In 1948, a B-29 Superfortress took off from California on a research mission carrying a strange piece of scientific equipment--the Suntracker. But when the plane crashed into Lake Mead, Nevada, the Suntracker was lost. And all records saying what it was or what the plane was studying were also lost. Now, archaeologists from the National Park Services' Submerged Resources Center explore the wrecked bomber, submerged under 200 feet of water, and learn that it was at the forefront of Cold War science. TVPG VL | CC

Once called mercenaries, highly trained killers have offered their deadly services for a price--from ancient Rome to the War on Terror. Today, they've marched from the back pages of Soldier of Fortune magazine to form vast corporations with the power of the most advanced militaries. The payday for these private soldiers has reached $100-billion annually! Unregulated by governing forces, they wage war for those who can afford it. Find out if they are the future of conflict resolution in our 2-hour special. TVPG VL | CC

For the sailors who fought in World War II, combat at sea differed radically from any previous conflict. The jobs they performed were far more complex and technically more demanding than ever before, and the threats they faced were much more lethal. Utilizing vivid color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections, along with firsthand accounts from veterans, we recall the remarkable true stories of these sailors and the battles they fought. Peter Coyote narrates. TVPG VL | CC

The battle for Iwo Jima begins--one of the bloodiest of World War II. During Operation Detachment, fighting becomes a brutal frontal attack of hand-to-hand combat. Both the portable and mechanized flamethrowers as well as LVTs (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) were vital during the intense battles on the volcanic island. Meanwhile in the Philippines, US forces completely surround the center of Manila, as the tempo of the Japanese atrocities increases. Before long, General MacArthur will make an emotional return to Corregidor Island. Follow the action in this series that details, week by week, the last six months of WWII and explores the high and low points of the march to war's end. TVPG VL | CC

In war, certain missions demand the most and constitute much of the legends of bravery. Journey back to the Second World War when fearless airmen manned the B-17s' belly guns--glass bubbles that at any moment could become their coffin. The ball turret gunners called their work "flying the ball", others called it crazy! TVPG VL | CC

In this episode of our series that details, week by week, the last six months of WWII, American daytime bombing and British night raids have devastated Berlin. In the Battle for the Rhineland, an estimated 8.5 million people are on the move in Germany. The backbone of the Luftwaffe, Germany's once mighty Air Force, has been broken. Hitler is now visibly shaken. On the Eastern Front, Allied leaders--British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin Roosevelt, and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin meet at Yalta, in the Russian Crimea. They agree that Germany will be conquered by summer, and begin to divide up post-war Europe. TVPG VL | CC

As the first men of the D-Day invasion force to parachute unsupported into Normandy, the Pathfinders were labeled a "suicide squad". They set up special radar sets and illuminating beacons to lead Allied airborne divisions into their drop zones. We'll examine their role in D-Day, as well as many other pivotal battles of WWII, including North Africa and the Battle of the Bulge. TVPG VL | CC

One aircraft in the U.S. arsenal best typifies the will to win. Using the latest and most sophisticated computerized technology, the F-18 Hornet is now one of the foremost fighters of the 21st Century. Once a plane that nobody wanted, today it's the principal Navy and Marine fighter-attacker--with a flick of a switch, it transforms from bomber to fighter. Interviews with pilots and crews, combined with archive film and color reenactments, take you inside the cockpit of this multi-role aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

Join us for a detailed, week by week survey of the last six months of World War II. As we explore the high and low points of the march to war's end, we paint a comprehensive step-by-step account of the crucial decisions and personalities that culminated in Allied victory. In this episode, Operation Lumberjack, the assault into the Rhineland by General Bradley's US 12th Army Group, is in full swing. In Berlin, Hitler announces that all males born in 1929 must be conscripted for military service. To the south, Patton's lead armored division has progressed over 40 miles, taking 5,000 German prisoners. And Allied Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower now must decide where to make his main crossing of the Rhine. In the Pacific, US firestorms torch Japan's capital city. TVPG VL | CC

At the dawn of WWII, the U.S. Marine Corps activated four elite Raider commando battalions to confront the Japanese forces that threatened to engulf the Pacific. From 1942 to '44, these fast, hard-hitting, lightly equipped assault units conducted surprise hit-and-run raids on the enemy. From Midway to Tulagi Island, Makin to Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville, the U.S. Marine Raiders helped destroy Japanese supremacy on the ground and paved the way to Allied victory in the Pacific. TVPG VL | CC

Join us for a detailed, week by week look at the last six months of World War Two. In this episode, we begin in the Pacific Theater where American bombers continue their assault on mainland Japan. The B-29s blitz and the US Air Force's new low-level bombing tactics using incendiary bombs prove deadly for the Japanese. General Curtis LeMay hopes to force a Japanese surrender before American ground forces are scheduled to invade the mainland. Meanwhile in Europe, the Allies are closing in. With the Rhine breached, most Nazis realize their days are numbered and the end is inevitable. Hitler leaves the Reich Chancellery for the last time, and 16-year-old Anne Frank succumbs to typhus in the Belsen concentration camp. TVPG VL | CC

During WWII, American tank crews duked it out with Nazi Panzers in a high-explosive duel to the death. The German tanks had thicker armor and better guns than the mainstay of the U.S. armored forces, the M-4 Sherman. For many crewmen, the Sherman lived up to its nickname as a steel coffin. But what the tanks lacked in firepower and protection, the crews made up for in guts and good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity. We'll meet some of these armored warriors from WWII. TVPG VL | CC

November 2004--Fallujah, Iraq has become a viper pit. Over the last six months, this once holy city has become the center of gravity for the Iraqi insurgency with Al Qaeda terrorists and Islamic radicals from across the Muslim world congregating here to resist the US occupation. Many have come to martyr themselves and to take as many coalition troops with them as possible. On November 8, six battalions of US soldiers and Marines storm the city to kill the insurgents. It will be the fight of their lives. With riveting and insightful commentary from the men who sweated and bled on the dusty avenues of Fallujah, this episode highlights the strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and harrowing stories of mortal combat--many told here for the first time--of the deadliest house-to-house street brawl since the battle for Hue City, Vietnam. As one Marine tells us, if Fallujah isn't hell, it's in the same zip code. TVPG VL | CC

Under the command of Generals Montgomery, Bradley, and Devers, Allied forces are poised to make their way across the Rhine and head for Berlin. In the East, German-occupied territories are collapsing under the Red Army. It will be a race of men and egos from the East and West to see who will reach the besieged city of Berlin first. Meanwhile, in occupied Denmark, Mosquito fighter-bombers from the RAF's Number 140 Wing head for the Danish Gestapo headquarters, where many innocent civilians have been killed. In the Pacific, fighting continues and US forces invade the Philippine Island of Panay. Join us for a week by week, detailed look at the last six months of World War II. TVPG VL | CC

We reveal how the science and technology of ballistics actually dates back thousands of years to the ancient world. Using state of the art forensic techniques and the world's leading firearms experts, this groundbreaking show reveals the accuracy, power and range of ancient bullets, rockets and bombs. TVPG VL | CC

Green Beret Terry Schappert reveals the origin of his own American warrior culture, the U.S. Special Forces: The Alamo Scouts, an elite reconnaissance unit that operated behind enemy lines during World War II. Terry not only tests weapons like the Thompson submachine gun and M1 Garand, he demonstrates their guerilla tactics. These unconventional fighting skills led to a daring POW rescue that made the Alamo Scouts legendary. TVPG VL | CC

The original Enterprise, CV-6, gained immortality as "The Fighting Lady" of WWII. A dwarf among modern carrier, the "Big E" was a main target of the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and barely away at sea when the blow fell. Miraculously spared, she became the war-long leader of America's naval counterattack, playing key roles in decisive battles of the war. Despite her glorious past she is sent to the scrap yard, but redemption comes in 1957 with the launching of CVN-65, her great namesake and the world's first nuclear-powered carrier. From then until now Enterprise has been a mainstay of American strength and today she remains on the high seas in the front lines of American's military engagements. TVPG VL | CC

Movie. The true story of the "Lost Battalion" of US soldiers--a group of Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Polish "gangsters" from New York who were trapped behind enemy lines in World War One and fought heroically against the odds. Rick Schroder stars as battalion leader Major Charles Whittlesey, the civilian-turned-soldier who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for keeping his outnumbered troops alive and fighting in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. (2001) TVPG VL | CC

The Maginot Line, a defensive string of forts with enfilading firepower, was built by France between WWI and WWII. Conceived by Minister of War Andr Maginot, it was meant to forestall another German invasion until troops could arrive. But the French began to think of the line as a substitute for manpower. When Belgium declared neutrality and exposed France's flank, Germany was able to sidestep the line. We'll visit the "impregnable" line's forts, observation turrets, and underground railroads. TVPG VL | CC

In 1948, a B-29 Superfortress took off from California on a research mission carrying a strange piece of scientific equipment--the Suntracker. But when the plane crashed into Lake Mead, Nevada, the Suntracker was lost. And all records saying what it was or what the plane was studying were also lost. Now, archaeologists from the National Park Services' Submerged Resources Center explore the wrecked bomber, submerged under 200 feet of water, and learn that it was at the forefront of Cold War science. TVPG VL | CC

When the Navy SEALs needed a better way to travel the desert, they asked Chenowth Racing to build a car that could stand up to the desert. Host Hunter Ellis shows off their DPV (Desert Patrol Vehicle) at the Baja 1000. Next, he sees how battlefield medicine provided lifesaving changes in emergency medicine--from cutting-edge triage to "smart" bandages, and how UAVs (Unmanned Air Vehicles) have moved from military to myriad uses, including law enforcement, Hollywood, and even archaeological digs! TVPG VL | CC

A generational leap in technology and strategy is put to the ultimate test over enemy airspace in Iraq. The air combat of the future begins with America's first large scale air offensive since the Vietnam War. On the first night of the war an Iraqi Mirage F1 attacks an unarmed EF-111. Watch as F-15C pilots take on a pair of Iraqi MiG-25 interceptors. Finally Captain Cesar Rodriguez takes on MiGs, in a classic Beyond Visual Range engagement that illustrates the awe-striking power of modern weapons technology. TVPG VL | CC

For the sailors who fought in World War II, combat at sea differed radically from any previous conflict. The jobs they performed were far more complex and technically more demanding than ever before, and the threats they faced were much more lethal. Utilizing vivid color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections, along with firsthand accounts from veterans, we recall the remarkable true stories of these sailors and the battles they fought. Peter Coyote narrates. TVPG VL | CC

On July 21, 1944, American Marines and GIs invade the island of Guam--once US territory. Over the next 21 days, this Japanese stronghold in the Mariana Islands would become a bitter and bloody battlefield as US forces fight to expel nearly 19,000 tenacious Japanese troops from their heavily defended positions. The conflict becomes one of restoring American pride as battle-hardened troops fight to return to the site of the old US barracks and raise the American flag. We offer an unprecedented viewpoint of the famous battle. Aerial photographs taken of the island during the war have now been layered over a 3-D contour map to create a CGI "model" of the island. But this is no computer game--it's a model of the actual island as the battle raged that will allow the viewer to track the conquest of the island, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can now be placed in the exact spot on the island where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

The Battle of Mogadishu is a largely forgotten, yet extremely important event in US military history. When 18 American soldiers were killed and images broadcast of bodies dragged through the streets of an enigmatic African city, it was a horrible blow to the national psyche. In a 2-hour review of the battle, based on Mark Bowden's bestseller Black Hawk Down, we see how we got there, what went wrong, and explore the legacy. Includes interviews with Bowden, US Rangers, and Somali militiamen. TVPG VL | CC

For enemy combatants, the first thing heard is a thunderous noise. The ground trembles, sand and trees whip-up into a storm. If they should see it, its huge rotor blades, missile pods, and giant optical eyes are reminiscent of a massive, deadly insect. For many, it's the last thing they ever see--the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter. Developed during the Cold War, this incredible aircraft is now the most powerful and feared helicopter in the world. Able to dive into action at over 200 mph, it can deliver a devastating firestorm of missiles or rockets. With its 30mm cannon, it can attack tanks, armored vehicles, and troops with razor-sharp accuracy. Using unique archive film, detailed reenactments, and extraordinary interviews, we fly into harm's way aboard these lethal aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

When this 60 tons of high-tech military hardware rumbles onto the battlefield at nearly 40 mph, there's nowhere for the enemy to hide. Behind its impenetrable armor lies one of the most effective computerized weapons systems. Its main weapon--an awesome 120mm rifled gun that can take out a football-sized moving target three miles away. Men who serve in this metallic monster claim the hard-hitting warhorse is the world's best battle tank. An underdog during military competitions in the late 1980s, the EM Challenger /EM proved itself in Operation Desert Storm and was back in action for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unique archive film, riveting reenactments, extraordinary interviews, and dramatic computer graphics tell the story of this British battlefield heavyweight and the men who have taken it into the heat of battle. TVPG VL | CC

One aircraft in the U.S. arsenal best typifies the will to win. Using the latest and most sophisticated computerized technology, the F-18 Hornet is now one of the foremost fighters of the 21st Century. Once a plane that nobody wanted, today it's the principal Navy and Marine fighter-attacker--with a flick of a switch, it transforms from bomber to fighter. Interviews with pilots and crews, combined with archive film and color reenactments, take you inside the cockpit of this multi-role aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

Born in the high-tech labs of the aerospace industry--and tested on the muddy battlefields of Vietnam--the M16 has become America's ultimate weapon. It's been used by SWAT teams on the mean streets of LA and Special Forces serving in Iraq. Now we're going to take you inside this incredible rifle, reveal the secrets of its design and construction and show how it's evolving to tackle America's newest challenges. TVPG VL | CC

The untold story of the American 8th Air Force's bloody battle to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the months leading up to D-Day. Told through the gripping, first person accounts of three American airmen and Stars & Stripes reporter Andy Rooney, this special showcases breathtaking aerial combat--original, color footage, never before seen by most Americans--of the B-17s Flying Fortresses, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs on missions such as Regensburg, Schweinfurt and Berlin. Never-before-seen 8mm footage of the airmen on the bases, the devastation in Germany, and the Luftwaffe perspective is also highlighted. Flying 25,000 feet above the earth in oxygen-devoid air, and temperatures as low as 50 below zero, the 8th Air Force fought a war unlike anything ever before experienced. By the end, they would suffer more than 26,000 combat deaths--more than the US Marines lost in all of World War II. Narrated by Emmy nominated actor, Rob Lowe. TVPG VL | CC

With the American fleet still smoldering in Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack the Philippines. Thousands of American GIs and their Filipino allies are surrounded on the Bataan Peninsula. The American-led force finally surrenders, only to be subjected to the horrors of the Bataan Death March. Three years later the American military return to the shores of the Philippines on a secret mission to liberate 500 Allied prisoners still languishing behind the barbed wire of the Cabanatua death camp. Captain Bob Prince and Lt. Robert Anderson were there, and they take us shot-by-shot through one of the most daring lightning raids in history. TVPG VL | CC

It's the most desperate shootout of the Vietnam War. During the early morning hours of January 31, 1968, North Vietnamese communist troops launch a surprise attack on dozens of towns and villages across South Vietnam. They hope the bold offensive will spur a nation-wide uprising in the south and push U.S. forces from Vietnam. U.S. troops beat back the assault and hundreds of the communist fighters are killed. From remote jungle crossroads to the streets of Saigon, average Americans, under attack, display incredible courage and make sacrifices to save their buddies. The impact will be felt in the consciousness of the American public itself. We use unique visual graphics and interviews with survivors to complete the story. TVPG VL | CC

November 2004--Fallujah, Iraq has become a viper pit. Over the last six months, this once holy city has become the center of gravity for the Iraqi insurgency with Al Qaeda terrorists and Islamic radicals from across the Muslim world congregating here to resist the US occupation. Many have come to martyr themselves and to take as many coalition troops with them as possible. On November 8, six battalions of US soldiers and Marines storm the city to kill the insurgents. It will be the fight of their lives. With riveting and insightful commentary from the men who sweated and bled on the dusty avenues of Fallujah, this episode highlights the strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and harrowing stories of mortal combat--many told here for the first time--of the deadliest house-to-house street brawl since the battle for Hue City, Vietnam. As one Marine tells us, if Fallujah isn't hell, it's in the same zip code. TVPG VL | CC

The dramatic and largely untold story of the year-long psychological duel between U.S. Colonel Burton Andrus, Commandant of the Nuremberg Jail and the Rechsmarschall of Nazi Germany and Hitler's heir, Hermann Goering. Goering came to prison a drug-addled man weighing 264-pounds, accompanied by a valet and 16 pieces of matching luggage. Three months later, drug free and 65-pounds thinner, he regained the mental acuity that made him a formidable political foe. Andrus, on the other hand, was a devotee of General George Patton, and a strict disciplinarian. He had been entrusted with a vital task direct from General Eisenhower himself -- to clean up Goering and get him ready for trial. TVPG VL | CC

Follow acclaimed author/journalist Mark Bowden as he travels to the remote islands of the Philippines to reveal the untold story of a CIA mission to hunt down the Al Qaeda-linked terrorists who kidnapped an American missionary couple in the summer of 2001. Islamic militancy was not yet a concern for the American public and initially little more than a perfunctory attempt was made to rescue the missionaries. Things changed after 9/11. CIA surveillance video of the terrorists' demise will be shown for the first time on television. Features Mark Bowden on-camera as the central storyteller and includes interviews with the captives and the Philippine Marines who carried out the CIA's secret mission. TVPG VL | CC

Once called mercenaries, highly trained killers have offered their deadly services for a price--from ancient Rome to the War on Terror. Today, they've marched from the back pages of Soldier of Fortune magazine to form vast corporations with the power of the most advanced militaries. The payday for these private soldiers has reached $100-billion annually! Unregulated by governing forces, they wage war for those who can afford it. Find out if they are the future of conflict resolution in our 2-hour special. TVPG VL | CC

Movie. The true story of the "Lost Battalion" of US soldiers--a group of Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Polish "gangsters" from New York who were trapped behind enemy lines in World War One and fought heroically against the odds. Rick Schroder stars as battalion leader Major Charles Whittlesey, the civilian-turned-soldier who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for keeping his outnumbered troops alive and fighting in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. (2001) TVPG VL | CC

In war, certain missions demand the most and constitute much of the legends of bravery. Journey back to the Second World War when fearless airmen manned the B-17s' belly guns--glass bubbles that at any moment could become their coffin. The ball turret gunners called their work "flying the ball", others called it crazy! TVPG VL | CC

In this 4-part series, we explore the courage and heroism of American soldiers in Vietnam, both on land and in the air, as they faced an unrelenting enemy during the first few years of US involvement in what would become the Vietnam War. In late 1965, President Lyndon Johnson ordered large numbers of troops to South Vietnam to prevent what he thought was the takeover of the country by communists from the north. We'll cover the bloody battles at Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh, Con Thien, and Dak To--from 1965 through 1967. TVPG VL | CC

When the Navy SEALs needed a better way to travel the desert, they asked Chenowth Racing to build a car that could stand up to the desert. Host Hunter Ellis shows off their DPV (Desert Patrol Vehicle) at the Baja 1000. Next, he sees how battlefield medicine provided lifesaving changes in emergency medicine--from cutting-edge triage to "smart" bandages, and how UAVs (Unmanned Air Vehicles) have moved from military to myriad uses, including law enforcement, Hollywood, and even archaeological digs! TVPG VL | CC

As the first men of the D-Day invasion force to parachute unsupported into Normandy, the Pathfinders were labeled a "suicide squad". They set up special radar sets and illuminating beacons to lead Allied airborne divisions into their drop zones. We'll examine their role in D-Day, as well as many other pivotal battles of WWII, including North Africa and the Battle of the Bulge. TVPG VL | CC

Focuses on the Tet Offensive, which changed public opinion about the war. In January 1968, the North Vietnamese and Vietcong attacked over 100 cities and military bases in South Vietnam. The attack, launched during the holiday cease-fire, caught US and South Vietnamese forces unprepared. In Saigon, the US Embassy endured a 6-hour battle. But the bloodiest battle took place in and around the ancient capital of Hue with the Marines suffering a 50% casualty rate. TVPG VL | CC

On July 21, 1944, American Marines and GIs invade the island of Guam--once US territory. Over the next 21 days, this Japanese stronghold in the Mariana Islands would become a bitter and bloody battlefield as US forces fight to expel nearly 19,000 tenacious Japanese troops from their heavily defended positions. The conflict becomes one of restoring American pride as battle-hardened troops fight to return to the site of the old US barracks and raise the American flag. We offer an unprecedented viewpoint of the famous battle. Aerial photographs taken of the island during the war have now been layered over a 3-D contour map to create a CGI "model" of the island. But this is no computer game--it's a model of the actual island as the battle raged that will allow the viewer to track the conquest of the island, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can now be placed in the exact spot on the island where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

At the dawn of WWII, the U.S. Marine Corps activated four elite Raider commando battalions to confront the Japanese forces that threatened to engulf the Pacific. From 1942 to '44, these fast, hard-hitting, lightly equipped assault units conducted surprise hit-and-run raids on the enemy. From Midway to Tulagi Island, Makin to Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville, the U.S. Marine Raiders helped destroy Japanese supremacy on the ground and paved the way to Allied victory in the Pacific. TVPG VL | CC

In this hour, we zero in on the Cambodian incursion of 1970 and the Easter Offensive in 1972. When Richard Nixon took office in 1969, he promised to reduce involvement in Vietnam. But as he withdrew troops in Vietnam, the president simultaneously orchestrated an invasion into Cambodia. Though a military success, it set off a firestorm of protest at home. Then, on Easter Sunday 1972, North Vietnamese swarmed into South Vietnam, surprising US and South Vietnamese troops. TVPG VL | CC

For enemy combatants, the first thing heard is a thunderous noise. The ground trembles, sand and trees whip-up into a storm. If they should see it, its huge rotor blades, missile pods, and giant optical eyes are reminiscent of a massive, deadly insect. For many, it's the last thing they ever see--the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter. Developed during the Cold War, this incredible aircraft is now the most powerful and feared helicopter in the world. Able to dive into action at over 200 mph, it can deliver a devastating firestorm of missiles or rockets. With its 30mm cannon, it can attack tanks, armored vehicles, and troops with razor-sharp accuracy. Using unique archive film, detailed reenactments, and extraordinary interviews, we fly into harm's way aboard these lethal aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

During WWII, American tank crews duked it out with Nazi Panzers in a high-explosive duel to the death. The German tanks had thicker armor and better guns than the mainstay of the U.S. armored forces, the M-4 Sherman. For many crewmen, the Sherman lived up to its nickname as a steel coffin. But what the tanks lacked in firepower and protection, the crews made up for in guts and good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity. We'll meet some of these armored warriors from WWII. TVPG VL | CC

The riveting story of the final American evacuation of Saigon in the last few weeks of April 1975, which culminated in the largest US helicopter rescue in history as US Marines saved almost 7,000 people--1,400 Americans and 5,600 South Vietnamese--in the hours before the city fell to the Communists. Former CBS News Saigon Bureau Chief Brian Ellis tells how he ran his own secret evacuation, helping South Vietnamese who worked for the US press leave the country. TVPG VL | CC

Born in the high-tech labs of the aerospace industry--and tested on the muddy battlefields of Vietnam--the M16 has become America's ultimate weapon. It's been used by SWAT teams on the mean streets of LA and Special Forces serving in Iraq. Now we're going to take you inside this incredible rifle, reveal the secrets of its design and construction and show how it's evolving to tackle America's newest challenges. TVPG VL | CC

We reveal how the science and technology of ballistics actually dates back thousands of years to the ancient world. Using state of the art forensic techniques and the world's leading firearms experts, this groundbreaking show reveals the accuracy, power and range of ancient bullets, rockets and bombs. TVPG VL | CC

Looks at the unique "civilian" airline known as Air America, secretly owned and operated by the CIA, which began as an outgrowth of WWII's Flying Tigers. From clandestine missions over China and Korea to aerial support in Vietnam and the secret war in Laos, Air America formed a cornerstone of U.S. policy in Southeast Asia. TVPG VL | CC

With the American fleet still smoldering in Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack the Philippines. Thousands of American GIs and their Filipino allies are surrounded on the Bataan Peninsula. The American-led force finally surrenders, only to be subjected to the horrors of the Bataan Death March. Three years later the American military return to the shores of the Philippines on a secret mission to liberate 500 Allied prisoners still languishing behind the barbed wire of the Cabanatua death camp. Captain Bob Prince and Lt. Robert Anderson were there, and they take us shot-by-shot through one of the most daring lightning raids in history. TVPG VL | CC

The original Enterprise, CV-6, gained immortality as "The Fighting Lady" of WWII. A dwarf among modern carrier, the "Big E" was a main target of the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and barely away at sea when the blow fell. Miraculously spared, she became the war-long leader of America's naval counterattack, playing key roles in decisive battles of the war. Despite her glorious past she is sent to the scrap yard, but redemption comes in 1957 with the launching of CVN-65, her great namesake and the world's first nuclear-powered carrier. From then until now Enterprise has been a mainstay of American strength and today she remains on the high seas in the front lines of American's military engagements. TVPG VL | CC

The dramatic and largely untold story of the year-long psychological duel between U.S. Colonel Burton Andrus, Commandant of the Nuremberg Jail and the Rechsmarschall of Nazi Germany and Hitler's heir, Hermann Goering. Goering came to prison a drug-addled man weighing 264-pounds, accompanied by a valet and 16 pieces of matching luggage. Three months later, drug free and 65-pounds thinner, he regained the mental acuity that made him a formidable political foe. Andrus, on the other hand, was a devotee of General George Patton, and a strict disciplinarian. He had been entrusted with a vital task direct from General Eisenhower himself -- to clean up Goering and get him ready for trial. TVPG VL | CC

In 1948, a B-29 Superfortress took off from California on a research mission carrying a strange piece of scientific equipment--the Suntracker. But when the plane crashed into Lake Mead, Nevada, the Suntracker was lost. And all records saying what it was or what the plane was studying were also lost. Now, archaeologists from the National Park Services' Submerged Resources Center explore the wrecked bomber, submerged under 200 feet of water, and learn that it was at the forefront of Cold War science. TVPG VL | CC

Once called mercenaries, highly trained killers have offered their deadly services for a price--from ancient Rome to the War on Terror. Today, they've marched from the back pages of Soldier of Fortune magazine to form vast corporations with the power of the most advanced militaries. The payday for these private soldiers has reached $100-billion annually! Unregulated by governing forces, they wage war for those who can afford it. Find out if they are the future of conflict resolution in our 2-hour special. TVPG VL | CC

For the sailors who fought in World War II, combat at sea differed radically from any previous conflict. The jobs they performed were far more complex and technically more demanding than ever before, and the threats they faced were much more lethal. Utilizing vivid color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections, along with firsthand accounts from veterans, we recall the remarkable true stories of these sailors and the battles they fought. Peter Coyote narrates. TVPG VL | CC

The battle for Iwo Jima begins--one of the bloodiest of World War II. During Operation Detachment, fighting becomes a brutal frontal attack of hand-to-hand combat. Both the portable and mechanized flamethrowers as well as LVTs (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) were vital during the intense battles on the volcanic island. Meanwhile in the Philippines, US forces completely surround the center of Manila, as the tempo of the Japanese atrocities increases. Before long, General MacArthur will make an emotional return to Corregidor Island. Follow the action in this series that details, week by week, the last six months of WWII and explores the high and low points of the march to war's end. TVPG VL | CC

In war, certain missions demand the most and constitute much of the legends of bravery. Journey back to the Second World War when fearless airmen manned the B-17s' belly guns--glass bubbles that at any moment could become their coffin. The ball turret gunners called their work "flying the ball", others called it crazy! TVPG VL | CC

The Battle of Mogadishu is a largely forgotten, yet extremely important event in US military history. When 18 American soldiers were killed and images broadcast of bodies dragged through the streets of an enigmatic African city, it was a horrible blow to the national psyche. In a 2-hour review of the battle, based on Mark Bowden's bestseller Black Hawk Down, we see how we got there, what went wrong, and explore the legacy. Includes interviews with Bowden, US Rangers, and Somali militiamen. TVPG VL | CC

In this episode of our series that details, week by week, the last six months of WWII, American daytime bombing and British night raids have devastated Berlin. In the Battle for the Rhineland, an estimated 8.5 million people are on the move in Germany. The backbone of the Luftwaffe, Germany's once mighty Air Force, has been broken. Hitler is now visibly shaken. On the Eastern Front, Allied leaders--British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin Roosevelt, and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin meet at Yalta, in the Russian Crimea. They agree that Germany will be conquered by summer, and begin to divide up post-war Europe. TVPG VL | CC

As the first men of the D-Day invasion force to parachute unsupported into Normandy, the Pathfinders were labeled a "suicide squad". They set up special radar sets and illuminating beacons to lead Allied airborne divisions into their drop zones. We'll examine their role in D-Day, as well as many other pivotal battles of WWII, including North Africa and the Battle of the Bulge. TVPG VL | CC

One aircraft in the U.S. arsenal best typifies the will to win. Using the latest and most sophisticated computerized technology, the F-18 Hornet is now one of the foremost fighters of the 21st Century. Once a plane that nobody wanted, today it's the principal Navy and Marine fighter-attacker--with a flick of a switch, it transforms from bomber to fighter. Interviews with pilots and crews, combined with archive film and color reenactments, take you inside the cockpit of this multi-role aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

Join us for a detailed, week by week survey of the last six months of World War II. As we explore the high and low points of the march to war's end, we paint a comprehensive step-by-step account of the crucial decisions and personalities that culminated in Allied victory. In this episode, Operation Lumberjack, the assault into the Rhineland by General Bradley's US 12th Army Group, is in full swing. In Berlin, Hitler announces that all males born in 1929 must be conscripted for military service. To the south, Patton's lead armored division has progressed over 40 miles, taking 5,000 German prisoners. And Allied Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower now must decide where to make his main crossing of the Rhine. In the Pacific, US firestorms torch Japan's capital city. TVPG VL | CC

At the dawn of WWII, the U.S. Marine Corps activated four elite Raider commando battalions to confront the Japanese forces that threatened to engulf the Pacific. From 1942 to '44, these fast, hard-hitting, lightly equipped assault units conducted surprise hit-and-run raids on the enemy. From Midway to Tulagi Island, Makin to Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville, the U.S. Marine Raiders helped destroy Japanese supremacy on the ground and paved the way to Allied victory in the Pacific. TVPG VL | CC

The untold story of the American 8th Air Force's bloody battle to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the months leading up to D-Day. Told through the gripping, first person accounts of three American airmen and Stars & Stripes reporter Andy Rooney, this special showcases breathtaking aerial combat--original, color footage, never before seen by most Americans--of the B-17s Flying Fortresses, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs on missions such as Regensburg, Schweinfurt and Berlin. Never-before-seen 8mm footage of the airmen on the bases, the devastation in Germany, and the Luftwaffe perspective is also highlighted. Flying 25,000 feet above the earth in oxygen-devoid air, and temperatures as low as 50 below zero, the 8th Air Force fought a war unlike anything ever before experienced. By the end, they would suffer more than 26,000 combat deaths--more than the US Marines lost in all of World War II. Narrated by Emmy nominated actor, Rob Lowe. TVPG VL | CC

Join us for a detailed, week by week look at the last six months of World War Two. In this episode, we begin in the Pacific Theater where American bombers continue their assault on mainland Japan. The B-29s blitz and the US Air Force's new low-level bombing tactics using incendiary bombs prove deadly for the Japanese. General Curtis LeMay hopes to force a Japanese surrender before American ground forces are scheduled to invade the mainland. Meanwhile in Europe, the Allies are closing in. With the Rhine breached, most Nazis realize their days are numbered and the end is inevitable. Hitler leaves the Reich Chancellery for the last time, and 16-year-old Anne Frank succumbs to typhus in the Belsen concentration camp. TVPG VL | CC

During WWII, American tank crews duked it out with Nazi Panzers in a high-explosive duel to the death. The German tanks had thicker armor and better guns than the mainstay of the U.S. armored forces, the M-4 Sherman. For many crewmen, the Sherman lived up to its nickname as a steel coffin. But what the tanks lacked in firepower and protection, the crews made up for in guts and good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity. We'll meet some of these armored warriors from WWII. TVPG VL | CC

November 2004--Fallujah, Iraq has become a viper pit. Over the last six months, this once holy city has become the center of gravity for the Iraqi insurgency with Al Qaeda terrorists and Islamic radicals from across the Muslim world congregating here to resist the US occupation. Many have come to martyr themselves and to take as many coalition troops with them as possible. On November 8, six battalions of US soldiers and Marines storm the city to kill the insurgents. It will be the fight of their lives. With riveting and insightful commentary from the men who sweated and bled on the dusty avenues of Fallujah, this episode highlights the strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and harrowing stories of mortal combat--many told here for the first time--of the deadliest house-to-house street brawl since the battle for Hue City, Vietnam. As one Marine tells us, if Fallujah isn't hell, it's in the same zip code. TVPG VL | CC

Under the command of Generals Montgomery, Bradley, and Devers, Allied forces are poised to make their way across the Rhine and head for Berlin. In the East, German-occupied territories are collapsing under the Red Army. It will be a race of men and egos from the East and West to see who will reach the besieged city of Berlin first. Meanwhile, in occupied Denmark, Mosquito fighter-bombers from the RAF's Number 140 Wing head for the Danish Gestapo headquarters, where many innocent civilians have been killed. In the Pacific, fighting continues and US forces invade the Philippine Island of Panay. Join us for a week by week, detailed look at the last six months of World War II. TVPG VL | CC

We reveal how the science and technology of ballistics actually dates back thousands of years to the ancient world. Using state of the art forensic techniques and the world's leading firearms experts, this groundbreaking show reveals the accuracy, power and range of ancient bullets, rockets and bombs. TVPG VL | CC

Follow acclaimed author/journalist Mark Bowden as he travels to the remote islands of the Philippines to reveal the untold story of a CIA mission to hunt down the Al Qaeda-linked terrorists who kidnapped an American missionary couple in the summer of 2001. Islamic militancy was not yet a concern for the American public and initially little more than a perfunctory attempt was made to rescue the missionaries. Things changed after 9/11. CIA surveillance video of the terrorists' demise will be shown for the first time on television. Features Mark Bowden on-camera as the central storyteller and includes interviews with the captives and the Philippine Marines who carried out the CIA's secret mission. TVPG VL | CC

Green Beret Terry Schappert reveals the origin of his own American warrior culture, the U.S. Special Forces: The Alamo Scouts, an elite reconnaissance unit that operated behind enemy lines during World War II. Terry not only tests weapons like the Thompson submachine gun and M1 Garand, he demonstrates their guerilla tactics. These unconventional fighting skills led to a daring POW rescue that made the Alamo Scouts legendary. TVPG VL | CC

The original Enterprise, CV-6, gained immortality as "The Fighting Lady" of WWII. A dwarf among modern carrier, the "Big E" was a main target of the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and barely away at sea when the blow fell. Miraculously spared, she became the war-long leader of America's naval counterattack, playing key roles in decisive battles of the war. Despite her glorious past she is sent to the scrap yard, but redemption comes in 1957 with the launching of CVN-65, her great namesake and the world's first nuclear-powered carrier. From then until now Enterprise has been a mainstay of American strength and today she remains on the high seas in the front lines of American's military engagements. TVPG VL | CC

Movie. The true story of the "Lost Battalion" of US soldiers--a group of Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Polish "gangsters" from New York who were trapped behind enemy lines in World War One and fought heroically against the odds. Rick Schroder stars as battalion leader Major Charles Whittlesey, the civilian-turned-soldier who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for keeping his outnumbered troops alive and fighting in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. (2001) TVPG VL | CC

In this 4-part series, we explore the courage and heroism of American soldiers in Vietnam, both on land and in the air, as they faced an unrelenting enemy during the first few years of US involvement in what would become the Vietnam War. In late 1965, President Lyndon Johnson ordered large numbers of troops to South Vietnam to prevent what he thought was the takeover of the country by communists from the north. We'll cover the bloody battles at Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh, Con Thien, and Dak To--from 1965 through 1967. TVPG VL | CC

When the Navy SEALs needed a better way to travel the desert, they asked Chenowth Racing to build a car that could stand up to the desert. Host Hunter Ellis shows off their DPV (Desert Patrol Vehicle) at the Baja 1000. Next, he sees how battlefield medicine provided lifesaving changes in emergency medicine--from cutting-edge triage to "smart" bandages, and how UAVs (Unmanned Air Vehicles) have moved from military to myriad uses, including law enforcement, Hollywood, and even archaeological digs! TVPG VL | CC

When the Navy SEALs needed a better way to travel the desert, they asked Chenowth Racing to build a car that could stand up to the desert. Host Hunter Ellis shows off their DPV (Desert Patrol Vehicle) at the Baja 1000. Next, he sees how battlefield medicine provided lifesaving changes in emergency medicine--from cutting-edge triage to "smart" bandages, and how UAVs (Unmanned Air Vehicles) have moved from military to myriad uses, including law enforcement, Hollywood, and even archaeological digs! TVPG VL | CC

Focuses on the Tet Offensive, which changed public opinion about the war. In January 1968, the North Vietnamese and Vietcong attacked over 100 cities and military bases in South Vietnam. The attack, launched during the holiday cease-fire, caught US and South Vietnamese forces unprepared. In Saigon, the US Embassy endured a 6-hour battle. But the bloodiest battle took place in and around the ancient capital of Hue with the Marines suffering a 50% casualty rate. TVPG VL | CC

On July 21, 1944, American Marines and GIs invade the island of Guam--once US territory. Over the next 21 days, this Japanese stronghold in the Mariana Islands would become a bitter and bloody battlefield as US forces fight to expel nearly 19,000 tenacious Japanese troops from their heavily defended positions. The conflict becomes one of restoring American pride as battle-hardened troops fight to return to the site of the old US barracks and raise the American flag. We offer an unprecedented viewpoint of the famous battle. Aerial photographs taken of the island during the war have now been layered over a 3-D contour map to create a CGI "model" of the island. But this is no computer game--it's a model of the actual island as the battle raged that will allow the viewer to track the conquest of the island, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can now be placed in the exact spot on the island where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

On July 21, 1944, American Marines and GIs invade the island of Guam--once US territory. Over the next 21 days, this Japanese stronghold in the Mariana Islands would become a bitter and bloody battlefield as US forces fight to expel nearly 19,000 tenacious Japanese troops from their heavily defended positions. The conflict becomes one of restoring American pride as battle-hardened troops fight to return to the site of the old US barracks and raise the American flag. We offer an unprecedented viewpoint of the famous battle. Aerial photographs taken of the island during the war have now been layered over a 3-D contour map to create a CGI "model" of the island. But this is no computer game--it's a model of the actual island as the battle raged that will allow the viewer to track the conquest of the island, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can now be placed in the exact spot on the island where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

In this hour, we zero in on the Cambodian incursion of 1970 and the Easter Offensive in 1972. When Richard Nixon took office in 1969, he promised to reduce involvement in Vietnam. But as he withdrew troops in Vietnam, the president simultaneously orchestrated an invasion into Cambodia. Though a military success, it set off a firestorm of protest at home. Then, on Easter Sunday 1972, North Vietnamese swarmed into South Vietnam, surprising US and South Vietnamese troops. TVPG VL | CC

For enemy combatants, the first thing heard is a thunderous noise. The ground trembles, sand and trees whip-up into a storm. If they should see it, its huge rotor blades, missile pods, and giant optical eyes are reminiscent of a massive, deadly insect. For many, it's the last thing they ever see--the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter. Developed during the Cold War, this incredible aircraft is now the most powerful and feared helicopter in the world. Able to dive into action at over 200 mph, it can deliver a devastating firestorm of missiles or rockets. With its 30mm cannon, it can attack tanks, armored vehicles, and troops with razor-sharp accuracy. Using unique archive film, detailed reenactments, and extraordinary interviews, we fly into harm's way aboard these lethal aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

For enemy combatants, the first thing heard is a thunderous noise. The ground trembles, sand and trees whip-up into a storm. If they should see it, its huge rotor blades, missile pods, and giant optical eyes are reminiscent of a massive, deadly insect. For many, it's the last thing they ever see--the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter. Developed during the Cold War, this incredible aircraft is now the most powerful and feared helicopter in the world. Able to dive into action at over 200 mph, it can deliver a devastating firestorm of missiles or rockets. With its 30mm cannon, it can attack tanks, armored vehicles, and troops with razor-sharp accuracy. Using unique archive film, detailed reenactments, and extraordinary interviews, we fly into harm's way aboard these lethal aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

The riveting story of the final American evacuation of Saigon in the last few weeks of April 1975, which culminated in the largest US helicopter rescue in history as US Marines saved almost 7,000 people--1,400 Americans and 5,600 South Vietnamese--in the hours before the city fell to the Communists. Former CBS News Saigon Bureau Chief Brian Ellis tells how he ran his own secret evacuation, helping South Vietnamese who worked for the US press leave the country. TVPG VL | CC

Born in the high-tech labs of the aerospace industry--and tested on the muddy battlefields of Vietnam--the M16 has become America's ultimate weapon. It's been used by SWAT teams on the mean streets of LA and Special Forces serving in Iraq. Now we're going to take you inside this incredible rifle, reveal the secrets of its design and construction and show how it's evolving to tackle America's newest challenges. TVPG VL | CC

Born in the high-tech labs of the aerospace industry--and tested on the muddy battlefields of Vietnam--the M16 has become America's ultimate weapon. It's been used by SWAT teams on the mean streets of LA and Special Forces serving in Iraq. Now we're going to take you inside this incredible rifle, reveal the secrets of its design and construction and show how it's evolving to tackle America's newest challenges. TVPG VL | CC

Looks at the unique "civilian" airline known as Air America, secretly owned and operated by the CIA, which began as an outgrowth of WWII's Flying Tigers. From clandestine missions over China and Korea to aerial support in Vietnam and the secret war in Laos, Air America formed a cornerstone of U.S. policy in Southeast Asia. TVPG VL | CC

With the American fleet still smoldering in Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack the Philippines. Thousands of American GIs and their Filipino allies are surrounded on the Bataan Peninsula. The American-led force finally surrenders, only to be subjected to the horrors of the Bataan Death March. Three years later the American military return to the shores of the Philippines on a secret mission to liberate 500 Allied prisoners still languishing behind the barbed wire of the Cabanatua death camp. Captain Bob Prince and Lt. Robert Anderson were there, and they take us shot-by-shot through one of the most daring lightning raids in history. TVPG VL | CC

With the American fleet still smoldering in Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack the Philippines. Thousands of American GIs and their Filipino allies are surrounded on the Bataan Peninsula. The American-led force finally surrenders, only to be subjected to the horrors of the Bataan Death March. Three years later the American military return to the shores of the Philippines on a secret mission to liberate 500 Allied prisoners still languishing behind the barbed wire of the Cabanatua death camp. Captain Bob Prince and Lt. Robert Anderson were there, and they take us shot-by-shot through one of the most daring lightning raids in history. TVPG VL | CC

The dramatic and largely untold story of the year-long psychological duel between U.S. Colonel Burton Andrus, Commandant of the Nuremberg Jail and the Rechsmarschall of Nazi Germany and Hitler's heir, Hermann Goering. Goering came to prison a drug-addled man weighing 264-pounds, accompanied by a valet and 16 pieces of matching luggage. Three months later, drug free and 65-pounds thinner, he regained the mental acuity that made him a formidable political foe. Andrus, on the other hand, was a devotee of General George Patton, and a strict disciplinarian. He had been entrusted with a vital task direct from General Eisenhower himself -- to clean up Goering and get him ready for trial. TVPG VL | CC

The dramatic and largely untold story of the year-long psychological duel between U.S. Colonel Burton Andrus, Commandant of the Nuremberg Jail and the Rechsmarschall of Nazi Germany and Hitler's heir, Hermann Goering. Goering came to prison a drug-addled man weighing 264-pounds, accompanied by a valet and 16 pieces of matching luggage. Three months later, drug free and 65-pounds thinner, he regained the mental acuity that made him a formidable political foe. Andrus, on the other hand, was a devotee of General George Patton, and a strict disciplinarian. He had been entrusted with a vital task direct from General Eisenhower himself -- to clean up Goering and get him ready for trial. TVPG VL | CC

Get an unprecedented look at the most extreme missions of the most extreme job in the world. You have one shot, one scoped sight, one controlled breath, one squeeze of a honed trigger. In a fraction of a second, you will either be a hero who took out an enemy commander, or a lone hunter who has suddenly become the hunted. This special deconstructs and analyzes the most dangerous feats undertaken in the history of military warfare. The legendary snipers who are still alive will share never-before-told stories about their classified missions. What techniques were used by these sharpshooters? What roles did the weather conditions, terrain, weapons systems, and snipers' physiological states play in the success of each operation? Examine the painstaking process perfected by the expert marksmen who live by the credo, "One shot, one kill." TVPG VL | CC

For the sailors who fought in World War II, combat at sea differed radically from any previous conflict. The jobs they performed were far more complex and technically more demanding than ever before, and the threats they faced were much more lethal. Utilizing vivid color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections, along with firsthand accounts from veterans, we recall the remarkable true stories of these sailors and the battles they fought. Peter Coyote narrates. TVPG VL | CC

The battle for Iwo Jima begins--one of the bloodiest of World War II. During Operation Detachment, fighting becomes a brutal frontal attack of hand-to-hand combat. Both the portable and mechanized flamethrowers as well as LVTs (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) were vital during the intense battles on the volcanic island. Meanwhile in the Philippines, US forces completely surround the center of Manila, as the tempo of the Japanese atrocities increases. Before long, General MacArthur will make an emotional return to Corregidor Island. Follow the action in this series that details, week by week, the last six months of WWII and explores the high and low points of the march to war's end. TVPG VL | CC

In war, certain missions demand the most and constitute much of the legends of bravery. Journey back to the Second World War when fearless airmen manned the B-17s' belly guns--glass bubbles that at any moment could become their coffin. The ball turret gunners called their work "flying the ball", others called it crazy! TVPG VL | CC

The Battle of Mogadishu is a largely forgotten, yet extremely important event in US military history. When 18 American soldiers were killed and images broadcast of bodies dragged through the streets of an enigmatic African city, it was a horrible blow to the national psyche. In a 2-hour review of the battle, based on Mark Bowden's bestseller Black Hawk Down, we see how we got there, what went wrong, and explore the legacy. Includes interviews with Bowden, US Rangers, and Somali militiamen. TVPG VL | CC

In this episode of our series that details, week by week, the last six months of WWII, American daytime bombing and British night raids have devastated Berlin. In the Battle for the Rhineland, an estimated 8.5 million people are on the move in Germany. The backbone of the Luftwaffe, Germany's once mighty Air Force, has been broken. Hitler is now visibly shaken. On the Eastern Front, Allied leaders--British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin Roosevelt, and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin meet at Yalta, in the Russian Crimea. They agree that Germany will be conquered by summer, and begin to divide up post-war Europe. TVPG VL | CC

As the first men of the D-Day invasion force to parachute unsupported into Normandy, the Pathfinders were labeled a "suicide squad". They set up special radar sets and illuminating beacons to lead Allied airborne divisions into their drop zones. We'll examine their role in D-Day, as well as many other pivotal battles of WWII, including North Africa and the Battle of the Bulge. TVPG VL | CC

One aircraft in the U.S. arsenal best typifies the will to win. Using the latest and most sophisticated computerized technology, the F-18 Hornet is now one of the foremost fighters of the 21st Century. Once a plane that nobody wanted, today it's the principal Navy and Marine fighter-attacker--with a flick of a switch, it transforms from bomber to fighter. Interviews with pilots and crews, combined with archive film and color reenactments, take you inside the cockpit of this multi-role aircraft. TVPG VL | CC

Join us for a detailed, week by week survey of the last six months of World War II. As we explore the high and low points of the march to war's end, we paint a comprehensive step-by-step account of the crucial decisions and personalities that culminated in Allied victory. In this episode, Operation Lumberjack, the assault into the Rhineland by General Bradley's US 12th Army Group, is in full swing. In Berlin, Hitler announces that all males born in 1929 must be conscripted for military service. To the south, Patton's lead armored division has progressed over 40 miles, taking 5,000 German prisoners. And Allied Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower now must decide where to make his main crossing of the Rhine. In the Pacific, US firestorms torch Japan's capital city. TVPG VL | CC

At the dawn of WWII, the U.S. Marine Corps activated four elite Raider commando battalions to confront the Japanese forces that threatened to engulf the Pacific. From 1942 to '44, these fast, hard-hitting, lightly equipped assault units conducted surprise hit-and-run raids on the enemy. From Midway to Tulagi Island, Makin to Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville, the U.S. Marine Raiders helped destroy Japanese supremacy on the ground and paved the way to Allied victory in the Pacific. TVPG VL | CC

The untold story of the American 8th Air Force's bloody battle to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the months leading up to D-Day. Told through the gripping, first person accounts of three American airmen and Stars & Stripes reporter Andy Rooney, this special showcases breathtaking aerial combat--original, color footage, never before seen by most Americans--of the B-17s Flying Fortresses, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs on missions such as Regensburg, Schweinfurt and Berlin. Never-before-seen 8mm footage of the airmen on the bases, the devastation in Germany, and the Luftwaffe perspective is also highlighted. Flying 25,000 feet above the earth in oxygen-devoid air, and temperatures as low as 50 below zero, the 8th Air Force fought a war unlike anything ever before experienced. By the end, they would suffer more than 26,000 combat deaths--more than the US Marines lost in all of World War II. Narrated by Emmy nominated actor, Rob Lowe. TVPG VL | CC

Join us for a detailed, week by week look at the last six months of World War Two. In this episode, we begin in the Pacific Theater where American bombers continue their assault on mainland Japan. The B-29s blitz and the US Air Force's new low-level bombing tactics using incendiary bombs prove deadly for the Japanese. General Curtis LeMay hopes to force a Japanese surrender before American ground forces are scheduled to invade the mainland. Meanwhile in Europe, the Allies are closing in. With the Rhine breached, most Nazis realize their days are numbered and the end is inevitable. Hitler leaves the Reich Chancellery for the last time, and 16-year-old Anne Frank succumbs to typhus in the Belsen concentration camp. TVPG VL | CC

During WWII, American tank crews duked it out with Nazi Panzers in a high-explosive duel to the death. The German tanks had thicker armor and better guns than the mainstay of the U.S. armored forces, the M-4 Sherman. For many crewmen, the Sherman lived up to its nickname as a steel coffin. But what the tanks lacked in firepower and protection, the crews made up for in guts and good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity. We'll meet some of these armored warriors from WWII. TVPG VL | CC

November 2004--Fallujah, Iraq has become a viper pit. Over the last six months, this once holy city has become the center of gravity for the Iraqi insurgency with Al Qaeda terrorists and Islamic radicals from across the Muslim world congregating here to resist the US occupation. Many have come to martyr themselves and to take as many coalition troops with them as possible. On November 8, six battalions of US soldiers and Marines storm the city to kill the insurgents. It will be the fight of their lives. With riveting and insightful commentary from the men who sweated and bled on the dusty avenues of Fallujah, this episode highlights the strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and harrowing stories of mortal combat--many told here for the first time--of the deadliest house-to-house street brawl since the battle for Hue City, Vietnam. As one Marine tells us, if Fallujah isn't hell, it's in the same zip code. TVPG VL | CC

Under the command of Generals Montgomery, Bradley, and Devers, Allied forces are poised to make their way across the Rhine and head for Berlin. In the East, German-occupied territories are collapsing under the Red Army. It will be a race of men and egos from the East and West to see who will reach the besieged city of Berlin first. Meanwhile, in occupied Denmark, Mosquito fighter-bombers from the RAF's Number 140 Wing head for the Danish Gestapo headquarters, where many innocent civilians have been killed. In the Pacific, fighting continues and US forces invade the Philippine Island of Panay. Join us for a week by week, detailed look at the last six months of World War II. TVPG VL | CC

We reveal how the science and technology of ballistics actually dates back thousands of years to the ancient world. Using state of the art forensic techniques and the world's leading firearms experts, this groundbreaking show reveals the accuracy, power and range of ancient bullets, rockets and bombs. TVPG VL | CC

Follow acclaimed author/journalist Mark Bowden as he travels to the remote islands of the Philippines to reveal the untold story of a CIA mission to hunt down the Al Qaeda-linked terrorists who kidnapped an American missionary couple in the summer of 2001. Islamic militancy was not yet a concern for the American public and initially little more than a perfunctory attempt was made to rescue the missionaries. Things changed after 9/11. CIA surveillance video of the terrorists' demise will be shown for the first time on television. Features Mark Bowden on-camera as the central storyteller and includes interviews with the captives and the Philippine Marines who carried out the CIA's secret mission. TVPG VL | CC

Green Beret Terry Schappert reveals the origin of his own American warrior culture, the U.S. Special Forces: The Alamo Scouts, an elite reconnaissance unit that operated behind enemy lines during World War II. Terry not only tests weapons like the Thompson submachine gun and M1 Garand, he demonstrates their guerilla tactics. These unconventional fighting skills led to a daring POW rescue that made the Alamo Scouts legendary. TVPG VL | CC

The original Enterprise, CV-6, gained immortality as "The Fighting Lady" of WWII. A dwarf among modern carrier, the "Big E" was a main target of the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and barely away at sea when the blow fell. Miraculously spared, she became the war-long leader of America's naval counterattack, playing key roles in decisive battles of the war. Despite her glorious past she is sent to the scrap yard, but redemption comes in 1957 with the launching of CVN-65, her great namesake and the world's first nuclear-powered carrier. From then until now Enterprise has been a mainstay of American strength and today she remains on the high seas in the front lines of American's military engagements. TVPG VL | CC

July 1918--Just south of Long Island, the crew of the armored cruiser EM USS San Diego /EM , en route to New York City to join a Europe-bound convoy, reports a dull thud ringing in the hull and explosions in the boiler room before the warship sinks. In his final log entry, the captain attributes the initial explosion to a torpedo. A German U-boat was in the area and her captain took credit for the sinking; but the EM U-156 /EM itself sank with the conclusive evidence--her captain's log. According to the U.S. Navy, a German-laid mine ignited the initial explosion. But in 1999, declassified Soviet documents revealed new evidence describing an onboard German saboteur set to destroy the ship and disrupt the convoy. Did a torpedo, mine, or spy sink the EM San Diego /EM ? Host John Chatterton and detectives dive for the truth. TVPG VL | CC

The knights of medieval Japan, the Samurai held power for over 700 years. Ferocious in combat, these masters of sword and bow were bound by an unforgiving code of ethics. Their legacy of martial artistry, ceremony, self-discipline, and tenacity persists. Explore the history and mystery of this elite warrior class as present-day Samurai demonstrate their ancient skills in this 2-hour special, and historians and experts examine the meaning and ritual of Bushido--the way of the warrior. TVPG VL | CC