- 2 days ago
For educational purposes
The sudden and dramatic appearance of the German Paratrooper - the Fallschirmjager, brought a new and unexpected dimension to the nature of warfare during the second World War.
These new warriors of the air were to make critical contributions to some of the most famous battles of the conflict.
The indomitable German paratroopers, the Fallschirmjager, established an enduring legend with their dogged defence of Monte Cassino.
The allies were quick to imitate their deadly enemy - the Fallschirmjager were the inspiration - the British Paratroop Battalions and American's Screaming Eagles were the result.
Airborne Warfare tells the fascinating story of war from the skies and how the combat from the air changed and evolved.
The programme features extensive rare archive footage and state-of-the-art illustrative 3D graphics, and visits the silent graves of Monte Cassino today.
The sudden and dramatic appearance of the German Paratrooper - the Fallschirmjager, brought a new and unexpected dimension to the nature of warfare during the second World War.
These new warriors of the air were to make critical contributions to some of the most famous battles of the conflict.
The indomitable German paratroopers, the Fallschirmjager, established an enduring legend with their dogged defence of Monte Cassino.
The allies were quick to imitate their deadly enemy - the Fallschirmjager were the inspiration - the British Paratroop Battalions and American's Screaming Eagles were the result.
Airborne Warfare tells the fascinating story of war from the skies and how the combat from the air changed and evolved.
The programme features extensive rare archive footage and state-of-the-art illustrative 3D graphics, and visits the silent graves of Monte Cassino today.
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LearningTranscript
00:04This is the mountain of Monte Cassino.
00:12Through the haze of a warm Italian afternoon, its serene bulk looms peacefully.
00:24Reconstructed on the site of its ruined predecessor,
00:27the present monastery houses the graves and memorials commemorating the gallant men who fell here.
00:40It's hard to imagine now that this was once the scene of the most bitter and dogged fighting of World
00:46War II.
00:52It was here that the reputation of the German paratroops, the legendary Fallschirmjager, was forged.
00:59From their ferocious defence of an impossible position, a legend was born, which lives on today.
01:12The Fallschirmjager would eventually be defeated, but Monte Cassino meant they could never be forgotten.
01:18The Fallschirmjager
01:22The Fallschirmjager
01:45The Fallschirmjager
02:05In April 1940, Hitler launched his attack on Norway.
02:09Germany's invasion began with wave after wave of Junker's aircraft,
02:14which took off from German airfields.
02:21The highly trained combat units carried through the grey morning skies
02:25were the creation of one man, Major General Kurt Student,
02:30commander of German airborne forces.
02:34These men, known as the Fallschirmjagas,
02:37were all carefully selected from volunteers.
02:41Students believed that officers should set an example of courage and initiative
02:46and attached much importance to fostering a sense of mutual trust
02:50and close-knit camaraderie amongst his men.
02:53Now, for the first time, parachute troops were to be tested under fire.
02:59The Junkers forged steadily northwards.
03:03In the seas below, naval clashes had already begun.
03:06The Germans took Denmark almost in the passing,
03:10but the greater and more difficult prize lay beyond.
03:17The Allies, confident in their naval superiority,
03:21knew that Hitler could not send a flood of tanks rolling into Norway.
03:25They had not allowed for the fact that the aeroplane
03:28had added a third dimension to modern battle.
03:32Students' paratroops were not numerous,
03:35but their role was crucial,
03:37to snatch and hold various key installations
03:40in support of the amphibious operations.
03:46Above all, they were to seize airfields,
03:49allowing relays of airborne reinforcements to be flown in.
03:57Student was gambling on imagination, audacity, and skill
04:02to offset considerable inferiority of numbers.
04:06Despite strong defence,
04:08the first airfield at Sola near Stefanger was quickly secured,
04:12allowing the seaborne troops into the port.
04:15At Oslo, severe difficulties arose as a result of the weather.
04:19At one point, the order was given to return to base,
04:22but escorting the transport were six Messerschmitt fighters,
04:26now very short of fuel.
04:28Their flight leader made the decision to land,
04:31in the desperate hope that something might yet be achieved
04:34by the rare machine gunners of the aircraft.
04:38When the Messerschmitts landed,
04:40the crews were astonished to find the airfield abandoned.
04:43The airfield was secure,
04:45but the situation remained critical.
04:51Oslo's shore batteries had beaten back the supporting amphibious landings.
04:56A heavy cruiser, the Blücher, had been sunk,
04:59and the battleship Lutzau damaged.
05:01The tiny German garrison holding the airfield
05:04was left dangerously vulnerable.
05:07Student had always advocated the exercise of initiative,
05:11so the German commander now boldly marched his men into Oslo,
05:15band playing as if in victory.
05:20Utterly stunned after the day's events,
05:23the defenders capitulated.
05:28Fighting continued for some time in the far north,
05:32where the Allies had made a landing at Narvik,
05:34and it was here that the German paratroopers
05:37had their first experience of misfortune.
05:40An abortive drop was too widely dispersed for cohesive action,
05:44proving once again that accuracy of navigation
05:47and a careful judgment of prevailing weather conditions
05:50were vital factors in the success of airborne operations.
05:54It was a lesson which would need to be learnt again and again
05:59over the next six long years.
06:08In the operations in Norway,
06:11paratroopers provided invaluable stiffening
06:13to the isolated German forces.
06:16More importantly, the paratroopers also showed
06:19that once on the ground,
06:20they possessed fighting qualities,
06:22which were second to none.
06:24Among the Falsham-Jaga, a tradition was born.
06:30Despite the losses at sea,
06:33Norway had still been a remarkably cheap victory.
06:36Although 100 Junkers aircraft had been lost,
06:39overall the casualties amongst the airborne units
06:42had been slight.
06:45Almost immediately, a new challenge beckoned.
06:49This time, nearly all of students' force would be committed.
06:53For even before the fighting in Norway had finished,
06:57Hitler launched his great offensive westward.
07:00Again, surprise and shock would be essential elements
07:03of the German strategy.
07:15As one army group moved down through Holland and Belgium,
07:19the bulk of the German armour massed for a violent assault
07:22from the Ardennes, where it was least expected.
07:26In the south, the armour broke through the weak French defences
07:29and forged towards the sea.
07:32But few tanks were available for the forces serving in the north,
07:36so the airborne division's role was of prime importance.
07:40It was crucial that the momentum of the German advance be maintained.
07:44This would only be possible
07:46if a number of key bridges were captured intact.
07:50Bridges which were known to be wired up with explosives
07:53and which the defenders could demolish at a moment's notice.
07:58Using the element of surprise,
08:00paratroopers successfully seized and held the bridges
08:03at Moordique and Dordrecht, opening the way to Rotterdam,
08:07where the Wilheims Bridge in the city centre
08:09was taken by a small force arriving by seaplane.
08:14They were quickly reinforced by paratroopers
08:16landing in a nearby football stadium.
08:24The success of the airborne forces was not universal.
08:28An ambitious attempt to capture the Hague
08:30ended with the sorry spectacle of the target airfield
08:33strewn with the debris of wrecked Junkers transports
08:37and the bodies of the men they carried.
08:39Far outweighing this disaster was one spectacular achievement.
08:45The famous, and it was believed, impregnable fortress
08:48of Eben-Amel in Belgium on the Albert Canal
08:51dominated a group of three vital bridges.
08:54On the 10th of May, 1940, at 5.20 in the morning,
08:59nine DFS-230 gliders landed on top of the fortress
09:04and 55 paratroopers of the granite assault section
09:08raced to plant explosives against the gun cupolas
09:11to disable the gunners.
09:13Further explosives were used to destroy the guns.
09:16The paratroopers were soon in command of the fortress
09:19and the Belgians were faced with the humiliation
09:22of mounting an unsuccessful attempt
09:24to invade their own fortress.
09:29The advantages of airborne troops
09:32had been demonstrated all too clearly
09:34but this was a weapon that needed to be handled with care.
09:41Formations of planes carrying paratroopers
09:43would often be broken if they encountered poor visibility
09:47or heavy anti-aircraft fire.
09:50Locating dropping zones
09:51from the altitude necessary for parachutes
09:53was a further difficulty.
09:55During the drop, the paratroopers
09:57would be further dispersed.
10:00If things went wrong for the airborne forces,
10:03they went badly wrong.
10:05Where isolated and lightly armed units
10:07encountered properly conducted resistance,
10:10casualties were very high.
10:11But where the air assaults had gone as planned,
10:15the tactical victories had been outstanding.
10:18The impact on enemy morale,
10:20even where drops had gone astray,
10:22proved substantial.
10:25In the ensuing battle for France,
10:28confusion and suspicion were sown
10:30that the Germans were dropping paratroopers
10:33disguised as nuns.
10:37It was clear that this novel fighting arm
10:40had demonstrated unusual military potential
10:42and it was decided that students' airborne division
10:46should be expanded.
10:48Goering, his eye on a possible invasion of Britain,
10:51pressed for the creation of four such divisions,
10:54but for the time being, he was overruled.
11:08Britain, too, had toyed with the idea of airborne troops,
11:12but the British High Command had decided
11:14that descending parachutists would be easy, vulnerable targets.
11:18Due to the continual fear of the threat of airborne invasion,
11:22all troops were required to stand to at dawn and dusk
11:25in case of attack.
11:29Open spaces were covered with hastily improvised offences.
11:34Churchill knew Britain needed a response
11:37to the Falschumjager,
11:38and he demanded that a 5,000-strong corps
11:41of parachute troops should be created.
11:44In June 1940, he got his way,
11:47and the first parachute training school
11:49was opened at Manchester.
11:51Like their German counterparts,
11:53the British paratroopers were exclusively volunteers.
11:58Often men of marked individuality and talent,
12:01anxious to escape from the cramping rigidities
12:04that characterised much of the regular army.
12:08Again, like students' men,
12:10the paras, as they were soon to be known,
12:12developed a strong esprit de corps.
12:14They, too, established an enviable reputation
12:17as an elite force.
12:24The British possessed no aircraft well suited
12:27for either parachute drops or troop transporting.
12:31The training schools received only a handful
12:33of old, obsolete Whitley Mark III bombers.
12:40The techniques of parachute warfare
12:42had to be developed from scratch.
12:45Initially, the parachutists pulled their ripcords
12:48as they stood on a platform
12:49which replaced the rear gun turret of the Whitley.
12:52As the parachute filled,
12:54they were plucked from the platform
12:55and into the turbulent slipstream.
12:58This did not allow the parachutists
13:00to jump in rapid succession,
13:02and there were experiments with holes
13:04cut in the floor of the aircraft.
13:07Eventually, it was found to be safest
13:09to jump from the side of the aircraft.
13:27In early 1941, a powerful German offensive
13:31drove down through the Balkans
13:33and into Greece, forcing a withdrawal
13:36and then an evacuation
13:37of the British and Allied troops stationed there.
13:40For many of these troops,
13:42escape depended on a large bridge
13:44spanning the Corinth Canal.
13:46Strong defences, including anti-aircraft guns
13:49and light tanks,
13:50were in position on both sides of the bridge,
13:52which was wired for immediate demolition
13:55once all the troops were across.
14:01The Germans determined on a daring airborne assault.
14:05It began at first light on the morning of the 26th of April
14:09with a sustained aerial bombardment.
14:12The weary and shaken defenders
14:14were surprised by German troops and engineers
14:17spilling out from six gliders,
14:19which touched down skillfully
14:21on either end of the bridge.
14:29The bridge was soon in German hands,
14:32and quickly and efficiently,
14:34combat engineers set about cutting the detonation wires.
14:45Meanwhile, 272 Junkers began dropping
14:47two battalions of paratroopers
14:49to engage the remaining defenders
14:51on both sides of the canal.
14:54Fighting, though fierce, was brief,
14:56and by noon, all resistance ended.
15:00Despite this brilliant tactical triumph,
15:03a lucky burst of fire from a British Bofors gun
15:06ignited the disconnected explosives
15:08and destroyed the bridge.
15:10The Germans had been cheated of their victory.
15:16The bold and expertly executed operation at Corinth
15:20closed the escape route
15:21for the 10,000 Allied troops
15:23still remaining to the north.
15:26Those that had already crossed
15:28were evacuated mainly to Crete,
15:30which, the following month,
15:32became the object of the most ambitious
15:34and most dramatic airborne assault
15:36mounted by the Germans in the entire war.
15:41The British Bofors
15:50Although the Royal Navy retained supremacy
15:52in the waters of the Mediterranean,
15:54in the skies above,
15:56the British were very weak.
15:58To defend airspace above Crete,
16:00British planes faced a 300-mile flight from Egypt.
16:07General Student devised
16:09an audacious plan to capture the island from the air,
16:13using the whole of his own airborne division
16:15together with a mountain division.
16:18It was hoped that heavy armaments
16:20and further reinforcements
16:21could be brought in by a night convoy.
16:24German intelligence had grossly underestimated
16:26the number of Allied troops on the island.
16:29Far from the estimated 4,000,
16:32the Germans faced a force
16:33of 50,000 Allied troops,
16:36although most of their heavy equipment
16:38had been left in Greece.
16:39There was a serious shortage of wireless sets,
16:42handicapping communications
16:44between the widely separated units.
16:47After Greece, morale was low,
16:49but General Freiburg did enjoy one notable advantage.
16:53The German military codes had been broken,
16:56and he was provided with accurate,
16:58advanced details of the attack.
17:03Some 500 warplanes
17:05and a similar number of Junkers transports
17:08took part in Operation Mercury,
17:10which began on the morning of May 20, 1941.
17:14A series of intense bombing
17:16and strafing raids was launched.
17:19Anti-aircraft guns were accorded special attention.
17:23The first wave of 3,000 parachute troops
17:26had as their prime objective
17:28the primitive airfield at Malem
17:30on the west of the island.
17:35A second wave was aimed at Heraklion,
17:38which had the island's only concrete runway.
17:53The initial landings were disastrous.
17:56Anxious to make sure
17:57that no paratroopers landed in the sea,
18:00Junkers pilots turned too far inland.
18:03The drops were dispersed and off target.
18:06Resistance on the ground
18:07was both ferocious and well-directed.
18:09Upon landing,
18:11individual German formations
18:13sustained horrific casualties.
18:15In some cases,
18:16up to two-thirds of their strength was lost.
18:24Yet, the iron resolution
18:26of Student and his commanders
18:28was to prevail.
18:30At first light on May 21,
18:33German airstrikes resumed.
18:35A dawn reconnaissance convinced Student
18:37that victory was still feasible
18:39and he threw in
18:41all his remaining paratroopers.
18:45Fortune favoured the Germans.
18:47By withdrawing slightly
18:48in order to consolidate,
18:50the Allied forces
18:51had inadvertently yielded up
18:53their strangled hold on Malem,
18:55which was soon secured
18:56by the Germans.
18:58On the 22nd,
19:00a constant stream of Ju-52s
19:02brought thousands of mountain troops
19:04to the airfield.
19:06By the 24th,
19:08with the Luftwaffe controlling the skies,
19:11the defence of Crete
19:11was no longer tenable
19:13and evacuation was ordered.
19:18After Crete,
19:19Hitler had told Student,
19:21the day of the paratrooper is over.
19:24Yet, if the Germans were reluctant
19:26to build on their experience,
19:28others were not.
19:28The exploits of Student's Airborne Division
19:32had made a powerful impression
19:33on both the British
19:34and the Americans.
19:36For the Allies,
19:37the day of the paratrooper
19:39was only beginning.
19:53After the United States
19:55was forced into the war
19:57in late 1941,
19:59considerable resources
20:00were devoted to establishing
20:01a large paratrooper arm.
20:03In 1918,
20:05a farsighted American colonel
20:07William Mitchell
20:07had first proposed
20:09the use of parachutes
20:10to drop troops
20:11behind the enemy battle line.
20:22Lacking suitable aircraft,
20:24his ideas had been put to one side.
20:30By 1942,
20:32training at the Fort Benning
20:33Parachute School in Georgia
20:35was proceeding apace.
20:37The Americans experimented
20:39with new simulation machines.
20:41Strong emphasis
20:42was placed on combat skills,
20:44as well as on jumping techniques,
20:46and the graduates that emerged
20:48were of high quality.
20:52The requisite aircraft
20:54were produced
20:55through either adaptation
20:56or specific development.
20:58The Western Allies knew
21:00that one day
21:01they would have to go back
21:02into Europe,
21:03and that the initial landings
21:05would be supremely hazardous.
21:08Although in March 1942,
21:10a daring commando operation
21:11against the San Nazaire docks
21:13was crowned with success,
21:15the bruising losses
21:16of the Dieppe raid
21:17in August that year
21:18underlined the dangers
21:20of frontal assault
21:21on well-fortified
21:22coastal positions.
21:38dropping groups of men
21:40behind Hitler's Atlantic wall
21:41to attack and disrupt
21:43German defences from the rear
21:44was a far more attractive option.
21:47Detailed planning
21:48was put in hand.
21:53In late 1942,
21:55the Allies made
21:56their first airborne landings
21:58in French North Africa.
21:59No one knew for certain
22:01how the Vichy French forces
22:02would react.
22:03In the event,
22:05they encountered
22:05little resistance,
22:07which was just as well.
22:08The four main airborne operations
22:10were poorly planned,
22:11but British and American
22:13paratroopers
22:13had their first taste of action,
22:15dropping over airfields
22:17and other targets.
22:24In the subsequent ground campaign
22:26to eliminate
22:27German resistance in Africa,
22:29the paratroopers also proved
22:30to be a first-class infantry.
22:32They would need
22:33all of their experience
22:35for the next round.
22:41In July 1943,
22:44the Allies invaded Sicily.
22:46Major roles were assigned
22:47to both glider and parachute troops.
22:50Although planning had begun
22:52well in advance,
22:53it was bedevilled by arguments
22:55and bad feeling at all levels.
23:00The airborne operation
23:01started badly.
23:03American naval gunfire
23:04brought down 23 of their own planes.
23:07Pilot inexperience,
23:09poor navigation,
23:10and strong winds
23:11made it inevitable
23:12that many landings
23:13went wildly astray.
23:17Yet, although only
23:18a small proportion
23:19of the airborne troops
23:20came down on
23:21or near the targets,
23:23the quality of the troops
23:24was such
23:25that they accomplished
23:26most of their missions.
23:40by far the largest theater
23:43of war
23:43was the Eastern Front.
23:45Along hundreds of miles
23:47of battle lines,
23:48millions of men
23:49lay locked
23:50in a vast,
23:52unremitting
23:52and ruthless struggle.
23:59In the 1930s,
24:01the Soviet Union
24:02had been an early pioneer
24:03of parachute troops.
24:05But in the turmoil
24:06of Stalin's purges,
24:07the parachute corps
24:08fell into disfavor.
24:12During the World War,
24:14only small-scale
24:15airborne operations
24:16were mounted
24:16by either side.
24:18The largest
24:19was the disastrous
24:20Russian drop
24:21at Karnes,
24:22where almost the whole
24:23of the force
24:24of 7,000 paratroopers
24:25went to their deaths
24:27in an ill-starred
24:28series of drops.
24:31Major engagements aside,
24:34the areas overrun
24:35by the Germans
24:36were of such immensity
24:37that comprehensive defense
24:39was impossible.
24:40From an early stage,
24:42the Soviets were able
24:43to make airlifts
24:44and drops
24:44without difficulty
24:45to partisans
24:47fighting behind
24:48the German lines.
24:49On occasions,
24:50an entire division
24:52would descend from the sky
24:53to cause havoc.
24:55Though little used
24:57in their primary capacity,
24:59German airborne units
25:00were widely deployed
25:01as high-grade infantry
25:03in every sector
25:04of the Eastern Front,
25:05from Leningrad
25:06to the Caucasus.
25:08Their courage,
25:09resilience,
25:10and excellent
25:11fighting efficiency
25:12further enhanced
25:13their reputation
25:14as a truly elite force.
25:17Again and again,
25:18they were rushed in
25:19to save critical situations
25:21in attack or defense.
25:30They sold their lives dearly
25:32and high casualties
25:34were inevitable.
25:35One fierce,
25:37unyielding engagement
25:38fought outside Leningrad
25:40left every single officer
25:42of an air battalion
25:43either dead or wounded.
25:52The battlefield success
25:54of the airborne troops
25:55led to a rapid expansion
25:57in their numbers.
25:59Eventually,
25:59the Germans were close
26:01to creating
26:01an entire parachute army,
26:04though much of it
26:05only ever existed
26:06on paper.
26:26following the overthrow
26:27of the fascist regime
26:28in Italy,
26:29Mussolini was arrested.
26:34In September 1943,
26:37the fallen despot
26:38was being held
26:38in a mountaintop hotel.
26:44Hitler wanted him rescued.
26:47A daring airborne expedition
26:49was organized,
26:50led by the flamboyant
26:52Hauptsturmfuhrer Otto Skorzeny.
26:55Silently flying in,
26:57the gliders crash-landed
26:58on rocky ground
26:59near the hotel.
27:01Skorzeny's men
27:02rushed the building
27:03and within minutes,
27:04Mussolini was being
27:05escorted to freedom.
27:08On a rough strip of ground
27:10at the mountain's edge,
27:11a Fiesler Stork
27:12light aircraft
27:13was in readiness.
27:14To the dismay
27:15of the pilot,
27:16Skorzeny squeezed
27:17both himself
27:18and Mussolini
27:19into the tiny two-seater.
27:21Despite a following wind,
27:23the Stork managed
27:24a hair-raising take-off
27:25and Mussolini
27:26was safely carried
27:28to a German-held aerodrome.
27:30Skorzeny did not
27:31leave his charge
27:32until both were conducted
27:33into Hitler's presence.
27:37The propaganda
27:38extracted from this episode
27:40proved more valuable
27:41to the German cause
27:43than did the hapless Mussolini.
27:47Elsewhere in Italy,
27:48the progress of Allied forces,
27:50pressing slowly
27:51and painfully north,
27:52came to a virtual standstill
27:54as they encountered
27:55the obdurate resistance
27:56offered by German paratroopers
27:58fighting as infantry.
28:00Among them were many
28:01hardened survivors
28:02of Crete and Russia.
28:09The Allied commanders
28:10were consistently
28:11outmaneuvered
28:12by their opponents
28:13and continually
28:14found themselves
28:15fighting in positions
28:16where terrain and tactics
28:18were dictated
28:19by the Germans.
28:20The result
28:21was a series
28:22of toiling frontal assaults
28:24in which the Allies
28:25achieved only modest
28:26territorial gains
28:27at heavy cost
28:29in respect of time,
28:31effort,
28:31and men.
28:33The German paratroopers
28:35figured prominently
28:36in the brilliantly conducted
28:38step-by-step retreat
28:39northwards.
28:40In particular,
28:41they became highly skilled
28:43in the art of dogged defence
28:45from amongst ruins
28:46and rubble
28:46where large forces
28:48could be held up
28:49by comparatively few men.
28:51And when overwhelming firepower
28:53was eventually brought to bear,
28:55the defenders
28:56had usually slipped away.
29:12At the opening of 1944,
29:15the Germans
29:15were solidly entrenched
29:16behind the well-fortified
29:17Gustav Line.
29:19In an effort
29:20to outflank
29:20this formidable obstacle,
29:22Allied forces
29:23effected a landing
29:24at Anzio,
29:2560 miles north
29:26of the line.
29:27The Allies hoped
29:28to make a rapid breakout,
29:29followed by a thrust
29:31across the German supply lines.
29:33The eight days
29:34taken up
29:35in consolidating
29:36the Allied bridgehead
29:37gave General Kesselring
29:38a master of improvisation
29:40the time he needed
29:41to prepare a counterstroke.
29:43A strong paratroop contingent
29:46formed part
29:46of the hastily assembled
29:48German force,
29:49which,
29:49counterattacking strongly,
29:51demolished any chances
29:52of an immediate breakout.
30:00A second ferocious
30:02counterattack
30:03in mid-February
30:03nearly drove the Allies
30:05back into the sea,
30:06and for months,
30:07the beachhead forces
30:08lay penned in
30:09and impotent.
30:13Simultaneously
30:13with the Anzio landing,
30:15a major Allied onslaught
30:16was launched
30:17against the Gustav Line.
30:18The most crucial sector
30:20of the line
30:20was that dominated
30:21by Monte Cassino
30:23and its cluster
30:24of surrounding heights.
30:26Today,
30:27the hills around here
30:28are peaceful,
30:29but in 1944
30:30they resounded
30:31to the sound
30:32of the most ferocious
30:33fighting of the whole war.
30:38At the heart
30:39of that fighting
30:39were the Faustschirmjager.
30:42The initial impetus
30:44of the sustained heavy attack
30:45was sufficient
30:46to place the entire
30:47German position
30:48round Cassino
30:49in jeopardy.
30:51Paratroop reinforcements
30:52were hurried in
30:53to relieve and stiffen
30:54the defense.
30:59As always,
31:00they did their duty,
31:01and the Allied advance
31:02was first checked
31:03and then repelled.
31:09The German general
31:10Kesselring
31:11had ordered his troops
31:12not to occupy
31:13the famous Monte Cassino
31:14monastery
31:15and its environs.
31:17But after heavy bombing
31:19by the Allies
31:20had reduced
31:20the ancient edifice
31:21to rubble,
31:23the Germans took up
31:23a strong defensive position
31:25in the ruins.
31:26For four months,
31:28the paratroopers
31:28remained at Cassino,
31:30fighting one of the most
31:31remarkable defensive actions
31:33of the war
31:34in the West.
31:39Their struggle
31:40was sustained
31:40under the harshest conditions.
31:42In the mountains,
31:44echoing reverberations
31:46rendered the sound
31:47of battle
31:47almost continuous.
31:49On the hard,
31:50exposed slopes,
31:51there was little cover.
31:53Supplies could be brought in
31:55only at night
31:56and only under the most
31:57testing physical conditions.
32:03The Allied troops
32:04that repeatedly assailed
32:06the German positions
32:07were of the highest caliber.
32:09At times,
32:10the space
32:11between the two battle lines
32:12shrunk
32:13to a few yards.
32:20But the paratroopers
32:21withstood everything
32:23that the British,
32:24Americans,
32:25Canadians,
32:26Indians,
32:27New Zealanders
32:28and Poles
32:28could throw against them.
32:30In the most intensive
32:32Allied air raid
32:33of the campaign,
32:34750 aircraft
32:36released more than
32:371,000 tons of bombs
32:39over an area of casino
32:41barely a quarter
32:42of a square mile
32:43in extent.
32:50There followed
32:51an artillery bombardment
32:53in which almost
32:54200,000 shells
32:56were directed
32:56on the same position.
33:00Yet,
33:01from the smoking ruins,
33:02the surviving paratroopers
33:04emerged to repel
33:05yet another assault.
33:08Further,
33:09repeated attacks
33:10failed to dislodge
33:11the paratroopers
33:12until,
33:13on the right,
33:14the German front
33:15began to crumble.
33:19Encirclement threatened
33:20and on the night
33:21of the 17th of May,
33:23the Falsham Yager
33:24silently abandoned
33:25their positions
33:26and slipped down
33:28from the heights.
33:29Their epic of endurance
33:31was not yet ended.
33:33For the next fortnight,
33:34they formed
33:35the fierce and vigilant
33:36rearguard
33:37to the German forces,
33:38withdrawing northwards
33:39to the next line
33:40of defence.
33:47Although inflicting
33:48heavy losses
33:49on the Allies,
33:50the German paratrooper
33:51casualties
33:52had been high.
33:53These invaluable
33:55fighting men
33:55were now
33:56literally irreplaceable,
33:58for Nazi Germany's
34:00days were numbered.
34:15To the east,
34:16the vast Soviet build-up
34:18was gaining momentum,
34:19and in the west,
34:20a new danger loomed.
34:22the Allies
34:23were about
34:24to invade Europe.
34:35The Allied commanders
34:37knew that
34:37within the first day,
34:39they had to land
34:40sufficient forces
34:41in France
34:41to repel
34:42any immediate
34:43counter-attacks.
34:44The bridgeheads
34:45established
34:46would have to be
34:47large enough
34:48for forces
34:48to organise
34:49and deploy.
34:50There would have
34:51to be space
34:52for the huge
34:53convoys
34:53bringing up
34:54men,
34:54equipment
34:55and supplies.
35:05The invasion
35:06was undoubtedly
35:07an enterprise
35:07fraught
35:08with enormous
35:09danger.
35:10The Germans
35:11had hundreds
35:11of miles
35:12of coastline
35:13to protect,
35:13but they had
35:14had four years
35:15to construct
35:16their defences.
35:21On land,
35:22on the shore
35:23and underwater,
35:25there were barriers,
35:26mines and obstacles
35:27of every kind.
35:29Pillboxes,
35:30emplacements
35:31and batteries
35:32covered every yard
35:33of coastline
35:34and far out to sea.
35:42Allied airborne forces
35:43at risk only
35:44from the German flank
35:45could attack
35:46the defences
35:47from the rear.
35:48For the vital
35:49first day
35:50of the Normandy landings,
35:51three divisions
35:52of American
35:53and British airborne
35:54troops were committed.
35:56The main strategic role
35:58of the parachute
35:59and glider troops
36:00was to protect
36:01the beachhead flanks.
36:03Individual units
36:04were assigned
36:04a multiplicity
36:05of different tasks,
36:07many of them
36:07to be completed
36:08between midnight
36:09and dawn
36:10of the first day.
36:15On D-Day,
36:16the 6th of June,
36:171944,
36:19the long-planned
36:20invasion began.
36:21Poor weather
36:22added to the difficulties
36:24of air control.
36:26Colossal formations
36:27of aircraft
36:27filled the night sky.
36:29Far below them,
36:31pressing through
36:32the troubled channel waters,
36:33a vast and
36:34extraordinary invasion fleet
36:36headed for France.
36:42Many of the pilots
36:44had not previously
36:45experienced anti-aircraft fire
36:47and many were driven
36:48off course
36:49and away from the target
36:50servers.
36:51Variable cloud
36:52caused further errors.
36:54New navigational methods
36:55had been introduced,
36:57but in the event,
36:58the visual and map-reading
36:59skills of aircrew
37:00proved the telling factor.
37:08The drops
37:09went badly wrong.
37:11Few of the 13,000
37:13parachutists
37:14landed near intended
37:15dropping zones.
37:17Groups had been allocated
37:18one hour for contact
37:19and assembly,
37:20but some were landing
37:21up to 30 miles away.
37:23A worse fate
37:25befell those
37:26who came down
37:26in the extensive
37:27marshland
37:28and immediately drowned
37:30under the weight
37:30of their bulky packs.
37:47accidents and enemy fire
37:49ensured that many others
37:50would play no further part
37:51in the drama.
37:54The glider contingents
37:55fared no better.
37:57Many gliders crashed
37:58or made premature
37:59forced landings.
38:06Most of the heavy weapons
38:07and equipment
38:08failed to arrive.
38:10Large numbers
38:10of wireless sets
38:11were lost,
38:12which would compound
38:13the day's confusions.
38:25Already,
38:26some of the planned
38:27operations for the first
38:28day had to be delayed
38:30or rescheduled.
38:32Despite all this,
38:33the invaders still
38:34had the advantage
38:35of absolute surprise.
38:38In the German
38:38high command,
38:39near chaos ensued
38:40and their military
38:42response was
38:42uncharacteristically slow,
38:45believing that
38:45the Normandy invasion
38:46might be no more
38:47than a diversionary tactic.
38:49The wide dispersal
38:51of the drops
38:51brought the unintended
38:53advantage of adding
38:54to the confusion
38:55of the defenders.
39:01shore installations
39:02with their lethal
39:03potential for wreaking
39:04destruction
39:05among the bobbing
39:06masses of defenceless
39:08landing craft
39:08were prime targets.
39:12An entire battalion
39:14was assigned
39:15to the knocking out
39:16of one especially
39:17menacing battle.
39:28Remarkably,
39:28during D-Day,
39:29the airborne troops
39:30achieved nearly all
39:31their objectives,
39:33allowing the beachheads
39:34behind them
39:34to expand,
39:35touch,
39:36and coalesce.
39:38Months of bloody
39:40conflict glare ahead,
39:41that the Allies at last
39:43had a bridgehead in Europe.
39:45Yet, during that tense
39:47and crucial first day,
39:49the entire operation
39:50had come close to failure.
39:53Unquestionably,
39:54the final success
39:55owed much
39:56to the skills
39:57and courage
39:58of the paratroopers.
40:08By the September
40:09of 1944,
40:11the Allied progress
40:12across Europe
40:13was advancing steadily.
40:15But there was concern
40:16at the speed
40:17with which the Soviet forces
40:18were occupying Europe
40:19from the east.
40:21Field Marshal Montgomery
40:22proposed a swift
40:23envelopment
40:24of Germany's
40:25industrial heartland,
40:26the Ruhr,
40:27without which Germany
40:28could not survive.
40:35But to gain this prize,
40:37Allied forces in Belgium
40:38would have to cross
40:39three rivers
40:40and capture
40:41three sets of bridges.
40:43Sudden assault
40:44from the air
40:45was the only way
40:46in which this goal
40:47might be achieved.
40:49Proceeded by a series
40:50of heavy airstrikes,
40:52Operation Market Garden
40:53began on September 17th.
40:56One British
40:57and two American
40:58airborne divisions
40:59comprised the assault force.
41:01The hundreds of tug
41:03and transport aircraft
41:04were accompanied
41:05by strong fighter escorts.
41:07Weather conditions
41:08were good
41:09and the three drops
41:10began soon after midday.
41:12On the ground,
41:13the Allied 30 Corps
41:15swung forwards
41:16in support.
41:17Despite some heavy flack,
41:18the landings went well,
41:20taking the enemy
41:20completely by surprise.
41:24only a hurried evacuation
41:26of his headquarters
41:27saved Field Marshal Modell,
41:29the German commander
41:30in the north,
41:31from capture.
41:32In the south,
41:34the American paratroopers
41:35achieved almost total success.
41:38One canal bridge
41:39was blown by the Germans,
41:41but all the other bridges
41:42were seized intact.
41:44The route south,
41:46as far as Eindhoven,
41:47was clear,
41:48opening the way
41:49for the necessary
41:50rapid advance
41:51of 30 Corps.
41:52But they were delayed
41:53by strong German resistance.
41:58The first parachute army,
42:00which formed the second group
42:02of paratrooper operations,
42:03was also successful.
42:05The bridge at Graf
42:06was quickly taken.
42:08But not until
42:09the arrival
42:09of tank reinforcements
42:11on the fourth day
42:12after the landing
42:13was it possible
42:14to occupy
42:14the heavily fortified town
42:16of Nijmegen
42:17and secure the crossing
42:19of the River Valle.
42:21At the third objective,
42:23Arnhem,
42:23fears of heavy
42:24anti-aircraft fire
42:25led to the drop
42:26being made
42:27six miles west
42:28of the town.
42:29Although most
42:30of the armoured jeeps
42:31had been lost,
42:32the paratroopers
42:33assembled rapidly
42:34and in fine order.
42:35An advance force
42:37set off for Arnhem
42:38by three converging routes.
42:40As the British drew near,
42:42the rail bridge
42:43was blown.
42:44But after only
42:45minor trouble,
42:46A Company,
42:47the 2nd Parachute Battalion,
42:49succeeded in reaching
42:50the approaches
42:51to the still intact
42:52road bridge.
42:53However,
42:54a strong SS formation
42:55was taking up position
42:57at the southern end
42:58of the bridge.
42:59And elsewhere in the town,
43:00German resistance
43:01was hardening,
43:02with the 1st and 3rd
43:04Parachute Battalions
43:05being forced to entrench
43:06near Wolfhassen Station
43:08and west of Oosterbeek.
43:11Field Marshal Modell,
43:13a highly efficient commander,
43:14lost no time.
43:16He had more troops
43:17and they were closer
43:18to hand than Allied
43:19intelligence had suspected.
43:21Worse still,
43:23two 1st Class SS
43:24armoured divisions
43:25were refitting
43:26in the neighbourhood.
43:27The British problems
43:29intensified,
43:30wireless communications
43:31broke down
43:32and the 2nd lift
43:33was delayed.
43:42At the bridge,
43:43the SS attempted
43:44to rush the paratroopers
43:46and were repulsed
43:47with heavy losses.
43:48But the Germans,
43:50desperate to reopen
43:51the only direct link
43:52with their forces
43:53fighting in the south,
43:54brought ever heavier
43:55pressure to bear.
43:57The lightly armed paratroopers
43:59were soon facing tanks
44:00as well as artillery.
44:0330 Corps was still
44:05far away from Arnhem
44:06and their advance
44:07was painfully slow.
44:09Other parachute battalions
44:11made strenuous
44:12but unavailing efforts
44:13to relieve
44:14the beleaguered garrison
44:15at the bridge.
44:17By now,
44:18Tiger tanks
44:18were systematically
44:19destroying any building
44:21thought to be
44:22sheltering British troops.
44:24Dozens more German tanks
44:26were moving towards
44:27the battle-torn town.
44:30Only scattered
44:31Allied reinforcements
44:32came in by air.
44:34The British troops
44:35to the west of Arnhem
44:36were driven away
44:37from their dropping zones.
44:39Lacking wireless,
44:40they could not warn
44:41the RAF.
44:42British planes
44:43endured fierce attack
44:44only for the dropped
44:45supplies to fall
44:47into German hands.
44:48And still,
44:49at the bridge,
44:50the one-sided battle
44:52raged unabated.
44:55Hopelessly outnumbered,
44:56the cellars filling
44:58with their wounded,
44:59their ammunition running out,
45:00and with German guns
45:02reducing building
45:03after building around them
45:05to rubble and flames,
45:06the diminishing band
45:08of paratroopers clung on.
45:10It could not last.
45:14On Thursday,
45:15the 20th of September,
45:17after three and a half days
45:18of heroic fighting,
45:20the battered remnants
45:21of the 2nd Parachute Battalion
45:23surrendered.
45:26For the rest of the
45:271st Airborne Division,
45:28hemmed in ever more hopelessly
45:30in their shrinking perimeter,
45:32it was only a matter of time
45:34before withdrawal was ordered.
45:37Fewer than 2,200 men
45:39got safely across
45:40to the Allied front.
45:42The operation had begun
45:43with over four times
45:45that number.
45:48After their splendid service
45:50in Operation Market Garden,
45:52the American 101st Division,
45:54the Screaming Eagles,
45:56were sent for rest
45:57and recuperation
45:58to what was imagined
45:59to be a quiet part of France.
46:01It was to prove
46:03the worst possible choice
46:04for a vacation spot.
46:11At the end of 1944,
46:14Hitler determined to gamble
46:15on one last offensive
46:17in the Ardennes
46:18to split the Allied lines
46:20of communication,
46:21capture their main port
46:22of Antwerp,
46:23and then perhaps
46:24to negotiate peace.
46:26With immense difficulty,
46:28250,000 troops,
46:311,100 tanks,
46:33and 1,900 heavy artillery pieces
46:36were secretly amassed.
46:38Fuel was very short
46:40and would have to be captured.
46:42At a preliminary,
46:44a band of infiltrators
46:45in American disguise
46:46were to go among the enemy
46:48for purposes of sabotage,
46:50intelligence gathering,
46:51and general disruption.
46:53Otto Scorzeny was called in
46:55to organise this part
46:57of the operations.
46:59The attack began
47:00on 16th December
47:02over a 70-mile front.
47:04The infiltrators
47:05caused widespread confusion,
47:07but no real disorder.
47:13The 101st Airborne Division
47:15was mobilised
47:16at short notice
47:17and dashed to Bastogne,
47:19a town important
47:20as the confluence
47:21of five main roads.
47:23On 19th December,
47:25Bastogne was already
47:26under siege
47:26by the 5th Panzer Army.
47:29The next day,
47:30as the German attacks
47:31increased in intensity,
47:33it was completely cut off.
47:35Although a strong
47:36defensive perimeter
47:37was established,
47:38the Americans
47:39had only a handful
47:40of armoured vehicles.
47:41Against them
47:42was ranged
47:43massed artillery
47:44and a division of tanks.
47:52in harsh fighting
47:54over the next few days,
47:55the plight of the defenders
47:57grew desperate.
47:58The German commander,
48:00thinking their situation hopeless,
48:02issued an ultimatum,
48:03surrender within two hours
48:05or be annihilated.
48:07It took the Germans
48:09some time
48:09to evaluate the reply
48:11from Brigadier General
48:12McAuliffe,
48:12to the German commander,
48:15nuts,
48:17from the American commander.
48:36On the 22nd,
48:37the weather improved.
48:39Although Luftwaffe bombing
48:40was an additional hazard,
48:42it also became possible
48:43for supplies
48:44to be parachuted in
48:45and for airstrikes
48:47to be launched
48:47against the besiegers.
48:49The following day,
48:51a sustained German assault
48:52penetrated the lines
48:54at several places,
48:56forcing a reorganisation
48:57of the defence.
48:59And on Christmas Day,
49:00a huge yet more
49:02ferocious onslaught
49:03brought high casualties
49:04on both sides.
49:06The Germans were unable
49:08to dig in
49:08as the ground was frozen
49:10and many died fighting
49:11where they stood.
49:21By this time,
49:23an American armoured division
49:24was speeding
49:25to Bastogne.
49:26The exhausted
49:27and desperate garrison
49:28repelled one last attack
49:30before being relieved
49:32on the 26th of December.
49:34Within eight days,
49:36the division had lost
49:37more than 100 officers
49:39and 1,500 other ranks killed.
49:42The defence of Bastogne
49:44following Cassino
49:45and Arnhem
49:45was testament
49:46to the remarkable courage,
49:49resilience,
49:49and sheer stubbornness
49:51of paratroopers
49:52fighting on the ground.
49:56The war continued
49:57for some months
49:58after the failure
49:59of the Ardenne Offensive.
50:00The German efforts
50:01could do no more
50:02than delay
50:03the inevitable outcome.
50:04As armies bludgeoned
50:07through Germany
50:07from east and west,
50:09the special skills
50:10of the paratroopers
50:11were no longer essential.
50:16When Berlin was cut off
50:18by the advancing Russians,
50:20a few dozen German paratroopers
50:22were the last reinforcements
50:24to reach the stricken city.
50:30During the six years
50:32of the Second World War,
50:33much long-accepted
50:35military thinking
50:36was rendered obsolete.
50:38But there would still be wars,
50:40and in many of them,
50:41a key role would be assigned
50:43to the paratrooper.
50:45From the beginning,
50:46the paratroops
50:47were an elite force,
50:49men with the skill
50:50and daring
50:51to reach and strike
50:52at the heart of the enemy.
50:54As comparatively modern soldiers,
50:57their tradition is young,
50:59but none is prouder
51:00than that
51:01of the brave defenders
51:03of Monte Cassino.
51:08chapter 6 of American
51:081888-148-14bi-2009
51:08So we'll be here.
51:17This is very nuisance,
51:17This is negativity
51:17and δyl Cute.
51:22Oh, Lord,
51:35you have to do it in my
51:35especially in the
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