The Battle of the Rails (La Bataille du rail)

BATTLE OF THE RAILS

In June 1940 the Germans cut France in two,

separating friends and family

and blocking equipment and supplies behind the demarcation line,

dividing the country

into an occupied zone and a so-called "free" zone.

Linking the two zones, but under strict enemy control,

were the railways.

France had to maintain its inner unity

and relations with the outside world.

The barrier erected by the enemy

had to be crossed by both the past and men.

The railways took on this task, its first form of resistance.

Growing bolder under the regime of terror,

over four years they developed a fearsome weapon.

The day of the landings,

they contributed considerably to disorganising transportation

and to defeating the Germans in the battle for liberation.

Jews! It is strictly forbidden to cross the demarcation line

into the occupied zone.

The train has arrived at Chalon-sur-Saône.

It will stop for 20 minutes.

Would passengers please produce their identity papers

and passes,

ready to be checked by the occupation authorities.

Please do not block the corridors.

Papers, please.

Thank you, madam.

- Checking! - Stay there!

Dog for Lyon

Fill with water, now!

It's done!

Faster!

It's done.

I told you, it's done!

You're already late, you can do that further along!

All right, go.

You will now witness a very precise mechanism...

Command Post

From this command past, trains are directed and followed.

During the occupation these were often military transports: TCOs.

This is how it would work.

This gentleman requests

a TCO of 50 wagons...

Hello? We need a 50-wagon train.

It's for a TCO.

The railwaymen take the greatest care over the TCO,

cutting no corners and creating considerable delays.

Always with the greatest discretion.

- A bad wagon. - No, no!

- Yes. - No!

It should be scrapped, I'm telling you.

- How long? - An hour.

- Too much long! - Too bad.

For a TCO? I've only got one available.

You'll have to wait an hour for it.

Everything is in order on the traffic board too.

The command past is in direct contact

with all the region's stations.

This chart shows a projection of all railway traffic.

That's the theory.

The reality is this other chart,

on which the operator marks down the trains' progress

according to their real positions.

The S1288 has just left.

When will it get to Sarrey?

On time... Plus forty minutes.

Corbin Station here. The S1288 is arriving, 58 minutes late.

To number their trains the Germans use indecipherable codes,

which the railwaymen soon decipher.

Into the cogs of this precise mechanism

the railwaymen insert pebbles, making it malfunction.

It doesn't run smoothly, it resists.

And who's behind this resistance? Let's find out.

I've nothing more to explain.

- Cards tonight. - Right.

- A new player. - Good.

- Hello, sweetheart. - Hello.

- How's the old man? - Fine.

Here's the new one I told you about.

Well, I never!

Missus!

Careful now...

No messing about. His name's Athos, what's yours?

Camargue.

Your tasks are to find sympathisers,

gather intelligence and transmit it.

- I've got the lists. - And the pamphlets?

You'll find them you know where.

- I'm in. - OK?

Thanks.

I can get a few blokes together to distribute the pamphlets.

- Up to you. - Trump!

Are there many of you?

A few more just coming.

Come on, get a move on!

There are a thousand ways to cause trouble for them.

I'm counting on you.

You can stop the wagons from leaving France...

You can cut the brakes...

You, Louis, can see to the fuel...

It's a magnetic bomb, it sticks all by itself.

Look.

There are two magnets, here and here.

Put it on something made of iron.

Watch out, Krauts!

Hide in the bays!

They're coming.

Air raid. Everyone into the air-raid shelter.

That was close.

Sabotage of machines Sabotage of supplies

After the friendly advice,

the threats... Plastered everywhere.

Death penalty for saboteurs

No passing!

- Move! - What is it now?

Come on, Louis, they need an interpreter.

- Do you speak German? - Yes.

You can interpret.

Comrades.

I must announce

that acts of sabotage are being committed all the time.

This must stop.

We are fighting together

on behalf of the same cause.

We are working together for the civilisation of the world.

We are reaching out to you.

But if you do not obey us,

we shall have no choice but to crush you.

Translate!

He says... "Comrades, there's too much sabotage."

And he says...

"We're all working for the same cause."

Louder!

He says, "We're holding out our hand to you,

"but if you reply with your fist, we'll crush you."

Conclusion: ten German trains should have left that evening.

And six men, two groups of three,

were arrested as hostages.

But words have no power here...

Get out, quick!

Come with me!

Get over here!

Wait.

- What do we do it with it? - Hide it till later!

Hide it.

Here, deal with this.

Finish up here, I've got other things to do.

Aim.

Fire!

3 wagons of concentrated milk 15 of flour

2 of tinned fish 8 tons of sugar

leaving for Stuttgart 3/5/42

All this stuff for a month now.

Yeah, and ore too.

Here, get this to the radio.

Quantities sent to Germany from the 15th to the 30th.

This is London calling.

The French speaking to the French.

First, a few personal messages.

The hawthorn is in flower.

The presbytery has lost none of its charm.

Twice.

Veronese is a great painter.

The cat is out of the bag.

That's it!

They've landed!

Get the map out.

They've landed.

Where do you reckon?

This stretch is seriously at risk.

It's vulnerable to attack.

It needs reinforcing immediately.

So we use...?

- The roads. - No, the railway.

Transport Command

Twelve trains for the western front.

What about the Apfelkern convoy? This way?

No, not the main line. Terrorists.

They won't expect us there.

They're preparing troop transports.

They'll take the single track, not the main line.

All we'd have to do is blow up the bridge at Corbin.

It'd be great if they never got there.

Order to prepare a 12-train convoy. The first train: S1504-322-425.

The convoy's name is Apfelkern.

- Apfelkern? What does that mean? - Appleseed.

- What? - Appleseed.

For Corbin.

They daren't tell us the whole route.

Excuse me.

Corbin here. The bridge has been blown up.

The Apfelkern convoy will have to go on the main line.

Always the same!

Command post?

Convoy S1504 at 3.45 pm.

The convoy is on time.

Langres Station here. The line has just been blown up.

Post 3. Halt convoy S1504.

No! Divert it.