All language subtitles for D-Day In Colour

(Churchill) "This is much the greatest
thing we have ever attempted.”

(Eisenhower) 'You are about to embark
upon the great crusade.

'Your task will not be an easy one.'

Man) 'l wasn't yellow but I was scared.

'l was scared to death.

(Hurt) 'Two years after the ordeal
of Dunkirk, Britain struggles on.

'Despite the support of American
industry and resources,

'there is little optimism
from the battlefields.

'The disaster of the fall of Singapore
in February 1942

'and the surrender of Tobruk in June

'bring the darkest days
of the Second World War.

"But in southern Russia,
Hitler's armies are being bled dry

'in a vicious fight
against the Soviet Union.

'As 1942 wears on,

'the German advance in the east slows.

'The diary of an infantry officer -

"It's terrible here.

"The Russians are resisting hard.

"They are getting reinforcements
all the time.

"One of our companies wouldn't fight.

"Very shameful.
Every single one of us is tense.”

(Hurt) "By February 1943,
the once-invincible German army

'will be defeated
at the great Battle of Stalingrad.

'Allied confidence grows.

'Then, at long last, a victory for Britain
and America in North Africa.

'General Alexander, in a telegram
to Prime Minister Winston Churchill -

"Sir, it is my duty to report
that the Tunisian campaign is over.

"All enemy resistance has ceased.

"We are masters
of the North African shores."

(Hurt) "At home a new mood
of confidence galvanises the nation.

'A survey of public opinion
carried out by Mass-Observation -

(Man) "The general picture
is one of considerable optimism

"about future developments in the war.

"A successful outcome is expected
by the overwhelming majority.”

(Hurt) "Housewife, Margaret Compton -

"The outcry for a second front in Europe
grows and grows.

"There are meetings about it
in Trafalgar Square,

"speeches all over the country.

"Strike in the west.”
'Start a second front now."*

"But the government reveals
nothing of its plans.”

(Hurt) "But secret planning
for a major assault on Western Europe

'has begun in earnest.

'Throughout 1943 the Allied leaders meet
in a series of conferences

'to plan the route to victory.

'Churchill and US president
Franklin Roosevelt

'confirm the "Germany first" policy,

'convinced that Japan will capitulate
after Germany is defeated.

"General Alan Brooke accompanies
Churchill to the Casablanca conference.”

"The back of the work here is broken.
And thank God for it.

"It has been one of the most difficult
tasks I've had to do.

"Although our discussions have become
somewhat heated at times,

"our relations have never been strained.

"I hope we shall leave here
with a more united outlook to the war."

(Hurt) "Meanwhile, the British persuade
a reluctant United States

'to begin the assault on Europe in Sicily,
before an attack on Occupied France.

'Churchill's strategy, to strike at what
he calls Hitler's soft underbelly in Italy,

'postpones the invasion of France
for almost a year.

'But it buys vital time for the build-up
of resources and manpower.

'In July 1943, British and American
troops successfully land in Sicily.

'Hitler's ally, the Italian dictator,
Benito Mussolini, is overthrown.

'Italy soon surrenders.

'Churchill and Roosevelt
now turn their attention

'to preparing for a massive
invasion of France within a year.

'A report of the Combined Chiefs of Staff
Quebec conference, August, 1943 -

"This operation will be

"the primary United States and British
ground and air effort

"against the Axis of Europe.

"Following the establishment
of strong Allied forces in France,

"operations designed to strike
at the heart of Germany

"and to destroy her military forces
will be undertaken.

"We have approved the outline plan
for Operation Overlord.”

(Hurt) "As the plans for the Allied
invasion of Europe are being laid,

'the United States Army Air Force
and the Royal Air Force

'carry out massive day and night
bombing raids over Germany.

"A directive issued
by the Combined Chiefs of Staff -

"Your primary objective will be the
progressive destruction and dislocation

"of the German military, industrial
and economic system,

"and the undermining
of the morale of the German people

"to a point where their capacity for
armed resistance is fatally weakened."

(Hurt) 'Len Hagland,
on night bombing duty with the RAF -

"Having seen my name
on the battle order

"I once again experienced
that awful tension

"which comes with knowing
what we might be up against...

"and the possibility
that we might not return.”

(Hurt) 'The Allied aerial bombing
campaign is relentless and brutal.

"Among the British people, memories of
their own experiences during the Blitz

'evoke sympathy
for German civilians from some

'but none at all from others.

"Two anonymous contributions
to the Mass-Observation survey -

"They didn't think twice
when they bombed us.

"All's fair in love and war."

"1 feel terrible when I think of what
those women and children

"must be going through.
ll only hope that what they say is right

"and all the kids have been evacuated.”

(Hurt) 'November 1943.
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin

'enters strategic discussions
with Churchill and Roosevelt

'at the Tehran conference.

'US General Dwight D. Eisenhower is
appointed supreme Allied commander.

'The date for the great invasion
is confirmed - summer 1944.

'Britain becomes a vast military camp
in preparation for Operation Overlord.

'Allied troops gather from Poland,
France, Canada and the United States.

'The long wait begins.

'US war correspondent, Ernie Pyle -

"Some say the British
have been at war so long

"they've forgotten about peacetime life

"and are resigned
to the war dragging on and on.

"But I don't sense any such resignation.

"There are all kinds of wisecracks

"about the way Americans
have flooded the island

"and nearly crowded the British off."”

(Hurt) "US Army Air Force General
Louis Brereton -

"A standing joke among Americans
is the British habit of saying,

"'You can't miss it
when giving directions.

"I don't know why it is

"but the British simply can't give
understandable directions.”

(Hurt) 'The presence of
a huge contingent of foreign troops

'doesn't meet with everyone's approval.

"Tom Stewart -

"This place is full of
Canadians and Americans.

"And the things I've witnessed
have to be seen to be believed.

"It's a literal fact that all the girls here

"only think about
courting, beer and movies."

(Hurt) "Maureen Bolster,
in a letter to her boyfriend in the RAF -

"Their manners were so awful.

"They did nothing but criticise England
the whole time.

"1 was simply bristling with patriotism.

"How dare those Yanks come here
and run my country down!"

(Hurt) 'For visiting servicemen

'accusations of rudeness
and fraternisation are minor worries.

'Rehearsals for an amphibious
and airborne assault are endless.

'Fears about the real thing grow
as the weeks pass.

'Donald Burgett,
of the US Airborne forces -

"An instructor in 'A stage' told us
we weren't volunteering for any picnic.

"That most of us would die in combat.

"'In fact," he said, "if any man
lives through three missions,

"'the government has said it will fly
that man home and discharge him."

"Now you know as well as I do,

"that Uncle Sam ain't gonna
discharge anyone during wartime.

"So now you know what your chances
are of living through this war -

"you haven't got a chance.”

(Hurt) 'In Occupied France,
German troops had been enjoying

'the comfortable life of conquerors
for almost four years.

'But for the French
the situation is unbearable.

(Woman) "These Huns in grey and black
are everywhere.

"How sickening are those colours.

"There is no escape from the Germans.

"They jostle and elbow you,
these victors,

"murderers of relatives,
friends and brothers.

"The value of freedom
is not realised until it is lost.”

(Hurt) 'By the beginning of 1944,

'following yet more losses
on the Eastern Front,

'Hitler knows that soon he will also have
to face an Allied invasion in the west.

"Hitler, to his generals -

"The threat from the east remains

"but an even greater danger
looms in the west.

"The Anglo-American landing.

"If the enemy here succeeds in
penetrating our defences on a wide front

"consequences of staggering
proportions will follow.

"All signs point to an imminent offensive
against the western front of Europe.”

(Hurt) "Hitler orders
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

'to take responsibility
for the Atlantic defences.

'Senior German officers
begin a detailed inspection.

'Rommel writes to his wife -

"I'm going to throw myself
into this new job with everything I've got.

"And I'm going to see it is a success.

"Our chance will be on the beaches,

"that's where the enemy
is always the weakest."”

'General Sir Bernard Montgomery
is appointed commander

'of Allied ground forces for the invasion.

'He has first-hand experience
of Rommel's tactical ability

'from the North African campaign.'

"Rommel is in command
from Holland to the Loire.

"It is now clear that his intention is
to defeat us on the beaches.

"He has made a world of difference
since he took over.

"We must blast our way onshore

"and get a good footing
before he brings up his reserves.”

(Big Ben chiming)

(Hurt) "While the Germans know
that there will be an Allied attack,

'they can only guess
where or when it will take place.

'Churchill warns the British that secrecy
must be maintained at all costs -

"We shall require,
from our own people here,

"from Parliament, from the press,
from all classes,

"the same cool, strong nerves,
the same toughness of fibre,

"which stood us in good stead
in those days when we were all alone

"under the German blitz.

“And here I must warn you that in order
to deceive and baffle the enemy,

"as well as to exercise the forces,

"there will be many false alarms,
many feints,

"and many dress rehearsals.”

(Hurt) "Under Churchill's
Operation Bodyguard

'elaborate deceptions are created

'with the intention
of preventing Hitler from discovering

'the date and location of the invasion.

'The French Resistance
help to create false intelligence

'to keep Germany off the scent.

"Secrets are deliberately leaked

'suggesting that the invasion will be
in the Pas-de-Calais or even Norway.

'The BBC French Service becomes
a vital means of communication

'across the Channel.

(French man) "In due course,

"instructions will be given to you
through this channel.

"But it will not always be possible
to give these instructions

"at a previously announced time.

"Therefore you must get into the habit
of listening at all hours."

(Hurt) 'Louis Lenay,
a member of the maquis,

'the French Resistance, June, 1944 -

"We had an old radio that kept us
up-to-date with the situation.

"We heard the famous line
from Paul Verlaine's poem,

"The long sobs
of the violins in autumn,

"telling us of a large-scale attack
within days.”

(Hurt) 'Across Britain,
tension grows as security tightens.

'Louis Brereton -

"Preparations for the invasion
are being felt.

"All leave has been cancelled
as of midnight.

"A strip of the English coast
facing Europe

"is out of bounds to all travellers
without official business.

"Counterintelligence crews
throughout London and other centres

"guard against violations
of military security.

"Across the Channel,

"the Germans are working feverishly
to strengthen the Atlantic wall.

"Everyone knows
the invasion is coming

"but few know when."

(Hurt) 'The Allies brace themselves
for the biggest test of the war.

'Churchill, in a telegram to Roosevelt -

"If we make serious mistakes
in the campaign of 1944

"we might give Hitler
the chance of a startling comeback.

"This shows a need
for the greatest care and foresight.

"My dear friend, this is much the greatest
thing we have ever attempted.”

(Radio) "Hello, BBC, this is
Godfrey Talbot reporting from Rome.

"Allied troops have occupied Rome,
which was the Fascist capital.

"And are these people here delighted?"

(Hurt) 'The Allied liberation of Rome,
June, 1944,

'It is welcome news for anxious
comrades at home in Britain.

'4th June -

'more than a million men are on
the move throughout southern England.

'Operation Overlord will make landfall
on the beaches of Normandy.

'The attack is imminent.

'Captain Douglas Aitken,
a medical officer, 24th Lancers -

"Only seven miles to go to the docks
but the trip's a slow one.

"American military police
in their Jeep lead us all the way.

"We pass along well-known roads.

"1 take a deeper than normal interest
in these last glimpses of England.

"1 find myself thinking foolish thoughts
about not coming back,

"or being away for a hell of a long time."

(Hurt) 'In addition to the vast armada
of men and their machines of war,

'hundreds of war correspondents from
all over the world await the invasion.

'Ernie Pyle is one of them -

"None of us knew
when the invasion would be or where.

"Some eager ones tried to pull strings
to get front seats in the invasion.

"Others with better judgment just kept
quiet and let matters take their course.”

(Hurt) "Captain Smith,
Number Four Commando -

"There was more than the usual quota
of farewells bandied between friends.

"1 have never loved Britain so truly
as at that moment.

"It was exhilarating, glorious...

"and heartbreaking.”

Hurt) 'Captain Alastair Bannerman -

"The deck is packed with tractors,

"Jeeps, personnel carriers,

"guns and tanks.

"1 haven't much time left.

"1 know I'm no hero.

"1 pray for the courage.”

(Hurt) 'The invasion plan requires
the high tides of a full moon

'and a clear night
but the weather deteriorates.

'Eisenhower postpones
the departure of the troops

'from English shores by 24 hours.

'Any further delay
will rule out an invasion for a month.

'The D-day landings
will now take place on the 6th June.

'For the assault troops now crowded into
more than 2,000 transport vessels,

'the delay adds to the tension.

'Bob Cotch, 116th Infantry Regiment -

"The weather looked so bad

"we wondered whether the whole thing
would be called off.

"We played cards,

"relaxed as much as possible,

"thought about our families

"and prayed.

"Some boys said
they knew they'd never make it.

"1 wasn't yellow but I was scared.

"No question about it,
I was scared to death.”

(Hurt) '5th June. D-day minus one.

'Following the long delay in harbour,
the cross-Channel journey begins.

'The Normandy beaches are almost 100
miles from the south coast of England.

'Lieutenant Sydney Beck -

"The great decision was taken.

"The armada set sail despite
most unfavourable weather reports.

"As they steamed by Captain Perry and
Captain Hall flashed signals by lamp.

"'Good luck.'

"As we passed The Needles
and felt the first Atlantic swells,

"we knew there was no turning back.

"The Solent was chock-a-block
with ships of all shapes and sizes,

"all straining at the leash,

"waiting for the greatest amphibious
operation the world had ever seen.”

(Hurt) "Able seaman Bill Cutler
is aboard HMS Lance -

"What a task we have ahead of us.

"What losses are we to suffer?

"All are going in
fully knowing the task set.

"We will not fail.”

(Hurt) 'The fleet reaches
its assembly point in mid-Channel.

'The rough seas have convinced Hitler
that an attack is unlikely.

'False intelligence has suggested

'that the invasion will take place
anywhere but on the coast of Normandy

'and on any day except the 6th of June.

'Erwin Rommel has left for Germany
to celebrate his wife's birthday.

'The order of the day

'is issued by Supreme Commander
General Eisenhower -

"You are about to embark
upon the great crusade

"toward which we have striven
these many months.

"The eyes of the world are upon you.

"The hope and prayers
of liberty-loving people everywhere

"march with you.

"Your task will not be an easy one

"but this is the year 1944,

"The tide has turned.

"The free men of the world
are marching together to victory.

"Good luck.”

(Hurt) "As more than 2,000 Allied ships

'head to the French coast
under cover of darkness,

'British and American airborne troops
prepare to take off for France.

'Private George Alex,
82nd Airborne Division -

"1 was getting nervous,
butterflies in my stomach.

"We were told that
the entire coast of France was mined.

"Fields were flooded
to keep our gliders from landing.

"We didn't know what to expect,
so we expected the worst."”

(Hurt) 'Dawn. 6th June.

'D-day.

'Massive Allied airpower
is unleashed on northern France.

'Nearly 200 ships bombard 50 miles
of the Normandy coastline.

'Bill Cutler -

"Battleships, cruisers, destroyers.

"Pounding away at the enemy beaches.

"Goodness knows how any living thing
can stand up to such terrific battering."”

(Hurt) 'Lieutenant Cyrus Idelett,
USS Bayfield -

"It was like a thousand Fourth of Julys
rolled into one.

"The resounding blasts were terrifying.

"The ship shook and quivered

"as if she knew what was happening.”

(Hurt) 'US forces are to attack the
beaches codenamed Utah and Omaha.

'Corporal Gil Murdoch,
on his way to Omaha -

"The transporters cut engines.

"We clambered over the railings
into the landing craft.

"Some guys were seasick.

"Some were arguing over little things
that didn't count.

"Some guys, like myself,

"were just standing there, thinking,

"and shivering."”

'Sergeant Levers of
the Canadian Scottish Regiment

'approaches Juno Beach.

"The machine-gun bullets
are starting to whine.

"The boys are keeping their heads down.

"Here we go.

"The ramp is down."

(Gunfire and air-raid sirens)

(Hurt) "On Omaha, Sergeant Harry Bear -

"My radio man had his head blown off
three yards from me.

"The beach was covered with bodies.

"Men with no legs, no arms.

"God, it was awful.”

(Hurt) "Lieutenant Alex Sudborough,

"'No. 45 Commando,
Royal Marines, Sword Beach -

"1 couldn't help noticing
the sweet, sickly smell

"and the number of battledressed bodies
surrounded by a pinkish tinge,

"gently floating on the tide line."

(Hurt) "Captain Jim Roberts, Omaha -

"There were bodies everywhere.

“As I went by, I heard
people screaming for morphine.

"There wasn't a thing I could do."

(Hurt) 'Lieutenant John Pelly
of the Royal Navy

'is aboard HMS Eglinton,

'watching the return of the landing craft
from the first assault wave.

"I'll never forget the chaos.

"A mixture of blood and fuel

"with legs and heads sticking out.

"They came alongside.

"We hauled the wounded out and placed
them on the deck in their awful suffering,

"doing what little we could.”

Hurt) 'Canadian Charlie Martin -

"We had all joined up in 1940.

"Had trained together, had lived together

"and had just been together every day
for the last four years.

"Friends who became brothers.

"Only to lose more than half of us.”

(Radio archive)
"This is the BBC Home Service.

"D-day has come.

"Under the command
of General Eisenhower,

"Allied naval forces
supported by strong air forces

"began landing Allied armies
this morning

"on the northern coast of France.”

(Hurt) 'By the end of D-day,

"more than 180,000 Allied troops

'have secured a narrow beachhead
in Normandy.

'In some places, they have advanced
up to five miles inland.

'Although the airborne assault
has been fraught with difficulty,

'most units
have been joined by land troops.

"More than 2,500 Allied men,
mostly Americans,

'have lost their lives.

'Many more German defenders are dead.

'Thousands of French civilians
have died in bombing raids.

'But the Allies' veil of secrecy
around the invasion

'had so effectively convinced Hitler
and his High Command

'that the attack would come
in the Pas-de-Calais,

'the Germans have limited resources
for a counterattack.

'A week after the invasion, Field Marshal
Sir Alan Brooke arrives in Normandy -

"The scene was beyond description.

"Everywhere was covered with ships
of all shapes and sizes.

"There was a sense
of continuous activity.

"It was a wonderful moment
to find myself re-entering France

"almost four years
after being thrown out.”

(Hurt) 'Gigantic floating harbours,
Mulberries,

'an idea initiated by Churchill himself,
had been towed across the Channel.

'The Mulberries become
the vital supply point

'for up to 10,000 tons of material per day.

'Inland, Allied troops are adapting
to their role as liberators.

'War photographer Robert Capper -

"We received a little book telling us
how to address the natives.

"Bonjour, monsieur.
Nous sommes les amis américains.

"That was for addressing the men.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle. Voulez-vous
faire une promenade avec moi?

"That was for the girls.

"The first one meant,
'Mister, don't shoot me!"

"And the other could mean anything."”

Hurt) 'But not everyone welcomes
the Allied presence.

'Sir Alan Brooke -

"The French did not seem in any way
pleased to see us arrive

"as a victorious army, to liberate France.

"They had been quite content
as they were.

"We were bringing war and desolation
to their country.”

(Hurt) 'Richard Greenwood,
Royal Tank Regiment -

"Saw a few natives on today's journey
through villages and fields.

"Not much evidence of enthusiasm
amongst them.

"Perhaps they resent our intrusion.

"1 can well understand this.

"Their former lovely countryside
is now a battleground.”

(Hurt) "Over the coming weeks,
the land battle intensifies.

'The German army repeatedly attempts
fierce counterattacks.

'The Normandy countryside,

'with its patchwork of small fields
and tall hedgerows,

'proves to be a difficult battleground.

'But overwhelming Allied air power
is crucial in the battle.

'Field Marshall von Krueger
replaces Rommel in July.

'He writes to Hitler -

"In the face of the enemy's
complete command of the air,

"there is no possibility
of our finding a strategy

"to counterbalance its truly annihilating
effect unless we retreat.

"In spite of intense efforts,

"the moment has drawn near
when this front will break."

(Hurt) 'German confidence is ebbing.

'Of those captured,
many are young and inexperienced.

'Some are East Europeans
forced into fighting for Hitler's cause.

'General Gunther BElumentritt,

"Chief of Staff to
the Supreme Commander in the west -

"Our forces are being bled white.

"The replacement situation
is impossible.

"We simply don't have the men
to contain the pressure any more.”

(Hurt) 'By late July,
the Allies achieve a breakthrough.

'Saint-Lo and Caen are captured

'but the victories come at a price.

'In the assault on Saint-Lo,
more than 3,000 Americans are Killed.

'On August 26th, Allied troops
celebrate the liberation of Paris.

'General Charles de Gaulle, the exiled
commander of Free French Forces

'returns to lead the triumphant parade.

'Lieutenant John Oslent,
4th US Infantry Division -

"In the street was
the largest crowd I've ever seen.

"Thousands of people,
all there to see de Gaulle.

"And to celebrate
the liberation of their city.

"They had waited four years
for this day.”

(Hurt) 'Elizabeth de Mirabelle
of the Free French -

"It was beyond
all we could have imagined.

"The atmosphere of feverish joy
was overwhelming.

"The excitement was intoxicating.

"Yet death and suffering
still lay at the door.”

(Hurt) 'The battle for Normandy
has been a long and bitter fight.

'Almost half a million
Allied and German troops are dead,

'injured or missing in action.

'Though the war is not yet over

'and it will be many months
before the Allies reach Berlin,

'the events of D-day
and the battle for Normandy

'are the beginning of the end
for Hitler's Third Reich.

'From the memoirs of Ernie Pyle,

'killed in action by the Japanese
in April 1945.

"His account for August 1944, Paris -

"One cannot help but be moved
by the colossus of our invasion.

"It was a bold and mighty thing,

"one of the epics of all history.

"1 hope that we can rejoice in victory,

"but humbly.

"The dead men
would not want us to gloat.”