04x01 - k*ller Causeway

[bunniefuu]

(dramatic music)

NARRATOR:

October 1944. Western Germany.

(distant g*nf*re)

An American captain watches,

as a German soldier returns to

a bunker loaded with ammunition.

BAUMER: Bobbie was stalking. He didn't

realize it, but Bobbie was right there.

(thud)

NARRATOR: The captain pulls the fuse

and deposits an expl*sive charge,

before the soldier can react.

(expl*si*n)

On June 6th, 1944,

allied forces finally land troops

in Normandy to open the western front.

(speaking in German)

But n*zi fanatics and diehards continue

to fight ferociously for survival.

(rapid g*nf*re)

D-Day was a battle.

They still need to win the w*r.

(dramatic music)

NARRATOR: October 8th, 1944.

Near Aachen, Germany.

Soldiers from the American 18th infantry

regiment advance under the cover of smoke.

They must move quickly and quietly

towards their attack positions

before the Germans know they’re there.

Captain Bobbie Brown commands C Company.

At 41, Brown is older than most other

officers and likely many of his superiors.

He has served most of his life.

BAUMER: Bobbie didn't want to

be a burden on his family.

So, he decided to go down to Columbus,

Georgia and attempt to enlist in the army.

He told the recruiting sergeant he was 18,

he was big for his age,

but he was only 15.

The army needed big kids like

him in 1922 so they took him.

NARRATOR: Brown trained with all the

infantry weapons in peacetime,

and became a recognized leader after

the w*r broke out.

BAUMER: When Bobbie went ashore on

D-Day, he was with the first division.

By August there needed to be a

new captain named for Company C.

His battalion commander had lots of

choices, including West Point graduates,

but he favored Bobbie because

Bobbie was a scrapper,

he had an uncanny sense of

timing, his men revered him.

(distant g*n fire)

NARRATOR: Brown and his men

prepare for battle once more.

(gusting winds)

Suddenly, the wind picks up and

their smoke cover blows away.

C Company is exposed.

(suspenseful music)

It doesn’t take long for the

German g*ns to find their targets.

(expl*si*n)

BROWN (yells):

Incoming!

(explosions)

BROWN (yells):

Get down, keep your heads up!

(g*nf*re)

(explosions)

BROWN (yells):

Go, go!

Up you get!

(explosions)

NARRATOR: After the

rapid advance over the summer,

Supreme Allied Commander,

General Dwight D. Eisenhower,

identifies an objective

that promises to end the w*r:

The Ruhr Valley.

ZALOGA: The Ruhr was the most important

strategic objective of the allied armies

in 1944 and 1945. It was

Germany’s industrial heartland.

It contained most of

their major steel mills,

their tank plants and

their weapons factories.

NARRATOR:

After the D-Day landings,

the race across Europe brings the allies

up to the German border in September 1944.

To clear the way to the

Ruhr Valley to the northeast,

Eisenhower orders parts

of four American divisions

to secure the ancient

German city of Aachen.

The stakes are high on both sides.

LIEB: What is a propaganda dream for

Eisenhower is a nightmare for Hitler.

If the Americans take Aachen, they

are not only fighting on German soil,

they capture the first major German city.

(rapid g*nf*re and explosions)

NARRATOR: After the violent

greeting from the German g*ns,

Bobbie Brown and his men gather on

their start line at the base of a hill.

(rapid g*nf*re)

BAUMER: The men knew they were

taking on a very, very difficult mission.

(rapid g*nf*re)

They knew the Germans had these prepared

pillbox locations all over Crucifix Hill.

(rapid g*nf*re)

They knew they had their firing ports and

angles of fire aimed at their approach.

(explosions)

NARRATOR:

Brown’s objective is clear:

he is to neutralize all

enemy activity on the hill

and then prepare for counterattacks.

He scours the slope to plot

a path to the closest bunker,

and looks to the sky for

friendly allied aircraft.

BAUMER:

The air support that Brown expected

was two flight of P-47 thunderbolts which

were actually just eight planes.

He had been relying on

continuing air missions

but the air liaison, who was on his

way up to Crucifix Hill earlier,

his tank was busted up,

so he never got up there.

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR:

Brown can’t wait any longer.

BROWN (yells, muted):

Go, go, go, go!

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR:

As he and his men jump up,

the Germans unleash a

barrage of a*tillery fire.

(explosions)

BAUMER: The Germans had the avenue of

approach that was chosen by the Americans,

zeroed in and pre-plotted

before they even attacked.

There were 84 separate a*tillery pieces

that rained down on Brown’s men.

(explosions)

NARRATOR: As they try to approach, machine

g*ns also open up with deadly accuracy.

(rapid g*nf*re)

(screams)

(grenade pin click)

NARRATOR: Allied a*tillery shells pound

the bunkers on the hillside in support,

but fail to disrupt the German fire.

(somber music)

Brown and his men attack Crucifix Hill.

Named for the large

stone cross on its summit,

its fortifications protect

Aachen from the northeast.

It also called hill 2-3-9,

for its height in meters.

It bristles with pillboxes and bunkers.

LIEB:

Despite being somewhat outdated,

the bunkers on Crucifix Hill

give a good opportunity to fire

from the heights down on

the Americans in the valley.

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR:

With his men pinned at the start line,

Captain Bobbie Brown and his command unit,

which includes a radio operator

and runner, make a move.

BAUMER: Bobbie Brown had

trained his men to understand

that so long as

one person wasn’t pinned down,

do the job of the man ahead of you,

so that everybody could start moving.

But at this moment, Bobbie Brown knew that

his entire company was pinned down,

and he was gonna

have to do something about it.

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: Brown heads

towards a dip in the terrain.

His team throw themselves over the edge.

BAUMER: Brown and his command

group were able to jump into

a dug-out depression at

the foot of Crucifix Hill

because he had had the wisdom the night

before to go out and dig that hole

and bring canvas with him so that

he could drag the dirt away

so when the daylight came, the Germans

wouldn’t even know anyone had been there.

(dramatic music)

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: They find a little protection,

just below the enemy’s fire.

(explosions)

The radio operator makes contact with

the platoon leaders.

The news is not good.

One of his platoon leaders is injured

and both of the as*ault

platoons remain pinned down.

BROWN (muted):

Binoculars.

NARRATOR: Brown looks up the

hill and observes the g*nf*re

coming from the bunker above him.

BAUMER: He’s trying to take

in the totality of this situation.

The radio operator looks at him and says,

“Are we gonna send

some engineers up first?”

Bobbie looks back at him and says,

“I wouldn’t ask a man to commit suicide.”

(expl*si*n)

NARRATOR: In a split second,

Brown makes a decision.

He will take out the bunker himself.

(dramatic music)

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: The American captain Bobbie

Brown prepares a plan to put into action.

BAUMER:

Bobbie Brown decides at that moment

that he's gonna have to lead by

example and do what his men can’t do.

He wasn’t pinned down.

So, he turns to his radioman and says,

“What we’re gonna need is a pole charge

and a satchel charge.”

- And the radioman, he’s incredulous.

- Sir?

NARRATOR: Brown needs more firepower

than the weapons he has at hand.

He believes that

expl*sives are the answer.

The bunkers on Crucifix Hill

make up a dense sector of the Westwall,

or Siegfried Line.

ZALOGA: The Siegfried Line was

created in the 1930s

so that the German army

could fight a two-front w*r.

And what happened in 1939 is

the German army threw all of its strength

against Poland and conquered

Poland in September.

But at the same time,

they didn't have to have a large military

force on their western border,

facing the French and British Army,

because they had the Siegfried Line there.

It required a minimal force, a so-called

economy of force maneuver.

NARRATOR: This is considered

especially important around Aachen,

which boasts a

double line of fortifications.

ZALOGA: The Westwall in the

Aachen sector was extremely thick,

especially as compared to other

sections of the Westwall further away.

The reason was mainly because of

the strategic importance

of some relatively flat terrain

immediately south of the city of Aachen,

that allows tank forces

access further east

towards the Ruhr River and

towards the Rhine River.

NARRATOR: Often built into the landscape

and camouflaged by grass and brush,

the bunkers have narrow openings,

or apertures, to allow just

enough room to fire weapons.

These fortifications vary in size, but can

be up to 50 feet wide and 25 feet deep.

They are designed to Standard B.

ZALOGA:

Standard B means is that

they are two meters thick

of steel reinforced concrete.

Now, two meters thick of

steel-reinforced concrete

will defend up to an

eight-inch a*tillery projectile,

or a 1,000-pound aircraft b*mb.

So, it's a very, very

substantial military structure.

NARRATOR: Bobbie Brown needs to

find a way to attack the structure.

BAUMER: He's not sure exactly

what he's going to do.

What he does see is a

crater that had been left by,

in all likelihood, one of the P-47's.

It's about half the distance

between where he is

and where the pillbox is located

that he wants to go after.

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: Brown signals second platoon

commander, Lieutenant Charles Marvain,

- to deliver the expl*sives he requires.

- Okay!

BAUMER: The German fire was just coming

down repeatedly at Marvain's location,

so Marvain may have been happy

to leave where he was.

NARRATOR: He heaves a

satchel charge to Brown.

(rapid g*nf*re)

ZALOGA: A satchel charge is a type of

an engineered demolition charge.

And it's called a satchel charge

because the expl*sives are

contained inside a satchel bag.

And they're typically

used to blow up obstructions.

So, it might be an anti-tank wall,

it might be a bunker.

NARRATOR:

In this case,

the satchel charge is loaded with 60

quarter pound blocks of TNT,

to be detonated by a three second fuse.

With the charge ready, Brown crawls out

of his ditch, with 15 pounds of TNT.

It’s an unusual job for a man of his rank.

BAUMER: A company captain was

responsible for being in a position

where he could communicate with

his battalion commander

so that he could get change orders,

including "reinforcements are on the way"

or "we want you to withdraw."

It was very unusual for a captain to be

the tip of the spear during World w*r II.

NARRATOR: Brown inches up Crucifix Hill

toward the bunker that targets his men.

(rapid g*nf*re)

BAUMER: Crawling as best he can to

stay under the trajectory of the fire.

All he has to do is stick his head

up and he's going to get shot.

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: The only

sign of the enemy inside

are the g*n barrels

firing through the aperture.

Soldiers from the 352nd grenadier regiment

are among those manning the bunkers.

LIEB: A grenadier regiment is

basically an infantry regiment.

In 1942, the Germans renamed all the

infantry units as grenadier regiments,

reminding of the old Prussian grenadier

regiments from the 18th and 19th Century.

NARRATOR:

They have been handpicked,

and moved quickly into defensive

positions on Crucifix Hill,

as the Americans closed in on Aachen.

LIEB: Despite the fact that these bunkers

were outdated, to a certain degree,

it gave the German soldiers

a sense of security.

You've got German documents,

when they retreated from France

in early autumn 1944,

that these bunkers were extremely

important for their morale

because for the first time, they've

got a clearly defined line of defense.

NARRATOR: The regiment’s commander is

Oberstleutnant Josef Eggerstorfer.

LIEB: Lieutenant Colonel Eggerstorfer

is a 35-year-old officer.

A former NCO, but who has seen a huge and

quick career during the second World w*r.

He's a veteran from the eastern front,

and got promoted thanks to

a preferential promotion.

This means he was promoted

quicker than normal

due to his performance on the b*ttlefield.

NARRATOR: Eggerstorfer has orders to

defend the ancient German city,

no matter what the cost.

Aachen has great historical significance

to the German people.

The city served as the coronation site for

the Holy Roman Empire for over 700 years.

Its majesty aligns with

Hitler’s imperial aspirations.

LIEB: Aachen has got a mythical

and symbolic value for the Nazis

because it is the old

imperial capital of Charlemagne,

who was the founder of the first Reich.

And the Nazis consider

to have the third Reich,

so there is a link, a historic

link in the n*zi mindset,

between the first Reich

and the third Reich.

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: The bunkers on Crucifix Hill

defend the city from the northeast.

As the fighting builds, the

conditions within deteriorate.

LIEB: It's cramped,

it's smelly, smoke everywhere.

(yells, in German) sh**t! sh**t!

Keep sh**ting! sh**t! Fire!

(rapid g*nf*re)

When you fire a machine g*n,

the noise reverberates.

So, psychologically, it's extremely

demanding for an ordinary soldier.

(rapid g*nf*re)

(expl*si*n)

NARRATOR: On the

slope below the bunker,

Brown must decide the best way to

neutralize it using the satchel charge.

ZALOGA: It's usually something where

you're not under enemy fire,

so you take it up to a wall

and you position it very carefully,

and you might

use multiple satchel charges.

When a satchel charge

is used in close combat,

it's usually used in

an improvised fashion.

NARRATOR: Brown works out a plan.

The expl*sives have a three second fuse.

It doesn’t give him much time to

take cover before the charge explodes.

BAUMER: If he were to crawl to the flank

of that box and come in from behind it,

he might be in a position to see if the

back door was a way he could get into it,

or close enough so he could throw his

satchel charge through it.

(expl*si*n)

NARRATOR: But, if Brown can throw the

charge through the aperture,

the bunker should

protect him from the blast.

Brown picks up speed.

As he runs up the slope towards the

opening, he encounters a German soldier.

(dramatic music)

(tense music)

NARRATOR: Before American captain Bobbie

Brown can make his move to the aperture,

the startled soldier dashes

back into the bunker.

Brown leaps to pull the door closed,

to trap him inside.

But it won’t shut.

BAUMER: So as the German turned, his

r*fle, which was slung over his shoulder,

slipped off his shoulder, down

his elbow, and into the door jam.

NARRATOR: Brown sees the r*fle.

He opens the door to kick it in.

With the fuse pulled

on the satchel charge,

he drops it inside and slams the door.

(suspenseful music)

(dramatic music)

(expl*si*n)

Brown jumps back as the

bunker explodes behind him.

BAUMER: From down the hill,

what Bobbie Brown’s men saw

was a bunker where smoke was

pouring out of the apertures,

the air vent on top of it.

Flames were licking the sky,

and there were nothing but loud

explosions, one following another.

(expl*si*n)

NARRATOR:

The destruction is total.

ZALOGA: A satchel charge of that size

inside a bunker is going to be devastating

because it contains the

blast within the bunker.

BAUMER:

No German survived that blast.

The biggest body part

they found later was a thigh.

NARRATOR: C Company’s

command and control group,

of the American 18th infantry regiment,

would be happy to see their captain return

safely to the ditch after the expl*si*n.

Brown immediately asks

for a progress report.

Despite knocking out the bunker,

the men of C and A Companies

remain pinned by the heavy German fire

from across Crucifix Hill.

Brown has taken out the first bunker,

but the others continue to operate.

Because they are so high,

they can see the approach

and direct their fire with accuracy

on the attacking Americans.

(rapid g*nf*re)

When Brown looks further up the hill,

he identifies another bunker beyond

the one he’s just destroyed.

BAUMER:

The job's not finished.

He believes he got a command bunker

with the first one he took

and he wants to go get more

of what he believes are

the command-and-control

bunkers for the German firing.

He had a volunteer that wanted to go,

and Bobbie just turned to him and said,

“That's bad crap sh**ting soldier.

I don't quit while the dice are hot.”

(muted) Satchel charge.

NARRATOR: This time,

Brown grabs both a satchel

and a pole charge and

prepares for his ascent.

ZALOGA: A pole charge

consists of a length of wood

with a small demolition charge at the end.

And it differs from a satchel charge

in that a pole charge can be placed very

precisely next to the embrasure

to try to destroy it.

NARRATOR: It has improvised,

do-it-yourself qualities.

The quantity of

expl*sives can be adjusted.

An engineer unit attached to the infantry

unit will bring up some satchel charges.

The engineers will make

the pole charges in the field.

NARRATOR: Brown has his next target.

But as his men try to move up the hill,

allied a*tillery also pounds the

sector to support their advance.

It would be dangerous to get too close.

(rapid g*nf*re)

(muted) Put some smoke in the pillbox!

NARRATOR: Brown orders his runner to

fire a yellow smoke grenade

on the bunker’s south side.

This will signal the American 155

millimeter g*n to lift its fire,

so he can approach the bunker safely.

From within the bunker, the Germans may

not be able to see the yellow smoke.

The thick concrete and rebar mean bunkers

can withstand heavy fire power,

but limit visibility

of their immediate surroundings.

(dramatic music)

Each bunker has a field of

fire that their g*ns can reach.

As a system, the bunkers are

designed to support each other

by providing overlapping fire.

Even if one bunker is taken out,

the ones around it should be able to

continue to cover the hillside.

(rapid g*nf*re)

Brown creeps up.

BAUMER: His plan was to go

for the back door again.

But as he crawled up

closer to that bunker,

the German fires were so strong that he

was convinced that they had spotted him.

NARRATOR:

Brown must reduce his profile.

BAUMER:

They could only aim so low.

If he could crawl underneath that,

he could get closer to the pillbox.

NARRATOR: The machine g*n

fire above him stops.

BAUMER: Bobbie keeps going

and he realizes this time

that his best approach is

going to be frontally.

So, this time he crawls close

enough the aperture to reach out

and put his pole charge through it.

(suspenseful music)

NARRATOR: With very little distance

between him and the detonation,

once he pulls the fuse he has just

three seconds until it explodes.

(dramatic sting)

(dramatic sting)

(expl*si*n)

NARRATOR:

The blast is powerful.

However, the pole charge deployed by

American captain Bobbie Brown

fails to destroy the bunker.

But the expl*si*n does widen the aperture

and distracts the soldiers inside.

Surveying the situation,

he decides he's not finished yet.

So, he grabs his satchel charge,

and he heads right for the opening that he

had created with his pole charge.

NARRATOR: Brown pulls the fuse and

throws a satchel charge into the bunker.

He ducks away in the short seconds

before the expl*sives detonate.

(expl*si*n)

With the bunker in blazes behind him,

Brown returns to his command group.

ZALOGA:

What was remarkable about this instance

is that it was a captain

performing this mission.

It's not the job of infantry captains to

go running around with satchel charges

blowing up bunkers.

He's supposed to leave that to the

enlisted men and to his sergeants.

But by the fall of 1944,

the First infantry division

had suffered so many casualties.

He may not have had someone to turn to,

and he might have just felt, "Nobody's

there to do it. I'm going to go do it."

NARRATOR: Brown asks for a report on

their company’s advance up the hill.

The radio operator notices that

Brown’s canteen has b*llet holes in it,

and that his captain is bleeding.

(muted) Sir! You’re wounded!

BAUMER: Brown was,

you know, as we say today,

just absolutely pumped up on adrenaline.

In fact, his canteen having three holes

in it was the least of his problems.

His men had noticed

that he had a bloody knee.

But to Bobbie that was only a scratch.

(muted) Don’t worry about it!

NARRATOR: Brushing off the injuries,

Brown demands the report.

He learns men from second platoon

have finally started up Crucifix Hill.

But they have

suffered multiple casualties,

including the death

of their platoon leader.

The Germans continue the fight,

in defiance of the American attack.

(rapid g*nf*re)

(somber music)

(airplane drone)

But one month earlier, the commander

of the garrison at Aachen,

Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin

appealed to American

military leadership for mercy.

Aachen was the first major

German city under direct threat.

Much of its prewar population

of 165,000 was desperate to flee

and it created chaos for

soldiers and civilians alike.

Concerned that there would not be enough

time for remaining residents to escape,

Schwerin calls off the order to

evacuate, and people return home.

He then drafted a letter asking

the American commander

to care for his civilians,

a request which at least implied

that the city was to be

surrendered to U.S. Control.

LIEB: For Schwerin,

it's an extremely risky thing,

because Hitler had ordered,

that on German soil, every city,

every bunker must

be defended to the last man.

The n*zi media writes about Aachen must

be defended like a German Stalingrad.

And in this context,

it just doesn't match

the picture of a determined fight.

NARRATOR: Before the letter could be

delivered to the Americans,

it fell into n*zi hands. Hitler had

Schwerin relieved from duty and arrested.

He is replaced with commanders

ready to fight to the death.

(dramatic music)

(rapid g*nf*re)

Now weeks later, as his

men start their advance,

American captain Bobbie Brown

orders them to complete

the capture of their assigned bunkers

on the lower part of the hill.

But as he surveys the slope, he can see

a particularly large bunker at the top.

(rapid g*nf*re)

(suspenseful music)

It is heavily armed, and

continues to fire at his men.

(muted) Satchel charge!

NARRATOR: Brown decides

once more, to launch an attack.

(dramatic music)

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: As the U.S. Captain Bobbie

Brown nears the crest of Crucifix Hill,

on the afternoon of October 8th, 1944,

the 60-foot cross that gave the peak

its name is now in ruins.

The Crucifix had provided an excellent

outpost for German a*tillery observers

to direct fire at the advancing Americans.

BAUMER: Some witnesses to the

action said that it fell

during the P-47 thunderbolt strikes,

before the attack began.

The other account was the German side.

They claimed they shot it down.

Because they didn't want

the Americans climbing up on the Crucifix

and using it as an observation post as

they had been doing.

NARRATOR: Brown’s goal is to

clear the German defenses

that protect the city of Aachen.

He’s already knocked out two bunkers.

Now, he targets a third.

ZALOGA: There's another type of a bunker,

which is sometimes used

both as an observation bunker

and a machine g*n bunker.

And this is the most formidable of them.

It typically has an armored cupola,

and the armored cupola would have vision

slits all around it on six or eight sides.

And it might also have a

machine g*n mantlet

that was completely protected

against outside attack.

That's what I think he attacked.

NARRATOR: Based on the sources,

this bunker appears to be a panzerturm.

Although often associated with tanks,

in German, “panzer” means armored,

and refers to the

three-inch steel plating.

ZALOGA: They're sometimes mistranslated

as a tank turret. They don't traverse.

They're not made from tank turret parts.

They're an armored cupola.

NARRATOR: The cupola may sometimes

be the most visible element.

The rest of the bunker, is very large and

dug into the earth.

It contains everything needed to sustain

45 soldiers and their officers.

Panzerturm were built in places

that were critical to defend.

ZALOGA: The Germans have very

specific terms for them.

But because the U.S. Army would

sometimes mistranslate the name,

they are sometimes called tank turrets.

NARRATOR:

The panzerturm is Brown’s target.

Based on the imposing

nature of this big bunker,

its location, the turret on top of it,

in Bobbie Brown’s mind that was where the

Germans central command and control was.

That's why he wanted to go get it.

NARRATOR: Inside the bunker,

the Germans pour fire on the slopes below

to thwart the American advance.

Their specific actions are unknown.

LIEB: We don't know for sure because the

documents haven't survived.

But generally speaking, the communication

between the bunkers was relatively good.

I think it always

depends on the situation,

whether you are still have

your communication lines

with their neighboring bunkers

or with your superiors.

Whether the bunker next to

you is still holding out

or whether it has already surrendered.

And this makes it, for a commander, quite

complicated, quite difficult to decide

whether it's time to give up or

whether it's time to fight on.

(tense music)

- (muted) Schnell! Schnell! a*mo! Now! Go!

- NARRATOR: In the meantime,

the German defenders will need all the

fire power they can get their hands on.

Bobbie Brown approaches the bunker.

He comes in from the side.

He can get close to the exterior walls,

but they are so thick,

it would take hundreds of

pounds of expl*sives to penetrate.

He has 15 pounds of TN

in his satchel charge.

(dramatic music)

TNT, or trinitrotoluene,

remains one of the most widely

used expl*sives in the world

and is still found in

many military weapons.

During the w*r, one factory alone

could produce 720,000 pounds of TNT a day.

It’s considered a very stable expl*sive,

which is why it’s safely handled and

widely used, by World w*r II soldiers.

But unless Brown gets the satchel charge

inside, the damage will be insignificant.

He also notices a second bunker.

BAUMER:

He surmised that the second,

that was on top the concrete

slab, was likely an a*mo bunker.

So to him it seemed logical that if anyone

came out of the back of the big bunker,

the back of the big bunker they'd

likely be going to the back bunker

to get some a*mo.

- (muted) Ammunition!

- (in German, muted)

NARRATOR:

As Brown watches,

an enemy soldier emerges from a

door to the rear of the main bunker.

It’s exactly the opportunity

he’s been waiting for.

(tense music)

(dramatic music)

NARRATOR: American captain Bobbie Brown

observes a German soldier,

who leaves a large bunker then

returns with a load of ammunition shells.

BAUMER: Bobbie was stalking. He didn't

realize it but Bobbie was right there.

NARRATOR:

Brown closes in.

BAUMER: The soldier enters the

bunker with his arms full of a*mo.

(thud)

So he puts the load down so

that he can close the door,

only to be looking into the

eyes of an American captain.

NARRATOR: Before the German can react,

Brown deposits his satchel charge,

with the fuse pulled, on the

floor beside the ammunition.

(expl*si*n)

BAUMER:

When the charges went off

Bobbie Brown was not able to turn

as quickly as he had before,

and he went head over heels backwards

into the crater he'd hidden

in before the attack.

NARRATOR:

By waiting for the soldier to return,

the expl*si*n of Brown’s

satchel charge also sets off

the ordnance the man had brought into

the bunker, amplifying the impact.

His patience paid off.

BAUMER: Brown’s attack on the third

bunker was everything he had trained for.

Bobbie lived for moments like this.

He was fearless.

The least concern he had was for himself.

He was so mission centric.

He simply was going

to do what he had to do.

NARRATOR: With the

destruction of the third bunker,

the southern slope of Crucifix Hill falls

under American control.

BAUMER: Because the command bunkers that

Bobbie Brown had gone after had fallen,

his men had been able to start to move.

They were now able to take bigger leaps,

and take the surrender of more Germans

from the different pillboxes

all over Crucifix Hill.

NARRATOR: Brown has been wounded

but his work is not complete.

BAUMER: Bobbie Brown’s mission,

in his mind, wasn't accomplished.

He had only increased the chances

that Crucifix Hill would be taken.

The other half of his mission was to

reconnoiter the back side of the hill

so he could prepare his company

for the inevitable counterattack

that would come from the Germans.

So, he stayed on the hill to do that.

NARRATOR: As Brown

crosses to the north side

(rapid g*nf*re)

Machine g*n fire rips into the ground

around him. He dives into the dirt.

Exposed again to the enemy, even the

smallest divot provides some protection.

Brown waits for a moment

and then lifts his head.

(rapid g*nf*re)

The reaction from the

Germans is immediate.

Machine g*n b*ll*ts whistle past.

BAUMER: He wanted to understand

what the direction of that fire was,

so he could best position his forces

to know where the counterattacks

were likely to come from.

(rapid g*nf*re)

NARRATOR: Brown drops his

head and removes his helmet.

BAUMER: This time what he decides is take

and put his helmet on his finger

and wave it around. To taunt the

Germans, and that obviously draws fire.

NARRATOR: Brown has his answer. The

Germans are positioned to counterattack,

but he can’t do anything from here.

(rapid g*nf*re)

(rapid g*nf*re)

Brown makes his way

back to his command group.

(silence)

NARRATOR: He reports the

position of the German g*ns.

BROWN (muted): We need a full barrage!

NARRATOR: And orders an

a*tillery strike to the south.

(muted) Don't let up!

Scatter for effect!

NARRATOR: He also

informs his commanding officers

they have made it to

the top of Crucifix Hill.

It’s only been 40 minutes from

the start of Brown’s as*ault.

He will not let the hill be taken back.

(expl*si*n)

(explosions)

Brown’s regiment needs

to consolidate its gains.

(explosions)

Clear the remaining pillboxes and move

units up to hold the captured positions.

Only when this important work is complete,

does he allow his wounds to be treated.

Later that night, Brown proves right.

The Germans launch a

significant counterattack,

which he and his men fight off.

And in the morning, the 18th infantry

regiment still holds Crucifix Hill.

For his bravery and fearless leadership,

Bobbie Brown earns the

highest military award

a soldier can

receive for actions in combat:

the Congressional Medal

Of Honor, after the w*r.

The meeting was held in the

east room at the White House.

President Harry Truman was going to bestow

the honor upon Bobbie Brown,

and as the story went, when he put the

medal around Bobbie Brown's neck,

the President said to him, “I’d give up

being President to be awarded this medal,”

and Bobbie Brown took that in stride,

still being the straight sh**ter that

he was, said to the President,

“You know you're lying Mr. President.”

NARRATOR:

In later years,

his injuries kept him in constant

pain and led to depression.

In 1971, Brown died by suicide.

The capture of Crucifix Hill

led to the encirclement,

and finally, the surrender, of

Aachen on October 21st, 1944.

Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin,

the commander of the Aachen

garrison in September, is blamed.

LIEB: Schwerin is held responsible

for the disaster at Aachen,

and Hitler probably

wants to court-martial him.

But Schwerin is protected by

all his military superiors,

so that Hitler, more or less,

forgets this story,

and Schwerin is later posted

to the Italian front,

out of sight, out of mind for Hitler.

NARRATOR: Aachen is the

first major German city to fall.

LIEB: The fall of Aachen is a major blow

for the Nazis and for the German people,

because now, you have got the Americans

standing on German soil in the west.

And at the same time, you've got the

Soviets capturing parts of east Prussia.

So, w*r has now come onto German soil.

NARRATOR: But as the Autumn sets

in and the weather gets worse

LIEB: German morale improves

again because in the east, the Soviets,

and in the west, the Allies,

both their advance stalls.

NARRATOR: And the w*r in Europe would

still rage for six more months.