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- [Narrator] In the late 1920s,
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a German cruise liner,
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SS Cap Arcona,
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is queen of the South Atlantic.
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- We forget before air travel,
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the way to get around if you
wanted to do it in style was
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to go on a luxury liner.
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- The point of having
the opulent ship is
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to be a showpiece for the world.
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- [Narrator] This ocean-going
palace would become embroiled
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in many twists and
turns in the service
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of the Nazis' regime.
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- The Cap Arcona
had a varied history.
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- [Narrator] While
World War II raged
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across the continent and beyond,
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Germany's finest ocean
luxury liner sets sail
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on a tale to
ultimate catastrophe.
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- From luxury vessel
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to becoming a tragedy
amongst tragedies.
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- Ending up as one of history's
worst maritime disasters.
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[upbeat instrumental music]
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- [Narrator] 1945, the
end of World War II.
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The entire continent
of Europe is in disarray,
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cities reduced to rumble
and millions of people killed,
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injured or displaced.
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As the allies uncover the
destruction the Nazis visited
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upon the world,
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secret documents about
one particular series
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of events are carefully
classified and hidden away,
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never to be seen for decades.
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At the center of
this story is one ship,
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the Cap Arcona.
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{\an8}- I mean the beauty of the
second world war is the amount
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{\an8}of information that was
recorded in multiple different ways.
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Of course, you've
got reams and reams
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of official reports
and diaries and letters,
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and you've also got the
technological advances.
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- This is the material
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{\an8}that could jeopardize
our national security.
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{\an8}- It's not surprising that a lot
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{\an8}of this information
does get buried
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{\an8}for one reason or another.
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{\an8}It might be deliberate.
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{\an8}It might be accidental.
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{\an8}- [Dr. Tessa] There's lots
that we don't want revealed.
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{\an8}- Why would anyone want to
dredge up the horrors of war,
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{\an8}especially one on the
magnitude of World War II
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{\an8}after the war had ended?
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{\an8}- [Narrator] The story
of the Cap Arcona starts
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{\an8}at the end of the
First World War,
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{\an8}as Germany is in a dismal place.
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{\an8}The country is in economic ruin,
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{\an8}forced to accept
responsibility for the conflict
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{\an8}and pay huge reparations.
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{\an8}- The story of Germany in
the 1920s is very interesting.
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{\an8}I mean, post-war,
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{\an8}of course, it's on its knees.
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{\an8}It's just been
humiliated in a war,
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{\an8}but it also has the
economic issue of recovering
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{\an8}from all that expenditure
and the reparations
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{\an8}which the allies are
making them pay.
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{\an8}- Germany is the
deindustrialized, demilitarized,
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{\an8}is paying steep reparations.
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{\an8}It's emasculated, it's
feeling really sorry for itself.
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{\an8}It's got hyperinflation.
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{\an8}It's the country on its knees.
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{\an8}- [Narrator] Although
Germany is in the midst
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{\an8}of economic ruin and
recovering from the loss
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{\an8}of the First World War,
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{\an8}one aggressive and
well-managed ship builder
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{\an8}defies the odds.
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{\an8}- Blohm & and Voss,
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{\an8}one of the world's
greatest ship builders
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{\an8}still in business today,
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{\an8}and Hamburg Sud,
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{\an8}one of the greatest ship
operators still in business today,
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{\an8}they launched this idea
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{\an8}that they're going to build
the greatest ship afloat
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{\an8}as a way of getting Germany
back in the maritime business,
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{\an8}but also for purposes of pride.
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{\an8}- [Narrator] Inspired
by the Titanic,
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{\an8}no expense will be
spared in the creation
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{\an8}of this magnificent cruise ship.
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{\an8}- When you hear about
the scale of both the cost
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{\an8}of the Cap Arcona and, really,
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{\an8}its facilities onboard,
it's mind-boggling.
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{\an8}35 billion Reichsmark to build.
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{\an8}The luxury was off the scale.
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{\an8}A full-size tennis court.
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{\an8}An indoor ballroom.
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{\an8}The apartments themselves
had silk upholstery
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{\an8}on the furniture,
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{\an8}full length baths.
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{\an8}Almost no effort had been spared
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{\an8}in creating this
unbelievably luxurious vessel.
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{\an8}- It's an absolute
magnificent luxury ship,
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{\an8}very much in keeping
with the 1920s.
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{\an8}- It's about enjoying oneself
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{\an8}and the rise of
consumerism and luxury.
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{\an8}- And that opulence would
eventually see the Cap Arcona
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{\an8}become part of the Nazi
party's propaganda machine,
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{\an8}led by Joseph Goebbels.
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{\an8}- Joseph Goebbels' rise
to power was meteoric.
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{\an8}Goebbels had exactly what Hitler
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{\an8}and the Nazis were looking for.
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{\an8}He was brilliant.
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He was fanatical and he
lacked any sense of humanity.
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- It's not surprising given
what his skillset was.
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{\an8}His skillset was convincing
people of certain ideas
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{\an8}and certain ideologies.
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{\an8}- It's funny, isn't it?
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{\an8}Goebbels is such
a curious character,
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{\an8}carrying around
almost like a Carbuncle
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{\an8}or a cannonball behind him,
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{\an8}this giant inferiority complex.
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{\an8}And I think he respects,
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{\an8}loves Hitler's
single-mindedness.
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{\an8}- Consequently,
in no time at all,
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{\an8}he's one of Hitler's right-hand
men as the administer
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{\an8}of the Department of Propaganda
and Public Enlightenment.
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{\an8}- There is a talent for
the mastery of language,
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{\an8}manipulation through
imagery and messaging,
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{\an8}and the way in which he's
able to harbor that talent.
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The outlet that he's
provided for this talent is
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through the vehicle
of national socialism
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through Hitler's Nazi party.
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[glass shattering]
- In the late 1920s,
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Goebbels was tasked
with reorganizing
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and publicizing the
largely ignored Nazi party.
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At that same time,
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finally finished, the
Cap Arcona is christened
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on May 14th, 1927.
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- The launching of the
Cap Arcona in 1927,
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a near replica of the Titanic,
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that was a source of great
pride for the German people.
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Not only practically did
that ship get Germany back
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into the cruising and
maritime business,
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but it was held up as a source
of German might and pride.
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- [Dr. Tessa] There
was the level of opulence
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and luxury enjoyed
that hadn't been seen
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for quite some time.
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- This incredibly sophisticated
luxurious vessel known
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as the Queen of
the South Atlantic
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and was drawing people
from all walks of life,
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but people with
money and influence.
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So there would be Hollywood
film stars going onboard,
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members of the royalty,
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captains of industry,
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they were flocking to this ship.
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And this ship, of course,
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represented the technological
rebirth of Germany
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after the First World War.
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- It is the sort of rise
before the fall, isn't it,
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the pride before the
fall in many respects?
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Because decadence, frivolity,
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pleasure is not something
that is the focus of
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German politics
in the later 1930s.
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- [Narrator] However, the
story of the Cap Arcona
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would be short-lived.
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About eight years from
the day she was launched,
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she would be destroyed,
[crowd cheering]
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but how and why would remain
a mystery for decades to come.
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{\an8}[film projector clicking]
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{\an8}In 1975, after 30
years of silence,
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a small number of classified
World War II documents
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are released under
the British government's
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National Secret Act.
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These documents
describe a terrible tragedy
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at sea involving the Cap Arcona,
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which cost tens of thousands
of accidental deaths.
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[ominous drumming music]
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- Britain has a variety
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of rules governing
the classification
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of sensitive documents.
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- A lot of archives and
a lot of national papers
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just simply aren't
released into the public
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for a set number of years.
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- Pretty much anything
sensitive at the end
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of the Second World War
would have been buried
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in the archives.
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Now, that doesn't
mean it's being hidden
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and it doesn't mean
it's being destroyed,
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although that could happen
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and historians often
believe it does happen.
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But it does mean that there's
going to be a minimum period
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of time until the public
are going to be able
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to see this material.
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And in some instances,
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other things are kept
back even longer.
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{\an8}[film projector clicking]
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{\an8}- [Narrator] Although the
Cap Arcona is the peak
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of German luxury,
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things were about
to go seriously wrong
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with the stock
market crash of 1929.
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Germany is once again
in financial devastation.
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- I mean, the tragedy
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for Germany is really
the economic disaster,
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at the end of the 1920s,
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the crash in the United States
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that affected the
whole of the world.
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So you've got The Great
Depression in the 1930s.
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Germany was as affected
by that as everyone else.
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So this small economic
resurgence which seemed
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to be gathering pace
is stopped in its tracks.
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You get a real sense of
not only economic hardship,
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but also political grievance.
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And the combination
of these two factors
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will explain the rise
of a party that promises
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to make Germany great again.
[ominous instrumental music]
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- [Narrator] In 1933, Hitler
is appointed chancellor
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to assist with the economic
stabilization of Germany,
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but quickly begins
to implement racist
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00:09:15,250 --> 00:09:18,340
and fascist policies in
order to seize total control
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of the country.
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00:09:19,907 --> 00:09:22,474
[Hitler speaking in
foreign language]
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[crowd cheering]
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[ominous instrumental music]
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[boots thudding in tandem]
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- [Narrator] Germany's days
as a peaceful nation are over.
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The Nazis are coming.
221
00:09:34,748 --> 00:09:36,750
[boots thudding in tandem]
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- Hitler comes along and is
very good at blame-mongering,
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00:09:41,015 --> 00:09:44,888
scapegoating, playing
the us versus them card.
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- He demonizes all those who
he deems as others in Germany
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and they're the ones
who are responsible
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for the economic turmoil.
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- So they channel
their frustration,
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and in that respect they
prove they have raw talent.
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They have raw talent
for manipulation,
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00:10:03,341 --> 00:10:05,300
for commandeering the masses,
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for puppeteering, if you like,
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great swathes of the population.
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How did the most educated
country in Europe end up voting
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00:10:15,702 --> 00:10:16,616
for national socialism
and Hitler as chancellor?
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00:10:19,270 --> 00:10:21,838
- [Narrator] Propaganda
campaigns led by Joseph Goebbels,
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heralding Aryan superiority
sweep through Germany
237
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as a two-tiered
society is created
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00:10:27,148 --> 00:10:29,324
between Aryans and inferiors.
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00:10:29,324 --> 00:10:31,195
[dramatic ominous
instrumental music]
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00:10:31,195 --> 00:10:33,328
Gradually, the Nazi regime
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00:10:33,328 --> 00:10:36,897
begins building concentration
camps to imprison these groups
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of people as well as
any political opponents.
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00:10:39,769 --> 00:10:41,684
[factory machinery rumbling]
244
00:10:41,684 --> 00:10:43,468
Blatantly defying the
Treaty of Versailles,
245
00:10:43,468 --> 00:10:45,775
signed after World War I,
246
00:10:45,775 --> 00:10:47,821
Hitler begins rapidly rebuilding
247
00:10:47,821 --> 00:10:49,387
and re-arming the
German Military.
248
00:10:50,475 --> 00:10:52,042
As a result,
249
00:10:52,042 --> 00:10:53,914
the world's rich and
famous turn their backs
250
00:10:53,914 --> 00:10:56,090
on the Cap Arcona.
251
00:10:56,090 --> 00:10:59,833
- The Cap Arcona's popularity
diminishes precipitously
252
00:10:59,833 --> 00:11:01,748
once the Nazis come to power.
253
00:11:01,748 --> 00:11:04,533
- Far from being a symbol
of a resurgent nation
254
00:11:04,533 --> 00:11:05,839
that people want to
be associated with,
255
00:11:05,839 --> 00:11:08,363
it now becomes a
symbol of Nazism.
256
00:11:08,363 --> 00:11:10,104
- [Narrator] Having
lost all appeal
257
00:11:10,104 --> 00:11:13,150
as a tourist destination
under the Nazi regime,
258
00:11:13,150 --> 00:11:17,546
the Cap Arcona makes its final
voyage on August 24th, 1939.
259
00:11:18,808 --> 00:11:20,288
But it leaves South America
260
00:11:20,288 --> 00:11:22,812
with only two passengers
making the return trip
261
00:11:22,812 --> 00:11:24,248
back to Germany.
262
00:11:24,248 --> 00:11:27,774
[ship rumbling] [ominous
instrumental music]
263
00:11:27,774 --> 00:11:28,862
The very next day,
264
00:11:28,862 --> 00:11:30,298
another German ship,
265
00:11:30,298 --> 00:11:32,866
the Schleswig-Holstein,
a battleship,
266
00:11:32,866 --> 00:11:34,868
arrives in the Polish
Port of Danzig.
267
00:11:34,868 --> 00:11:37,914
[ominous instrumental music]
268
00:11:37,914 --> 00:11:40,525
- I mean, the interesting thing
about German sea power is
269
00:11:40,525 --> 00:11:43,528
what happens with the
cruiser, the Schleswig-Holstein.
270
00:11:43,528 --> 00:11:45,792
Because it is sent to Danzig,
271
00:11:45,792 --> 00:11:48,925
which is a free port but
in the Polish corridor,
272
00:11:48,925 --> 00:11:51,449
which is a strip of land which
has been taken off Germany
273
00:11:51,449 --> 00:11:53,451
at the end of the First World
War and given the Poland.
274
00:11:53,451 --> 00:11:56,324
- [Narrator] Unbeknownst
to the greeting crowd,
275
00:11:56,324 --> 00:11:58,065
the Schleswig-Holstein
is carrying
276
00:11:58,065 --> 00:12:01,503
300 heavily armed German
assault troops below deck,
277
00:12:01,503 --> 00:12:03,723
preparing to initiate an
attack which would result
278
00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:05,376
in a global conflict.
279
00:12:05,376 --> 00:12:07,291
[ominous rumbling music]
280
00:12:07,291 --> 00:12:10,817
In the early morning
hours of September, 1st,
281
00:12:10,817 --> 00:12:13,602
the Schleswig-Holstein
slips out of the moorings
282
00:12:13,602 --> 00:12:15,691
and glides downstream
to anchor with a clear view
283
00:12:15,691 --> 00:12:16,779
of the Polish garrison.
284
00:12:18,389 --> 00:12:18,868
At 4:47 a.m.,
285
00:12:20,435 --> 00:12:22,306
the hidden assault
troops emerged
286
00:12:22,306 --> 00:12:24,874
and unleashed their
weapons on the garrison,
287
00:12:24,874 --> 00:12:27,703
commencing the German
invasion of Poland.
288
00:12:27,703 --> 00:12:31,185
[ominous instrumental music]
289
00:12:31,185 --> 00:12:33,361
[bombs exploding]
290
00:12:33,361 --> 00:12:36,712
- Hitler invades Poland
with a blitzkrieg operation.
291
00:12:36,712 --> 00:12:38,888
Now everything changes.
292
00:12:38,888 --> 00:12:40,063
- [Narrator] The Polish cities,
293
00:12:40,063 --> 00:12:42,065
Warsaw and Krakow are bombed,
294
00:12:42,065 --> 00:12:43,632
and the port city of Danzig,
295
00:12:43,632 --> 00:12:47,201
which is a strategic location
in the Baltics, is annexed.
296
00:12:47,201 --> 00:12:49,420
The Nazis refuse to
withdraw their troops,
297
00:12:49,420 --> 00:12:50,770
and two days later,
298
00:12:50,770 --> 00:12:53,250
France and Britain
declare war on Germany.
299
00:12:53,250 --> 00:12:55,165
[cannon shots exploding]
300
00:12:55,165 --> 00:12:58,212
Meanwhile, the Cap Arcona
is about to play a new role.
301
00:12:58,212 --> 00:13:01,084
- The Cap Arcona is sailing
back to Germany just days
302
00:13:01,084 --> 00:13:03,130
before World War II breaks out.
303
00:13:03,130 --> 00:13:04,392
The captain receives
the communication,
304
00:13:04,392 --> 00:13:08,875
make immediate plans
to get back to a port.
305
00:13:08,875 --> 00:13:10,746
- I mean, ultimately
what tends to happen
306
00:13:10,746 --> 00:13:13,357
in any nation during
wartime is that a lot
307
00:13:13,357 --> 00:13:16,099
of civil shipping will be
requisitioned by the government,
308
00:13:16,099 --> 00:13:17,927
it happened in Britain,
309
00:13:17,927 --> 00:13:19,755
it happened in America
during the Second World War,
310
00:13:19,755 --> 00:13:21,365
to assist with the war.
311
00:13:21,365 --> 00:13:25,848
- This is a sizeable
vessel and you're at war.
312
00:13:25,848 --> 00:13:27,807
You need to train,
[waves gushing]
313
00:13:27,807 --> 00:13:30,374
you need to house your navy,
314
00:13:30,374 --> 00:13:34,814
and it's an obvious
stopgap solution.
315
00:13:36,554 --> 00:13:37,642
- [Narrator] The Cap
Arcona makes its way
316
00:13:37,642 --> 00:13:40,254
to the Port of Gotenhafen.
317
00:13:40,254 --> 00:13:43,213
On arrival, the ship
has painted military gray
318
00:13:43,213 --> 00:13:45,520
and its fine
furnishings are removed
319
00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:49,176
as it transforms into a
barracks for German sailors,
320
00:13:49,176 --> 00:13:51,308
a far cry from its
days of hosting royalty
321
00:13:51,308 --> 00:13:52,570
and celebrities onboard.
322
00:13:54,268 --> 00:13:56,836
Although transformed,
its former opulence
323
00:13:56,836 --> 00:13:58,576
will not be forgotten.
324
00:13:58,576 --> 00:14:00,143
- An early 2014,
325
00:14:00,143 --> 00:14:02,363
I was working on a
book on the final week
326
00:14:02,363 --> 00:14:03,886
of the war in Europe,
327
00:14:03,886 --> 00:14:06,280
and I was looking for
stories of love and loss,
328
00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:10,023
triumph and tragedy as a
way of capturing the power
329
00:14:10,023 --> 00:14:12,721
of the last week of
the world's worst war.
330
00:14:12,721 --> 00:14:15,245
And pretty much by dumb luck,
331
00:14:15,245 --> 00:14:18,205
which is oftentimes how the
process of discovery works,
332
00:14:18,205 --> 00:14:20,816
I found a letter from a
Major Till in the British Army
333
00:14:20,816 --> 00:14:23,166
where he essentially says,
334
00:14:23,166 --> 00:14:26,691
he'd never seen or
experienced anything as horrific
335
00:14:26,691 --> 00:14:28,998
as what happened
on the Cap Arcona
336
00:14:28,998 --> 00:14:31,174
in the final days of the war.
337
00:14:31,174 --> 00:14:32,872
And I thought to myself,
338
00:14:32,872 --> 00:14:34,047
what is that?
339
00:14:34,047 --> 00:14:35,352
I'd never heard of it.
340
00:14:35,352 --> 00:14:37,006
- So when you're doing research
341
00:14:37,006 --> 00:14:40,227
and you find something
that's unexpected,
342
00:14:40,227 --> 00:14:42,055
most of the time you
want to find out more.
343
00:14:42,055 --> 00:14:43,883
[ominous instrumental
music] - Safely back at port,
344
00:14:43,883 --> 00:14:47,190
the Cap Arcona has now
taken up her new military role
345
00:14:47,190 --> 00:14:48,496
in the Kriegsmarine,
346
00:14:48,496 --> 00:14:50,063
the German Navy.
347
00:14:50,063 --> 00:14:52,630
Meanwhile, as a result
of their invasion of Poland,
348
00:14:52,630 --> 00:14:55,938
the Nazis secure the
Baltic Sea as their domain.
349
00:14:55,938 --> 00:14:58,985
- The Baltic is of
vital importance
350
00:14:58,985 --> 00:15:00,987
and it also prevents you
from being landlocked.
351
00:15:00,987 --> 00:15:02,945
You need to be
able to get in fuel,
352
00:15:02,945 --> 00:15:05,295
[paper rustling]
food, munitions.
353
00:15:05,295 --> 00:15:07,732
It's the thoroughfare.
It's the highway.
354
00:15:07,732 --> 00:15:09,343
It's like the ultimate motorway
355
00:15:09,343 --> 00:15:11,040
and it's also somewhere
356
00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,564
where you can train
your naval servicemen.
357
00:15:13,564 --> 00:15:15,001
[ominous instrumental music]
358
00:15:15,001 --> 00:15:17,351
- [Narrator] Having
repurposed the Cap Arcona,
359
00:15:17,351 --> 00:15:20,484
German sailors perform
exercises on the upper decks
360
00:15:20,484 --> 00:15:24,053
and use the cabins below
as they're sleeping quarters.
361
00:15:24,053 --> 00:15:27,056
- It's also such an advanced
ship that her engine,
362
00:15:27,056 --> 00:15:28,710
her propulsion systems,
363
00:15:28,710 --> 00:15:31,931
her navigational systems
were the state of the art.
364
00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:33,715
- [Narrator] However,
the eventual destruction
365
00:15:33,715 --> 00:15:36,892
of this magnificent ship
still remained a mystery.
366
00:15:36,892 --> 00:15:38,502
[paper rustling]
367
00:15:38,502 --> 00:15:40,504
- So I kept doing research
and I found a second letter
368
00:15:40,504 --> 00:15:44,073
from a general
named Mills-Roberts.
369
00:15:44,073 --> 00:15:47,903
He was the general in charge
of the British Sixth Commando.
370
00:15:47,903 --> 00:15:49,513
- [Narrator] This letter
references two attacks
371
00:15:49,513 --> 00:15:52,473
against his Nazi
ship in Lubeck Bay,
372
00:15:52,473 --> 00:15:54,431
immediately
establishing a connection
373
00:15:54,431 --> 00:15:56,564
to the first document
written by Major Till.
374
00:15:56,564 --> 00:15:59,175
- So now that there's
two bits of information,
375
00:15:59,175 --> 00:16:01,961
then it's going to
be easier to keep
376
00:16:01,961 --> 00:16:04,659
looking longer and harder.
377
00:16:04,659 --> 00:16:07,531
- The most obvious
question that I had,
378
00:16:07,531 --> 00:16:10,882
that anybody would have is
why would a British general
379
00:16:10,882 --> 00:16:14,495
and a British major
consider the destruction
380
00:16:14,495 --> 00:16:18,803
of a German ship at the end
of World War II to be a tragedy?
381
00:16:18,803 --> 00:16:21,893
General Mills-Roberts
was a hardened veteran.
382
00:16:21,893 --> 00:16:24,374
You would think that nothing
would bother someone like that.
383
00:16:24,374 --> 00:16:26,942
And for him to
basically see this as one
384
00:16:26,942 --> 00:16:29,945
of the worst things he'd
ever seen in his entire life,
385
00:16:29,945 --> 00:16:31,816
it had to be bad.
386
00:16:31,816 --> 00:16:32,992
[dramatic instrumental music]
[boots marching in tandem]
387
00:16:32,992 --> 00:16:34,645
- [Narrator] With no sign
388
00:16:34,645 --> 00:16:37,387
of slowing down their
aggressive expansionist ambitions,
389
00:16:37,387 --> 00:16:40,303
the Nazis launched
their invasion of Norway.
390
00:16:40,303 --> 00:16:41,522
[airplane engines rumbling]
They will rely heavily
391
00:16:41,522 --> 00:16:44,960
on their Kriegsmarine
for this coastal assault.
392
00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:46,222
- The story of Norway
is very interesting
393
00:16:46,222 --> 00:16:49,138
because you've got Denmark
which falls very quickly,
394
00:16:49,138 --> 00:16:50,661
but Norway doesn't.
395
00:16:50,661 --> 00:16:53,969
Norway fights really
hard against the Germans.
396
00:16:53,969 --> 00:16:55,971
It's determined to resist.
397
00:16:55,971 --> 00:16:57,929
And it's at this point that
the allies try to fight back.
398
00:16:57,929 --> 00:16:59,670
[cannon shots
exploding] So there's a lot
399
00:16:59,670 --> 00:17:02,282
of Naval action going on in
that early campaign in Norway
400
00:17:02,282 --> 00:17:04,893
and a lot of Kriegsmarine
ships are sunk.
401
00:17:04,893 --> 00:17:06,373
They're losing a lot of ships,
402
00:17:06,373 --> 00:17:07,939
a lot of destroyers.
403
00:17:07,939 --> 00:17:09,680
They're losing some
even bigger ships than that
404
00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:12,596
and this shows you how
important this war effort was.
405
00:17:12,596 --> 00:17:16,339
- If the Nazis can control
the Norwegian ports,
406
00:17:16,339 --> 00:17:19,908
they're very much in
control of that entire region.
407
00:17:19,908 --> 00:17:23,259
[ominous instrumental music]
408
00:17:23,259 --> 00:17:24,478
[relaxing instrumental
music] [paper rustling]
409
00:17:24,478 --> 00:17:26,828
- [Narrator] With the Nazis
now occupying Poland,
410
00:17:26,828 --> 00:17:28,221
Denmark, Norway,
411
00:17:28,221 --> 00:17:30,527
France, and the low countries,
412
00:17:30,527 --> 00:17:34,314
they control vast swathes
of the European continent.
413
00:17:34,314 --> 00:17:37,534
Their next target is the UK.
414
00:17:37,534 --> 00:17:40,407
Lying vulnerable and
alone in the English Channel,
415
00:17:40,407 --> 00:17:42,409
Hitler makes plans for
an amphibious assault
416
00:17:42,409 --> 00:17:45,586
to capture Britain and
take full control of the seas.
417
00:17:47,718 --> 00:17:49,198
- Hitler was
obsessed with Britain.
418
00:17:49,198 --> 00:17:51,679
That was his rival as he saw it.
419
00:17:51,679 --> 00:17:55,422
- Sea Lion is the code
for the German invasion
420
00:17:55,422 --> 00:17:57,293
of the United Kingdom and it's,
421
00:17:57,293 --> 00:17:59,948
of course, a
massive undertaking.
422
00:17:59,948 --> 00:18:01,515
And then to make
matters worse, of course,
423
00:18:01,515 --> 00:18:03,778
the Germans are going to
preface it all by heavy bombing.
424
00:18:03,778 --> 00:18:06,172
[dramatic instrumental music]
425
00:18:06,172 --> 00:18:07,912
[bombs exploding]
426
00:18:07,912 --> 00:18:09,175
- [Narrator] In July, 1940,
427
00:18:09,175 --> 00:18:12,787
the Luftwaffe begins
an air and sea blockade
428
00:18:12,787 --> 00:18:16,051
in preparation for
Operation Sea Lion.
429
00:18:16,051 --> 00:18:18,575
They target coastal infrastructure
and shipping operations
430
00:18:18,575 --> 00:18:20,316
in the English Channel.
431
00:18:20,316 --> 00:18:23,667
This is the first major
air attack in World War II.
432
00:18:23,667 --> 00:18:27,584
- The battle of Britain
unfolds in quite a curious way.
433
00:18:27,584 --> 00:18:31,110
The initial strategy by the
Germans made a lot of sense,
434
00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:34,417
which is the target communication
centers and also airfields
435
00:18:34,417 --> 00:18:37,203
so you're basically knocking
out the enemy air force.
436
00:18:37,203 --> 00:18:39,683
Because they don't have initial
success from July onwards,
437
00:18:39,683 --> 00:18:42,991
the Germans decide to switch
tactics and target London,
438
00:18:42,991 --> 00:18:45,646
almost as though they're going
to bomb us into submission.
439
00:18:45,646 --> 00:18:49,345
- And squadron after squadron
fly across the English Channel
440
00:18:49,345 --> 00:18:51,826
to bomb Britain back
to the Stone Ages.
441
00:18:51,826 --> 00:18:53,044
[airplane engines rumbling]
And in one of history's
442
00:18:53,044 --> 00:18:56,004
greatest upsets, a few RAF,
443
00:18:56,004 --> 00:18:59,399
Royal Air Force pilots
defeat the Luftwaffe.
444
00:18:59,399 --> 00:19:00,530
- It's one of the first
German defeats,
445
00:19:00,530 --> 00:19:02,228
the Battle of Britain.
[airplane engines roaring]
446
00:19:02,228 --> 00:19:05,056
They don't achieve air
superiority and the blitz
447
00:19:05,056 --> 00:19:07,972
in many ways can be
read as a desperate act,
448
00:19:07,972 --> 00:19:08,321
an act of desperation.
449
00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:13,587
- [Narrator] With the Nazis
unable to defeat the British,
450
00:19:13,587 --> 00:19:15,458
Joseph Goebbels wants
to launch another attack
451
00:19:15,458 --> 00:19:17,808
to weaken their resolve,
452
00:19:17,808 --> 00:19:18,331
this time using propaganda.
453
00:19:21,203 --> 00:19:22,857
- Goebbels' the
propaganda chief,
454
00:19:22,857 --> 00:19:25,903
so frustrated and outraged is he
455
00:19:25,903 --> 00:19:27,644
that Britain's
still fighting on,
456
00:19:27,644 --> 00:19:30,734
that he decides to create
a kind of propaganda tool
457
00:19:30,734 --> 00:19:33,172
that is going to take
the wind out of our sails,
458
00:19:33,172 --> 00:19:35,435
as he perceives it.
459
00:19:35,435 --> 00:19:37,350
- Goebbels did
several things for Hitler.
460
00:19:37,350 --> 00:19:39,352
He was a captivating speaker,
461
00:19:39,352 --> 00:19:41,441
fanatically loyal, devoted,
462
00:19:41,441 --> 00:19:43,747
but one of the things
was make movies.
463
00:19:43,747 --> 00:19:48,056
Joseph Goebbels produced or
was a part of hundreds of films.
464
00:19:49,579 --> 00:19:53,017
- A recognition that this
was a powerful medium
465
00:19:53,017 --> 00:19:55,890
was understood by the Nazis,
466
00:19:55,890 --> 00:19:58,109
particularly by
Goebbels early on.
467
00:19:58,109 --> 00:19:59,850
[waves gushing]
468
00:19:59,850 --> 00:20:02,462
- The British Navy for
hundreds of years has been one
469
00:20:02,462 --> 00:20:04,115
of the most
powerful in the world.
470
00:20:04,115 --> 00:20:07,162
And Hitler and Goebbels
not only want to defeat Britain,
471
00:20:07,162 --> 00:20:08,642
they want to embarrass Britain,
472
00:20:08,642 --> 00:20:10,121
but first and foremost,
473
00:20:10,121 --> 00:20:10,818
the British Navy,
474
00:20:10,818 --> 00:20:12,602
the Royal Navy.
475
00:20:12,602 --> 00:20:15,953
And what better way to
do this than to point out
476
00:20:15,953 --> 00:20:19,348
that Britain's Titanic had
sunk while Germany's Titanic,
477
00:20:19,348 --> 00:20:21,089
the Cap Arcona was still afloat.
478
00:20:22,525 --> 00:20:24,614
- [Narrator] In April, 1912,
479
00:20:24,614 --> 00:20:27,095
on its maiden
voyage, the Titanic,
480
00:20:27,095 --> 00:20:29,445
a luxurious passenger ship,
481
00:20:29,445 --> 00:20:31,230
a liner with such
advanced engineering
482
00:20:31,230 --> 00:20:33,449
it was deemed unsinkable,
483
00:20:33,449 --> 00:20:36,626
headed across the Atlantic
from Southampton to New York
484
00:20:36,626 --> 00:20:39,412
with 2,240 passengers
and crew onboard.
485
00:20:40,891 --> 00:20:42,719
But just four days
into its journey,
486
00:20:42,719 --> 00:20:44,417
it hit an iceberg and sank.
487
00:20:45,592 --> 00:20:49,509
- The press throughout the UK
488
00:20:49,509 --> 00:20:53,730
was very much
promoting it as a symbol
489
00:20:53,730 --> 00:20:57,038
of British ingenuity
and British strength.
490
00:20:57,038 --> 00:20:59,823
- So when the Titanic goes
down after hitting the iceberg
491
00:20:59,823 --> 00:21:03,740
and she takes roughly
1,500 souls down with her,
492
00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:05,960
making this at the time,
493
00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:08,919
one of history's deadliest
maritime disasters.
494
00:21:08,919 --> 00:21:10,660
[ominous instrumental music]
495
00:21:10,660 --> 00:21:12,662
- [Narrator] Recognizing
the fact the Titanic disaster
496
00:21:12,662 --> 00:21:14,925
is a delicate moment
in British history,
497
00:21:14,925 --> 00:21:18,146
Goebbels plans to use this
tragedy as the centerpiece
498
00:21:18,146 --> 00:21:22,411
for his propaganda campaign
to demoralize the British.
499
00:21:22,411 --> 00:21:26,241
- Hitler and Goebbels
were fascinated with movies.
500
00:21:26,241 --> 00:21:28,461
They loved Hollywood films.
501
00:21:28,461 --> 00:21:30,419
They watched them all the time.
502
00:21:30,419 --> 00:21:32,421
It was not uncommon
for them to watch two
503
00:21:32,421 --> 00:21:34,510
or three back-to-back-to-back
504
00:21:34,510 --> 00:21:36,512
with translators
and interpreters.
505
00:21:36,512 --> 00:21:38,253
[film projector clicking]
- Goebbels decides
506
00:21:38,253 --> 00:21:40,864
that the best way to get
back at the British morale is
507
00:21:40,864 --> 00:21:43,606
to make a film about
the sinking of the Titanic.
508
00:21:43,606 --> 00:21:46,174
- So he comes up with this idea
509
00:21:46,174 --> 00:21:49,743
that you make a film
about the Titanic in order
510
00:21:49,743 --> 00:21:53,573
to portray the British
Navy as incompetent
511
00:21:53,573 --> 00:21:56,532
and as ruthless and as
stupid and all of these things,
512
00:21:56,532 --> 00:21:58,012
with the grand design
513
00:21:58,012 --> 00:22:01,276
that the German people
will believe it, and therefore,
514
00:22:01,276 --> 00:22:03,670
want to launch an attack
against the United Kingdom
515
00:22:03,670 --> 00:22:05,324
or support that
kind of an attack.
516
00:22:06,934 --> 00:22:08,892
- [Narrator] Although she
may have survived longer,
517
00:22:08,892 --> 00:22:11,504
the Cap Arcona would
eventually follow the same fate
518
00:22:11,504 --> 00:22:13,941
as the Titanic and
end up sinking.
519
00:22:13,941 --> 00:22:15,203
Bit by bit,
520
00:22:15,203 --> 00:22:16,726
her final story was unfolding.
521
00:22:18,424 --> 00:22:20,077
Having discovered two documents,
522
00:22:20,077 --> 00:22:23,254
hinting a tragedy
surrounding the Cap Arcona,
523
00:22:23,254 --> 00:22:25,953
the search for
answers intensifies.
524
00:22:25,953 --> 00:22:27,955
- The first thing I did
after finding those letters
525
00:22:27,955 --> 00:22:29,522
was I went online.
526
00:22:29,522 --> 00:22:31,480
I didn't try to go to an
archive or look for books,
527
00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,134
just went online.
528
00:22:33,134 --> 00:22:36,267
So I was sketching out
different scenarios that might
529
00:22:36,267 --> 00:22:38,357
have happened at the
end of the war based
530
00:22:38,357 --> 00:22:39,923
on the little bit
that Till said,
531
00:22:39,923 --> 00:22:40,837
the little bit that
Mills-Roberts said,
532
00:22:40,837 --> 00:22:43,710
and what was said
in the obituaries.
533
00:22:43,710 --> 00:22:46,756
And I was able to
come up with some,
534
00:22:46,756 --> 00:22:49,324
what seemed to be
pretty reasonable guesses.
535
00:22:49,324 --> 00:22:51,195
It involved a ship.
536
00:22:51,195 --> 00:22:53,502
It took place in the
final days of the war.
537
00:22:53,502 --> 00:22:55,199
It was in the Baltic Sea.
538
00:22:55,199 --> 00:22:56,679
It was tragic.
539
00:22:56,679 --> 00:22:58,246
It was so important
540
00:22:58,246 --> 00:23:00,814
that the documents
were probably classified.
541
00:23:00,814 --> 00:23:02,772
So you put those little
breadcrumbs together
542
00:23:02,772 --> 00:23:05,384
and it starts walking you
into some explanations
543
00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:07,386
of what may have happened.
544
00:23:07,386 --> 00:23:09,562
- Hidden stories are
constantly reemerging
545
00:23:09,562 --> 00:23:11,215
through documentary evidence,
546
00:23:11,215 --> 00:23:12,303
through archeological evidence,
547
00:23:12,303 --> 00:23:15,045
and occasionally through
someone's memory
548
00:23:15,045 --> 00:23:16,220
that's never been
challenged before.
549
00:23:16,220 --> 00:23:18,353
There are so many stories,
550
00:23:18,353 --> 00:23:20,790
particularly these smaller
ones that have been forgotten
551
00:23:20,790 --> 00:23:24,098
or been buried that will be
resurrected at some point.
552
00:23:24,098 --> 00:23:25,969
{\an8}[film projector clicking]
[ominous instrumental music]
553
00:23:25,969 --> 00:23:27,057
{\an8}- [Narrator] In June, 1941,
554
00:23:27,057 --> 00:23:31,148
Germany launches
Operation Barbarossa.
555
00:23:31,148 --> 00:23:33,368
They set their sites
on conquering Russia,
556
00:23:33,368 --> 00:23:35,675
opening up a new Eastern front.
557
00:23:35,675 --> 00:23:38,068
- Operation. Barbarossa
was one of the largest,
558
00:23:38,068 --> 00:23:41,507
most ambitious military
actions in world history.
559
00:23:41,507 --> 00:23:44,118
Hitler's going to
send multiple divisions
560
00:23:44,118 --> 00:23:45,946
into the Soviet Union,
561
00:23:45,946 --> 00:23:48,601
and in a way it's the
turning point of the war.
562
00:23:51,038 --> 00:23:53,127
- [Narrator] This large-scale
surprise assault consists
563
00:23:53,127 --> 00:23:54,998
of over 3 million
German soldiers
564
00:23:54,998 --> 00:23:57,566
who initially overwhelm
the Russian army.
565
00:23:57,566 --> 00:23:59,481
[tanks rumbling]
566
00:23:59,481 --> 00:24:01,222
- I mean, you can
see from the launch
567
00:24:01,222 --> 00:24:03,180
of Operation Barbarossa
568
00:24:03,180 --> 00:24:05,748
that while you've got the
military troops at the front,
569
00:24:05,748 --> 00:24:07,358
at the tip of the
spear so to speak,
570
00:24:07,358 --> 00:24:08,925
following very close behind
571
00:24:08,925 --> 00:24:11,580
are these murderous
squads of Einsatzgruppen.
572
00:24:11,580 --> 00:24:15,018
So clearly the policy is
dual edged from the start,
573
00:24:15,018 --> 00:24:17,760
which is that you're going
to defeat the Russian enemy,
574
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:18,935
but while you're defeating them,
575
00:24:18,935 --> 00:24:20,110
you're going to kill off anyone
576
00:24:20,110 --> 00:24:21,938
you consider to be undesirable.
577
00:24:21,938 --> 00:24:23,374
- This is hell on Earth,
578
00:24:23,374 --> 00:24:25,768
even in the hellish
nature of World War II.
579
00:24:25,768 --> 00:24:28,162
Globally, this is
a real epicenter.
580
00:24:28,162 --> 00:24:29,729
[typewriter clickety-clacking]
581
00:24:29,729 --> 00:24:32,166
- [Narrator] As the scale of
the war continues to grow,
582
00:24:32,166 --> 00:24:34,473
Goebbels is busy making
his propaganda film
583
00:24:34,473 --> 00:24:36,126
to undermine the British Navy.
584
00:24:37,606 --> 00:24:39,695
He hires German
director, Herbert Selpin,
585
00:24:39,695 --> 00:24:42,393
to bring his vision of
the Nazi Titanic to life.
586
00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,093
- He's the best known
German film director.
587
00:24:46,093 --> 00:24:48,617
He's not that pro-Nazi,
588
00:24:48,617 --> 00:24:50,706
but he is very anti British
so he's the right guy
589
00:24:50,706 --> 00:24:52,099
for this type of job,
590
00:24:52,099 --> 00:24:54,362
and he's also at
the top of his game.
591
00:24:54,362 --> 00:24:55,972
And he brings on
his childhood friend
592
00:24:55,972 --> 00:24:57,060
who is a Nazi ideologue.
593
00:24:59,367 --> 00:25:01,151
- [Narrator] Walter Zerlett-Olfenius
had been a screenwriter
594
00:25:01,151 --> 00:25:03,763
in Germany since 1936.
595
00:25:03,763 --> 00:25:05,329
- What Hitler wanted
and then ultimately
596
00:25:05,329 --> 00:25:06,287
what Goebbels wants,
597
00:25:06,287 --> 00:25:07,854
he doesn't want
598
00:25:07,854 --> 00:25:10,639
a typical Goebbels
ham-fisted propaganda film.
599
00:25:10,639 --> 00:25:12,206
He wants an action,
600
00:25:12,206 --> 00:25:15,078
drama, romance hybrid,
601
00:25:15,078 --> 00:25:17,951
just like the Hollywood
blockbusters like "Casablanca".
602
00:25:17,951 --> 00:25:20,736
And that's what
Selpin specialized in.
603
00:25:20,736 --> 00:25:23,652
- He's got an offer that's
too good for him to refuse,
604
00:25:23,652 --> 00:25:26,916
a huge budget, huge support,
605
00:25:26,916 --> 00:25:31,007
the starting point for
his own Hollywood.
606
00:25:31,007 --> 00:25:32,487
And in essence,
607
00:25:32,487 --> 00:25:36,012
I expect that he thought
he would be a big player
608
00:25:36,012 --> 00:25:38,101
in that new Hollywood for
years and years to come.
609
00:25:38,101 --> 00:25:40,495
[ominous rumbling
music] [fire crackling]
610
00:25:40,495 --> 00:25:42,366
- [Narrator] Meanwhile,
despite their initial success,
611
00:25:42,366 --> 00:25:45,631
the Nazis are unable to
dominate Russia as quickly
612
00:25:45,631 --> 00:25:48,329
as they planned and
they're severely unprepared
613
00:25:48,329 --> 00:25:50,636
for the harsh winter conditions.
614
00:25:50,636 --> 00:25:52,159
In December, 1941,
615
00:25:52,159 --> 00:25:55,292
the Red Army launches
a massive counter-attack
616
00:25:55,292 --> 00:25:57,033
against the Nazis,
617
00:25:57,033 --> 00:25:59,645
driving them back from
Moscow in utter chaos.
618
00:25:59,645 --> 00:26:01,298
[tank rumbling]
- The writing is really
619
00:26:01,298 --> 00:26:03,736
on the wall when they're
turned back from Moscow
620
00:26:03,736 --> 00:26:05,259
in terrible winter conditions.
621
00:26:05,259 --> 00:26:07,522
The Russians counter-attack.
622
00:26:07,522 --> 00:26:10,003
Germans are pushed all the
way back to a line from which,
623
00:26:10,003 --> 00:26:12,571
although they will
advance from a little bit,
624
00:26:12,571 --> 00:26:14,050
they never get back to Moscow.
625
00:26:14,050 --> 00:26:16,705
- As we get to the
stage in the war
626
00:26:16,705 --> 00:26:20,491
where Germany is losing,
627
00:26:20,491 --> 00:26:24,974
the front with Russia has
turned into a very hard front
628
00:26:27,368 --> 00:26:28,717
that they're now
retreating backwards from.
629
00:26:31,241 --> 00:26:33,722
You've got a huge
morale problem.
630
00:26:33,722 --> 00:26:35,985
- [Narrator] In early 1942,
631
00:26:35,985 --> 00:26:39,423
filming of the Nazi "Titanic"
propaganda film finally begins
632
00:26:39,423 --> 00:26:40,642
at Berlin's high
end Tobis Studios.
633
00:26:43,253 --> 00:26:46,039
Goebbels secures a budget
of 4 million Reichsmarks,
634
00:26:46,039 --> 00:26:47,780
the largest film budget
in the world at the time.
635
00:26:50,173 --> 00:26:52,088
- Goebbels has got
the green light to go
636
00:26:52,088 --> 00:26:55,352
from Hitler to do this
as a massive budget.
637
00:26:55,352 --> 00:26:59,269
- They reassign entire
military units to be extras,
638
00:26:59,269 --> 00:27:00,967
the cast of thousands.
639
00:27:00,967 --> 00:27:03,360
They find the most
beautiful German models,
640
00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:05,754
the most handsome
matinee actors,
641
00:27:05,754 --> 00:27:08,627
the best set builders
and carpenters.
642
00:27:08,627 --> 00:27:11,020
I mean, they spare no expense.
643
00:27:11,020 --> 00:27:14,110
- Hitler's interest in the film
would've put more pressure
644
00:27:14,110 --> 00:27:15,895
on Goebbels than Selpin
645
00:27:15,895 --> 00:27:18,985
because of the great
personal admiration
646
00:27:18,985 --> 00:27:21,770
that Goebbels had for Hitler.
647
00:27:21,770 --> 00:27:24,033
- [Narrator] Meanwhile,
Goebbels' "Titanic" propaganda
648
00:27:24,033 --> 00:27:26,122
project is going terribly.
649
00:27:26,122 --> 00:27:28,559
Director Selpin's
Hollywood behavior
650
00:27:28,559 --> 00:27:30,561
reaches a new
level of demanding.
651
00:27:30,561 --> 00:27:33,434
He insists on using a
ship from the German Navy
652
00:27:33,434 --> 00:27:36,219
to be a centerpiece
of action in this film.
653
00:27:36,219 --> 00:27:38,178
- So you've got all these
kind of creative nightmares.
654
00:27:38,178 --> 00:27:39,614
You've got giant egos.
655
00:27:39,614 --> 00:27:41,355
You've got ridiculous
amounts of cash,
656
00:27:41,355 --> 00:27:44,967
despite rations
and restrictions,
657
00:27:44,967 --> 00:27:48,623
and you can't get the sinking
of the ship that you need
658
00:27:48,623 --> 00:27:51,321
to make your movie the
blockbuster that Goebbels wants
659
00:27:51,321 --> 00:27:52,975
and that Selpin wants.
660
00:27:52,975 --> 00:27:56,109
- The movie is running over
budget, behind schedule.
661
00:27:56,109 --> 00:27:58,198
And Hitler wants his movie,
662
00:27:58,198 --> 00:28:00,243
so he's breathing
down Goebbels' neck.
663
00:28:00,243 --> 00:28:01,897
Goebbels wants his movie,
664
00:28:01,897 --> 00:28:03,682
so he's breathing
down Selpin's neck.
665
00:28:03,682 --> 00:28:05,118
[aircraft humming]
- To create a film
666
00:28:05,118 --> 00:28:06,554
about the Titanic,
667
00:28:06,554 --> 00:28:08,338
you have to have a
scene with an iceberg.
668
00:28:08,338 --> 00:28:09,470
That is a necessity.
669
00:28:09,470 --> 00:28:13,387
Selpin obviously
wants it to be grand.
670
00:28:13,387 --> 00:28:16,042
He wants it to look
as good as possible
671
00:28:16,042 --> 00:28:17,826
Because that has been
his motivation seemingly
672
00:28:17,826 --> 00:28:19,872
throughout the
entire filming process.
673
00:28:19,872 --> 00:28:21,134
[ominous rumbling music]
674
00:28:21,134 --> 00:28:23,614
- [Narrator] To satisfy
Selpin's latest demands,
675
00:28:23,614 --> 00:28:25,791
Goebbels leans in
on the Kriegsmarine
676
00:28:25,791 --> 00:28:27,706
to present several
different ship options
677
00:28:27,706 --> 00:28:29,185
to use in the film.
678
00:28:29,185 --> 00:28:31,840
- If they're going to make
a film about the Titanic,
679
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:33,407
they have a replica
of the Titanic sitting
680
00:28:33,407 --> 00:28:34,974
on the Polish coast.
681
00:28:34,974 --> 00:28:37,977
- What better, the ship
that was in effect the Titanic
682
00:28:37,977 --> 00:28:39,848
of the 1920s and 1930s,
683
00:28:39,848 --> 00:28:41,197
the Cap Arcona?
684
00:28:41,197 --> 00:28:42,851
- You paint it.
685
00:28:42,851 --> 00:28:46,246
You make sure it is
restored to the point
686
00:28:46,246 --> 00:28:47,726
where people look
at it and they say,
687
00:28:47,726 --> 00:28:49,031
that's the Titanic.
688
00:28:49,031 --> 00:28:50,467
[waves gushing]
689
00:28:50,467 --> 00:28:52,600
- [Narrator] Having
secured the Cap Arcona,
690
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,254
Selpin relocates the
entire cast and crew
691
00:28:54,254 --> 00:28:57,518
to the Southern
Baltic. [paper rustling]
692
00:28:57,518 --> 00:28:59,912
Goebbels arranges for
German Naval officers
693
00:28:59,912 --> 00:29:01,435
to be used as
extras for the film.
694
00:29:03,176 --> 00:29:06,962
Filming is schedule to
resume April 29th, 1942.
695
00:29:06,962 --> 00:29:08,094
But it doesn't go as planned.
696
00:29:09,965 --> 00:29:13,099
- Basically anything that
could go wrong, went wrong.
697
00:29:13,099 --> 00:29:14,970
The weather doesn't cooperate.
698
00:29:14,970 --> 00:29:17,320
One of the lead
actresses gets pregnant
699
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:20,062
from one of the
soldiers or sailors on set.
700
00:29:20,062 --> 00:29:22,108
The sailors and soldiers
on set are getting drunk
701
00:29:22,108 --> 00:29:23,805
and wrecking the set.
702
00:29:23,805 --> 00:29:26,547
People are having too much
fun not serving in the war,
703
00:29:26,547 --> 00:29:28,418
therefore they don't
memorize their lines.
704
00:29:28,418 --> 00:29:30,725
Everything is going wrong.
705
00:29:30,725 --> 00:29:33,902
All that is grading
on the perfectionist,
706
00:29:33,902 --> 00:29:36,426
Herbert Selpin's nerves.
707
00:29:36,426 --> 00:29:40,517
- Selpin is a person who's
supposed to be in control.
708
00:29:40,517 --> 00:29:44,434
And he's being given
situations and circumstances
709
00:29:44,434 --> 00:29:46,959
that are out of his control,
710
00:29:46,959 --> 00:29:50,484
especially when you're
putting in military personnel,
711
00:29:50,484 --> 00:29:53,617
naval officers on
the ship as extras.
712
00:29:53,617 --> 00:29:57,273
He's just building up and
building up stress until he gets
713
00:29:57,273 --> 00:29:59,014
to a breaking point.
714
00:29:59,014 --> 00:30:02,452
- What's even more pointed
is that he talks about it
715
00:30:02,452 --> 00:30:04,367
and that's where the
director makes a fatal mistake.
716
00:30:04,367 --> 00:30:08,981
He assumes that somehow he
is above the regular nightmare
717
00:30:09,938 --> 00:30:11,461
that is Nazi oppression.
718
00:30:11,461 --> 00:30:14,203
And so he speaks rather
freely about the problems
719
00:30:14,203 --> 00:30:16,902
and ultimately that
speaks ill of the boss,
720
00:30:16,902 --> 00:30:18,468
who is Goebbels.
721
00:30:18,468 --> 00:30:20,862
- There was no
freedom of thought.
722
00:30:20,862 --> 00:30:23,909
- [Narrator] After
Selpin's meltdown on set,
723
00:30:23,909 --> 00:30:26,607
Zerlett resigns from
working on the film.
724
00:30:26,607 --> 00:30:28,087
A loyal Nazi,
725
00:30:28,087 --> 00:30:29,871
he boards a train to Berlin
726
00:30:29,871 --> 00:30:32,569
and reports Selpin's
behavior to the Gestapo,
727
00:30:32,569 --> 00:30:35,485
sealing the fate of his
former childhood friend.
728
00:30:35,485 --> 00:30:37,400
- So Nazi Germany was all built
729
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:41,404
on absolute
unquestioning devotion.
730
00:30:41,404 --> 00:30:43,493
People were encouraged
to rat on their neighbors
731
00:30:43,493 --> 00:30:45,974
if somebody wasn't
completely devoted.
732
00:30:45,974 --> 00:30:48,629
The Gestapo was everywhere.
733
00:30:48,629 --> 00:30:52,502
So when Herbert Selpin
goes off on the Nazi party,
734
00:30:52,502 --> 00:30:55,201
he's summoned to Berlin.
735
00:30:55,201 --> 00:30:57,377
- So when Selpin is brought up
736
00:30:57,377 --> 00:31:01,120
to discuss his outburst,
he's unrepentant.
737
00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,993
He may not have thought
that it was as serious as it was,
738
00:31:04,993 --> 00:31:08,127
and that would be an
error in judgment on his part
739
00:31:08,127 --> 00:31:10,477
and he pays the
price for it in the end.
740
00:31:10,477 --> 00:31:12,653
- [Narrator] Unapologetic
about his disparaging remarks
741
00:31:12,653 --> 00:31:14,437
of the Nazi regime,
742
00:31:14,437 --> 00:31:16,744
Selpin is handed
over to the Gestapo,
743
00:31:16,744 --> 00:31:18,615
charged with
treason and disloyalty.
744
00:31:20,226 --> 00:31:22,706
Around midnight on July, 31st,
745
00:31:22,706 --> 00:31:25,057
German guards
visit Selpin's cell,
746
00:31:25,057 --> 00:31:26,058
only to find him hanged.
747
00:31:28,060 --> 00:31:30,801
The Nazi Titanic
needs a new director.
748
00:31:30,801 --> 00:31:32,499
- With Selpin dead,
749
00:31:32,499 --> 00:31:37,330
Joseph Goebbels' epic
propaganda film was in jeopardy.
750
00:31:37,330 --> 00:31:39,071
Not surprisingly, no
other directors wanted
751
00:31:39,071 --> 00:31:40,463
to finish the film.
752
00:31:40,463 --> 00:31:43,684
They found a B director
named Werner Klinger
753
00:31:43,684 --> 00:31:45,164
who came in and
finished the project.
754
00:31:45,164 --> 00:31:46,992
[film projector clicking]
- It's presented
755
00:31:46,992 --> 00:31:50,125
with great fanfare to
Goebbels who watches it
756
00:31:50,125 --> 00:31:52,998
in a private viewing
room and slowly it dawns
757
00:31:52,998 --> 00:31:55,652
on him the full irony
of what he's done.
758
00:31:55,652 --> 00:31:57,176
He's created in the middle
759
00:31:57,176 --> 00:31:59,613
of what's becoming an
increasingly desperate war
760
00:31:59,613 --> 00:32:02,137
that Germany is
no longer winning,
761
00:32:02,137 --> 00:32:05,532
he's created a metaphor
for Germany in its war effort.
762
00:32:05,532 --> 00:32:09,579
He's got a bunch of people
heading towards disaster,
763
00:32:09,579 --> 00:32:14,062
led by a sort of
unthinking, foolish leader.
764
00:32:15,063 --> 00:32:16,935
This is Germany.
765
00:32:16,935 --> 00:32:18,806
- [Dr. Tessa] Goebbels
gets the balance wrong.
766
00:32:18,806 --> 00:32:22,244
He goes in too heavy with
his anti-British narrative.
767
00:32:22,244 --> 00:32:24,464
- He thought that this film
would work in the first place.
768
00:32:24,464 --> 00:32:27,032
And then much to
his shock and horror,
769
00:32:27,032 --> 00:32:29,251
it's a terrible film
and he realizes
770
00:32:29,251 --> 00:32:31,950
that there's absolutely nothing
771
00:32:31,950 --> 00:32:33,299
that can be spun out of this.
772
00:32:33,299 --> 00:32:35,736
[cannon shots exploding]
- Having the Kriegsmarine
773
00:32:35,736 --> 00:32:38,565
be in the position it is
when the film is completed
774
00:32:38,565 --> 00:32:41,960
and having so many
individuals having been killed
775
00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:43,352
on the water,
776
00:32:43,352 --> 00:32:47,530
it is difficult to imagine
that the German public
777
00:32:47,530 --> 00:32:51,099
would've responded
well to this type of film.
778
00:32:51,099 --> 00:32:53,754
- [Narrator] Although forever
immortalized on celluloid,
779
00:32:53,754 --> 00:32:57,845
the mystery of her real fate
was still being investigated.
780
00:32:57,845 --> 00:33:00,456
- I contacted major
Holocaust museums.
781
00:33:00,456 --> 00:33:03,851
I contacted major
military history museums,
782
00:33:03,851 --> 00:33:05,722
World War II museums
and said to them,
783
00:33:05,722 --> 00:33:10,379
what is this unimaginable
tragedy that occurred
784
00:33:10,379 --> 00:33:12,903
in the final days
and hours of the war?
785
00:33:12,903 --> 00:33:15,254
And everybody
said there was none.
786
00:33:15,254 --> 00:33:16,690
- Even though most
government documents
787
00:33:16,690 --> 00:33:19,345
should be released
now after 30 years,
788
00:33:19,345 --> 00:33:21,347
we're going to keep
some stuff back.
789
00:33:21,347 --> 00:33:23,740
- I contacted the
Archives in England.
790
00:33:23,740 --> 00:33:26,700
I contacted the National
Archives in Washington.
791
00:33:26,700 --> 00:33:29,355
I sent letters to museums.
792
00:33:29,355 --> 00:33:33,620
I called, I contacted
prominent historians,
793
00:33:33,620 --> 00:33:36,101
and I either didn't get
answers or I got people saying,
794
00:33:36,101 --> 00:33:38,581
"We don't have any information,"
795
00:33:38,581 --> 00:33:41,323
or "I've never heard
of this, it's implausible."
796
00:33:41,323 --> 00:33:43,325
[upbeat instrumental music]
- After seeing the sinking
797
00:33:43,325 --> 00:33:45,371
of "Titanic", meant
to be the crown jewel
798
00:33:45,371 --> 00:33:47,199
to launch a Nazi Hollywood,
799
00:33:47,199 --> 00:33:50,158
Goebbels bans
the film in Germany.
800
00:33:50,158 --> 00:33:52,769
- After such high expectations,
801
00:33:52,769 --> 00:33:54,858
after investing so
much money and effort
802
00:33:54,858 --> 00:33:57,035
and time into this movie,
803
00:33:57,035 --> 00:33:58,036
it's not even shown.
804
00:33:58,036 --> 00:33:59,341
They don't get to use it,
805
00:33:59,341 --> 00:34:01,691
so it does not
accomplish its purpose
806
00:34:01,691 --> 00:34:03,650
of changing the
complexion of the war.
807
00:34:03,650 --> 00:34:05,173
- So after this,
808
00:34:05,173 --> 00:34:08,524
the Cap Arcona returns
to its previous wartime use
809
00:34:08,524 --> 00:34:09,786
{\an8}which is as a training base.
810
00:34:09,786 --> 00:34:12,224
{\an8}[film projector clicking]
- In June, 1944,
811
00:34:12,224 --> 00:34:14,008
the British, the Americans
812
00:34:14,008 --> 00:34:16,619
and the Canadians stormed
the beaches of Normandy
813
00:34:16,619 --> 00:34:20,058
during a massive amphibious
assault known as D-day.
814
00:34:20,058 --> 00:34:21,581
[cannon shots exploding]
815
00:34:21,581 --> 00:34:23,887
- D-day is very much
the signature day
816
00:34:23,887 --> 00:34:25,933
of the allied war effort.
817
00:34:25,933 --> 00:34:27,978
- [John] It's an
absolute crucial,
818
00:34:27,978 --> 00:34:30,677
pivotal moment in the
Second World War history.
819
00:34:30,677 --> 00:34:33,810
- It's the beginning of
the end of the Nazi reign.
820
00:34:33,810 --> 00:34:37,510
The allies are going to get
a toehold on the continent.
821
00:34:37,510 --> 00:34:39,555
- [Dr. Arne] D-day is an
overwhelming success.
822
00:34:39,555 --> 00:34:40,339
- As fate would have it,
823
00:34:40,339 --> 00:34:42,384
I get a chance to speak
824
00:34:42,384 --> 00:34:45,039
for the 70th Anniversary
of D-day in Normandy.
825
00:34:45,039 --> 00:34:48,260
I'm on a luxury riverboat
and giving some lectures
826
00:34:48,260 --> 00:34:50,653
at the Normandy landing beaches,
827
00:34:50,653 --> 00:34:53,874
and I meet an academy
award-winning filmmaker there.
828
00:34:53,874 --> 00:34:55,397
We strike up a conversation.
829
00:34:55,397 --> 00:34:57,182
It turns out that I
know her parents
830
00:34:57,182 --> 00:34:58,922
and we have all
these connections,
831
00:34:58,922 --> 00:35:02,100
and I tell her what I'm doing
and I say that I'm frustrated.
832
00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:03,579
I can't get information
and she says,
833
00:35:03,579 --> 00:35:05,451
"Well, let me make a phone call.
834
00:35:05,451 --> 00:35:09,498
"I know," and she
proceeds to tick off some
835
00:35:09,498 --> 00:35:11,457
of the world's most
important people.
836
00:35:11,457 --> 00:35:14,590
And my first thought
is, "Yeah, right,"
837
00:35:14,590 --> 00:35:16,418
Because I didn't know her well.
838
00:35:16,418 --> 00:35:18,333
Sure, she'll make a
phone call on my behalf
839
00:35:18,333 --> 00:35:20,422
and sure enough, she did.
840
00:35:20,422 --> 00:35:23,425
And shortly
thereafter I got the call,
841
00:35:23,425 --> 00:35:25,253
"We found the document."
842
00:35:25,253 --> 00:35:27,386
[ominous instrumental music]
843
00:35:27,386 --> 00:35:28,430
[missile hissing]
844
00:35:28,430 --> 00:35:30,040
- [Narrator] Exactly three years
845
00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:32,260
after the German
invasion of Russia,
846
00:35:32,260 --> 00:35:33,783
Operation Bagration begins.
847
00:35:33,783 --> 00:35:37,613
2 million Red Army
soldiers counter-attack
848
00:35:37,613 --> 00:35:40,268
and begin pushing the
Germans out of Russia.
849
00:35:40,268 --> 00:35:42,009
As payback to the Nazis
850
00:35:42,009 --> 00:35:45,186
for their savagery towards
Russian soldiers and citizens,
851
00:35:45,186 --> 00:35:46,361
the Red Army
soldiers are ruthless.
852
00:35:48,711 --> 00:35:50,887
- The Nazis would
ultimately get a taste
853
00:35:50,887 --> 00:35:53,760
of their own medicine and
what they did to the Russians.
854
00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:56,284
And the Red Army is
leaving behind a trail
855
00:35:56,284 --> 00:35:58,112
of murder and destruction.
856
00:35:58,112 --> 00:36:01,681
Even though Stalin ordered
them to race to Berlin,
857
00:36:01,681 --> 00:36:03,291
they are literally attacking,
858
00:36:03,291 --> 00:36:05,641
killing men, women,
859
00:36:05,641 --> 00:36:07,774
children, the elderly
and burning the land,
860
00:36:07,774 --> 00:36:10,733
killing farm animals.
[bomb exploding]
861
00:36:10,733 --> 00:36:16,478
A swathe of destruction
is headed toward Berlin.
862
00:36:16,478 --> 00:36:18,567
- As the Russians are
coming through, civilians,
863
00:36:18,567 --> 00:36:22,397
knowing, or hearing about
what has happened elsewhere,
864
00:36:22,397 --> 00:36:23,093
they want to get out.
865
00:36:24,921 --> 00:36:27,272
- [Narrator] To keep Reich
citizens out of Russian hands,
866
00:36:27,272 --> 00:36:29,709
in January, 1945,
867
00:36:29,709 --> 00:36:31,928
the Nazis launch
Operation Hannibal.
868
00:36:31,928 --> 00:36:33,365
[trucks rumbling]
869
00:36:33,365 --> 00:36:34,801
This operation
is called by some,
870
00:36:34,801 --> 00:36:37,195
the greatest evacuation
operation in history.
871
00:36:39,632 --> 00:36:42,156
- Thousands and thousands
of Germans, soldiers,
872
00:36:42,156 --> 00:36:44,245
the wounded, civilians,
873
00:36:44,245 --> 00:36:46,682
or just non-German
residents of Eastern Europe
874
00:36:46,682 --> 00:36:48,858
are all racing to
the Baltic to try
875
00:36:48,858 --> 00:36:52,775
to be evacuated before
the Red Army strikes.
876
00:36:52,775 --> 00:36:55,996
- So you get this
extraordinary evacuation
877
00:36:55,996 --> 00:36:58,390
of troops, of personnel,
878
00:36:58,390 --> 00:37:00,348
of civilians, of prisoners.
879
00:37:00,348 --> 00:37:03,656
It's like the great shift West.
880
00:37:03,656 --> 00:37:04,831
- There was definitely
a lot of discussions
881
00:37:04,831 --> 00:37:07,921
in senior Nazi circles,
882
00:37:07,921 --> 00:37:11,490
SS and also the party itself,
883
00:37:11,490 --> 00:37:12,969
that they would
create a last stand.
884
00:37:12,969 --> 00:37:14,710
And in many ways
you get the feeling
885
00:37:14,710 --> 00:37:18,061
that this was done
to please Hitler.
886
00:37:18,061 --> 00:37:20,238
- I think in Goebbels'
and Hitler's minds,
887
00:37:20,238 --> 00:37:22,675
there were still
people who cared.
888
00:37:22,675 --> 00:37:25,504
And while there
were some fanatics,
889
00:37:25,504 --> 00:37:28,246
the vast majority of
Germans accepted the reality
890
00:37:28,246 --> 00:37:29,725
that they were doomed.
891
00:37:29,725 --> 00:37:32,728
- So there was a rumor
at the end of the war
892
00:37:32,728 --> 00:37:36,863
that the Nazis were going to
flee to make a one last stand,
893
00:37:36,863 --> 00:37:38,256
a final readout.
894
00:37:38,256 --> 00:37:39,474
[ominous rumbling music]
895
00:37:39,474 --> 00:37:40,867
- [Narrator] After
years of sitting
896
00:37:40,867 --> 00:37:42,869
in the Port of Gotenhafen
as a floating barracks
897
00:37:42,869 --> 00:37:44,305
and a movie set,
898
00:37:44,305 --> 00:37:46,960
the rusted out Cap
Arcona is refitted to take
899
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:48,962
on a more active role.
900
00:37:48,962 --> 00:37:53,358
The interior is stripped to
make room for German refugees.
901
00:37:53,358 --> 00:37:56,186
- Even though the ship was
in disrepair and was rusting,
902
00:37:57,710 --> 00:38:00,147
it's necessary to bring it
into Operation Hannibal
903
00:38:00,147 --> 00:38:02,062
because you need
all hands on deck.
904
00:38:02,062 --> 00:38:03,585
[waves swishing]
905
00:38:03,585 --> 00:38:06,153
- It wasn't really
from all accounts
906
00:38:06,153 --> 00:38:08,851
a seaworthy
vessel at that point.
907
00:38:08,851 --> 00:38:09,896
But the fact that
they needed to use it
908
00:38:09,896 --> 00:38:12,290
or they felt they
needed to use it,
909
00:38:12,290 --> 00:38:15,945
speaks to the dire straits
that they were in that they
910
00:38:15,945 --> 00:38:17,904
didn't have a better
option. [waves gushing]
911
00:38:17,904 --> 00:38:20,123
- This is an incredibly
dangerous undertaking because,
912
00:38:20,123 --> 00:38:22,822
of course, the Baltic at
this point with the advance
913
00:38:22,822 --> 00:38:25,259
of the Russian armies means
that Russian submarines
914
00:38:25,259 --> 00:38:27,217
in particular are a threat.
915
00:38:27,217 --> 00:38:29,394
Earlier on in
Operation Hannibal,
916
00:38:29,394 --> 00:38:32,266
a single ship was
sunk by a submarine
917
00:38:32,266 --> 00:38:34,442
and down went 10,000 lives.
918
00:38:34,442 --> 00:38:36,923
So at any one of these moments,
919
00:38:36,923 --> 00:38:40,666
it could've been sunk with
the loss of huge numbers
920
00:38:40,666 --> 00:38:42,929
of German civilians and
German military personnel.
921
00:38:42,929 --> 00:38:44,583
[waves swishing]
922
00:38:44,583 --> 00:38:45,627
- [Narrator] So could
this mean the Cap Arcona
923
00:38:45,627 --> 00:38:48,151
was destroyed by a
Russian submarine?
924
00:38:48,151 --> 00:38:49,544
[ominous instrumental music]
925
00:38:49,544 --> 00:38:51,198
After a relentless
pursuit for answers
926
00:38:51,198 --> 00:38:52,808
on what actually happened
927
00:38:52,808 --> 00:38:55,463
to the Cap Arcona near
the end of World War II,
928
00:38:55,463 --> 00:38:57,073
finally, there's a breakthrough.
929
00:38:57,073 --> 00:38:58,466
- I got the call,
930
00:38:58,466 --> 00:39:00,163
"We found the document."
931
00:39:00,163 --> 00:39:04,603
And there's 700 to 800
pages of classified documents
932
00:39:04,603 --> 00:39:06,256
and it was sealed,
933
00:39:06,256 --> 00:39:09,042
not to be opened
until the year 2045
934
00:39:09,042 --> 00:39:10,739
and they're going
to make it available
935
00:39:10,739 --> 00:39:12,524
and make the documents
available to me.
936
00:39:12,524 --> 00:39:14,177
"Would I like them?"
937
00:39:14,177 --> 00:39:15,527
[Dr. Robert laughing]
938
00:39:15,527 --> 00:39:18,399
After I picked myself
off the floor, I'm like,
939
00:39:18,399 --> 00:39:21,707
"Yeah, can I get
on the next flight?"
940
00:39:21,707 --> 00:39:24,100
- [Narrator] Back
in the Baltic Sea,
941
00:39:24,100 --> 00:39:26,755
the Cap Arcona has been
successfully completing its missions
942
00:39:26,755 --> 00:39:30,542
to take German refugees
from Poland to Denmark,
943
00:39:30,542 --> 00:39:32,761
managing to dodge
any Russian submarines.
944
00:39:34,850 --> 00:39:37,984
- Ultimately, it was the Cap
Arcona's sophisticated design
945
00:39:37,984 --> 00:39:41,204
that allows it to cross
the Baltic and survive.
946
00:39:41,204 --> 00:39:42,597
The ship was so fast.
947
00:39:42,597 --> 00:39:44,077
It was so well built.
948
00:39:44,077 --> 00:39:46,340
Its halls were reinforced.
949
00:39:46,340 --> 00:39:48,951
So the Cap
Arcona's design, still,
950
00:39:48,951 --> 00:39:52,520
built in 1927 but by 1945
it's still ahead of its time.
951
00:39:54,783 --> 00:39:55,567
- [Narrator] But while
the Cap Arcona is
952
00:39:55,567 --> 00:39:57,569
on a trip back to Copenhagen,
953
00:39:57,569 --> 00:40:00,180
things are about to get worse.
954
00:40:00,180 --> 00:40:04,010
- So with the Red Army taking
over Poland by April of '45,
955
00:40:04,010 --> 00:40:07,187
the Cap Arcona can no
longer safely stay in port there.
956
00:40:07,187 --> 00:40:09,407
It was the subject of
this propaganda film.
957
00:40:09,407 --> 00:40:10,886
It was Hitler's beloved ship.
958
00:40:10,886 --> 00:40:12,671
It was the Nazi Titanic.
959
00:40:12,671 --> 00:40:16,414
It has to flee or the Soviet
Army would've arguably sunk it.
960
00:40:16,414 --> 00:40:19,547
It's relocated to Germany,
961
00:40:19,547 --> 00:40:19,765
to the German port.
962
00:40:21,854 --> 00:40:22,985
- It's ironic, I think,
963
00:40:22,985 --> 00:40:25,031
but probably just coincidental
964
00:40:25,031 --> 00:40:29,383
that the Cap Arcona is
sent back to German ports
965
00:40:29,383 --> 00:40:31,820
in Neustadt Bay at the same time
966
00:40:31,820 --> 00:40:33,996
that Himmler gives the
order that all the camps,
967
00:40:33,996 --> 00:40:36,738
the concentration
camps are to be liquidated
968
00:40:36,738 --> 00:40:40,525
and that no living inmate
is to fall into allied hands.
969
00:40:40,525 --> 00:40:42,440
That doesn't necessarily
mean they're to be executed,
970
00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:43,919
but of course some people,
971
00:40:43,919 --> 00:40:46,748
some camp commandants
and senior party officials may
972
00:40:46,748 --> 00:40:48,576
have thought it did.
973
00:40:48,576 --> 00:40:50,056
- [Narrator] Some
commandants decide
974
00:40:50,056 --> 00:40:53,276
to evacuate their camps
and head for the Baltic Sea,
975
00:40:53,276 --> 00:40:55,540
force-marching their prisoners.
976
00:40:55,540 --> 00:40:57,716
- These death
marches are just horrific.
977
00:40:57,716 --> 00:40:59,674
Some of the survivors
of it described tripping
978
00:40:59,674 --> 00:41:02,111
over all the bodies that
had fallen in front of them
979
00:41:02,111 --> 00:41:03,591
from the front of the line,
980
00:41:03,591 --> 00:41:04,897
if they're in the
back of the line.
981
00:41:04,897 --> 00:41:07,769
So you have these long
snaking trails of death,
982
00:41:07,769 --> 00:41:08,901
leading to the Baltic Coast.
983
00:41:08,901 --> 00:41:11,425
[paper rustling]
[ominous rumbling music]
984
00:41:11,425 --> 00:41:14,167
- [Narrator] The death march's
destination is Lubeck Bay.
985
00:41:14,167 --> 00:41:15,211
Unbeknownst to the prisoners,
986
00:41:15,211 --> 00:41:17,475
they're marching
towards the Cap Arcona.
987
00:41:19,259 --> 00:41:21,304
- So I remember when I
got all these documents,
988
00:41:21,304 --> 00:41:23,393
now the hard work begins.
989
00:41:23,393 --> 00:41:25,570
I've got hundreds and
hundreds of pages of stuff
990
00:41:25,570 --> 00:41:26,745
and I gotta make
sense out of it,
991
00:41:26,745 --> 00:41:29,661
and it was just
haphazardly put together.
992
00:41:29,661 --> 00:41:31,010
So the first thing
I did was I tried
993
00:41:31,010 --> 00:41:32,838
to organize it chronologically,
994
00:41:32,838 --> 00:41:34,970
then organize it by topic.
995
00:41:34,970 --> 00:41:38,321
I cleared everything off the
floor and then I just got piles
996
00:41:38,321 --> 00:41:41,368
and I put it in piles and I
made lines to everything,
997
00:41:41,368 --> 00:41:43,631
hour-by-hour, day-by-day.
998
00:41:43,631 --> 00:41:45,894
And I organized
everything chronologically,
999
00:41:45,894 --> 00:41:48,114
then I marked
everything chronologically.
1000
00:41:48,114 --> 00:41:50,595
After that, then I
organized it by topic,
1001
00:41:50,595 --> 00:41:51,857
by event, or by individual.
1002
00:41:53,336 --> 00:41:56,078
- [Narrator] On
April 17th, 1945,
1003
00:41:56,078 --> 00:41:59,865
thousands of death march
survivors arrive in Lubeck Bay.
1004
00:41:59,865 --> 00:42:01,867
- So those who
are able to make it,
1005
00:42:01,867 --> 00:42:03,738
they start to load in.
1006
00:42:03,738 --> 00:42:07,655
They start to aboard the Cap
Arcona and the other ships.
1007
00:42:07,655 --> 00:42:12,138
And you wonder what they
were thinking in that moment,
1008
00:42:12,138 --> 00:42:14,444
having gone through
what they went through
1009
00:42:14,444 --> 00:42:18,492
and just the uncertainty
that I'm sure they were facing,
1010
00:42:18,492 --> 00:42:19,580
the fear that must
have been present.
1011
00:42:21,713 --> 00:42:23,497
[typewriter clickety-clacking]
1012
00:42:23,497 --> 00:42:24,542
- [Narrator]
Meanwhile, the British
1013
00:42:24,542 --> 00:42:26,500
receive intelligence reports
1014
00:42:26,500 --> 00:42:29,808
that multiple large Kriegsmarine
ships are congregating
1015
00:42:29,808 --> 00:42:32,462
in German waters
along the Baltic Coast.
1016
00:42:32,462 --> 00:42:34,508
Trying to finish off the war,
1017
00:42:34,508 --> 00:42:37,337
they begin plans for an attack
to ensure there is no chance
1018
00:42:37,337 --> 00:42:41,471
of the Nazis escaping by
ship to make a last stand.
1019
00:42:41,471 --> 00:42:43,909
- There are four big
ships in Lubeck Bay,
1020
00:42:43,909 --> 00:42:45,737
near the Port of Neustadt.
1021
00:42:45,737 --> 00:42:47,477
There's two
freighters, trawlers,
1022
00:42:47,477 --> 00:42:49,262
the Thielbek and the Athen,
1023
00:42:49,262 --> 00:42:51,351
and there's two
big ocean liners,
1024
00:42:51,351 --> 00:42:54,267
the Deutschland
and the Cap Arcona.
1025
00:42:54,267 --> 00:42:56,791
Around this time
there's the rumor
1026
00:42:56,791 --> 00:42:59,272
that the Germans are
going to flee to Norway
1027
00:42:59,272 --> 00:43:00,969
for one last stand.
1028
00:43:00,969 --> 00:43:03,885
- The allies were using
a lot of reconnaissance,
1029
00:43:03,885 --> 00:43:06,888
aerial reconnaissance,
taking pictures from above,
1030
00:43:06,888 --> 00:43:09,021
and they wouldn't necessarily
have had the details
1031
00:43:09,021 --> 00:43:10,370
to see who was on the ship,
1032
00:43:10,370 --> 00:43:11,589
who was being
loaded on those ships,
1033
00:43:11,589 --> 00:43:14,026
but they would see how many,
1034
00:43:14,026 --> 00:43:16,419
and they would be able to
see that the ships were lower
1035
00:43:16,419 --> 00:43:18,204
and lower in the water
as they were loaded up
1036
00:43:18,204 --> 00:43:19,901
with more people.
1037
00:43:19,901 --> 00:43:21,468
So you could tell
when the ship is empty.
1038
00:43:21,468 --> 00:43:22,512
You could tell
when the ship is full.
1039
00:43:22,512 --> 00:43:24,079
You could tell when
the ship is over full.
1040
00:43:24,079 --> 00:43:27,213
And that's the
information that they,
1041
00:43:27,213 --> 00:43:28,910
you know, when they
say believe your eyes,
1042
00:43:28,910 --> 00:43:30,520
that's what they're seeing,
1043
00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:32,174
but it doesn't have
the level of detail
1044
00:43:32,174 --> 00:43:34,786
that lets them know exactly
what's going on in there.
1045
00:43:34,786 --> 00:43:37,092
- And you have to go into
war knowing the only way
1046
00:43:37,092 --> 00:43:40,792
to win it is to
annihilate the enemy.
1047
00:43:40,792 --> 00:43:42,445
[ominous rumbling music]
1048
00:43:42,445 --> 00:43:43,838
- [Narrator] On April, 26th,
1049
00:43:43,838 --> 00:43:46,058
the SS commandeers
the Cap Arcona
1050
00:43:46,058 --> 00:43:48,234
and the other
ships in Lubeck Bay,
1051
00:43:48,234 --> 00:43:51,019
officially turning them into
floating concentration camps.
1052
00:43:53,021 --> 00:43:55,633
The guards occupy the luxurious
suites on the upper decks,
1053
00:43:55,633 --> 00:43:59,027
while the prisoners
are put below.
1054
00:43:59,027 --> 00:44:02,117
- So in late April and
early May of 1945,
1055
00:44:02,117 --> 00:44:03,336
the final days,
1056
00:44:03,336 --> 00:44:05,425
the final hours of the war,
1057
00:44:05,425 --> 00:44:07,993
you have all these
prisoners at the port,
1058
00:44:07,993 --> 00:44:11,126
you have this massive Titanic
ship at anchor off the coast,
1059
00:44:11,126 --> 00:44:14,390
and there's this macabre
scene where every hour
1060
00:44:14,390 --> 00:44:19,004
or two they're shuttling
prisoners out to the Cap Arcona
1061
00:44:19,004 --> 00:44:20,962
and stuffing them in the deep,
1062
00:44:20,962 --> 00:44:22,268
dark holds of the ship,
1063
00:44:22,268 --> 00:44:24,357
no food, no water.
1064
00:44:24,357 --> 00:44:26,664
- [Narrator] The Swedish
Red Cross obtains information
1065
00:44:26,664 --> 00:44:29,014
that the RAF are
plotting an airstrike
1066
00:44:29,014 --> 00:44:30,015
in the Port of Lubeck.
1067
00:44:31,538 --> 00:44:33,235
Knowing this will
mean certain death
1068
00:44:33,235 --> 00:44:36,195
for the concentration camp
survivors aboard the Cap Arcona
1069
00:44:36,195 --> 00:44:37,979
and the other ships,
1070
00:44:37,979 --> 00:44:40,678
they try to warn the
RAF to call off the attack.
1071
00:44:42,810 --> 00:44:44,812
- So because the
information isn't passed on
1072
00:44:44,812 --> 00:44:47,467
or it is passed on
and it's ignored,
1073
00:44:47,467 --> 00:44:51,340
an attack is put in against
these vessels in Neustadt Bay.
1074
00:44:51,340 --> 00:44:54,692
- Once the RAF goes
forth with the airstrike,
1075
00:44:54,692 --> 00:44:59,740
there's nothing that those
onboard the ships can do.
1076
00:44:59,740 --> 00:45:01,786
- At 05:30 in the morning,
[airplane engines rumbling]
1077
00:45:01,786 --> 00:45:05,050
six squadrons of
Typhoon Bombers took off
1078
00:45:05,050 --> 00:45:08,531
from liberated air
bases across Europe.
1079
00:45:08,531 --> 00:45:10,490
Their target was Lubeck Bay.
1080
00:45:10,490 --> 00:45:13,058
In particular, the
target is any large ship.
1081
00:45:13,058 --> 00:45:14,842
They fly in that morning.
1082
00:45:14,842 --> 00:45:17,279
It's cloudy, it's rainy,
1083
00:45:17,279 --> 00:45:19,499
it's overcast, the
worst kind of weather.
1084
00:45:19,499 --> 00:45:20,500
They can't see.
1085
00:45:20,500 --> 00:45:22,371
They've return to base.
1086
00:45:22,371 --> 00:45:25,461
They have to refuel and
wait for the clouds to dissipate.
1087
00:45:25,461 --> 00:45:29,204
At around 2:30 in the
afternoon they fly back in.
1088
00:45:29,204 --> 00:45:32,120
It's still cloudy and
rainy but not as bad.
1089
00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:34,688
They drop down below the
clouds and what do they see,
1090
00:45:34,688 --> 00:45:36,385
the largest ship
anybody's ever seen,
1091
00:45:36,385 --> 00:45:38,126
the Cap Arcona.
1092
00:45:38,126 --> 00:45:40,520
She's low in the water which
means she's full of people
1093
00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:42,043
and full of fuel.
1094
00:45:42,043 --> 00:45:43,610
So the six squadrons
1095
00:45:43,610 --> 00:45:47,266
of Typhoon Bombers
all target the Cap Arcona.
1096
00:45:47,266 --> 00:45:48,963
[airplane engines roaring]
1097
00:45:48,963 --> 00:45:50,617
[bombs exploding]
- The British pilots
1098
00:45:50,617 --> 00:45:53,228
commence a devastating
air attack on Lubeck Bay,
1099
00:45:53,228 --> 00:45:54,969
[rapid gunfire exploding]
unleashing a total
1100
00:45:54,969 --> 00:45:59,104
of 64 rockets and 15
bombs onto the Cap Arcona
1101
00:45:59,104 --> 00:46:01,497
and surrounding ships.
1102
00:46:01,497 --> 00:46:03,108
- They were going
out with the mission
1103
00:46:03,108 --> 00:46:05,763
that they were taking
out a military target.
1104
00:46:05,763 --> 00:46:08,853
They had no idea anything
else was happening there.
1105
00:46:08,853 --> 00:46:10,768
- If you're the Royal Air Force,
1106
00:46:10,768 --> 00:46:14,032
the last thing you want
is for this war to continue.
1107
00:46:14,032 --> 00:46:15,555
This is the world's
bloodiest war,
1108
00:46:15,555 --> 00:46:18,384
60 to 80 million people
around the world, dead.
1109
00:46:18,384 --> 00:46:20,516
They want to do anything
and everything they can
1110
00:46:20,516 --> 00:46:22,823
to prevent these ships
from getting to Norway.
1111
00:46:22,823 --> 00:46:25,086
So these Typhoon Bombers,
1112
00:46:25,086 --> 00:46:27,828
these Royal Air Force Typhoon
Bombers are going to hunt
1113
00:46:27,828 --> 00:46:30,788
and target every
large ship they can find
1114
00:46:30,788 --> 00:46:32,267
off the German coast.
1115
00:46:32,267 --> 00:46:33,878
[rapid gunfire exploding]
1116
00:46:33,878 --> 00:46:34,966
- [Narrator] With
the pilots facing little
1117
00:46:34,966 --> 00:46:37,533
to no resistance or return fire,
1118
00:46:37,533 --> 00:46:40,232
they dominate the
sky above Lubeck Bay,
1119
00:46:40,232 --> 00:46:43,626
while down below a hellish
nightmare is unfolding
1120
00:46:43,626 --> 00:46:46,151
for all those aboard the ships.
1121
00:46:46,151 --> 00:46:48,022
- They target the Cap Arcona.
1122
00:46:48,022 --> 00:46:50,808
Gaping holes are
torn into the ship
1123
00:46:50,808 --> 00:46:52,548
from all the explosions.
1124
00:46:52,548 --> 00:46:54,986
Freezing cold
water fills the ship.
1125
00:46:54,986 --> 00:46:56,988
So if you're below
the water line,
1126
00:46:56,988 --> 00:46:58,119
you have no chance.
1127
00:46:58,119 --> 00:46:59,773
Those on the top decks,
1128
00:46:59,773 --> 00:47:02,080
as the ship starts
to list and roll over,
1129
00:47:02,080 --> 00:47:02,950
the big funnels,
1130
00:47:02,950 --> 00:47:04,952
the smokestacks are breaking off
1131
00:47:04,952 --> 00:47:08,521
and like a giant bowling
ball, crushing people.
1132
00:47:08,521 --> 00:47:11,611
- I can't imagine what
it'd be like being on
1133
00:47:11,611 --> 00:47:14,614
that ship after it was struck
with bombs and it's on fire.
1134
00:47:14,614 --> 00:47:16,746
[fire roaring]
1135
00:47:16,746 --> 00:47:20,402
- There were some survivors
of this horrific incident.
1136
00:47:20,402 --> 00:47:22,927
It's hard to put an
exact number on it.
1137
00:47:22,927 --> 00:47:26,669
I estimate maybe as many as 350.
1138
00:47:26,669 --> 00:47:30,238
One of them was a young
boy named Barek Jakóbowicz.
1139
00:47:30,238 --> 00:47:31,979
He was Polish as the
name would suggest.
1140
00:47:31,979 --> 00:47:34,808
He survived concentration camps,
1141
00:47:34,808 --> 00:47:38,377
the death march and days
in a deep hold of the ship.
1142
00:47:38,377 --> 00:47:40,727
He was there with
his brother, Josek.
1143
00:47:40,727 --> 00:47:43,382
When a gaping hole was
torn into the side of the ship,
1144
00:47:43,382 --> 00:47:46,994
freezing cold water
came pouring in.
1145
00:47:46,994 --> 00:47:51,216
Almost everybody inside was
either dead or died, drowned,
1146
00:47:51,216 --> 00:47:53,087
because you're in
no condition to swim.
1147
00:47:53,087 --> 00:47:55,655
These two young boys
managed to tread water.
1148
00:47:55,655 --> 00:47:56,961
At the last minute,
1149
00:47:56,961 --> 00:47:59,006
some of the concentration
camp prisoners
1150
00:47:59,006 --> 00:48:03,184
from the top deck
bravely risked their lives
1151
00:48:03,184 --> 00:48:06,884
to go below decks on a ship
that's on fire and rolling over
1152
00:48:06,884 --> 00:48:08,886
and is still being bombed,
1153
00:48:08,886 --> 00:48:11,062
they went below decks
and opened the hatch
1154
00:48:11,062 --> 00:48:12,411
and hands came down
1155
00:48:12,411 --> 00:48:14,195
and pulled the two
Jakóbowicz brothers out.
1156
00:48:14,195 --> 00:48:15,849
[airplane engines roaring]
1157
00:48:15,849 --> 00:48:16,763
- [Narrator] As the
British airstrikes continued
1158
00:48:16,763 --> 00:48:18,504
to target the Cap Arcona,
1159
00:48:18,504 --> 00:48:21,899
Nazi units are
patrolling the beaches,
1160
00:48:21,899 --> 00:48:24,162
searching for any
surviving prisoners that may
1161
00:48:24,162 --> 00:48:26,033
have made it to shore.
[rapid gunfire exploding]
1162
00:48:26,033 --> 00:48:28,296
Tragically,
hundreds of prisoners
1163
00:48:28,296 --> 00:48:30,995
that survive the terrible
nightmare on the Cap Arcona
1164
00:48:30,995 --> 00:48:34,563
are gunned down on
land. [bomb exploding]
1165
00:48:36,174 --> 00:48:37,653
- What makes this ever
more pitiful is the end
1166
00:48:37,653 --> 00:48:41,483
of the war is literally
a day or two away.
1167
00:48:41,483 --> 00:48:43,790
- The British Sixth
Commando and others
1168
00:48:43,790 --> 00:48:46,924
who liberated the
port and their general,
1169
00:48:46,924 --> 00:48:48,751
a fellow named Mills-Roberts,
1170
00:48:48,751 --> 00:48:51,580
as well as Major Till who was
ordered to document all this,
1171
00:48:51,580 --> 00:48:53,669
realized what had happened,
1172
00:48:53,669 --> 00:48:56,368
that thousands and thousands
of concentration camp prisoners
1173
00:48:56,368 --> 00:49:00,067
were killed mistakenly
by the Royal Air Force.
1174
00:49:00,067 --> 00:49:04,811
And that was the
reasoning behind requesting
1175
00:49:04,811 --> 00:49:07,074
that all these documents
be sealed top secret
1176
00:49:07,074 --> 00:49:08,554
for a hundred years.
1177
00:49:08,554 --> 00:49:11,296
And I'm not defending that,
1178
00:49:11,296 --> 00:49:13,602
but in some ways
you think about this,
1179
00:49:14,734 --> 00:49:16,301
after the war ends,
1180
00:49:16,301 --> 00:49:19,086
the public was in no
mood for more stories
1181
00:49:19,086 --> 00:49:21,001
of death and loss.
1182
00:49:21,001 --> 00:49:22,698
They wanted to move
forward with their lives.
1183
00:49:22,698 --> 00:49:24,091
They needed to
rebuild. [crowd cheering]
1184
00:49:24,091 --> 00:49:26,180
And nobody wanted to look back,
1185
00:49:26,180 --> 00:49:29,357
especially at a tragedy
of this magnitude.
1186
00:49:29,357 --> 00:49:32,708
So the British were able
to successfully classify
1187
00:49:32,708 --> 00:49:36,712
and seal these documents
away from public information
1188
00:49:36,712 --> 00:49:40,673
and from prying
eyes for decades.
1189
00:49:40,673 --> 00:49:42,762
- [Dr. Arne] From
an allied perspective,
1190
00:49:42,762 --> 00:49:44,285
on the cusp of victory,
1191
00:49:44,285 --> 00:49:48,246
you need to deliver your
public an untarnished victory.
1192
00:49:48,246 --> 00:49:49,943
- It's such a desperate scramble
1193
00:49:49,943 --> 00:49:53,468
to get back into a peaceful
world and to curate a better,
1194
00:49:53,468 --> 00:49:56,863
healthier, happier narrative,
1195
00:49:56,863 --> 00:49:59,344
that almost there isn't
the scrutiny there needs
1196
00:49:59,344 --> 00:50:03,087
to be over what we
can and can't read.
1197
00:50:03,087 --> 00:50:04,827
- [Narrator] The Cap
Arcona remains capsized
1198
00:50:04,827 --> 00:50:09,006
in Lubeck Bay until 1949
when the Soviets bring it
1199
00:50:09,006 --> 00:50:10,007
on land to salvage.
1200
00:50:11,965 --> 00:50:15,403
Today, there is nothing that
remains of the Cap Arcona.
1201
00:50:15,403 --> 00:50:18,972
One of the largest ships ever
built has completely vanished.
1202
00:50:18,972 --> 00:50:21,061
[somber instrumental music]
1203
00:50:21,061 --> 00:50:23,281
But after decades
of being buried,
1204
00:50:23,281 --> 00:50:25,370
her story is finally
out in the open.
1205
00:50:27,241 --> 00:50:32,029
- Uncovering this story is
probably the most important
1206
00:50:32,029 --> 00:50:34,248
thing professionally
I think I've ever done.
1207
00:50:34,248 --> 00:50:36,163
I've spent years
with this story now,
1208
00:50:36,163 --> 00:50:37,817
from researching it,
1209
00:50:37,817 --> 00:50:38,687
to writing it,
1210
00:50:38,687 --> 00:50:39,688
to talking about it,
1211
00:50:39,688 --> 00:50:41,560
to working on this project here.
1212
00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:43,692
And after all these years,
1213
00:50:43,692 --> 00:50:47,000
I still have trouble almost
believing that any of it's real.
1214
00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:48,001
It's so surreal.
1215
00:50:48,001 --> 00:50:51,222
It's so bizarre and fantastical.
1216
00:50:51,222 --> 00:50:54,486
But when it comes
to Nazi Germany,
1217
00:50:54,486 --> 00:50:56,314
when it comes to ideas
that people like Hitler
1218
00:50:56,314 --> 00:50:57,358
and Goebbels had,
1219
00:50:57,358 --> 00:50:59,752
nothing is too bizarre.
1220
00:50:59,752 --> 00:51:02,146
- It's important that
history shines a light
1221
00:51:02,146 --> 00:51:04,800
on all these sorts of
stories so that we're honest
1222
00:51:04,800 --> 00:51:08,717
with ourselves as a nation
about what we've done in the past
1223
00:51:08,717 --> 00:51:10,850
and what we're capable of doing.
1224
00:51:10,850 --> 00:51:12,156
- [Dr. Mazyar] In this case,
1225
00:51:12,156 --> 00:51:13,983
we're not only
supposed to learn from it,
1226
00:51:13,983 --> 00:51:16,116
but also to remember
it and to understand
1227
00:51:16,116 --> 00:51:17,813
what's happened
and to do better.
1228
00:51:19,293 --> 00:51:21,339
- I hate everything
to do with war,
1229
00:51:21,339 --> 00:51:22,731
but pretending like
it doesn't happen
1230
00:51:22,731 --> 00:51:25,386
and not respecting
the lives lost,
1231
00:51:25,386 --> 00:51:26,605
the sacrifices made,
1232
00:51:26,605 --> 00:51:29,347
the innocents that are killed.
1233
00:51:29,347 --> 00:51:31,653
- I felt a real heavy
sense of responsibility
1234
00:51:31,653 --> 00:51:33,133
that I had to tell this story.
1235
00:51:33,133 --> 00:51:34,874
There was no way I wasn't.
1236
00:51:34,874 --> 00:51:36,397
I was going to,
1237
00:51:36,397 --> 00:51:38,182
I would get in the
Atlantic and swim
1238
00:51:38,182 --> 00:51:39,922
[Dr. Robert chuckling]
across the ocean
1239
00:51:39,922 --> 00:51:42,229
to unearth whatever it could be.
1240
00:51:42,229 --> 00:51:45,102
And I still feel
1241
00:51:45,102 --> 00:51:47,365
a sense of responsibility,
1242
00:51:47,365 --> 00:51:48,975
even now just
talking about this,
1243
00:51:48,975 --> 00:51:53,284
because it's such a
heavy and just a shocking
1244
00:51:53,284 --> 00:51:54,850
and important story.
1245
00:51:54,850 --> 00:51:59,116
[somber motivational
instrumental music]
98639
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