DOVER

[Music] I've just come back from that part of England nearest the Nazis the part that's called the front line The Cliffs of do high austere bulwarks of Defense only two years ago they represented home and safety to the deserted British Army at Dunkirk was it only 2 years ago when we saw The Little Ships creep in under the shelter of these Cliffs and land the tattered dirty but still cheery British expeditionary force was it only 2 years ago that the British Behind These Cliffs trained and drilled while the factories worked and sweat to replace the arms that had to be left behind it seems an old story now but it was only two years ago Behind These Cliffs Britain stood alone at Bay and as we know now with nothing much Beyond a High courage and a resolve to die with its boots on the British people awaited the blow they knew Must Fall and so it was with no surprise that in those drowsy August days of 1940 the inhabitants of Dover heard the droning Buzz of German bombers this is it they said and went on with their allotted work and then the few to whom we owe so much smashed the Germans from the sky and the front mine became a graveyard for German airplanes and German corpses all this is old history now but the front line is still there The Cliffs still look across at German France what's it like in the front line country now it looks much the same except that the shattered aircraft have long since gone and their Flyers are buried in the little village cemeteries or in the fresh Fields where the grass has long since covered the marks of their destruction does this mean that the front line in peacetime called The Garden of England has cleared up its War damage buried its dead and gone to sleep again certainly not the front line of Britain is still very much alive and what's more it's got a new spirit it no longer says this is it or here they come it says look out Jerry here we come it's May be taken us those two years but the front line is is all set to be the United Nations jumping offboard Britain's Garden is going to dish it out here's some people who'll tell you all about it this is one of the places where Navy men and soldiers are training for Invasion these flat bottom armor plated craft are assault landing craft which together with other similar types of vessels are Britain's Invasion barges round our front line Britain has accumulated a vast Fleet of these boats and someday a new Armada will sail but this one will be going the opposite way to the [Applause] last of course they've been used already listen to Able Seaman Fletcher when I first started making these raids on enemy territory I had to put the Pongo assure in a rowing boat what do you mean by pongos oh pongos are what the sailors call the soldiers and here is lieutenant John Lewis we have craft here that have been used at Fen Baro brunal and Bin our training is purely offensive we take Commandos and Bloks like that on the other side on reconnaissance raids the journey over and the landing itself is not much but the worst part is waiting to take the soldiers off what we have done so far is real small fry we are now waiting to show you what we can do in a real big way but the front line country is not just waiting to have a go at Hitler it's preparing it's a vast Camp everywhere are convoys on the quiet Hills tank squadrons maneuver and rehearse Britain's citizen Army tough now and equipped with the finest weapons from the home in American factories is putting the final polish to its training and the defensive jobs are now largely taken by women here's a mixed and aircraft battery practicing SP on Target on Target high find On Target first 9,000 9,000 set angle steady On Target predictor steady fuse One Two Fire the girls here man the spotter hyf finder predictor radio location we aim the guns and the men load and fire them we've had some casualties from bombs and sprinters but not as many as the Germans have had from our gun F Target but what of the civilians who are still in the camp they've been carrying on as well as the services let's go and have a look at Dover well it's here all right few more houses down though the old Grand Hotel where we reporters waited for Hitler has gone and the Burlington stopped one too but the Salvation Army is still here and playing as well as ever and there's the mayor out taking a scroll good afternoon Mr Mayor good afternoon my daughter tell us about do Mr Mayor Do's quite all right as I told you last time we are all very busy doing our jobs and looking after the troops we have our problems and our tragedies they still have their tragedies driven from the Inland towns by Night Fighters the Nazi bombers that were to blast Britain into subjection are now forced to make hit and run raids on harmless Seaside towns scuttling across the channel they drop their bombs at random and then make for home but despite it all the innate optimism and cheerfulness of the English man or woman in the street prevails back at Dover I met what I think is a typical inhabitant Mrs mccuan I think you folks would like to meet her well what do you want me to do this time just tell the folks what life is like in the front line well it seems pretty much the same plenty of bombing and shelling but we've got used to that now if it's got your name on it you get it the only thing that's really worrying me is although the rations are being cut I haven't got any Slimmer that's the spirit of the front line after 2 years of bombing and shelling she still laughs and thinks of her figure but there's a reason for her cheerfulness she knows that now for every bomb or shell she Dodges the Germans try to Dodge half a dozen Mrs mccuan symbolizes the optimistic Spirit which is the most striking feature of Britain today let them do their worst they'll get it back but it's what's happening in the air over the front front line that really keeps the M mcan's cheery for months every time she heard the Drone of Squadron she knew without looking up that it was the enemy but now she knows just as instinctively that such a drone means that they're ours every day every night the sky above the front line is full of aircraft and all busy bashing the boss let's visit a Frontline air Drome here's flight Lieutenant Johnston DFC back from his 68th sweep any claims Johnny um 109 destroyed Freddy yes oh good show where abouts is this um just inside Dunkirk about 30,000 ft got cigarette sure what's the story well we were bounced from the Sun by 45109 after a bit of the shambles I got on the tail of one what range well up to 50 yards Cannon a machine gun and I saw his engine on fire and large pieces from the main plane that seems one confirmed anyway thanks B and here's Wing commander manow who leads a sterling Squadron he's just back from cologne piece of cake old boy we waled over dropped her on the target W back again and never saw a thing And So It Goes On by day fighter and bomber sweeps Spitfires for high and medium cover and hurricanes for close escort blenham and Boston bombers blasting factories and power houses supplying the Germans shooting up freight trains and Gun Sight hurricane bombers and Buford torpedo planes smashing Convoy huge four engine lancasters setting out for the heart of [Music] [Music] Germany By Night The Continuous drone of Halifax's Wellington's manchesters and Sterlings off to smash German stre just as Hitler's Invasion fleet was smashed for 2 years now the war has ebbed and flowed across the front line the Royal Air Force has started the flow with Britain's 1,000 night raids it has become a flood and that's what the heroic people of the front line have been waiting for let M Sage of do sum it up for you we've been bombed dive bombed high level bombed machine gun been through two Invasion scares the last lot we had we had the house down about our ears but we are still sticking it and we're going to stick it till the boys go over the other side then we'll have a jolly good holiday won't we father certainly will ch