Gladiators of World War II. Vol. III / Гладиаторы второй мировой войны Часть 3

Video: PAL 4:3 (720x576) VBR
Audio: Russian (Dolby AC3, 2 ch) English (Dolby AC3, 2 ch)
Subtitles: Russian
Director: Charles Messinger
The Norwegian Resistance Fighters
For five years during World War 2, the Nazis occupied Norway. They were plagued
by organised resistance; relatively small numbers of brave men and women,
operating in the bleak and mountainous countryside. Theirs was a war of small
actions and narrow escapesαthe threat of capture, torture, and death was constant
and successful attacks could result in reprisals on civilians. Fishing boats
slipped in and out of the long Norwegian coastline, carrying agents and information. Radio Spied monitored the German fleet in the distant and isolated fjords, and provided weather reports for the D-Day landings. Specially trained commando forces prevented the movement of heavy water, vital to Hitlers atomic bomb project. With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, the 60,000 members
of Milorg, the resistance network, took the surrender of the German garrison,
now swollen to 365,000 men. One of the greatest achievements of the Norwegian
Resistance had been to tie down large numbers of Nazi troops, who would
otherwise have been fighting in mainland Europe.
KAMIKAZE
In the Middle Ages a breed of Japanese warrior known as the Samurai followed the Bushido code. Death held no fears for the Bushido warrior, who believed that if he died in battle he would be reincarnated. He was unswervingly loyal and obedient to his Emperor, whom he regarded as a God. In the autumn of 1944, as American forces began the reconquest of the Philippine islands, they face a terrifying weapon born from the Bushido codeαthe Kamikaze suicide attack. With dwindling resources at his disposal to face the American assault, Admiral Takijino Onishi could see only one way of defeating the American aircraft carriers: the æDivine Wind╞. Volunteer Kamikaze pilots would fly into the aircraft carriers, wearing white scarves or headbands √ the Samurai symbol of revenge. Other suicide weapons included Banzai death charges, Kaiten submarines, and the Okha, or cherry blossom, piloted bomb. Where would this Japanese fanaticism end? Their battle plan was to take as many Allied casualties with them as they could in defeat. There could be no surrender.
The USA found a controversial alternative to this problem: the atom bomb.
The Royal Navy
In World War II the Royal Navy saw action in every one of the worlds oceans.
At the beginning of the war it was the largest navy in the world, and with
Winston Churchill as the First Lord of the Admiralty, it was a fearsome opponent.
From the Home Fleet base at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys, and the Mediterranean Fleet
base at Alexandria, the sacrifice made by the Royal Navy during World War II was
great: 5 capital ships, 10 carriers, 31 cruisers, and 146 destroyers. Over 50,000
of its personnel perished. With archive footage and computer graphic reconstruction, this programme shows a selection of the crucial battles and missions of the Royal Navy in World War II, including the Battle of the Atlantic, the Arctic Convoys, the Battle of the River Plate and the Sinking of the Graf Spee. Also featured: the battle between HMS Hood and the Bismarck, and the story of Convoy ONS5, which proved that the Navy-escorted convoys were a match for the U-boat menace.
Документальный сериал BBC о войсках специального назначения стран-участниц Второй мировой войны. "Бойцы норвежского сопротивления". "Камикадзе". "Королевский морской флот Великобритании".
"Бойцы норвежского сопротивления"
Пять лет в течение Второй мировой войны Норвегия находилась под фашистской оккупацией. И на протяжении всей войны сопротивление относительного небольшого числа отважных мужчин и женщин, действовавших в суровой горной местности, связывало более трехсот пятидесяти тысяч немецких солдат. Гладиаторы норвежского сопротивления сыграли малоизвестную, но, несмотря на это, важную роль в победе союзников.
"Камикадзе"
Осенью 1944 года, когда американские войска начали отвоевывать Филиппинские острова, они столкнулись с новой, ужасной угрозой. Японские пилоты стали действовать иначе. Они врезались на своих самолетах во вражеские корабли, чтобы наверняка уничтожить их ценой своей жизни. Для американских экипажей это было потрясением.
"Королевский морской флот Великобритании"
Шестилетняя битва за Атлантику была самой долгой и одной из самых важных кампаний Второй мировой войны. Если бы Королевскому флоту не удалось защитить линии снабжения Британии, остров вынужден был бы быстро капитулировать. Рухнули бы все надежды на освобождение Европы от фашистской тирании. Но моряки Королевского флота приняли вызов.