Original subtitles

*

Narrator: an underground Compound that contained

The power To pull apart a nation...

To even get an idea Of the immensity of this place,

You really have To get down there.

It'll blow your mind.

Narrator: ...A pioneering complex home

To a covert plot that could've Changed the world forever...

It's rare to be sad About a death averted,

But in this case, I think we can be.

But in this case, I think we can be.

Narrator: ...And a desolate landscape

With a mysterious past...

As they started digging away, They found bodies

That showed evidence That they'd been murdered.

*

Narrator: decaying relics,

Ruins of lost worlds

Forged through years of toil

Now haunted by the past.

Now haunted by the past.

Their secrets Waiting to be revealed.

*

-- captions by vitac -- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

*

In a remote part Of washington state,

Miles from the nearest town Lies an incredibly secret site.

Miles from the nearest town Lies an incredibly secret site.

*

The area now is desolate with Barren land

And a junkyard all around.

There aren't a lot of people.

There's not a lot going on, so If you wanted to hide something,

It would be A good place to do it.

There are these large Concrete pads.

There are these structures In the ground

That you can't quite place.

That you can't quite place.

The site gives very little Indication of what it is

That's underground.

To find out, You have to investigate.

Narrator: to do that, You have to go deep,

Deep underground.

This is clearly a highly Engineered structure,

And the fact that they put So much underground indicated

They must've had A really good reason

Not to just build a building On the surface.

Not to just build a building On the surface.

It's completely dark underground With rusted tunnels

Leading off into the darkness,

Giving the impression That the site is far larger

Than the human eye can see.

If you want to actually find out What's there,

You need somebody to get their Scuba suit on and go on in.

*

With so much water In the tunnels,

It begs the question Whether this was

The cause of the end Of operations at this site.

*

*

Narrator: Scuba diver jim brockus

Has spent many years

Exploring this baffling site.

So if you're looking for clues To what this site

And this area actually was,

You really don't have to look Any farther for the biggest clue

Because I'm standing on it.

These are actually Two very large doors.

These are actually Two very large doors.

They weigh 125 tons For each half,

So you can imagine The size of these doors,

What it would take To lift them up.

*

The structure is something Enormous.

The engineering That was behind all of it

And the capabilities To build something out

In this remote area Of this magnitude,

It just makes your mind spin Of what could this possibly be?

It just makes your mind spin Of what could this possibly be?

*

Narrator: So why put all this engineering

In the middle of nowhere?

The answer lies In the nuclear-fueled politics

Of the 1950s

When the united states And soviet union

Were on the brink of a war Of an unprecedented scale.

Selwood: The threat of the cold war

Was real And very frightening.

America had never been In this position before

With the specter Of annihilation

Seemingly around every corner.

Seemingly around every corner.

Meigs: The logic of nuclear weapons

Is absolutely terrifying.

There was this crazy logic

Called mutually assured Destruction, mad,

That meant that the only way To really be safe

Was to convince your opponent That even if they hit you first,

You could still strike back And wipe them off the map.

Narrator: the u.S. Needed A weapons program

That would spread fear Into the heart of their enemy,

And with soviet ground forces Growing in size

And with soviet ground forces Growing in size

Along the border region Of western europe,

Time was running out.

Once the soviets acquire Nuclear weapons,

Deterrence for the west Is absolutely central

Because the western forces Are vastly outnumbered.

*

Narrator: their answer was to Build a weapons system

That had the power to blow apart A whole nation --

The titan missile.

These rockets were State-of-the-art technology

These rockets were State-of-the-art technology

Of the sort That nasa was using.

They had a range of 6,000 miles And reached speeds of up

To 25 times the speed of sound By the time the engines cut out.

*

Narrator: but to guarantee You could strike back,

You needed to insure you could Survive an initial attack,

And that is where this hidden Facility came into play --

The larson air base titan I Missile silo.

The larson air base titan I Missile silo.

*

Well, right now, we're about 40 feet underground.

To even get an idea Of the immensity of this place,

You really have to Get down there

And see the size Of those launch tubes

And the other supporting Structures that are down.

That are just -- It'll blow your mind.

Narrator: today, much of this Facility lies beneath water.

Narrator: today, much of this Facility lies beneath water.

*

When you get to the launcher,

You'll be on The service elevator,

And the service elevator Is permanently stuck

At the top end of the missile,

Which is where it was Frozen into place

From the water And lack of service,

And that's where you step off of When you begin the dive.

That's really where you see The enormity

Of the launch tubes Themselves.

You look overhead, And you see those launch doors.

They're closed, 125 tons a piece.

They're closed, 125 tons a piece.

*

Narrator: across this site Are three of these spaces.

*

The three silos were all linked By tunnels

Containing living quarters, A medical center,

And most crucially A command-and-control center,

And these were all entered Around the missiles

To maximize the speed

With which they could be Got ready and fired.

Brockus: So we're in the control room.

This is definitely the heart Of the facility.

This is definitely the heart Of the facility.

The control systems in this room Controlled the fueling,

The liquid oxygen, The rocket propellant,

The whole launch sequence,

The raising of the antennas

Because those also had To be done,

And the initialization Of the countdown,

Which we have to remember Took 15 minutes from the time

That they hit the go button.

*

Narrator: The men behind the controls

Narrator: The men behind the controls

Had the power To unleash armageddon,

And one tiny mistake Could cost them their country.

Brockus: there would always be Probably six people in here.

They were very isolated, Very lonely I'm sure,

But they probably were a real Close group with the other four

Or six guys that were here.

I mean, they were family, But at the same time

They were gonna take it Very serious,

But they knew if they were Called into service,

It might be the last service They ever do.

It might be the last service They ever do.

*

Narrator: so were the men down Here ever called into action,

And why is this site

Now submerged Under gallons of water?

*

Narrator: Deep in washington state

Is a titan missile silo

That was on the front line Of america's cold war defense.

Alert 24 hours a day,

This was one of many similar Sites across the country.

Selwood: Titan wasn't the only program

The americans were running.

Simultaneously, they were also Developing the atlas program,

Simultaneously, they were also Developing the atlas program,

And this was an indication

Of just how desperate They were to make sure

They had the best technology At any given moment.

Narrator: But why go to all the effort

To bury these missiles So far underground?

*

You put missiles deep In the ground

With massive armored covers And concrete around them,

And unless you score A direct hit

And unless you score A direct hit

On that complex,

That is going to survive,

And if it survives A nuclear strike,

Then you can fire Your retaliation.

That's what they were Gambling on that enough missiles

Would survive an attack

That we could then open up The silos and launch back.

*

Narrator: But putting it underground

Caused some serious problems.

Caused some serious problems.

One key danger was that The groundwater level

At the site was high,

And the water had to be Pumped continuously

To keep it out of the system.

Technologically, It's a simple problem to solve,

But looking around At the flooding today,

It's clear quite how Catastrophic it could've been

If it had gone wrong.

Narrator: but water was not The only danger

These silos faced.

These silos faced.

Storing hundreds of tons Of highly flammable rocket fuel

Presented its own risks.

Fueling the missile Is a very complex process,

And it's very, Very dangerous,

And if you make The slightest mistake,

It can be very, very fatal.

Narrator: fortunately, these Missiles were never launched.

In fact, the site was only Active three years

Before it was left abandoned, But why?

Before it was left abandoned, But why?

Meigs: this period with The titan missiles

Didn't last that long.

Ultimately, they designed Better missiles,

More reliable,

That didn't require These dangerous liquid fuels,

So the program was actually Being phased out by 1965.

*

Narrator: today, this site Sits abandoned and alone,

But its history And what it was built for

Helped keep a nation safe.

Helped keep a nation safe.

Meigs: looking back, It seems so insane.

We spent hundreds of billions Of dollars

On these missiles In holes in the ground.

The soviets pretty much Wrecked their economy

Trying to keep up In building their own missiles,

And yet, in a perverse way,

It worked in the sense That we never had a major war,

Either nuclear Or non-nuclear,

During that entire period Of the cold war.

*

*

Narrator: south of Germany's capital, berlin,

Is a former hangout Of celebrities

And crucible of a deadly plan

That nearly changed The course of human history.

*

Wawro: You come upon this site,

And it's surrounded By farmland, fields.

There's some broken tarmac Around it.

It's got these big, Cavernous buildings.

It's got these big, Cavernous buildings.

The design is clearly meant To incorporate

All of the most modern materials Of mid-20th century technology.

Wawro: this has to have some Kind of important purpose.

Here we have a building

That has got very few Internal supports,

Very high roof, thin walls.

The building is designed

So that you can build Very big things inside.

Narrator: some things around The site didn't seem to add up.

Narrator: some things around The site didn't seem to add up.

Inside, they're defaced With all kinds of graffiti

In multiple languages, Especially russian,

And that, of course, Begs the question,

Why are these buildings In the heart of germany

Filled with russian graffiti?

*

Narrator: in the 1930s,

A pastime was booming In popularity across the world.

New feats were being achieved That astounded fans.

New feats were being achieved That astounded fans.

The 1930s is really The golden age of flight.

*

At this time, Pilots were celebrities.

They were adventurers Of the sky.

Wawro: You've got charles lindberg

Making the transatlantic flight

In the spirit Of st. Louis in 1927.

Then in the early '30s You've got the flights

Of amelia earhart And italo balbo,

And we're seeing european And american fliers

And we're seeing european And american fliers

Crossing the atlantic

Expanding the boundaries of Flight more and more and more.

Narrator: at the heart of this Was rangsdorf,

Originally home to the booker Airplane manufacturer

Who was world-renowned For building

And testing sports planes here.

*

Knut hentzschel is A historian at the site.

Interpreter: rangsdorf, was very Popular among the pilots.

Interpreter: rangsdorf, was very Popular among the pilots.

Many famous people trained At the flight school

In rangsdorf.

Even the famous ocean pilot Charles lindberg visited.

*

So this is a place That's not far from berlin,

And in the early 20th century,

The most exciting thing You could do

Is learn how to fly a plane,

And people with money Would come from berlin,

And people with money Would come from berlin,

And they would get Their flying lessons here.

*

Narrator: so what caused this

Once-glamorous facility's Downfall,

And what terrible event Made this site notorious?

*

Just a few miles from berlin Is an airport

That was once home To the rich and powerful,

But with the onset of war,

All that was soon To disappear.

The germans were banned By the treaty of versailles

From having any Offensive weapons,

So they weren't allowed To have heavy artillery.

They weren't allowed To have tanks.

They weren't allowed To have tanks.

They weren't allowed To have submarines.

They weren't allowed to have Big battleships,

And they weren't allowed To have aircraft.

So the german government Encourages private individuals

To join flying clubs And learn how to fly,

And the german government Encourages companies

To build private planes For people

Who want to learn how to fly.

And they would have these Sport airports, like rangsdorf,

And they would have these Sport airports, like rangsdorf,

Where fliers Could practice flying

And say they were doing it for A sport not for military use,

But, meanwhile, this was

Basically the seeds Of the luftwaffe.

*

Narrator: Rangsdorf was at the heart

Of this covert operation,

But there is something About this airfield

That is notably missing.

Interpreter: unlike today When every airport

Has one or more runways

Made of concrete, planes started And landed on grass.

Made of concrete, planes started And landed on grass.

At that time, the engines Were quite weak,

So they always had To start against the wind.

The round shape of the airfield Allowed planes to take off

In every direction, Wherever the wind came from.

*

Narrator: Once war broke out in 1939,

There was no longer a need For this ruse.

Along with most of Industrial germany,

Along with most of Industrial germany,

Rangsdorf was pressed Into supporting the war effort.

Inside these hangers,

Some of the first Military planes

Took the place Of civilian aircraft.

Interpreter: We're standing here in front of

The so-called Special building.

This building was built Especially for war production.

The aircraft parts That the germans

Built at the rangsdorf airfield

Using foreign prisoners of war Were for some of the most

Using foreign prisoners of war Were for some of the most

Important planes in The german arsenal,

Like the stuka dive bomber, Like the focke-wulf fighter.

*

Interpreter: we're in The final assembly hall

Where planes were assembled.

The aircrafts stood very close Together, side-by-side.

The engines were installed.

The wings were mounted,

And finally, The aircraft were weighed.

Here you can see the remnants Of the aircraft scale

Where the center of gravity Was measured.

Where the center of gravity Was measured.

After they were done With the measurements,

The big hall gates Were pushed open,

And the planes were Driven out to field.

Narrator: the parts And planes made here

Were key To the german war effort,

So it is slightly ironic

That a place That helped the rise of hitler

Was to become the scene Of a plot to stop him.

The airport really cemented It's place in history

On july 20, 1944, When a high-ranking officer

Named claus von stauffenberg Boarded an aircraft

Named claus von stauffenberg Boarded an aircraft

To fly to hitler's high-command Post for an important meeting.

He carried with him a briefcase With two bombs.

*

When he arrived at the meeting,

He found an excuse To go off to the toilet.

He armed the bomb.

He came back And put it in position.

[ explosion ]

And stauffenberg leaves Hitler's bunker in rastenberg,

And stauffenberg leaves Hitler's bunker in rastenberg,

Hears the explosion, assumes That hitler is gonna be dead

Because he placed His briefcase bomb

Essentially at hitler's feet Under the table.

Narrator: Unfortunately for stauffenberg,

The briefcase and bomb

Are moved behind A heavy table leg,

Which takes most of the force Of the blast.

Hitler is wounded but alive.

*

Interpreter: we still have The original flight order

Documenting his return flight.

Documenting his return flight.

Stauffenberg landed in Rangsdorf probably not

Knowing that the assassination Attempt had failed.

*

Wawro: eventually, stauffenberg And all the other plotters

Are rounded up And brutally executed.

Some shot, some tortured, Interrogated,

And then hung on meat hooks To die slow deaths,

And hitler watches the videos Of those executions.

*

Narrator: the war dragged on For another bloody year,

Narrator: the war dragged on For another bloody year,

And soon rangsdorf would have New equally brutal owners.

Interpreter: the place was Vacated in late april 1945.

The next day, the soviet army Took over this airfield

And also flew Their attacks on berlin.

Meigs: the soviets were great at Taking over infrastructure

And putting it to new use,

So they took over The manufacturing facilities

And used it to build engines And specifically jet engines.

And used it to build engines And specifically jet engines.

They built helicopter pads So they could use it

As a base For helicopter operations,

And they occupied the airport For many years.

*

Narrator: following The reunification of germany

In 1990,

The soviets soon abandoned Rangsdorf and the airfield

Was left to decay.

*

Today, rangsdorf stands empty And forgotten,

Today, rangsdorf stands empty And forgotten,

But it's important place In history

Should always be remembered.

We look at a lot of nazi sites,

And we see a lot of darkness And evil and despair,

And it really means something When we look at this airfield

To think about The small number of people

Who had the moral courage To put their lives on the line

Who had the moral courage To put their lives on the line

To stop the darkness.

*

*

Narrator: deep in a remote Corner of colorado

Lies an incredible landscape

That for decades was forgotten And unexplored.

*

The environment's a really Remarkable topographical feast.

The environment's a really Remarkable topographical feast.

You've got these Plunging canyons and valleys.

You've got flat-top hills Everywhere.

It's a visual feast.

Meigs: it's a land of cliffs,

Narrow spaces, mysteries.

You could hide away in here

For a long time And not be found.

Narrator: and it seems someone Wanted to do exactly that

Because hidden away

Deep in the rocks

Deep in the rocks

Are some Extraordinary remains.

What's unique about this site Is if you were walking along

And you didn't happen to Glance up you might miss it.

This is an area that holds A lot of history,

But it's not always visible On the surface.

*

Narrator: and it isn't just one Or two of these remains.

They are everywhere.

They go on and on and on.

They go on and on and on.

It's not just a few Small dwellings.

It's actually, you know, A sort of town,

Almost like a city In the cliffs.

They're truly awe-inspiring not Only because of where they are,

That they're on rock face, That they're high up,

But the sheer size of them.

There are little cliff dwellings Tucked in almost everywhere,

Very hard to see in some cases,

Far off the ground, incredibly Remote and inaccessible.

Far off the ground, incredibly Remote and inaccessible.

Narrator: So why are these remains here,

And what terrifying danger

Were the people Who built them hiding from?

*

In the late 19th century,

A group of men Made an amazing discovery.

*

So I have something pretty Incredible to show you,

But first we have to get up To the top of the ladder.

Narrator: cristy brown is A guide at the site.

Narrator: cristy brown is A guide at the site.

She has spent the last 15 years Studying the ruins

And learning more about The people that built them.

*

So we just climbed 32 feet Up this ladder,

But we're hundreds of feet Above the canyon bottom,

And we're about to go into Balcony house.

Narrator: the men Who discovered this site

Stumbled upon it by accident.

The first, you know, people that We really credit

The first, you know, people that We really credit

With discovering these sites Were the wetherills.

They were a ranching family Out of mancos,

And they started recognizing, You know, what they were seeing

As dark shapes on the cliffside Was actually a cliff dwelling.

*

Can you imagine what it was like To scramble up here

And walk into These ancient homes

And realize You might be the first person

To set foot in here

Since the original Inhabitants left?

Since the original Inhabitants left?

*

Narrator: in fact, the group had Accidentally discovered

One of the most important

Ancient sites In north america --

Mesa verde.

*

But what had they found?

Who built it, And why is it now abandoned?

*

*

In the dry southwest of america Is mesa verde,

A site that laid Forgotten for centuries.

After its discovery, you could Imagine as an archaeologist

This would be An absolute playground,

So there was a lot To be uncovered,

And as They started digging away,

They found more And more and more.

So just like Any true curiosity,

So just like Any true curiosity,

You know, the more we learn

And the more the earlier Archaeologists learned

About what was going on here, The more questions they had.

*

Narrator: The mysteries were vast,

But there are clues that lie

In the buildings That can help identify

Who these people were and when The buildings were built.

So we look at the openings Of these sites,

And we think that They're windows

And we think that They're windows

Because they're so small,

But in actuality They're doorways,

And that helps us understand How tall these people

Were in stature.

And we look back in history,

And we can start dating, You know,

When these people might have Been around this area.

*

Once archaeologists Really began

To investigate These cliff dwellings,

They realize this was an era Of native american life

They realize this was an era Of native american life

That we didn't know Anything about,

And it predated All of the tribes

And peoples That were in that region

When the first people Of european descent

Started to come into that area.

*

Narrator: the archaeologists Discovered this was home

To the ancestral puebloans.

The ancestral puebloans had To have been very skilled

Not only in terms of making Baskets, making pottery,

Not only in terms of making Baskets, making pottery,

Making things that would sort Of help serve everyday life.

They engineered this space,

And it's something To really marvel at.

Narrator: so many amazing Discoveries were made,

But the most enlightening And incredible

Was that the cliff dwellings At 800 years old

Were just the tip Of the iceberg.

*

*

This was just a small piece

Of a bigger part Of a huge puzzle.

The archaeologists have Unearthed some 4,700 sites

Over tens of thousands Of square miles

That these people have made A success over many,

Many years living in this area.

Narrator: curiously, These precarious sites

Were not their first homes.

So although the cliff dwellings

Were some of the first sites To be discovered,

Were some of the first sites To be discovered,

The archaeologists realized That the history of these people

Went back much, much further.

What we're seeing here is one of Those dwellings that they were

Living in before they were In the cliff dwellings.

This pueblo-style construction Allowed them to be closer

To their crops And at the same time

Allowed them to take advantage Of habitation

For their expanding population.

Narrator: The ancestral puebloans

Thrived on these mesa tops.

Thrived on these mesa tops.

At its height, there were 30,000 People living in the area.

They developed roads, Built sun temples,

Reservoirs, And farmed the land.

Mitchell: the ancestral puebloan People were able to command

Around 40,000 Square miles of land.

This puts them on par with The sort of most important

Ancient civilizations In the americas,

And so they're incredibly Significant.

They were able to establish An empire, if you will.

They were able to establish An empire, if you will.

Narrator: But then something changed.

They suddenly decided In the late 1190s to give up

All they had on the mesa tops

And migrate from the flats

To the cliff enclaves below.

One has to wonder why it is That a culture that was doing

So well on the mesa tops moved Into these cliff dwellings,

And then the mystery deepens Whenever you realize

And then the mystery deepens Whenever you realize

That they were only here For a short period of time

And then they left.

Whatever drove these people From their open villages

And their mesa-top farms Into these remote, dangerous,

Difficult cliff dwellings,

It must have been A powerful force.

Mitchell: You have to wonder whether

There were ecological concerns

Or whether they were trying To find more secure dwellings.

They might've been at war With other indigenous people,

They might've been at war With other indigenous people,

And so there are all sorts Of things

That are kind of hard to know.

There must've been something That was so terrifying

That they would take these risks Of dragging their families

And their babies up These cliff faces

To live in these tiny, Cramped little rooms,

But whatever it was That they were fleeing

From made it worth it.

*

Narrator: so what secrets Do these ruins reveal?

Narrator: so what secrets Do these ruins reveal?

What happened to The site's inhabitants?

*

Narrator: In the high cliffs of colorado

Are the amazing ruins Of mesa verde.

Because the civilization Is so undocumented

And there's no written Language associated with it

In terms Of archaeological finds,

There's no real way of fully

Understanding the great extent Of this civilization.

What was it's final demise? We'll probably never know.

What was it's final demise? We'll probably never know.

Narrator: for decades,

Researchers have Debated the possible reasons

That could've caused this Ancient civilization to fall.

The site seems to have only been Used for 100 years,

And a grim discovery May point to a violent end.

*

They found bodies that showed Evidence that

They'd been murdered,

And so that led people To start thinking,

And so that led people To start thinking,

"Well, certainly Something is happening

In terms of a conflict."

Now whether that's internal Or external, we can postulate.

Although there's a lot Of theories

About why these people left,

Whether it was conflict With groups of people coming in,

Whether it was just Societal changes in general,

Whether it was a drought Or a change in climate,

We really don't have a good Answer as to why they left.

*

*

Today, these haunting ruins Stand as a legacy

To the vanished people That built them.

When you look at these Beautiful cliff dwellings,

You look at the effort That went into them,

You look at all the engineering Work and brilliance,

And then you realize they were Only here for a heartbeat,

You know, maybe two generations, So it's a tragedy.

*

*

Narrator: on the paradise island Of st. Lucia,

Extensive ruins Dominate the land

Pointing to a brutal time In its past.

*

It's a tropical paradise With these brilliant beaches,

And you see these

Crumbling european buildings.

It was obviously in use For a good long time

And was worth a great deal Of investment,

And was worth a great deal Of investment,

And now it is absolutely Going to pieces.

Narrator: but why were there So many substantial buildings

Constructed on such a remote Tropical island so long ago?

*

Nusbacher: this place is Clearly very, very important.

This is The center of a struggle

Over something Worth a great deal.

It's hard to believe That an area so idyllic

Can be a site for So much violence and conflict.

Can be a site for So much violence and conflict.

Narrator: but what did St. Lucia have to offer

That meant it was to become

One of the most fought-over Islands in the world?

*

In the 17th century, The caribbean,

With its fertile soils And warm climate,

Was the perfect place to grow Lucrative crops like sugar,

Which were in high demand In europe.

Nusbacher: sugar islands In the caribbean

Nusbacher: sugar islands In the caribbean

Meant money For the home country.

Every country in europe

Wanted to have A sugar island or two.

Narrator: but there was another Incredibly valuable feature of

The island -- castries harbor.

The deporter harbor, that's The real value of the place.

It has tremendous Strategic importance.

Narrator: France and great britain,

The two superpowers Of the 18th century,

Clashed over this territory Again and again,

Clashed over this territory Again and again,

And these ruined fortifications Were both sides

Attempts to keep control.

Dr. Gregor williams is an expert On these defenses.

We're walking towards The half moon battery,

Which was built by the french

When they started serious Fortifications in st. Lucia.

*

*

In each of these would've been An eight-inch canon.

*

France, with those canons,

Would be defending The entrance to the harbor

From the british ships That really wanted to go in.

In st. Lucia they talk About seven times french,

Seven times british,

Meaning they passed from french To british control

Seven times As these great powers

Fought for control Of this island.

Narrator: eventually, After years of bloodshed,

Narrator: eventually, After years of bloodshed,

The fighting between the french And british came to an end,

And the military structures

That dotted the island Were abandoned.

If this british-held island Was now at peace,

What new deadly menace

Saw these fortifications Fight for survival once more?

*

*

Narrator: on the tropical island Of st. Lucia

Sit some fearsome defenses,

Which hadn't been used For decades,

But with the onset Of world war ii,

They were about to be Called back into action.

Williams: when the war started,

These buildings had been Unoccupied.

They were sitting here Doing nothing,

They were sitting here Doing nothing,

So the british engaged These buildings

To house soldiers Of the second world war.

The caribbean becomes a vital Front during world war ii

Because you think about The allies in europe,

The red army, the u.S. Army, The british army,

They were all basically supplied With oil from the united states,

And so, all this oil transited Through the gulf of mexico,

Through the caribbean in tankers Headed for europe.

Through the caribbean in tankers Headed for europe.

Narrator: the german navy, The kriegsmarine,

Saw an opportunity to throttle These essential supplies.

The germans are trying to use Very efficient weapons,

Small warships, and submarines,

To sink as much Britain-bound commerce,

Including american ships,

As they possibly can.

Narrator: their tool of choice Was the secretive,

Narrator: their tool of choice Was the secretive,

Cunning, and deadly u-boat.

Wawro: it's sort of Cat-and-mouse stuff.

As the allies are hunting These german u-boats,

The german u-boats are trying To dart into inlets and coves,

Try to resupply themselves

And avoid detection By the allied destroyers.

Every port in north america,

The caribbean was filled With people nervously

Scanning the sea For periscopes.

Scanning the sea For periscopes.

Narrator: new fortifications Were built to try and protect

The island From the unstoppable nazis.

Williams: We're on meadows battery.

First of all, there was an old French fortification here.

Then the british came in,

And then they established this During the second world war

When then were fighting Against the germans.

Another thing that these Structures tell us

Is the immense scale Of the second world war

And how it really touched Every corner of the globe.

And how it really touched Every corner of the globe.

No place was spared from it.

Narrator: on the night of March 9, 1942,

Michael chasta was just A young boy when he witnessed

These fortifications Swing into action once more.

*

In the hours of 9 and midnight,

We heard this very loud Explosion,

So we were immediately awoken, And we looked out the veranda,

So we were immediately awoken, And we looked out the veranda,

And we saw a number of people, And when they were questioned,

They said that We were under attack.

It was a lot of pandemonium.

Narrator: the meadow battery Spat out machine-gun fire

Into the dark waters below,

But the great harbor of castries That had lain peacefully

For decades Had been breached once again.

The german u-boat u-161 Sneaks silently into the harbor,

The german u-boat u-161 Sneaks silently into the harbor,

Fires its torpedoes and sinks Two massive british freighters

That are anchored there -- An 8,000-ton freighter,

A 5,000-ton freighter.

Both sink very quickly With great loss of life.

The german u-boats Actually came in from this end.

Yeah.

They came up quite quickly Because it's not a long harbor,

And they knew We were ill-prepared.

The st. Lucia policeman,

The constable who is Looking down at the harbor

The constable who is Looking down at the harbor

From these old fortifications

With his creaking Nordenfelt machine gun

Is able to bring The u-boat under fire

And able to force It back out of the harbor.

Narrator: u-161 was the last Invader of the island.

After the war, the military Structures that had dominated

Castries for so long Were finally abandoned.

*

*

Today, the mighty fortifications Of castries

Are silent once more,

A testament To a tumultuous past.

The second world war is not just A story of the big countries

And the big battles.

Here it is a story That is as intimate

As a small island's Own harbor.

*