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[narrator] Churchill's response was to unfurl
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World War II: Race to Victory

Churchill's responsewas to unfurl a map of the Mediterraneanand North Africa. He then...

[narrator] Churchill's response
was to unfurl a map of the Mediterranean
and North Africa. He then took a pen
and started to draw a crocodile
with a dangerous snout. Churchill draws his picture
of a crocodile and says: "You can attack a crocodile
by hitting it on the snout, or hitting it
on the soft underbelly, and the Mediterranean
is the soft underbelly." Stalin says: "Yes, I can see
the advantages of doing that." [narrator]
But did Churchill really
believe this was the best way
to defeat Nazi Germany? I think Winston Churchill
was convinced of the idea that you could move into Germany
or move into Europe by pushing up through
the Eastern Mediterranean

Full Transcript

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.239
[narrator] Churchill's response was to unfurl
00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:05.159
a map of the Mediterranean and North Africa.
00:00:05.028 --> 00:00:07.679
He then took a pen and started to draw
00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:10.679
a crocodile with a dangerous snout.
00:00:10.799 --> 00:00:13.599
Churchill draws his picture of a crocodile and says:
00:00:13.719 --> 00:00:16.119
"You can attack a crocodile by hitting it on the snout,
00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:18.239
or hitting it on the soft underbelly,
00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:20.119
and the Mediterranean is the soft underbelly."
00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:23.679
Stalin says: "Yes, I can see the advantages of doing that."
00:00:24.119 --> 00:00:26.159
[narrator] But did Churchill really believe
00:00:26.028 --> 00:00:29.159
this was the best way to defeat Nazi Germany?
00:00:29.028 --> 00:00:32.004
I think Winston Churchill was convinced of the idea
00:00:32.052 --> 00:00:35.599
that you could move into Germany or move into Europe
00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:38.000
by pushing up through the Eastern Mediterranean.
Duration
38 seconds
Views
32
Timestamp in Movie
00:05:22
Uploaded
Jun 04, 2025
Season
1
Episode
3
Genres
history
Production
Ulrike Oettinger Filmproduktion,Pia Frankenberg Filmproduktion, Hamburg,ZDF

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Movie Summary

The six-part documentary series reveals how and why the central alliance between Great Britain, the United States and The Soviet Union was formed leading into World War II. The series paints an in-depth picture of the race to ulti...
S01 • E04 The Wehrmacht is outmanoeuvred - World War II: Race to Victory 00:09
The Wehrmacht is outmanoeuvred
S01 • E02 I hope the United States will keep out of this war. - World War II: Race to Victory 00:05
I hope the United States will keep out of this war.
S01 • E04 [narrator] The Russians built a series of defensive lines - World War II: Race to Victory 00:35
[narrator] The Russians built a series of defensive lines
S01 • E02 And I give you assurance and reassurance - World War II: Race to Victory 00:10
And I give you assurance and reassurance
S01 • E06 He'd had polio since he was a young man, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:04
He'd had polio since he was a young man,
S01 • E02 [narrator] Roosevelt, a Democrat, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:24
[narrator] Roosevelt, a Democrat,
S01 • E06 In terms of the way that he conducted the war, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:12
In terms of the way that he conducted the war,
S01 • E03 In fact, Churchill's only novel, Savrola, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:10
In fact, Churchill's only novel, Savrola,
S01 • E06 You can see the photos, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:08
You can see the photos,
S01 • E04 There were 6,000 tanks, there were 5,000 aircraft. - World War II: Race to Victory 00:04
There were 6,000 tanks, there were 5,000 aircraft.
S01 • E06 [Martin] His doctors had told him - World War II: Race to Victory 00:05
[Martin] His doctors had told him
S01 • E02 And the way he behaved, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:09
And the way he behaved,
S01 • E03 [narrator] But many historians today - World War II: Race to Victory 00:29
[narrator] But many historians today
S01 • E04 Like Stalingrad, this involved an immense number of troops. - World War II: Race to Victory 00:05
Like Stalingrad, this involved an immense number of troops.
S01 • E06 He's being treated with Digitalis, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:09
He's being treated with Digitalis,
S01 • E02 He could present himself as someone who was not scared - World War II: Race to Victory 00:08
He could present himself as someone who was not scared
S01 • E04 [narrator] The Germans inflicted heavy losses on the Red Army, - World War II: Race to Victory 00:19
[narrator] The Germans inflicted heavy losses on the Red Arm...
S01 • E06 There's much controversy - World War II: Race to Victory 00:09
There's much controversy
S01 • E02 He's quite clever, really, in that he stays out of it - World War II: Race to Victory 00:07
He's quite clever, really, in that he stays out of it
S01 • E06 On issues that matter to him, he is sharp. - World War II: Race to Victory 00:05
On issues that matter to him, he is sharp.