03x02 - Hell in Hoven

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR:

November 1944.

(g*nf*re)

As Allied forces fight to break

through the Siegfried Line

(g*nf*re)

- and further into Germany,

- (tank rumbling)

a British captain fires on German armor

with a hand held PIAT

(pop, expl*si*n)

but suffers a misfire.

He quickly finds that he has

attracted unwanted attention.

(exploding)

(g*nf*re)

On June 6th, 1944,

Allied forces finally land

troops in Normandy

to open the Western Front.

(speaking in German)

- (g*nf*re)

- But, n*zi fanatics and diehards

continue to fight

ferociously for survival.

- (g*nf*re)

- (expl*si*n)

- (g*nf*re)

- D-Day was a battle.

They still need to win the w*r.

♪

November 18th, 1944

(bombing)

near the Dutch-German border.

After a 250-g*n bombardment lifts,

members of the Duke of Cornwall’s

light infantry regiment rush ahead.

(g*nf*re)

British Major Michael Lonsdale

moves cautiously along the deserted road

of the German village of Hochheid.

(distant g*nf*re)

His men advanced so fast,

he sees no sign of them.

- (g*nf*re)

- JIM TANNER: The two leading platoons

had taken great advantage

of the British barrage,

and had therefore swept

through very quickly indeed.

NARRATOR:

As Lonsdale surveys his surroundings,

a movement catches his eye.

♪

TANNER:

It's easy to miss

enemy dug into buildings,

perhaps still recoiling from the great

a*tillery barrage that they'd suffered.

NARRATOR: He makes out

a shape in a nearby window,

which he believes to be a German soldier.

Before Lonsdale can act,

another Cornwall appears on the road.

The private has been

wounded in fighting up ahead,

†and now returns to

the regimental aid post to the rear.

TANNER:

He says to the private soldier,

"You will cover me with your r*fle,

while I go and investigate."

NARRATOR: With the man’s r*fle

trained on the entrance,

Lonsdale sneaks towards the house.

♪

Once at the door,

he pauses and draws his p*stol.

When he is ready,

he forces his way inside.

(yelling)

♪

Lonsdale and his men advanced

into Germany from the Netherlands

less than eight hours before.

KEN FORD:

After five long years of w*r,

they had finally taken

the fight to Germany.

For the first time since

the Battle of Minden in 1759,

British soldiers were about to do battle

inside Germany.

NARRATOR: Their advance forms

part of the broad front strategy,

devised by Supreme Allied Commander

General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

FORD: The broad front strategy

was intended to bring all of

the Allied armies up to

the line of the River Rhine.

The British in the north,

the American and French

in the center and the south,

and when they were lined up,

they could move in unison

into the Third Reich.

NARRATOR:

Near the fortified town of Geilenkirchen,

about 6 miles from the border,

the plan is for Americans

from the 84th infantry division

to capture positions to the north-east,

while British troops

will attack from the west,

through Hochheid, to encircle the town.

♪

For Major Lonsdale,

this means taking Hochheid

one house at a time.

Lonsdale bursts through the door

- (yelling in German)

- and barrels inside.

TANNER: He's rather surprised

to find something like

18 German soldiers,

all armed

and becoming alert.

- MICHAEL LONSDALE: Hände hoch!

- NARRATOR: Lonsdale waves his p*stol

and threatens.

The standoff lasts for a moment.

- He gestures again

- LONSDALE: Hände hoch!

NARRATOR:

and to his great amazement,

the Germans yield.

TANNER:

At stages like this,

they could come across pockets

of German soldiers,

especially if they were

away from their officers and NCOs

who were too ready to surrender.

LONSDALE:

Raus!

NARRATOR: Lonsdale ushers

the Germans out to the street

and the wounded Duke of Cornwall private.

♪

He orders the man to take

the prisoners to the rear.

TANNER:

Major Michael Lonsdale

is a 37-year-old Irishman,

who'd come in from

the North Staffordshire regiment.

He very quickly endears

himself to these men.

Long after the w*r,

a young officer in

the North Staffordshire regiment

describes him as wild,

terrifying,

but warm to the young.

- (distant g*nf*re)

- (g*nsh*t)

(expl*si*n)

(b*ll*ts flying)

♪

NARRATOR: Lonsdale gathers his

company at the end of the road.

LONSDALE:

Let’s move out, boys. Follow me.

NARRATOR:

And with Hochheid now apparently secure,

the Cornwalls spread through

the surrounding forest.

(distant g*nf*re)

This region forms one

of the strongest sectors

of Hitler’s infamous Siegfried Line.

DR. PETER LIEB:

You've got strong points,

you've got anti tank ditches,

interlocking arcs of fire,

and, as a natural barrier,

you've got even the River Wurm.

When you read German documents,

when they fell back onto

the German borders,

psychologically, the Siegfried Line

is extremely important for them

because it's the first time

that they have got something.

A prepared defense line.

Even though, in reality,

it's outdated and obsolete.

But, psychologically it's an important

factor, an important element.

♪

NARRATOR:

As the Allies plan to smash through,

the Cornwalls' next objective

is to cut off the road

leading out of Geilenkirchen.

By holding this position,

they can block German

reinforcement from the north

and harass those who retreat

as the Americans advance from the south.

- (flames crackling)

- (distant g*nf*re)

But the breakthrough at Geilenkirchen

takes longer than hoped for.

Two days later,

the Cornwalls remain fanned out

in shallow ditches

on either side of the road.

(whistling, explosions)

The ground around them erupts

with intermittent a*tillery bursts.

(distant bang)

Lonsdale stays low as he moves

between his soldiers.

Some try to rest

and others clean their weapons

just to stay busy

despite the miserable weather.

♪

Finally, early in

the afternoon of November 20th,

they detect movement.

(footsteps)

Initially, they spot a few enemy soldiers.

Lonsdale readies his men.

(inaudible)

As the Germans

come into view from the south

(g*nf*re)

the British open fire.

(b*ll*ts flying)

(g*nf*re continues)

(tank rumbling)

(expl*si*n)

Explosions reverberate

around them from German tanks

and self-propelled g*ns in the distance.

(rumbling)

(bang)

- (g*nf*re)

- (expl*si*n)

DR. LIEB:

The German troops around Geilenkirchen

have held out for quite a while,

but now, they need this road

as their escape route as

pressure is building up on them.

(g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: Lonsdale and the Cornwalls

continue to counter the attack

as more Germans appear out of the forest,

determined to break out.

(bang, expl*si*n)

(g*nf*re)

♪

(expl*si*n)

British casualties mount.

(g*nf*re continues)

It is not clear how long

they can withstand the onslaught.

(expl*si*n)

- (g*nsh*t)

- Suddenly,

despite the heavy enemy fire,

a young corporal

from the Cornwalls breaks rank

and runs away from the British position.

Then disappears from view.

(g*nf*re)

- (g*nf*re)

- November 20th, 1944.

♪

About six miles from Germany’s

border with the Netherlands

(g*nf*re continues)

British forces try to cut off

- a determined German retreat.

- (rumbling)

(b*ll*ts flying)

FORD: The Americans

advancing through Geilenkirchen

push more of the Germans northwards.

(bang, expl*si*n)

But, the first obstacle

they came to was the crossroads

where the Cornwalls

had established a stop line.

(g*nf*re)

NARRATOR:

During this critical fight,

a corporal from the Duke of Cornwall’s

light infantry regiment,

bursts from the safety

of their line and takes off.

Major Michael Lonsdale

urges his men to stay down,

even as the corporal vanishes from sight.

Dodging g*nf*re,

Lonsdale focuses his attention

on the German break out attack

all along the British line.

(g*nf*re)

♪

(expl*si*n)

(g*nf*re)

(expl*si*n)

(explosions)

But slowly,

the Cornwalls reduce the enemy forces

(g*nf*re continues)

joined in their attack by US troops

pushing up from the south.

The young corporal had spotted them

and evaded the crossfire to make contact.

FORD: Well at this point,

Corporal Lynch was very brave.

He moved towards the Americans

to let them know that they were

approaching British positions,

and he was afraid of friendly fire.

(g*nf*re)

NARRATOR:

Their arrival signals that the objective

for this phase of the operation

has been achieved.

The Americans have secured Geilenkirchen.

The link up with the British forces

clears the area of German resistance.

(g*nf*re)

♪

Lieutenant Colonel George Taylor

monitors the progress of the Cornwalls

from his headquarters.

FORD:

He took over the battalion of

the fifth Duke of Cornwall’s light

infantry after they had lost

their previous two commanders in battle.

He had to take in a whole host

of new reinforcements

and mold the battalion

into a fighting unit.

NARRATOR: He now receives word to

prepare the Cornwalls for more action.

This request is unusual.

The Duke of Cornwalls normally practice

a fighting rotation of four days on,

four days off, so Taylor is concerned.

TANNER:

The battalion's been in Hochheid

for four days now.

They've been under a lot

of German a*tillery fire

and the Germans constantly

are trying to infiltrate and attack,

so the soldiers were very tired out.

NARRATOR:

The fatigue is made worse by the weather.

According to sources, November 1944

brings double the normal

rainfall to the region.

The men themselves

are soaked and covered in mud.

The inundation turns dirt roads

and paths into a quagmire.

Stuck vehicles create

endless traffic jams.

Faced with similar

problems in the First World w*r,

the British adopted a technology

called continuous tracks.

In the simplest designs,

the wheels turn along a moving track

instead of directly on the ground.

In the same way a snowshoe

distributes weight over a wider area,

a continuous track helps heavy machinery

to float on a soft surface.

But, as the Cornwalls discover,

the mud is inescapable.

Even their tracked vehicles have problems.

FORD:

Everything had to be carried by hand.

Ammunition, supplies, food, everything.

And even the casualties had to be

brought out by hand on stretchers.

♪

NARRATOR: Lieutenant Colonel George Taylor

knows his companies are under strength.

To make it worse

TANNER: Before any

reinforcements will get to them,

his battalion's going to conduct

another attack on its own.

NARRATOR: Taylor surveys the destruction

of a recent battle with concern.

It is the location they call the Gap.

Other British units have

tried to fight across.

The wreckage litters the b*ttlefield.

Now, Taylor’s battalion has orders

to capture the village

of Hoven to the north.

To get there,

the Cornwalls must cross the Gap

in full view of the German

defenders who hold the woods.

TANNER:

George Taylor is particularly apprehensive

about this next operation.

The soldiers are tired, worn out,

and he's lost quite a lot of men.

And now, he's being told

that the battalion has got to go forward

and attack the village of Hoven.

♪

NARRATOR:

But when Taylor relays his concerns

to his commanding officer,

they are dismissed.

TANNER: The Brigade

Commander Hubert Essame,

he understands George Taylor's concerns,

but he has to dismiss them.

The battalion is attacking

on the left flank

of the American attack

that's going on towards Wurm,

and, therefore, it's a very

important attack to take place.

NARRATOR: It is a small unit approach

to Eisenhower’s broad front strategy.

The Allies advance in lock step

to protect the flanks

and all important supply lines,

and the broad front requires the Germans

to spread out their forces

rather than concentrate them.

The next day, as the

battalion prepares to jump off,

prisoners of w*r

are brought through the line.

The Cornwalls had been briefed that one of

Hitler’s new Volksgrenadier divisions

defended the woods.

But closer inspection reveals

that they face an old nemesis instead.

The 10th SS Panzergrenadier regiment.

- (g*nf*re)

- DR. LIEB: The presence of the SS troops

clearly indicates that,

from a German perspective,

there is danger.

They are mostly fanatical Nazis,

and they believe

in what they are fighting for.

♪

NARRATOR: The appearance of this

elite regiment of battle-hardened soldiers

demonstrates the German’s ability

to bring in reinforcements,

even if the Allies cannot.

♪

♪

November 22nd, 1944.

As British Lieutenant

Colonel George Taylor

prepares to capture

the German village of Hoven,

he learns the 10th SS

Panzergrenadier regiment

has been moved into the area

as reinforcements.

FORD:

The Cornwalls had first come across

the tenth Panzer division in Normandy.

Later on in the Arnhem operation,

the Cornwalls once again came up

against the Panzer division.

And when Taylor heard that some of

the Panzergrenadiers

were moving into Hoven,

it did not bode well for him and his men.

NARRATOR:

But there is no time to make changes.

Taylor lays out the battle plan

to his company commanders.

C Company will secure the northern woods,

opening the way for B Company

to advance to Hoven.

Major Michael Lonsdale’s D Company

will use the distraction

to capture the village of Kraudorf.

♪

But Lonsdale will not lead them.

TANNER:

George Taylor understands

how to get the best out of his men.

He understands that men do need rest.

NARRATOR: Taylor decides

to have his company's

second-in-commands initiate the attack.

TANNER:

He realizes, too, that taking Hoven

is just one part of the problem.

Holding onto it against

inevitable German counterattacks

was part of the Cornwall's battle.

NARRATOR:

This means having leaders well-rested

and ready to continue the fight.

Lonsdale departs to the rear.

In his absence,

Captain John Spencer will lead D Company.

Taylor had given Spencer some rest

after he was wounded at Arnhem.

This is his chance to get back in command.

By 12 noon,

the Cornwalls’ C Company lines up

along the edge of the open field,

ready to jump off.

♪

But they must wait

for the bombardment to finish.

If all goes well,

the Allied a*tillery

will knock out enemy g*ns

and shatter any fortifications

to give the Cornwalls first crack

while the Germans’ heads are still down.

- (explosions)

- Timing is key.

Move too soon,

and you get hit by your own shells.

Move too late,

and you allow the enemy to re-group.

(expl*si*n)

Knowing the exact moment

the barrage ends is critical.

They need a clear sign.

The signal is delivered by grenade.

Instead of an expl*si*n,

it releases colored smoke.

As the g*ns fall silent,

they see a wafting of red and blue.

C Company starts off.

TANNER:

C Company is Taylor's strongest company.

(expl*si*n)

So it now leads the attack

across the Gap on

the near side of Hoven.

(g*nf*re)

But as soon as C Company

gets out into that gap,

they are withered

by German machine g*n fire.

♪

NARRATOR:

Hoven is currently defended by members

of the 104th Panzergrenadier regiment.

Hauptmann Heinrich Wolf commands

the second battalion,

from the battalion headquarters.

DR. LIEB:

Panzergrenadiers are armored infantries,

so this means they often

cooperate with tank troops.

You need the infantry

in order to hold ground,

and in order to attack areas,

which are not suitable for tanks.

NARRATOR: Critical to the success

of the Blitzkrieg offenses

(g*nf*re)

as the w*r drags on,

the heavily armed troops

are often used to stabilize

the lines in vulnerable sectors.

♪

Only about 700 yards

south of the village, where C

Company tries to cross the Gap,

the preliminary bombardment

has clearly failed to knock out

the German g*ns.

Enemy mortar and a*tillery shells

reply to the Allied barrage.

B Company now moves up

to try and break through.

Suddenly, another salvo of shells

lands just behind the line.

It knocks the occupants in

Taylor’s command post off their feet.

November 22nd, 1944.

About six miles into Germany

from the Netherlands.

British Lieutenant Colonel George Taylor

watches his men,

the Duke of Cornwall’s light infantry,

succumb to machine g*n fire.

TANNER: George Taylor has

a forward command post,

dug just some 40 yards

behind his battalion start line,

and from Taylor's own description,

it sounds like a desperate affair.

♪

NARRATOR:

They are so close to the action,

an incoming shell

strikes the command post.

The force blasts Taylor

and his signaler from their feet.

TANNER:

He describes it as feeling like

a boxer having been

knocked down in the ring

and desperately trying to stand up again.

NARRATOR: The signaler beside

him would not be so lucky.

♪

In the meantime,

both the “B” and “C” Company advances

have now faltered.

- (expl*si*n)

- (g*nf*re)

TANNER: They went forward

under this withering fire,

received so many casualties.

The Sherman tanks that meant

to have accompanied them

have failed to turn up,

and now, Taylor changes his plan.

NARRATOR: Taylor’s misgivings

about the attack prove correct.

He must adapt quickly to bring

about the capture of Hoven.

He abandons the plan to seize Kraudorf.

TANNER: Taylor understands

that he's got to use D Company

to do a right hook to leave

the protection of the woods,

to come out to the right,

and attack Hoven village from the east.

NARRATOR:

With smoke masking their advance,

the Cornwalls creep into

the northern part of the woods.

♪

Cover provided by trees

allows Spencer and D company

to sneak into the village,

defended with a headquarters

of the 104th Panzergrenadier regiment.

DR. LIEB: So, the fact that we've got

the battalion headquarters in Hoven means

that the Germans consider Hoven

as the crucial point of the battle.

NARRATOR:

The Cornwalls advance carefully,

checking doors and windows as they go.

As the afternoon wears on,

Spencer’s men attempt to clear the houses

of the German defenders.

One by one, they encircle the German

strongholds and attack.

(muffled g*nshots)

(yelling in German)

♪

NARRATOR: The Cornwalls discover

that the German commander

from the 104th Panzergrenadiers,

Hauptman Heinrich Wolf,

has been seriously wounded.

Now a prisoner of w*r,

he is taken to the British

aid post for care.

The fight for Hoven continues.

As another platoon of Spencer’s men

move ahead on the left flank

(g*nf*re)

a hail of machine g*n

b*ll*ts sprays over them.

(g*nf*re continues)

The Cornwalls return fire

(g*nf*re)

but many are struck.

b*ll*ts wound some.

Others are k*lled.

♪

Spencer commits his

few reinforcements to the fight

and directs the wireless operator

to send a message to headquarters.

"D Company made it into Hoven."

But, they will need more men to hold it.

Back at his command post,

Taylor receives word that

Spencer’s men occupy the village.

But across the entire line

and to the rear,

the Cornwalls’ hold on all their

positions remains precarious.

Taylor has not received the promised tanks

and has little to offer as support.

He orders a couple of units across the Gap

to secure the woods between

his command post and Spencer,

but some get lost and German

fire interferes with others.

♪

A platoon from A Company

finds their way in the darkness

to retrieve wounded men from Hoven,

and escort back

some of the captured Germans.

Taylor prepares for

the long hours until morning.

TANNER:

5t h DCLis spent the night dug into

those woods, and George Taylor,

he says that even in his command post,

they cannot raise their voices

above a whisper

without attracting severe

German machine g*n fire.

NARRATOR:

After dark, D Company commander,

Major Michael Lonsdale, arrives

at the battalion command post.

Under orders to rest for the night,

Lonsdale insists that he be

allowed to rejoin his company.

Taylor tries to assign him

to another company,

which requires a commanding officer.

TANNER: Lonsdale was

very clear that he wanted

to go back to D Company

to command his own men.

NARRATOR:

Reluctantly, Taylor agrees

and sends him away

with some reinforcements

to help relieve D Company.

TANNER:

But as Lonsdale walks off,

he remembers George Taylor

referring to him

as that bloody Irishman.

♪

NARRATOR: Lonsdale

and the platoon set out in the dark.

Taylor had warned him that they need

to cross nearly a mile of no man’s land,

where most others have failed.

Around 2200 hours,

they finally arrive at the edge of Hoven,

after a tense advance through the woods.

SOLDIER: Halt!

♪

NARRATOR:

November 1944.

Hoven, Germany.

British Major Michael Lonsdale

and reinforcements

for the Duke of Cornwall’s

light infantry regiment,

stealthily approach the village of Hoven.

TANNER:

We can imagine

his concern as he comes through the dark,

through an area that is still

infested by German soldiers.

SOLDIER: Halt!

NARRATOR: Lonsdale steps forward

and the soldier recognizes him.

FORD: The first person

that Lonsdale met in the village

was Sergeant Williams,

who greeted him with a broad grin

and an outstretched hand and said,

"Thank God you've arrived, sir."

NARRATOR:

He meets with Captain John Spencer

and learns that D Company shares

control of the village with the Germans.

(g*nf*re, flame crackling)

TANNER:

The situation is pretty chaotic.

♪

Lots and lots of casualties,

but Lonsdale gets a grip of the situation,

reorganizes his soldiers

because he knows that

as soon as the Germans

get themselves organized again,

they will counterattack.

NARRATOR:

He creates a company HQ,

and two platoons of about 15 men.

He assigns each platoon to a house

on either side of the road,

and hopes he has pointed them

in the direction of the coming attack.

With defensive positions set,

he checks in on the wounded.

Lonsdale enters the makeshift aid station

in the cellar of a nearby house,

filled with injured soldiers.

A German doctor provides care.

TANNER: The German doctor

speaks very good English,

and it turns out that he had worked

at Saint Thomas' Hospital

in London before the w*r.

They actually get on very well.

NARRATOR: Amongst the wounded

who receive treatment

is Hauptman Heinrich Wolf,

captain of the Panzergrenadier regiment

that had defended the town of Hoven.

DR. LIEB:

Let's remember this w*r

is not like the w*r on the Eastern Front.

This is not a w*r of annihilation.

Generally speaking, the Geneva Convention

is adhered to by both sides.

NARRATOR: The doctor updates Lonsdale

on the condition of his men.

Many require more

urgent care than he can provide,

and he advises Lonsdale to evacuate them.

Having assessed the wounded,

Lonsdale asks the doctor about

the location of German troops.

TANNER:

We suspect that Mike Lonsdale's

perhaps pushing his luck a little,

and the German doctor,

he says that he serves the wounded

and the sick

and is not a combat officer.

But at the same time, being

a professional German officer,

he is not going to give

any information away,

as he would expect Lonsdale

would do the same.

NARRATOR:

Lonsdale returns to his work.

♪

DR. LIEB:

The Germans are the Germans,

and they will counterattack

as soon as possible.

NARRATOR: As D Company

waits for dawn to break,

their enemy begins to move into position.

(g*nf*re)

(expl*si*n)

A grenade strikes

the Cornwall’s wireless radio

and German armor tears up a phone line

laid the night before.

It is now more difficult

for the British to communicate.

(g*nf*re)

TANNER:

Lonsdale would've known very clearly

that unless some communication

could be established,

they were on their own.

(g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: The Germans target

the outpost of the two platoons.

DR. LIEB: Before the Germans

launch their big counterattack,

they are trying to probe,

trying to test the Allied

defense positions.

♪

(g*nf*re)

NARRATOR:

About 45 minutes later,

infantry and a German

self-propelled g*n appear.

The armor begins to lob shells

at the houses in Hoven.

Members of D Company return fire

and fall back in the direction

of their headquarters.

(g*nf*re)

As they retreat,

a second self-propelled g*n arrives.

The Cornwalls line up

a shot with their PIAT

(g*nf*re)

and knock out the German armor.

NARRATOR: As day breaks, Lonsdale

and his men prepare for the next attack.

♪

They discover enemy soldiers

massing behind a hedgerow

in the northwest section of the village.

TANNER:

D Company's resources are now finite.

For every man lost,

there is no replacement.

For every round fired,

there is no replacement.

No expectation of reinforcement.

NARRATOR:

Lonsdale must use everything he has left

to its best advantage.

He places his last Bren g*n in

an upper window overlooking the position.

Lonsdale signals the gunner

to sweep the hedge line,

which conceals the German soldiers.

(g*nf*re)

When the operator reaches the last tree,

he runs the weapon back along

the same line for good measure.

Lonsdale watches carefully.

As the Bren stops, it is eerily quiet.

♪

He realizes more German soldiers

have begun to gather along the hedge.

Lonsdale does not hesitate.

The Bren g*n opens up

again from the window.

(g*nf*re)

TANNER:

Lonsdale realizes

that these are just building in strength,

and when the next attack comes,

he reported later that it

comes from every direction,

and he has very little left to stop them.

NARRATOR:

Soon, there is the deep rumble

of an approaching German

self-propelled g*n.

- (rumbling)

- Much like a tank,

these armored vehicles

deliver the potential for death

and destruction with every round.

♪

Suddenly, German soldiers are all over.

Lonsdale and his men are surrounded.

(g*nf*re)

They fire at the Germans behind them

and retreat back to company headquarters.

Captain John Spencer

spots one of the German

self-propelled g*ns closing in.

Seeing an upper window,

he realizes he can get a better shot.

Once upstairs, he pauses.

♪

As it rolls to within 20 yards,

Spencer hoists the PIAT to his shoulder

and releases.

His shot is wide. It is a misfire.

Now aware of his position,

the German swings

towards Spencer’s window.

Spencer drops down,

just in time to avoid a direct hit.

But he is momentarily blinded,

and severely wounded.

The captain has to drag himself

down from the upper floor.

(g*nf*re)

At company HQ,

Major Lonsdale finds complete chaos.

They have no communication links,

and reinforcements have failed to arrive.

Enemy shells drop outside

- (g*nf*re)

- (glass shattering)

and the machine g*ns

burst against the walls and windows.

They locate only half a magazine

of Bren ammunition between them.

They have fought to

practically their last b*llet.

Lonsdale faces a terrible choice.

♪

♪

NARRATOR:

November 23rd, 1944.

Hoven, Germany.

(g*nf*re)

After facing a series of

fierce counterattacks,

British Major, Michael Lonsdale,

must decide.

Surrender or retreat.

TANNER:

He has next to no ammunition,

and he's not the sort of character

who is going to surrender,

and so he decides he's going to get

what men he has left, out.

NARRATOR: But if they are

to have any chance of escape,

they must leave their wounded behind.

♪

Lonsdale gestures to a hole in the wall.

Through the opening,

he sees that the thick smoke

from burning buildings will provide cover.

He urges his men forward.

They sprint towards the woods.

One of the German armored vehicles

spots their movement, and opens fire.

LONSDALE:

Move!

FORD:

Because they were so close to the g*n,

it couldn't depress the barrel low enough

to engage them, and the shot

whistled over their head.

NARRATOR: They make their way back

towards the battalion command post,

through the forest both sides

have fought to control for many days.

TANNER:

Friendly fire is a big risk here,

and Lonsdale

is very aware that he is coming back

into a situation that remains chaotic.

NARRATOR:

They approach a soldier

whom he recognizes from his own brigade.

TANNER:

Lonsdale shouts back,

"Stop, stop, stop!"

And the soldier doesn't fire,

and they all come in safely.

♪

NARRATOR:

It is only when Major Lonsdale

and his remaining fighters

arrive back at the command post

that Lieutenant Colonel George Taylor

realizes something terrible has happened.

FORD: Once Taylor had lost

contact with the men in Hoven,

he had no idea what was going on.

He couldn't detect

the battle was in full swing

because between his headquarters

and the village,

all the small arms fire merged

into the darkness and the rain.

NARRATOR:

Only 10 men remain from D Company

and the reinforcements sent into Hoven.

FORD:

Taylor is rather shocked that Lonsdale

and so few survivors come out of Hoven.

He had no idea that the battle had reached

such a critical point.

Taylor felt he should have

followed his instincts,

but after making his objections known,

he felt he had no other option

than to comply.

NARRATOR: For his leadership in

the attacks and the defense of Hoven,

Major Michael Lonsdale earns

the Distinguished Service Order,

which noted two enemy deserters

complained bitterly

of the fierce resistance

met in the village.

In the six days of fighting,

the 5th battalion of the Duke

of Cornwall's light infantry

sustains heavy losses.

24 are k*lled,

134 are wounded,

and 73 declared missing.

♪

TANNER:

The missing will be accounted for

by the large numbers of prisoners of w*r.

These are men that Lonsdale

and, indeed, George Taylor

have to leave behind.

They include Captain Spencer.

All of them badly wounded

and left in the care of

the approaching Germans.

NARRATOR:

Two British stretcher-bearers,

who had remained behind to care

for the injured in Hoven,

are also captured.

(g*nf*re)

In an unexpected turn,

German Prisoner of w*r

Hauptman Heinrich Wolf,

is liberated by his own forces.

DR. LIEB:

Evidently, he's so seriously wounded

that he cannot rejoin the battle.

He's being sent back

into a hospital in Germany.

♪

NARRATOR:

The Allies successfully seize

and hold the German

fortifications at Geilenkirchen,

but exhausted troops

cannot maintain the offensive

against elite reinforcements.

Further advances are called off.

Only weeks later,

Hitler launches a major attack

just beyond Geilenkirchen

in the opening of what will become known

as the Battle of the Bulge.

And the w*r in Europe would continue

for another four and a half months.