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The Big Three are meeting
for the first time.
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British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill,
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American President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
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and the Soviet leader
Joseph Stalin.
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They have come
to the Iranian capital Tehran
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to decide the future
of the war in Europe.
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[sombre music]
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On the second day
of the Conference,
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Churchill presents Stalin
with a sword inlaid with
jewels.
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Its handgrip is bound in gold.
Its crossguard is solid silver.
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And on its blade
are inscribed the words
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"To the steel‐hearted citizens
of Stalingrad."
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Stalin passes the sword
to Roosevelt
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who holds it aloft and cries,
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"Truly they had
hearts of steel!"
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The Big Three appear united.
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But away from the cameras,
tensions are growing.
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Secret frustrations,
rivalries and disagreements
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are threatening the
relationship
between these three men.
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And the rivalries are not only
between the leaders.
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As Allied forces move
from North Africa
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into the Mediterranean,
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two generals,
Montgomery and Patton,
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have entered
a very personal race
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to be the first
to take Sicily and Italy.
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[explosions]
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Will the first
face‐to‐face meeting
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between the Big Three
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save this crucial
wartime alliance,
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or pull it further apart?
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[theme music]
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[explosions]
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[slides clicking]
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[explosions]
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‐[explosion]
‐[artillery fire]
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[narrator] 1943 marked
the turning of the tide
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in the Second World War.
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The months leading up
to the Tehran Conference
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saw setback after setback
for Nazi Germany,
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Fascist Italy,
and Imperial Japan.
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‐[solemn music]
‐ In the Atlantic,
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the German submarine
offensive against British
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and American shipping
was faltering.
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Advances in Allied technology
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and an aggressive
hunting strategy
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began to inflict heavy losses
on the German U‐boat fleets.
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[explosions]
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In North Africa, German
and Italian resistance
crumbled.
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[explosion]
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Hundreds of thousands
of Axis troops
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surrendered
to General Montgomery
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and the British Eighth Army.
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[loud boom]
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But the fiercest fighting
was in the east.
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[artillery fire]
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The brutal five month battle
for Stalingrad
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had finally come to an end
in February 1943.
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And the Russians
had emerged victorious.
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Germany's Sixth Army
had been wiped out,
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and the Axis Powers had
suffered
almost a million casualties.
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[Peter] Through the efforts
of the people of Stalingrad,
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but also the 62nd Red Army,
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through street fighting,
which was at close quarters,
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the Red Army
and the citizens of Stalingrad
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managed to push back
the Germans.
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This is important
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because of the psychological
victory provided,
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and the momentum
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after Stalingrad really turns
towards the Soviet side.
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[narrator] German morale
had been severely dented.
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The Wehrmacht's
aura of invincibility
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had been smashed.
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And Hitler was determined
to strike back.
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Plans were drawn up
for a new offensive
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on the Eastern Front at Kursk,
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280 miles southwest of Moscow.
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[Jonathan] Operation Citadel was
the German attempt to regain
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the initiative
on the Eastern Front
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after the disaster of Stalingrad
in the winter of 1942‐1943.
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So it was designed to be
a major battle
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that would suck in and destroy
a large part of the Soviet Army.
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[narrator] Leading the attack
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would be the Nazi's latest
innovation in tank warfare,
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the Panzer Mark V.
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Known as The Panther,
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it was hoped
that it would counter
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the fearsome Soviet T‐34.
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It was the Wehrmacht's best
hope
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of finally defeating
the Red Army.
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The Panthers would lead
the Nazi's new offensive
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on the Kursk salient,
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a 160‐mile‐long bulge
in the Russian frontline.
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Their attacks would come
from the north and south,
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a pincer movement to cut off
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and destroy
the trapped Soviet troops.
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But this time
Joseph Stalin was prepared.
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Intelligence had revealed
there was a troop build‐up
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on the Soviet border.
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The Red Army was no longer
the disorganised rabble
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it had been two years earlier.
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And they had weeks to prepare
for the German assault.
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They were very much
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a different army to what it was
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on the Barbarossa invasion.
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Open country.
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Huge numbers of tanks
on both sides.
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The Wehrmacht is outmanoeuvred
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and outgunned by the Red Army.
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[narrator] The Russians built
a series of defensive lines
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almost 25 miles deep.
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The ground was mined
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and criss‐crossed
with anti‐tank ditches.
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Gun emplacements had been dug
into the earth.
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And more than 3,000 tanks
and around 1.3 million soldiers
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stood ready to repel
the German attack.
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On July 5th, 1943,
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after a barrage
of artillery fire,
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hundreds of German Panzer tanks
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rumbled towards
the Soviet lines.
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[Peter] The Battle of Kursk
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was simply the largest
tank battle in history.
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There were 6,000 tanks,
there were 5,000 aircraft.
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Like Stalingrad, this involved
an immense number of troops.
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There were two million fighting
in this battle.
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It was really Hitler's
last roll of the dice.
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[narrator] The Germans inflicted
heavy losses on the Red Army,
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but still
they could not break through
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the massed Soviet defences.
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The battle of Kursk
is probably definitive
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in the way the Russian Front
was going to end,
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which was in Nazi withdrawal.
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And Kursk arguably
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puts the end to any hope
on the Nazi side
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of regaining the initiative.
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[Jonathan] It ended up being
a strategic defeat
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for the Germans, and again,
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re‐emphasised the fact
that the next stop,
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well, maybe not the next stop,
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but the end of the line anyway,
lay in Berlin, not in Moscow.
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[narrator] As the Battle
of Kursk ground to a halt,
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more than a thousand miles away
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another military offensive
was underway.
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Following their victory
in North Africa,
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the Allies wanted to continue
their success
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and fight their way into Europe
through the Mediterranean,
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what Churchill called
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the "soft underbelly"
of the Nazi beast.
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Their first target was Italy,
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and their access point,
the island of Sicily.
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[Sir Mike] Well, Sicily
has importance of itself,
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a large island
in the Mediterranean,
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the Mediterranean was
a naval motorway from Britain
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through to Egypt
and, of course, beyond.
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You wouldn't really think
of invading Italy
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whilst leaving Sicily behind you
in the hands of your enemy.
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Sicily was a stepping stone
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towards Allied operations
in Italy.
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[narrator] Three months
before the invasion
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in April 1943,
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German agents recovered the
body
of a British Royal Marine pilot
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from the waters off
a Spanish beach.
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Documents handcuffed
to the officer's wrist
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led Hitler's forces to believe
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that the Allied attack on Italy
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would come via Greece
and Sardinia.
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Nazi troops were moved
to those places
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to defend the German positions.
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But the documents were
an elaborate hoax
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by British intelligence
codenamed Operation Mincemeat.
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[Jonathan] The Germans knew
that there was going to be
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some kind of Allied attack
somewhere in the Mediterranean.
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They didn't know where it was.
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And so the British
dressed up a dead body,
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dumped in the sea off Spain
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with supposedly the plans
for an invasion
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to distract the Germans.
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[narrator] The Italian island
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was garrisoned
by around 300,000 Axis troops,
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and they were caught off‐guard.
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On July 10th, 1943,
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Allied paratroopers
attacked from the air
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while landing crafts
stormed the beaches.
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Operation Husky had begun.
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It was an immense undertaking,
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involving 150,000 troops,
3,000 ships and 4,000 aircraft.
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‐[engines hum]
‐[suspenseful music]
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[explosion]
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[narrator] The German commander,
Field Marshal Albert
Kesselring,
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soon realised
the best he could do
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was delay the Allied invaders
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while preparing
a retreat to the mainland.
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Meanwhile the American
and British forces
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embarked on their
own private race.
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[artillery fire]
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As the U. S. Seventh Army
under General Patton
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advanced up to the north
of the island,
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the British Eighth Army
under General Montgomery
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took control of the east.
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Both Generals were highly
respected, brilliant leaders.
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But they were at odds
with each other.
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And after Montgomery
had led the Allies
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to success in North Africa,
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Patton was determined
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to drive the United States
to victory in Sicily
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and be recognised
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as the greatest general
of the war.
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If Montgomery
was the preeminent,
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one of the preeminent soldiers
of the Second World War,
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Patton, I think,
you'd have to put down
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as one of the preeminent
warriors of all time.
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This was a fighting
man who loves fighting,
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who operates
at a level of instinct.
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Whereas I think Montgomery
is a much more rational general.
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The strength of that
is that it means
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you do have a bit more scope
for these flashes of insight
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that can prove very productive.
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And Patton was lucky,
as well as good,
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in the sense
that he had a good tool
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for executing
these flashes of insight.
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The weakness, of course, is that
it can mean you are either wrong
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[laughs] or reckless,
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I think you see
both of those traits
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in Patton's career as well.
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[theme music] of Axiss
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escaped across the water
to Italy,
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the invasion of Sicily
became a race
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between the American
and British generals.
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‐[explosion]
‐ Both wanted their troops
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to be the first into Messina,
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the vital port
on the northeast tip of Sicily.
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[Jonathan]
Patton did not play the game
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the way that Montgomery
expected it to be played.
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In Montgomery's mind,
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the British
were going to drive up
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the east side of Sicily
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with the Americans on their left
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across the middle of the island.
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And Patton,
at a pretty early stage,
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realised it was going to be
quite a difficult thing to do,
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and therefore it might be better
to race all the way round
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the edges of Sicily instead.
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[narrator]
Advancing up the east coast,
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Montgomery's troops were slowed
temporarily by the Germans
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as Kesselring used
the island's mountainous
terrain
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to his advantage.
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This was a chance
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for the American general
to get ahead.
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And to Montgomery's dismay,
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it was Patton's troops
that entered Messina
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on August 17th, 1943.
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The allied invasion of Sicily
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was relatively quick
and successful.
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It was a clear marker
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00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,400
that the Allies were engaged
in Europe,
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that they were winning,
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00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:16,360
and that ultimately
they could succeed
257
00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,360
and gain a victory
against the Axis powers.
258
00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:23,560
[Jonathan] What it did do
was demonstrate, number one,
259
00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:26,720
that the Allies were going
to make sure
260
00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:28,680
that they re‐established
control of the Mediterranean.
261
00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:32,520
Number two, that they were going
to come on fighting the Axis
262
00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:33,840
on their home soil.
263
00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,640
And number three,
it was instrumental
264
00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,200
in deciding the Italians
to drop out of the war
265
00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,160
and to change sides
in September of 1943.
266
00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,120
The loss of Sicily made it clear
267
00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:45,840
that the Italian mainland
was next.
268
00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:50,160
The Italians tried to avoid
that fate by leaving the Axis
269
00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:51,840
and surrendering to the Allies.
270
00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,640
[narrator] The triumphs
of 1943 at Stalingrad,
271
00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,360
North Africa, Sicily, and Kursk
272
00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:00,800
brought the Allies
in sight of total victory
273
00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:02,720
over Nazi Germany.
274
00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,160
But behind the scenes,
275
00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,120
not only was there division
between the generals,
276
00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,160
there was also division
between the Big Three.
277
00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:15,400
They did not agree over
the best route to victory,
278
00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:17,720
nor over what would happen
to Europe
279
00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,040
once victory had been achieved.
280
00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:24,160
[narrator] While British
and American troops
281
00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,720
fought in Sicily, gaining
ground
from the Axis forces,
282
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:31,280
on July 24th, 1943,
283
00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,280
Benito Mussolini
was voted out of office
284
00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:36,200
by his own Grand Council.
285
00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:39,600
Mussolini, known as Il Duce,
286
00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,480
had ruled the Council
since 1922.
287
00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,200
But as Allied armies
entered the Italian mainland,
288
00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,400
the leaders in Rome saw
that defeat was imminent.
289
00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:53,160
And the King
Vittorio Emanuele III
290
00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,800
ordered Mussolini's arrest
and imprisonment.
291
00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,280
In September,
while German and Allied troops
292
00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:01,880
battled viciously on her soil,
293
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,640
‐Italy surrendered.
‐[crowds cheering]
294
00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,800
Despite the successes
of the Italian campaign,
295
00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,920
there remained tensions
between Churchill and
Roosevelt.
296
00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:12,520
[suspenseful music]
297
00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,920
Winston Churchill
knew early on in the war
298
00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:19,000
that American support
was vital for an Allied
victory.
299
00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:21,400
He'd exchanged
hundreds of letters
300
00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:22,840
and cables with Roosevelt,
301
00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,360
as well as meeting him
in North American waters
302
00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:26,880
in 1941.
303
00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,320
The blunt, emotional Churchill
304
00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,080
and the cool, charming
Roosevelt
had become friends.
305
00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,800
There was, however,
a major difference between
them.
306
00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,200
Churchill wanted to preserve
the old ways
307
00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,600
and retain the British Empire.
308
00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,960
But Roosevelt wasn't going
to destroy the Nazi Empire
309
00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:49,520
and Imperial Japan,
310
00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,320
only for Britain to retain
sovereignty
311
00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:54,680
over her imperial dominions.
312
00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,000
For the idealistic President,
313
00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:58,720
this war was a fight for
liberty
314
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:02,920
and self‐determination
for nations across the globe.
315
00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:04,680
[Harshan]
So much of the war aims,
316
00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:06,560
as articulated in several
of their discussions,
317
00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:10,360
involved thinking
of liberating Europe
318
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:15,600
from, if you like,
the Nazi, fascist empire.
319
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,000
But then, of course,
the ramification of that
320
00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:20,440
would mean potentially,
321
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,040
especially
in Roosevelt's understanding,
322
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:25,880
that that would also mean
self‐determination
323
00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,080
for the British Empire as well.
324
00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,120
[Warren] Increasingly,
what happens is
325
00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:32,560
they start imagining
326
00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,520
what the world is going
to look like after the war,
327
00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,280
and the problem is that each man
had a unique vision
328
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,280
for what the world
would look like after the war.
329
00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,760
And so the tie that bound them
330
00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,480
in this alliance started to fray
quite significantly.
331
00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:50,720
[narrator]
And it was already clear
332
00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,440
that Britain would not be
the dominant power.
333
00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:56,400
Roosevelt commissioned
one of his closest aides,
334
00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:57,800
Harry Hopkins,
335
00:15:57,960 --> 00:15:59,800
to report on the possible
future relationship
336
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,360
between the United States
and the Soviet Union.
337
00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,800
He concluded that Russia's
post‐war position in Europe
338
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:09,440
will be a dominant one,
339
00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,360
and every effort must be made
to obtain her friendship.
340
00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,040
Roosevelt quickly recognised
341
00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,760
that Stalin was going to be
a major player
342
00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,080
not only in the war,
but in the post‐war era,
343
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,240
and he set out to develop
good relations with Stalin.
344
00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:27,920
He believed that he was
more capable of doing so
345
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:29,280
than Churchill,
346
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,040
because Churchill had
a record of anticommunism
347
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,280
dating back to the 1920s.
348
00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:37,040
[narrator]
Secretly, Roosevelt sought
349
00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:40,040
a private meeting with Stalin
in Alaska,
350
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,520
to which Churchill
was not invited.
351
00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:45,160
The purpose was to pave the way
352
00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,240
for a post‐war
U. S.‐Soviet relationship.
353
00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:52,640
At first, Stalin seemed
open to the idea,
354
00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:55,000
but then doubts set in.
355
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,560
Stalin was determined
to exact a high price
356
00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,200
for his post‐war cooperation.
357
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,600
Since 1942,
358
00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:05,880
he had been calling
for a second front in Europe.
359
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:10,680
Soviet soldiers and civilians
were dying in their thousands.
360
00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:12,720
Stalin needed a diversion
361
00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,520
to draw German troops away
from the east.
362
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,520
But his allies
had pushed back again and
again.
363
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:21,200
Churchill, in particular,
364
00:17:21,360 --> 00:17:23,360
had insisted that
they were not yet ready
365
00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,680
to invade occupied France.
366
00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:30,080
Stalin remained very,
very concerned
367
00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,880
that the Western Allies
were deliberately letting
368
00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:36,680
the Soviet Union do
most of the fighting,
369
00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,400
bleeding it dry,
and therefore weakening it
370
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:42,120
for the post‐war situation.
371
00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:43,640
[narrator]
When the Western Allies
372
00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,000
again delayed
the invasion of France
373
00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:48,000
in May 1943,
374
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:49,880
Stalin used it as an excuse
375
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,200
to cancel the meeting
with Roosevelt in Alaska.
376
00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:59,600
naturally suspicious nature, s
377
00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,280
running a war separated
by thousands of miles
378
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,000
was far from ideal.
379
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,640
Coordinating operations
over such vast distances
380
00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:10,000
was difficult.
381
00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:11,640
Communications were slow
382
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,960
and in danger of interception
by the enemy.
383
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:16,640
It was time
384
00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:19,480
that the three leaders
met face‐to‐face.
385
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:23,320
Roosevelt himself, of course,
was not particularly mobile
386
00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,320
because of his disabilities,
though he was prepared to fly,
387
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,000
which was very brave of him.
388
00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:30,560
Churchill, on the other hand,
389
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:32,560
had already
covered a lot of miles,
390
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:33,920
and during the course
of the war,
391
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:36,320
covers about 100,000 miles
traveling.
392
00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,200
So he is willing to travel
393
00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:41,120
and actually sees
a big advantage
394
00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:42,680
of being the man who travels,
395
00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:45,120
because he can join
the Big Three up.
396
00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,400
So he wasn't
necessarily that anxious
397
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:48,560
for a Big Three meeting,
398
00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,520
because he quite liked
being the only one
399
00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,720
who connected
the three of them together,
400
00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,280
because it enabled him
to set the agenda,
401
00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,240
to manage the relationship
in ways
402
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,200
that actually meant
that British lack of power
403
00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:06,560
was balanced by his willingness
to put himself about.
404
00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:08,880
[narrator] But Roosevelt
continued to push
405
00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,760
for face‐to‐face talks
between all three of them,
406
00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,800
while Stalin
kept putting him off.
407
00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:16,640
Baghdad was suggested.
408
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:18,360
Then Basra.
409
00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:20,640
Stalin turned them both down.
410
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,360
[Martin] Stalin hated flying
411
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,120
and also hated getting out
of any way
412
00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:28,880
he could not be absolutely
assured of his security.
413
00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,200
So the kind of places
that they can actually meet
414
00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:34,120
were distinctly limited.
415
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:37,480
[Iwan] He would always use
the excuse,
416
00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,400
some people would say
justification,
417
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:40,760
others would say,
418
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,520
"As the Commander‐in‐Chief
of the Soviet armies,
419
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,160
we're engaging in heavy fighting
with the Germans.
420
00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,040
I cannot be too far
from the front."
421
00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:53,600
[narrator] Stalin could not
put off the meeting forever.
422
00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:56,520
When the Iranian capital
Tehran was suggested,
423
00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:58,320
he finally agreed.
424
00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,440
Iran was under joint
British‐Soviet occupation,
425
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,840
so there were already
Russian troops there.
426
00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,000
And Tehran
was just a few hundred miles
427
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:09,560
from the Soviet Union.
428
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,680
Stalin could travel
most of the way by train.
429
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,600
The Conference was
codenamed Eureka,
430
00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,800
and the date was set
for late November 1943.
431
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:21,600
For the first time,
432
00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:25,000
the Big Three would meet
one another in person.
433
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:27,840
[Iwan]
The mood was one of optimism.
434
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,040
They believed
the corner had been turned.
435
00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,040
The successful defence
of Stalingrad
436
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,600
had really turned the tide.
437
00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:39,840
And they now believed
it was a matter of time
438
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,480
before the Germans
would be defeated.
439
00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,920
[narrator] Before meeting
the Soviet dictator,
440
00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,280
Roosevelt and Churchill
agreed to stop in Cairo.
441
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,520
There they would hold
their own conference
442
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:53,680
with their ally in the fight
against Japan in the Pacific,
443
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,360
the Chinese nationalist leader
Chiang Kai‐shek.
444
00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,080
[Martin] At this point,
Roosevelt envisages Chiang
445
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,440
as one of what he called
the Four Policeman,
446
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:08,280
that the world after the war
would be essentially managed
447
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:10,000
by the four great powers.
448
00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:11,320
And he very much hoped
449
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,800
that the Asian great power
would be China.
450
00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:17,560
[narrator] Stalin had refused
to attend the Cairo Conference.
451
00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,200
Always concerned
about his personal safety,
452
00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:22,720
he felt Cairo was
too far to travel.
453
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,520
Meeting Chiang Kai‐shek at
Cairo
could also put in jeopardy
454
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,760
the Soviets' Neutrality Pact
with Japan,
455
00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:32,560
China's sworn enemy.
456
00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:34,480
Stalin placed
a lot of importance
457
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:36,840
on the Neutrality Pact
with the Japanese,
458
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,600
because a long‐time
preoccupation of his
459
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:43,080
has been to avoid fighting a war
on two fronts.
460
00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,240
He knew the Soviet Union
could not fight the Germans
461
00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,640
on the one hand,
and the Japanese on the other.
462
00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:51,280
This meant that it was
absolutely essential
463
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,840
that that pact
with Japan was stable,
464
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,920
because it allowed him to turn
his forces at the Eastern Front,
465
00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:00,320
really at full their capacity.
466
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,080
[narrator]
So Churchill and Roosevelt
467
00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,000
met Chiang without him.
468
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,960
Officially on the agenda
was the course of the war,
469
00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:11,240
and indeed, the fate of Japan.
470
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,680
The talks would result
in the Cairo Declaration,
471
00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:18,200
outlining a vision
of a post‐war Pacific.
472
00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:21,880
Japan would lose
all the territory it had seized
473
00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:23,920
since 1914.
474
00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:26,760
Land taken from China
was to be returned,
475
00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,120
and Korea would be independent.
476
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,920
But the talks in Cairo
went beyond the Pacific,
477
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:37,600
and splits between Churchill
and Roosevelt soon surfaced.
478
00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:39,600
Churchill has made
a lot of assumptions
479
00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:41,280
about Roosevelt's friendship
480
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,720
and his commitment to Britain.
481
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:45,520
And he's tended to gloss that
482
00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:47,000
into commitment
to the British Empire,
483
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,000
because Churchill sees
the two things as the same.
484
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,240
Roosevelt doesn't.
485
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,040
Roosevelt distinguishes clearly
between the British Empire,
486
00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:58,200
particularly the British Empire
in Asia, and Britain itself.
487
00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:02,760
Churchill is,
for the first time, I think,
488
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:07,520
aware of Roosevelt's attitude
towards the British empire.
489
00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:09,160
And it worries him.
490
00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,360
[narrator]
Both men were exasperated
491
00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:13,160
by the slow pace of the talks
492
00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,920
and the constant need
for translation.
493
00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:19,640
Churchill had wanted to agree
a British‐American strategy
494
00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,280
before meeting Stalin,
495
00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,040
but this had not happened.
496
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,160
The two leaders would instead
carry their frustrations
497
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,520
with them to Tehran.
498
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,440
And if anyone
could take advantage
499
00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,280
of this crack
in the special relationship,
500
00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,880
it was Joseph Stalin.
501
00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,800
It was Winston Churchill's
69th birthday,
502
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,200
and on the last day
of the Tehran Conference
503
00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:43,400
he was throwing a party
504
00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,040
at the British Embassy
in Tehran.
505
00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:49,360
Roosevelt and Stalin were
among the guests.
506
00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:51,280
The Conference was
the first time
507
00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:54,000
the Big Three had met
face‐to‐face.
508
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,440
And despite
public displays of unity,
509
00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,440
the leaders had argued
during the talks.
510
00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:02,080
It was a clash of egos and
ideas
511
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,640
that threatened to undermine
the alliance.
512
00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,680
Churchill's birthday dinner
was the last chance
513
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,320
to put aside the rancour
and division,
514
00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,200
ready for the final assault
on Nazi Germany.
515
00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:15,520
[Martin] All three of them are
very conscious
516
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:17,360
that if they're going to succeed
517
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,280
in securing victory
against Nazi Germany
518
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:21,760
as allies in Europe,
519
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,040
they're going to have
to continue working together,
520
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,600
because Germany
has a good position
521
00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:28,200
in the centre of Europe,
522
00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:29,520
and they're going to need
523
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,240
to continue coordinating
their activities.
524
00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,760
[narrator] The Tehran Conference
had started two days earlier.
525
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,680
Stalin made sure
he was the first to arrive.
526
00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:40,880
He had no intention
of letting Churchill
527
00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:42,880
and Roosevelt gang up on him.
528
00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:44,880
From Stalin's personal
point of view,
529
00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:48,160
he wanted the same prestige
within The Big Three.
530
00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:51,320
He wanted to be treated
as an equal within that trio.
531
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:55,440
He felt Roosevelt and Churchill
were not taking him seriously
532
00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:56,840
in that respect.
533
00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,200
[narrator] When Churchill
and Roosevelt arrived,
534
00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:01,520
they were presented
with shocking information
535
00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,280
from Soviet intelligence.
536
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,760
Agents had uncovered a plot
to assassinate the Big Three
537
00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:08,240
while they were in Tehran.
538
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,200
German commandos
were allegedly in the city
539
00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:13,840
and preparing
for the opportunity to strike.
540
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,520
The story has become legend
in Russia,
541
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,960
the subject of books and films.
542
00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:21,440
But Western historians
are more sceptical
543
00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,440
about whether the
Germans' "Operation Long Jump"
544
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:26,880
ever existed.
545
00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:29,320
[theme music]
546
00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,600
isk in T.
547
00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,960
While The British and Soviet
Embassies were side by side
548
00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:38,480
in a walled park
in the centre of the city,
549
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:40,880
the American Embassy was
a mile away.
550
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,720
Meeting up would mean
potentially dangerous trips
551
00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:45,880
through the narrow city
streets.
552
00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,880
Stalin, as always,
had a solution.
553
00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:52,960
President Roosevelt could stay
at the Soviet Embassy instead.
554
00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:55,400
A suite of rooms stood ready.
555
00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,440
Despite the sudden discovery
of the German threat,
556
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,360
it even included
a new disabled bathroom
557
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,440
that could accommodate
the ailing President's needs.
558
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,800
Churchill quickly offered
the British Embassy
559
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:08,040
as an alternative.
560
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,440
But Roosevelt chose to stay
with Stalin.
561
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:12,600
Roosevelt very gladly does so,
562
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:14,040
even though
his security people say,
563
00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,600
"Don't do that.
They'll have bugs in your room."
564
00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:17,920
And Roosevelt says,
565
00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:21,520
"Good. I want them to hear
what I have to say."
566
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:23,960
Because he's a pretty
cunning politician.
567
00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,120
He knows exactly
what he's doing.
568
00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:27,480
He's not met Stalin before.
569
00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:29,160
He's not going to miss
the opportunity.
570
00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:31,720
And if it means treading
all over Winnie,
571
00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:33,600
then he's perfectly happy
to do so,
572
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:36,640
because Roosevelt
can be very ruthless.
573
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:38,400
[Iwan]
Roosevelt's record was one
574
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:42,680
of relative friendship
to the Soviet Union.
575
00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:46,280
Two things Roosevelt
wanted going into Tehran.
576
00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,240
One was to reassure Stalin
577
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,800
that the Allies would launch
an invasion of France in 1944
578
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,840
in order to cut off
any possibility
579
00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:00,280
that an angry Stalin
would negotiate
580
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:02,000
a separate peace with Hitler.
581
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,280
And B,
to try to get Stalin to make
582
00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:09,320
a commitment to enter the war
against Japan
583
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,080
once Germany is defeated.
584
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,720
[narrator] The British
Prime Minister was unhappy
585
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:15,160
and very aware
586
00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,440
that he was being made
to feel the junior partner
587
00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:19,200
in this grand alliance.
588
00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:21,320
Britain had neither the
manpower
589
00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:24,360
nor the industrial might
to match the others.
590
00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:25,520
[Martin] Now Churchill,
591
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:27,400
who's staying
in the British Embassy,
592
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:29,680
knows that these
conversations are taking place
593
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:31,840
and he doesn't really like it.
594
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,920
It gets in the way
of his own personal relationship
595
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:36,440
with the other two.
596
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:41,160
Churchill was having
some time with...
597
00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:43,120
the leaders he was working with.
598
00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,600
Stalin, at the time,
needed a lot of help.
599
00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:47,920
I think he was getting
a little nervous.
600
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:49,640
[narrator]
The convivial Roosevelt
601
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:51,400
was to chair the talks.
602
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:52,680
But it was soon clear
603
00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,000
that it was Stalin
who was taking charge.
604
00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,760
The discussions
centred on one question.
605
00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:01,720
When would Britain and America
open a second front in France
606
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,640
to divert German attention
from the east?
607
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:06,800
The Soviet records that we have
608
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:08,360
suggest that he only had
one issue
609
00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:10,320
that he wanted
the Allies to discuss,
610
00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:11,800
and that was the second front.
611
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:14,240
[Iwan] They had effectively
promised Stalin
612
00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:17,880
to invade in 1942 and 1943,
613
00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:20,320
and a third time delay
614
00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:23,480
would have been utterly
unacceptable to the Soviets.
615
00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,880
[narrator] Yet Churchill still
wanted to delay the invasion.
616
00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:30,280
He had been the politician
in charge of the Royal Navy
617
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:32,840
in the First World War,
when his record was marred
618
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,480
by the disaster
of the Gallipoli campaign.
619
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,040
Churchill has
this real sort of aversion to it
620
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:39,560
because he's been there before.
621
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:43,560
Gallipoli, in the end,
622
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:45,840
did not work
623
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,680
at very considerable cost
in blood and treasure.
624
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,680
I think Churchill was nervous
625
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:57,640
that the amphibious invasion
of France,
626
00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:00,240
and thereby in northwest Europe,
627
00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:02,520
might end in the same way.
628
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:04,240
And therefore
629
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:09,640
we must have everything
as absolutely prepared
630
00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,000
as we possibly can
before committing.
631
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:14,480
And that takes time.
632
00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:16,160
[narrator]
Churchill again argued
633
00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,600
that the Mediterranean should
be
the Allies' focus instead.
634
00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:21,560
Turkey should be brought
into the war,
635
00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,640
and a new front opened
in the Balkans
636
00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:25,800
to strike at Germany
from the south.
637
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:27,560
[Iwan] Churchill was of the view
638
00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,040
that if the British plan
was followed,
639
00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,680
it was a quicker way
to get into Germany,
640
00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:35,800
and thereby occupy Germany
641
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,560
before the Soviet Union
swept over
642
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,400
the entirety of the country.
643
00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:46,240
The cause, or the non‐invasion
of Western Europe
644
00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:48,560
in 1942 and 1943,
645
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,840
was Winston Churchill's
absolute insistence
646
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:53,880
that the Allies weren't ready.
647
00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:57,040
[narrator] But this was not
Churchill's only motive.
648
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,080
Some of this was to do
with British imperial ambitions.
649
00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,640
You know, they had an empire
in Palestine and in Egypt
650
00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:05,320
that they wanted to consolidate
651
00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:07,440
and get back up
and running, if you like.
652
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,760
So clearing the Mediterranean
was an important part of that.
653
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:11,880
[narrator] Stalin
had suspected Churchill
654
00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,480
of trying to undermine
his advance into central
Europe,
655
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,040
and saw the whole strategy
as an unnecessary diversion.
656
00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,640
In his view,
the only true hammer blow
657
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,640
would come from driving
to the heart of the Third Reich
658
00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:26,240
through northern France.
659
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:30,200
[Sir Mike] The moment
a Western Front was opened
660
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,880
in Normandy, or wherever,
661
00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,680
that would draw German attention
662
00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,840
and they would be on two fronts,
663
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:44,040
and that would relieve pressure
on the Russian Front.
664
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:48,640
That's why he was saying
"Come on, get a move on."
665
00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:50,760
[Martin] Stalin at one point
then turns to Churchill
666
00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:51,840
and says to him point‐blank,
667
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:53,800
"Do you believe
in this operation?"
668
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:56,080
And Churchill has to puff
on his cigar and say,
669
00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:57,280
"Yes, of course I do,
670
00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:00,720
provided certain conditions
are met,"
671
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:04,120
which is obviously trying
to find himself a way out.
672
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:05,720
[narrator]
The ill‐tempered talks
673
00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:07,520
went on for days.
674
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,760
There were insults and
walkouts.
675
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:12,480
In a message to his wife,
676
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:17,520
Churchill described the
meetings
as "grim and baffling."
677
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:19,240
President Roosevelt
pushed Churchill
678
00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,040
pretty hard, I think,
679
00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:23,440
to start up a second front
in France.
680
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:25,400
And of course,
Churchill was still saying,
681
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,000
"no, no, we can do this
from the eastern Mediterranean,
682
00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:29,320
create a pincer movement."
683
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,400
The bottom line
for the Americans was
684
00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:37,400
we have to have an invasion
in order to satisfy Stalin.
685
00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:42,200
Otherwise, the prospects
of post‐war cooperation are nil.
686
00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:43,880
[narrator]
Churchill knew that Stalin
687
00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:45,480
and Roosevelt were meeting
688
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:47,680
in the Soviet Embassy
without him.
689
00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:49,840
And when he requested
one‐on‐one talks
690
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:53,520
with the President,
Roosevelt turned him down.
691
00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:56,880
It's very clear to Churchill
that he's on the outs
692
00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:00,400
and that Stalin and Roosevelt
are getting closer and closer,
693
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,000
and Churchill's starting
to struggle to find a place,
694
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,760
a reason to be there.
695
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:12,120
Stalin finally got his way.
696
00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,320
It was agreed
that battle would be joined
697
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,480
on the Western Front
in May 1944.
698
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,480
British, American
and Commonwealth troops
699
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:22,120
would invade France
700
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,520
with the greatest amphibious
invasion force ever assembled.
701
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:27,720
In return,
702
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,760
Stalin agreed the Soviets
would declare war on Japan,
703
00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:33,880
however,
not until Germany was defeated.
704
00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:36,840
A formal agreement
had been reached,
705
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:38,760
but in trying
to win over Stalin,
706
00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:41,800
Roosevelt had opened a rift
with Churchill.
707
00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:43,480
Roosevelt's sense
708
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:45,120
of his relationship
with Churchill
709
00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:47,760
I think, is that by this point,
he's got Churchill in the bag.
710
00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,920
He doesn't need
to soft soap Churchill,
711
00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:53,680
but he does need
to manage Stalin.
712
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:55,520
And this is his opportunity.
713
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:57,360
[narrator] On the last night
of the Conference,
714
00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:58,680
the leaders gathered
715
00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:00,680
for the Prime Minister's
birthday banquet.
716
00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:02,400
The atmosphere was uneasy,
717
00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:05,760
and Stalin seemed uncomfortable
in the opulent surroundings.
718
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:08,800
But as the drinks flowed,
the mood lightened.
719
00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:11,080
Roosevelt and Stalin
presented Churchill
720
00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:12,480
with birthday gifts.
721
00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:14,680
While Roosevelt retired early,
722
00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:17,680
Churchill and Stalin
celebrated into the night.
723
00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:20,280
Stalin told the Prime Minister:
724
00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,240
"I'd like to be allowed
to call you my good friend."
725
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:25,920
Churchill declared:
726
00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:28,440
"I drink to the
proletarian masses."
727
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:31,920
Over cigars and champagne
728
00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:34,320
the alliance appeared
to have been mended.
729
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:36,960
Late the following morning,
730
00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:39,880
talks were held on the future
of post‐war Europe,
731
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,160
before the summit
formally closed.
732
00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:46,040
But as the three travelled
home,
their moods were very
different.
733
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,320
Stalin had got what he wanted
from the Conference,
734
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:50,640
and Roosevelt believed
735
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,320
his charm offensive
with Stalin had worked
736
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,840
and the Soviet Union would be
a peaceful post‐war partner.
737
00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:00,440
[Iwan] Roosevelt was thinking
more and more about
738
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:02,520
the post‐war period,
739
00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,760
and was determined to bring
the war to an end
740
00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,880
in a way that would allow
for the possibility
741
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,360
of great power cooperation
thereafter.
742
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,880
[narrator] Churchill's mood,
however, was bleak,
743
00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:16,520
because the agreement
made at Tehran
744
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,360
already hinted
at the Cold War world
745
00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,200
that would lie beyond victory.
746
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:24,160
A world dominated
not by Britain,
747
00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:27,120
but by America
and the Soviet Union.
748
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:32,800
[narrator]
The Tehran Conference in 1943
749
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:34,640
committed Britain and America
750
00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:38,720
to the invasion
of occupied France by May 1944.
751
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:41,280
Stalin was delighted.
752
00:34:41,720 --> 00:34:44,200
He had long pushed
for this Western Front.
753
00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:48,000
Now Churchill
and Roosevelt had to deliver.
754
00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:49,920
[Iwan]
The Americans always believed
755
00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:53,680
that the war in the West
would be won in France,
756
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:55,360
not the Mediterranean.
757
00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,480
[Bradner] Roosevelt finally got
his guys out into Europe,
758
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:02,400
getting what he wanted,
to help out.
759
00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,160
[narrator]
Churchill was fearful,
760
00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:06,000
partly because of the deep
scars
761
00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,000
of the previous major
amphibious landing he'd ordered
762
00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,160
at Gallipoli
in the First World War.
763
00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:12,680
[Iwan] That disaster haunted him
764
00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:15,200
for the rest of his life,
because it was his idea.
765
00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:17,320
[narrator] But was he now
more confident
766
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,240
to the chances of success?
767
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,600
By early 1944,
I think he was fully on board
768
00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:24,480
with the decision to attack
in Normandy
769
00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:26,640
and thought that there was
a good chance it would succeed.
770
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:30,360
[narrator] The initial plans
called for landings in the
south
771
00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:32,960
and the north
of German‐occupied France.
772
00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:35,400
But the Allies did not have
the resources
773
00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:37,800
to mount
two simultaneous attacks.
774
00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:41,240
So the southern option
was postponed,
775
00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:44,400
and all hopes were pinned on
the landings in the north,
776
00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:46,680
Operation Overlord.
777
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,080
The landings would be
dangerous.
778
00:35:50,240 --> 00:35:53,400
Germany had spent years
building its Atlantic Wall.
779
00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:56,080
From the south of France
to Norway,
780
00:35:56,240 --> 00:35:59,840
the coast of occupied Europe
bristled with coastal guns,
781
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:01,840
bunkers and fortifications.
782
00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:03,960
But the British
had gathered intelligence
783
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:06,040
about these defences.
784
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,360
There were a number
of Polish prisoners
785
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:10,760
who'd been conscripted
into the German army,
786
00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:14,480
and they were captured,
brought back to Britain,
787
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,120
and basically
they'd been involved in building
788
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:19,080
Hitler's sea defences,
789
00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:21,280
and so they were
eye‐witness accounts.
790
00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:26,080
There had been years and years
of careful intelligence,
791
00:36:26,240 --> 00:36:28,760
of cracking the codes
at Bletchley Park,
792
00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:31,840
picking up information,
interrogation of prisoners,
793
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:33,280
double agents,
794
00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:35,640
all this kind of stuff going on
behind the scenes,
795
00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:37,040
the spy stuff.
796
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:39,200
[narrator] In February 1944,
797
00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:42,400
four months before
the planned invasion of France,
798
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,080
the Allies stepped up
their bombing campaign
799
00:36:45,240 --> 00:36:46,160
on Germany.
800
00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:50,360
This was Big Week,
801
00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:52,160
a massive aerial assault
802
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:53,960
‐lasting five days.
‐[explosions]
803
00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,600
Hundreds of American
and British bombers rained fire
804
00:36:57,760 --> 00:36:59,520
on the German war machine.
805
00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:01,000
‐[explosions]
‐[engines roar]
806
00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:08,200
[explosion]
807
00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:14,200
[explosions]
808
00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:21,000
[narrator] They hit airfields
and aviation factories
809
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:22,640
in Braunschweig and Gotha,
810
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,280
Augsburg and Stuttgart,
811
00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:27,280
Regensburg and Schweinfurt.
812
00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:30,160
But that was just part
of the plan.
813
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:34,600
Allied commanders chose targets
so important
814
00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,520
they knew the Luftwaffe
would have to respond
815
00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:39,240
and take to the skies.
816
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:41,360
There, the Allies planned
to destroy them
817
00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:42,800
with a new weapon.
818
00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,360
The P‐51 Mustang,
819
00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:48,240
a fast,
long‐range fighter plane.
820
00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,760
Despite losses of hundreds
of planes and airmen,
821
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,400
the Allies finally broke
the back of the Luftwaffe.
822
00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:59,520
The Germans lost
more than 250 aircraft,
823
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:03,400
and their aircraft production
was set back by two months.
824
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:05,680
When D‐Day finally came,
825
00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:07,560
the Allies would have control
826
00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:09,640
of the skies
over Western Europe.
827
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:13,680
But seaborne landings
were among the most risky
828
00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:16,360
and complicated
of military manoeuvres.
829
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:19,120
And the Allies
already had experience
830
00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:21,280
of how they could go
badly wrong.
831
00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:27,400
[narrator] By the beginning
of 1944,
832
00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:29,480
British and American forces
833
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,600
had spent months
fighting the Germans
834
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:33,720
as they made their way up
through Italy.
835
00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:35,200
At Monte Cassino
836
00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:37,560
in the Italian mountains
south of Rome,
837
00:38:37,720 --> 00:38:39,840
the German Tenth Army dug in
838
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,720
using a bombed‐out monastery
for shelter.
839
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:46,080
They resisted the Allied
advance for months.
840
00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:48,080
[Sir Mike] Monte Cassino
sits high.
841
00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:54,080
The obvious route north is
through quite a tight pass.
842
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,960
Everything to the defender's
advantage, that terrain,
843
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:03,360
and it became
a bit of a slogging match.
844
00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:05,520
[narrator] It was Churchill
who came up with the plan
845
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:06,880
to break the deadlock.
846
00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:09,720
An amphibious landing at Anzio,
847
00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:12,000
to draw away the German troops
848
00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,360
fighting in the mountains
at Monte Cassino.
849
00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:17,680
[Sir Mike] It's a stratagem
850
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:22,160
whereby you bypass
the frontlines on land
851
00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:27,480
and go in behind your enemy
by amphibious landing.
852
00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:32,000
[narrator] But the landing force
was too small and too slow.
853
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:35,560
By the time
the Allied forces pushed
inland,
854
00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:38,000
the Germans had rushed in
reinforcements,
855
00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:39,960
and months of fighting
followed.
856
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,280
It didn't go as smoothly
857
00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:45,040
as no doubt
the planners had hoped,
858
00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:46,720
but it certainly,
859
00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:51,920
I think, did unlock
what was a bit of a deadlock.
860
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,680
Monte Cassino falls in May 1944,
861
00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:59,520
and on the 5th of June,
so the day before D‐day,
862
00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:00,920
the Allies liberate Rome.
863
00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:04,440
So, there is clear progress
on that front.
864
00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:08,080
[narrator] Mussolini's rule
in Italy was effectively over.
865
00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:10,800
However, just days
after being imprisoned,
866
00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,560
he escaped with the help
of German commandos
867
00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:17,720
and set up a puppet regime
until the final days of the
war,
868
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:21,680
when he was recaptured
by Italian communist fighters.
869
00:40:22,240 --> 00:40:23,560
Victory in Italy
870
00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:26,840
had come at the cost
of thousands of Allied troops.
871
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:29,040
And the amphibious landings
at Anzio
872
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:32,040
had shown the dangers
of getting it wrong.
873
00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:35,720
If the invasion of Normandy
was to be a success,
874
00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:37,960
lessons would have to be
learnt.
875
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:43,360
In Britain in 1944,
an armada was assembled.
876
00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:45,120
Two million men
877
00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,120
and nine million tonnes
of supplies
878
00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:48,560
were to cross the Channel
879
00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:52,000
in the largest seaborne
invasion
ever attempted.
880
00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:54,480
But as D‐Day approached,
881
00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:56,640
high winds and choppy seas
882
00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,840
threatened to delay
the operation for weeks,
883
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:01,480
or even longer.
884
00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:05,280
A number
of meteorological factors
885
00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:07,520
had to be in harmony.
886
00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:09,320
The state of the moon: full,
887
00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:10,800
the state of the tide,
888
00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:14,200
the sea state, etc.
889
00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:19,240
And there were only
so many days in the month
890
00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:21,760
when these factors
gave a window.
891
00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:26,160
And I think it was
a three day window in June.
892
00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,000
Otherwise you had to wait
a month
893
00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:29,360
for the next full moon.
894
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:32,720
[narrator] On June 6th,
the weather settled enough
895
00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:35,640
to give the Allies
the opportunity they needed.
896
00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:39,240
The Allied Commander‐in‐Chief
Dwight D. Eisenhower
897
00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:40,920
gave the green light.
898
00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:43,200
Operation Overlord,
899
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:45,880
the invasion
of German occupied Europe,
900
00:41:46,040 --> 00:41:47,560
was about to begin.
901
00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:51,840
[theme music]
902
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,360
[narrator]
Next time on Race To Victory.
903
00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:58,040
The landings in Normandy
take Hitler by surprise.
904
00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:04,720
[Sir Mike] Southern England
crammed full of Allied troops
905
00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:07,320
in readiness for D‐Day.
906
00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:10,240
They set Patton up in Kent
907
00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:13,000
with a whole
supposed army group,
908
00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:15,160
they had him driving around
inspecting troops,
909
00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:17,760
pretending to be
the First U. S. Army Group,
910
00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:19,400
which was going to bounce
across the Channel
911
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:21,360
and attack Calais and Boulogne.
912
00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:24,120
They had inflatable tanks
and all this sort of stuff
913
00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:25,360
parked in fields,
914
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:27,960
so that any German airplanes
could spot them
915
00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:30,560
and report back
of this immense concentration.
916
00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:33,120
[narrator] While the Big Three
revel in the success
917
00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:34,920
of getting closer to Germany,
918
00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:37,560
cracks in their
relationship appear.
919
00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:41,320
The reality of their differing
post‐war worlds
920
00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:42,840
is becoming apparent.
921
00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:46,800
The Big Three still face
multiple obstacles
922
00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:49,200
before they can win
the war in Europe.
923
00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:51,880
How much longer will it be
924
00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:55,120
before the race to victory
comes to an end?
925
00:42:57,440 --> 00:42:58,920
[theme music]