D-Day 6.6.1944 Page #3

---

- Sir?

- McCann, there are men in the water.

I want to send a boat out.

I'd like to volunteer, sir.

You do have a choice. You know that?

Yes, Captain. I'd like to go, sir.

- Over there!

- Ramp down.

There was men on fire.

Men whose heads were in one place,

the legs in another place.

He's dead.

Quite a few of the ones that were dead

were friends of mine,

and I had to leave them in the water.

Over there! I think I can see him moving.

Eddie McCann and Lieutenant Doyle's

actions saved the lives of 132 men.

Don't worry, pal. You're gonna be OK.

But their heroism is not enough

to prevent Exercise Tiger

from being a major disaster.

We think some German E-boats

slipped through the destroyer screen.

They sank the two LSTs

and damaged one other.

Casualties?

- 749

- Damn!

How in God's name can we lose two ships

and over 700 men

on a goddamn training exercise?

Our radio operators were working on

a different frequency than the Brits, sir.

And it seems as if the troops hadn't been

shown how to use their life preservers.

- Any captured?

- We don't know, sir.

And the men with security clearance

for "Overlord"?

Are they accounted for?

Yes, sir. Ten.

All dead.

Well...

At least we know they won't talk.

By May 1944, the elite forces are ready,

but their destination remains top secret

and security is paramount.

Training is over chaps...

It was getting near the time now.

I took my platoon out

into the middle of a football field

and told them

what I had just been told by the colonel.

Our target is, of course, a gun battery.

And to put it bluntly, it's lethal.

If we don't put it out of action,

a lot of men will die.

Our second mission is to take a radar

station about a mile from the battery.

Must be in France, then.

Each of us knows his job

and there is no doubt in my mind

that we will do it...

provided we show organisation,

precision and surprise.

And no cock-ups.

Good. Thank you.

Oh, and one more thing.

Special operation tonight, 2100 hours.

- Oh, sir!

- The colonel's orders.

This is the BBC Home Service.

Here is the nine o'clock news

and this is John Snagg speaking.

Carry on, gentlemen.

That's what I call live ammo.

Strangest special operation

I've ever been on!

Any plans for after the war, Mike?

After the war?

Have to be positive.

- I was thinking about some farming.

- Dairy?

- Oranges.

- Oranges?

Mike Dowling and I had a strange in-joke

about which one of us would,

more or less, be killed first.

Me and the boys are having a wager.

Thought you'd like to join in.

That is one of the things that was part of

building up this little barrier to death.

I'll put five guineas on myself

or Lieutenant Dowling here.

Only five?

I'll put ten on myself.

I'm in better shape than he is.

We laughed at death, I think.

There was no use in pandering to it.

I found it worked.

Pour onto our hearts

that most excellent gift of charity.

The very bond of peace...

Have a good evening last night?

Yes, sir.

The men are very grateful.

It's nice to have some female company.

In fact, they were members

of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force.

I wanted to find out

how tight our security was,

see if the men got careless

with their pillow talk.

- Isn't that a bit underhand?

- No one said anything.

Remarkably restrained.

The only person who lost sight of his

responsibilities was you, Lieutenant.

- Sir?

- Your briefing to the men.

You virtually identified

the location of the target.

I was passing on the details

of the mission, sir.

There are only four coastal radar stations

in mainland Europe next to a gun battery.

I was simply telling men whom I trust...

Corporal Philips is Internal Security.

Being liked by your men is gratifying,

but it is a luxury you cannot afford.

This operation is vital

to the entire Allied assault.

My job is to ensure

that nothing jeopardises it.

The lives of my men

or the invasion itself.

- Sir...

- I could have you court-martialled!

You're bloody lucky that you're needed!

As D-Day approaches,

the Allies are increasingly worried

by the strengthening of Rommel's defences.

Looming above them is the fear that

the Germans may have devised a new weapon

which could decimate

the troops as they land.

Lieutenant Lane, we have a problem.

Intelligence suggests

Rommel has a new type of mine.

Unusual explosions, several at a time,

as though they're joined together.

What can the French tell us?

Nothing. That source has dried up.

Permanently?

- Probably.

- So you want us to take a closer look?

Overlord is ready to go

and we cannot afford any hitches.

You know the stakes and the risks.

Hitler's orders are for all captured

commandos to be executed,

but we have no choice.

I never really expected to survive,

so I was quite ready for it.

But I kept on thinking

that what was important

was to do what was possible

before I was killed.

29-year-old Hungarian Djury Lanyi

has changed identity

to fight with the British.

Having served as a saboteur

with the French Resistance,

he is now a member

of a specialist commando unit.

You're from one of those special units,

aren't you?

Is it true you're all Jewish foreigners?

Beats me why you help us fight.

It's better if we don't tell each other

much about ourselves.

Name and rank,

that's all they'll get from me.

Everybody talks eventually.

Ordinary landmine.

It's rusty because of the water.

- Could that be what makes it sensitive?

- Maybe.

It's more likely because they're

close together, set each other off.

Let's check inland.

Bollocks! We've been spotted!

- We're surrounded!

- What do we do now?

Wait to be captured.

Commando!

As the war drags on

and German hopes of victory have dwindled,

many senior commanders have become

disillusioned with their leader.

A few have even begun

to think the unthinkable,

that the time has come to replace Hitler.

They are looking for a figurehead.

If discovered,

they will be executed for treason.

One of them is at the heart of Rommel's

inner circle, his deputy, Hans Speidel.

I was scared. Naturally, I was scared.

There I was in enemy country

and anything could happen to me.

And it was a very uncomfortable,

unpleasant situation, as you can imagine.

Rommel often makes a point of personally

interrogating captured officers.

Not only to extract information,

but to better judge the calibre

of the men he is fighting.

We have orders to... hinrichten,

execute saboteurs.

If you think I'm a saboteur,

why do you invite me here?

- So this is an invitation?

- Yes. And an honour.

You are a commando?

The best soldiers in the world.

Then we had

this extraordinary conversation

which is recorded in the archives

of the German High Command,

word by word.

How is my friend Montgomery?

Fine, I believe.

I only know what I read in the paper.

So when is it coming? The invasion?

I have no idea. Nobody tells me anything.

But if it were up to me, I would

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes