NARRATOR: They're the ultimate band of brothers. JOE ARGENZIO: When
you wore the patch, you were something special. NARRATOR: The oldest
division in the US Army, with a no-holds-barred attitude. ANDREW JACOBSON: There
wasn't any way to stop us. WALTER EHLERS: So it
was kill or be killed. We're fighting a war. NARRATOR: From North
Africa to Sicily, and then mainland Europe, these
warriors fought more campaigns than any other US
division in World War II. The anatomy of the Army's number
one fighting force, "Shootout," embedded with the
famous Big Red One. [radio chatter] May 8, 1945, Falkenau,
Czechoslovakia. The Germans
officially surrender. The war in Europe
is essentially over. But at the Falkenau
concentration camp, SS guards apparently
didn't get the memo. We saw this camp with
a big fence around it. We started to go at it. We took heavy fire. NARRATOR: Most of the
1st Infantry Division are thrust into one
final battle zone. We never dreamed of a camp-- a death camp, or
anything like that. That's why, when we started
taking fire as we approached, it was a shock. [gunfire] They didn't want to give up. NARRATOR: The shootout will
become a symbolic climax for the division who had fought
more Germans than any other during World War II. The 1st Division,
AKA The Big Red One, earns a reputation as the best
damn division in the army. [explosion] When you wore the
patch of The Big Red One, you were something special. FLINT WHITLOCK: They wore
the patch very proudly and said, number one. We're number one. And a lot of the soldiers
took that attitude into battle with them. NARRATOR: Here's the back story. As the oldest division
in the US military, the 1st Infantry Division
has bragging rights. There's barely been an American
conflict that the Big Red One hasn't fought in. It had a great
history behind it. And that's one thing. When you first got in there,
they let you know that. The 1st Infantry Division
had excellent leadership. They had great training. They were a
close-knit group that was ready to go into battle. NARRATOR: By 1942, The Big Red
One gears up for World War II. The new recruits
are well-trained, but few have real
combat experience. The division is under the
command of Major General Terry Allen. Cocky, stubborn,
and resolute, Allen wins the loyalty of
the 1st Division. He was a soldier's general,
very close with his men, and sort of had a very
relaxed leadership style outside of the battlefield,
which made his men admire him. NARRATOR: Allen's assistant
division commander is Teddy Roosevelt Jr., son of
Rough Riders president Theodore Roosevelt. Those two generals,
we loved them. They'd come as close to
the line as they could get. They didn't not
shake hands with you. It was great. NARRATOR: Under the leadership
of Allen and Roosevelt, the first division becomes
a hardcore fighting machine. The first division had
a very proud philosophy. One of their mottos was-- No mission too difficult. No sacrifice too great. Duty first. Duty first. Duty first. NARRATOR: September, 1942. The first division,
over 14,000 men strong, sail to their first kill zone,
not Europe or the Pacific, but North Africa. Since 1940, The Vichy French
colonies of Morocco and Algeria have collaborated
with Nazi Germany. Benito Mussolini's
Italian forces are also fighting alongside the Germans. They felt that
the best thing to do would be to take the
new American divisions and train them against units
of the German and Italian militaries that were not
necessarily the best. NARRATOR: The North African
invasion, codenamed Operation Torch, is vital for the Allies. The Allies could assault
the Germans where their supply lines were stretched the
longest, then offering them staging areas to move
in closer on Germany. NARRATOR: Here's the setup. Under the command of
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Allied soldiers will strike
at Morocco and Algeria. Then British and American troops
will seize Libya and, finally, Tunisia. November 8, 1942, Oran, Algeria. Allied troops launch
a surprise attack. The French Foreign Legion, the
defenders of the port city, show little resistance. It was a relatively easy
landing for the 1st Division. They did lose some troops
and were fired upon. But very quickly,
that was overcome. NARRATOR: After three
days of fighting, the Vichy French surrender. Following this baptism of
fire, the 1st Infantry Division pushes through Algeria
and into Tunisia. General George S. Patton takes
command of the US II Corps, which includes The Big Red One. Peyton was this
fire-breathing, hard-driving general who
demanded that things be done by the book, that soldiers
had to wear ties at all times, leggings, helmets. He felt that a sloppy
army would not fight well. Spit and polish,
that's OK in some areas. But to wear a tie
on the front line? We were lucky to
have some clothes on. More people hate him
than admired him too. But the Germans feared him. So-- [laughs] --if the Germans
feared him, he was my man. NARRATOR: Patton clashes with
the freewheeling 1st Division. But on the battlefield,
the infantrymen will earn his respect. March 20, 1943. The Big Red One makes
the arduous march into El Guettar, Tunisia, a
region dominated by mountains and a scorching desert valley. El Guettar guitar
was important simply to get the Germans
out of the area and continue pushing
them in retreat. NARRATOR: Here, The Big Red
One will face their strongest resistance, as they attack
Axis troops dug in on hilltops. PFC Tom Bowles, G Company,
2nd Battalion, 18th regiment, takes a position on a long ridge
overlooking the Djebel El Ank mountain. Bowles and his comrades ignite a
surprise attack on enemy troops perched on a hill numbered 336. That was most of
the Italians there. And so we took them
without hardly a fight. NARRATOR: The 1st Division
easily captures nearly 400 Italian soldiers. But the battle is
just heating up. March 23, 1943,
Battle of El Guettar. PFC Todd Bowles and the
2nd Battalion 18th regiment receives orders
to cross a valley and advance up Djebel Berda, an
isolated piece of high ground 14 miles east of El Guettar. The next morning, the 10th
Panzers, a highly mechanized German division,
arrives in mass. They had a big outfit with
hundreds of tanks and trucks and everything else. NARRATOR: Hundreds of tiger
tanks and German infantry troops attack The Big Red
One with tremendous velocity. WALTER EHLERS: The Germans
would assault the hill. They kept coming up. We kept shooting them
down as they came up. That went on all day long. At one point,
the German Panzers were coming very close to
Terry Allen's headquarters. And one of the staff
officers said, General, I think we'd better
get out of here. And Allen supposedly replied
to him, like hell I'll retreat, and I'll shoot the
first bastard who does. NARRATOR: Tom Bowles
watches the action unfold from his Company's
forward position, which is a quarter-mile ahead of
the rest of the division. The 10th Panzer, first,
they hit on the other side of the valley. But the three days
up there, we were shelled from where we were. But we were cut off because
they had control of the valley. NARRATOR: Suddenly,
10th Panzer troops appear above G
Company's position and pour mortar
fire down on them. Tom Bowles and G Company
now find themselves in the ultimate battle zone. The German 10th Panzer division,
a formidable fighting machine, arrives in force. They ignite a vicious assault
against the 1st Division's frontline infantry and
artillery positions located on two
adjacent hillsides. They didn't just sit
behind fortifications or sit in prepared positions
and fire at the enemy. The Germans were known for
launching counter-thrusts in local areas regularly. NARRATOR: For three days,
PFC Tom Bowles and the men of G Company 2nd
Battalion 18th regiment remain on the isolated
hilltop, a quarter-mile ahead of the rest of the 1st Division. Bowles suddenly
notices German troops infiltrating higher
ground on the mountain. In a matter of minutes, the
enemy unleashes savage fire. A mortar shell strikes
down a sergeant. My sergeant got wounded. And we think we'd
try to get him out. NARRATOR: Bowles and his
comrade Giacomo Patti retrieve a stretcher. They no sooner place their
wounded sergeant onto it than word comes down the German
10th motorcycle battalion is motoring towards their hill. They were the most
simple batallion. And we heard them coming. And they come to the
foot of the hill there. Our outpost all said, you
know, they were coming. And we had already had I don't
know how many casualties. NARRATOR: The motorcycle
battalion arrives at the base of the hill. They chant loudly as they
hustle on foot up the ridge. Bowles mans his 60-millimeter
mortar and launches shell after shell. At the same time, the enemy
bombards them with lethal lead. In the midst of firing,
Bowles notices his other staff sergeant, Bobby Dees,
leaping from his foxhole to save a fallen soldier. Bowles sees the German artillery
zeroed in on that spot. And I started yelling
to him to go back. He went on over there. As soon as he reached over to
the man, another shell came in. NARRATOR: The blast kills both
Sergeant Dees and the wounded GI. The shootout becomes G
Company's last stand. Tom Bowles has only
36 mortar rounds left. And the Germans are about
to overrun their position. Bowles's comrade Giacomo
Patti fears they'll be forced into surrender. He just told me real
quick, and then he took off. Well, I just followed him. NARRATOR: Bowles and his
comrade attempt an escape down the reverse slope while
the enemy seizes their position. They need to make it to
battalion headquarters a half-mile away without
getting captured or killed. But Tom Bowles is
only half the story. That same moment, his twin
brother, Corporal Henry D. Bowles, a wire man for F Company
18th regiment 1st Division, is on higher ground
on the same ridge. Henry Bowles has a bird's eye
view of the Germans overtaking the 2nd Battalion. They were firing mortar
and everything down where he was located. I didn't find it out that
was his company down there. NARRATOR: Henry Bowles's
worst fears come to mind. At dusk, when the
bombardment subsides, Henry Bowles and two comrades
climb down the ridge. But they see no sign of
Henry's brother or G Company. March 25, 1943. Battle of El Guettar, day six. Corporal Henry Bowles has no
idea if his twin brother Tom is dead or alive. But the battle rages on. Heavy enemy shelling severs
Ally communication wires throughout the El
Guettar valley. Battalion headquarters orders
Henry Bowles to mend the wire to E Company, who is
dug in on a nearby hill. Bowles and his buddy Blake Owens
cautiously move across a gully and up the ridge. Suddenly, rifle rounds
ricochet all around them. Henry Bowles waves to E
Company to cease firing. So he attempted to signal
to the people that were firing on an American cease-fire. NARRATOR: Henry Bowles
wires up the phone and calls headquarters. He says they're receiving
friendly fire from E Company. But headquarters replies
that E Company already fled that position. We thought it was our own
troops firing at us at first. But it turned out they
were the Germans firing down there on us. NARRATOR: Before signing
off, an artillery liaison gets on the phone. He asks if they could direct
artillery fire onto the enemy directly above them. It was quickly realized
that Henry Bowles and this other
soldier with him could be used as foreign observers. They were in this
advanced position. And so they were then
asked to adjust the fire of some artillery rounds. NARRATOR: Bowles and Owens
accept the assignment. Within minutes, one shell flies
over and nearly hits them. Well, the first time
they threw almost got us. And we had them raise
it up 200 or 300 yards. NARRATOR: Bowles and
Owens here the next shell screaming overhead. They need to retreat or run
the risk of being obliterated by friendly fire. With artillery zeroed
in on its target, Bowles and Owens now need
to get the hell out of here, or they'll be blown to bits. So when we heard
it coming over, we headed back down the hill. NARRATOR: Bowles and
Owens dodge bullets until the incoming artillery
silences the enemy. For their fearless
bravery at El Guettar, Henry Bowles and Blake Owens
receive the Silver Star. Somebody said, what
did you get it for? I said, I guess we got
it because we escaped. NARRATOR: At battalion
headquarters, Henry Bowles receives
even better news. His twin brother
Tom Bowles is alive. Only 36 of the 200 men of
G Company 2nd Battalion 18th regiment managed to escape. The rest were
captured or killed. I never regretted anything
any more than leaving that hill. But it was nothing else to do
if they tell you to surrender, you know? NARRATOR: May 13, 1943. Six months after the
invasion, the Allies claim victory in North Africa. But the campaign claims
thousands of lives. Within the 1st
Infantry Division, almost 5,000 men are
killed, wounded, or missing. The 1st Division is given much
needed R and R. The Big Red One returns to the port of
Oran, their first victory in North Africa. There, rabble-rousing
GIs cut loose. ANDREW JACOBSON: The
division was kind of rowdy, you might say. But if you go to a football
game, if you win the game, you celebrate. And there are many stories
of 1st Division troops breaking up taverns
and towns, and the MPs have to arrest whole
platoons full of soldiers and put them into jail. And Eisenhower was
very unhappy with this. NARRATOR: Major
General Terry Allen takes heat for the incident. Higher-ups in the army did
not necessarily enjoy his lack of discipline and didn't know if
this was the right way to lead a division. NARRATOR: Despite their
actions off the battlefield, the lessons learned
in North Africa transform the 1st Division
into battle-wise warriors. The Big Red One proves
they have the right stuff. The next assignment-- Sicily. The Big Red One
is not originally part of the Sicily invasion. But General Patton,
commander of the operation, refuses to invade without them. Patton really felt that
he wanted the division. They were experienced,
despite his differences with Terry Allen. He said, Eisenhower, I
want those sons of bitches. I won't go on without them. I want those sons of bitches. And he got the 1st Division
for his invasion of Sicily. NARRATOR: On the
island of Sicily, the Allies face 300,000
Italian and German troops. The Big Red One
thinks these soldiers are the soft underbelly
of the Axis force. Little did they know,
this soft underbelly is ripped and ready to attack. You have the Livorno
division, the Italian division. It was somewhat well-equipped
and had a little bit of combat experience. But then, also, the Hermann
Goring Panzerdivision, which was a very, very
well-equipped division. And so the odds are actually
kind of evenly stacked, in terms of who's against who. NARRATOR: July
10, 1943, 2:45 AM. Nine Allied divisions
storm a 100-mile front in southeastern Sicily. The Big Red One zeros in
on the port city of Gela. After three brutal
days, the Allies take Gela, then push northwest. However, The Big Red
One quickly realizes the island bears an inhospitable
mountainous terrain. My feet got so
bad one time, I was afraid to take off my shoes. I was afraid I couldn't
get them back on. NARRATOR: The 1st Division
advances on Route 120, which runs through the
interior of Sicily. The entire Allied
Forces' primary target is the vital port
city of Messina. It's the main passage point
between Sicily and mainland Europe. If taken, the Axis would be
cut off from reinforcements and supplies. The Germans put up a
hell of a defensive fight in towns and on mountaintops. The shootouts are
savage and relentless. Heat stroke and malaria
knocks thousands of GIs out of commission. ANDREW JACOBSON: The
malaria was a factor. I caught it, but not
to the point where I had to be taken out. It's a fever. And it's a miserable thing. NARRATOR: General Patton wants
to remove the battle-weary 1st Division out of the line. But he gives them
one more assignment. It'll be the toughest
fight of the campaign. July 31, 1943. Troina, a major strong
point in Sicily. The mountaintop town provides
ideal battleground for the Axis enemy. The 15th Panzer
grenadier division and elements of the
Italian Aosta division dig in on sheer rocky hillsides
north, west, and south of Troina. That was the most fierce,
as far as we were concerned. They were aggressive--
a lot of Italians. The people that were there were
just fighting for survival. NARRATOR: August 3, 1943. The 1st Division 2nd
Battalion 26th regiment moves two miles north of
Troina to Monte Basilio. The mission? Cut the Axis's line of retreat. PFC Carl Peterson and James
Reese repeatedly load and fire their 60-millimeter mortar. We knocked out the first part
of the Germans that was there. And I guess they withdrew. And we thought we had it made. Then, all of a sudden, the
Germans made an counter-attack on us. NARRATOR: Acting
as squad leader, Private Reese directs the
squad to a more advantageous position. I was with Reese
with his mortars. There was a lot
of fire coming in, all these Germans coming
up through the valley. NARRATOR: The enemy
firepower is so severe that the second battalion's
position becomes indefensible. We laid down some fire. And it was getting rough. So Reese told the
other guys to get out, because we were running
low on ammunition anyway. NARRATOR: While the men
retreat, Peterson and Reese lug the 60-millimeter
mortar to a new position. We took the mortar and
we moved over a little bit. There was a machine gun
nest that was really raking our guys good. NARRATOR: Reese and
Peterson are now alone on the ridge with only
three mortar shells left. They zero in on their target,
drop mortar shells, and fire. The mortar shells terminate
the enemy machine gunners. Reese, he looked around at me. And I just carried-- I was the one that
carried the mortar. And I carried a .45 automatic
pistol in my holster because I couldn't
carry a rifle. And he says, it's OK, Pete. He said, get your
ass out of here. And I went back over the hill. And Reese stayed there. He should have gotten out
of there, but he didn't. NARRATOR: Reese now becomes
a one-man war machine. With no ammo left,
he ditches his mortar and grabs his M1 Garand. He moves out to an
exposed position where he can see the enemy. The Panzer unit continues
to launch artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire on
top of Reese's position. Undaunted, Reese continues
to kill with his rifle. But he can only
hold on for so long. A barrage of fire
finally brings him down. So that's the way he
died there, right there, trying to hold the place down. NARRATOR: James
Reese posthumously receives the Medal of Honor for
his uncommon bravery at Troina. Because of his heroic actions,
the 26th Infantry Regiment was able to hold their
position and continue to drive the Germans into retreat. NARRATOR: August 6, 1943. The Big Red One breaks
the German resistance and finally takes Troina. But the cost is high. Over 2,200 from the 1st
Division are killed, missing, or wounded. And bad news keeps coming. Major General Terry Allen, The
Big Red One's beloved leader, is relieved from his post. General Omar Bradley
convinces Eisenhower that Allen's laissez-faire
leadership style is bad for the division. Assistant commander
Teddy Roosevelt Jr. also gets the shaft. The 1st Division is
angry and heartbroken. Bad. Bad. It was like losing a buddy. Because they were the
friendlier generals. And they took care of their men. NARRATOR: August 17, 1943. The resistance on Sicily ends. The 1st Infantry Division
comes out of the fight in Sicily with a reputation
for being battle-hardened and combat-experienced. No other unit in the
United States Army fighting in the European theater could
measure up to the amount of combat experience. BETSY LAUREN PLUMB: Terry Allen
wrote in a farewell message to the troops, "Nothing in hell
must stop the 1st Division." Throughout their time in combat,
the men of The Big Red One saw to that statement. Nothing in hell stopped them. NARRATOR: With Allen and
Roosevelt out, General Clarence Huebner assumes command
of the 1st Division. A strict but fair
disciplinarian, Huebner prepares The Big Red One to
spearhead one of the costliest amphibious assaults of all time. The campaign,
Operation Overlord. The location, Normandy, France. Nearly 150,000
Allied infantrymen will storm five beaches
that span 60 miles. The 1st Division will
attack Omaha Beach, which will prove to be the deadliest. They face Hitler's
Atlantic wall, a massive coastal fortification
of steel obstacles, pillboxes, concrete bunkers, and
booby-trapped stakes. They didn't want to send
in completely combat-untested division against these defenses. It's part of the reason that
the 1st Division is specifically chosen to go in at Omaha Beach. NARRATOR: 16-year-old Joseph
Argenzio lies about his age to enlist as a replacement
with The Big Red One's 16th regiment. His father had served
with the 1st Division during World War I. In January, 1944, I
changed my birth certificate. I went up to the
local draft board. I told them I was 18. And they said, when
would you like to leave? I said, tomorrow. NARRATOR: Nothing could
prepare the adolescent for what he is about to do. JOE ARGENZIO: One day,
Sergeant came into my tent, and he said, get your gear
together and come with me. Where are we going? So the driver said, you're
going to the big show. And I said, wow, Bob
Hope, Glenn Miller's band, all the beautiful movie
stars we're going to see. Wow. Why'd they pick us? He said, not exactly. He said, you're kind
of going on a cruise. NARRATOR: Dawn, June 6, 1944. D-Day, Omaha Beach,
Normandy, France. The Allied armada arrives
11 miles from shore. The 1st Division boards LCVPs
and other landing craft. Despite intelligence
reports to the contrary, the German 352nd division,
one of the most experienced, are waiting. In addition, Allied
navy and air support have overshot their targets. The infantrymen will be
completely vulnerable. Operation Overlord was
probably the most well-planned military campaign in history. And yet everything that could
have gone wrong went wrong. NARRATOR: When nearing the
shore, the landing ramps lower. The Big Red One enters
the ultimate kill zone. Soldiers dodge artillery fire
as they disembark and wade through turbulent waves. There were bodies
floating all around me. And I'm not too proud to say
that I put two of them together and pushed that
in in front of me. They were taking machine gun
fire that was meant for me. ANDREW JACOBSON: It
was a hellish beach. The foam on the beach was red. There was bodies
all over the place. It was something you
never want to see. We ran in on the beach
and tried to get artillery as fast as we could. NARRATOR: Within the
1st Infantry Division, over 1,100 are killed, wounded,
or missing on that first day. Well, it was lucky any
time that you made an attack that you didn't get shot. I think you were
always lucky for that. And I was lucky a lot of times. NARRATOR: Staff Sergeant
Walter Ehlers, L Company, 18th regiment, breaks
out from the beachhead with his 12-man squad intact. But he wonders if his
older brother made it. Roland Ehlers's K
Company, 18th regiment, also landed on Omaha Beach. The thing is that we had
that pact that we would keep on fighting, no
matter what happened to one or the other of us. NARRATOR: Walter discovers
Roland is missing. With no time to look for him,
Ehlers keeps his fraternal vow and moves on to the next
phase of the invasion. Above and beyond
the coastal bluff lies another hot zone,
the Bocage of Normandy. It's a 50-mile patchwork
of pastures, each one fenced off by hedgerows,
which are tall, earthen, overgrown mounds as the
tough as stone fortress walls. Now they've become deadly
obstacles for the 1st Division. The Germans use these natural
barriers to their advantage. They've planted booby
traps and mines. Machine gun nests,
mortars, and sniper teams also lay hidden in the
tangled vegetation. The hedgerows could hide a
man or it could hide a tank. You could try to go
around a hedgerow, but you still didn't
know what was behind it. It was a treacherous situation. NARRATOR: Staff Sergeant Walter
Ehlers and his 12-man squad zigzagged through the hedgerows. Now they must make a dangerous
move across an open field. On the other side, the enemy
unleashes machine gun fire. We knew that they
could see us coming, but we didn't-- we
couldn't see them. NARRATOR: Ehlers and his men
make it across the field. While creeping towards
a machine gun nest, Ehlers runs into a
patrol of Germans. And I'm looking at
them with my rifle. And there's four
Germans with their guns. And so I just pulled the
trigger, shot all four of them. NARRATOR: After
neutralizing the patrol, Ehlers keeps edging his way
up to the machine gun nest. When they're within range,
Ehlers fires and kills three gunners. But the shooting doesn't let up. I looked down and I thought,
I'd better make these guys fix their bayonets. We're too darn close to them. NARRATOR: Ehlers comes upon
a mound concealing two enemy mortars and 12 men. I ran up on the hedgerow
with my bayonet fixed. And they saw me. And their eyes got real
big and they got scared. And I tried to get them to
hold, but they started running. NARRATOR: Ehlers others draws
a bead on them and fires. He and his men are
about to engage in another intense shootout. I think we got
nearly all of them. NARRATOR: June 10, 1944. Ehlers and his squad
head out again. They move along the
side of a hedgerow, and suddenly find themselves
surrounded by enemy fire, to the left, up ahead,
and to the right. WALTER EHLERS: While
we were going up there, we started getting
fire from three sides. And I thought, well, if we
turn our backs on these guys, they're going to
shoot all of us. So I went up on there and I
started firing in a semicircle with my automatic rifle. And I came up and fired
it in a semicircle. NARRATOR: Ehlers and his
BAR man provide cover fire while his squad retreats. WALTER EHLERS: Then
we turn to go leave. Then I hesitate long enough
to shoot the three guys that were in that corner down at
the other end of the hedgerow. NARRATOR: While Ehlers knocks
out the three machine gunners, a German emerges from a hedgerow
and shoots Ehlers in the back. It spun me around. And I saw a German open the
hedgerow back where it just came from, and I shot him. He fell out of the hedgerow. NARRATOR: Ehlers
falls to the ground. He now notice his
BAR man was also shot and is leaking blood in
the middle of the field. Risking his own life,
Ehlers enters the kill zone to save his fallen comrade. I carried him back
to the hedgerow. He got wounded in
the leg and the arm. NARRATOR: Ehlers orders a medic
to first treat the BAR man. Then he asks him to
look at his wound. WALTER EHLERS: And he says,
you were hit in the back? I said, yeah. And he says, my god,
you should be dead. You've been shot clear through. NARRATOR: Two
weeks later, Ehlers reads in "Stars and Stripes"
that he will receive the Medal of Honor for his valor
during the hedgerow campaign. One of the things that
the reporters asked me-- do you hate Germans? I said, I don't hate anybody. It's kill or be killed. We're fighting a war. We're fighting the enemy. NARRATOR: But Ehlers's
Medal of Honor citation is overshadowed by grim news. His brother Roland
died on Omaha Beach. It was very hard to take
that my brother was killed in action. Because I had
nightmares for 50 years afterwards that he was
always coming back. I guess my mind never gave
up the fact that he actually got killed or something. NARRATOR: July 25, 1944. The six-week hedgerow
campaign ends. 2,645 men of the 1st
Division lost their lives. The survivors of The
Big Red One press on, fighting across France,
Belgium, Germany, and finally, Czechoslovakia. Dawn, May 8, 1945,
Falkenau, Czechoslovakia, the closing hours of
the war in Europe. The 1st Infantry
Division rallies for their final mission. They must clear the Falkenau
death camp of SS guards who refuse to surrender. The Big Red One
approaches the gate. Within the compound, the
enemy emerges from the corners of their barracks, blasting
heavy Mauser and machine gun fire. When we started taking fire as
we approached, it was a shock. We cleared the way that we could
get through the front gate. The SS guys that were left, they
were hiding behind buildings. And we'd chase them down. NARRATOR: Joseph Argenzio,
now a platoon sergeant, moves from building to
building, hunting Germans. I know some of them that I
encountered committed suicide. They jumped in front of my M1. NARRATOR: When
entering the barracks, the infantrymen discover
emaciated figures, the victims of what Hitler called
his final solution. JOE ARGENZIO: Oh, my god. What is this? It was shocking, what
they did to these people. And they'd look at you,
and they were skeletons. NARRATOR: After 20
minutes, the infantrymen snuff out every last Nazi. As far as I know,
we got them all. And they deserved what they got. NARRATOR: Corporal Sam Fuller
of the 16th Infantry Regiment has acquired a chest of medals
for serving with The Big Red One. The future Hollywood
filmmaker pulls out his 16-millimeter camera
and documents the genocide. I'd say about
10:00 in the morning, Sam started to film,
walking around, taking pictures of the
deceased and everything in the whole camp. NARRATOR: Like at
many death camps, GIs find few survivors
among the remains of those whose lives were taken. MARTIN MORGAN: Just hours
before the end of the war, they personally
observe absolute proof of Hitler's final solution. What an incredible and
powerful way for these men and their experience in combat
during the Second World War to be capped off. NARRATOR: Militarily, the
1st Infantry Division service during World War II
is a stunning success. But the human toll
will forever lie heavy on the men of The Big Red One. Over 21,000 men of the 1st
Division are killed, wounded, or missing. That is the most
gallant, dedicated group of American soldiers organized
into one fighting unit. ANDREW JACOBSON: There
wasn't any way to stop us. It was a fighting division I
was very proud to be part of. There was good
times and bad times. Through it all, I
have no regrets. If I had to do my life over,
I think I'd do it the same way. But when I think
about the 1st Division, I think about the
inscription that's carved at the American military
cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach. And it says, "Look how
many of them there were. Look how young they were. They died for your freedom. Hold back your tears
and be silent."
