Original subtitles

NARRATOR: May 1945.

During the final days of war in Europe,

an American tank commander

leads an unlikely band of U.S. and German soldiers...

to rescue French VIPs held in an Austrian castle.

As he organizes their defenses...

MAN: Lee's strategy is to keep the SS guessing

about the disposition of forces inside the castle.

They don't know he's only got 25 men and three officers.

(gunfire)

NARRATOR: But when Waffen SS forces attack,

he cannot be sure where their loyalty will stand.

On June 6, 1944,

Allied forces finally land troops in Normandy

to open the Western Front.

(yelling in German)

But Nazi fanatics and diehards

continue to fight ruthlessly for survival.

(gunfire)

D-Day was a battle.

The Allies still need to win the war.

May 4, 1945.

Tyrol, Austria.

German Army major Josef Gangl and his driver

near the town of Kufstein,

occupied just the day before by American troops.

PETER LIEB: German resistance has more or less collapsed.

But it has not yet surrendered.

German troops are withdrawing to the Alpine region,

where there is this myth of this Alpine Fortress,

the last stand of the Nazis.

NARRATOR: As they turn a corner,

they come face to face with four U.S. Sherman tanks.

SOLDIER: Out of the car.

Alright. What do you want?

(speaking German)

NARRATOR: On the surface,

it may look like Gangl is one of thousands of German soldiers

surrendering to Western Allies.

SOLDIER: Whoa, whoa, whoa!

NARRATOR: But Gangl has come to Kufstein on a mission.

It may be risky.

Days prior,

the U.S. Army began to liberate

the nearby Dachau prison camp system.

WILLIAM LENCHES: After witnessing the atrocities,

many of the soldiers were of the opinion

that they simply weren't in the business

of taking prisoners anymore.

NARRATOR: But Gangl has joined the Austrian Resistance

to help defeat the Nazis from within the Third Reich.

Gangl is taken to Lieutenant Jack Lee,

commander of Company B, 23rd Tank Battalion,

U.S. 12th Armored Division.

Months of hard fighting gives Lee confidence,

on the edge of bravado.

LENCHES: In a couple of days prior,

a German colonel wanted to surrender

a large number of his men

but wouldn't do so to a lowly first lieutenant.

So, Lieutenant Lee,

making use of the fact

that the insignia for a first lieutenant

is a single silver bar

and for a captain is two silver bars,

simply took a spare bar, put it on his collar,

and was a captain for a few minutes

to accept surrender.

NARRATOR: In English, Gangl delivers his message.

The German officer explains

that he has knowledge of important French prisoners

held by the Nazis not far away.

JOHN McMANUS: From the perspective

of a U.S. Army commander,

you're wise if you decide,

I'm only going to trust my own guys.

But you also have to be open-minded enough

to realize that there may be a lot of people

who need your help

and that you're probably going to do yourself

more harm than good

if you're shooting first and asking questions later.

NARRATOR: Gangl presents a letter

written by one of the VIPs.

In it, they plead for rescue.

Rumors had circulated

about an Alpine fortress holding such prisoners.

The story could be true,

or it could be a trap.

McMANUS: It's a tough sell for someone like Gangl

to make the Americans understand

that he is going to join them in common cause

and that he's really not a supporter of Nazism.

NARRATOR: Lee climbs into his tank

to radio his commanding officer.

LEE: HQ, this is Lee.

NARRATOR: He shares the intel about the French hostages.

Lee receives permission to proceed

as he judges appropriate.

LEE: Alright, we'll see it through. Over.

LENCHES: It's indicative of how fluid the situation is;

there's not always going to be time to check in.

The battalion commander is telling Lee

that he needs to exercise his judgment.

NARRATOR: Lee decides to check out the story himself.

He will reconnoiter to where Gangl claims

the VIP prisoners are being held.

Only one of Lee's gunners

and the two Germans accompany him.

Lee decides to travel with Gangl

to determine the German major's reliability...

and to verify his connections with the Austrian Resistance.

McMANUS: This situation

that you have there on the ground in Austria

is extraordinarily complex.

NARRATOR: German Chancellor Adolf Hitler

committed suicide five days prior,

on April 30, 1945.

The German military is disintegrating.

Some surrender to the Allies.

Others retreat,

or even desert.

LIEB: In my opinion,

Gangl represents the state of the German armed forces

in May 1945.

He understands the war is lost,

probably has also understood

that he had served the wrong cause.

And now is time to try to avoid even more damage

to our home country,

even if this means to cooperate with a former enemy.

NARRATOR: But many still support the cause of Nazism,

particularly those in the Waffen-SS--

the military arm of the Nazi party.

LIEB: There are a number of Waffen-SS troops

in northern Austria by this time.

Most of them are still determined to fight on.

They are fanatical.

ROMAN TOPPEL: When we hear 'fanatic' or 'fanatical' today,

we think of crazy people who fight on stupid-like.

But fanatic is actually considered a positive term

by the Nazis.

If they say you are a fanatic Nazi,

it's meant as a compliment.

NARRATOR: The Waffen-SS will fight to the bitter end.

TOPPEL: A couple of days before the war was over,

the thinking then was we are losing,

but when we are losing, our enemies shall not survive.

NARRATOR: Their fatalism

creates great risk for the Allies.

LIEB: Whether in the next village

they will be met with open arms,

or whether they will be met with a hail of bullets.

NARRATOR: The four men travel to their objective--

Castle Itter.

Their route will be dictated by roadblocks.

McMANUS: The Nazis controlled

most every aspect of German life,

including the road net.

We have a roadblock at the entry points of a town.

This was a way to maintain control over populations,

to cow them into submission.

It was a way to maintain some semblance of political control.

NARRATOR: With Gangl and his driver's knowledge of the area,

they bypass some roadblocks.

Other times, en route to the town of Worgl,

Lee and Gangl encounter Wehrmacht German Army troops,

who prove loyal to the German major.

As Gangl navigates each turn,

Lee must still wonder whether it's an elaborate ruse.

During a stop in Worgl,

Gangl offers Lee formal surrender

of the garrison based in the town.

(motor starts)

They then continue to Itter village,

situated just below the castle itself.

So, for Lee,

the next introduction must have been jarring.

Though he's dressed in civilian clothes,

the man is introduced as a Waffen-SS captain.

LENCHES: SS officers did not swear loyalty to Germany

and its constitution and its laws.

They swore a personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler himself.

These were the fanatics.

These were the people who ran the concentration camps.

NARRATOR: Lee may have trusted the Wehrmacht officer,

only to fall into the clutches of the SS instead.

NARRATOR: May 4, 1945.

In the final days of World War II,

an American tank commander

believes a German officer's story

about French VIP prisoners in a nearby castle

needing rescue.

But while on reconnaissance,

Lieutenant Jack Lee fears he has fallen into the hands

of Waffen-SS Captain Kurt-Siegfried Schrader.

LEE: Why should I believe you?

NARRATOR: But German Army Major Josef Gangl

vouches for the SS captain.

LENCHES: This creates a tense moment.

Gangl recognizes him.

They'd worked together before on Battle Group Giehl.

NARRATOR: Schrader informs Lee and Gangl

that he has assumed responsibility

for the French VIPs' protection.

LIEB: We can only speculate

what motivates Schrader's change in mind.

Was it a true change of mind,

or was it just opportunism,

seeing the war is lost for Germany.

NARRATOR: They also learn from Schrader

that the SS unit that had guarded the prisoners

has fled overnight.

LENCHES: The VIPs are safe for now,

but everyone fears what's coming next.

NARRATOR: Lee finds himself in a remarkable situation.

Two German officers-- one from the SS--

have turned their backs on the Nazi cause

to assist American forces to protect the French prisoners.

LEE: I'm going to check this guy's story out.

NARRATOR: Still needing to confirm

Gangl and Schrader's stories,

Lee insists they continue to the castle.

Schloss Itter, as it is known in German,

sits amidst Austria's Tyrol Mountains.

Positioned over a ravine,

a short bridge connects the 13th-century castle

to a nearby mountain.

Just south of the Austrian-German border,

the Tyrol region is of legendary concern.

Mountains separated by countless rivers,

threaded by country roads,

form natural defenses for retreating German troops.

A recurrent fear of Allied supreme commander

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

is a final stand in the Alps.

As the American forces move south,

they are ordered to cut off mountain passes

to prevent the formation of a Nazi redoubt.

(firing)

But as the Allies press

from the north, east, and south of Austria,

the squeeze may inadvertently create

the assembly of loyal Nazi troops

Eisenhower fears.

Upon arriving at the castle...

Lee encounters an armed group...

and realizes that Gangl's story is true.

The French VIPs exist,

and they need help.

The prisoners include

two former French prime ministers,

two French generals,

and the sister of Charles de Gaulle.

McMANUS: These are very distinguished soldiers

in some cases.

They are distinguished political voices.

In a way, they represent

the sort of kernel of French political nationhood.

So, there's a great value in them, in that sense.

NARRATOR: So-called 'honor prisoners'

lived in relative luxury

in hotels and castles throughout the war.

LIEB: The Nazis see them as a kind of bargain

for future negotiations with the enemy.

NARRATOR: But faced day-to-day uncertainty,

as their survival depended on Hitler's impulses.

With his death

and German command structure imploding,

SS units in the region

might decide it is in Germany's interest

to execute the VIPs.

LENCHES: The fear is

that the SS were fully capable of executing anybody

that they didn't want around to testify after the war.

NARRATOR: Though currently unguarded

and in possession of German weapons,

the VIPs are trapped and face imminent danger.

While Lee wants to protect his men from unnecessary risks

in what could be the last hours of the war,

he understands the importance of the French VIPs

and that they may be critical

to the stability of free France after the war.

Lee tells the French prisoners that he will be back with help

as soon as possible.

Lee and Gangl return to Kufstein

to gather reinforcements.

LEE: Alright, boys, let's roll out!

NARRATOR: Just before 1900 hours,

Lee leads seven Sherman tanks and three squads of infantry

from Kufstein towards Castle Itter.

They are joined by Major Gangl,

who adds men to strengthen their numbers.

Jack Lee finds himself in command

of 14 American and 10 German soldiers.

McMANUS: I know of no other time

when you had German soldiers directly serving

and following the orders

of an American junior officer in World War II.

NARRATOR: As they proceed to Itter,

Lee must return three of his tanks to Kuftstein,

when an old bridge gives way

and prevents further crossings.

He also leaves two tanks behind

to defend the town of Worgl

and one to secure a bridge

they may need

as an escape route.

This leaves Lee's tank,

nicknamed the Besotten Jenny,

as the only Sherman still bound for the castle.

The Besotten Jenny

is an M4 A3 Sherman tank,

operated by a crew of five.

It is armed with

a 76-millimeter main gun,

capable of firing

20 rounds a minute...

(firing)

and fitted with a .50-caliber

and two .30-caliber

machine guns.

As the rescue force closes in on Itter village,

they encounter a Waffen-SS roadblock...

(gunfire)

and open fire to clear the way.

(firing)

LENCHES: The German troops immediately scatter

without firing a shot.

They just melt off into the woods.

LEE: Pick up the pace.

NARRATOR: Having announced their presence

to any enemy soldiers in the area,

Lee and his rescue force hurry to Itter Castle.

A 60-foot road leads to the castle's gatehouse.

LEE: OK, move it, move it.

NARRATOR: Lee's driver puts the tank in reverse.

LENCHES: There's no way to turn around

once you're at the castle gate.

And if you were to drive up forward,

he'd have the most vulnerable portion of the tank--

the engine compartment--

directly facing enemy fire.

LEE: Alright, boys, keep moving.

NARRATOR: The tank's rearview mirrors were broken,

so Lee uses his voice to guide the tank up the hill.

LENCHES: It's an incredibly tense maneuver

because the consequences of error are monumental.

The tank would plunge at least 25 feet

down into the ravine.

NARRATOR: With the Sherman tank safely parked,

Lee is greeted by the French VIPs,

whose joyful relief quickly fades.

McMANUS: The initial reaction

of the French VIPs to the rescue force

is disappointment.

They're like, boy, is this all that's coming?

Infused as some of them were with their own importance,

they would have assumed,

well, of course half the United States Army

is going to come after us.

And of course, this was just a little recon element

that they did not find particularly impressive.

And plus, you've got Germans in tow with weapons, still.

So, you're probably not too wild about that either.

NARRATOR: Lee is also met by SS Captain Schrader.

LENCHES: Schrader informs Lee that he's witnessed SS troops

moving anti-tank guns into the woods around the castle.

NARRATOR: This is most likely

because of the Besotten Jenny's run-in

with the Waffen-SS roadblock.

For their safety,

Lee directs the VIPs into the castle's cellars.

The male VIPs argue

that they wish to fight in their own defense,

but Lee counters

that they would not be much help to France

if they get themselves killed.

McMANUS: From the perspective of these two French generals--

both very senior, distinguished generals,

both of whom had extensive combat experience...

Now you're being asked to take orders

from some 27-year-old American?

He ranks way below you.

You would find that somewhat insulting.

You would've expected Lee to defer to you

and say, General, what do you think we ought to do now?

That's not his mindset.

NARRATOR: Lacking sufficient resources

to evacuate the castle,

Lee organizes a defensive strategy

for the American and German troops under his command.

LENCHES: Lee assigns responsibility for 180 degrees--

basically half the field of fire--to each man.

Schrader to the north and Gangl to the south.

NARRATOR: Lee also orders

that his tank, the Besotten Jenny,

is manned at all times.

With the defensive positions set,

Lee instructs them to sleep in shifts

and tries to get some rest himself.

At 0400 hours on May 5th...

(gunfire)

Lee is awoken by the sound of gunfire.

(gunfire)

Castle Itter is under attack.

NARRATOR: May 5, 1945.

Lieutenant Jack Lee

commands a small group of American and German soldiers

trying to protect French VIPs

held as hostages at Castle Itter.

(gunfire)

Woken by the sound of gunfire from the castle's gatehouse,

Lee rushes out.

(gunfire)

As a machine gun from a nearby ridge

targets the castle,

the crew member stationed in Lee's tank,

the Besotten Jenny,

returns fire.

(firing)

(firing)

(firing)

The attack comes from the Waffen-SS...

SOLDIER: Fire!

NARRATOR: Nazi loyalists

determined to retake the castle and the prisoners.

When the firefight subsides,

Lee's man reports he saw four Germans

inside the razor wire, which rings the castle,

with ropes and climbing gear.

Under fire, the advancing SS troops

retreated into the surrounding woods.

Lee debriefs with Major Josef Gangl

and Captain Kurt-Siegfried Schrader

about the exchange.

(gunfire)

At the sound of another machine-gun burst,

the officers race down.

The trio encounter one of Major Gangl's men

under heavy fire.

Lee and Gangl pull the soldier to safety...

(gunfire)

while Besotten Jenny's .50-caliber machine gun

opens up again in retaliation.

Gangl translates his soldier's account for Lee.

More Waffen-SS soldiers had gotten past the razor wire

and approached the castle.

The soldier opened fire on them,

and in turn, was shot at in retaliation.

They retreated again into the forest.

LEE: I got a .50-cal in that section.

No one's getting down there.

NARRATOR: With the Sherman tank guarding access to the castle,

a frontal attack is futile,

so the SS troops need to find another way in.

LIEB: What they do is probe the castle in small groups

and trying to find weak spots,

and perhaps also trying to find out

the number of the defenders.

LEE: HQ?

(static)

HQ, this is Lee.

(static)

This is Lee. Over.

NARRATOR: The situation is dire.

LENCHES: Lieutenant Lee is on his own.

He has no radio communication.

He has no way of knowing if a rescue force is coming.

At this point, Lee's strategy is to keep the SS guessing

about the disposition of forces inside the castle.

They don't know he's only got 25 men and three officers.

(gunfire)

NARRATOR: But a short time later,

another round of gunfire alerts Lee to a new problem.

(music)

(music)

One of Major Gangl's men

has fled the castle.

The soldier secretly lowered himself down the castle wall,

then ran into the trees of the gorge.

LEE: You said I could trust your men, Gangl.

NARRATOR: The soldier's escape

is a grave threat to everyone left inside Castle Itter.

LENCHES: Up until now,

the SS have no idea of who is defending the castle.

This man would likely tell the SS

anything they wanted to know.

LIEB: He can give away

how many people are defending this castle

and where exactly are their defense positions.

NARRATOR: The escape is not just about one soldier.

It undermines the Americans' faith

in the other Germans as well.

Lee's men observe

that the other Germans did not fire on him.

LENCHES: Now, at this point he doesn't know,

is that simply because

they didn't want to kill a fellow German,

or is there something bigger afoot?

LIEB: This single soldier

represents a larger problem for the defenders.

Where is their loyalty?

Is it with Gangl?

Or is it with the besieging Waffen-SS unit?

NARRATOR: It seems that Gangl and Lee

came to some sort of understanding,

and the Germans retain their weapons.

But it is a good thing,

because it soon becomes clear

that Lee will need every man he's got.

(music)

NARRATOR: May 1945.

An American tank commander

tries to defend the lives of French VIPs

taken hostage and held by the Nazis

at Castle Itter during the war.

A Waffen-SS force prepares to retake the castle.

In an unusual twist of fate,

former enemies now work for a common cause.

The castle is held by both American and German troops.

27-year-old Lieutenant Jack Lee

is the American tank commander in charge.

LENCHES: In my opinion,

Lieutenant Lee, at this point,

trusts Gangl and Schrader implicitly.

Gangl already had well-established bona fides

both from the resistance and his actions so far.

Schrader, besides being vouched for by Gangl,

also had his family inside the castle.

NARRATOR: Lee joins German officers

Major Gangl and Captain Schrader

high in the castle

to observe Waffen-SS movements.

Lee spots artillery pieces

being moved into place among the trees,

only about 800 yards from the castle--

likely in response

to information from an escaped defender.

LENCHES: They know that the defensive force

has no heavy weapons to fire.

And so they feel free to move their heavy guns into place.

One of the guns is an 88.

The 88 is the most dreaded weapon

in the German arsenal.

It's a high-velocity gun with a heavy punch.

Literally one round can go through a Sherman tank

like it's made of butter.

It does the same thing to stone walls.

NARRATOR: They also watch

as Waffen-SS troops arrive and take up positions.

LIEB: From all what we know,

the number of German troops attacking Castle Itter

was about a company.

So, about 150, 200 men maximum.

They were relatively well-armed.

They seemed to have been in good supply of ammunition.

NARRATOR: Castle Itter is now surrounded.

While the American and German officers are concerned,

Major Gangl discovers that the French VIPs are not.

Gangl encounters them

getting some fresh air in the courtyard,

in spite of Lee's clear instructions.

(explosions)

The 88 suddenly opens up.

(firing)

A shot hits an upper floor of the castle

and rains down debris.

(firing)

Everyone scrambles for cover.

(explosion)

LEE: Let's go. Let's move!

(speaking German)

NARRATOR: At 1000 hours,

Waffen-SS troops begin a full-scale assault

on the castle.

(firing)

Lee will soon learn if the Germans inside the castle

will fight to repel them.

(gunfire)

(firing)

Very quickly,

the Besotten Jenny, the defenders' only tank,

takes a direct hit.

Lee's best hope for protecting everyone inside Itter Castle

goes up in flames.

(gunfire)

An American tanker escapes the burning wreckage.

He and two other U.S. soldiers retreat...

(explosion)

as the Sherman's fuel tanks explode.

It is a major setback.

(yelling in German)

The assault continues.

(gunfire)

LENCHES: The forces inside the castle

are reduced to simply small arms--

rifles, pistols, and grenades.

They have no heavy weapons whatsoever.

NARRATOR: The defenders have no way

to take out the German 88...

and it continues to pound the castle.

Some of the French VIPs refuse to retreat to safety

in order to join the battle.

They had served in the French army.

Though for most,

decades earlier in the First World War.

(gunfire)

LEE: Hurry! OK! Let's go!

NARRATOR: Some defenders are positioned higher

to preserve their view of the attacking troops.

(gunfire)

(gunfire)

The Waffen-SS attack intensifies.

(music)

(gunfire)

(gunfire)

Lee notices that one of the French VIPs

has moved into a vulnerable spot.

(gunfire)

But before Lee can react...

Major Gangl does.

(gunshot)

NARRATOR: May 1945.

During the final days of the war in Europe...

(gunfire)

American and German soldiers fight together

to hold a castle

and protect French prisoners from Waffen-SS forces.

(gunfire)

(gunfire)

German Wehrmacht Major Josef Gangl

rushes to pull one of the French VIPs back

from a vulnerable position.

But in his haste...

(gunfire)

Gangl exposes himself

to a bullet fired from outside the castle.

(gunfire)

In the hope of peace,

Gangl chose to defy his own country,

because he could no longer support in its aims,

and he pays the ultimate price.

LIEB: It was not an opportunistic choice

to defend Castle Itter.

He did it with conviction.

(gunfire)

NARRATOR: Lee cannot stop.

As the incoming fire increases,

he must secure the castle.

(firing)

Lee passes word to his men in the gatehouse

to hang on as long as possible before falling back.

(gunfire)

(gunfire)

As part of the growing onslaught,

Waffen-SS troops advance from the east and west sides,

as well as up the drop-off to the castle's north.

(gunfire)

The defenders struggle to cover all three directions.

(gunfire)

(gunfire)

It is not clear how long they will be able to hold out.

(gunfire)

Jean Borotra,

one of the prisoners and a former French tennis star,

braves the incoming fire to deliver a message.

(gunfire)

(speaking German)

He bursts in to report to Lee

that they're running low on ammunition...

with Waffen-SS forces closing in.

Just then...

(phone ringing)

an unexpected sound cuts through the gunfire.

LENCHES: What happens next is amazing.

The telephone in the castle rings.

(ringing)

LEE: Hello?

NARRATOR: Lee answers,

and is relieved to hear the voice

of an American officer on the line.

When he had reached the town of Worgl,

Gangl's Austrian Resistance fighters

had alerted the officer

to the existence of the castle telephone.

LENCHES: He's calling to check on Lee's forces

and what they need.

NARRATOR: Lee only has time to report

that the castle is under attack

and they're low on ammunition...

(static)

before the line goes dead.

Though reinforcements may be coming,

there's no guarantee they will arrive in time.

He did not get a chance

to relay the strength and position

of the Waffen-SS troops,

which could help the relief force

make it more quickly to the castle.

In addition to losing Gangl,

two of the German soldiers have been injured.

Lee knows that the castle could be overrun

before help arrives,

risking the lives of everyone inside.

Jean Borotra interrupts with a crazy offer.

During his captivity,

Borotra had escaped from the castle before,

only to be recaptured and returned to the prison.

LENCHES: He suggests to Lee

that he should dress as an Austrian peasant,

jump the wall,

and try and run to town to get aid.

NARRATOR: If Borotra can escape once more

and locate the American forces,

he can pass on Lee's warnings.

Lee is not convinced the plan can succeed,

but has few choices and even less time.

As the fighting eases...

Borotra is able to slip away from the castle.

To fulfill his mission,

he will have make his way past the Waffen-SS

positioned outside the walls.

Everyone's life could depend on it.

(gunfire)

NARRATOR: May 5, 1945.

In the Austrian Alps,

Waffen-SS troops attack Castle Itter...

(gunfire)

the wartime prison which housed French VIPs.

(gunfire)

The castle is held by a motley mix

of both American and German soldiers

fighting to protect

the hostages of the Third Reich.

(gunfire)

With the castle defenders

at risk of being overwhelmed by loyal Nazi forces...

former French tennis star Jean Borotra

escapes the castle in disguise

to alert nearby American troops.

But first,

he must make it through the Waffen-SS line

advancing on the castle.

Borotra must convince the Nazi troops

that he is just an Austrian peasant.

If they even suspect him of being a military deserter,

let alone an escaped prisoner,

it could cost him his life.

Tense moments pass.

Borotra's performance as a peasant

must have been convincing,

as they allow him to continue.

Borotra heads off in search of the Americans.

(gunfire)

Back at Castle Itter...

(explosions)

Lieutenant Jack Lee continues to lose ground to the SS troops

and runs low on ammunition.

He has no way to know

if friendly reinforcements can reach them in time.

If the castle is overrun,

they believe the French VIPs are at risk of being executed

by the Waffen-SS fanatics.

TOPPEL: Some hardcore SS officers say,

OK, we are losing the war,

but we will take our enemies with us.

They shall not survive us.

(distant gunfire)

NARRATOR: Lee and the French generals

agree to retreat to the castle's inner stronghold,

which Lee calls the keep.

SOLDIER: Down to the last magazine!

LEE: Make it count.

(gunfire)

LENCHES: The keep is literally the last stand.

There's no place to retreat to from it.

They have to gamble that they can hold off the SS

until relief forces arrive,

or the game is up.

At this point, Lee and his men are going to win or die.

NARRATOR: Waffen-SS forces sustain their attack

and close in.

The castle defenders return fire,

but they are being overwhelmed by superior numbers.

(gunfire)

(gunfire)

(gunfire)

SS troops reach the castle gate

and prepare to blast their way inside

with a Panzerfaust rocket,

an easy-to-use weapon which blows up tanks.

(firing and explosions)

LIEB: The Waffen-SS suddenly hear tank noise from the rear,

from the village.

NARRATOR: Without an armored unit of their own,

the Waffen-SS are no match for the arriving U.S. tanks.

LIEB: They quickly realized, the Americans are coming.

The Waffen-SS disappeared as quickly as possible.

(gunfire)

NARRATOR: To Lee's relief,

reinforcements have arrived just in time.

(tanks rumbling)

(music)

(music)

(music)

(music)

Lee and the others holed up in Castle Itter

have been saved.

LENCHES: Lieutenant Lee, by this point, is exhausted.

And when the commander of the 142nd comes up to him,

he says, 'Take 'em, Colonel, they're all yours.'

NARRATOR: The battle for Castle Itter

would be amongst the last ground combat

of World War II in Europe.

Only two days later,

May 7, 1945,

Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allies.

LENCHES: The fact the last battle fought

in the European theatre of operations

was not to conquer territory

but to defend innocent prisoners

must have been an incredibly uplifting moment

for all those involved.

NARRATOR: The Americans evacuate the French VIPs

to Innsbruck, Austria.

Within days, they arrive home in France.

Several would return to politics after the war.

SS-Waffen Captain Kurt-Siegfried Schrader

receives a letter,

undersigned by the former prisoners,

stating he ensured the safety of the French detainees

and stayed with them during the German attacks.

Schrader serves as a prisoner of war

for only two years,

before being released.

LIEB: In the end, when we judge the personality,

we must always bear in mind

there were many SS officers who didn't act like Schrader,

who didn't change their mind.

You can say Schrader showed more responsibility

than most of his peers.

NARRATOR: Austria honors Major Josef Gangl

for his work with the resistance

and for his actions at Castle Itter.

Lieutenant Jack Lee

would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross

for his initiative, boldness, and courage

in defense of Castle Itter.

LENCHES: Lieutenant Lee himself

summed it up years later when he was asked.

He just said, 'It was just the damnedest thing.'

NARRATOR: It had been a long road

since the beaches of Normandy.

Peace, eleven months in the making.

McMANUS: D-Day is only the beginning,

and it's a really important beginning

of almost a year of really intense fighting

by a Western Allied coalition,

all of whom need one another badly

and all of whom sacrificed terribly,

for this to come to a final victory.

(music)