1 00:00:01,876 --> 00:00:03,962 December 1944. 2 00:00:05,088 --> 00:00:07,674 U.S. Rangers capture a Nazi stronghold 3 00:00:07,674 --> 00:00:09,009 on the German border. 4 00:00:11,011 --> 00:00:13,638 But a series of counterattacks and artillery tree bursts... 5 00:00:15,765 --> 00:00:19,769 leave just a handful of men to defend their critical capture. 6 00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:22,105 In their extreme vulnerability, 7 00:00:22,105 --> 00:00:24,816 the Rangers must consider an unthinkable plan 8 00:00:24,816 --> 00:00:26,901 to ward off the next attack. 9 00:00:26,985 --> 00:00:28,278 It's that desperate. 10 00:00:28,278 --> 00:00:31,072 They have to call the artillery strike on their own position 11 00:00:31,156 --> 00:00:32,449 and hope to survive. 12 00:00:38,038 --> 00:00:40,874 On June 6, 1944, 13 00:00:40,874 --> 00:00:44,002 Allied forces finally land troops in Normandy 14 00:00:44,002 --> 00:00:46,212 to open the Western Front. 15 00:00:51,718 --> 00:00:53,845 But Nazi fanatics and diehards 16 00:00:53,845 --> 00:00:56,639 continue to fight ruthlessly for survival. 17 00:01:01,102 --> 00:01:02,270 D-Day was a battle. 18 00:01:04,481 --> 00:01:06,900 The Allies still need to win the war. 19 00:01:16,159 --> 00:01:18,745 December 7, 1944. 20 00:01:18,745 --> 00:01:20,330 Bergstein, Germany. 21 00:01:24,375 --> 00:01:26,753 Members of the American 2nd Ranger Battalion 22 00:01:26,753 --> 00:01:28,588 go behind enemy lines 23 00:01:29,130 --> 00:01:32,509 to reconnoiter the German stronghold of Hill 400. 24 00:01:35,136 --> 00:01:36,805 As second in command, 25 00:01:36,805 --> 00:01:39,516 Lieutenant Len Lomell scouts for Dog Company. 26 00:01:41,267 --> 00:01:43,186 The Rangers are not here to fight. 27 00:01:45,188 --> 00:01:46,940 They creep through the darkness 28 00:01:46,940 --> 00:01:49,442 to identify the German bunkers and machine gun nests 29 00:01:49,526 --> 00:01:51,027 they will need to capture 30 00:01:51,111 --> 00:01:54,447 when they launch their assault on Hill 400 in the morning. 31 00:01:58,034 --> 00:02:02,122 After the rapid collapse of Nazi forces in France over the summer, 32 00:02:02,122 --> 00:02:04,749 the fight moves towards the German border. 33 00:02:05,250 --> 00:02:09,003 In autumn 1944, the entire situation 34 00:02:09,087 --> 00:02:12,006 for the German soldier changes. 35 00:02:12,090 --> 00:02:15,760 It's the first time now in this war that he's fighting on home ground. 36 00:02:16,386 --> 00:02:20,181 This is something that gives him a new motivation to continue. 37 00:02:21,599 --> 00:02:23,726 Adolf Hitler orders defenses to be strengthened 38 00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:25,979 along Germany's borderlands, 39 00:02:26,646 --> 00:02:28,690 which run through the Hurtgen Forest. 40 00:02:30,066 --> 00:02:32,944 The Allies call the 390-mile series of fortifications 41 00:02:32,944 --> 00:02:34,696 the Siegfried Line. 42 00:02:38,032 --> 00:02:40,285 By December 1944, 43 00:02:40,910 --> 00:02:43,830 German forces have bogged down the Allies in the Hurtgen Forest 44 00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:45,373 for nearly three months. 45 00:02:47,458 --> 00:02:49,752 And Allied armies have pushed the Western Front 46 00:02:49,836 --> 00:02:51,254 up to the German border... 47 00:02:52,505 --> 00:02:54,591 and to the base of Hill 400. 48 00:02:56,176 --> 00:02:59,470 Hill 400, to some extent, is the key to the Hurtgen Forest. 49 00:03:00,221 --> 00:03:01,848 The hill is a natural fortress-- 50 00:03:01,848 --> 00:03:03,600 rocky, tree-covered, 51 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,060 and 45 degrees on its steepest slope. 52 00:03:07,312 --> 00:03:08,771 To these natural defenses, 53 00:03:08,855 --> 00:03:12,442 German troops have added bunkers and machine gun nests. 54 00:03:14,944 --> 00:03:17,030 Holding the hill permits its occupier 55 00:03:17,030 --> 00:03:19,699 to observe troop movements for miles around, 56 00:03:19,699 --> 00:03:21,701 including the Cologne Plain. 57 00:03:22,785 --> 00:03:24,495 If you get Hill 400, 58 00:03:24,579 --> 00:03:29,042 you immediately can put artillery observers atop that hill. 59 00:03:29,042 --> 00:03:32,253 At that stage, then you can call down U.S. artillery 60 00:03:32,337 --> 00:03:34,380 upon any German movement in the area. 61 00:03:35,173 --> 00:03:39,844 Hill 400 emerges as this, like, solid-gold real estate 62 00:03:40,261 --> 00:03:42,096 that both sides understand they have to have. 63 00:03:44,140 --> 00:03:47,143 The Rangers now have orders to seize the hill. 64 00:03:47,227 --> 00:03:49,145 Lomell's scout is the first step. 65 00:03:50,563 --> 00:03:53,858 He went up Hill 400 and scouted out the different positions 66 00:03:53,942 --> 00:03:55,777 and was able to bring back that crucial intelligence, 67 00:03:55,777 --> 00:03:59,322 which helps, uh, shape the attack on December 7th. 68 00:04:03,785 --> 00:04:05,328 Lomell and the other scouts 69 00:04:05,328 --> 00:04:08,039 slip into the town of Bergstein at the base of the hill. 70 00:04:10,416 --> 00:04:12,418 Just before 6:00 AM, 71 00:04:12,502 --> 00:04:15,380 Lomell's men of 2nd Ranger Battalion's Dog Company 72 00:04:15,380 --> 00:04:16,923 prepare to jump off. 73 00:04:17,548 --> 00:04:19,217 We've got an MG on the left side. 74 00:04:19,217 --> 00:04:20,468 And there's one on the right. 75 00:04:21,344 --> 00:04:24,222 Most have arrived just in time to move into the line. 76 00:04:25,473 --> 00:04:27,308 The men have had little or no sleep. 77 00:04:27,392 --> 00:04:28,518 There's one right at the end of the road. 78 00:04:37,151 --> 00:04:38,319 Suppressing fire! 79 00:04:40,446 --> 00:04:42,198 At 0600 hours, 80 00:04:42,282 --> 00:04:44,450 the Rangers charge from their positions. 81 00:04:45,368 --> 00:04:47,078 They must fight their way through Bergstein 82 00:04:47,078 --> 00:04:48,579 to their first objective. 83 00:04:48,663 --> 00:04:50,123 As they move from the cellars, 84 00:04:50,123 --> 00:04:53,543 they're receiving incoming artillery fire from the Germans, 85 00:04:53,876 --> 00:04:56,713 and men are being shredded by these artillery shells. 86 00:04:56,713 --> 00:04:57,964 They're also being sniped at. 87 00:05:02,969 --> 00:05:06,180 American forces hold just a sliver of the village. 88 00:05:06,264 --> 00:05:08,558 They are surrounded on three sides. 89 00:05:08,558 --> 00:05:10,977 And they can easily be cut off by the Germans 90 00:05:11,436 --> 00:05:12,770 and annihilated. 91 00:05:12,854 --> 00:05:15,189 The Germans wanted it back at all costs. 92 00:05:16,274 --> 00:05:19,193 They only need to advance a few hundred yards, 93 00:05:19,277 --> 00:05:22,864 but combat in built-up areas like towns is a challenge. 94 00:05:23,531 --> 00:05:25,908 The walls provide shelter to both sides. 95 00:05:26,659 --> 00:05:28,578 It is also easy to get disoriented. 96 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,999 Urban combat is some of the most difficult combat 97 00:05:32,999 --> 00:05:34,959 that any soldier can encounter. 98 00:05:35,043 --> 00:05:36,544 It's not a situation 99 00:05:36,544 --> 00:05:38,796 where you're firing at somebody a hundred yards away. 100 00:05:39,255 --> 00:05:42,050 You're firing at them at point-blank range, 101 00:05:42,050 --> 00:05:44,052 and in many cases, it's hand-to-hand. 102 00:05:44,052 --> 00:05:46,054 Move, move, move! 103 00:05:56,606 --> 00:05:59,233 Men from Fox Company join Dog Company 104 00:05:59,317 --> 00:06:02,153 as the American Rangers continue to fight to the edge of town. 105 00:06:20,296 --> 00:06:22,465 Ah! Ah! 106 00:06:22,465 --> 00:06:24,509 Medic! Medic! 107 00:06:24,509 --> 00:06:25,718 Medic! 108 00:06:25,802 --> 00:06:28,930 Ah! 109 00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:30,556 The battle for Bergstein will rage 110 00:06:31,057 --> 00:06:33,393 even after the attack on the hill begins... 111 00:06:34,352 --> 00:06:38,064 the Germans relentless in their attempts to drive out U.S. forces 112 00:06:39,232 --> 00:06:41,984 and the Americans equally determined to hang on. 113 00:06:52,787 --> 00:06:56,582 Lomell and the two companies finally close in on their first objective. 114 00:06:57,875 --> 00:06:59,544 They converge in front of the hill 115 00:06:59,544 --> 00:07:01,379 in front of the field, 116 00:07:01,379 --> 00:07:04,173 and it's been described as a sunken road 117 00:07:04,507 --> 00:07:06,676 where there's a little bit of cover 118 00:07:06,676 --> 00:07:11,139 from the defenders on top of Hill 400, as well as the machine guns 119 00:07:11,139 --> 00:07:12,682 that are arrayed at the base of the hill. 120 00:07:13,099 --> 00:07:15,143 Lomell has fought with many of these men 121 00:07:15,143 --> 00:07:16,185 for a long time. 122 00:07:16,978 --> 00:07:19,188 Six months earlier, on D-Day, 123 00:07:19,272 --> 00:07:22,567 Lomell, along with Staff Sergeant Jack Kuhn, 124 00:07:22,567 --> 00:07:25,403 destroyed five of the Germans' main artillery guns 125 00:07:25,403 --> 00:07:27,363 at Utah and Omaha beaches. 126 00:07:29,157 --> 00:07:31,868 Len was shot in the side 127 00:07:31,868 --> 00:07:33,494 as he was scaling the cliff. 128 00:07:33,578 --> 00:07:37,540 But despite this wound, this gaping wound, kept climbing 129 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:39,375 and completed the mission. 130 00:07:39,459 --> 00:07:43,004 He fought through the maze of fortifications on the top 131 00:07:43,004 --> 00:07:47,383 and found the guns on top of Pointe du Hoc and disabled them with thermite grenades. 132 00:07:48,593 --> 00:07:51,471 This action had a profound impact on D-Day, 133 00:07:51,471 --> 00:07:53,181 saving countless lives. 134 00:07:54,056 --> 00:07:55,933 Lomell would earn citations 135 00:07:56,017 --> 00:07:58,144 from the American, British, and French governments. 136 00:08:01,314 --> 00:08:03,900 Lomell now eyes their next objective. 137 00:08:05,401 --> 00:08:08,488 The U.S. 2nd Ranger Battalion must take Hill 400 138 00:08:08,488 --> 00:08:11,407 and hold it for 24 hours, until relieved. 139 00:08:12,658 --> 00:08:17,163 By 0700, 120 men from Dog and Fox Companies 140 00:08:17,163 --> 00:08:18,831 have made it to the base of the hill. 141 00:08:19,415 --> 00:08:23,211 Between them and the tree line is a field 100 yards wide. 142 00:08:24,837 --> 00:08:27,924 The Rangers know once they begin, they cannot stop. 143 00:08:28,299 --> 00:08:30,051 Cross an open field 144 00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:34,555 under machine-gun fire from MG-42s-- 145 00:08:34,639 --> 00:08:36,557 what was called "Hitler's bone saw" 146 00:08:36,641 --> 00:08:40,937 because it-- it rattled off over 1,200 rounds per minute. 147 00:08:42,188 --> 00:08:46,609 The entire field itself was mined with Bouncing Betty mines, 148 00:08:47,068 --> 00:08:49,904 and these are mines that would shoot up into the air 149 00:08:49,904 --> 00:08:52,281 and then detonate around the area of your groin 150 00:08:52,740 --> 00:08:55,660 and-- and sever legs and body parts. 151 00:08:57,078 --> 00:08:59,497 The odds were definitely stacked against the Rangers 152 00:08:59,497 --> 00:09:00,998 on December 7th. 153 00:09:01,832 --> 00:09:05,753 German artillery and mortars begin targeting the Rangers' position. 154 00:09:11,676 --> 00:09:15,012 The first shells fall 75 yards behind the Americans. 155 00:09:15,805 --> 00:09:17,640 The German gunners fine-tune. 156 00:09:22,937 --> 00:09:25,231 The shells start to drop closer. 157 00:09:27,149 --> 00:09:29,860 Meanwhile, U.S. artillery responds 158 00:09:30,194 --> 00:09:32,780 and shells German positions in the tree line. 159 00:09:33,406 --> 00:09:34,824 Fire! 160 00:09:42,623 --> 00:09:45,543 Basically what's known as a rolling barrage or a creeping barrage. 161 00:09:45,543 --> 00:09:47,336 This is American artillery 162 00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:50,214 that is creeping in front of the Rangers. 163 00:10:04,895 --> 00:10:09,066 As the German shells drop closer to Dog and Fox Companies from behind, 164 00:10:10,568 --> 00:10:13,738 the Rangers are pinned between the two artillery barrages. 165 00:10:23,706 --> 00:10:26,208 Among the artillery weapons aimed at the Rangers 166 00:10:26,292 --> 00:10:28,002 is the Nebelwerfer 41. 167 00:10:28,836 --> 00:10:32,423 The German rocket launcher fires 5.9-inch shells. 168 00:10:33,424 --> 00:10:36,927 Each salvo fires six rockets one second apart. 169 00:10:37,511 --> 00:10:39,680 Concussive force alone can kill, 170 00:10:40,097 --> 00:10:42,725 even if the high-explosive fragments miss. 171 00:10:44,852 --> 00:10:47,605 As the rockets close in on the American Rangers, 172 00:10:47,980 --> 00:10:49,982 an unexpected order is given. 173 00:10:50,691 --> 00:10:52,985 These are very battle-hardened troops, 174 00:10:53,486 --> 00:10:59,158 but somehow in the mix of this, there was an unseasoned, untrained officer 175 00:10:59,742 --> 00:11:04,413 that ordered a scout to go out and reconnoiter the field. 176 00:11:05,790 --> 00:11:08,000 Fox Company's Sergeant Herman Stein 177 00:11:08,084 --> 00:11:09,877 is one of several Ranger NCOs 178 00:11:09,877 --> 00:11:12,463 to question the order given to one of the enlisted men. 179 00:11:12,963 --> 00:11:17,551 And they universally said, "Don't go out there. Don't go." 180 00:11:17,635 --> 00:11:19,220 They said it several times, 181 00:11:19,804 --> 00:11:22,139 and they tried to stop the man from going. 182 00:11:23,391 --> 00:11:24,266 Stein and the others 183 00:11:24,350 --> 00:11:26,977 knew the order meant certain death for whoever went. 184 00:11:28,938 --> 00:11:32,149 Can the weight of their experience force the officer to back down? 185 00:11:32,566 --> 00:11:34,402 No. Don't go! 186 00:11:38,489 --> 00:11:40,032 December 1944. 187 00:11:41,450 --> 00:11:45,287 The American 2nd Ranger Battalion prepares to attack a key position. 188 00:11:46,956 --> 00:11:48,833 They must take Hill 400, 189 00:11:48,833 --> 00:11:50,501 which overlooks the town of Bergstein, 190 00:11:50,501 --> 00:11:52,461 just inside the German border. 191 00:11:53,754 --> 00:11:55,548 As they wait to jump off, 192 00:11:55,548 --> 00:11:59,593 a newly assigned officer orders a man to scout the field out front. 193 00:12:01,220 --> 00:12:04,306 The non-commissioned officers argue it is too dangerous. 194 00:12:04,724 --> 00:12:06,767 The officer then looked at the man and said, 195 00:12:07,143 --> 00:12:09,520 "This is a direct order. Go out into the field." 196 00:12:10,062 --> 00:12:11,063 And he actually did, 197 00:12:11,856 --> 00:12:15,735 and as he went into the field, he was shot in the gut. 198 00:12:17,069 --> 00:12:18,195 What might have triggered a court martial 199 00:12:18,279 --> 00:12:19,739 in another unit 200 00:12:19,739 --> 00:12:22,032 is a hallmark of the 2nd Ranger psyche. 201 00:12:23,743 --> 00:12:26,495 In 1942, the United States didn't have 202 00:12:26,579 --> 00:12:29,290 special operation forces or commandos. 203 00:12:29,290 --> 00:12:30,833 The Rangers were a new thing. 204 00:12:31,542 --> 00:12:33,502 They were all volunteers, 205 00:12:33,586 --> 00:12:36,213 and they had a very tough weed-out process. 206 00:12:36,297 --> 00:12:39,884 These men had to march and climb and shoot and fight. 207 00:12:39,884 --> 00:12:43,512 Very few people were able to make it through the actual training. 208 00:12:44,346 --> 00:12:46,974 It molded men who could think outside the box, 209 00:12:46,974 --> 00:12:49,310 question orders, and take initiative 210 00:12:49,310 --> 00:12:51,896 if they thought it was in the best interest of the mission. 211 00:12:53,314 --> 00:12:57,318 That mindset would prompt Fox Company Sergeant William McHugh to action. 212 00:12:58,652 --> 00:13:01,655 McHugh realizes that the German mortars are closing in 213 00:13:01,739 --> 00:13:04,074 and would strike them before their jump-off time. 214 00:13:05,618 --> 00:13:08,454 Sergeant McHugh shouts, "Let's get the bastards!" 215 00:13:08,454 --> 00:13:11,624 And then he raises his tommy gun over his head, 216 00:13:11,624 --> 00:13:13,667 and they charge across the field. 217 00:13:22,426 --> 00:13:25,012 And it's been described as like a tsunami-- 218 00:13:25,012 --> 00:13:27,056 a band of screaming, shooting Rangers 219 00:13:27,515 --> 00:13:29,558 descending on these German machine gun nests, 220 00:13:30,017 --> 00:13:31,685 crossing this open field. 221 00:13:32,144 --> 00:13:33,896 McHugh spurs Dog and Fox Company 222 00:13:33,896 --> 00:13:36,065 to charge straight towards the German guns. 223 00:13:41,028 --> 00:13:42,655 Because they jumped off early, 224 00:13:42,655 --> 00:13:45,324 some of the incoming artillery they dodge is American. 225 00:13:46,325 --> 00:13:50,579 There's a real danger of being hit by their own friendly fire 226 00:13:50,663 --> 00:13:52,498 from this artillery, 227 00:13:52,498 --> 00:13:56,126 but the fact that they leave only a-a few minutes early 228 00:13:56,210 --> 00:13:57,586 saves many of their lives. 229 00:14:01,674 --> 00:14:05,386 Men were being hit by the artillery, by the German bullets, 230 00:14:05,386 --> 00:14:08,055 and then even by mines as they were crossing the field. 231 00:14:08,055 --> 00:14:11,433 But they didn't have a chance to look back or even help anybody. 232 00:14:11,517 --> 00:14:12,893 They were just moving forward. 233 00:14:17,481 --> 00:14:18,858 Standing in the Rangers' way 234 00:14:18,858 --> 00:14:22,528 is a regiment of the 272nd Volksgrenadier division, 235 00:14:22,528 --> 00:14:25,197 commanded by Captain Adolf Thomae. 236 00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:33,664 The Volksgrenadier divisions are formed 237 00:14:33,664 --> 00:14:35,666 after the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler 238 00:14:35,666 --> 00:14:38,335 by senior officers in July 1944. 239 00:14:41,005 --> 00:14:43,173 The idea behind the Volksgrenadier divisions-- 240 00:14:43,257 --> 00:14:46,594 you can already see this in the name "Volks," which means people, 241 00:14:46,594 --> 00:14:49,138 kind of grass-root formation 242 00:14:49,138 --> 00:14:52,182 inspired with Nazi ideology, 243 00:14:52,266 --> 00:14:58,105 with a belief of one community serving for a common cause. 244 00:14:58,105 --> 00:15:00,900 As Germany grapples with manpower shortages, 245 00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:05,738 older men and teenaged boys are conscripted from civilian life 246 00:15:05,738 --> 00:15:07,781 to form a replacement army loyal to Hitler. 247 00:15:10,784 --> 00:15:13,078 Members of the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine 248 00:15:13,162 --> 00:15:14,997 report for combat service. 249 00:15:15,998 --> 00:15:19,251 Injured soldiers also return to the lines faster. 250 00:15:21,045 --> 00:15:24,423 Heinrich Himmler mobilizes 49 new Volksgrenadier divisions 251 00:15:24,757 --> 00:15:26,258 in about eight weeks. 252 00:15:26,342 --> 00:15:28,636 Himmler ensures that they are well-armed, 253 00:15:28,636 --> 00:15:30,262 but hurries them into battle. 254 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:33,807 While overall results have been mixed, 255 00:15:33,891 --> 00:15:37,311 the 272nd has fought well in the Hurtgen Forest. 256 00:15:41,273 --> 00:15:42,608 At Thomae's disposal 257 00:15:42,608 --> 00:15:45,736 are 36 pieces of direct artillery support. 258 00:15:47,988 --> 00:15:49,448 Just that morning, 259 00:15:49,448 --> 00:15:51,909 his troops had planned to retake Bergstein. 260 00:15:53,327 --> 00:15:56,497 But the U.S. Rangers were the first ones to attack, 261 00:15:56,497 --> 00:16:00,542 and this puts Thomae very quickly into a defensive position. 262 00:16:03,045 --> 00:16:04,922 The Rangers' premature attack 263 00:16:04,922 --> 00:16:07,424 gives them a slight advantage over the Volksgrenadier. 264 00:16:08,926 --> 00:16:10,928 The artillery is actually coming in 265 00:16:10,928 --> 00:16:12,888 right as they're crossing, 266 00:16:12,972 --> 00:16:15,557 and it keeps the Germans' machine gunners' heads down. 267 00:16:15,641 --> 00:16:17,768 The Rangers who make it across the field 268 00:16:17,768 --> 00:16:19,561 capture the German outer positions. 269 00:16:23,399 --> 00:16:24,942 The Germans that are overrun, 270 00:16:24,942 --> 00:16:27,903 um, are either bayoneted, in many cases, 271 00:16:27,987 --> 00:16:30,280 or they're fleeing for their lives 272 00:16:30,364 --> 00:16:32,533 up the top of Hill 400. 273 00:16:34,243 --> 00:16:36,203 The U.S. Rangers press on. 274 00:16:36,203 --> 00:16:38,622 Speed and surprise add to their arsenal. 275 00:16:46,255 --> 00:16:49,883 Both Allied and German artillery continue to fall on the base of the hill. 276 00:16:55,973 --> 00:16:57,725 The Rangers have no choice 277 00:16:57,725 --> 00:17:01,020 but to continue to the next line of German defenses. 278 00:17:04,273 --> 00:17:06,191 Fighting is heavy as two companies 279 00:17:06,275 --> 00:17:09,445 of the American 2nd Ranger Battalion charge up Hill 400, 280 00:17:09,778 --> 00:17:11,989 a stronghold on Germany's border. 281 00:17:14,992 --> 00:17:17,745 Rangers try to clear German bunkers and machine gun nests 282 00:17:17,745 --> 00:17:18,871 as they move uphill. 283 00:17:27,921 --> 00:17:30,215 This is close-quarters combat. 284 00:17:30,299 --> 00:17:32,176 This is personal. 285 00:17:32,176 --> 00:17:36,180 In some cases, it's directly hand-to-hand fighting, 286 00:17:36,180 --> 00:17:39,183 with bayonets and knives, pistols. 287 00:17:39,767 --> 00:17:42,936 That's the level of intensity 288 00:17:43,020 --> 00:17:46,065 that these men had to go through just to get up that hill. 289 00:17:54,156 --> 00:17:57,701 Lieutenant Len Lomell, second in command of Dog Company, 290 00:17:57,785 --> 00:18:00,370 is amongst the first Rangers to reach the summit. 291 00:18:03,665 --> 00:18:05,209 Others quickly catch up. 292 00:18:08,212 --> 00:18:10,631 Their ascent has taken less than an hour. 293 00:18:21,850 --> 00:18:24,269 Members of Fox Company use grenades and gunfire 294 00:18:24,353 --> 00:18:26,814 to force the surrender of the German hilltop bunker. 295 00:18:34,530 --> 00:18:38,033 By 0830, the Rangers have claimed Hill 400. 296 00:18:40,369 --> 00:18:41,954 To that point in the war, 297 00:18:41,954 --> 00:18:44,498 it is one of the deepest incursions into Germany 298 00:18:44,498 --> 00:18:46,750 by U.S. or other Western allies. 299 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,256 These men were all running on adrenaline. 300 00:18:53,382 --> 00:18:58,011 Their nerves were taut from the-- the charge itself, 301 00:18:58,470 --> 00:19:01,765 the artillery that was falling, the close-in combat. 302 00:19:02,307 --> 00:19:04,309 Get these bodies outta here right now. 303 00:19:04,393 --> 00:19:07,604 They get to the top of the hill-- that was an exhilarating feeling. 304 00:19:07,688 --> 00:19:08,939 That's what they told me. 305 00:19:08,939 --> 00:19:12,818 The capture of Hill 400 is a remarkable achievement. 306 00:19:14,153 --> 00:19:16,155 But it was just the beginning. 307 00:19:17,322 --> 00:19:19,867 Lieutenant Lomell orders the Rangers to dig in. 308 00:19:22,161 --> 00:19:25,539 On the exposed hillside, security is elusive. 309 00:19:27,166 --> 00:19:31,170 The only real refuge that they had was the command bunker, 310 00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:33,338 an observation bunker on the top of Hill 400. 311 00:19:33,755 --> 00:19:37,050 Some Rangers take shelter in positions captured from the Germans, 312 00:19:37,134 --> 00:19:39,219 but that is not always possible. 313 00:19:40,596 --> 00:19:43,974 The German foxholes that were facing the American lines, 314 00:19:44,308 --> 00:19:46,768 they weren't facing the sides or flanks of the hill 315 00:19:46,852 --> 00:19:48,645 where the Germans were going to be coming from. 316 00:19:49,771 --> 00:19:52,900 New foxholes prove difficult to dig in the rocky soil. 317 00:19:56,236 --> 00:19:58,780 The ground is frozen solid. 318 00:19:58,864 --> 00:20:02,326 They're barely able to-- to claw through it, 319 00:20:02,326 --> 00:20:04,953 and some of the men actually use their fingernails, 320 00:20:05,037 --> 00:20:08,665 and they're bloody as they-- they claw through the dirt 321 00:20:09,082 --> 00:20:10,209 the best they can 322 00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:12,878 to dig this shallow hole with their trench knives 323 00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:14,713 and their bayonets. 324 00:20:14,713 --> 00:20:18,634 Anything that they can to just get a little semblance of cover. 325 00:20:19,384 --> 00:20:21,678 Foxholes are a critical perimeter defense 326 00:20:21,762 --> 00:20:24,097 against the inevitable German counterattack. 327 00:20:26,892 --> 00:20:29,645 German doctrine very much cherishes 328 00:20:29,645 --> 00:20:32,397 the idea of offensive action. 329 00:20:32,481 --> 00:20:34,316 So even if you lose a position, 330 00:20:34,316 --> 00:20:37,819 you are supposed to attack, counterattack 331 00:20:37,903 --> 00:20:39,321 as quickly as possible. 332 00:20:40,572 --> 00:20:42,866 German high command considers Hill 400 333 00:20:42,950 --> 00:20:46,119 to be of vital importance for a top-secret reason. 334 00:20:46,954 --> 00:20:50,832 Seventeen German divisions, totaling over 200,000 men, 335 00:20:50,916 --> 00:20:53,085 amass in the nearby Ardennes Forest. 336 00:20:55,462 --> 00:20:58,006 Hitler has been planning a surprise offensive 337 00:20:58,090 --> 00:21:00,008 in a bid to turn the tide of war. 338 00:21:00,884 --> 00:21:02,469 Their leaders go to great effort 339 00:21:02,469 --> 00:21:04,763 to conceal the build-up from Allied reconnaissance. 340 00:21:05,639 --> 00:21:08,225 If the Americans sit on Hill 400, 341 00:21:08,892 --> 00:21:12,688 they can spot German assembly areas in the rear. 342 00:21:14,523 --> 00:21:16,733 Captain Adolf Thomae receives a battalion 343 00:21:16,817 --> 00:21:18,819 of the 6th Fallschirmjaeger regiment, 344 00:21:18,819 --> 00:21:21,780 an elite group of paratroopers, as reinforcements. 345 00:21:23,865 --> 00:21:26,076 Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model 346 00:21:26,618 --> 00:21:28,912 offers Thomae's men an added incentive. 347 00:21:29,538 --> 00:21:32,666 Field Marshal Model promises the German unit 348 00:21:32,666 --> 00:21:34,835 re-seizing Hill 400 349 00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:37,796 an Iron Cross for each individual soldier 350 00:21:37,796 --> 00:21:39,715 and a seven-day leave. 351 00:21:40,882 --> 00:21:42,050 Having pre-ranged 352 00:21:42,134 --> 00:21:44,428 all the positions on the hill with his guns, 353 00:21:44,428 --> 00:21:46,972 Thomae begins to shell the Rangers. 354 00:21:50,934 --> 00:21:53,061 When the Germans attack Hill 400, 355 00:21:53,645 --> 00:21:57,774 the infantry attacks along the slopes towards the hill, 356 00:21:57,858 --> 00:22:01,862 and the German artillery is putting fire onto the U.S. soldiers 357 00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:03,155 sitting on top of the mountain. 358 00:22:03,155 --> 00:22:04,740 So there is a danger 359 00:22:04,740 --> 00:22:08,452 that German shells will also kill German infantrymen. 360 00:22:11,330 --> 00:22:13,373 The artillery proves persistent. 361 00:22:14,207 --> 00:22:17,336 This is every minute, this is every hour 362 00:22:17,919 --> 00:22:18,920 it's coming in. 363 00:22:19,546 --> 00:22:21,298 And there's no place to run or hide, 364 00:22:21,298 --> 00:22:24,384 and it's random death from above. 365 00:22:25,344 --> 00:22:27,763 Along with standard artillery rounds, 366 00:22:27,763 --> 00:22:30,766 part of Thomae's strategy is to create tree bursts. 367 00:22:31,850 --> 00:22:34,770 The Hurtgen Forest had conifer trees that were over a hundred feet high 368 00:22:34,770 --> 00:22:36,229 in some places, 369 00:22:36,313 --> 00:22:39,399 and the Germans designed their artillery barrages 370 00:22:39,483 --> 00:22:41,777 to strike above the canopy 371 00:22:41,777 --> 00:22:45,906 so that not only would deadly shrapnel rain down on the Americans, 372 00:22:45,906 --> 00:22:48,617 but also splinters that were razor sharp 373 00:22:48,617 --> 00:22:50,202 that could slice through the body. 374 00:22:51,828 --> 00:22:53,121 Standard Allied training 375 00:22:53,205 --> 00:22:56,249 was to drop to the ground in the face of incoming artillery. 376 00:22:56,666 --> 00:22:59,753 During a tree burst, such a move would prove fatal. 377 00:23:01,004 --> 00:23:04,174 Soldiers had to overcome their instincts and stay upright 378 00:23:04,508 --> 00:23:06,259 to let their helmets protect them. 379 00:23:07,427 --> 00:23:10,472 If there was a tree nearby, they'd actually hug the tree 380 00:23:10,472 --> 00:23:12,265 because it would prevent the shrapnel, 381 00:23:12,349 --> 00:23:14,851 and splinters from the wood wouldn't be able to hit them. 382 00:23:22,442 --> 00:23:24,694 As the Germans start to counterattack, 383 00:23:24,778 --> 00:23:26,988 Lieutenant Len Lomell and his fellow Rangers 384 00:23:27,072 --> 00:23:28,907 are dangerously exposed. 385 00:23:45,841 --> 00:23:49,428 Captain Adolf Thomae rallies more than 100 German troops 386 00:23:49,428 --> 00:23:53,348 against the American 2nd Ranger Battalion, who have just captured Hill 400. 387 00:23:59,980 --> 00:24:02,399 The German Volksgrenadier and the Fallschirmjaeger 388 00:24:02,399 --> 00:24:04,025 attack in small groups. 389 00:24:05,193 --> 00:24:07,737 The result is brutal close-in fighting. 390 00:24:12,159 --> 00:24:15,078 The Volksgrenadiers possess an extremely effective weapon 391 00:24:15,162 --> 00:24:16,413 for this kind of battle. 392 00:24:17,956 --> 00:24:19,583 The MP-44. 393 00:24:20,292 --> 00:24:22,294 The world's first assault rifle. 394 00:24:24,087 --> 00:24:26,006 Equipped with a 30-round magazine, 395 00:24:26,798 --> 00:24:29,801 the gun can switch from single-shot to rapid fire, 396 00:24:29,885 --> 00:24:30,927 with the flick of a lever. 397 00:24:34,306 --> 00:24:38,101 The MP-44 has an effective range of 164 yards 398 00:24:38,185 --> 00:24:39,895 in the full-automatic position 399 00:24:39,895 --> 00:24:42,939 and 437 yards in the single-shot mode. 400 00:24:45,108 --> 00:24:49,362 Armed with both MP-44s and its precursor, the MP-40, 401 00:24:49,446 --> 00:24:54,451 some German forces approach a location defended by Dog Company Sergeant Ed Secor. 402 00:24:56,036 --> 00:25:00,415 When the Germans counterattack, they are not running into open fire, 403 00:25:00,499 --> 00:25:02,626 they're trying to infiltrate the enemy positions 404 00:25:03,043 --> 00:25:05,629 and try to circumvent the strong points. 405 00:25:06,046 --> 00:25:09,633 Secor and a private had secured good coverage. 406 00:25:10,050 --> 00:25:11,760 Sergeant Secor was positioned 407 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,138 under an overhanging boulder in a shallow foxhole. 408 00:25:20,018 --> 00:25:23,438 But a German bullet renders Secor's weapon inoperable. 409 00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:31,029 In response, the usually mild-mannered Secor 410 00:25:31,029 --> 00:25:34,366 charges out to recover guns from dead German soldiers nearby. 411 00:25:39,621 --> 00:25:44,167 He immediately grabbed two MP-40 machine pistols, 412 00:25:44,251 --> 00:25:46,294 and then with both hands, 413 00:25:46,378 --> 00:25:49,464 fired into the mass of oncoming Germans. 414 00:26:11,194 --> 00:26:12,195 When they are empty, 415 00:26:12,279 --> 00:26:15,407 he then pulls out his pistol and continues to fire. 416 00:26:20,495 --> 00:26:22,122 Sergeant Secor's daring actions 417 00:26:22,122 --> 00:26:24,082 thwart the German counterattack. 418 00:26:33,341 --> 00:26:36,595 Captain Thomae and his men retreat to regroup and try again. 419 00:26:45,645 --> 00:26:47,314 During the German attack, 420 00:26:47,314 --> 00:26:50,317 Lieutenant Len Lommel's hand is injured by shrapnel. 421 00:26:50,317 --> 00:26:51,568 Despite his own wound, 422 00:26:52,110 --> 00:26:54,779 he must devise a defensive strategy for the Rangers-- 423 00:26:54,863 --> 00:26:57,657 now down to about 40 able-bodied men. 424 00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:02,829 He has Herm Stein from Fox Company bring his men closer to Dog Company. 425 00:27:03,455 --> 00:27:05,624 He also needs more information. 426 00:27:05,999 --> 00:27:09,711 Len Lomell really understood reconnaissance, 427 00:27:10,170 --> 00:27:14,341 so he sent out two-man scouts to sort of probe portions of the hill 428 00:27:14,341 --> 00:27:16,134 to find out where the enemy was. 429 00:27:21,056 --> 00:27:23,767 So many of the Ranger radios have been damaged, 430 00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:25,560 communication is difficult. 431 00:27:26,478 --> 00:27:30,231 It was hand signals, or a runner would run up to a position 432 00:27:30,315 --> 00:27:31,816 and say what is going on. 433 00:27:35,820 --> 00:27:37,072 In response, 434 00:27:37,072 --> 00:27:39,074 Lomell then has the Rangers concentrate 435 00:27:39,074 --> 00:27:40,659 in front of the German build-up 436 00:27:40,992 --> 00:27:43,078 so they can meet the attack with full force. 437 00:27:47,248 --> 00:27:50,377 When Captain Thomae leads his troops back up the hill, 438 00:27:52,545 --> 00:27:55,715 Lomell, Stein, and their fellow Rangers are ready for them. 439 00:28:08,561 --> 00:28:11,523 The Germans, however, do not attack on a single front. 440 00:28:12,148 --> 00:28:14,484 They probe the Ranger line for weaknesses. 441 00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:20,031 Lomell counters by constantly shifting his men. 442 00:28:23,410 --> 00:28:26,454 This is a situation of very scarce resources-- 443 00:28:26,538 --> 00:28:29,165 the resource being the GI or a Ranger. 444 00:28:29,874 --> 00:28:32,377 So they had to be very smart in how they defended the hill, 445 00:28:32,377 --> 00:28:34,129 and that's what they did. 446 00:28:34,129 --> 00:28:37,090 They moved his men around according to the threat. 447 00:28:37,090 --> 00:28:39,968 Lomell's mobile tactics lead the Germans to believe 448 00:28:39,968 --> 00:28:42,220 that the Rangers occupy the hill in great numbers. 449 00:28:43,263 --> 00:28:46,516 Had the Germans realized, they could have easily overwhelmed 450 00:28:46,516 --> 00:28:47,976 the American forces. 451 00:28:48,977 --> 00:28:51,855 But as the Rangers repel the second German counterattack, 452 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,482 they suffer further casualties. 453 00:28:55,650 --> 00:28:58,027 Just after 1600 hours, 454 00:28:58,111 --> 00:29:01,114 Lomell sends a message to his superiors in Bergstein 455 00:29:01,114 --> 00:29:02,907 that he's down to 25 men, 456 00:29:02,991 --> 00:29:05,285 who remain surrounded by German troops. 457 00:29:05,910 --> 00:29:07,412 It is like king of the castle. 458 00:29:07,412 --> 00:29:10,248 They're holding a-a perimeter on the top of the hill. 459 00:29:10,832 --> 00:29:13,084 The Rangers bring the wounded they can reach 460 00:29:13,168 --> 00:29:16,045 to the observation bunker at the crest of Hill 400. 461 00:29:18,006 --> 00:29:20,550 And that becomes the field hospital. 462 00:29:20,550 --> 00:29:23,428 They don't have any real medical equipment or anything like that. 463 00:29:23,428 --> 00:29:25,013 They just have some bandages. 464 00:29:25,013 --> 00:29:28,433 If they're lucky, they might even have a morphine syrette, 465 00:29:28,433 --> 00:29:30,351 but that's scarce, too. 466 00:29:30,435 --> 00:29:33,021 There's very little in terms of medical supplies. 467 00:29:34,355 --> 00:29:36,107 But many others lay out of reach 468 00:29:36,191 --> 00:29:38,568 and remain exposed to incoming shrapnel. 469 00:29:40,236 --> 00:29:42,947 In daylight, there was no way for the Rangers 470 00:29:43,031 --> 00:29:44,574 to evacuate their casualties. 471 00:29:45,533 --> 00:29:47,202 If they had to bring a wounded man down, 472 00:29:47,202 --> 00:29:49,037 they had to fight their way down the hill. 473 00:29:51,539 --> 00:29:53,291 Help me! 474 00:29:55,710 --> 00:29:58,171 The injured and dying Rangers call out. 475 00:29:58,797 --> 00:30:01,132 Help me! 476 00:30:04,219 --> 00:30:05,637 Help me! 477 00:30:05,637 --> 00:30:08,598 Finally, Lomell can't take their cries any longer. 478 00:30:09,057 --> 00:30:12,185 Len felt completely helpless on that front, 479 00:30:12,185 --> 00:30:15,396 and then he felt helpless by the men that were dying in the bunker. 480 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:16,731 And there was a real question 481 00:30:16,815 --> 00:30:19,025 whether or not they were going to be able to hold out. 482 00:30:19,025 --> 00:30:23,029 I mean, the whole hill was about to be overrun at any moment. 483 00:30:23,029 --> 00:30:24,239 Gather round. 484 00:30:30,245 --> 00:30:32,038 I suggest that we leave. 485 00:30:34,332 --> 00:30:36,459 Lomell proposes the unthinkable. 486 00:30:38,795 --> 00:30:41,089 That the Rangers abandon Hill 400. 487 00:30:49,722 --> 00:30:52,392 After a series of German counterattacks 488 00:30:52,392 --> 00:30:53,810 to retake Hill 400... 489 00:30:58,064 --> 00:31:00,525 Lieutenant Len Lomell proposes a shocking plan 490 00:31:00,525 --> 00:31:03,903 to the remaining members of the two U.S. Ranger companies. 491 00:31:05,405 --> 00:31:07,240 Desperate to help his injured men, 492 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,743 he suggests handing Hill 400 back to the Germans. 493 00:31:11,244 --> 00:31:12,579 There was a real question 494 00:31:12,579 --> 00:31:14,455 whether or not they had enough men to hold that hill, 495 00:31:15,415 --> 00:31:18,710 because of the constant artillery and the-- and the counterattacks, 496 00:31:18,710 --> 00:31:22,088 and it was at this point that he was, you know, proposing a solution 497 00:31:22,088 --> 00:31:23,089 to save his men. 498 00:31:23,548 --> 00:31:26,301 Lomell explains, based on his experience, 499 00:31:26,301 --> 00:31:28,428 the Germans would care for the American wounded 500 00:31:28,428 --> 00:31:30,346 if they surrendered the hill. 501 00:31:30,430 --> 00:31:32,098 His willingness to do so 502 00:31:32,098 --> 00:31:34,893 was an insight into how bad the battle was becoming 503 00:31:35,435 --> 00:31:38,646 and how slim a chance some of these guys had 504 00:31:38,730 --> 00:31:40,690 of surviving their wounds. 505 00:31:40,690 --> 00:31:43,192 It's an indicator into what kind of crisis you're dealing with 506 00:31:43,276 --> 00:31:44,652 at Hill 400. 507 00:31:45,612 --> 00:31:47,447 Lomell believes it will be the fastest way 508 00:31:47,447 --> 00:31:49,699 to get Ranger casualties treatment 509 00:31:49,699 --> 00:31:51,868 and save the lives of the dying. 510 00:31:53,161 --> 00:31:55,955 In World War II, American and German soldiers 511 00:31:56,039 --> 00:31:58,458 generally treat each other's wounded and prisoners 512 00:31:58,458 --> 00:32:00,585 according to the Geneva Convention. 513 00:32:03,212 --> 00:32:06,132 German soldiers captured by American and Western allies 514 00:32:06,132 --> 00:32:08,426 had a death rate of less than one percent... 515 00:32:09,886 --> 00:32:13,139 while four percent of U.S. soldiers died in German captivity. 516 00:32:14,891 --> 00:32:17,769 Relatively low numbers by wartime standards. 517 00:32:18,561 --> 00:32:19,771 But... 518 00:32:19,771 --> 00:32:21,064 That would only be the case 519 00:32:21,064 --> 00:32:23,316 after the intensitive combat had ebbed. 520 00:32:24,025 --> 00:32:26,069 If the hill fell in heavy combat, 521 00:32:26,402 --> 00:32:29,197 the wounded would likely be overrun as well. 522 00:32:29,197 --> 00:32:32,659 Lomell was at an inflection point in the battle. 523 00:32:33,201 --> 00:32:34,911 The men or the mission. 524 00:32:35,411 --> 00:32:37,121 And he floated the idea, 525 00:32:37,205 --> 00:32:41,793 do we move off the hill and leave the wounded 526 00:32:41,793 --> 00:32:43,962 so that the German medics can tend to them? 527 00:32:44,462 --> 00:32:45,546 What do you think? 528 00:32:52,011 --> 00:32:54,222 The Ranger response is unanimous. 529 00:32:54,222 --> 00:32:55,598 It's a no. 530 00:32:56,265 --> 00:32:58,393 No. Absolutely not, no. 531 00:32:59,852 --> 00:33:01,813 I say we stay, too. 532 00:33:01,813 --> 00:33:03,022 They are outnumbered, 533 00:33:03,106 --> 00:33:04,273 and the wounded vulnerable, 534 00:33:04,357 --> 00:33:06,067 but to abandon the hill 535 00:33:06,067 --> 00:33:07,944 would mean their sacrifices have been in vain. 536 00:33:11,990 --> 00:33:13,116 Well, all right. 537 00:33:14,659 --> 00:33:15,952 We'll stay. 538 00:33:16,786 --> 00:33:18,454 At 1652, 539 00:33:18,788 --> 00:33:22,041 Lomell sends an urgent call to his superiors in Bergstein, 540 00:33:22,125 --> 00:33:24,460 the town below the hill, for reinforcements. 541 00:33:31,134 --> 00:33:34,512 Another German counterattack tries to break the remaining Rangers. 542 00:33:36,848 --> 00:33:38,224 The Americans hold them off 543 00:33:38,224 --> 00:33:40,393 in hand-to-hand fighting with fixed bayonets. 544 00:33:43,813 --> 00:33:45,857 The forest is so black. 545 00:33:45,857 --> 00:33:48,151 You're not able to see somebody unless they're right on top of you, 546 00:33:48,151 --> 00:33:50,361 and it's close-in and intimate 547 00:33:50,737 --> 00:33:54,073 because you are face-to-face with the enemy. 548 00:34:07,670 --> 00:34:11,049 A platoon of reinforcements from the 2nd Rangers Easy Company 549 00:34:11,049 --> 00:34:12,925 finally arrives from the village below. 550 00:34:14,177 --> 00:34:16,387 - It's good to see you. - Good to see you, sir. 551 00:34:16,471 --> 00:34:19,807 And help Dog and Fox companies fight off the next German counterattack. 552 00:34:21,601 --> 00:34:22,518 Move! 553 00:34:35,490 --> 00:34:36,824 You all right? 554 00:34:37,617 --> 00:34:41,370 Lomell sustains another injury, this time in his upper thigh... 555 00:34:43,623 --> 00:34:45,875 and is now one of the many Ranger casualties 556 00:34:45,875 --> 00:34:47,251 who needs medical care. 557 00:34:54,801 --> 00:34:58,096 They hope that some can be evacuated under the cover of dark. 558 00:35:02,058 --> 00:35:04,936 Rangers from Charlie and Dog Company's mortar battalion 559 00:35:04,936 --> 00:35:07,105 climb the hill with litters for the wounded. 560 00:35:08,731 --> 00:35:10,608 The stretcher bearers work silently. 561 00:35:11,192 --> 00:35:14,112 German troops continue to occupy the slopes. 562 00:35:15,238 --> 00:35:16,906 And just picture 563 00:35:16,906 --> 00:35:20,910 the-- the dead weight of a wounded man on a stretcher, 564 00:35:20,910 --> 00:35:23,329 and you've got to somehow haul this person down. 565 00:35:23,329 --> 00:35:25,623 It's a broken hill with tree roots all over the place, 566 00:35:25,623 --> 00:35:27,041 and it's so easy to trip 567 00:35:27,583 --> 00:35:29,710 or get caught by the enemy. 568 00:35:29,794 --> 00:35:31,295 It's extremely perilous. 569 00:35:33,214 --> 00:35:37,552 Though wounded, Lomell oversees the evacuation of the Ranger casualties. 570 00:35:39,595 --> 00:35:41,264 At 2140 hours, 571 00:35:41,264 --> 00:35:43,015 he is amongst the last of the injured 572 00:35:43,099 --> 00:35:44,475 to leave Hill 400. 573 00:35:46,102 --> 00:35:48,312 Lomell was-- was losing a lot of blood. 574 00:35:48,396 --> 00:35:51,023 His-- His finger was dangling from his tendon. 575 00:35:51,899 --> 00:35:53,651 He did not want to leave his men, 576 00:35:53,651 --> 00:35:57,572 but h-his wounds basically forced him off the hill. 577 00:36:05,788 --> 00:36:08,875 Sergeant Herm Stein is now in charge of Fox Company. 578 00:36:09,959 --> 00:36:13,296 The night is broken by periodic shells and sniper fire. 579 00:36:15,548 --> 00:36:18,384 If the few dozen Rangers survive until morning... 580 00:36:20,970 --> 00:36:22,889 they know that another German counterattack 581 00:36:22,889 --> 00:36:24,515 will surely come. 582 00:36:31,355 --> 00:36:32,773 The 2nd Ranger Battalion 583 00:36:33,191 --> 00:36:34,817 has kept Hill 400 out of German hands 584 00:36:34,901 --> 00:36:37,195 for much of December 7, 1944. 585 00:36:38,321 --> 00:36:40,740 And by 1700 hours on December 8th, 586 00:36:41,115 --> 00:36:43,826 they've withstood two more counterattacks 587 00:36:43,910 --> 00:36:46,078 coming from three sides of the hill. 588 00:36:46,537 --> 00:36:49,165 Hill 400, you can't think of it as, 589 00:36:49,165 --> 00:36:51,209 oh, here's the Americans controlling the whole hill. 590 00:36:51,209 --> 00:36:53,294 It's more like, here's a handful of guys 591 00:36:53,294 --> 00:36:55,796 in little clumps here and there on that hill 592 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:58,716 who control the ground they stand on, kind of, 593 00:36:58,716 --> 00:37:01,469 controlling the entry points, the exit points, 594 00:37:01,469 --> 00:37:04,180 controlling an area 30 yards away. 595 00:37:04,180 --> 00:37:05,264 That-- That's problematic. 596 00:37:09,602 --> 00:37:12,271 Another heavy artillery bombardment begins-- 597 00:37:12,897 --> 00:37:15,441 a sign that the next counterattack is imminent. 598 00:37:20,947 --> 00:37:24,158 Sergeant Herm Stein of Fox Company endures the bombardment... 599 00:37:26,077 --> 00:37:28,037 ...with an assortment of weapons at the ready. 600 00:37:30,373 --> 00:37:33,876 The Rangers who remain on the hill keep the weapons of the killed and wounded 601 00:37:34,418 --> 00:37:38,047 and collect those abandoned by the Germans to prevent running out of ammunition. 602 00:37:38,756 --> 00:37:40,216 It's risky. 603 00:37:40,216 --> 00:37:43,010 There's a real danger with using captured German weapons 604 00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:44,553 because they make a distinct sound, 605 00:37:45,179 --> 00:37:47,640 and if you're an American combatant 606 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:49,225 hearing a German weapon, 607 00:37:49,225 --> 00:37:51,269 you could potentially think it's a German firing that weapon 608 00:37:51,269 --> 00:37:52,395 and fire upon your own men. 609 00:37:56,482 --> 00:37:59,193 As the artillery eases, 150 German troops 610 00:37:59,277 --> 00:38:02,363 under the command of Captain Adolf Thomae charge the hill. 611 00:38:08,577 --> 00:38:11,330 The fifth counterattack is the strongest yet. 612 00:38:13,791 --> 00:38:16,085 German troops advance to within 30 yards 613 00:38:16,085 --> 00:38:18,045 of the observation bunker on the top of the hill. 614 00:38:22,967 --> 00:38:25,094 The Ranger numbers continue to dwindle. 615 00:38:30,308 --> 00:38:33,227 They resort to desperate measures to hold their position. 616 00:38:34,895 --> 00:38:36,522 They call in artillery support, 617 00:38:37,148 --> 00:38:38,733 virtually onto the hilltop. 618 00:38:40,192 --> 00:38:41,277 It's that desperate. 619 00:38:41,277 --> 00:38:44,572 They have to call the artillery strike on their own position 620 00:38:45,197 --> 00:38:46,449 and hope to survive. 621 00:38:46,449 --> 00:38:47,450 Blow! 622 00:38:50,161 --> 00:38:52,538 It's a system the Rangers have a lot of confidence in. 623 00:38:53,914 --> 00:38:55,541 By December 1944, 624 00:38:55,541 --> 00:38:57,960 U.S. artillery is among the best in the world, 625 00:38:58,044 --> 00:38:59,879 very sophisticated forward observation, 626 00:38:59,879 --> 00:39:02,423 communications equipment, accuracy. 627 00:39:03,174 --> 00:39:06,886 It certainly is better and available in more quantity 628 00:39:06,886 --> 00:39:08,095 than German artillery. 629 00:39:10,556 --> 00:39:13,517 American artillery rings the Rangers' positions. 630 00:39:14,852 --> 00:39:16,520 While dangerous for the Rangers, 631 00:39:16,604 --> 00:39:18,939 it achieves the desired objective. 632 00:39:19,690 --> 00:39:21,442 Many Germans are killed. 633 00:39:21,442 --> 00:39:23,569 Those that are not are forced to retreat. 634 00:39:32,286 --> 00:39:35,039 But the battle still exacts its toll from the Rangers. 635 00:39:36,624 --> 00:39:39,502 Even with the reinforcements from Easy Company, 636 00:39:39,502 --> 00:39:42,254 the Rangers are now down to 22 able-bodied men. 637 00:39:43,214 --> 00:39:44,882 Lieutenant Kinnard 638 00:39:44,882 --> 00:39:48,511 went directly to the commanding officer at corps 639 00:39:49,095 --> 00:39:50,805 to beg for reinforcements. 640 00:39:51,597 --> 00:39:54,225 They're now... it's way past 24 hours. 641 00:39:54,975 --> 00:39:56,477 Corps comes back and says, 642 00:39:56,477 --> 00:39:58,521 you must hold that hill at all costs. 643 00:39:59,397 --> 00:40:01,690 And he goes back and reports back 644 00:40:01,774 --> 00:40:05,027 that the reinforcements weren't going to arrive. 645 00:40:05,403 --> 00:40:06,445 Even worse, 646 00:40:06,529 --> 00:40:09,073 they start to run critically low on ammunition. 647 00:40:17,957 --> 00:40:19,625 As a second night falls, 648 00:40:19,625 --> 00:40:21,961 the remaining Rangers dig in again. 649 00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:25,714 What happens to most people 650 00:40:25,798 --> 00:40:28,342 is that you don't think about death or life. 651 00:40:28,426 --> 00:40:30,261 You just think you're going to die anyways, 652 00:40:30,261 --> 00:40:31,303 so it doesn't matter. 653 00:40:31,846 --> 00:40:34,598 And I think that's what a lot of those Rangers felt. 654 00:40:44,233 --> 00:40:47,611 Then out of the darkness, a relief force finally arrives. 655 00:40:48,279 --> 00:40:52,700 A battalion from the U.S. 13th Infantry, 8th Division, ascends. 656 00:40:53,909 --> 00:40:57,371 Originally tasked to hold Hill 400 for 24 hours, 657 00:40:57,455 --> 00:40:59,582 the Rangers have survived 40. 658 00:41:00,749 --> 00:41:02,710 It was all about the collective sacrifice 659 00:41:02,710 --> 00:41:03,836 that they had made 660 00:41:03,836 --> 00:41:06,714 and all the men that had died prior to that-- that point in time, 661 00:41:06,714 --> 00:41:10,676 that they said no, absolutely not. We will not give an inch. 662 00:41:10,676 --> 00:41:12,136 We will hold this hill. 663 00:41:13,262 --> 00:41:15,014 At 2230 hours, 664 00:41:15,014 --> 00:41:17,391 Sergeant Herm Stein is one of the last Rangers 665 00:41:17,475 --> 00:41:19,059 to walk off Hill 400. 666 00:41:20,644 --> 00:41:22,980 In taking and holding the position, 667 00:41:22,980 --> 00:41:25,733 the 2nd Rangers suffer 23 men killed 668 00:41:25,733 --> 00:41:27,860 and 106 wounded. 669 00:41:27,860 --> 00:41:29,904 Four are missing in action. 670 00:41:30,821 --> 00:41:33,240 450 German troops are killed 671 00:41:33,616 --> 00:41:35,409 and 64 taken prisoner. 672 00:41:36,452 --> 00:41:39,580 German Captain Adolf Thomae would receive the Knight's Cross 673 00:41:39,580 --> 00:41:41,165 for his defense of Bergstein 674 00:41:41,165 --> 00:41:43,542 and repeated attempts to reclaim the hill. 675 00:41:45,628 --> 00:41:47,588 Herm Stein from Rangers' Fox Company 676 00:41:47,588 --> 00:41:50,382 is later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, 677 00:41:50,799 --> 00:41:53,594 for extraordinary heroism on December 7th, 678 00:41:53,594 --> 00:41:55,513 and serves out the rest of the war. 679 00:41:56,847 --> 00:41:59,225 Len Lomell also survives the war 680 00:41:59,225 --> 00:42:01,185 and was presented with the Silver Star 681 00:42:01,185 --> 00:42:03,562 for his heroic leadership on Hill 400. 682 00:42:05,898 --> 00:42:08,817 I think in some ways it represents like the gold standard 683 00:42:08,901 --> 00:42:10,778 of who we are as Americans. 684 00:42:10,778 --> 00:42:14,782 These are individuals that are willing to sacrifice their lives 685 00:42:14,782 --> 00:42:18,369 for something larger than themselves. 686 00:42:20,538 --> 00:42:22,039 It's pretty extraordinary. 687 00:42:22,414 --> 00:42:23,707 While Hill 400 688 00:42:23,791 --> 00:42:26,168 is one of the deepest penetrations into Germany 689 00:42:26,252 --> 00:42:29,129 by American or British forces to that point in the war, 690 00:42:29,213 --> 00:42:31,257 the Allies fail to capitalize. 691 00:42:32,925 --> 00:42:35,219 Depleted troops cannot advance further 692 00:42:35,219 --> 00:42:37,638 and do not discover the massive German build-up 693 00:42:37,638 --> 00:42:39,098 in the Ardennes Forest. 694 00:42:40,099 --> 00:42:42,351 Maybe the best term is that they are now 695 00:42:42,351 --> 00:42:44,019 combat ineffective. 696 00:42:44,603 --> 00:42:46,647 When you suffer 33,000 casualties 697 00:42:46,647 --> 00:42:48,732 in the space of five weeks or so 698 00:42:48,816 --> 00:42:51,860 and almost all them concentrated in the rifle companies 699 00:42:51,944 --> 00:42:54,863 among the forward-leaning combat troops... 700 00:42:54,947 --> 00:42:56,907 this is definitely going to have an effect. 701 00:42:56,991 --> 00:43:00,744 So, in most of those companies you are talking about anything 702 00:43:00,828 --> 00:43:03,747 from about a 50 to 100 percent casualty rate, 703 00:43:03,831 --> 00:43:05,833 and especially among the officers. 704 00:43:07,334 --> 00:43:10,588 The Germans are able to slow down significantly 705 00:43:10,588 --> 00:43:13,841 the Allied advance in the Hurtgen Forest. 706 00:43:13,841 --> 00:43:15,593 However, at the same time, 707 00:43:15,593 --> 00:43:20,139 the Germans also suffer drastically in these battles, 708 00:43:20,139 --> 00:43:21,724 and these are casualties 709 00:43:21,724 --> 00:43:24,018 the Germans actually cannot afford. 710 00:43:24,852 --> 00:43:29,148 Only eight days later, on December 16, 1944, 711 00:43:29,148 --> 00:43:32,318 Germany launches its last major offensive of the war, 712 00:43:32,985 --> 00:43:35,487 which would come to be known by the Allies as... 713 00:43:35,571 --> 00:43:37,031 the Battle of the Bulge. 714 00:43:37,615 --> 00:43:40,743 The Germans want to drive a wedge between the Allies, 715 00:43:40,743 --> 00:43:43,203 between the Americans and the British. 716 00:43:45,247 --> 00:43:48,292 Hitler's army would take them completely by surprise 717 00:43:49,043 --> 00:43:51,795 and effectively end the fighting in the Hurtgen Forest. 718 00:43:54,465 --> 00:43:57,718 The Battle of the Bulge would prove to be one of the largest and bloodiest battles 719 00:43:57,718 --> 00:43:59,595 fought by the U.S. during World War II. 720 00:44:01,639 --> 00:44:02,931 The setbacks suffered 721 00:44:03,015 --> 00:44:05,976 mean the war in Europe will last another six months. 722 00:44:07,728 --> 00:44:09,521 Captioned by Visual Data Media Services