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00:00In June 1944, the Allies landed in Normandy.
00:07It'd take them nearly a hundred days to break German resistance.
00:16A hundred days of glory in a vast operation unequaled in history.
00:26A hundred days of living hell.
00:30Civilian men, women and children were violently thrown into the chaos.
00:45A hundred days during which the outcome of the battle hung in the balance several times.
00:51A hundred days of honor and horror.
01:01Through the stories of the men and women, civilians and soldiers, Germans and Allies who lived through it.
01:13We can relive the story of these hundred days during which the whole world held its breath.
01:19confused by minute.
01:31The original message is published.
01:36In 1944, the Nazi regime had held the old continent in its iron grip for four long years.
01:53France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Norway were all occupied.
02:11If they were to eradicate the brown plague the Allies had to land, caught between the
02:16Soviet hammer to the east and the Anglo-American anvil to the west, the Third Reich would eventually
02:21capitulate.
02:25Hitler and his officers were aware of the threat, but they were convinced they would triumph.
02:31The Fuhrer boasted,
02:33The plutocratic western world can attend its landing whenever it desires.
02:37It will fail.
02:44And with good reason, Germany had spent months preparing for its enemy by building its Atlantic
02:50Wall.
02:54Stretching 4,000 kilometers from Norway to Spain, this new Great Wall of China required 13 million
03:00tons of concrete.
03:05It was defended by almost a million soldiers.
03:08Cannon traps and bunkers protected the beaches.
03:13An unreachable barrier.
03:21Its construction was overseen by the legendary Field Marshal Rommel.
03:27The question on every German soldier's lips was, when would the landing take place?
03:35The weight was nerve-wracking.
03:38Marshal Rommel made sure he kept his troops motivated.
03:45And privately, Rommel confided,
03:47The most decisive battle of the war and the fate of the German people are at stake.
03:55The landing will take place here, in Normandy.
03:58And it will be the longest day.
04:03Rommel was right.
04:07For six months, a vast machine had been preparing for the operation that was to liberate Europe.
04:17More than three million soldiers assembled in England.
04:221,700,000 of them British, 1.5 million Americans, 200,000 Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders, along with French, Polish, Belgian troops, among many others.
04:38The Allies had built up a colossal arsenal.
04:42England had become the greatest military base in history.
04:50Every British town was full of tourists in uniform, who found accommodation however they could.
04:57But space was short, and thinking outside the box was vital.
05:05Somewhere in Great Britain, the American aviation has one of the most original military installations in the world.
05:11Knowing where to be located, men were installed in the planes in clairvoyes.
05:17One of the most popular buildings is the coiffure shop.
05:21His bag, made in an afternoon, is perhaps primitive, but he shows his clients at its level, and after all, that's what matters.
05:30For weeks, soldiers of all nationalities trained in Britain.
05:42In all weathers, and in real conditions.
05:45Sometimes these training drills could take a turn for the worse.
05:52In April 1944, a landing drill was taking place on an English beach.
06:00Suddenly, there was a surprise attack by German torpedo boats.
06:06The raid cost over 600 lives.
06:18A dreadful setback, taking place just six weeks before D-Day.
06:23The terrible news was kept secret, to avoid discouraging the troops.
06:36The 130,000 men who were to land on D-Day were gripped by anxiety.
06:41But they did their best to keep fear at bay.
06:48Frenchman Léon Gauthier joined Kiefer's commandos, the only French unit to land on the first day.
06:55The days leading up to the landing are very calm.
07:03We also have time to unwind.
07:06One of our gains is making a trampoline out of the canvas tarpoline,
07:10and using it to throw Manok into the air.
07:13He has to try to catch a hold of the branch forming to Zebubin.
07:16Even the officers were not immune to the tension.
07:33While the American General Eisenhower and his staff publicly displayed their confidence in front of the cameras,
07:38they were worried that the operation would fail.
07:41They carried the crushing responsibility for the world's destiny on their shoulders.
07:49They were already pointing at Berlin on the map, but the road was still long.
07:57They planned one of the riskiest operations of all time, codenamed Overlord.
08:02On the 5th of June 1944 at dawn, almost 7,000 ships were to set sail from the coast of England.
08:11Having braved nearly 200 kilometers of the English Channel,
08:15the Allied soldiers would land on five Normandy beaches.
08:19The Americans on two beaches nicknamed Utah and Omaha.
08:23The British and Canadians on three beaches.
08:27Gold, Juno and Sword.
08:32The slightest leak of information could scupper the entire operation.
08:36The generals were becoming increasingly paranoid.
08:39And for good reason. Emotions had been running high for a number of weeks.
08:43Several clues in the Daily Telegraph's crossword hinted at the operation's codenames.
08:55Overlord, Omaha and Sword.
08:59Was it coincidence or inside knowledge of a secret agent?
09:02Worse still, in April 1944, General Henry Miller, who was drunk at the time, let slip that the landing was to take place in early June.
09:17He was immediately demoted and sent back to the USA.
09:23British Prime Minister Winston Churchill thundered.
09:27In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.
09:34This bodyguard of lies was called Fortitude.
09:37It was a vast program of disinformation.
09:42A Spanish double agent known as Garbo, from his real name Juan Pujol Garcia, was in contact with the German leadership.
09:50He spoon-fed them fanciful reports.
09:52To make the illusion more convincing, fake units were created made out of rubber.
10:01Formations of inflatable tanks and imitation aircraft were put in position near Dover.
10:11The objective was to convince the Germans that the landing would take place near Calais.
10:16The part of the French coast closest to England.
10:19On the 3rd of June, the troops boarded ship.
10:22On the 3rd of June, the troops boarded ship.
10:35On the morning of the 4th of June, the massive armada set sail.
10:36On the morning of the 4th of June, the massive armada set sail.
10:41On the morning of the 4th of June, the massive armada set sail.
11:11The soldiers finally knew their destination. They'd been given a tourist brochure for France.
11:22Leon Gauthier said,
11:25The information soon reached the French group. We're going to London home. In Normandy, we can finally return to France. The news raised our spirits.
11:41Soon after they left, the weather forecast turned ugly. A storm threatened the success of the operation. The first convoys heading for the French coast were called back urgently.
11:55Lloyd Brantley was a radio operator on the way to Normandy.
12:00There had been radio silence for hours. Then suddenly three digits flashed on my terminal. It was incredible. The landing had been put back.
12:11The 865 strong fleet had to turn around and return to England.
12:20The top brass panicked. Had all the ships received the message?
12:26To prevent a disaster, a seaplane took off urgently to alert the 139 ships that had not responded.
12:33On the 5th of June, 1944, trapped aboard their boats, the men watched for the desperately-awaited signal.
12:38On the 5th of June, 1944, trapped aboard their boats, the men watched for the desperately-awaited signal.
12:48When suddenly, the chief meteorologist noticed that a lull in the storm was due at dawn the next day.
13:03This provided a very slim chance for a successful launch of Operation Overlord.
13:10Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower went for broke, uttering the fateful words,
13:17Let's go.
13:19On the evening of the 5th of June, he inspected several units to support and encourage them.
13:33Something soldier Samuel Fuller never forgot.
13:40Eisenhower walked among us and spoke to us in his calm and reassuring voice.
13:44We listened to him and took strength from his words about our departure on a great crusade.
13:50He told us,
13:52The eyes of the world are upon you.
14:00Ike went to visit the parachute units, who would be the first to jump over France.
14:07The soldiers reassured him.
14:09One of them even promised him a job on his Texas ranch after the war.
14:13People were joking to hide the stress.
14:22Eisenhower's driver, Kay Summersbee, said,
14:28As we went back to the car, he told me,
14:31It's very hard to look a soldier in the eye when you fear you're sending him to his death.
14:36And I saw tears in his eyes.
14:39Thousands of airborne troops were getting ready.
14:58Parachutist Ashton Landry said,
15:01I carry over a hundred cartridges, a big pistol strapped to my leg, a pack of explosives to the other.
15:07Along with my parachute and my life belt, my normal body weight goes from 65 kilos to 120 kilos.
15:14David Webster recalled,
15:28The whole ground shook with the noise of the engines.
15:31My legs turned to cotton wool.
15:33My throat was tight.
15:34I could only speak in a whisper.
15:44Thousands of paras were dropped behind enemy lines to seize control of the bridges and secure the area behind the beaches.
16:05The paras were accompanied by hundreds of gliders.
16:08A total of 20,000 men and several dozen tons of equipment were transported through the air.
16:15Nearly 7,000 warships sailed for the French coast once more.
16:41The greatest armada ever assembled.
16:44Canadian soldier Charles Fox said,
16:55The channel was covered in ships.
16:58You could have almost crossed it on foot by going from one ship to another.
17:02German soldier Franz Gockel was keeping watch from his post on a Normandy beach.
17:14A sentry came at midnight to relieve me.
17:26I hope they're not going to bother us with another one of those stupid alert drills tonight.
17:31I said to the radio guys.
17:33And then I disappeared underground, threw my boots down, and jumped into my bunk, fully clothed.
17:40On the ships, the men were shaking.
17:43They made their way to their landing barges.
17:49Tossed about by the sea, and full of the copious breakfast they'd been given, the soldiers were as sick as dogs.
18:06Léon Gauthier.
18:16There were just under 100 men in our barge, all very calm and concentrated.
18:22Commander Kiefer told us, few more than 10 of us will make it back in one piece.
18:27We all hoped we'd be one of this ten.
18:41Jess Weiss.
18:44I was so frightened. We were going to die.
18:49In a few minutes, or maybe in an hour. Dead forever.
18:54It was all any of us could think about.
18:57We were even thinking if I could only get a million dollar injury.
19:02Meaning losing a leg, an arm, anything that would get me sent home.
19:08But there was nothing we could do. Nowhere to run.
19:13We were bound for death.
19:27Professor Hans Goggle in his bunker was rudely awakened from his slumber.
19:40an officer yelled through the door this really is it this time boys they're
19:45coming it was dramatic we pulled our boots on grabbed our rifles and ran to
19:50our positions by the machine guns and the mortars
20:04Heinrich Severo a 20 year old German was astounded by what he was witnessing
20:09the landing fleet was like a great city the huge anglo-american armada was there in front of us
20:18it was going to be a hell of a fight
20:20as the barges approached the allies launched a gigantic aerial bombardment to break the
20:35Atlantic wall and delay the arrival of reinforcements
20:50then the Navy took over their cannon pounding the beaches
20:53a G.I. on one of the barges said to his friend look at what they're dishing out to the Germans I bet there won't be one man left standing
21:15I bet there won't be one man left standing
21:26Franz Gockel was at his post
21:28the earth shook the beach became a volcano I was caught in a cloud of smoke and sulfur my eyes and nose full of dust
21:36I prayed I prayed I prayed out loud
21:47not far away even the people of Normandy were subjected to this rain of fire and took refuge in cellars or improvised shelters
21:55Angèle Marie Deguet lived in the Calvados region
22:00there were ten of us in a trench designed for four it was all very cramped I didn't feel safe
22:08some of us started saying our rosaries the shells whistled over our heads lots of them fell all around I thought we were going to get buried alive
22:18the soldiers on the barges were also saying their prayers
22:37the soldiers on the barges were also saying their prayers
22:40just before the onslaught one soldier pleaded with his god
22:48my lord I'm soon to be very preoccupied I will probably forget you but please don't forget me
22:55please don't forget me
23:05on Omaha Beach the Atlantic Wall stood firm
23:09the Germans had their orders
23:12they were to wait until the allied soldiers broke cover
23:16then they would open fire
23:25Franz Gockel
23:28the slaughter had begun
23:30we shot at anything that moved
23:32soon the beach was covered with the bodies of American soldiers
23:35I must have shot over 400 bursts
23:39the photographer Robert Capa known throughout the world for his photographs of the Spanish Civil War
23:45landed with the GIs
23:47he too started shooting
23:48I didn't dare to take my eyes off the finder of my contacts and frantically shot frame after frame
23:58the men around me lay motionless
24:01only the dead on the waterline rolled with the waves
24:06I just stayed behind my tank repeating a little sentence from my Spanish Civil War days
24:10this is a very serious business
24:21these photos taken in the heat of action bear witness to the soldiers distress
24:25the men were trapped
24:28it was impossible for them to advance through the hail of bullets around them
24:32just wise
24:43there were no trees nor bushes nor sand dunes to provide any kind of cover
24:48none of the shell craters that the allied air force was supposed to have caused with the morning bombing raid
24:54I threw myself to the ground instinctively
24:57seeking the meager protection that the bodies of my dead comrades could offer
25:00and I stayed there for a moment, petrified
25:03with my head resting against a corpse
25:05the soldiers on the other American beach, Utah, east of the village of St. Mere Eglise were more fortunate
25:06the Germans offered only meager resistance there
25:08the soldiers on the other American beach, Utah, east of the village of St. Mere Eglise were more fortunate
25:12the Germans offered only meager resistance there
25:13some were even buried alive in the barrage
25:15the soldiers on the other American beach, Utah, east of the village of St. Mere Eglise were more fortunate
25:31the Germans offered only meager resistance there
25:34some were even buried alive in the barrage
25:36on Sword Beach, near Ouistreham, the French commandos led by Kieffer landed
25:45Léon Gauthier was in the lead barge
25:50I jumped in the water with the lats from the troop and headed for the beach
25:55we were the first to put our feet on the sand
25:58that was it, here we were
26:01this was our land of France that we had left some years ago
26:05and now we were back
26:07she seemed to be trembling under the cannon fire
26:10and the machine gun bursts
26:18further east, the British had thought of everything
26:22bagpiper Bill Millen took charge of galvanizing the men
26:25the sound rang out through the chaos on the beach
26:32someone yelled out that this was a fine time to play music
26:36but other lads flashed me a victory sign
26:46on Juneau and gold beaches the English and Canadians were making progress
26:50Canadian Alfred Turnbull recalled
26:53I could see assault craft exploding on the beach
26:57and the bodies of the crews torn to shreds
27:00despite these horrors, the army landed
27:12while the British troops were pushing inland
27:14on Omaha Beach, the soldiers were still enduring a living hell
27:18despite the reinforcements
27:20the Germans were still in control of the situation
27:23the Germans were still in control of the ships
27:25Heinerich Severlo
27:27I was shooting at anything that moved in the water and on the beach
27:31they brought me at least 8,000 bullets
27:33it was like lambs to the slaughter
27:40there was no way out for the wounded
27:45wounded. If they retreated, they would drown. If they advanced, they would be shot. Many
27:55of them drowned before the fighting was over. The situation was so desperate that the High
28:03Command even considered leaving Omaha Beach to its fate and sacrificing the men who had
28:08already landed. Paradoxically, the horrendous weather had worked in the Allies' favor.
28:28The German top brass had let their guard down, and not all of them were in Normandy. Rommel
28:32was in Germany, celebrating his wife's birthday. General Marx of the 84th Corps was happily
28:39drinking at his 53rd birthday party with his chiefs of staff. The only tank division in
28:46Normandy was led by General Edgar Feuchtinger. But he was in Paris, in the arms of his mistress.
29:01After several hours of fighting, the Allies gained the upper hand.
29:11But the German High Command still believed that the landing was nothing more than a diversion.
29:19Hitler was not woken up until 10 o'clock in the morning. He stuck to his guns. The invasion
29:24would happen in the Pas-de-Calais. Operation Fortitude had been a success. It was not until 2.30 pm that
29:34the Führer agreed to send reinforcements. He said,
29:38The beat should be cleared by tonight at the latest.
29:45The Allied position remained highly precarious. If large numbers of German divisions arrived,
29:51they could be driven back into the sea. However, the Allies had an asset. The French Resistance sprang
30:01into action. They'd been waiting for their moment for a long time. Resistance fighter Andre Evacy recalled,
30:10I rushed off. I left my wife and my two-month-old son. No one could have stopped me that night.
30:16I was burning to fight and kick the invader out, like my father had done in World War One.
30:23Despite its slender resources, the Shadow Army carried out thousands of acts of sabotage
30:36to slow the arrival of German reinforcements to the French coastline.
30:40On the evening of the longest day, General Eisenhower's men held the beaches.
31:01Ten thousand Allied soldiers were dead, wounded or missing. It was the same for the Germans.
31:09The Allied top brass had been expecting far worse losses.
31:18But the situation remained precarious. The day was not yet won.
31:33Of course, German news did everything to reassure its viewers.
31:39A date of historical significance.
31:46Under the pressure of Moscow, the British and the Americans have since long been announced
31:51and begun the invasions for us.
31:54They are prepared to find Germany in ready.
31:57They are prepared to find the measures of the weak, heavy, heavy weapons,
32:00and the Russian soldiers.
32:01They are carried out by by Nazi soldiers.
32:03The troops and soldiers will be defeated immediately with PAK, MG and light shields.
32:12Landers, their soldiers were destroyed in a quick break or taken captive.
32:33news of the landings spread
32:35like a powder trail
32:37thanks to the BBC
32:39which many French people listen to in secret
32:41Benoit Grou
32:44was a young student in Paris
32:46Four years of occupation
32:50of secret messages
32:51clandestine radio
32:53the hopes of millions of French people
32:55have led to the only news we were waiting for
32:58the landings
32:59the official German communication said
33:02the Anglo-Americans landed
33:04in Normandy last night
33:05and were repelled almost everywhere
33:08it was that word
33:09almost that allowed us to hope
33:12several small villages
33:21fell into allied hands
33:23but the Germans did not drop their guard
33:26their troops fought fiercely
33:32in this merciless fight
33:40no quarter was given by either camp
33:42the Allies sometimes killed their prisoners
33:46Frenchwoman Huguette Verdier said
33:52the Englishman told us
33:55that there were no prison camps
33:57so they had to be shot
33:58he took the three Germans away
34:00I don't know what happened to them
34:04but for me
34:05all I can remember
34:07is the young soldier's pale face
34:09and trembling body
34:10the Germans were renowned for their cruelty
34:19none more so than the Hitler Youth Wing
34:21of the 12th SS Division
34:23radicalized from childhood
34:25they committed ever more atrocities
34:28to prove to their elders
34:29that they were worthy of Hitler's trust
34:31their division captured dozens of Canadian soldiers
34:40these men who were about to die
34:46were filmed for the last time
34:48one of them
34:50George Meekin
34:51wrote to his mother
34:53this may be my last chance to write to you
34:58before the big day
34:59if you don't hear from me for a long time
35:02don't worry
35:02just keep smiling
35:03and everything will be fine
35:05he was murdered in the courtyard of Audrieux Castle
35:16east of Caen
35:17along with 44 other Canadian soldiers
35:19concerned about an attack from the rear
35:24the Wehrmacht exterminated any pockets of resistance
35:27it encountered without mercy
35:28resistance fighters
35:32usually poorly armed volunteers
35:33were liquidated wherever they were
35:36even the civilian population was not spared
35:45on the 10th of June 1944
35:47in Oradour-sur-Glane
35:49643 citizens were shot or burned alive
35:53in the village church
35:54Marcel D'Artoux was 20 years old
36:00there were four or five of us
36:03and guess what we were talking about
36:05football
36:06and our game the next day
36:08then the Germans arrived
36:10suddenly
36:12the first shot rang out
36:13and I took two bullets in my lower leg
36:16and I fell
36:17it was my friends who saved me
36:19they all had fallen on top of me
36:22on the 12th of June 1944
36:33the Allies finally occupied
36:35an 80 kilometer long
36:37united bridgehead
36:38the battle for Normandy had begun
36:41the strategy was simple
36:43the English and Canadians
36:45had to take the city of Caen
36:47an essential communications hub
36:50a mere formality according to the English General Montgomery
36:54who reckoned on seizing it in a few days
36:56the Americans objective meanwhile
37:01was Cherbourg
37:02a deep water port
37:04vital for landing troops and equipment
37:06it became a race between the Allies and the Germans
37:10whichever camp managed to get the greatest number of soldiers to Normandy
37:14would be victorious
37:15to help them win the battle
37:19the Allies brought two artificial harbors along with them
37:23the codename
37:28Mulberry
37:29it was the world's greatest Lego set
37:32made up of huge keys, platforms
37:35and 7,000 ton concrete cases
37:37quick to assemble
37:43they allowed 2,000 to 3,000 tons of equipment
37:45to be transported per day
37:47eager to witness the theatre of operations
38:06as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
38:08went to Normandy
38:09and congratulated his favorite general
38:12Montgomery
38:13Churchill savored the moment
38:19for 4 long years
38:21Great Britain had been resisting Hitler's armies
38:24the 12th of June gave the old war horse
38:28a taste of revenge
38:30but aside from the living
38:39there remained
38:40thousands of dead
38:42a makeshift cemetery
38:45stood on a stretch of a beach
38:46Samuel Fuller
38:51of the 183 men in my company who landed
38:55about 100 were dead
38:57wounded
38:58or reported missing
39:00there's no such thing as a hero
39:04all that can save a guy
39:07is experience
39:07and intuition
39:08but most of all luck
39:10these men knew
39:15they had survived
39:16thanks to the first waves
39:18of attackers
39:18who had been mown down
39:20they bowed their heads
39:23in honor
39:24of their lost brothers in arms
39:26Churchill came to the Normandy beaches
39:51followed by de Gaulle
39:53two days later
39:54the general had been waiting
40:01for this moment
40:02since 1940
40:03he rallied around him
40:05the French
40:06who wanted to carry on the fight
40:07Churchill and Roosevelt
40:10took care to keep him away
40:12from the D-Day preparations
40:13they refused to recognize
40:16his legitimacy
40:17de Gaulle
40:17had never been elected
40:19on the 14th of June
40:28the rebel
40:28played a trump card
40:30when he went
40:32to the small town
40:33of Bayeux
40:34general de Gaulle
40:37had left France
40:38four long years
40:40previously
40:40some French people
40:42knew his voice
40:43but the majority
40:44had no idea
40:45what he looked like
40:50Claude Gascois
40:51ten years old
40:52I was curious
40:54so I went up close
40:55to the soldiers
40:56there was a tall man
40:57very striking
40:58I decided to walk
41:00alongside him
41:01it wasn't until later
41:03that I realized
41:03it was de Gaulle
41:04I thought
41:06general de Gaulle
41:07was the king of England
41:08De Gaulle
41:18gave a speech
41:19to a rapturous crowd
41:21he created
41:24an embryonic administration
41:25in this little corner
41:27of Free France
41:28nominating
41:28prefects
41:29and deputies
41:30this demonstration
41:33of popularity
41:33worked in his favor
41:35in the eyes
41:35of London
41:36and Washington
41:37but the allies
41:40now had bigger fish
41:42to fry
41:42in recent days
41:50a revolutionary weapon
41:51had appeared
41:52in the skies
41:53Germany's V1
41:56flying bombs
41:57took off
41:58from the French coast
41:59and rained down
42:00on London
42:00the British thought
42:04they had seen
42:04the last of the blitz
42:06but to their horror
42:07the nightmare
42:08had begun once more
42:09young Londoner
42:12Betty Hedges
42:13recalled
42:14the flying bombs
42:16are awful
42:17you can see them coming
42:18and you hear them up
42:19in the sky
42:20and you just pray
42:21that the sound
42:21will not stop
42:22but all of a sudden
42:24it does stop
42:25and then the bomb falls
42:26and then
42:27you just pray
42:28that it doesn't fall
42:29near you
42:29the Germans
42:35were convinced
42:35that these miracle weapons
42:37would bring them victory
42:38a young German wrote
42:40we only talked about rockets
42:42maybe we could fire
42:44some at America
42:44I am sure
42:46that we will be triumphant
42:47but some German generals
42:52were more skeptical
42:53Hitler went to France
43:00to try to talk them round
43:02his strategists demanded
43:07that the V1 missiles
43:08be deployed
43:09on the Normandy front
43:10against British ports
43:11or American warships
43:12but Hitler was adamant
43:14London
43:16London
43:17the V1 offensive
43:18will convince the British
43:19to broker for peace
43:20panic will destroy England
43:22Rommel
43:26stated that the struggle
43:28was now futile
43:29the Fuhrer cut him off
43:31don't concern yourself
43:33for the outcome of the war
43:34but with your invasion front
43:35Hitler made his way
43:39back to Germany
43:40four years before
43:43his army had invaded Paris
43:44but those victorious days
43:46were a thing of the past
43:48he was never
43:49to return to France
43:50stop
43:55ils
43:56ent
43:57Transcription by CastingWords