Lyndon johnson regarding the u. S. Role in vietnam. A look at events surrounding apollo 13 space mission. Each week American History tvs real america brings you archival films that help tell the story of the 20th century. True glory 1945 coproduction and the british information of information. Chronicling events in europe from june 1944 dday envision until surrender of nazi germany may 1945, the film utilized work over 1400 combat cameramen. Last year to mark the anniversary of dday the Preservation Lab digitally restored the film using software and a tedious manual process to remove dirt dust, scratches from scans of each frame of the 81minute film. I have been asked to be the spokesman for this allied Expeditionary Force in saying a word of introduction to what youre about to see. It is a story of the nazi defeat on the western front. So far as possible, the amateurs have made an account of the really important mental in this campaign. I mean the enlisted soldiers sailors and airmen that went through every obstacle to win victory. The theme would be the same teamwork wins wars. I mean teamwork among nations, services and men. All the way down the line from the g. I. And the tommy to us brass hats. Our enemy in this campaign was strong resourceful, and cunning. But he made a few mistakes. His greatest blunder was this he thought he could break up our partnership but we were welded together by fighting for one great cause. In one great team a team in which you were an indispense ible and working member. That spirit of free people working, fighting and living together in one great cause has served us well on the western front. We in the feel pray that that spirit of commonship will persist forever among the free peoples of the united nations. To you who know living in love and hope, sense a future in the surrounding air, this testament, look on the violent fragments of our age and once thinness of the little thread that made us then the citizens of freedom. While dark was europe and the face of man when this begins. The nation had gone mad and struck out everywhere the compass knew. Left its wreckage on a hundred coasts the german cast his fires about the globe his strength drawn from the smoking roar lay in our weakness and at last his conquests smolders behind the barriers of his arms. Along the channel where the sea strikes france stood the west wall of concrete stone and steel to mock the frail hope of the petty free. Wounded, hardpressed and wasted on our strength almost like madmen, we plan to breach the wall and smash the german spine. But where . We searched the coast of europe like fierce eagles. Between low flushing and deep harbor cherbourg our eyes sought ought the exult. The north sane beaches were too small. Too narrow. Heavily defended. It all resolved on normandy. There planes could land upon the ground, coast defenses were more light and tides had a good range and men safe from winds. So on five miles of still unbloodied sand the threatful koers course of fate. Our people bent to the construction of steel array and took the builders hammer in their hand temperatures seemed almost as though the sun stood still until our free peoples full of rage and power heaved through the air the plunderous spear of war. This is our peoples story in their words. I suppose if the battle of the north atlantic hadnt gone right, things might have been considered different. That was an ugly time for all of us merchant ships naval escort, air patrol. I guess i had my share of bad luck. I lost three ships, and some good friends. I remember reading somewhere that when a seagull comes down on a patch of oil, its feathers stick together and cant get off the water again. There must have been a lot of dead seagulls around the north atlantic. Of course, we only saw it happening on the wall map and yet it was well quite real. When i started markers were used reminded me of toys out of some childrens game. But then ships carrying cargos food, supply weapons and men to use them. I remember coming over, the worst thing about the trip was you didnt know where you were going. Wherever it was youd be a stranger, and nobody likes that. That ship was loaded from stem to stern with sad sacks. Around the third day out things got pally, like the fella said, were all in the same boat, the comic. Finally we got to liverpool. They had a band to play us in. English army band full of chimes. Im dreaming of a white christmas, they played to tell you the truman, it was pretty corny. But nobody said anything because, you know, it was a nice gesture. Funny thing on the way over you felt like you were the whole works. You couldnt help it. But then all over the uk youd see things that made you begin to realize you were just part of a big proposition. All kinds of things. I was a premed student at Johns Hopkins in civilian life. Now i do know a Little Something about anatomy. And i say it is scientifically impossible for the human body to stand up to the training we received. Absolute impossibility. Muscles and tendons and bone structure was not designed to withstand that battering. Dont ask me how it happens that we did stand up to it. I dont know. It has no scientific explanation. Hear, listen to this. One of them army to a young man, soldiered in the army of today, exceptional advantages and opportunity such as physical Training Foreign travel, sport, and many other facilities which are normally denied to those engaged in the majority of civilian occupations. The majority of occupations in civil life become in the army life is so varied that there is little or no prospect of a monotonous or irks in time. So then were girded with our highest hour. While they learn war in small and secret rooms planners met to watch their work mature. Beyond our view, the german, proud and confident, stood calm in deep em placements on the armored coast. The war was not won of men and blood. Weapon were the factories and the maps and voices speaking in the hidden night. Season by season, all plans advanced and those few men on whom the massive war rested with massive weight worked ceaseless ceaselessly. I used to wonder whether they realize theyd were part of it all, paving the way for the invasion. We kept bashing away at german targets, steel and oil hamburg, battle of berlin. Things were getting tougher every trip, more ground defenses, night fighters, more crews not coming back. We got away early in the morning. Sometimes wed see lancasters coming back. A lot of times wed stoke up the same targets they did. We beat up aircraft factories too. It was a deluxe service day and night, 24 hours a day. We dropped agents over france must be awful to risk your neck and have to keep it secret. One mans submarines, torpedo boats. Quick drying solid clay foundation, support 30ton tanks. I must have photographed every field in france. I didnt know that, nor did jerry. We dropped stuff to the mackey, sabotage materials and so on. We taught them how to use it. Built to specification but hadnt known the least idea of what kind of gadget it was. Only name was mull berry if it was vital to know about the bay and the tides. We trained men to negotiate tides and craft. In preparation for the day. Special study along the weather. 7200 ton of petrol per day. Underwater pipeline to carry up to france. Stars emblem be. Blue ships from the stocks, old ships. Listening to german radio output for fresh intelligence. Part of preinvasion work. By december 43, it was set and took it around for final discussion. Approved the plan. Russian forces advancing from the east and invasion from the west. And then the date was set. I assume command is safe with the best allaround team for which a man could ask. Some had already been working for months in england. Others, i brought with me from the mediterranean. We adopted first a master plan. And then had to coordinate every last detail of the ground, sea and airplanes. While this was going on we led off with an air show designed to make the landing points as soft as possible, to batter the german communications, and to make certain wed have control of the air. It was quite a show. Those airmen did a magnificent job. We had polish, french, czechs, all sorts in our outfit. Only word you would make out was marshalling yard. Seemed to do nothing but look down on french bridges those day. Wed ask each other cut any good bridges lately in only one railway bridge left over the sane between paris and the sea. Late spring, through the wounded towns of england moved the mat made by our patients two precious years of plans put way. All maps on the walls who had been paper at least come alive. Across the channel arc wear of our resolve with coal contempt reinforcements from the right, generals prepared, their might was poised. They looked across the heathing sea and grinned. They would reap harvest of us on the beaches and death itself would stand amazed yet, faint across the groaning of the sea, thunder of massive power. Drawn from the great free peoples of the earth gathered in the ancient ports of england on the steel encumbered ships. It was a funny sort of feeling, marching down to ships. We had done it plenty of times of course on schemes and that kind of thing. They didnt tell us this was the big show. Might have just been another exercise. Some of the chaps wasnt comic, but we laughed. I think we all guessed. General feeling was, okay if this is it lets get in there, get it over with. Always on my nerves even waiting for a bus, never could stand it. Well, after a bit our ship found a place in the middle of the rest of the stuff and there we stayed, for days. They gave us the final briefing then. You know what to do and how, they told us where and when, thats the briefing im listened to every word. Wrote it down in my head like a record and kept playing over and over again. Reach the beach in the morning. Ever since i became a soldier they were getting me ready for this. Before, there had been times in front of me, protecting me. Now that time had worn away there are own a few hours left morning id have to face it. I tried to imagine how much fear i would have, you know, if it would keep me from doing my job. I suppose everybody else was wondering same thing. Nobody said anything official, but all of a sudden the ship got much busier, and over the amp fire the chaplain said hed be saying mast 18 30 hours. Funnying i dont think i ever believed, even after the final briefing, that the invasion was going to come off. And a voice on the loud speaker said, men who wish to take their antiseasick pills should take the first one now than did it. I was tugging a glide, the way we always practiced it, except i never been in the air with the whole army before. Three airborne divisionjf l six british, 101st american. Just before the glider pilot cast off over a landing dont i wished good luck over the radio. Seemed inadequate thing to say. As supreme commander, let me break in at this point to say just a word about the navy. From the moment of embark indication to back of landing the full burden fell upon the navy and our merchant fleets. They had to sweep the mines, bombard the coastal batteries, transport the coastline preparer to to landing and fine,ly man the small boats that carried the soldiers to the beach. On that day there were more than 8,000 ships and landing crafton the shores of normandy. It was the most intricate task, and vital one for the success of our plans. The courage fidelity, and skill of the royal and american navies have no brighter page in their histories than that of june 6, 1944. 6 back in london, only a few people knew. It was a wellkept secr ix correspondents were called and told to be the ministry of information at 8 00, and they told them. They called our beach omaha dont ask me why. I never been to omaha. I live in nebraska. If its like omaha, france, you can have it. Omaha was the roughest spot. We lost some good men. Took a few prisoners. It was a lousy trade. Weve been told what to expect, it wasnt like a surprise or anything. It just, well when it really happens its different. For a while there we were pinned down but lucky thing, the other beaches were going better so we got a little more than our share of the old teamwork. Navy come in air guys and finally we got moving good. We hear a lot about how long it takes to make battle hardened soldiers out of green troops. Listen i got to be a veteran in one day. That day. So they paved the beaches with our blood and lurched across and reached the. Germans battled fiercely. They the three airborne divisions, first of all to land, loud across crater advance came german reinforcement frpz berlin a voice cried out allies must be hurled into the sea. Locked in battle the armies clashed. Our first objective, then, was to merge all of the beach heads into one and 50 miles of men drive on together beyond the red sands through the broken wall. Where i was, it wasnt too bad getting ashore. Not until it started. You had to fight for every bloody thing. It was a scene each time. Crawl on your belly keeping your backside down like youd been told, chucking a few hand grenades and rushed them. Sometimes they killed us but we were killing more than them. The trick is the farms, jelly fortresses. We lad to wait for Company Commander to call back for military support. The navy was with us too, chucking shells ahead of us. Three days we advanced seven miles, then told to stand fast and dig in. Next morning they had the news we heard from the bbc it it sounded great. Joined up all along the bridge head. There was a solid line 45 miles of. We had a foothold. We went in. We didnt have to do much navigating to get there. Just followed the pconvoys. We waited around and the Ground Troops whistled us out, told bus some target they antwanted removed and in wed go. Like texas on a cab ring. Something nice about a beach, any beach. You think of a beach chances are you remember something nice, like i party or picnic. Pal also in the old days girls bathing suits. The one i worked, utah looked like a freight yard once we got going. In a while we brought supplies over the open beach. Like we practiced it like we made up as we went along. We worked 24hour shift, ducks lights rafts robots all sorts of rube goldbergs. Stuff kept pouring in tanks, truck, food, ammo guys, millions of things. We didnt wed spend 15 days in the same field. Wood behind us, germans in the wood behind us empty valley in between. Each side, i guess you had to live in a trench. You got into a routine. You know stand true from 4 to 5, two hours wait for break. Bacon or sausage tea, of course biscuits. Wed will living on come poe food since dday. It was good food, but, you know, you got tired of it. Id given a lot of fresh bread and butter or cup of fresh tea. 15 days a long time to stand in one place. Everyones coming straight for you. I can remember every case we ever had. Especially the first one. Ambulance brought him in late one afternoon. I came over to where he was lying and he looked up and grinned. I asked him how he felt. He said something about the german with the machine pistol using him for a dart board. He was quiet and and patient and a little bewildered. Hed never been hurt before. He asked how the fighting was going, then he passed out. The doctor came overing looked at his wounds and swore, say he had no business to be alive. We put him on the operating table and did what we could. The doctor kept swearing all the time he was operating. We couldnt stop the bleeding. I remember the radio that night, they said casualties had been surprisingly light. They said the whole them was dear old winstons idea a collapsible prefabricated harbor with everything on it. I wouldnt put it past him, ideally would have. Worked in the end. Mulberry, they called it. I felt pretty good about it because id watched it grow from the sinking of the first ship to the out of break water and further along to the west the yanks brought one over, too. Then on dplus 13 i think it was, on shore wind started up. Not much at first but it got worse. Unloading on to the open beaches, got very tricky. We headed over on the yank section, the other harbor had been put right out of action. When the wind dropped, mulberry looked pretty sick. And after that time it was the only bleeding harbor we had. At the green. Of normandy the town of cherbourg harbor for surprise. Vital as our breath. Swift forces into tight defensive groups so to contest the issue. All of our plans turned aboard cherbo cherbgorg. Impatient for the port. Through hedge and field they carved their heavy way. You remember back now, went it seems like we took cherbourg a couple of days when we hit the beach it took 19 days to cover 30 miles. 30 miles and 9 dshgs 2 swzs and 9 dshgs 200. Pretty trees, farmhouses. The apples were too green to eat, i remember. We hit it fine with the people. Farmers, nice people. It got tough when we pulled up on the outskirt of cherbourg. He had great defense mz the artillery carried the ball for three days we socked it to them. Sometimes we were pouring in at pointblank range over open sites. Finally, the german commander tossed in the sponge. Thats after telling his men to fight until theyre dead. We took cherbourg june 25th, everything was rosy except the harbor. The jerry really smeared that harbor. Right away our guys went to work cleaning it up, and the way they tore into it you could see it would be working for us fine. Then, well we fought our way up to the peninsula, now wed have to fight our way out of it. And everywhere inside france we men of the mackey were fighting too. I was in the north myself. We got telephone telegraph lines, and eventually when the allies landed we fought in the open in the mountains our friends held german convoys. It was easier in the mountains. Reinforcements were delayed for many days. Factories and bridges would frequently disappear. But the price we paid for it was frightful. In the village of oraduor the germans slaughtered 1200 out of the population and the place was completely burned they were accused to have ambushed german troops. Every house was destroyed. Women, children, died in flames in the church where they had been locked. Yes, price we paid and was very great. But our job was done. A town for which the t. Ripples its slow way to the waiting sea, capital of normandy. The british struck a stonewall of germans. This was no cher bourg advance. A knife thrust through the fields. Inch by inch forward. Here it was the german feel a quick breakthrough to the river saen. 10 of the 12 divisions of his armor, paratroops, s. S. Men, young, against the veterans we wanted him to fight here and told the battled ground because future plans depended on him standing where he was. The dust was diamonds. Every foot of ground priceless. By mid most summer cane was to be the pivot of the war. Caen the first decent sized town we had taken there was no celebration nothing had been settled jerry was as strong as ever. One of the men said, god we have to go across the world doing this to beat them . Most of caen was dust, plain death. I wondered what hamilton back home in canada would look like after a beating like that. Well, anyway, ow tanks and the british started massing and moved south. We knew there was a big due coming up. The show began south of caen where the pols jo