Hopping in the central solomons. But, the battle for nazi held italy was only beginning. On the 3rd of september, two british divisions crossed the straits of messina to land on the toe of the italian boot. Six days later, American Forces struck the beach at solar no, 30 miles south of naples. Four days after the landings, the enemy launched a strong counterattack pouring in some of its best troops. For a time, our foot hold was precarious. Supported by a concentration of combined firepower from aircraft, naval guns and artillery, the allies held the beach head. The heavy pounding by land sea and air was too much for the nazis. They fell back as our own forces pushed on towards naples. By then, italy had surrendered unconditionally, now officially out of the war. October 1st, 1943, elements of general clarks army entered the city of naples. They were greeted not as conquerors but liberators. The citizens of naples knew that we and our allies were the only hope of driving the germans from their homeland. Here as elsewhere, a new problem confronted our invasion forces. How to provide government over civilian populations . Years of fascism had promised plenty but delivered only strife and hunger. Unless such centers along the advance are well controlled, communications break down. Supply channels clogged up. In naples, the allies met the challenge and thwarted chaos. The naples water supply presented another challenge to allied forces. This problem was also mastered. Military government was a necessity. One which also had a direct influence on post war rehabilitation throughout europe. Following the fall of naples, we expected our advance to continue. It did. But only for a brief period. The mountainous regions of central italy provided germans with a number of natural defense lines. These together with the closing in of the italian weather virtually stop our forces in their tracks. Scarcely 80 miles from rome. While our fighting men in italy were faced with a veritable stalemate, an entirely different kind of war was going on in the far away pacific where allied forces landed on sterling islands in a Campaign Launched to drive the japanese back. [explosions] we invaded the gilbert islands. The Second Marine Division took power after 76 hours of bloody fighting. [explosions] [gunfire] heavy casualties were suffered. But the japanese were wiped out. Elements of the armys 27th Infantry Division took macon and the neighboring atoll. Our Army Air Corps was engaged in massive bombing of the industrial plants of germany. Plants. Ing nazi but the twilight of the gods had yet to come. The bitterest of large scale battles had yet to be fought. Some of these were soon to come on the italian front, where strong defensive positions were held by a tough and stubborn enemy. That and the weather had bogged down our advance. It was winter, 1943. The stage was set for the cairotehran talks. Even at the moment, fighting was most intense in italy. Highlevel master plans continued to be made for the invasion of france. And for other allied operations around the world. At cairo, talks centered on european contributions to the war in the pacific. From cairo, roosevelt and churchill flew to tehran. Where for the first time during the war, they met with martial stalin, dictator of soviet russia. The allied leaders failed to agree on everything. One thing they agreed upon was the invasion of normandy and Southern France must and would take place some time during the following summer of 1944. For some time, there had been doubt as to who would command overlord, the invasion of normandy. Roosevelt stopped to see general eisenhower and told him he was to command overlord. The grand design for victory in europe was now completed. But so far as the allies in italy were concerned, france and the cross channel invasion were a long way off. It was to be a tragically long winter of hard fighting in italy. [explosions] there was the battle for monte casino. [explosions] to bypass the mountainous terrain in southern italy, our forces landed at anzio, 35 miles south of rome. Heavy resistance stalled the breakout from the beaches. Finally, we blasted our way out of the pocket. The landings at anzio convinced hitler that we were launching an all out campaign in italy. He rushed eight more divisions to reinforce his army in italy and the stalemate was resumed. In total war, there is no easy road to victory. We had entered world war ii unprepared for global war of such unprecedented magnitude against aggressors who trained their combat divisions by the hundreds. It was two long years from pearl harbor to the winter stalemate in italy. During those two years, lack of time had been our most immediate and worst enemy. Precious time we had needed in which to prepare while two great oceans protected our shores and the embattled british were fighting a delaying action on to the death. Three times in the last 50 years, aggressors have underestimated our capability and our will to fight. Our military weakness and our isolationist attitude at the time invited the aggressor to launch his grandiose design for conquest. Today, the world has shrunk in travel time and the atlantic and Pacific Oceans are no more than large lakes. Our coastlines and inland cities are vulnerable to attack. We are a member of a family of freedom loving nations. If that family is not to be annihilated, we have the responsibility of maintaining the moral resolve and military strength to protect ourselves and those others with whom we have the common goal of the preservation of liberty and freedom. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] with the coming of spring, 1944, the winter stalemate in italy was broken. Our forces resumed fighting their way up the west coast of the italian boot toward rome. Against bitter german opposition. [explosions] the british advanced up the east coast, in the face of equally bitter opposition. In the pacific, troops of the First Cavalry Division landed on los negros and another island to wipe out all japanese resistance and to complete occupation of the entire group of islands. [explosions and gunfire] we landed in large forces on the north coast of new guinea. General stillwell and his troops were fighting the japanese in burma. [explosions] this was global warfare on a scale never known before. [explosions] less than three years before, hitler had addressed the nation. The reichstag. Germany, italy, and japan will wage common war on the United States to a victorious conclusion. Narrator in rome, his counterpart declared we participate on the side of heroic japan against the United States. Narrator a japanese militarist joined the derisive chorus. Americans have radios, automobiles, big beefsteaks, when a people have those things, they dont want to fight. Americans wont sleep in hammocks or lie in trenches. They are like a tiger whose stomach is full. They are sleepy. The american is no soldier. [explosions] narrator the american, no soldier . And yet there he was, carrying the fight to the boastful aggressor. The selfacclaimed superman was learning to his bitter surprise and sorrow the fighting quality of the american soldiers. It seems the aggressors had made a slight miscalculation. Narrator in italy, our forces pushed on through rain and mud. Over mountains, across rivers. Toward rome. Our power drive up the italian boot forced the enemy to divert 30 of his divisions from france and the low country, weakening defenses along the English Channel coast, where our invasion of france was soon to come. We now had an army numbering millions of soldiers. We now had 150,000 armored vehicles, as compared to the 29 tanks the army had in 1940. 400,000 artillery pieces were now engaged in the war effort, compared to the 235 available in 1940. From a 1940 Production Capacity of 117 aircraft a month, we were now producing 9000 planes of all types all month, a plane every five minutes, 12 an hour. Here now was an air arm of 150,000 planes, supporting the coordinated, allied effort to wipe out enemy industry, supply routes, and communication facilities. The american tiger, sleeping on sleepy on a full stomach, or so the japanese had thought, was now fully awake, lean and fighting in the jungles. [bells tolling] on the 4th of june, 1944, our fifth army captured rome. It was a military victory, yes, but its psychological effect carried the greater impact throughout the world. For it was the first access axis capital to fall into our hands, bringing consternation and foreboding to the enemy, and fresh heart and rejoicing to the free world and its fighting forces. In england, after months of planning and preparation, it was dday minus two. General eisenhower was about to unleash the most massive, amphibious invasion in history. During the big buildup, england had become a vast staging area for troops and material of war. Thousands of vehicles, ready to be assembled combat aircraft, 20,000 Railroad Cars and 1000 locomotives. 20 million square feet of covered storage and shop space. 44 million square feet of open Storage Space to hold a growing volume of supplies, wire, tires, bombs, shells, and other explosive devices. Awaiting invasion for embarkation were thousands of trucks and support vehicles, row upon row of tanks, and a wide range of artillery weapons. 170 miles of new railroad had been constructed to haul more than 2 million tons of supplies and combat hardware to the invasion force. The United States army had constructed 163 airfields in england, for the allied planes that were systematically bombing germany day and night. [plane engines roaring] the invasion directive issued by the chiefs of staff was precise. General eisenhower had his orders. General eisenhower you will enter the continent of europe, and in conjunction with the other allied nations, undertake operations aimed at the heart of germany and the destruction of her armed forces. Narrator another American General was to have a central role in complying with that monumental order. General bradley, field commander of American Forces. Dday minus one. Invasion forces began embarking in england. Destination, normandy. Involved in this massive amphibious invasion were some 3 million soldiers, sailors, and airmen. 4000 ships and boats. 20,000 vehicles of all types, and an endless list of combat support weapons. Operation overlord, the codename for the invasion, was close to at hand. Now as dday approaches, the final logistical operation was underway. In the darkness before dawn on june 6, 1944, the great invasion began to unfold. 17,000 men of the 82nd and 101st divisions with over 2 Million Pounds of equipment and supplies were airlifted to carefully selected drop zones behind the invasion beaches, where they would drop to secure key road junctures and other strategic terrain objectives. The invasion armada, the largest ever assembled, was now in position off the coast of france. While our Assault Forces prepared for hhour, allied forces began their concentrated shore bombardment. [bombs exploding]