Original subtitles

*

Narrator: A MONSTER MACHINE IN UKRAINE, SEEMINGLY HIGH-TECH,

YET LEFT TO RUST IN A GIANT HANGAR...

AND YOU SEE A WING STRUCTURE, PART OF A FUSELAGE,

AND THEN, LOOMING OVER ALL OF IT,

IS THIS ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS AIRCRAFT.

*

Narrator: ...A GHOSTLY FACILITY SPRAWLING ACROSS

NORTHERN INDIANA, DISPLAYING STRANGE FEATURES...

NORTHERN INDIANA, DISPLAYING STRANGE FEATURES...

SO, WE'VE GOT SLIDES COMING OUT OF THESE BUILDINGS,

AND THOSE ARE NOT THERE FOR FUN.

...AND A COLLECTION OF RUINED CONSTRUCTIONS

STRATEGICALLY PERCHED ON THE EDGE OF A SCOTTISH LOCH.

THIS IS SUCH A PEACEFUL LOCATION.

BUT THESE CONCRETE STRUCTURES, THEY EVOKE A TIME WHEN THIS LOCH

WAS TRANSFORMED INTO AN AREA OF ACTION AND FRANTIC ACTIVITY.

*

*

Narrator: DECAYING RELICS,

RUINS OF LOST WORLDS,

FORGED THROUGH YEARS OF TOIL,

NOW HAUNTED BY THE PAST.

THEIR SECRETS WAITING TO BE REVEALED.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

*

*

UKRAINE, EASTERN EUROPE.

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CAPITAL OF KIEV,

SITS A VAST, FEATURELESS STRUCTURE

THAT HIDES AN EXTRAORDINARY SECRET.

*

Wawro: WE'RE IN A KIND OF INDUSTRIAL SUBURB.

AND THEN YOU COME INTO THIS VERY ABANDONED, DERELICT AREA

WITH WEEDS GROWING THROUGH THE PAVEMENT.

ON THE EDGE OF THIS THING,

YOU SEE THIS ONE ENORMOUS BUILDING.

Meigs: THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES YOU IS

Meigs: THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES YOU IS

THAT IT HAS THESE MASSIVE, MASSIVE DOORS

OVER 100 FEET HIGH.

SO WHATEVER THIS BUILDING'S INTENDED FOR

WAS CLEARLY SOME KIND OF SUPER-SIZED STRUCTURE.

Barratt: WHEN YOU SEE ANYTHING THAT'S UNUSUAL

OR JUST BEYOND YOUR NORMAL EXPECTATION IN SCALE,

YOU'RE DRAWN TO IT.

YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT LIES BEHIND THOSE DOORS.

Narrator: INSIDE, OLD MACHINERY

THAT LINES THE CAVERNOUS INTERIOR PROVIDES A CLUE

AS TO WHAT WAS MANUFACTURED WITHIN.

AS TO WHAT WAS MANUFACTURED WITHIN.

Narrator: IT'S KIND OF LIKE A CRYPT FOR ANCIENT AIRCRAFT

IN PIECES, MOSTLY.

YOU SEE DIFFERENT PARTS LAYING AROUND

THAT HAVEN'T BEEN CONNECTED YET.

Barratt: DWARFING THE AIRCRAFT STORED THERE

IS ONE MASSIVE FUSELAGE OF AN AIRPLANE.

*

IT IS HUGE.

IT TOWERS ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE, AND IT DOMINATES THE SPACE.

*

*

Wawro: WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LINK

BETWEEN THIS MAMMOTH AIRCRAFT AND THE COLD WAR.

BUT JUST LOOKING AT THE PLANE, THE LINK ISN'T CLEAR.

Barratt: WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THIS?

WHY GET SO FAR ON SUCH A MASSIVE SCALE

AND THEN NOT COMPLETE THE JOB?

*

*

Narrator: INSIDE THIS GIANT HANGAR LIES AN IMPRESSIVE FEAT

OF AVIATION HISTORY THAT WAS ONCE AT THE HEART

OF A FIERCE INTERNATIONAL RIVALRY BETWEEN TWO SUPERPOWERS.

*

HENNADII SILCHENKO HAS WORKED FOR THE ANTONOV DESIGN BUREAU

FOR NEARLY FOUR DECADES.

HE WAS PART OF THE TEAM RESPONSIBLE

FOR THIS PLANE'S DEVELOPMENT.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ] AS TO WHERE WE ARE NOW,

I CAN SAY THAT WE ARE STANDING

I CAN SAY THAT WE ARE STANDING

IN ONE OF THE WAREHOUSES OF OUR COMPANY,

WHICH IS USED FOR CONSERVATION AND STORAGE,

*

Barratt: ANTONOV, OUR HUGE UKRAINIAN AERONAUTICAL COMPANY --

THEY WERE KNOWN FOR MAKING BIG AIRPLANES.

THAT WAS THEIR THING.

*

Narrator: AND IT'S THE SHEER SCALE OF THE PARTS

Narrator: AND IT'S THE SHEER SCALE OF THE PARTS

THAT ARE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING ITS ORIGIN.

AT 288 FEET IN LENGTH,

THE FUSELAGE IS OVER 30 FEET LONGER

THAN THE WORLD'S BIGGEST PASSENGER PLANE FLYING TODAY.

Meigs: THE FAMOUS A380,

THE SUPER-SIZED PASSENGER JET FROM AIRBUS,

ISN'T EVEN AS LARGE.

CLEARLY, THIS AIRCRAFT WAS DESIGNED

FOR SOME EXTRAORDINARY PURPOSE,

SOMETHING EXTREMELY LARGE AND HEAVY.

SOMETHING EXTREMELY LARGE AND HEAVY.

AT THE TIME, THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT

WAS TO BE ABLE TO CARRY HUGE WEIGHTS UP TO 250 TONS.

Narrator: BORN AT A TIME WHEN EAST AND WEST

WERE LOCKED IN BITTER STRUGGLE,

THIS FLYING FORTRESS WAS TO HAVE A SPECIAL ROLE TO PLAY.

Meigs: WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE COLD WAR,

WE THINK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR MILITARY CONFLICT

WE THINK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR MILITARY CONFLICT

BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE USSR.

WE THINK ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS

AND THE BUILD-UP OF THAT CAPABILITY.

BUT THE COLD WAR ALSO TOOK PLACE IN ALL THESE OTHER ARENAS.

THERE WAS A BATTLE OF PROPAGANDA TO BE WON, AS WELL.

AND SPACE BECAME THE PLACE TO FIGHT THAT ONE OUT.

THE SPACE RACE TOOK ENGINEERING AND CREATIVITY

TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

*

*

Wawro: SO, IN 1972, THE UNITED STATES ANNOUNCES

THE SPACE-SHUTTLE PROGRAM,

AND THE SOVIETS SEE THIS AS ALARMING.

FIRST OF ALL, IT'S A HUGE LEAP IN THIS PRESTIGIOUS SPACE RACE.

THE AMERICANS ARE GONNA HAVE A NEW GENERATION OF TECHNOLOGY

THE SOVIETS DON'T HAVE.

Barratt: THE SOVIETS WERE ON THE BACK FOOT,

BUT THEY COULD SEE THAT THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM

WAS THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

THIS PLANE IS PART OF THAT STORY.

Narrator: THIS IS THE ANTONOV 225,

Narrator: THIS IS THE ANTONOV 225,

THE WORLD'S LARGEST MODEL OF AIRCRAFT.

BUT HOW WAS A GIANT PLANE SUPPOSED TO HELP

THE USSR ACHIEVE ITS GOAL OF CONQUERING SPACE?

SOON AS THE U.S. ANNOUNCED THIS SHUTTLE PROGRAM,

THE SOVIETS DECIDED THEY WERE GONNA HAVE TO COME BACK

WITH THEIR OWN PROGRAM CALLED THE BURAN.

GEOGRAPHICALLY, THE USSR IS A HUGE, HUGE SPACE

WITH LOTS OF CENTERS OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE.

NOW, THE SPACE-SHUTTLE PROGRAM

REQUIRES HUGE PIECES OF TECHNOLOGY,

REQUIRES HUGE PIECES OF TECHNOLOGY,

VERY BIG-SCALE ENGINEERING.

AND TO GET THEM INTO ONE PLACE, FIT FOR LAUNCHING,

YOU'D NEED TO TRANSPORT EVERYTHING TO THAT LOCATION.

Wawro: SO THE SOVIET SOLUTION IS TO FLY THE SPACE SHUTTLE

TO THE COSMODROME IN SOUTHERN KAZAKHSTAN.

AND YET THERE IS NO AIRCRAFT BIG ENOUGH

TO CARRY A SPACE SHUTTLE.

Silchenko: [ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

Silchenko: [ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

THE ENGINEERS KNEW THAT THE CONSTRUCTION

OF AN AIRCRAFT THAT COULD SOLVE THOSE ISSUES

WOULD, WITHOUT DOUBT, ELEVATE THE AVIATION INDUSTRY

OF NOT ONLY A SOVIET STATE, BUT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

*

Narrator: WITH AN EPIC CHALLENGE AHEAD OF THEM

AND THE REMAINS OF THIS PLANE NOW LEFT LYING IN A HANGAR,

DID THE SOVIETS EVER GET THIS BEAST IN THE SKY?

DID THE SOVIETS EVER GET THIS BEAST IN THE SKY?

*

*

Narrator: IN A HANGAR OUTSIDE OF KIEV, UKRAINE,

ARE THE SKELETAL REMAINS OF A KEY PART

OF THE SOVIET UNION'S SPACE PROGRAM.

JUST THREE YEARS AFTER THE IDEA FOR THIS MODEL

OF AIRCRAFT WAS CONCEIVED,

THE MONSTROUS AN-225 FINALLY TOOK TO THE SKIES

WITH A SHUTTLE ON ITS BACK.

Silchenko: [ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

Silchenko: [ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

Translator: WHEN IT TOOK OFF,

IT WAS NOT ONLY A SHOCK FOR THE WHOLE WORLD,

BUT TO SOME EXTENT, EVEN FOR US, ITS CREATORS.

SUCH A PLANE IN THE AIR IS STILL FANTASTIC TO WITNESS.

AND IT WAS STRIKING 'CAUSE IN 1989, TO KIND OF ANNOUNCE

THIS GREAT TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH TO THE WORLD,

THEY SEND THE AN-225 TO THE PARIS AIR SHOW.

AND EVERYBODY WHO SEES IT IS

JUST BLOWN AWAY BY THE SHEER SCALE OF THIS AIRCRAFT.

JUST BLOWN AWAY BY THE SHEER SCALE OF THIS AIRCRAFT.

*

Narrator: WITH THE AN-225 DECLARED A RESOUNDING SUCCESS,

THE SOVIET UNION FORGED AHEAD

WITH PLANS TO ASSEMBLE THREE MORE.

THIS WAS MEANT TO BE NUMBER TWO OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE.

Barratt: FORGET ABOUT JUST BEING AN ENGINEERING MARVEL.

FOR THE SOVIETS, THIS WAS A MASSIVE PROPAGANDA COUP.

Meigs: ALTHOUGH, IN THE END, IT REALLY TURNED OUT

TO BE TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.

TO BE TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.

Narrator: A STORM WAS BREWING THAT WOULD SPELL DISASTER

FOR THE WORLD'S LARGEST AIRCRAFT.

Barratt: A COUPLE YEARS LATER, THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED,

AND EVERYTHING CHANGED.

THERE WAS REALLY NO PURPOSE FOR THE PLANE.

IT GOT MOTHBALLED.

THE OTHER MODELS THAT WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

NEVER GOT COMPLETED.

Barratt: WITHOUT THE SPACE RACE,

WITHOUT THAT COMPETITION WITH THE USA,

WHY DID THE WORLD NEED A PLANE ON THAT SCALE?

WHY DID THE WORLD NEED A PLANE ON THAT SCALE?

THAT'S WHAT NOBODY COULD FIGURE OUT.

*

Narrator: YET THAT WASN'T THE END OF ITS STORY.

PILOT DMYTRO ANTONOV IS ONE OF THE FEW MEN

TO HAVE FLOWN THIS WINGED LEVIATHAN.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ] AN-225 WAS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

IN 2001.

IT STARTED TO FLY AGAIN.

AND SINCE THAT TIME,

IT HAS PERFORMED NUMEROUS HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS.

IT HAS PERFORMED NUMEROUS HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS.

Narrator: BUT WITH THE PLANE COSTING AN ASTONISHING

$30,000 AN HOUR TO CHARTER, IT'S RARELY CALLED INTO ACTION.

WHEN IT DOES MAKE AN APPEARANCE, IT ATTRACTS QUITE A CROWD.

Antonov: WHEN WE WENT TO AUSTRALIA, FOR INSTANCE,

WE WERE MET BY MORE THAN 15,000 PEOPLE.

AND WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT ALL OF THEM JUST CAME TO SEE US,

TO SEE THE PLANE, IT MAKES US FEEL PROUD.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE FLYING IT.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE FLYING IT.

Barratt: WHAT PUTS THIS ON THE MUST-SEE LIST

IS THAT IT ACTUALLY HOLDS 214 WORLD RECORDS,

INCLUDING CARRYING THE WORLD'S HEAVIEST COMMERCIAL CARGO

AND THE WORLD'S HEAVIEST SINGLE OBJECT.

*

*

Narrator: TODAY, THIS INCOMPLETE CHAPTER IN AVIATION HISTORY

MAY LIE IN PIECES,

BUT ANTONOV HAVEN'T GIVEN UP HOPE OF ONE DAY

SEEING IT TAKE TO THE SKIES.

Silchenko: [ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

UNLIKE THE FIRST AIRCRAFT, THIS ONE IS UNFINISHED.

HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL PROUD OF IT.

OF COURSE, WE REALLY WANT TO FINISH IT.

WE HAVE THE MEANS TO DO SO.

THE ONLY THING WE NEED IS A CUSTOMER WHO WOULD BUY IT,

AND THEN WE WOULD START WORK ON IT STRAIGHT AWAY.

AND THEN WE WOULD START WORK ON IT STRAIGHT AWAY.

[ SPEAKING UKRAINIAN ]

*

Narrator: ON A REMOTE COAST IN SCOTLAND,

A CLUSTER OF RUINS EMERGE OUT OF A WILD LANDSCAPE.

*

ON THE FRINGES OF THE NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS,

ON THE TIP OF SCOTLAND, YOU'RE TOTALLY EXPOSED

TO THE FULL FORCE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

TO THE FULL FORCE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

WE'VE GOT A ROCKY, RUGGED COASTLINE,

AND WE'VE GOT CONCRETE FORTIFICATIONS

BUILT RIGHT INTO THE ROCKS.

YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS A DEFENDED LOCATION.

Bell: SOME LOOK LIKE LOOKOUT POSTS,

OTHERS MORE LIKE PILLBOXES OR GUN EMPLACEMENTS.

IT BECOMES EVER CLEARER

THAT THIS WAS THE SCENE OF A MAJOR MILITARY ENTERPRISE.

THAT THIS WAS THE SCENE OF A MAJOR MILITARY ENTERPRISE.

WE HAVE TO WONDER WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT HERE

IN THIS QUIET RURAL AREA

THAT NEEDS TO BE DEFENDED LIKE THIS.

Narrator: THIS WAS THE SETTING FOR A DARING OPERATION,

YET MYSTERY STILL SWIRLS AROUND THIS SITE.

Ellakirk: THE IMPACT OF THE WAR HAS LEFT ITS MARK,

AND IT'S A STORY THAT,

DUE TO THE SECRECY ACT, ISN'T ENTIRELY WELL-UNDERSTOOD.

*

*

Narrator: THE ORIGINS OF THIS SECRET SITE

ARE INTRINSICALLY TIED

TO A REMARKABLE STORY OF PERSEVERANCE AND SACRIFICE.

Nusbacher: WHEN WE LOOK AT THE WAY THESE REINFORCED

CONCRETE EMPLACEMENTS ARE DESIGNED AND BUILT,

IT'S VERY CLEARLY MID-20th CENTURY.

IT'S SECOND-WORLD-WAR-ERA STUFF.

IT'S SECOND-WORLD-WAR-ERA STUFF.

AND YET WHEN WE THINK ABOUT

SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE BRITISH ISLES,

WE THINK ABOUT DEFENDING LONDON FROM A NAZI INVASION.

Bell: WERE THE ALLIES EXPECTING HITLER

TO MOUNT A U.K. ATTACK FROM THE NORTH,

OR IS THERE ANOTHER REASON FOR FORTIFYING

SO HEAVILY THIS REMOTE REGION OF THE BRITISH ISLES?

Nusbacher: THIS IS A PART OF SCOTLAND

THAT WAS FACING AWAY FROM THE NAZIS.

WHY WOULD WE BUILD FORTIFICATIONS

WHY WOULD WE BUILD FORTIFICATIONS

THAT FACED AWAY FROM THE THREAT?

*

Narrator: THE AREA AROUND THIS MYSTERIOUS MILITARY SITE

HAS A SPARSE LOCAL POPULATION.

YET FOR ONE OF THEM, NICKY ELLAKIRK,

IT HAS ALWAYS HELD AN ALLURE.

MY CHILDHOOD WAS SPENT PLAYING AROUND THESE BUNKERS.

IT'S A RATHER UNIQUE KIDS' PLAYGROUND MADE UP OF,

YOU KNOW, 70-YEAR-OLD RUSTING LUMPS OF CONCRETE.

[ CHUCKLES ]

[ CHUCKLES ]

Narrator: YET THERE WAS A TIME

WHEN THIS WAS A HIVE OF ACTIVITY.

WE'RE UP HERE IN A TINY FISHING AND CROFTING COMMUNITY.

AND THERE WAS THIS SUDDEN INFLUX OF 3,000 TROOPS

WHO LANDED FROM EVERYWHERE -- INDIA, POLAND, BRITAIN,

OTHER OVERSEAS TERRITORIES.

Narrator: WHY WERE TROOPS FLOODING INTO THIS DESOLATE AREA?

VARIOUS REMNANTS OF MILITARY HARDWARE PROVIDE CLUES.

VARIOUS REMNANTS OF MILITARY HARDWARE PROVIDE CLUES.

FRANCIS RUSSELL HAS BEEN

RESEARCHING THE SITE FOR DECADES.

AND HERE WE HAVE ONE OF THE 6-INCH GUN EMPLACEMENTS.

THERE WERE TWO 6-INCH GUNS HERE.

AND THEN FURTHER ROUND THE CORNER,

ANOTHER TWO 6-INCH GUNS.

THEY WERE A DETERRENT, AND THEY LOOKED MEAN.

Narrator: BENEATH THESE GUNS,

A MINEFIELD RAN ACROSS THE MOUTH OF THE LOCH.

AND BEHIND THAT, ANOTHER LINE OF DEFENSE.

AND BEHIND THAT, ANOTHER LINE OF DEFENSE.

Ellakirk: WE'VE GOT SUBMARINE BOOM NETTING,

WHICH IS LARGE RINGS OF WIRE,

ALL WOVEN TOGETHER LIKE CHAIN MAIL.

THAT WAS HUNG BETWEEN SURFACE FLOATS

AND HUGE CHUNKS OF CONCRETE ON THE SEABED.

Narrator: AS WELL AS PROTECTING AGAINST U-BOATS,

LOOKOUT TOWERS WARNED OF INCOMING AIRCRAFT

OR NAVAL ATTACKS.

IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE NOW,

BUT THIS WAS ONCE A HIVE OF ACTIVITY.

HUNDREDS OF SHIPS AND THOUSANDS OF MEN

HUNDREDS OF SHIPS AND THOUSANDS OF MEN

ALL CRAMMED INTO THIS SMALL AREA.

*

Narrator: THIS IS LOCH EWE, A SEA LOCH USED AS

A SECRET ASSEMBLY POINT IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

ITS NEED WAS DRIVEN BY THE GERMAN INVASION

OF THE SOVIET UNION.

*

WHEN THE GERMANS ATTACK RUSSIA ON JUNE 22, 1941,

WHEN THE GERMANS ATTACK RUSSIA ON JUNE 22, 1941,

THEY SWEEP, INITIALLY,

ALMOST LITERALLY TO THE GATES OF MOSCOW.

AND FIRST BRITAIN,

AND THEN ONCE AMERICA ENTERS THE WAR,

AMERICA PROMISE AID TO RUSSIA.

*

Narrator: THESE VITAL SUPPLIES HAD TO BE TRANSPORTED BY SEA

TO RUSSIA FROM A SUITABLE BASE.

AND IT HAD TO REMAIN SECRET.

*

*

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK, "WHY LOCK EWE?"

AND THE ANSWER IS QUITE SIMPLE --

BECAUSE AT THE EXTREME RANGE FOR GERMAN BOMBERS

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR,

IT'S GOT A NARROW ENTRANCE WHICH MAKES IT EASIER TO PROTECT.

IT'S DEEP, UP TO 240 FEET, AND IT'S WIDE.

AND IT'S A SAFE ANCHORAGE.

*

Nusbacher: LOCH EWE IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOCH.

IT'S A NARROW INLET OF THE SEA.

IT'S SALTWATER.

IT'S SALTWATER.

IT IS EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS.

BUT IT'S A REALLY CLEVER PLACE

TO TUCK AWAY A BIG NAVAL OPERATION

UNTIL YOU'RE READY TO LET IT LOOSE ON THE WORLD.

*

Narrator: BY FEBRUARY 1942,

LOCH EWE WAS FULLY OPERATIONAL AS A BASE FOR THE ARCTIC CONVOYS

WITH ITS FIRST CONVOY SAILING THAT SAME MONTH.

MERCHANT SHIPS CARRIED THE SUPPLIES

MERCHANT SHIPS CARRIED THE SUPPLIES

AND WERE ESCORTED BY SHIPS OF THE ROYAL NAVY,

CANADIAN AND U.S. NAVYS.

THE ARCTIC CONVOY IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST EXAMPLES

OF COOPERATION DURING THE WAR.

IT WAS A COMBINED OPERATION OF 14 DIFFERENT NATIONS,

RANGING ALL THE WAY FROM INDIA THROUGH PANAMA,

THE NETHERLANDS, THE U.K., CANADA, THE U.S.

THE LIST GOES ON.

MEN WOULD HAVE BEEN DRAFTED FROM ALL OF THESE VARIOUS PLACES

AND PUT ON SHIPS AND SENT UP TO LOCH EWE.

Narrator: THESE MEN WOULD HAVE LITTLE IDEA

Narrator: THESE MEN WOULD HAVE LITTLE IDEA

OF THEIR ULTIMATE DESTINATION,

BUT ALL FEARED THE DREADED ARCTIC RUN.

OFTEN, THE FIRST CLUE THEY'D HAVE THAT

THEY WERE HEADING OUT ROUND THE NORTH

INSTEAD OF BACK DOWN TO THE SOUTH

WOULD BE THE SHIPS WOULD BE LOADED WITH COLD-WEATHER GEAR.

COLD-WEATHER GEAR CONSISTS OF A STURDY COAT,

NOT MUCH TO PROTECT YOU AGAINST THE ICE AND HAIL

AND FREEZING WAVES.

Narrator: THE ROUTE FOR TRANSPORTING SUPPLIES TO RUSSIA

WAS A HIGHLY TREACHEROUS ONE.

WAS A HIGHLY TREACHEROUS ONE.

THE BEST ROUTE, THE FASTEST AND MOST EFFICIENT ROUTE

TO GET WARM MATERIAL TO RUSSIA,

WAS THROUGH THE ICE-FREE NORTHERN PORTS.

AND THAT'S MURMANSK AND ARCHANGEL.

AND THAT IS GOING THIS NORTHERN ROUTE.

SHIPS ON THE MURMANSK ROUTE HAD TO WORRY ABOUT THE NAZIS.

THEY HAD TO WORRY ABOUT U-BOATS, DESTROYERS,

BATTLE CRUISERS OPERATING OUT OF NORWAY,

NAZI PLANES FLYING OUT OF NORWAY.

NAZI PLANES FLYING OUT OF NORWAY.

THEN HAD TO NAVIGATE THE PERILS

OF THE ICY ARCTIC WATER, FOG THAT CAMOUFLAGED ICEBERGS

AND SNOW STORMS RAGING ACROSS THEIR BOWS.

Ellakirk: MANY WERE YOUNG BOYS WHO'D HAVE VOLUNTEERED,

SOME AS YOUNG AS 16.

THE MERCHANT SEAMEN NEVER SIGNED UP FOR WAR.

AND HERE THEY FIND THEMSELVES AMIDST ICE STORMS,

GALES, AND THE CONSTANT THREAT OF THE ENEMY.

*

COULD THEY SUCCESSFULLY ARM THE SOVIETS

COULD THEY SUCCESSFULLY ARM THE SOVIETS

AGAINST THE BIGGEST LAND INVASION IN HUMAN HISTORY?

AND WOULD LOCH EWE MANAGE TO STAY UNDER THE NAZI RADAR?

*

Narrator: ON THE SHORES OF LOCH EWE IN SCOTLAND,

A UNIQUE INFRASTRUCTURE WAS NEEDED TO PROTECT AND SUPPLY

ARCTIC CONVOYS SAILING FOR THE SOVIET UNION.

SHIPS THAT ARRIVED IN LOCH EWE

HAD TO PASS AN EXAMINATION VESSEL,

AND THEN ONCE THROUGH THE BOOM NETS,

WHICH WAS FOR PROTECTING AGAINST ENEMY SUBS,

THEY WERE ALLOCATED A PLACE TO ANCHOR.

THEY WERE ALLOCATED A PLACE TO ANCHOR.

Nusbacher: WE HAD TO HAVE LOTS OF BUILDINGS

TO ACCOMMODATE SAILORS

AND TO ACCOMMODATE THE DOCKYARD TECHNICIANS

WHO WOULD DO ALL THE WORK OF REFUELING, RESUPPLYING,

AND REPAIRING SHIPS.

Narrator: BUT THE KEY WAS TO AVOID ALERTING THE NAZIS

TO THEIR PRESENCE.

YOU WANT TO HAVE RADIO SILENCE

BECAUSE YOUR ENEMY WILL HAVE DIRECTION-FINDERS.

SO YOU WANT TO HAVE PROMINENT SIGNAL POSTS

SO YOU CAN USE LIGHT SIGNALS,

SO YOU CAN USE LIGHT SIGNALS,

SIGNAL FLAGS TO COMMUNICATE THROUGHOUT THE FLEET

THROUGH VISUAL SIGNALS AND NOT USE THE RADIO.

YOUR BEST DEFENSE IS SECRECY.

Narrator: A TOTAL OF 19 CONVOYS MADE UP OF 481 MERCHANT SHIPS

AND OVER 100 NAVAL ESCORT VESSELS

LEFT LOCH EWE FOR RUSSIA DURING WORLD WAR II,

PART OF A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE CONVOY SYSTEM.

WHAT IS AMAZING, THOUGH, IS THAT DESPITE GERMAN ATTACKS,

WHAT IS AMAZING, THOUGH, IS THAT DESPITE GERMAN ATTACKS,

ONLY 7% OF THE SHIPS AND CONVOY TRAFFIC

THROUGH NORTHERN RUSSIA WILL BE LOST.

*

Narrator: THIS VAST VOLUME OF MATERIALS AND WEAPONS

FLOWING INTO RUSSIA HELPED THE SOVIETS FEND OFF

HITLER'S MASSIVE INVASION FORCE.

AFTER APRIL 1945, LOCH EWE BECAME A MARTIALING POINT

FOR MANY OF THE GERMAN U-BOATS

THAT HAD SURRENDERED WHILE STILL SEA.

THAT HAD SURRENDERED WHILE STILL SEA.

Narrator: YET THIS SUCCESS STILL CAME AT GREAT COST.

3,000 OR SO BRAVE YOUNG MEN WENT UP NORTH AND DIED

ON WHAT WINSTON CHURCHILL CALLED THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD.

LOCH EWE IS A MONUMENT TO THE WAY THAT PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER.

THE RUSSIANS, THE AMERICANS, THE BRITISH, CANADIANS

ALL CAME TOGETHER TO DEFEAT THE NAZIS.

ALL CAME TOGETHER TO DEFEAT THE NAZIS.

*

Narrator: TODAY, THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC CONVOY MUSEUM

WORKS TO ENSURE THESE STORIES OF BRAVERY LIVE ON

ALONG WITH THESE CONCRETE REMAINS.

THEY NEED TO BE PRESERVED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW

THAT SACRIFICES WERE MADE.

*

Narrator: IN THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE OF NORTH INDIANA

Narrator: IN THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE OF NORTH INDIANA

LIES A SPRAWLING NETWORK OF OVERGROWN STRUCTURES

THAT HIDE A SECRET PAST.

*

THIS IS A COMPLEX THAT COVERS THOUSANDS OF ACRES,

AND WHAT YOU SEE ARE CLUSTERS OF BUILDINGS WIDELY SEPARATED.

Wawro: SOME OF THEM FESTOONED WITH UNDERGROWTH AND TREES.

SOME OF THEM LOOK ALMOST LIKE TREE HOUSES.

SOME OF THEM LOOK ALMOST LIKE TREE HOUSES.

Corum: WHEN YOU GET UP CLOSE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE BUILDINGS

ARE STRANGELY SEGMENTED WITH LARGE WALLS

COVERING EACH SEGMENT.

Nusbacher: THIS LOOKS LIKE A PLACE

THAT PEOPLE FORGOT ABOUT ENTIRELY.

DID SOMETHING DESPERATE HAPPEN TO WARN PEOPLE TO STAY AWAY?

Narrator: THE SCALE OF THE SITE SUGGESTS THIS PLACE

WAS ONCE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE.

BUT IT'S THE DISTINCTIVE LAYOUT AND DESIGN OF THE BUILDINGS

BUT IT'S THE DISTINCTIVE LAYOUT AND DESIGN OF THE BUILDINGS

THAT OFFER THE CLUES AS TO WHY.

WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS SOMETHING THAT IS

CERTAINLY ORGANIZED NOT FOR EFFICIENCY,

BUT FOR SAFETY FACTORS.

WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT BUT ALSO SO DANGEROUS?

*

Narrator: OVERGROWN AND ABANDONED TODAY,

THIS PLACE WAS ONCE FILLED WITH WORKERS.

THIS PLACE WAS ONCE FILLED WITH WORKERS.

AMONGST THEM IN THE 1950s WAS FERN EDDY SCHULTZ,

WHO WAS EMPLOYED HERE AS A SECRETARY.

MUCH OF THE WORK SHE DID WAS HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL.

THE SAYING HERE WAS, "WHAT YOU SEE HERE

AND WHAT YOU HEAR HERE, YOU LET IT STAY HERE."

WE WEREN'T AT LIBERTY TO GO OUT AND TELL ANYBODY

A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW GO ON.

Narrator: IT'S NO ACCIDENT THAT THIS SITE WAS BUILT OUT HERE

Narrator: IT'S NO ACCIDENT THAT THIS SITE WAS BUILT OUT HERE

IN RURAL INDIANA,

BUT SECRECY WASN'T THE ONLY REASON.

Nusbacher: IF YOU'RE GONNA BUILD A FACTORY TO MAKE JEEPS,

YOU'LL DO IT IN DETROIT BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE WORKFORCE IS.

THAT'S WHERE THE FACILITIES ARE.

IF YOU'RE GONNA BUILD THINGS THAT GO BANG,

YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CITY.

Narrator: HIDDEN IN THE WOODS

ARE CLUES TO WHAT THIS PLACE WAS.

ARE CLUES TO WHAT THIS PLACE WAS.

Nusbacher: LOOK AT THE WAY ESCAPE SLIDES

HAVE BEEN LOCATED AROUND THE PLACE.

THOSE ARE NOT THERE FOR FUN. THIS IS NOT A PLAYGROUND.

Schultz: THE CHUTES WERE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE EMPLOYEES

IN THE EVENT THERE WAS WHAT WE CALLED A BLOW.

Narrator: THIS WAS THE KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT,

A VAST AMMUNITION-MANUFACTURING SITE.

ON DECEMBER 7, 1941,

ON DECEMBER 7, 1941,

JAPAN ATTACKED THE NAVAL BASE AT PEARL HARBOR,

AND THE U.S. SOON ENTERED THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

SITES LIKE THIS WERE DESPERATELY NEEDED,

BUT GETTING A PLACE LIKE KINGSBURY BUILT AND UP-TO-SPEED

WOULD TAKE MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS.

*

TO SUCCESSFULLY FIGHT A MAJOR WAR IN EUROPE AND THE PACIFIC,

YOU NEEDED AMMUNITION.

Nusbacher: THE U.S. GOVERNMENT GOES TO A PLACE IN INDIANA

THAT'S RIGHT ON THE RAILWAY.

THAT'S RIGHT ON THE RAILWAY.

IT'S NEAR THE COAL-AND-STEEL OUTPUT OF THE MIDWEST

IN PITTSBURGH.

IT'S BUILT ON 13,500 ACRES OF FARMLAND.

THIS SITE IS HUGE.

AND YOU'VE GOT THESE VERY WIDELY SPACED FACTORIES

SO THAT IF THERE IS A DISASTER IN ONE AREA,

IT WON'T SET OFF ALL THE OTHERS IN A CHAIN REACTION.

*

Narrator: THE SITE ALSO INCLUDED AMMUNITION STORAGE, BARRACKS,

Narrator: THE SITE ALSO INCLUDED AMMUNITION STORAGE, BARRACKS,

LABORATORIES, OFFICES, AND TESTING FACILITIES

ALL LINKED TOGETHER BY MILES OF RAIL TRACKS.

FERN REMEMBERS HER TIME WORKING HERE

YEARS LATER DURING THE 1950s.

THE SYSTEMS, HOWEVER, WERE MUCH THE SAME.

WE'RE ON THE 1 LINE, AND ON THE 1 LINE

THEY MADE WHAT WE CALL FUSES AND BOOSTERS.

THE FUSES WERE PART OF SOMETHING

THAT SET THE AMMUNITION OFF WHEN IT WAS FIRED.

THAT SET THE AMMUNITION OFF WHEN IT WAS FIRED.

THE BOOSTER BOOSTS THE CAPACITY OF THE FUSE.

THE FINAL PRODUCT ON THE 2 LINE WAS THE 20-MILLIMETER SHELL,

AND ON THE 3 LINE WAS THE 30-MILLIMETER, AND SO ON,

DOWN THE LINE TO THE 5 LINE.

Narrator: SEPARATING THE FACILITIES

WASN'T THE ONLY SAFETY MEASURE TAKEN

BECAUSE THE WORK BEING CARRIED OUT INSIDE THESE BUILDINGS

ALSO DICTATED HOW THEY WERE BUILT.

THE MAIN THING THAT THEY'RE PRODUCING HERE

THE MAIN THING THAT THEY'RE PRODUCING HERE

IS SMOKELESS POWDER,

AND IT'S A PROCESS THAT USES A LOT OF DIFFERENT ACIDS.

IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS PROCESS TO DO.

Wawro: YOU SEE, THE INTERIOR WALLS ARE REALLY SOLID.

AND THEN THE EXTERIOR WALLS

AND THE ROOFS ARE RELATIVELY THINLY BUILT

OF LIGHT STEEL, GLASS, PLASTIC.

AND THAT'S SO THAT IF THERE'S AN ACCIDENT,

THE INTERIOR WALL WILL BE SO STRONG

THAT IT WILL DIRECT THE BLAST TOWARD THE WEAKER AREAS,

THAT IT WILL DIRECT THE BLAST TOWARD THE WEAKER AREAS,

AWAY FROM THE VERY VALUABLE MACHINERY

AND, ALSO, THE MANPOWER.

*

Narrator: BUT WITH THE U.S. SUDDENLY EMBROILED IN WAR

IN THE PACIFIC AND IN EUROPE,

HOW WOULD SUCH A VAST SITE BE MADE READY IN TIME?

*

*

Narrator: IN DECEMBER 1941,

THE U.S. ENTERED THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

WHILE THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

HAD COME AS A SUDDEN TRAGIC SURPRISE,

THE MILITARY HAD BEEN PREPARING TO ENTER THE WAR FOR SOME TIME,

AND SITES LIKE THE KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT

HAD ACTUALLY BEEN OPERATIONAL FOR MONTHS.

YOU SEE, THE STORY BEGINS LONG BEFORE THE AMERICANS

YOU SEE, THE STORY BEGINS LONG BEFORE THE AMERICANS

GO TO WAR IN PEARL HARBOR.

THE UNITED STATES,

ALTHOUGH NOT WILLING TO ACTIVELY JUMP INTO WORLD WAR II,

SAW THE DANGER OF A POSSIBLE NAZI VICTORY

AND BEGAN A MASSIVE REARMAMENT PROGRAM.

Narrator: AS EARLY AS THE SUMMER OF 1941,

KINGSBURY HAD BEEN SHIPPING OUT MUNITIONS TO EUROPE

TO AID THE ALLIES.

FROM HERE, ITS IMPORTANCE WOULD ONLY INCREASE.

FROM HERE, ITS IMPORTANCE WOULD ONLY INCREASE.

Wawro: THIS PLACE, KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT,

WAS AN ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL PIECE OF THE U.S. WAR MACHINE

IN WORLD WAR II.

Narrator: AT ITS HEIGHT, IN A SINGLE DAY,

KINGSBURY PRODUCED 180,000 POINT DETONATING FUSES,

OVER 46,000 40-MILLIMETER SHELLS,

AND 500,000 ROUNDS OF 20-MILLIMETER AMMUNITION.

BUT TO ACHIEVE THIS STAGGERING OUTPUT LEVEL,

IT NEEDED WORKERS --

IT NEEDED WORKERS --

SOMETHING THAT WAS HARD TO FIND IN RURAL INDIANA.

THEY PURPOSE-BUILT A NEIGHBORHOOD HERE,

KINGSFORD HEIGHTS,

TO HOUSE PEOPLE BECAUSE THERE WAS NOBODY HERE.

Narrator: IN ALL, CLOSE TO 21,000 PEOPLE

WORKED AT THE SITE.

IN AMONGST THEM WAS A GREAT NUMBER OF WOMEN,

BOTH BREAKING DOWN OLD SOCIAL CONVENTIONS

AND DOING THEIR PART FOR THE WAR EFFORT.

THEY ARE WORKING FULL SHIFTS, DOUBLE SHIFTS IN FACTORIES.

THEY ARE WORKING FULL SHIFTS, DOUBLE SHIFTS IN FACTORIES.

AND THAT CHANGES NOT ONLY THE WAY OTHERS SEE THEM,

BUT IT CHANGES THE WAY THEY SEE THEMSELVES.

Narrator: BUT DESPITE THE PROGRESS,

THE WORKFORCE FACED NUMEROUS DANGERS

AND AILMENTS THAT COULD LAST A LIFETIME.

PEOPLE ARE BEING EXPOSED TO TOXIC CHEMICALS.

PEOPLE ARE GETTING BURNS FROM FLAMMABLES.

AND IN SOME CASES,

PEOPLE ARE DISPLAYING REALLY WORRYING SYMPTOMS.

PEOPLE ARE DISPLAYING REALLY WORRYING SYMPTOMS.

IN THE POWDER-BLENDING AREAS, PEOPLE ACTUALLY TURNED ORANGE

FROM HANDLING THE MATERIAL.

*

Narrator: WHEN THE SECOND WORLD WAR ENDED,

THE PLANT WENT INTO STANDBY

BEFORE BEING CALLED BACK INTO ACTION FOR THE KOREAN WAR.

FINALLY, IN 1960, IT WAS CLOSED FOR GOOD.

*

*

TODAY, IT'S A SHADOW OF ITS FORMER SELF,

BUT IN ITS PRIME, THE KINGSBURY ORDNANCE PLANT

AND THOSE WHO WORKED HERE

WERE A VALUABLE PART OF THE DEFENSE OF AMERICA.

Schultz: I THINK THAT THAT WAS THE FEELING

OF MOST ALL OF US THAT WORKED HERE --

THAT WE WERE ALL PART OF THE WAR EFFORT

AND WE'RE DOING OUR SHARE.

WE'RE VERY PROUD TO BE MAKING SOMETHING

THAT WAS HELPING OUR COUNTRY BE FREE.

THAT WAS HELPING OUR COUNTRY BE FREE.

*

Narrator: IN SOUTHERN GREECE IS A BARREN LAND THAT TIME FORGOT.

IN WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE DEEP MANI,

A CRAGGY HEADLAND JUTS OUT INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

*

THIS IS AN INHOSPITABLE LANDSCAPE.

AND EVEN TODAY, FEW TOURISTS ACTUALLY VENTURE THIS FAR SOUTH.

Bell: NEAR THE END OF THIS DRAMATIC PENINSULA

IN WHAT APPEARS ALMOST LIKE MOUNTAINOUS DESERT,

IN WHAT APPEARS ALMOST LIKE MOUNTAINOUS DESERT,

YOU CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THESE RUINS.

Gough: YOU HAVE THE PERFECT VANTAGE, LOOKING OUT TO SEA

AND DOWN THE COAST.

THESE TOWERS LOOK ALMOST MILITARY RATHER THAN CIVILIAN.

Barratt: THEY KIND OF BLEND INTO THE LANDSCAPE,

BUT THEY ARE DEFENSIVE.

THEY ARE PROUD.

AND THEY ARE THERE TO BE SEEN.

Narrator: THESE CONSTRUCTIONS HAVE BECOME SYNONYMOUS

WITH THE MANIATES,

A GREAT WARRIOR PEOPLE STILL REVERED BY GREEKS TODAY.

A GREAT WARRIOR PEOPLE STILL REVERED BY GREEKS TODAY.

PART OF THE MYSTERY OF THE AREA, TO ME,

IS WHO WERE THESE WAR-FARING MANIATES?

AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

Gough: SOME BELIEVE THEY DESCEND FROM THE SPARTANS

AND THUS, THEY HAVE THIS KIND OF MYTHICAL INVINCIBILITY

IN GREEK CULTURE.

OVER THE CENTURIES, THE MANIATES DEVELOPED

A REPUTATION AS FEARSOME FIGHTERS.

Narrator: HOW DID THEY GARNER THIS REPUTATION?

AND HOW DO THESE NOW-BATTERED TOWERS FIT INTO THAT STORY?

AND HOW DO THESE NOW-BATTERED TOWERS FIT INTO THAT STORY?

*

*

Narrator: LOCAL GUIDE AND AUTHOR MATTHEW DEAN HAS BEEN EXPLORING

THESE CASTLE-LIKE STRUCTURES FOR OVER 30 YEARS.

YOU JUST HAVE TO WALK AROUND THESE RUINED TOWERS

AND IMAGINE, WHAT WAS IT LIKE 100 YEARS AGO, 200 YEARS AGO?

IT'S A PLACE FOR THOSE WHO LIKE USING THEIR IMAGINATION

RATHER THAN SEEING SOMETHING DIRECTLY FOR WHAT IT IS NOW.

RATHER THAN SEEING SOMETHING DIRECTLY FOR WHAT IT IS NOW.

SO IF WE LOOK AT THE TOWERS THEMSELVES,

THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES YOU IS JUST HOW TALL THEY ARE --

THREE OR FOUR STORIES HIGH.

WHY? DEFENSE.

FROM THERE, YOU GET A GREAT VIEW OVER POTENTIAL THREATS

ARRIVING BY SEA.

THE TOWERS ARE NARROW.

THEY'VE GOT TINY WINDOWS.

AND ON TOP, THERE ARE TURRETS,

AND THERE ARE ALSO PLACES WHERE YOU COULD PUT WEAPONS.

SO, WHEN DESIGNING YOUR BESPOKE WAR TOWER,

SO, WHEN DESIGNING YOUR BESPOKE WAR TOWER,

YOU HAD A NUMBER OF CHOICES.

SOMETIMES, THEY'D BUILD JUST A WAR TOWER ON ITS OWN,

WHICH IS ONLY EVER USED IN TIMES OF WAR,

OR TO MAKE LIFE A BIT EASIER,

YOU'D ADD ON A MORE OPEN, EASIER-TO-LIVE-IN SPACE

FOR TIMES OF PEACE.

AND THEN WHEN THE THREAT COMES,

YOU RETREAT INTO THE TOWER FOR AS LONG AS NECESSARY.

Narrator: IN THE 15th CENTURY,

GREEKS CAME TO THIS REMOTE MANI PENINSULA,

FLEEING THE AREA AROUND SPARTA

FLEEING THE AREA AROUND SPARTA

WHEN IT WAS TAKEN BY THE OTTOMAN TURKS.

THE NEW INHABITANTS, WHO BECAME KNOWN AS THE MANIATES,

DEVELOPED A CERTAIN NOTORIETY AND WOULD INSPIRE A REVOLUTION.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, SURVIVAL WAS EVERYTHING.

*

Dean: THE NUMBER-ONE CONCERN WAS DEFENSE,

BOTH DEFENSE AGAINST FOREIGN INVADERS COMING BY SEA,

WHETHER IT WAS VENETIANS OR TURKS,

BUT ALSO, DUE TO THE LACK OF RESOURCES

IN THIS VERY INFERTILE AREA,

IN THIS VERY INFERTILE AREA,

IT WAS TO DEFEND YOUR OWN FAMILY AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR.

YOU HAD TO FIGHT YOUR NEIGHBOR, LITERALLY, TO SURVIVE.

Narrator: RITUALIZED VENDETTAS BETWEEN FAMILIES

COULD LAST FOR MONTHS, EVEN YEARS.

SO, FEUDING BECAME A FAIRLY REGULAR PART OF LIFE

FOR THE MANIATES LIVING DOWN HERE.

AN ENGLISH COLONEL IN 1805 NOTED THAT OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS,

100 OF VATHIA'S MEN HAD BEEN KILLED

100 OF VATHIA'S MEN HAD BEEN KILLED

IN AN ONGOING FEUD BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES.

Barratt: TO LOSE 100 MEN OUT OF A TOTAL POPULATION OF 300

IS A HUGE AMOUNT, AND THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA

OF HOW BITTER THE FEUDS WERE IN THIS AREA.

Narrator: AND SO YOU AND YOUR CLAN NEEDED TO DEFEND YOUR PLOT

AGAINST OTHERS WITH EQUAL AMBITIONS,

WHETHER TURKS, VENETIANS, PIRATES, OR NEIGHBORING CLANS.

WHETHER TURKS, VENETIANS, PIRATES, OR NEIGHBORING CLANS.

THE METHOD OF DEFENSE -- TO BUILD A TOWER.

*

THESE ARE THE MANY TOWERS OF VATHIA.

THE DESIGN OF THE TOWERS PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE

IN PROTECTION FROM YOUR ENEMIES.

NOT ONLY DID THESE STONE SKYSCRAPERS

GIVE YOU A GOOD VANTAGE POINT

TO VIEW ANY POTENTIAL AGGRESSORS ON THE HORIZON,

TO VIEW ANY POTENTIAL AGGRESSORS ON THE HORIZON,

THEY ALSO GAVE YOU A HIGH VANTAGE POINT

TO DEFEND FOR POTENTIAL GROUND ATTACKERS.

SMALL WINDOWS -- EASY TO SHOOT DOWN ON YOUR ENEMY.

EVEN BETTER IF YOU BLOCK THEM UP,

LEAVING JUST A TINY HOLE FOR THE MUSKETS.

AND SMALL DOORWAYS ARE MUCH HARDER TO BREACH.

Narrator: CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWERS

INCREASED IN THE LATE 18th CENTURY

AS THE TURKISH THREAT INTENSIFIED.

AND THE MANIATES BITTERLY RESISTED THE OTTOMAN TURKS

WHO NOW CONTROLLED THE REST OF GREECE.

WHO NOW CONTROLLED THE REST OF GREECE.

THE FIGHTING BETWEEN THE TURKS AND THE MANIATES

WAS PARTICULARLY VICIOUS.

IF A MANIATE WENT DOWN IN BATTLE AND WAS INJURED,

A FELLOW SOLDIER WOULD TAKE HIM,

KISS HIM ON THE FOREHEAD, AND THEN LOP OFF HIS HEAD.

IT WAS BETTER TO DIE AT THE HAND OF YOUR FELLOW MAN

THAN TO FALL INTO THE TURKS' HANDS.

Narrator: INTO THE EARLY 1800s, A REVOLUTION WAS BREWING.

THIS WAS THE MOMENT WHEN THE MANIATES

WOULD SEAL THEIR REPUTATION AS GREAT WARRIORS.

WOULD SEAL THEIR REPUTATION AS GREAT WARRIORS.

Dean: THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE STARTED DOWN HERE IN THE MANI.

SIGNIFICANT CLANSMEN GATHERED THEIR TROOPS TOGETHER,

HOOKED UP WITH OTHER CLANSMEN,

AND TOGETHER, THEY ALL MARCHED TO MEET UP WITH KOLOKOTRONIS,

WHO ALL GREEKS REGARD AS THE FATHER OF THE REVOLUTION.

THROUGHOUT GREECE,

THERE DEVELOPED THE SLOGAN, "FREEDOM OR VICTORY,"

WHEREAS THE MANIS' VERSION -- IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

"DEATH OR VICTORY."

"DEATH OR VICTORY."

AND THIS SUMS UP THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE MANIATES.

THEY ALWAYS CONSIDERED THEMSELVES FREE AND INDEPENDENT

AND NEVER SUBJECT TO OTTOMAN RULE.

Narrator: BY 1826, OTTOMAN SOLDIERS RENEWED THEIR OFFENSIVE

IN THE MANI PENINSULA.

7,000 MEN WERE FORCED TO RETREAT BY THE FIERCE MANIATES

ATTACKING FROM THEIR TOWERS.

GREEK INDEPENDENCE WAS FINALLY SECURED IN 1830,

AND THE MANIS' RESISTANCE OF THE TURKS HAS NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN.

AND THE MANIS' RESISTANCE OF THE TURKS HAS NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN.

*

THIS IS THE ONLY PART OF GREECE THAT NEVER FELL TO THE TURKS,

THAT NEVER BECAME PART OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

Dean: THE PRIDE THAT THE GREEKS FEEL FOR THIS AREA

COMES FROM THEIR DETERMINATION

NOT TO BE CONQUERED BY THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

THE REST OF GREECE FELL, INCLUDING CRETE BEHIND US.

BUT THE MANI REMAINED INDEPENDENT.

Barratt: THE MANI HAD BEEN MAKING THEIR HOMES IN TOWERS

Barratt: THE MANI HAD BEEN MAKING THEIR HOMES IN TOWERS

FOR NOT DECADES, BUT HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

AND THE TOWERS EVOLVED OVER TIME,

STARTING OUT VERY SMALL, VERY MILITARY,

A STATEMENT OF POWER TO EXTERNAL ENEMIES.

OVER TIME, THEY BECOME SLIGHTLY MORE DOMESTIC,

BUT STILL WITH THAT STRUCTURE, THAT POWER.

Narrator: GRADUALLY, OVER TIME,

THE INHABITANTS IMMIGRATED TO MAJOR CITIES,

WITH MANY HEADING FURTHER AFIELD TO WESTERN EUROPE, AUSTRALIA,

AND THE UNITED STATES.

AND THE UNITED STATES.

THE FACT THAT THESE TOWERS WERE ORIENTATED TOWARDS WAR

AND DEFENSE

MEANS THAT THEY JUST DON'T HAVE A PLACE IN THE MODERN WORLD.

SO THEY REMAIN LARGELY BLOCKED UP

AND LEFT GRADUALLY CRUMBLING AWAY.

*

Dean: I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT

THAT THE VATHIA REMAINS PRESERVED

BECAUSE IT'S A VERY CLEAR INDICATION OF PAST TIMES

BECAUSE IT'S A VERY CLEAR INDICATION OF PAST TIMES

WHERE LIFE WAS DIFFICULT, LIFE WAS VIOLENT,

AND YET WITHIN SUCH DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES,

THERE WAS STILL A FIERCE PRIDE AND ALMOST A SENSE OF NOBILITY

OF BEING A MEMBER OF THAT SOCIETY.