All language subtitles for VE Day Forever in their Debt - 2020.eng

[crowd cheering]

[flowing music]

[Winston Churchill]
This is your victory,

victory

of the cause of
freedom in every land.

In all our long history,

we have never seen a
greater day than this.

Everyone,

man or woman,

has done their best.

Everyone has tried,
none has quit.

Neither the long
years, nor the dangers,

nor the fierce
attacks of the enemy,

have in any way weakened
the unbending resolve

of the British nation.

[crowd cheering]

God bless you all.

[crowd cheering]

[calm music]

[Narrator] Monday
morning in central London

on May the 7th, 1945,
was overcast but dry.

But, unlike previous Mondays
over the last five years,

there seemed to be
more people around.

Amongst the crowds
beginning to gather

in Piccadilly Circus
and Trafalgar Square,

thoughts of the dull spring
weather were set aside.

News was coming through of
momentous events in Europe.

Ever since the US
and Russian forces

had met at Torgau on the
river Elbe on April the 25th,

it seemed the end of the war

against Nazi Germany
was in sight.

Over the last weeks of April,

the news reels were
full of stories

documenting the collapse
of the Third Reich.

All German forces in
Italy had surrendered.

The Red Army was fighting
its way through Berlin,

street-by-street.

As the last defenses crumbled,

Hitler committed
suicide just before

the Red Army soldiers finally
smashed their way through

to raise the Soviet
Flag over the Reichstag,

the German parliament building.

To the north, British forces

had crossed the
river Elbe as well

and had gone on to
capture Hamburg,

Germany's second city.

But on Monday, May the 7th,

people up and down
Britain sensed that

something momentous
was about to happen.

After six years of sacrifice

during which they
had been bombed,

machine gunned, and starved,

the British public knew
that the war must be over.

The events in Europe

at the beginning of May 1945

start to move really quickly.

On the first it's
announced to the world

that Hitler is dead.

Two days later, his successor,
Grand Admiral Doenitz

sends a delegation to
Montgomery's headquarters

on Luneburg Heath, near Hamburg.

Montgomery finds their
terms unacceptable

and sends them away.

They return the following day

and that afternoon the
surrender is signed

in Montgomery's tent.

The end of the war in
Europe is drawing nearer.

The German command
to carry out at once,

and without argument or comment,

all further orders

that will be issued
by the Allied Powers

on any subject.

Disobedience of orders,

or failure to comply with them,

will be regarded as a breach
of these surrender terms

and will be dealt with
by the Allied Powers

in accordance with
the accepted laws

and usages of war.

[Narrator] All across
Germany, the Reich,

which was meant to
last a thousand years,

began to crumble.

German forces were laying
down their weapons.

Sometimes individually.

Other times, as whole divisions.

They joined the
thousands of refugees

already on the congested
roads across Germany,

as everyone sought
to flee to the West,

away from the Soviet army.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower,

the Supreme Commander of
Allied Forces in Europe

realized that now was
the moment to press home

the advantage.

Eisenhower, concerned
that Germans

were trying to drive
a wedge between

the Western Allies
and the Soviet Union,

decreed that there
would no longer be

anymore of these
partial surrenders.

The only thing acceptable to him

was a complete,
unconditional surrender

of all German forces.

[tense music]

[Narrator] Over the weekend,
the German delegation

arrived at the Allied
Headquarters in Reims

in Northern France.

Realizing that there was little

that they had left
to negotiate with

they signed the
Instrument of Surrender.

As news of the signing of

the Instrument of
Surrender in Reims spread,

tens of thousands of Londoners

and people from
around the country

poured into Central London.

In Piccadilly Circus,
civilians, servicemen and women

filled the pavements and roads.

Cars and buses
struggled to find a way

through the happy crowds.

A column of students

marched up and down the Strand

before heading
off down Pall Mall

towards Buckingham Palace.

But there had been no
official announcement

that the war in Europe
was really over.

The Allied Force,
which invaded Europe

on June 6th, 1944

has with it's great
Russian Allies

and forces advancing
from the South

utterly defeated the Germans
by land, sea and air.

This unconditional surrender

has been achieved by team work.

Team work not only among
all the allies participating

but among all the services,

land, sea and air.

[Narrator] Eisenhower's words,
however, proved premature.

No sooner had the news of
the surrender reached Moscow,

then Stalin declared it void.

The reality was,

he wanted that document

to be signed in the heart
of the enemy territory:

Berlin.

[Narrator] The ink on
the Surrender Documents

was barely dry,

and already cracks were
beginning to appear

in the Allies' relationships.

A new world order was emerging.

[men speaking indistinctly]

Despite the question
marks over the surrender,

back in the United Kingdom,
everyone was waiting for

the official
announcement to be made.

That came at three
p.m. on the 8th of May.

Britain's biggest party
was about to begin.

[Narrator] An enormous
crowd now filled London.

Some estimates put the figure
at around a million people.

Despite the size of the crowd,

they waited patiently

for Prime Minister
Winston Churchill

to address the nation.

At three p.m., his voice
filled the air once more.

[clock ringing]

[Winston Churchill] Yesterday
morning, at 2:41 a.m.,

at General Eisenhower's
headquarters

General Jodl, the representative
of the German High Command,

and Grand Admiral Doenitz,

the designated head
of the German State,

signed the act of
unconditional surrender

of all German land, sea,

and air forces in Europe

to the Allied
Expeditionary Forces,

and simultaneously to
the Soviet High Command.

Hostilities will end officially

at one minute after
midnight tonight,

Tuesday the 8th of May.

The German war is
therefore at an end.

We may allow ourselves a
brief period of rejoicing.

Today is Victory in Europe Day.

Advance Britannia.

Long live the cause of freedom.

God save the king.

[crowd cheering]

[Narrator] Now it was official.

Although many people had
already started celebrating,

the parties could
start in earnest.

As the celebrations began,

Churchill delivered his
speech again to Parliament,

before leading the
great and the good

to a short service
of thanksgiving in
Westminster Abbey.

We decided we would
go up to London.

We bought ourselves
what was called

a workman's ticket
in those days,

for one and six pence.

And, that was to bring
us back home at night.

And then we had to sort of

waste away the day a bit

because all the celebrations
were going to be

mainly in the evening.

So, we went out by
public transport.

We went to Gravesend on the bus.

And we went from Gravesend
to Dartford and so on.

Ended up on the
Embankment on a tram.

And then we were,

I enjoyed the evening
in Trafalgar Square.

It was unbelievable.

It was a wonderful day.

[crowd cheering]

I had a brother who was
in the Tank Regiment

and was on holiday,
on leave I should say,

at that time.

And having had a motorbike,

he took me up to
Hammersmith Broadway

where all the festivities
were taking place.

It was an absolutely
joyous, carefree,

uninhibited display
of emotion and relief.

[calm music]

[Narrator] All over the country,

towns and villages celebrated

with hastily improvised
street parties and parades.

I was here, in Sevenoaks.

And like all children
I took part in the,

in the parades,

and a fancy dress on the
Vine Cricket Grounds.

We had quite a celebration.

What I recall vividly is
two Spitfires appearing

and doing a victory
roll over the ground.

And we all cheered.

And off they went again

presumably to Beacon Hill.

That was very exciting.

It was almost as if they were,

they did it for us kids.

[Narrator] Thousands
of cheering people

crammed themselves in
front of Buckingham Palace.

Seven times King George VI,

his wife and their
two daughters,

the princesses
Elizabeth and Margaret,

stepped out onto the balcony

to acknowledge their cheers.

[crowd cheering]

The royal princesses were
even given permission

to go out in disguise and
join the celebrating crowds.

Soldiers, sailors and
airmen were everywhere.

But one sharp-eyed cameraman

even spotted Hollywood
actor, David Niven,

amongst the crowds
in London's West End.

Emotion really,

it wasn't until then really

that I'd sort of appreciated

what the local population
really thought about it all.

Because they couldn't
do enough for you,

in uniform, you know,

if you went into a pub,
it never cost you a penny.

Drinks were coming up
right, left and center.

And if you walked along a street

and there was a
street party going on

then you were invited.

It was great really.

[Narrator] For a few hours

people forgot about the
trauma of the last six years.

Social constraints
were cast aside

as everyone danced and sang.

Pubs were given permission
to stay open longer.

And the dancehalls stayed
open until midnight.

It may be surprising to know

that beer wasn't
actually rationed

although availability
was often restricted.

Despite everything
that was going on

on the other side
of the Channel,

on the morning of
the 8th of May,

Winston Churchill
still found the time

to ensure that there was
enough beer available

to fuel the party.

[crowd cheering]

When you go to drinking,
I was 17 at the time,

but I had become a beer drinker.

But, it was extraordinary

and the fact that beer
seemed to be in free supply.

But if you didn't have a glass

you couldn't get a drink.

Probably because
of the breakages

that occurred during the war.

So, if you,

once you had a drink, you
kept hold of your glass

to get the next one. [laughs]

But the pubs, of
course, were crowded.

You could hardly get
to the bar with people

both before the war
ended and afterwards.

[people singing]

[bright music]

[Narrator] News of the
surrender spread like wildfire

all across Europe.

In Paris, crowds
gathered in thanksgiving

at the Arc de Triomphe.

An armada of small
boats greeted King Olav

returning from exile to Norway.

Queen Wilhelmina of the
Netherlands also returned home

where many of her subjects

had endured a terrible famine

in the last months of the war.

And Brussels too, was the
scene of wild celebrations

as the last symbols of Nazi
occupation were cast aside.

Well I was on the
airfield in Brussels,

which is now their airport, and

most people had already gone

down to the headquarters

for various reasons.

And I got a telephone
call saying,

"You better come to
Group Headquarters."

So I rang up MT and
said I need a vehicle.

And they said, "We
haven't got one.

"They're all out."

And then they came back
to me a few minutes later

and said, "We've got
a 1,500 white truck."

So I said, "All right,
I'll have that."

So I took this little truck

and drove through Brussels
to the headquarters,

which was in the old
Cavalry Barracks.

And the first time I
stopped to the crossroads

or lights or whatever,

the back filled
up with Belgians.

And every time I
stopped, some got out

and more got in. [laughs]

And they're all cheering
and jumping up and down

and waving handkerchiefs
and having a marvelous time.

And then when I eventually
pulled into the headquarters,

they all got out and
said thank you very much.

Quite remarkable, really.

Then I went in and did
whatever I had to do

and walked into the mess

and there was a little
bit of a party going on.

[Narrator] In Britain,
the 8th and 9th of May

were declared public holidays.

But the celebrations were
to continue for weeks

as thousands of soldiers,
sailors and airmen

returned to their families.

Well the end of the
war was a great relief

to me and my father

because we had spent the
war in England, in London

whereas my brothers and

brother-in-laws were
all in the Forces.

So it was a great
relief to see that

they'd all come home

with the exception
of my eldest brother

who had died on the HMS Eagle

in the Java Seas.

The most cheering
sound was the parades

through the town.

They seemed to happen
every Sunday, you know,

every so often there
was another parade.

And on one occasion I
was a Cub, a Cub Scout

and I was pretty small

and they invited me to lead
the parade to the church

because the people who follow
wanted to take my steps.

And there I was
put in the front.

And behind me there
were two policemen,

and behind the policemen
there was the bands,

the boys brigade band
and then the army bands,

the ATC band.

And then there were
the Home Guard.

And then all this strung all
the way down the high street.

And there was I, right
in the front leading it.

And my parents were so proud.

[triumphal band music]

[Narrator] Even though
there was so much work

still to be done,
General Eisenhower

was ordered back to
the United States

to take part in celebrations

including a ticker tape
parade through New York

on June the 29th.

[crowd applauding]

[tense music]

But there were many for
whom the road back home

had been especially
long and arduous.

As the Allied Forces
advanced into Germany

they liberated tens of
thousands of prisoners of war.

Some were out in the open,

as many of the camps had
been emptied by their guards.

Aimlessly, they were marched
around the countryside

with little or no idea
what their fate might be.

I mean, we knew it
was coming to an end,

it was a matter of then,

really, of what the
Germans were gonna do.

And there were lots of
rumors would go around

Germans were gonna shoot
all prisoners of war.

And they were gonna move us
all up into Schleswig-Holstein

where they would use as
bartering counters and so on.

All this sort of thing.

But this was rumors.

We were a long line of

kriegy, that's what
we called ourselves

all muffled up in
whatever we could carry.

And German guards
on each side of us

with bayonets and guns.

German officer at the front

leading the way.

He knew where he was
going, nobody else did.

And, we just struggled
along as best we could.

Sometimes we did

20 kilometers in a day.

Sometimes only 10.

Sometimes we'd have a day
where we'd have to stop

because there was so many
people falling out with bad

feet and blisters and
bad legs and so on.

They just couldn't go any
further so we had to stop.

But mostly they
kept us on the move.

And we had some
very long marches.

And we just collapsed
at the end of it

and tried to make some
food and get some sleep.

We slept in pigsties and
rat-infested places and barns

and all sorts of queer places.

Slept in the open air
a couple of times.

We were in the field,
living in the field

an old farmer's field really.

And the Germans one night
started disappearing.

And we could hear the guns

of the British Second
Army coming along.

And by dawn, the camp
was empty of Germans.

We looked around and

oh by,

10 o'clock, I would
say, that morning

a tank had rolled
up, a British tank

and we said, "Oh, for our sake

"roll some more tanks up."

And all the boys were
having tea down there,

they can't [laughs]

they're in no hurry.

-[plane roaring]
-[guns firing]

[Narrator] With so many
men out in the open,

the danger of a tragic accident

was never far away.

Just after having been
issued with Red Cross parcels

we were attacked by a
squadron of RAF Typhoons.

One can't apportion
any blame to them.

They saw this column
moving alongside a wood

and I would never

express any blame as far
as they were concerned.

But there were

39 people killed

and 50 odd were injured

some of whom died afterwards.

And it was a
shocking experience.

We lost quite a
number in one attack.

I guess, their pilot saw
a long marching column

and they were all
in khaki uniform

or in uniform of some kind,

and thought, "Well, we'll
have a go at these guys."

And they did.

They got the end of our,

end of our march,

a long line, a lot
of people at the end.

I forgot, I think there
was about 17 killed.

But I'm not sure of that number.

And some wounded.

We felt a bit sad

because a lot of them had
been four years in prison camp

and looked like they were
going to survive and get out.

And then to have this happen.

An armored car,
I suppose it was,

sort of came after the
Fife and Forfar Regiment.

They,

British Army came up.

Now we had already
been out down the road

and put notices up saying,

"British prisoners of
war, 500 yards ahead."

Rather like you see out there
on the motorways. [laughs]

So, um, and these guys,

oh, of course, we absolutely

climbed all over this.

They said, "By god," they said,

"damn good job you left those
notices out up out there

"otherwise we'd have had
to have opened fire."

So, anyway, it was great.

That was the end of hostilities

as far as we were concerned.

The Germans gave
themselves up very happily.

[men speaking indistinctly]

[tense music]

[Narrator] As the
prisoners were rounded up

they were brought
back to Britain

as quickly as possible.

The RAF's mighty Avro
Lancaster Bombers

were sent to bring
the prisoners home.

Some arrived back
on VE Day itself.

At the same time
as all the parties

are beginning in Britain,

in the background
is Operation Exodus.

Launched on the
the 3rd of April,

the plan is to fly
back to Britain

all those POWs released
from camps in Europe.

By the time Exodus
finished at the end of May,

345,000 ex-prisoners of war

had been repatriated
by Allied aircraft.

We got back on VE Day and,

we were just bundled in
like 20 in an old lank.

But we couldn't care less.

And we were going,
coming across the Channel

the pilot said,
"Hey you guys look,

"I'm gonna dip the old aircraft.

"We're gonna fly along the
White Cliffs of Dover."

So we did and we landed.

The RAF were coming over to
fly prisoners of war back.

And, you know,
people going on leave

and we got priority.

Which we thought was
our only, our due.

But when we landed we
were given new uniforms,

Tommy's uniforms and deloused
and all that kind of thing.

And I was sent down
to the insolent

from around Guildford,

to our airbase there.

And, I guess, our COIs were
there, COO and these people

they'd all gone home, of course,

as soon as they could.

And I, being a Canadian
was left there.

And I went in thinking
I was well-dressed

in my new Tommy's
uniform, into the mess.

And they, with
their wing hollies

and I went up to the bar

and I thought the old commander

was gonna have a heart attack.

He was just red in
the face and he said,

"You get out of here." [laughs]

So, and I'm, "Well to
the hell with him."

So I got out.

I didn't feel very
comfortable there any way

so I missed my drink there.

And a steward came out from
behind the bar and said,

"I'll lend you a white collar,

"a white shirt and
collar and tie."

So I said, "Fine,"
so I put that on

with my Tommy's uniform,

went down town to Portsmouth

to have a drink
in the bar, a pub.

And they were just
jammed, it was full of,

full of people celebrating.

The streets were full.

So I said, "To heck
with it, I'll go home

"and go to bed and have
a good night's sleep."

First bed I'd been
in for five years.

We got to Paris and then I
got stamped and deloused.

And all that sort of stuff.

And I was under control.

See, before, I was
just wondering around

doing what I wanted to do.

And, uh,

but after we got to Paris.

And then I was sent to a...

We had

repatriation camps
for prisoners of war.

They were called Lucky
Strike, Chesterfield,

all named after
cigarette brands.

And I went to Camp Lucky Strike,

waiting for,

to go back home.

And I bumped into
a buddy of mine

that was shot down about
three months earlier than me.

So we decided to go AWOL

and hop a ride back to England

and get back to the unit,

thinking we'd be able to stay.

The next day they sent
me by transport to B...

Brussels.

There we were interrogated again

and put into a hotel.

And we had to,

I got a new uniform.

Khaki army jump battledress.

And that was VE Night.

And they gave us so much franks.

And we went into town.

And then went to the pictures,

I saw "Arsenic and Old Lace"

and when I came out, everybody
was shouting for joy.

It was VE Night.

And we joined the celebrations.

They deloused us.

That's how we were received.

They just grabbed
us, deloused us,

gave us fresh uniform, fed us,

gave us our dog tags back again.

Got us to the nearest airport

on a lank,

pilots saying standing up even.

There were no seats.

We were just into a lank.

Landed in the Midlands.

One night there.

There was a hospital
there, they checked us out.

And then home.

10 days I was home
at me own home.

Yeah, wonderful, fantastic.

So we hopped a ride on a B-17.

And, got back to England,
made it up to Kings Cliffe.

A big hello with everybody

and telling our war stories

and this sort of stuff.

After about three
days we were told,

"You gotta go back.

"You can't stay because
you're labeled as a POW

"and you have to go through
the bureaucratic process

"of a POW."

So we went back to Lucky Strike.

And I was out on
the last convoy.

I got back to the States
on the 1st of June.

And I got married
on the 13th of June

to my fiance, Josephine, who
my aircraft was named after.

Then,

I had to get my mother's
permission to get married

because I hadn't turned 21 yet.

[Narrator] The former
prisoners were, of course,

glad to be home.

But they would need a period
of adjustment to peace.

Everyone was so glad to see me.

It was just fantastic.

And we had a big
welcoming in Halifax.

They made us,

they took us down
to the mayor's hall

and made a big feast there.

And we were welcomed
home by the mayor

and all the rest of them,

they made a big fuss of us.

Yeah.

Yes, it was a good time.

And I was glad to be
on my own for a bit.

A bit quiet, yeah,

after prison camp.

I'd really judge, I think,

I found concentrating difficult.

And I found my
memory was poorer too

for some time.

So I'd had no
responsibility for anything

for four and a half years.

I was taken prisoner, I was
exactly 20 years of age.

Now I was damn near 25.

And I was still 20 years old.

Because I had no
experience of the world.

So, yes, I did have
some trouble adjusting.

[Narrator] VE Day
meant different things

to different people.

For some, especially for
those in the Armed Services,

it was the relief that
they had survived.

For others, it
meant the resumption

of the normality of daily life

without the fear
of being attacked.

We were glad it was over

for all sorts of reasons.

And...

relieved, I suppose,
to be there.

I mean, I had served right
through, from day one.

And so I was lucky,

very, very lucky.

Army had set up a
sort of field kitchen

and I had the most
memorable meal of my life,

white bread and jam
and a cup of tea.

Sweet tea.

After three years,
black German bread,

that was memorable.

All we did think of
was food, of course.

I can remember once they
took us to a canteen where

they were feeding us.

And there was a long line,
of course, marching up.

And that line never stopped.

It went on and on till
all the food was gone.

In the end I had to say, "I'm
sorry, there's just no more.

"You've eaten
everything we've got."

And it just kept,

if you finished you went
round again, you see.

You went round and round.

You were lucky if
you got two helpings.

But I always remember that.

We just ate everything in sight.

I spent three
quarters of an hour

standing under a hot shower

'cause I hadn't had a
bath in god knows when.

And,

and had a sleep.

Then we were given
travel warrants

and so on and so forth.

And clothes, did
we get any clothes?

Yeah, you must've been,

you must've been given
battledress, I think.

I can't remember.

Battledress and a kit bag.

That's right.

And,

you had a travel
warrant to go home.

I remember looking forward to

bananas coming.

I had never eaten a banana until

I was six or seven years old.

And my mother came home
triumphantly with this thing,

unpeeled it for me.

And I thought it was dreadful.

I'd been really looking
forward to it for years.

A banana!

From the Caribbean.

And there was this thing
without any taste whatsoever.

[crowd cheering]

[Narrator] For the crowds
happily celebrating

the victory in Europe,

there was a cloud
on the horizon.

[poignant music]

There were many for whom
the Second World War

was far from over.

In the Far East, the
war raged against Japan.

Even as the parties
in London and Paris

continued into the night,

US forces were locked
in a deadly battle

for the Island of Okinawa.

It was to be one of
the major battles

of the Allies' Pacific Campaign.

Because if the Americans
succeeded in capturing it,

they would have
access to airfields,

which were just over 300 miles

from the Japanese home islands.

For 82 days the battle raged

as the Japanese defenders

mounted a desperate resistance.

Finally, on June the 22nd,
the Japanese surrendered

what little there was left.

It seemed that the
battle to defeat Japan

was only going to be achieved

by a monstrous cost
in human lives.

[gravel crunching]

Britain and her allies
were also fighting

equally bitter battles in Burma.

It looked like more forces
were going to be needed

to defeat the Japanese army.

In the end, they
were not needed.

On August the 6th,
a lone US bomber

dropped an atomic bomb
on the City of Hiroshima.

Two days later,

a second bomb was
dropped on Nagasaki.

At the same time, the
Russians invaded Manchuria.

Japan's resources
were exhausted.

And it's will to fight, crushed.

On September the
2nd, Japan signed

an unconditional surrender.

The Second World War was over.

Although the victory
over Japan was celebrated

the event was for many a
more personal experience

than the wild fervor of VE Day.

[crowd cheering]

I was wounded, of course.

I'd very.

But that was on the
first day of peace.

What happened was, I was tour
expired on the 29th of June.

But, getting out of
Burma was difficult.

So I was waiting for
transport with my navigator

and we were on the squadron
for another two months

waiting for a transport.

So by this time the
squad moved from Kinmagon

to Hmawbi, which was in Rangoon,

just north of Rangoon.

And when we got there

I mean, I wasn't doing anything,

I wasn't flying anything.

But the war ended with
the atom bomb thing.

And, of course, a big
celebration in the mess.

And...

The non-drinkers, now
I don't drink you see,

there were five of
us who didn't drink.

When they start
singing songs that,

ah, it's

boring.

So we went back to our tents.

And we, each of us, had a
bomb thrown in the tent.

What happened was, there was

a raiding party of
Japanese in the jungle.

They didn't know
the war was over.

They attacked the airfield.

They had damaged aircraft.

And we had no defenses.

They withdrew all
arms on the first day

because of the celebrations
after the First World War,

caused so many accidents

that they withdrew all arms.

So we were undefended.

[poignant music]

[Narrator] Meanwhile in Europe,

there was the formidable task
of building a lasting peace.

The last days of the war

had created millions of refugees

as those that could, left
their bombed out cities.

The straggling
groups of civilians

burdened down by what
they could carry,

joined German soldiers on
the roads heading west,

desperate to escape the
advancing Russian armies.

Thousands of German
prisoners of war

were held in pens
to be processed

before they could be released.

It had already been
decided by the Allies

that those responsible

for some of the most appalling
crimes in human history

would be put on trial
for their crimes.

Not surprisingly,

many tried to slip
through in disguise.

Children played
amongst the ruins.

Many had been badly traumatized

by what they had seen.

As so many able-bodied
men were gone,

it was left to the
women and the old men

to begin the grim
task of rebuilding

stone-by-stone.

Although the Russians
had captured Berlin,

it was agreed that it would
be divided into four zones,

each under the control
of the Americans,

British, French and Russians.

Montgomery and the
7th Armored Division

was tasked with overseeing

the reconstruction of
the British sector.

When they arrived at
the beginning of July,

even the
battle-hardened veterans

of the famous Desert Rats

were shocked by what they found.

The stench of death
was everywhere.

Below the rubble
lay rotting corpses.

The civilians had been
reluctant to disturb anything

in case they released disease.

Building the peace was
not going to be easy.

[steady music]

In Britain there
was the challenge

of not only rebuilding the
physical damage of war,

but also how to demobilize

millions of
servicemen and women.

With over five
million in uniform,

a release program was devised

that gave priority to age

and the number of months served.

There aren't gonna be
some problems for me

when I get out of E and O.

-I'll say.
-There's me job,

I've grown out of
the one I was in.

Beside, I want a better one,

now I've got a wife
and kid to keep.

-Well, there's an answer.
-Well suppose

that I start up on me own.

A small shop or
something like that.

How would I go about it?

-There's a--
-And the wife.

She must be full of problems.

What with trying
to find a new house

and making a claim for the
old one that was blitzed

and getting furniture.

-Well there's a--
-And honestly pal

I still don't know what I get

-for my bit in this war.
-Well listen,

in Civvy Street now.

Blow me, that's quick ain't it.

[Narrator] There's a
resettlement advice service

in all areas.

There's one in your district.

This is what it looks like.

It's run by the
Ministry of Labor.

This is what it's like inside.

You can discuss your
problems in private.

[calm music]

[Narrator] In the search
for a lasting peace,

delegates representing
50 countries

had been meeting
in San Francisco

for the first United
Nations Conference

on International Organization.

Their objective was
to find a mechanism

that could prevent wars,

like the one the world
was just emerging from.

In the last six terrible years,

unnumbered men have died

to give humanity another chance;

unnumbered men have died

because they felt

there was a job of
work to be done.

We too, have a job of work to do

if we are not to fail these men.

Let us do it with courage,
modesty and dispatch.

Let us do it now.

[audience applauding]

[Narrator] They agreed
to a new UN Charter

marking the birth of
the United Nations.

On June the 24th,

two days before the United
Nations Conference ended

the Russians mounted the longest

and largest military parade

ever held in
Moscow's Red Square.

[crowd cheering]

Over 40,000 Red Army soldiers

and 1,850 military vehicles

joined the parade that
lasted over two hours.

The Big Three Wartime Allies

of Russia, Britain
and the United States,

met just one more
time in Potsdam

in July the 17th, 1945.

Their objective was
to reach an agreement

as to how a post-war
Germany might look.

But the old chemistry
that had seen them through

previous conferences
and disagreements

was no longer there.

Although they agreed to
continue fighting as allies

in the war against Japan,

the lack of a common
enemy in Europe

meant that there
was little consensus

as to how to deal with Germany.

It seemed as if the old mistakes

of the Treaty of Versailles

that marked the end
of the First World War

had been forgotten.

They did agree, however,

to redraw Germany's borders

and divide the country up
into four zones of control

under the Russians,
Americans, British

and the French.

Industrial capability
was also limited

as it was hoped that the country
could rebuild its economy

on a more ruralized
and crafts model;

a plan that was soon abandoned.

By the summer of 1945,

much had changed in Europe.

Roosevelt had died in office,

Churchill had been
swept from power

in the general election.

Stalin was left
to rule the roost.

The old wartime alliances
were starting to crumble.

And a new world order
was taking shape.

The Cold War was about to begin.

[marching band music]

[Narrator] The split
between the Allies

led to controversy

over Britain's last
victory parade in 1946.

The decision was taken

to mark the end of the war
against Germany and Japan

with one final parade.

All the countries that had
fought alongside Britain

were to be represented
and duly honored.

But the Poles were not invited.

The date chosen was
June the 8th, 1946.

And thousands flocked
to watch the parade.

Well it was just
general knowledge

that there was going
to be this huge parade.

And we knew that it was going
to be a mass attendance.

So I had a friend I
worked with at that time,

David Packnall.

And we decided that
we'd stay out all night

in order to get a prime
position in the Mall

to watch the parade.

And we did that.

[band music]

[Narrator] The Victory Parade

perhaps lacked the excitement
of the VE Day celebrations.

There wasn't the
exuberance and spontaneity

that had been the hallmark
of events the year before.

The parade itself
went on and on and on.

It was, seemed hours long.

And I don't think we stayed
to the end to be honest.

But we went off then to
find something to eat.

[bright music]

[Narrator] There had been time

to reflect on the
cost to Britain.

And it was becoming clear

that the cost had
been very high,

with very little to show for it.

It would take
Britain a long time

to recover from victory.

Almost as long as it
would take the Germans

to recover from defeat.

But over one million people

had packed the streets of London

on May the 8th, 1945.

For many it was
just the sheer joy

and relief that the war
was, at least for them,

finally over.

There had been the sacrifices,
fear and uncertainty.

But they had survived.

Whatever difficulties lay ahead

they knew that Britain
had done the right thing.

It alone had held
the moral leadership

to stand up against the Nazis

at a time when everyone
else was willing to cave in.

Some celebrating may
have even found a moment

to reflect on what
the future might hold.

That after two world wars,

this time really had
to be the last time.