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October 1944. Western Germany.
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An American captain watches,
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as a German soldier returns to
a bunker loaded with ammunition.
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Bobbie was stalking. He didn't
realize it, but Bobbie was right there.
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NARRATOR: The captain pulls the fuse
and deposits an explosive charge,
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before the soldier can react.
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On June 6th, 1944,
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allied forces finally land troops
in Normandy to open the western front.
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But Nazi fanatics and diehards continue
to fight ferociously for survival.
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D-Day was a battle.
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They still need to win the war.
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October 8th, 1944.
Near Aachen, Germany.
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Soldiers from the American 18th infantry
regiment advance under the cover of smoke.
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They must move quickly and quietly
towards their attack positions
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before the Germans know they’re there.
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Captain Bobbie Brown commands C Company.
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At 41, Brown is older than most other
officers and likely many of his superiors.
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He has served most of his life.
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Bobbie didn't want to
be a burden on his family.
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So, he decided to go down to Columbus,
Georgia and attempt to enlist in the army.
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{\an8}He told the recruiting sergeant he was 18,
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{\an8}he was big for his age,
but he was only 15.
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The army needed big kids like
him in 1922 so they took him.
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Brown trained with all the
infantry weapons in peacetime,
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and became a recognized leader after
the war broke out.
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When Bobbie went ashore on
D-Day, he was with the first division.
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By August there needed to be a
new captain named for Company C.
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His battalion commander had lots of
choices, including West Point graduates,
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but he favored Bobbie because
Bobbie was a scrapper,
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he had an uncanny sense of
timing, his men revered him.
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Brown and his men
prepare for battle once more.
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Suddenly, the wind picks up and
their smoke cover blows away.
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C Company is exposed.
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It doesn’t take long for the
German guns to find their targets.
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Incoming!
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Get down, keep your heads up!
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Go, go!
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Up you get!
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After the
rapid advance over the summer,
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Supreme Allied Commander,
General Dwight D. Eisenhower,
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identifies an objective
that promises to end the war:
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The Ruhr Valley.
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{\an8}The Ruhr was the most important
strategic objective of the allied armies
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{\an8}in 1944 and 1945. It was
Germany’s industrial heartland.
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It contained most of
their major steel mills,
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their tank plants and
their weapons factories.
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After the D-Day landings,
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the race across Europe brings the allies
up to the German border in September 1944.
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To clear the way to the
Ruhr Valley to the northeast,
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Eisenhower orders parts
of four American divisions
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to secure the ancient
German city of Aachen.
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The stakes are high on both sides.
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What is a propaganda dream for
Eisenhower is a nightmare for Hitler.
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{\an8}If the Americans take Aachen, they
are not only fighting on German soil,
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{\an8}they capture the first major German city.
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After the violent
greeting from the German guns,
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Bobbie Brown and his men gather on
their start line at the base of a hill.
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The men knew they were
taking on a very, very difficult mission.
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They knew the Germans had these prepared
pillbox locations all over Crucifix Hill.
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They knew they had their firing ports and
angles of fire aimed at their approach.
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Brown’s objective is clear:
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he is to neutralize all
enemy activity on the hill
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and then prepare for counterattacks.
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He scours the slope to plot
a path to the closest bunker,
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and looks to the sky for
friendly allied aircraft.
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The air support that Brown expected
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was two flight of P-47 thunderbolts which
were actually just eight planes.
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He had been relying on
continuing air missions
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but the air liaison, who was on his
way up to Crucifix Hill earlier,
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his tank was busted up,
so he never got up there.
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Brown can’t wait any longer.
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BROWN (yells, muted):
Go, go, go, go!
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As he and his men jump up,
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the Germans unleash a
barrage of artillery fire.
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The Germans had the avenue of
approach that was chosen by the Americans,
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zeroed in and pre-plotted
before they even attacked.
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There were 84 separate artillery pieces
that rained down on Brown’s men.
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As they try to approach, machine
guns also open up with deadly accuracy.
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Allied artillery shells pound
the bunkers on the hillside in support,
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but fail to disrupt the German fire.
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Brown and his men attack Crucifix Hill.
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{\an8}Named for the large
stone cross on its summit,
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{\an8}its fortifications protect
Aachen from the northeast.
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{\an8}It also called hill 2-3-9,
for its height in meters.
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{\an8}It bristles with
pillboxes and bunkers.
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Despite being somewhat outdated,
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the bunkers on Crucifix Hill
give a good opportunity to fire
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from the heights down on
the Americans in the valley.
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With his men pinned at the start line,
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Captain Bobbie Brown and his command unit,
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which includes a radio operator
and runner, make a move.
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Bobbie Brown had
trained his men to understand
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that so long as
one person wasn’t pinned down,
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do the job of the man ahead of you,
so that everybody could start moving.
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But at this moment, Bobbie Brown knew that
his entire company was pinned down,
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and he was gonna
have to do something about it.
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Brown heads
towards a dip in the terrain.
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His team throw themselves over the edge.
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Brown and his command
group were able to jump into
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a dug-out depression at
the foot of Crucifix Hill
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because he had had the wisdom the night
before to go out and dig that hole
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and bring canvas with him so that
he could drag the dirt away
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so when the daylight came, the Germans
wouldn’t even know anyone had been there.
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They find a little protection,
just below the enemy’s fire.
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The radio operator makes contact with
the platoon leaders.
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The news is not good.
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One of his platoon leaders is injured
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and both of the assault
platoons remain pinned down.
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Binoculars.
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Brown looks up the
hill and observes the gunfire
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coming from the
bunker above him.
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He’s trying to take
in the totality of this situation.
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The radio operator looks at him and says,
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“Are we gonna send
some engineers up first?”
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Bobbie looks back at him and says,
“I wouldn’t ask a man to commit suicide.”
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In a split second,
Brown makes a decision.
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He will take out the bunker himself.
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The American captain Bobbie
Brown prepares a plan to put into action.
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Bobbie Brown decides at that moment
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{\an8}that he's gonna have to lead by
example and do what his men can’t do.
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{\an8}He wasn’t pinned down.
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So, he turns to his radioman and says,
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“What we’re gonna need is a pole charge
and a satchel charge.”
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- And the radioman, he’s incredulous.
- Sir?
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Brown needs more firepower
than the weapons he has at hand.
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He believes that
explosives are the answer.
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The bunkers on Crucifix Hill
make up a dense sector of the Westwall,
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or Siegfried Line.
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The Siegfried Line was
created in the 1930s
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so that the German army
could fight a two-front war.
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{\an8}And what happened in 1939 is
the German army threw all of its strength
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{\an8}against Poland and conquered
Poland in September.
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But at the same time,
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they didn't have to have a large military
force on their western border,
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facing the French and British Army,
because they had the Siegfried Line there.
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It required a minimal force, a so-called
economy of force maneuver.
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This is considered
especially important around Aachen,
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which boasts a
double line of fortifications.
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The Westwall in the
Aachen sector was extremely thick,
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especially as compared to other
sections of the Westwall further away.
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The reason was mainly because of
the strategic importance
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of some relatively flat terrain
immediately south of the city of Aachen,
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that allows tank forces
access further east
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towards the Ruhr River and
towards the Rhine River.
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Often built into the landscape
and camouflaged by grass and brush,
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the bunkers have narrow openings,
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or apertures, to allow just
enough room to fire weapons.
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{\an8}These fortifications vary in size, but can
be up to 50 feet wide and 25 feet deep.
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{\an8}They are designed to Standard B.
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Standard B means is that
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{\an8}they are two meters thick
of steel reinforced concrete.
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{\an8}Now, two meters thick of
steel-reinforced concrete
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will defend up to an
eight-inch artillery projectile,
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or a 1,000-pound aircraft bomb.
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So, it's a very, very
substantial military structure.
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Bobbie Brown needs to
find a way to attack the structure.
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He's not sure exactly
what he's going to do.
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What he does see is a
crater that had been left by,
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in all likelihood, one of the P-47's.
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It's about half the distance
between where he is
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and where the pillbox is located
that he wants to go after.
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Brown signals second platoon
commander, Lieutenant Charles Marvain,
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- to deliver the explosives he requires.
- Okay!
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The German fire was just coming
down repeatedly at Marvain's location,
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so Marvain may have been happy
to leave where he was.
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He heaves a
satchel charge to Brown.
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A satchel charge is a type of
an engineered demolition charge.
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And it's called a satchel charge
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because the explosives are
contained inside a satchel bag.
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And they're typically
used to blow up obstructions.
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So, it might be an anti-tank wall,
it might be a bunker.
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In this case,
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the satchel charge is loaded with 60
quarter pound blocks of TNT,
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to be detonated by
a three second fuse.
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With the charge ready, Brown crawls out
of his ditch, with 15 pounds of TNT.
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It’s an unusual job
for a man of his rank.
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A company captain was
responsible for being in a position
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where he could communicate with
his battalion commander
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so that he could get change orders,
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including "reinforcements are on the way"
or "we want you to withdraw."
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It was very unusual for a captain to be
the tip of the spear during World War II.
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Brown inches up Crucifix Hill
toward the bunker that targets his men.
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Crawling as best he can to
stay under the trajectory of the fire.
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All he has to do is stick his head
up and he's going to get shot.
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The only
sign of the enemy inside
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are the gun barrels
firing through the aperture.
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Soldiers from the 352nd grenadier regiment
are among those manning the bunkers.
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{\an8}A grenadier regiment is
basically an infantry regiment.
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{\an8}In 1942, the Germans renamed all the
infantry units as grenadier regiments,
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reminding of the old Prussian grenadier
regiments from the 18th and 19th Century.
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They have been handpicked,
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and moved quickly into defensive
positions on Crucifix Hill,
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as the Americans closed in on Aachen.
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Despite the fact that these bunkers
were outdated, to a certain degree,
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it gave the German soldiers
a sense of security.
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You've got German documents,
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when they retreated from France
in early autumn 1944,
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that these bunkers were extremely
important for their morale
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because for the first time, they've
got a clearly defined line of defense.
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The regiment’s commander is
Oberstleutnant Josef Eggerstorfer.
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Lieutenant Colonel Eggerstorfer
is a 35-year-old officer.
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A former NCO, but who has seen a huge and
quick career during the second World War.
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He's a veteran from the eastern front,
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and got promoted thanks to
a preferential promotion.
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This means he was promoted
quicker than normal
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due to his performance on the battlefield.
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Eggerstorfer has orders to
defend the ancient German city,
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no matter what the cost.
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Aachen has great historical significance
to the German people.
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The city served as the coronation site for
the Holy Roman Empire for over 700 years.
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Its majesty aligns with
Hitler’s imperial aspirations.
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Aachen has got a mythical
and symbolic value for the Nazis
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because it is the old
imperial capital of Charlemagne,
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who was the founder
of the first Reich.
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00:17:45,168 --> 00:17:48,585
And the Nazis consider
to have the third Reich,
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so there is a link, a historic
link in the Nazi mindset,
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between the first Reich
and the third Reich.
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The bunkers on Crucifix Hill
defend the city from the northeast.
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As the fighting builds, the
conditions within deteriorate.
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It's cramped,
it's smelly, smoke everywhere.
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Shoot! Shoot!
Keep shooting! Shoot! Fire!
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When you fire a machine gun,
the noise reverberates.
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So, psychologically, it's extremely
demanding for an ordinary soldier.
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On the
slope below the bunker,
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Brown must decide the best way to
neutralize it using the satchel charge.
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It's usually something where
you're not under enemy fire,
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00:18:57,168 --> 00:18:59,626
so you take it up to a wall
and you position it very carefully,
228
00:18:59,626 --> 00:19:01,960
and you might
use multiple satchel charges.
229
00:19:02,918 --> 00:19:05,209
When a satchel charge
is used in close combat,
230
00:19:05,209 --> 00:19:07,418
it's usually used in
an improvised fashion.
231
00:19:08,668 --> 00:19:13,251
Brown works out a plan.
The explosives have a three second fuse.
232
00:19:13,752 --> 00:19:17,585
It doesn’t give him much time to
take cover before the charge explodes.
233
00:19:19,002 --> 00:19:25,168
If he were to crawl to the flank
of that box and come in from behind it,
234
00:19:25,752 --> 00:19:30,877
he might be in a position to see if the
back door was a way he could get into it,
235
00:19:31,543 --> 00:19:34,209
or close enough so he could throw his
satchel charge through it.
236
00:19:35,877 --> 00:19:38,668
But, if Brown can throw the
charge through the aperture,
237
00:19:38,668 --> 00:19:40,793
the bunker should
protect him from the blast.
238
00:19:44,251 --> 00:19:45,710
Brown picks up speed.
239
00:19:46,251 --> 00:19:51,918
As he runs up the slope towards the
opening, he encounters a German soldier.
240
00:20:01,293 --> 00:20:05,043
Before American captain Bobbie
Brown can make his move to the aperture,
241
00:20:05,043 --> 00:20:07,793
the startled soldier dashes
back into the bunker.
242
00:20:08,793 --> 00:20:12,126
Brown leaps to pull the door closed,
to trap him inside.
243
00:20:12,626 --> 00:20:13,752
But it won’t shut.
244
00:20:14,626 --> 00:20:19,084
{\an8}So as the German turned, his
rifle, which was slung over his shoulder,
245
00:20:19,460 --> 00:20:23,376
{\an8}slipped off his shoulder, down
his elbow, and into the door jam.
246
00:20:24,084 --> 00:20:27,293
Brown sees the rifle.
He opens the door to kick it in.
247
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,209
With the fuse pulled
on the satchel charge,
248
00:20:30,209 --> 00:20:32,626
he drops it inside
and slams the door.
249
00:20:38,752 --> 00:20:42,585
Brown jumps back as the
bunker explodes behind him.
250
00:20:44,043 --> 00:20:47,168
From down the hill,
what Bobbie Brown’s men saw
251
00:20:47,168 --> 00:20:50,626
was a bunker where smoke was
pouring out of the apertures,
252
00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,126
the air vent on top of it.
Flames were licking the sky,
253
00:20:54,126 --> 00:20:59,126
and there were nothing but loud
explosions, one following another.
254
00:21:01,251 --> 00:21:03,376
The destruction is total.
255
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:07,418
A satchel charge of that size
inside a bunker is going to be devastating
256
00:21:07,793 --> 00:21:10,501
because it contains the
blast within the bunker.
257
00:21:12,334 --> 00:21:14,668
No German survived that blast.
258
00:21:15,126 --> 00:21:18,209
The biggest body part
they found later was a thigh.
259
00:21:22,501 --> 00:21:25,002
C Company’s
command and control group,
260
00:21:25,002 --> 00:21:27,585
of the American 18th infantry regiment,
261
00:21:27,585 --> 00:21:32,126
would be happy to see their captain return
safely to the ditch after the explosion.
262
00:21:32,668 --> 00:21:35,460
Brown immediately asks
for a progress report.
263
00:21:36,251 --> 00:21:40,126
Despite knocking out the bunker,
the men of C and A Companies
264
00:21:40,126 --> 00:21:44,418
remain pinned by the heavy German fire
from across Crucifix Hill.
265
00:21:47,334 --> 00:21:51,543
Brown has taken out the first bunker,
but the others continue to operate.
266
00:21:52,251 --> 00:21:55,002
Because they are so high,
they can see the approach
267
00:21:55,002 --> 00:21:58,251
and direct their fire with accuracy
on the attacking Americans.
268
00:22:05,668 --> 00:22:07,501
When Brown looks further up the hill,
269
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,209
he identifies another bunker beyond
the one he’s just destroyed.
270
00:22:13,334 --> 00:22:14,626
The job's not finished.
271
00:22:14,626 --> 00:22:18,793
He believes he got a command bunker
with the first one he took
272
00:22:19,209 --> 00:22:22,543
and he wants to go get more
of what he believes are
273
00:22:22,543 --> 00:22:25,835
the command-and-control
bunkers for the German firing.
274
00:22:26,585 --> 00:22:31,835
He had a volunteer that wanted to go,
and Bobbie just turned to him and said,
275
00:22:32,585 --> 00:22:36,209
“That's bad crap shooting soldier.
I don't quit while the dice are hot.”
276
00:22:37,293 --> 00:22:38,126
Satchel charge.
277
00:22:39,084 --> 00:22:41,543
This time,
Brown grabs both a satchel
278
00:22:41,543 --> 00:22:44,002
and a pole charge and
prepares for his ascent.
279
00:22:47,418 --> 00:22:49,918
A pole charge
consists of a length of wood
280
00:22:50,543 --> 00:22:52,418
with a small demolition
charge at the end.
281
00:22:54,418 --> 00:22:56,168
And it differs from a satchel charge
282
00:22:56,168 --> 00:23:00,376
in that a pole charge can be placed very
precisely next to the embrasure
283
00:23:00,376 --> 00:23:01,501
to try to destroy it.
284
00:23:02,501 --> 00:23:05,126
It has improvised,
do-it-yourself qualities.
285
00:23:05,585 --> 00:23:08,002
The quantity of
explosives can be adjusted.
286
00:23:08,752 --> 00:23:13,501
{\an8}An engineer unit attached to the infantry
unit will bring up some satchel charges.
287
00:23:13,835 --> 00:23:16,251
The engineers will make
the pole charges in the field.
288
00:23:16,877 --> 00:23:20,877
Brown has his next target.
But as his men try to move up the hill,
289
00:23:21,168 --> 00:23:25,002
allied artillery also pounds the
sector to support their advance.
290
00:23:25,501 --> 00:23:27,710
It would be dangerous to get too close.
291
00:23:32,585 --> 00:23:33,752
Put some smoke in the pillbox!
292
00:23:35,293 --> 00:23:37,960
Brown orders his runner to
fire a yellow smoke grenade
293
00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:39,376
on the bunker’s south side.
294
00:23:44,877 --> 00:23:49,501
This will signal the American 155
millimeter gun to lift its fire,
295
00:23:49,501 --> 00:23:51,418
so he can approach the bunker safely.
296
00:24:04,835 --> 00:24:08,793
From within the bunker, the Germans may
not be able to see the yellow smoke.
297
00:24:09,585 --> 00:24:13,835
The thick concrete and rebar mean bunkers
can withstand heavy fire power,
298
00:24:13,835 --> 00:24:16,334
but limit visibility
of their immediate surroundings.
299
00:24:21,376 --> 00:24:24,793
Each bunker has a field of
fire that their guns can reach.
300
00:24:25,376 --> 00:24:28,710
As a system, the bunkers are
designed to support each other
301
00:24:28,710 --> 00:24:30,752
by providing overlapping fire.
302
00:24:31,251 --> 00:24:33,460
Even if one bunker is taken out,
303
00:24:33,710 --> 00:24:37,543
the ones around it should be able to
continue to cover the hillside.
304
00:24:47,418 --> 00:24:49,043
Brown creeps up.
305
00:24:49,710 --> 00:24:53,209
His plan was to go
for the back door again.
306
00:24:53,752 --> 00:24:56,251
But as he crawled up
closer to that bunker,
307
00:24:56,835 --> 00:25:01,835
the German fires were so strong that he
was convinced that they had spotted him.
308
00:25:02,543 --> 00:25:04,002
Brown must reduce his profile.
309
00:25:05,835 --> 00:25:07,668
They could only aim so low.
310
00:25:07,835 --> 00:25:11,752
If he could crawl underneath that,
he could get closer to the pillbox.
311
00:25:14,084 --> 00:25:16,084
The machine gun
fire above him stops.
312
00:25:17,293 --> 00:25:21,293
Bobbie keeps going
and he realizes this time
313
00:25:21,293 --> 00:25:24,710
that his best approach is
going to be frontally.
314
00:25:26,501 --> 00:25:31,168
So, this time he crawls close
enough the aperture to reach out
315
00:25:31,168 --> 00:25:33,376
and put his pole charge through it.
316
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,626
With very little distance
between him and the detonation,
317
00:25:42,002 --> 00:25:45,877
once he pulls the fuse he has just
three seconds until it explodes.
318
00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,043
The blast is powerful.
319
00:25:57,043 --> 00:26:00,877
However, the pole charge deployed by
American captain Bobbie Brown
320
00:26:01,002 --> 00:26:02,585
fails to destroy the bunker.
321
00:26:06,501 --> 00:26:10,960
But the explosion does widen the aperture
and distracts the soldiers inside.
322
00:26:15,793 --> 00:26:18,460
{\an8}Surveying the situation,
he decides he's not finished yet.
323
00:26:18,835 --> 00:26:20,918
{\an8}So, he grabs his satchel charge,
324
00:26:21,251 --> 00:26:24,626
and he heads right for the opening that he
had created with his pole charge.
325
00:26:25,543 --> 00:26:29,043
Brown pulls the fuse and
throws a satchel charge into the bunker.
326
00:26:30,002 --> 00:26:34,251
He ducks away in the short seconds
before the explosives detonate.
327
00:26:41,877 --> 00:26:46,043
With the bunker in blazes behind him,
Brown returns to his command group.
328
00:26:47,793 --> 00:26:49,501
What was remarkable about this instance
329
00:26:49,501 --> 00:26:52,376
is that it was a captain
performing this mission.
330
00:26:52,376 --> 00:26:55,877
{\an8}It's not the job of infantry captains to
go running around with satchel charges
331
00:26:55,877 --> 00:26:56,960
{\an8}blowing up bunkers.
332
00:26:57,376 --> 00:27:00,585
He's supposed to leave that to the
enlisted men and to his sergeants.
333
00:27:01,501 --> 00:27:03,793
But by the fall of 1944,
334
00:27:03,793 --> 00:27:06,668
the First infantry division
had suffered so many casualties.
335
00:27:07,334 --> 00:27:09,084
He may not have had someone to turn to,
336
00:27:09,376 --> 00:27:13,376
and he might have just felt, "Nobody's
there to do it. I'm going to go do it."
337
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,334
Brown asks for a report on
their company’s advance up the hill.
338
00:27:20,084 --> 00:27:23,793
The radio operator notices that
Brown’s canteen has bullet holes in it,
339
00:27:24,418 --> 00:27:26,126
and that his captain is bleeding.
340
00:27:26,126 --> 00:27:27,126
Sir! You’re wounded!
341
00:27:31,418 --> 00:27:33,501
Brown was,
you know, as we say today,
342
00:27:33,501 --> 00:27:35,960
just absolutely
pumped up on adrenaline.
343
00:27:36,626 --> 00:27:41,835
In fact, his canteen having three holes
in it was the least of his problems.
344
00:27:42,710 --> 00:27:45,126
His men had noticed
that he had a bloody knee.
345
00:27:45,877 --> 00:27:48,585
But to Bobbie that was only a scratch.
346
00:27:48,585 --> 00:27:50,126
Don’t worry about it!
347
00:27:51,501 --> 00:27:54,376
Brushing off the injuries,
Brown demands the report.
348
00:27:57,418 --> 00:28:01,626
He learns men from second platoon
have finally started up Crucifix Hill.
349
00:28:01,626 --> 00:28:04,002
But they have
suffered multiple casualties,
350
00:28:04,209 --> 00:28:06,084
including the death
of their platoon leader.
351
00:28:06,835 --> 00:28:10,501
The Germans continue the fight,
in defiance of the American attack.
352
00:28:22,418 --> 00:28:26,002
But one month earlier, the commander
of the garrison at Aachen,
353
00:28:26,002 --> 00:28:29,043
Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin
354
00:28:29,043 --> 00:28:32,334
appealed to American
military leadership for mercy.
355
00:28:34,752 --> 00:28:38,334
Aachen was the first major
German city under direct threat.
356
00:28:39,668 --> 00:28:44,793
Much of its prewar population
of 165,000 was desperate to flee
357
00:28:45,043 --> 00:28:48,501
and it created chaos for
soldiers and civilians alike.
358
00:28:49,460 --> 00:28:53,209
Concerned that there would not be enough
time for remaining residents to escape,
359
00:28:53,418 --> 00:28:57,752
Schwerin calls off the order to
evacuate, and people return home.
360
00:28:59,710 --> 00:29:02,918
He then drafted a letter asking
the American commander
361
00:29:02,918 --> 00:29:06,710
to care for his civilians,
a request which at least implied
362
00:29:06,835 --> 00:29:09,710
that the city was to be
surrendered to U.S. Control.
363
00:29:12,376 --> 00:29:14,501
For Schwerin,
it's an extremely risky thing,
364
00:29:14,501 --> 00:29:20,251
{\an8}because Hitler had ordered,
that on German soil, every city,
365
00:29:20,793 --> 00:29:23,960
{\an8}every bunker must
be defended to the last man.
366
00:29:26,668 --> 00:29:31,168
The Nazi media writes about Aachen must
be defended like a German Stalingrad.
367
00:29:33,543 --> 00:29:34,835
And in this context,
368
00:29:35,418 --> 00:29:41,251
it just doesn't match
the picture of a determined fight.
369
00:29:42,877 --> 00:29:45,002
Before the letter could be
delivered to the Americans,
370
00:29:45,460 --> 00:29:51,209
it fell into Nazi hands. Hitler had
Schwerin relieved from duty and arrested.
371
00:29:52,877 --> 00:29:56,543
He is replaced with commanders
ready to fight to the death.
372
00:30:05,251 --> 00:30:08,334
Now weeks later, as his
men start their advance,
373
00:30:08,710 --> 00:30:10,877
American captain Bobbie Brown
orders them to complete
374
00:30:10,877 --> 00:30:14,418
the capture of their assigned bunkers
on the lower part of the hill.
375
00:30:19,710 --> 00:30:24,209
But as he surveys the slope, he can see
a particularly large bunker at the top.
376
00:30:32,668 --> 00:30:35,877
It is heavily armed, and
continues to fire at his men.
377
00:30:42,376 --> 00:30:43,251
Satchel charge!
378
00:30:46,501 --> 00:30:49,668
Brown decides
once more, to launch an attack.
379
00:30:58,084 --> 00:31:02,043
As the U.S. Captain Bobbie
Brown nears the crest of Crucifix Hill,
380
00:31:02,209 --> 00:31:04,918
on the afternoon
of October 8th, 1944,
381
00:31:06,084 --> 00:31:10,002
the 60-foot cross that gave the peak
its name is now in ruins.
382
00:31:12,460 --> 00:31:16,960
The Crucifix had provided an excellent
outpost for German artillery observers
383
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,418
to direct fire at the advancing Americans.
384
00:31:20,460 --> 00:31:23,626
Some witnesses to the
action said that it fell
385
00:31:23,626 --> 00:31:29,460
during the P-47 thunderbolt strikes,
before the attack began.
386
00:31:29,710 --> 00:31:35,585
{\an8}The other account was the German side.
They claimed they shot it down.
387
00:31:36,501 --> 00:31:41,460
Because they didn't want
the Americans climbing up on the Crucifix
388
00:31:41,460 --> 00:31:45,877
and using it as an observation post as
they had been doing.
389
00:31:47,376 --> 00:31:50,251
Brown’s goal is to
clear the German defenses
390
00:31:50,418 --> 00:31:52,460
that protect the city of Aachen.
391
00:31:52,877 --> 00:31:57,626
He’s already knocked out two bunkers.
Now, he targets a third.
392
00:32:00,002 --> 00:32:02,209
There's another type of a bunker,
which is sometimes used
393
00:32:03,376 --> 00:32:06,002
both as an observation bunker
and a machine gun bunker.
394
00:32:06,501 --> 00:32:10,835
{\an8}And this is the most formidable of them.
It typically has an armored cupola,
395
00:32:11,293 --> 00:32:15,543
and the armored cupola would have vision
slits all around it on six or eight sides.
396
00:32:15,918 --> 00:32:18,043
And it might also have a
machine gun mantlet
397
00:32:18,251 --> 00:32:20,668
that was completely protected
against outside attack.
398
00:32:21,084 --> 00:32:22,710
That's what I think he attacked.
399
00:32:23,043 --> 00:32:26,918
{\an8}Based on the sources,
this bunker appears to be a panzerturm.
400
00:32:27,418 --> 00:32:32,376
{\an8}Although often associated with tanks,
in German, “panzer” means armored,
401
00:32:32,376 --> 00:32:34,710
{\an8}and refers to the
three-inch steel plating.
402
00:32:35,585 --> 00:32:38,918
They're sometimes mistranslated
as a tank turret. They don't traverse.
403
00:32:38,918 --> 00:32:43,752
{\an8}They're not made from tank turret parts.
They're an armored cupola.
404
00:32:44,460 --> 00:32:47,543
{\an8}The cupola may sometimes
be the most visible element.
405
00:32:47,918 --> 00:32:51,251
{\an8}The rest of the bunker, is very large and
dug into the earth.
406
00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:56,585
{\an8}It contains everything needed to sustain
45 soldiers and their officers.
407
00:32:57,293 --> 00:33:01,126
Panzerturm were built in places
that were critical to defend.
408
00:33:04,251 --> 00:33:06,585
The Germans have very
specific terms for them.
409
00:33:06,585 --> 00:33:10,418
But because the U.S. Army would
sometimes mistranslate the name,
410
00:33:10,418 --> 00:33:12,043
they are sometimes
called tank turrets.
411
00:33:17,002 --> 00:33:19,460
The panzerturm is Brown’s target.
412
00:33:20,835 --> 00:33:24,293
Based on the imposing
nature of this big bunker,
413
00:33:24,293 --> 00:33:27,084
its location, the turret on top of it,
414
00:33:27,752 --> 00:33:32,877
in Bobbie Brown’s mind that was where the
Germans central command and control was.
415
00:33:32,877 --> 00:33:34,960
That's why he wanted to go get it.
416
00:33:36,585 --> 00:33:40,084
Inside the bunker,
the Germans pour fire on the slopes below
417
00:33:40,084 --> 00:33:45,002
to thwart the American advance.
Their specific actions are unknown.
418
00:33:45,376 --> 00:33:48,209
We don't know for sure because the
documents haven't survived.
419
00:33:49,002 --> 00:33:54,126
But generally speaking, the communication
between the bunkers was relatively good.
420
00:33:54,543 --> 00:33:56,710
I think it always
depends on the situation,
421
00:33:56,710 --> 00:33:58,793
whether you are still have
your communication lines
422
00:33:58,793 --> 00:34:01,918
with their neighboring bunkers
or with your superiors.
423
00:34:01,918 --> 00:34:04,418
{\an8}Whether the bunker next to
you is still holding out
424
00:34:04,418 --> 00:34:06,126
{\an8}or whether it has
already surrendered.
425
00:34:06,668 --> 00:34:13,460
{\an8}And this makes it, for a commander, quite
complicated, quite difficult to decide
426
00:34:13,460 --> 00:34:16,251
whether it's time to give up or
whether it's time to fight on.
427
00:34:18,251 --> 00:34:21,209
- Schnell! Schnell! Ammo! Now! Go!
- In the meantime,
428
00:34:21,209 --> 00:34:25,543
the German defenders will need all the
fire power they can get their hands on.
429
00:34:31,168 --> 00:34:35,209
Bobbie Brown approaches the bunker.
He comes in from the side.
430
00:34:35,710 --> 00:34:39,585
He can get close to the exterior walls,
but they are so thick,
431
00:34:39,585 --> 00:34:42,710
it would take hundreds of
pounds of explosives to penetrate.
432
00:34:46,501 --> 00:34:49,710
He has 15 pounds of TNT
in his satchel charge.
433
00:34:53,835 --> 00:34:56,501
TNT, or trinitrotoluene,
434
00:34:57,002 --> 00:35:00,002
remains one of the most widely
used explosives in the world
435
00:35:00,002 --> 00:35:02,752
and is still found in
many military weapons.
436
00:35:03,209 --> 00:35:09,835
During the war, one factory alone
could produce 720,000 pounds of TNT a day.
437
00:35:10,334 --> 00:35:12,668
It’s considered a very stable explosive,
438
00:35:12,668 --> 00:35:17,501
which is why it’s safely handled and
widely used, by World War II soldiers.
439
00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:33,460
But unless Brown gets the satchel charge
inside, the damage will be insignificant.
440
00:35:34,835 --> 00:35:37,501
He also notices a second bunker.
441
00:35:39,002 --> 00:35:41,501
He surmised that the second,
442
00:35:41,752 --> 00:35:45,376
that was on top the concrete
slab, was likely an ammo bunker.
443
00:35:45,710 --> 00:35:50,543
So to him it seemed logical that if anyone
came out of the back of the big bunker,
444
00:35:51,293 --> 00:35:53,418
the back of the big bunker they'd
likely be going to the back bunker
445
00:35:53,418 --> 00:35:54,460
to get some ammo.
446
00:36:02,710 --> 00:36:03,918
As Brown watches,
447
00:36:03,918 --> 00:36:08,168
an enemy soldier emerges from a
door to the rear of the main bunker.
448
00:36:10,918 --> 00:36:13,710
It’s exactly the opportunity
he’s been waiting for.
449
00:36:26,334 --> 00:36:30,084
American captain Bobbie Brown
observes a German soldier,
450
00:36:30,084 --> 00:36:34,376
who leaves a large bunker then
returns with a load of ammunition shells.
451
00:36:40,126 --> 00:36:44,626
Bobbie was stalking. He didn't
realize it but Bobbie was right there.
452
00:36:47,877 --> 00:36:49,293
Brown closes in.
453
00:36:50,835 --> 00:36:53,126
The soldier enters the
bunker with his arms full of ammo.
454
00:36:54,126 --> 00:36:58,501
{\an8}So he puts the load down so
that he can close the door,
455
00:36:59,002 --> 00:37:02,626
{\an8}only to be looking into the
eyes of an American captain.
456
00:37:02,626 --> 00:37:07,002
Before the German can react,
Brown deposits his satchel charge,
457
00:37:07,002 --> 00:37:10,418
with the fuse pulled, on the
floor beside the ammunition.
458
00:37:15,460 --> 00:37:16,710
When the charges went off
459
00:37:17,084 --> 00:37:21,376
Bobbie Brown was not able to turn
as quickly as he had before,
460
00:37:21,376 --> 00:37:24,543
and he went head over heels backwards
461
00:37:24,752 --> 00:37:28,002
into the crater he'd hidden
in before the attack.
462
00:37:28,877 --> 00:37:30,918
By waiting for the soldier to return,
463
00:37:30,918 --> 00:37:34,585
the explosion of Brown’s
satchel charge also sets off
464
00:37:34,585 --> 00:37:39,126
the ordnance the man had brought into
the bunker, amplifying the impact.
465
00:37:39,793 --> 00:37:41,626
His patience paid off.
466
00:37:43,585 --> 00:37:47,710
Brown’s attack on the third
bunker was everything he had trained for.
467
00:37:50,334 --> 00:37:55,626
Bobbie lived for moments like this.
He was fearless.
468
00:37:56,418 --> 00:38:01,002
The least concern he had was for himself.
He was so mission centric.
469
00:38:01,501 --> 00:38:04,002
He simply was going
to do what he had to do.
470
00:38:09,877 --> 00:38:12,168
With the
destruction of the third bunker,
471
00:38:12,168 --> 00:38:16,002
the southern slope of Crucifix Hill falls
under American control.
472
00:38:17,043 --> 00:38:20,668
Because the command bunkers that
Bobbie Brown had gone after had fallen,
473
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:26,002
his men had been able to start to move.
They were now able to take bigger leaps,
474
00:38:26,585 --> 00:38:28,752
and take the surrender of more Germans
475
00:38:29,002 --> 00:38:32,209
from the different pillboxes
all over Crucifix Hill.
476
00:38:37,002 --> 00:38:40,668
Brown has been wounded
but his work is not complete.
477
00:38:41,126 --> 00:38:44,460
Bobbie Brown’s mission,
in his mind, wasn't accomplished.
478
00:38:45,251 --> 00:38:49,334
He had only increased the chances
that Crucifix Hill would be taken.
479
00:38:49,752 --> 00:38:53,752
The other half of his mission was to
reconnoiter the back side of the hill
480
00:38:54,251 --> 00:38:58,293
so he could prepare his company
for the inevitable counterattack
481
00:38:58,293 --> 00:38:59,293
that would come from the Germans.
482
00:39:00,710 --> 00:39:01,710
So, he stayed on the hill to do that.
483
00:39:05,168 --> 00:39:06,835
As Brown
crosses to the north side...
484
00:39:08,501 --> 00:39:12,960
Machine gun fire rips into the ground
around him. He dives into the dirt.
485
00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:19,793
Exposed again to the enemy, even the
smallest divot provides some protection.
486
00:39:22,710 --> 00:39:25,126
Brown waits for a moment
and then lifts his head.
487
00:39:27,334 --> 00:39:29,918
The reaction from the
Germans is immediate.
488
00:39:31,334 --> 00:39:33,710
Machine gun bullets whistle past.
489
00:39:34,251 --> 00:39:38,376
He wanted to understand
what the direction of that fire was,
490
00:39:38,877 --> 00:39:40,918
so he could best position his forces
491
00:39:41,501 --> 00:39:43,960
to know where the counterattacks
were likely to come from.
492
00:39:48,626 --> 00:39:51,585
Brown drops his
head and removes his helmet.
493
00:39:54,376 --> 00:39:59,835
This time what he decides is take
and put his helmet on his finger
494
00:40:00,460 --> 00:40:05,877
and wave it around. To taunt the
Germans, and that obviously draws fire.
495
00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:16,626
Brown has his answer. The
Germans are positioned to counterattack,
496
00:40:17,168 --> 00:40:19,126
but he can’t do anything from here.
497
00:40:31,002 --> 00:40:33,877
Brown makes his way
back to his command group.
498
00:40:39,877 --> 00:40:42,585
He reports the
position of the German guns.
499
00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:44,251
We need a full barrage!
500
00:40:44,251 --> 00:40:45,877
And orders an
artillery strike to the south.
501
00:40:45,877 --> 00:40:48,501
Don't let up!
Scatter for effect!
502
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:51,334
He also
informs his commanding officers
503
00:40:51,334 --> 00:40:54,376
they have made it to
the top of Crucifix Hill.
504
00:40:56,460 --> 00:40:59,835
It’s only been 40 minutes from
the start of Brown’s assault.
505
00:41:00,293 --> 00:41:02,918
He will not let the hill be taken back.
506
00:41:14,126 --> 00:41:17,126
Brown’s regiment needs
to consolidate its gains.
507
00:41:20,126 --> 00:41:26,835
Clear the remaining pillboxes and move
units up to hold the captured positions.
508
00:41:31,043 --> 00:41:36,126
Only when this important work is complete,
does he allow his wounds to be treated.
509
00:41:38,626 --> 00:41:41,251
Later that night, Brown proves right.
510
00:41:41,460 --> 00:41:43,793
The Germans launch a
significant counterattack,
511
00:41:44,585 --> 00:41:47,251
which he and his men fight off.
512
00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:53,043
And in the morning, the 18th infantry
regiment still holds Crucifix Hill.
513
00:41:57,376 --> 00:41:59,960
For his bravery and fearless leadership,
514
00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:02,752
Bobbie Brown earns the
highest military award
515
00:42:02,752 --> 00:42:06,043
a soldier can
receive for actions in combat:
516
00:42:06,043 --> 00:42:08,877
the Congressional Medal
Of Honor, after the war.
517
00:42:09,877 --> 00:42:12,168
The meeting was held in the
east room at the White House.
518
00:42:12,168 --> 00:42:16,668
President Harry Truman was going to bestow
the honor upon Bobbie Brown,
519
00:42:16,668 --> 00:42:21,293
and as the story went, when he put the
medal around Bobbie Brown's neck,
520
00:42:21,501 --> 00:42:26,126
the President said to him, “I’d give up
being President to be awarded this medal,”
521
00:42:26,126 --> 00:42:27,877
and Bobbie Brown took that in stride,
522
00:42:27,877 --> 00:42:31,168
still being the straight shooter that
he was, said to the President,
523
00:42:31,918 --> 00:42:33,877
“You know you're lying Mr. President.”
524
00:42:35,501 --> 00:42:36,585
In later years,
525
00:42:36,752 --> 00:42:40,626
his injuries kept him in constant
pain and led to depression.
526
00:42:41,251 --> 00:42:44,501
In 1971, Brown died by suicide.
527
00:42:49,043 --> 00:42:52,626
The capture of Crucifix Hill
led to the encirclement,
528
00:42:52,626 --> 00:42:57,793
and finally, the surrender, of
Aachen on October 21st, 1944.
529
00:42:59,835 --> 00:43:02,793
Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin,
530
00:43:02,793 --> 00:43:06,334
the commander of the Aachen
garrison in September, is blamed.
531
00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:10,376
Schwerin is held responsible
for the disaster at Aachen,
532
00:43:10,376 --> 00:43:13,293
and Hitler probably
wants to court-martial him.
533
00:43:13,293 --> 00:43:17,334
{\an8}But Schwerin is protected by
all his military superiors,
534
00:43:17,877 --> 00:43:21,168
so that Hitler, more or less,
forgets this story,
535
00:43:21,168 --> 00:43:23,710
and Schwerin is later posted
to the Italian front,
536
00:43:24,002 --> 00:43:25,668
out of sight, out of mind for Hitler.
537
00:43:26,710 --> 00:43:30,084
Aachen is the
first major German city to fall.
538
00:43:30,543 --> 00:43:35,002
The fall of Aachen is a major blow
for the Nazis and for the German people,
539
00:43:35,002 --> 00:43:41,126
{\an8}because now, you have got the Americans
standing on German soil in the west.
540
00:43:41,126 --> 00:43:46,334
{\an8}And at the same time, you've got the
Soviets capturing parts of east Prussia.
541
00:43:46,334 --> 00:43:49,877
{\an8}So, war has now
come onto German soil.
542
00:43:50,334 --> 00:43:53,918
{\an8}But as the Autumn sets
in and the weather gets worse...
543
00:43:53,918 --> 00:43:58,752
{\an8}German morale improves
again because in the east, the Soviets,
544
00:43:58,752 --> 00:44:03,043
{\an8}and in the west, the Allies,
both their advance stalls.
545
00:44:04,877 --> 00:44:08,918
{\an8}And the war in Europe would
still rage for six more months.