misfiring 799 00:37:57,792 --> 00:37:59,691 of a V1 missile. 800 00:37:59,794 --> 00:38:02,383 Well, 75 years on, 801 00:38:02,487 --> 00:38:07,423 researcher has shown that the V1 misfire happened miles 802 00:38:07,526 --> 00:38:08,976 away from Margival. 803 00:38:09,079 --> 00:38:11,634 And that the security threat to Hitler was no way 804 00:38:11,737 --> 00:38:14,153 near what he claimed at the time. 805 00:38:14,257 --> 00:38:15,603 - The way the regime was set up, 806 00:38:15,707 --> 00:38:17,295 the way the regime was organized, 807 00:38:17,398 --> 00:38:21,299 I mean, it would be very strange to find that the Fuhrer 808 00:38:21,402 --> 00:38:25,061 around whom the entire Reich was, as it were constructed, 809 00:38:25,164 --> 00:38:28,236 was taking orders or advice from a field marshal. 810 00:38:28,340 --> 00:38:31,101 The Fuhrer could not be wrong. 811 00:38:31,205 --> 00:38:33,414 - And so he came in a hissy fit, 812 00:38:33,518 --> 00:38:35,485 panicked about the allies getting ashore 813 00:38:35,589 --> 00:38:36,797 at Normandy in the first place, 814 00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:38,799 and then he left in hissy fit. 815 00:38:38,902 --> 00:38:40,456 [loud bang] 816 00:38:40,559 --> 00:38:45,530 [ominous music] [birds squawking] 817 00:38:46,979 --> 00:38:48,084 - [Narrator] With Hitler returning to Germany, 818 00:38:48,187 --> 00:38:49,948 and disarray on the western front, 819 00:38:50,051 --> 00:38:52,019 Paris returns to the allies, 820 00:38:52,122 --> 00:38:55,160 presenting a clear path towards Germany. 821 00:38:55,263 --> 00:38:58,646 Hitler orders Paris destroyed by V1s and V2s, 822 00:38:58,750 --> 00:39:01,925 but a general refuses because he loves the city, 823 00:39:02,029 --> 00:39:05,584 yet another sign of defection from Hitler's higher ups. 824 00:39:05,688 --> 00:39:07,828 [upbeat suspense music] 825 00:39:07,931 --> 00:39:09,830 - Inside, deep inside, or maybe not so deep inside, 826 00:39:09,933 --> 00:39:13,040 he understands that the cause is lost. 827 00:39:13,143 --> 00:39:17,320 But since Hitler looks at the world in binary terms, 828 00:39:17,424 --> 00:39:19,840 "We're either gonna come out with everything 829 00:39:19,943 --> 00:39:21,289 or we're gonna be destroyed," 830 00:39:21,393 --> 00:39:26,225 why not throw your last energies into the fight, 831 00:39:26,329 --> 00:39:28,607 why not put all of the chips on the table? 832 00:39:28,711 --> 00:39:32,370 It'll be total victory or self destruction, essentially. 833 00:39:32,473 --> 00:39:34,510 It's not unreasonable to describe 834 00:39:34,613 --> 00:39:37,305 the Nazi state as a death cult. 835 00:39:37,409 --> 00:39:40,447 - Symbolic domination is not real domination. 836 00:39:40,550 --> 00:39:44,174 So a megalomania and great ideas, 837 00:39:44,278 --> 00:39:47,868 even great engineering skills only go so far. 838 00:39:47,971 --> 00:39:52,286 The reality was that Germany was not in a position 839 00:39:52,390 --> 00:39:56,324 to fight a war on two fronts against very strong enemies, 840 00:39:56,428 --> 00:40:00,156 and that was inevitably gonna show at some point 841 00:40:00,259 --> 00:40:01,640 or the other. 842 00:40:01,744 --> 00:40:03,124 [upbeat suspense music] [clock ticking effect] 843 00:40:03,228 --> 00:40:07,163 - August 28th, 1944, the allies reached Soissons, 844 00:40:07,266 --> 00:40:11,409 and it falls to troops of the first army of General Hodges. 845 00:40:11,512 --> 00:40:15,309 - After the phenomenal effort, and materials, 846 00:40:15,413 --> 00:40:19,486 and cost that went into designing and building 847 00:40:19,589 --> 00:40:21,488 the site at Margival, 848 00:40:21,591 --> 00:40:25,630 Hitler only ever spent one day at the complex. 849 00:40:27,148 --> 00:40:29,081 - It's difficult to reconcile looking at these structures 850 00:40:29,185 --> 00:40:31,049 from an engineer's point of view 851 00:40:31,152 --> 00:40:34,362 and then from a humanitarian point of view as well. 852 00:40:34,466 --> 00:40:36,123 They're impressive structures, 853 00:40:36,226 --> 00:40:38,228 they're impressive projects in terms of their ability 854 00:40:38,332 --> 00:40:41,024 to build something rather quickly. 855 00:40:41,128 --> 00:40:42,888 But you have to remember that they're also have 856 00:40:42,992 --> 00:40:44,821 a very sinister purpose, 857 00:40:44,925 --> 00:40:48,342 there's quite an evil approach behind them. 858 00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:51,414 Knowing that so many people died for this, 859 00:40:52,277 --> 00:40:53,589 it's quite devastating. 860 00:40:53,692 --> 00:40:55,038 - [Narrator] The allies are shocked 861 00:40:55,142 --> 00:40:57,765 to find the 90 kilometer installation. 862 00:40:57,869 --> 00:41:01,459 It becomes the subject of an inquest by the American army. 863 00:41:01,562 --> 00:41:04,910 Why did no reconnaissance flights detect it? 864 00:41:05,014 --> 00:41:06,671 [fighter jets engines roaring] 865 00:41:06,774 --> 00:41:08,396 - I mean, you can only imagine what it must have been 866 00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:12,331 like for those allied soldiers who first discovered 867 00:41:12,435 --> 00:41:17,371 this site when that area of France was liberated in 1944. 868 00:41:18,441 --> 00:41:19,407 I mean, the shock of it all, 869 00:41:20,581 --> 00:41:22,997 the awe of it all must have been 870 00:41:23,101 --> 00:41:26,449 quite something to properly take in. 871 00:41:26,553 --> 00:41:27,381 [upbeat suspense music] 872 00:41:27,485 --> 00:41:28,934 - This is in France. 873 00:41:29,038 --> 00:41:31,178 It's within reconnaissance range of their airplanes. 874 00:41:31,281 --> 00:41:32,973 They're flying over, they're taking pictures, 875 00:41:33,076 --> 00:41:34,561 they're looking at things. 876 00:41:34,664 --> 00:41:39,255 Nobody noticed such a massive infrastructure project. 877 00:41:39,358 --> 00:41:41,084 That's gonna be considered a failure 878 00:41:41,188 --> 00:41:43,431 in military intelligence. 879 00:41:43,535 --> 00:41:44,916 - [Narrator] What might have happened had 880 00:41:45,019 --> 00:41:47,332 the Germans been able to hold the Atlantic Wall? 881 00:41:47,435 --> 00:41:49,299 Would Hitler have committed a crippling offensive 882 00:41:49,403 --> 00:41:51,750 from inside the Fuhrer bunker? 883 00:41:51,854 --> 00:41:54,373 Could the same boardroom where Rommel delivered the news 884 00:41:54,477 --> 00:41:56,272 of D-Day instead have been the sight 885 00:41:56,375 --> 00:41:59,137 of Hitler's greatest triumph as he pushed the allies 886 00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:00,759 back towards defeat? 887 00:42:02,209 --> 00:42:05,074 - If the German forces had retreated slightly 888 00:42:05,177 --> 00:42:07,455 and set up better defensive positions, 889 00:42:07,559 --> 00:42:09,561 they might have been able to force the allies 890 00:42:09,665 --> 00:42:12,495 to something of a standstill in France. 891 00:42:12,599 --> 00:42:14,359 [ominous music] 892 00:42:14,462 --> 00:42:18,225 - Had the Nazis managed to resist the advance of the allies, 893 00:42:18,328 --> 00:42:22,367 you can't help but think what would've become of the complex 894 00:42:22,470 --> 00:42:23,955 at Margival. 895 00:42:24,058 --> 00:42:25,301 Who would've resided here? 896 00:42:25,404 --> 00:42:28,304 what decisions would've been made here? 897 00:42:28,407 --> 00:42:33,033 What were the intentions for this enormous complex 898 00:42:33,136 --> 00:42:37,071 in the longer term that were never properly realized? 899 00:42:37,175 --> 00:42:38,590 - [Narrator] 80 Years later, 900 00:42:38,694 --> 00:42:41,559 what was built as an ultras secured military complex, 901 00:42:41,662 --> 00:42:44,700 a closed fist of steel and concrete around the Fuhrer 902 00:42:44,803 --> 00:42:48,324 is now a relic of Hitler's incredible megalomania 903 00:42:48,427 --> 00:42:50,084 and denial, 904 00:42:50,188 --> 00:42:54,019 and the place where Hitler was once asked to face the truth. 905 00:42:54,123 --> 00:42:59,093 - Hitler, he enslaved 22,000 people to build a facility 906 00:42:59,991 --> 00:43:01,164 that would never be used. 907 00:43:01,268 --> 00:43:03,373 - These were not realistic projects. 908 00:43:03,477 --> 00:43:06,204 These were projects which were half fantasy, 909 00:43:06,307 --> 00:43:08,068 half megalomania. 910 00:43:08,171 --> 00:43:11,105 - You gotta understand that there's not always logic applied 911 00:43:11,209 --> 00:43:12,382 to everything the Nazis do. 912 00:43:12,486 --> 00:43:14,626 So sometimes we look for logical reasons, 913 00:43:14,730 --> 00:43:17,146 but don't forget this is the man who demonstrated 914 00:43:17,249 --> 00:43:19,320 anything but logic his whole life. 915 00:43:19,424 --> 00:43:22,323 So building grand fortifications towards the end of the war 916 00:43:22,427 --> 00:43:24,774 for purposes that are anybody's guess 917 00:43:24,878 --> 00:43:26,742 is kind of what the Nazis did. 918 00:43:27,743 --> 00:43:30,297 [ominous music] 919 00:43:36,096 --> 00:43:39,340 [dramatic theme music]