1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:06,360 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:08,520 NARRATOR: November 1942. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,600 An armada of 200 British and American ships appears off 6 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:13,960 the coast of North Africa. 7 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,480 Operation Torch is about to begin. 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:24,800 Right before the eyes of the local people, 9 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:29,320 100,000 men pour onto the beaches of Morocco and Algeria. 10 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,400 (gunfire) 11 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:35,280 It is this singular theater, 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,640 North Africa, that between 1940 and 1943 13 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,120 was written a famous chapter of the Second World War: 14 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:43,640 The Desert War. 15 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,760 (gusting winds) 16 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:49,640 Why have the great powers come to fight in 17 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,720 the challenging desert conditions of North Africa, 18 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,880 so far from the epicenter of the World War? 19 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,520 And how, there in the furnace of the desert, 20 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,520 will the allies manage to inflict one of the first major setbacks 21 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:04,120 on the forces of the Reich? 22 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,800 The Desert War, the war that nobody wanted, 23 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,760 was to turn the World War upside down. 24 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,080 (theme music playing) 25 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:25,960 (cheering) 26 00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:29,280 (cheering) 27 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,560 NARRATOR: It all begins with a big gamble by a little dictator 28 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,400 who dreams of greatness: 29 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,000 Benito Mussolini. 30 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:41,080 (cheering) 31 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:43,800 He proclaims, 32 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:46,960 "Italy is in truth a prisoner of the Mediterranean." 33 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:50,400 (cheering) 34 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,400 Il Duce wants to restore the splendors of the Roman Empire. 35 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,200 He dreams of controlling the Mediterranean Sea, 36 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,560 and expanding his empire into Africa. 37 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:06,920 Mussolini is suffocating in an Africa dominated by 38 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,880 the old imperial powers, France and the United Kingdom. 39 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,800 The modesty of his own empire is a very sore point. 40 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:18,640 In the east, it controls only Somalia, 41 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:20,880 Ethiopia and Eritrea. 42 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,520 In the north, Libya was conquered by iron and blood. 43 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:33,520 Italy's victory was won back in 1912 by means of multiple massacres and abuses. 44 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,040 (explosion) 45 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:41,280 In summer 1940, 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,560 World War II sets Europe on fire. 47 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,560 After taking over a part of Europe, 48 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,000 the Third Reich troops overrun France in a few weeks. 49 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:53,680 (sirens blaring) 50 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:55,360 England, under siege, 51 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,920 fears succumbing to the Nazi threat as well. 52 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,080 German and Italians, united under the Axis banner, 53 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:03,800 are in a position of strength. 54 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,640 It's a chance that Il Duce doesn't intend to pass up on. 55 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,320 He wants to see the old colonial powers 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:21,280 that dominate Africa driven out. 57 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:24,200 Italy's time has come. 58 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,480 From Libya, he orders his troops to enter Egypt, 59 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:37,480 a kingdom controlled by Great Britain. 60 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,840 (rapid gunfire) 61 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,320 A force of 80,000 men advances about 60 miles 62 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:48,120 into Egyptian territory. 63 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,800 The Italian generals are hesitant. 64 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,240 In their eyes, their army is under-equipped, 65 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,200 and not ready for such an adventure. 66 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,800 Winston Churchill doesn't want to let go of Egypt. 67 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:15,920 Not at any price. 68 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:20,080 Ever since France surrendered, 69 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,120 the Reich has been extending its grip on Europe. 70 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,120 For the British Prime Minister, 71 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,680 another defeat would be unacceptable. 72 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:29,920 Especially since the Luftwaffe 73 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:32,040 is relentlessly pounding England. 74 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,560 Churchill knows that Britain's salvation depends more than 75 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,240 ever on the resources of its Empire. 76 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,480 (cheering) 77 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,000 The Suez Canal belongs to Egypt. 78 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,640 {\an8}For London, it is a vital artery for transporting 79 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:53,920 {\an8}its raw materials. 80 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,880 (boat horn wailing) 81 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:02,760 For Churchill, it's a very serious situation. 82 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,200 So the old bulldog sounds the alarm and mobilizes all 83 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,000 the Commonwealth's resources. 84 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,760 (overlapping chatter) 85 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,920 NARRATOR: Thousands of Australian, New Zealand and South African soldiers 86 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,360 flock to Cairo and join the British. 87 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,480 These men left their families and their jobs to come and 88 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:24,400 fight in the desert sands. 89 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,040 (explosion) 90 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:35,960 (explosion) 91 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:38,720 (explosion) 92 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,480 In December, the British go on the attack. 93 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:43,920 To their great surprise, 94 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,040 it's like a stroll in the park. 95 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,000 The Italians are disorganized, 96 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,720 and have retreated 500 miles back into Libya. 97 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,400 The British even take Tobruk, a highly strategic port. 98 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,120 His Majesty's generals know that in these desert lands, 99 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,160 he who controls the ports, is master. 100 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,760 In a matter of just a few weeks, 101 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:14,720 Commonwealth troops have won an outright victory. 102 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,280 At the beginning of 1941, they occupy eastern Libya. 103 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:23,600 (cheering) 104 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,480 And the Muslim population celebrates its liberators. 105 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:28,280 (cheering) 106 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:30,280 It has not forgotten the 100,000 deaths 107 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:32,920 the Italian conquest was responsible for. 108 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,920 (cheering) 109 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,120 The Arabs and the British even come to an agreement. 110 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:44,600 Thousands of Libyans accept to fight for Great Britain. 111 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:48,240 (overlapping chatter) 112 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,080 NARRATOR: Churchill promises them independence 113 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:52,760 once victory is achieved. 114 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,120 It's a good way to undermine the influence of Rome. 115 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:03,200 Il Duce was yearning for glory, 116 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,320 but now reaps nothing but shameful defeat. 117 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,000 He leaves 400 tanks and 130,000 prisons behind 118 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:11,400 on the battlefield. 119 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,520 Mussolini wanted to impose his law in Africa. 120 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:21,240 Now he has to call for help. 121 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,640 (overlapping chatter) 122 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,160 NARRATOR: By the beginning of 1941, 123 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,000 Hitler has turned his gaze to the east. 124 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,040 Along with his generals, 125 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:44,960 he's devoting himself to his great project, 126 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,360 Operation Barbarossa, 127 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:49,680 the conquest of the Soviet Union. 128 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,600 In his eyes, his victory will be sealed out there 129 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:55,160 on the Russian Steppes. 130 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:07,360 Mussolini, devastated, knows that his timing is not good. 131 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,000 But he needs his ally's help 132 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,640 if he's not to lose Libya entirely. 133 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,320 Such a humiliation would ruin his reputation. 134 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:21,440 On the strategic plan, Hitler considers North Africa 135 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:23,920 as a secondary theater of operations. 136 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,040 But he fears that a weakened Mussolini will lose his grip on power. 137 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,720 The fall of Il Duce would threaten the security of 138 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,280 the southern flank of his European fortress. 139 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:38,480 He agrees to help his ally, 140 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:40,680 but on his terms. 141 00:08:40,680 --> 00:08:42,840 Any German intervention must not, 142 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:44,280 under any circumstances, 143 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,560 disrupt its operation in the east, 144 00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:49,280 which is expected to be launched in just a few months. 145 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,280 (speaking in native language) 146 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,480 NARRATOR: The Fuhrer sends only a small expeditionary force to Mussolini's rescue. 147 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:06,200 The Afrika Korps has only 45,000 men and 174 tanks. 148 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,280 It lands in Tripoli, the capital of the Italian colony. 149 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,520 Its mission is a limited one, 150 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:21,200 to help the Italians recapture eastern Libya, 151 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,400 and to protect it from a British onslaught. 152 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,680 ♪ ♪ 153 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:31,160 But the real game changer is having General Rommel at 154 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:32,800 the head of those troops. 155 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:37,040 At 49, Rommel is young for a general, 156 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:38,840 but he's the Fuhrer's favorite. 157 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,520 He arrives in Tripoli, trailing clouds of glory 158 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:45,040 from the French campaign. 159 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,480 Officially, Rommel is under Italian command, 160 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:53,160 but he's ambitious, 161 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,560 and has no intention of playing a supporting role. 162 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,120 In Africa, Rommel dreams of glory, 163 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,800 even if it means disobeying his superiors. 164 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:11,880 ♪ ♪ 165 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:13,840 NARRATOR: The Afrika Korps has only been present on 166 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,080 the African soil for a few weeks. 167 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,200 But Rommel is already impatient. 168 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,080 On March 24, 1941, 169 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,160 without even warning either Rome or Berlin, 170 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,000 he suddenly launches an attack eastward. 171 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:29,480 His intentions are clear. 172 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,560 "My first objective," he says, 173 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:33,360 "Is the recapture of eastern Libya. 174 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:34,560 My second, northern Egypt 175 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:36,240 and the Suez Canal." 176 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:42,040 {\an8}It's a grand plan. 177 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:43,400 {\an8}From the land of the Pharaohs, 178 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,120 {\an8}he can head for Baku in the Caucasus and 179 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,480 {\an8}get his hands on the precious oil resources. 180 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:52,880 Then, he can rendezvous with the Wehrmacht troops 181 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:54,440 to strike at Russia. 182 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:57,840 It's pure megalomania, 183 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:01,240 and far from anything his leaders are expecting of him. 184 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:05,080 But his troops are all for it, 185 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:07,840 for the Afrika Korps is partly made up of volunteers, 186 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,200 all of them deeply committed to the Reich. 187 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,040 North Africa provides Rommel with the ideal setting 188 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:19,320 to rehearse it all. 189 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,600 On these vast expanses, 190 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:24,800 his Panzers can get up to full speed. 191 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,160 His technique is to push straight ahead, 192 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:31,960 and not worry about his flanks or his rear. 193 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,720 He counts on the element of surprise and 194 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,800 on his own intuition, 195 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,880 and that's what's earned him the Fuhrer's admiration. 196 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,360 (rapid gunfire) 197 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,760 (rapid gunfire) 198 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:55,520 (explosions) 199 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,840 Rommel's sudden offensive comes as a shock to the British. 200 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,640 The Germans aren't the same thing as the Italians at all. 201 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,080 Faced with such a formidable adversary, 202 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,600 the worrying weaknesses of the British army start to emerge. 203 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:16,920 The men are under-trained and 204 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:18,760 their equipment is dilapidated. 205 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,080 As the British doctor James Graham observes, 206 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:26,400 the Afrika Korps is wreaking havoc. 207 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:31,320 "It was a blitz. 208 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,120 We were devoured. 209 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:37,040 The whole area was marked by smoking remains, 210 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:38,560 bodies scattered around. 211 00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:40,240 Some living, some not. 212 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:44,400 Our principal task was to relieve suffering. 213 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:46,160 There was little room for sentiment. 214 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:51,800 Interment being carried out near the fatal spot by 215 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:55,080 a man's comrades, enemy permitting." 216 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,360 Noticing that the British are retreating, 217 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,080 Rommel decides to advance towards Egypt heading deeper 218 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:11,280 into the desert. 219 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,280 He's well aware that he's now disobeying orders. 220 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,800 To his wife Lucie, he confesses, 221 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:20,600 "My darling Lucie, 222 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,360 we are attacking with remarkable success. 223 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,440 I've taken the risk of moving forward, 224 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,880 despite all previous orders and instructions, 225 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,640 in order to seize such a great opportunity." 226 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,440 Rommel's goal is Tobruk. 227 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:39,480 It's his modest aim to bring it down in a matter of days. 228 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,600 He considers it a mere formality. 229 00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:49,000 {\an8}To avoid disaster, the British retreat to the Egyptian border. 230 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:54,080 {\an8}They abandon all the territory they've taken in Libya with 231 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:55,800 {\an8}the exception of Tobruk. 232 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,880 Tobruk is defended by 25,000 Commonwealth soldiers. 233 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,280 Their supplies arrive by sea. 234 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,160 The British will never leave this deep-water port to Rommel. 235 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,440 If it were to fall into his hands, 236 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:30,960 he'd use it to supply his own troops, 237 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,800 which would allow them to advance into Egypt. 238 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,720 On the front line, life's hard when you're under siege. 239 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,360 The men shelter from the bombing in flea-infested holes. 240 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,960 "Like rats," as the German radio propaganda 241 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,120 is always saying. 242 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,840 So they defiantly refer to themselves as the Tobruk Rats. 243 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:02,800 (sirens blaring) 244 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:03,840 They are daily raided. 245 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:05,520 (sirens blaring) 246 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:07,960 (rapid gunfire) 247 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,520 (explosion) 248 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,800 For the time being, Tobruk's still holding on. 249 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:35,920 (airplane rumbling) 250 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:38,760 NARRATOR: Rommel is struggling. 251 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,400 He spends his days visiting his units scattered around 252 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,920 Tobruk and on the Egyptian border. 253 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,360 Unlike the officers of the Wehrmacht, 254 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:50,760 he despises state duties. 255 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:52,680 (explosions) 256 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,120 He wants to see the battles from the front lines. 257 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:59,200 (explosions) 258 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,600 (explosions) 259 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,360 And tirelessly keeps ordering his men to break through, 260 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:06,920 whatever the cost. 261 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,560 (gunfire) 262 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,240 German Lieutenant Robert Witzke is fighting on 263 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:13,760 the front line. 264 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:15,680 He writes to his wife, 265 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:19,200 "Dear Inge, every day there are attacks. 266 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:21,800 (rapid gunfire) 267 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,680 We can only ask ourselves every day who is still alive 268 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,080 from the comrades. 269 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:29,640 Many are dead, but even more are wounded. 270 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:33,920 Inge, keep thinking of me." 271 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,320 After a 15 day siege, 272 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:45,440 Rommel has consumed an astronomical amount of ammunition and 273 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,400 the fuel is about to run out. 274 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,480 It doesn't matter, to a battalion of machine guns, 275 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,640 he declares, "We will be in Cairo in eight days from now. 276 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:58,000 Pass the word around." 277 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,320 Rommel is waging an overly ambitious war without a care 278 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,480 for one decisive element: 279 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,360 fuel and supplies. 280 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,680 Yet delivering the 53,000 tons of monthly supplies that his 281 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:23,200 relentless attacks require is a daunting task, 282 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:27,240 because the Axis supply lines are long and dangerous. 283 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:32,800 In the Mediterranean, the British are tracking down 284 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,840 Italian cargo ships trying to reach Tripoli, 285 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,320 the only port controlled by the Afrika Korps. 286 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,320 All the same, 80% of supplies are still getting through. 287 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,800 Petrol, water, food, ammunition. 288 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:54,640 Every day once unloaded, 289 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,080 the supplies have to reach the front. 290 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:58,440 It's quite a challenge. 291 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,040 {\an8}It takes 14 days to travel the 750 miles from Tripoli 292 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:09,680 {\an8}to the front. 293 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:11,600 {\an8}It's a real trial for the men. 294 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:18,280 Ironically, the trucks consume half of the petrol they carry. 295 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:35,960 Rommel is impatient with all these logistical constraints. 296 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:39,440 He exhausts his troops and fails to take Tobruk. 297 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:45,120 His attitude costs the lives of 53 officers, 298 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:46,600 and 1,200 men. 299 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,120 The Afrika Korps is very weakened, 300 00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:56,000 but holds its ground. 301 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:57,840 It's far from its bases though, 302 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,480 and difficult to refuel. 303 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,640 It is dangerously exposed. 304 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,440 A counter attack by the enemy might well destroy it. 305 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:14,160 (gusting winds) 306 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:20,120 The Khamsin, the burning wind that can blow for long days at a time, 307 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:22,240 heralds the beginning of the strong heat. 308 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,520 (gusting winds) 309 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,440 From May to October, it is impossible to fight 310 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,080 between 12:00 am and 4:00 pm. 311 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:37,440 In daytime, the heat is overwhelming. 312 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:39,840 At night, the cold is glacial. 313 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:45,080 Lieutenant Witzke survived the hell of Tobruk, 314 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:48,000 and now he's facing fresh ordeals. 315 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:53,480 In June 1941, he confides to his wife, 316 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,920 "Hot is not the word. 317 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:57,160 For the past ten days, 318 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,320 we've had 58 to 60 degrees in the sun. 319 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:02,400 I've already lost 20 pounds. 320 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:04,160 If they don't get us out of here, 321 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:06,040 it'll drive us all mad." 322 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:10,320 "The biggest problem was water," 323 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:12,520 laments another soldier. 324 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,000 "Drinking, always drinking. 325 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,360 That was the be-all and end-all of our desert existence." 326 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,040 (flies buzzing) 327 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,880 The soldiers are also confronted with the scourge of the desert: 328 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:25,840 the flies. 329 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:26,800 (flies buzzing) 330 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:29,760 Shortly after sunrise, they arrive in hordes, 331 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:31,720 attracted by human sweat, 332 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,360 the only moisture available in these arid lands. 333 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:37,360 (flies buzzing) 334 00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:38,920 There is no way to escape them. 335 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,720 (flies buzzing) 336 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:46,280 Rommel's men find no comfort in the food. 337 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,240 It's insufficient in both quality and quantity. 338 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:52,960 They try to improve the quality of their meals by 339 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,360 buying from the Bedouins. 340 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:59,400 This trade may improve Robert Witzke's daily life, 341 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,720 but above all, it confirms his loathsome racism. 342 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,720 "These dogs are so wily, that they ask a fortune for an egg. 343 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:10,840 We all reckon they're spies." 344 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:16,280 "If you look at these filthy bastards, 345 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,800 then there is only one thing, away with the riff raff." 346 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,720 ♪ ♪ 347 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,080 NARRATOR: At the height of summer, in the Libyan desert, 348 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:34,880 the crushing heat immobilizes the armies. 349 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:38,320 While the men of the Afrika Korps suffer from 350 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:40,680 the lack of supplies, opposite, 351 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,760 in the British units camped on the Egyptian border, 352 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,680 it's depression that's tormenting the men. 353 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:50,760 They have been living in isolation in the desert for 354 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,640 eight months now and have no way to distract themselves. 355 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:03,960 Overwhelmed with boredom, a soldier writes in his diary, 356 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,320 "Every day it's the same old thing. 357 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:07,960 The desert's everywhere. 358 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:09,640 It drains your spirit. 359 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:12,680 There's nothing here to look at, 360 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:13,920 nothing to listen to. 361 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,520 The only thing that keeps us holding on is thoughts of home." 362 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,040 (overlapping chatter) 363 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,640 NARRATOR: Churchill is exasperated. 364 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,600 Everything suggests that his worn-out troops are incapable 365 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:44,880 of beating Rommel. 366 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:50,800 So the Prime Minister decides to send the reinforcements 367 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:55,320 that have been called up over the months from all over the Empire. 368 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:01,480 From now on, North Africa has become a major theater of war. 369 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:07,600 Indians, Africans, Maltese, 370 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:09,440 Jews from Palestine, 371 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:10,760 Mauritians. 372 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:14,800 In the autumn of 1941 more than 150,000 men 373 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:16,640 come to swell the British ranks. 374 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:18,160 (train horn blaring) 375 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:20,400 They are joined by the Free French. 376 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,400 Responding to the call of General De Gaulle, 377 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,520 they will carry on the fight to restore France's honor. 378 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,760 By engaging his massive forces, 379 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:33,880 Churchill forces Hitler to raise the stakes. 380 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:37,120 (explosions) 381 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:41,760 (rapid gunfire) 382 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:44,960 (explosion) 383 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,840 Nearly 2,000 miles from the burning sands of Africa, 384 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:50,760 the great offensive against the USSR is entering 385 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:52,440 a decisive phase. 386 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:57,120 At temperatures of minus 22 Fahrenheit 387 00:23:57,120 --> 00:23:59,680 the Wehrmacht are trying to take Moscow. 388 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,400 At the very moment when the east is taking up all his attention however, 389 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:10,040 Hitler decides to send reinforcements to his protégé. 390 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,120 He can't afford to lose North Africa. 391 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,400 By entrusting command to an uncontrollable general, 392 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,840 the Fuhrer has turned the desert into a trap, 393 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,120 because Rommel hasn't given up on his fantasies. 394 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:32,800 On the contrary. 395 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,320 In January 1942, Hitler's promised reinforcements 396 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:39,840 finally arrive. 397 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,600 That's barely enough to solve his logistical problems, 398 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,960 but just enough to let him dream of a new raid on Cairo. 399 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:52,840 Once again, to everyone's surprise, 400 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:55,400 Rommel resumes his mad dash. 401 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:01,200 Overexcited, he writes to his wife Lucie, 402 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,920 "Dear Lucie, I have several plans in mind that I would 403 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,720 never dare talk to my officers about at the moment 404 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,320 or they might think I was going crazy. 405 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,120 You know me, it's the wee small hours that 406 00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:14,960 my best plans come to me." 407 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:28,040 There is no guarantee that the British 408 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:29,840 will be able to stop it. 409 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:33,840 Their new General, Claude Auchinleck, 410 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:37,080 has a clear superiority in both men and equipment. 411 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,960 But Churchill's not betting on the right horse. 412 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,440 Auchinleck does not know how to surround himself with 413 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:47,080 the right people. 414 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,280 He had served for a long time in India, 415 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:52,040 and has chosen his subordinates poorly. 416 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,640 For months, he sends hundreds of tanks to the slaughterhouse 417 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:59,880 by charging frontal assaults worthy of 418 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:01,680 old fashioned cavalry charges. 419 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:12,520 In May 1942, Rommel tries an unprecedented and 420 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,840 very risky maneuver to put his enemy out of the game. 421 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,520 {\an8}He decides to bypass the defense line protecting Tobruk 422 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,120 {\an8}in order to catch him from behind and crush him. 423 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:25,840 {\an8}But in a remote area, 424 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,880 {\an8}he comes across an unexpected obstacle, 425 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:30,200 {\an8}Bir Hakeim. 426 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:36,560 It's a position that the Free French under 427 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:39,520 General Koenig have been holding onto. 428 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:41,040 Just a handful of them: 429 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:42,400 3,700 men. 430 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,880 (explosions) 431 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:50,080 Despite the deluge of fire unleashed by the Panzers and Stukas, 432 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:52,680 they managed, by their heroic resistance, 433 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,040 to block the Afrika Korps for 15 days. 434 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:56,840 (overlapping chatter) 435 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:00,320 NARRATOR: The British, grateful, salute the exploit. 436 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:04,920 Thanks to the precious hours gained by De Gaulle's men, 437 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,440 Auchinleck's 8th Army, in the midst of a debacle, 438 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,760 has avoided being surrounded. 439 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:14,040 It withdraws its troops behind the Egyptian border but, 440 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:15,800 for the second time, 441 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,240 abandons the east of Libya to the enemy. 442 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:25,480 ♪ ♪ 443 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:27,280 MAN: Here is Tobruk. 444 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,600 NARRATOR: Rommel has achieved his main objective, 445 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:32,800 to capture the port of Tobruk. 446 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:38,720 (singing in native language) 447 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,840 NARRATOR: Robert Witzke plays a leading role 448 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:42,920 in this victory. 449 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:44,840 "Our battalion," he exults, 450 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,040 "Had once again the honorable task 451 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:48,840 to form the lead. 452 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,840 Jesus Christ, Tobruk is ours! 453 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:54,680 It's still hard to believe." 454 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:56,920 Two days after his triumph, 455 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,560 Robert Witzke is severely injured. 456 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:01,400 He is evacuated to Germany. 457 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,640 MAN: Marshal Rommel inspects positions in the city's harbor. 458 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,080 There are still dense clouds of smoke above Tobruk. 459 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:12,560 REPORTER (over radio): Marshal Rommel... 460 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,080 NARRATOR: German war reporters followed Rommel's 461 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:18,080 every step during the last phase of the battle. 462 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,960 Their images give his exploit a global impact. 463 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:27,680 ♪ ♪ 464 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,040 The Desert Fox myth has begun. 465 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:34,360 (overlapping chatter) 466 00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:37,240 NARRATOR: And while the cameras are all focused on Rommel, 467 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:39,280 they're careful not to film the vendetta of 468 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:40,920 the Italian settles. 469 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:43,800 The Arab people chose the British camp. 470 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:45,760 (overlapping chatter) 471 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:48,160 They pay the price. 472 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,840 The looting and the murders are multiplying. 473 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:53,440 One Italian rejoices, 474 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,880 "No sooner had the English fled than 475 00:28:55,880 --> 00:28:58,280 any Arab we found got a bullet in the head or 476 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,000 a grenade in the stomach. 477 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:03,120 Our soldiers are here now, 478 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:04,720 finishing the job." 479 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:13,960 (overlapping chatter) 480 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,440 NARRATOR: There's violence too against Libya's 30,000 Jews, 481 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,600 whether they supported the British or not. 482 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,800 Fascist racial laws have previously been applied only 483 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:29,600 mildly to these Italian citizens, 484 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,320 but military setbacks provoke a radicalization of 485 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:34,840 the fascist regime. 486 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:39,360 Il Duce decides to intern all the Jews in the region. 487 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:44,320 Entire families are being arrested, 488 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,960 loaded into trucks and dumped in concentration camps set up 489 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:49,560 on the edge of the desert. 490 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:54,040 The worst of these detention camps is in Giado, 491 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:56,600 150 miles south of Tripoli. 492 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,400 About 3,000 prisoners will be held there, 493 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,960 a quarter of them will die of undernourishment 494 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:04,320 and ill treatment. 495 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,760 The disaster of Tobruk strikes Churchill as he meets 496 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:22,760 Franklin Roosevelt at the White House. 497 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:27,360 "It is one of the heaviest blows I can recall during the war. 498 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,920 Defeat is one thing, disgrace is another." 499 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,400 Churchill's way of ruling is openly questioned. 500 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,440 The British don't trust their Prime Minister to lead the war anymore. 501 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:42,840 As Mussolini did with Hitler, 502 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:46,360 Churchill must now win the support of his ally. 503 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:48,720 His political survival is at stake. 504 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,440 In meeting after meeting, he harasses Roosevelt to 505 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,960 help him annihilate the Afrika Korps. 506 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,880 His plan is to land in North Africa. 507 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:08,840 Like Hitler, the American generals have 508 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,520 no desire to intervene in this region. 509 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,200 They believe that to defeat Germany, 510 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,720 you have to strike at its heart, in Europe. 511 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,480 So they're planning a landing on the French coast 512 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:24,040 that could happen in barely a year's time. 513 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:30,440 (overlapping chatter) 514 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:34,400 NARRATOR: To convince his host, 515 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,800 Churchill insists that it would be harmful to remain inactive for a year, 516 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,080 with public opinion in the U.S. impatient 517 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,000 and hungry for victories. 518 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:47,600 It's an argument that doesn't leave the American President indifferent, 519 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,800 and it's true that he is soon to face elections. 520 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,600 The Desert Fox ignores all this scheming. 521 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:05,800 At the end of June 1942, he decides to advance into Egypt, 522 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:07,560 with Hitler's blessing this time. 523 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:12,080 The Fuhrer now considers the conquest of Egypt as a 524 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,120 historic opportunity to bring down the British Empire. 525 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,680 {\an8}El Alamein is a small railway station on the Egyptian coast. 526 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,960 Nobody could guess this lost place would soon go down in history. 527 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:37,800 Yet this is where the British will change 528 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:39,400 the course of the war. 529 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,200 Claude Auchinleck has chosen this position so as not to be 530 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:48,520 surrounded again by the Desert Fox. 531 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:53,080 It has impassable obstacles on every side. 532 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:55,040 The sea to the north, 533 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,400 a vast area of soft sand to the south. 534 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:03,640 In July 1942, Rommel launches what he hopes would 535 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:07,120 be a decisive offensive at El Alamein. 536 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,920 (explosions) 537 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:20,840 NARRATOR: As soon as the German offensive was launched at El Alamein, 538 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:23,760 things go very wrong for the British soldiers. 539 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,200 Over the past year, they suffered defeat after defeat, 540 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,560 despite their superior numbers. 541 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,560 The inept strategies of their leaders and 542 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,480 their fear of Rommel have undermined their resolve. 543 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:39,600 (overlapping chatter) 544 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:42,440 NARRATOR: In his field hospital, 545 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:45,560 Dr. James Graham is seeing a flood of soldiers, 546 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:47,880 all wounded and unable to continue the fight. 547 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:49,840 (distant gunfire) 548 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:52,320 He discovers that some would rather mutilate themselves 549 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:54,000 than go back to the front line. 550 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,440 "The tricks used was to break up a rifle cartridge and 551 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,640 swallow the explosive, a poison for the liver. 552 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:04,880 After a few weeks in hospital, 553 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,080 there's a chance you might get a non-combatant job." 554 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:13,880 In the summer of 1942, Auchinleck sees his men 555 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:16,480 surrender in droves to the enemy. 556 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:19,280 Such defeatism is unacceptable. 557 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,400 He calls for the reintroduction of 558 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:23,600 the death penalty for deserters. 559 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:31,680 Auchinleck managed to contain the Axis offensive but falls into disgrace. 560 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:33,160 He is held responsible for 561 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:35,120 the collapse of his troops' morale. 562 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:47,080 Devoured by anxiety, Winston Churchill rushes to 563 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:49,560 Cairo in early August. 564 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:52,400 He abruptly dismisses Claude Auchinleck. 565 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:54,800 (overlapping chatter) 566 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:57,480 NARRATOR: To replace him, 567 00:34:57,480 --> 00:34:59,760 he opts for General Bernard Montgomery. 568 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:05,200 Churchill finds him proud, 569 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:09,360 but he chooses Montgomery because he has a precious quality: 570 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,560 an immense self confidence that 571 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:14,160 he is able to communicate to those around him. 572 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,960 James Graham is attached to Montgomery's headquarters. 573 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:24,880 He sees him scrambling to cure the ailments that 574 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:26,360 plague his men. 575 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:30,400 "Montgomery is out every day. 576 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:32,840 He goes assiduously around all the units to 577 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,120 introduce himself to the soldiers. 578 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,960 Never before has a commander done that." 579 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:44,040 Montgomery's message to his troops is simple but firm, 580 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:47,200 "The defense of Egypt lies here at Alamein. 581 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:49,560 Here we will stand and fight. 582 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:52,000 There will be no further withdrawal." 583 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,160 (overlapping chatter) 584 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:55,040 NARRATOR: Clearly under him, 585 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:57,040 they'll not give an inch of ground to Rommel. 586 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,200 James Graham confirms it. 587 00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:06,680 "That was enough to earn their loyalty. 588 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,160 Everyone likes to be on the winning side." 589 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:13,600 (cheering) 590 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:21,120 Strategically, Montgomery is the absolute opposite of Rommel. 591 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:24,320 The British strategist, for his part, likes to 592 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:26,520 prepare his plans meticulously. 593 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,160 At the end of August when Rommel goes on the offensive, 594 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:33,560 Montgomery is waiting for him. 595 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:45,600 Rather than gamble on an unlikely decisive battle, 596 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,360 Montgomery decides to wear his opponent out. 597 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:53,520 He does, after all, have a clear material superiority. 598 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,160 "My plan is to contain the enemy's tanks while we carry out 599 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:02,480 a methodical destruction of his defensive system. 600 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:05,160 The enemy will be cut from his supplies." 601 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,200 (rapid gunfire) 602 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:14,000 Montgomery's target is Rommel's weak point: 603 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,320 his petrol supply convoys. 604 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:20,480 (rapid gunfire) 605 00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:24,520 Werner Mork drives a supply truck for the Afrika Korps. 606 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,040 He suffers another air attack that will mark him for 607 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:28,480 the rest of his life. 608 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:31,560 "The attack only lasted a few moments. 609 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:32,880 I'm pretty messed up." 610 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:36,560 (rapid gunfire) 611 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,200 "Ever since, I've been overwhelmed by a mindless sense of panic. 612 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:44,600 It's with me now, the war in all its cruelty, 613 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:46,320 all its horror." 614 00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:51,680 Montgomery's wear and tear strategy has paid off. 615 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:58,080 (explosions) 616 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:03,040 After a month of fighting, the Afrika Korps has only 617 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:04,880 a few days of fuel left. 618 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,080 On October 27, 1942, 619 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:11,600 the Desert Fox is finally done for. 620 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:16,400 (radio static) 621 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,720 British intelligence intercepts a German message 622 00:38:18,720 --> 00:38:21,680 indicating the imminent arrival of two Italian tankers 623 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:23,360 in the port of Tobruk. 624 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,800 As they prepare to drop anchor, 625 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:32,360 the ships are sunk by Royal Air Force bombers. 626 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:40,000 (explosion) 627 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:44,240 So, due to a lack of fuel, 628 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:47,360 Rommel can simply no longer afford to act. 629 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,560 Rommel has suffered a terrible defeat at El Alamein. 630 00:38:57,560 --> 00:38:58,960 He knows that this will ruin 631 00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,520 his Fuhrer's ambitions in Africa. 632 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:07,840 It's a broken man who writes to his wife. 633 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:12,040 "God only knows whether I will survive this defeat. 634 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:13,560 If I never return, 635 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,840 I would like from the bottom of my heart, 636 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,840 to thank you and our son for all the love and 637 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:20,800 happiness you have brought me." 638 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:30,200 (applause) 639 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:33,080 The victory at El Alamein marks a turning point 640 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:34,560 in World War II. 641 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:37,560 CHURCHILL (over speaker): Rommel's army has been defeated. 642 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:40,560 NARRATOR: The British Prime Minister doesn't hide his pleasure. 643 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:44,840 CHURCHILL (over speaker): Now, this is not the end. 644 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:49,320 It is not even the beginning of the end. 645 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:52,240 But it is perhaps the end of the beginning. 646 00:39:52,240 --> 00:39:53,200 (laughter) 647 00:39:53,200 --> 00:40:00,000 (bells ringing) 648 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:02,400 NARRATOR: Churchill gloats. 649 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:05,440 He knows that the Reich's days in Africa are now numbered. 650 00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,840 American troops have just disembarked in North Africa. 651 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,280 {\an8}On the beaches of Morocco and Algeria, 652 00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:22,440 {\an8}two French colonies. 653 00:40:25,240 --> 00:40:27,360 {\an8}Despite opposition from his staff, 654 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:29,440 Roosevelt yields to Churchill. 655 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:33,880 The U.S. President wants to win the midterm elections. 656 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:37,680 He has promised his public an easy victory on the African continent. 657 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:43,920 Initially scheduled to last six weeks, 658 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:47,320 Operation Torch, the epilogue of the Desert War, 659 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:50,040 will in fact last for six long months. 660 00:40:52,640 --> 00:40:55,640 {\an8}The British and American forces and Montgomery's army 661 00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:58,720 have planned to meet up in Tunisia. 662 00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:00,880 It's an ideal springboard to hit Europe. 663 00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:05,200 A project Hitler wants to prevent by all means. 664 00:41:05,920 --> 00:41:09,960 The Fuhrer had hesitated to support the Afrika Korps. 665 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:13,320 He now sends heavy reinforcements to Tunisia, 666 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,600 and even transfers some of the Luftwaffe bombers from 667 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:17,920 the Russian front. 668 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:28,640 The ferocity of the fighting dulls the Americans' enthusiasm, 669 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:30,160 especially since their first clash with 670 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:33,560 the Wehrmacht in February 1943 in Kasserine. 671 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:35,120 It was a disaster. 672 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:38,320 (explosion) 673 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:42,600 But that terrible baptism of fire has toughened them up. 674 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,000 {\an8}Now the battle-hardened American forces can 675 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:49,160 {\an8}join up with Montgomery's British army. 676 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:55,760 (overlapping chatter) 677 00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:58,760 NARRATOR: With overwhelming superiority now, 678 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:01,280 the British and Americans launch their final offensive 679 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:02,840 in central Tunisia. 680 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:07,120 The British enter Tunis, 681 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:09,360 while the Americans enter Bizerte. 682 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:15,760 The Axis troops, crammed into their final refuge, 683 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:17,800 surrender unconditionally. 684 00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:23,600 The Allies take 275,000 prisoners, 685 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:27,400 far more than the 90,000 men taken at the fall of Stalingrad. 686 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,640 These thousands of soldiers won't now be able to repel 687 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:34,760 the allies at the Normandy landing. 688 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:44,480 (cheering) 689 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:46,720 And so ends the Desert War. 690 00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:50,600 It's a victory that drives the Germans out of Africa. 691 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:53,040 Now the Allies are ready to engage in 692 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:55,920 the great confrontation in western Europe. 693 00:42:55,920 --> 00:43:00,160 Along with Montgomery, they've tamed modern warfare. 694 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:03,160 (cheering) 695 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:04,720 The lesson has been learned, 696 00:43:04,720 --> 00:43:06,760 by the leaders as well as their men, 697 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:08,640 at the cost of unspeakable suffering. 698 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:10,760 (cheering) 699 00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:13,000 The people celebrate their liberators, 700 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,360 but all the jubilation is ambiguous. 701 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:20,400 The Allied victory may have rid Africa of the plague of Nazism, 702 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:23,040 but despite all the promises, 703 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,120 it has not broken the chains of colonialism. 704 00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:30,760 The Desert War will lead to the defeat of the Reich. 705 00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:33,760 It will also herald a new era: 706 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:36,960 that of the liberation of colonized nation. 707 00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:39,600 (cheering) 708 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:56,200 ♪ ♪ 709 00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:07,520 {\an8}Captioned by Cotter Media Group.