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

When the HMT Rohna sank in 1943, it marked the greatest loss at sea of U.S. Army personnel in WWII: 1,015 soldiers, three Red Cross workers, and 120 ship's crew perished. Yet the U.S. government never revealed the truth about the disaster, in part to hide Germany's missile capability, and also to keep secret the deplorable conditions onboard and lack of lifeboats. After the recent release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, we unveil a military debacle kept under wraps for decades. TVPG VL | CC

By 1944 it was clear that the war was lost as the Reich shrank back to the borders of Germany. But there was plenty for the Gestapo to do. Even within the dwindling resources of a doomed regime, the Gestapo was determined to keep its grip on the people. They persecuted resistance members, the merely indifferent, "decadent" jazz musicians, and couples of mixed race. As with any corrupt system, they lost touch with reality, and its violence spiraled out of control even while in its own death throes. When the Stauffenberg plot to assassinate Hitler failed, the Gestapo was given a free hand. But amidst the bloodshed, many Gestapo officers prepared themselves for a future in a defeated Germany. Many were able to slip back into normal society at war's end and many prospered. Some were brought to justice: Eichmann in Israel in the 1960s, others in Germany, France, and elsewhere--some pursued into the 1970s. The Gestapo is long gone--but its crimes have not been forgotten. 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

In January 1945, 500 of the last survivors of the Bataan Death March were trapped in one of Japan's most notorious concentration camps. As MacArthur advanced, the Army feared the Japanese might kill them before retreating. In one of the most daring raids in U.S. history, 121 Army Rangers snuck 30 miles behind enemy lines to attack Cabanatuan with the help of Filipino guerrillas, and brought home a grateful band of survivors who called themselves ghosts because they thought they'd been forgotten. TVPG VL | CC

On April 18, 1943, the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was shot down by U.S. fighters. Yamamoto--chief architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor--was visiting the forward Japanese bases at Bougainville, some 650 miles from the nearest U.S. base. His clash with U.S. fighters so far from their territory was more than simple bad luck--the pilots must have known where and when to find their target. We talk to the U.S. pilots and find out why the mission had to remain secret until war's end. 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

Firsthand accounts highlight a look at the deadliest battle in the war in Afghanistan--the revolt at Qala-I-Jangi, or "The Fortress of War" in November 2001. Here, CIA Agent Mike Spann and captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh would meet. Spann interrogated Lindh just before the revolt of Taliban soldiers being held in the 18th-century fortress--a brutal battle that killed more than 300 people. This is the story of the battle and of these two Americans who met at that fateful place. TVPG VL | CC

1.2 million African Americans served in World War II in some capacity, and although largely forgotten by history, nearly 2,000 African Americans were among the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy. For the first time ever, seven of these forgotten heroes tell their stories. We will examine the African-American contribution to the Normandy invasion. TVPG VL | CC

Modern day warrior, Green Beret Terry Schappert, reveals how 700 Christian soldiers defeated 40,000 Ottomans in one of history's greatest siege battles. He demonstrates the tactics--including weapons of fire--that led to victory. TVPG VL | CC

A technical and historical thumbnail of the US Navy from 1912 through 1945, the USS Texas fought in some of the most horrendous naval battles of the 20th century, including D-Day Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Today she's been renovated and set up as floating museum in LaPorte, TX, a glorious reminder of two great wars. TVPG VL | CC

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a move of unprecedented aggression that shook the U.S. out of its peaceful slumber and into WWII. But for 60 years, veterans of the destroyer USS Ward claimed they sank an enemy submarine outside the harbor more than an hour before the aerial attack began. The wreck was never found, and the story was dismissed. In August 2002, a dive team crossed its path and their find made headlines worldwide. We travel to Pearl Harbor to investigate the midget sub mystery. TVPG VL | CC

It was a weapon conceived in desperation yet horrifying in its destructive power--young Japanese pilots willing to turn themselves into human bombs to attack the US fleet in the Pacific. Witness the first organized kamikaze attack in history on October 25, 1944. In brutal fashion, a US escort carrier is sunk, and a survivor re-lives the terrifying scene. At the same time, the Japanese unveil an even more sinister suicide weapon: the rocket-powered Okha. A Japanese Okha veteran describes the training and mindset of a suicide pilot, and US Navy veterans onboard ships struck by Ohkas, tell the enormous devastation this "flying torpedo" could unleash. Then, we'll explore another desperation tactic--this one in Germany. In the face of the wholesale destruction of their homeland, young Germans were motivated to destroy American bombers by any means necessary, including using their own aircraft as battering rams. TVPG VL | CC

For Allied servicemen, the last year of WWII proved the most difficult. Though victory was nearly assured, some of the roughest battles lay ahead. These men desperately wanted to return to home and loved ones. If they survived, what would the peace bring? WWII comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates. 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

Nathanael Greene. Many people don't even recognize his name, but he was considered George Washington's favorite general. Nathanael Greene was an unlikely war hero--he walked with a limp and suffered from asthma. He joined the Rhode Island militia and was promoted from private to general with no stops in between. Once the war broke out, he became a general in the Continental Army and soon emerged as one of Washington's most trusted advisors. His ability to procure supplies at Valley Forge literally saved the army. Congress appointed Greene to head up a third Southern army and his heroic efforts in the South played a critical role in securing American independence. TVPG VL | CC

September 17th 1944. 20,000 elite troops descend from the skies into Nazi occupied Holland in a massive airborne assault. In this dramatic race against time, an armored relief force has to fight through sixty miles of enemy defenses and reach the British paratroopers at Arnhem bridge before their 48 hour deadline runs out. The British paratroopers, known as "Red Devils", have orders to hold their positions. This fight would become legendary as they refused to surrender after being surrounded by the German Army. For the first time Aerial reconnaissance photographs taken at the time have now been layered over a 3 dimensional map to create a CGI "model" of the battle allowing the viewer to track the fighting, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can be placed in the exact location where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

Allied troops continue Operation Plunder, their thrust across the Rhine into Germany's heartland. Realizing the situation is hopeless, thousands of German troops surrender. The race to Berlin continues, and disagreement over their strategy plagues the Allies. Hitler is now holed up in his Berlin bunker, totally divorced from reality. In the Pacific, fighting finally comes to a head on Iwo Jima. As US Marines close in around them, 200 Japanese soldiers make a last desperate mass suicide--or banzai--charge at the Americans. The attack on Okinawa begins. TVPG VL | CC

A one-man army who took center stage in some of the most pivotal battles of the American Revolution, Daniel Morgan was the field commander every general wanted on his front line. George Washington selected Morgan to head up an elite unit of 500 hand picked riflemen, known as Morgan's Rangers. His finest moment came at the Battle of Cowpens, against Lord Cornwallis' elite light troops. He implemented a battle plan that one historian calls "the tactical masterpiece of the Revolutionary War." It was a crucial victory that helped stop the British advance through the South. It was also Daniel Morgan's last battle. TVPG VL | CC

For over 20 years, the Black Hawk has been the US Army's frontline utility helicopter for air assault, air cavalry, and medical evacuation. Today, the Black Hawk remains the world's most advanced twin-turbine military helicopter and flies wherever duty calls, from hot deserts to the icy Arctic. This is the dramatic story of how post-Vietnam, in the 1970s, the America designed and built a new generation of sophisticated helicopters. TVPG VL | CC

Take an unprecedented look at the aircraft of tomorrow and the tactics that will determine air superiority above the battlefield of the future. Profiled are the F-22, F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon as well as adversaries such as the Russian Su-35 and Su-37 and Chinese Chengdu J-10. Watch as these aircraft engage in realistic air combat scenarios. Interviews and computer graphics will give viewers a unique look at how advanced avionics, stealth technology, and extreme performance will be combined in the future. TVPG VL | CC

The Nazis converted their country from a flawed democracy to a fascist dictatorship in which the rights of the individual were trampled in the interests of the state. Institutions and organizations were warped to serve this purpose, none more than the police. At first, it was the Storm Troopers of the SA, who beat, intimidated, and killed those who opposed the regime. But something more was needed than simple thuggery and the police were co-opted. The Gestapo, the Secret State Police, was the organization set up to perform this function. By reputation its network of black-clad officers spread everywhere; yet it was a small organization--at its height in 1941 there were only 8,000 officers. Program 1 shows the power struggle between the worst of Hitler's henchmen, Himmler and Heydrich on the one hand, and G ring on the other. And it introduces us to a mysterious figure, Heinrich M ller, a career policeman who became the ice-cold leader of the Gestapo. TVPG VL | CC

With opposition quelled in Germany and the annexed territories of Austria and the Sudetenland, Hitler's plans could proceed. When the Nazis faked incidents at the border with Poland, it gave them the excuse to invade. And the Gestapo, the Secret State Police, was at the heart of it. The Gestapo's role changed from merely "protecting" the state from dissent to enabling its expansionist policies. As the Reich took over new territories, the Gestapo expanded its policies of seeking out enemies--dissenters, spies working for the Allies, and organized resistance. When security chief Heydrich was assassinated in Prague, the Gestapo carried out the brutal revenge. But it viewed its ultimate enemy as the Jew and death-squads, the Einsatzgruppen spent much time tracking them down and deporting them to the death camps. Hitler placed this task in the hands of the Gestapo, and the chief bureaucrat of the Holocaust, Adolf Eichmann, was M ller's special prot g . TVPG VL | CC

By 1944 it was clear that the war was lost as the Reich shrank back to the borders of Germany. But there was plenty for the Gestapo to do. Even within the dwindling resources of a doomed regime, the Gestapo was determined to keep its grip on the people. They persecuted resistance members, the merely indifferent, "decadent" jazz musicians, and couples of mixed race. As with any corrupt system, they lost touch with reality, and its violence spiraled out of control even while in its own death throes. When the Stauffenberg plot to assassinate Hitler failed, the Gestapo was given a free hand. But amidst the bloodshed, many Gestapo officers prepared themselves for a future in a defeated Germany. Many were able to slip back into normal society at war's end and many prospered. Some were brought to justice: Eichmann in Israel in the 1960s, others in Germany, France, and elsewhere--some pursued into the 1970s. The Gestapo is long gone--but its crimes have not been forgotten. TVPG VL | CC

At the beginning of WWII, America wasn't yet fighting, but her support for the Allies was clear. The 1941 Lend-Lease Act enabled FDR to ship weapons and essential materials to England. But were U.S. harbors being watched? In 1942, fire broke out on The Normandie, a luxury liner turned troop carrier. Was it Nazi sabotage? Decades later, Lucky Luciano claimed the Mafia had burnt The Normandie, and in the aftermath struck a protection deal with the government to prevent further "Nazi sabotage". TVPG VL | CC

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg worked in Budapest at the height of Hitler's "Final Solution", and saw Jews being loaded onto trains destined for Nazi concentration camps. But Wallenberg, unlike many others, refused to sit by idly, but rather, saved many earmarked for death by issuing Swedish immunity passes. Before disappearing in 1945, he's thought to have rescued 100,000 people. We follow the trail uncovered by his family and researchers in their hunt for the truth as to his fate. TVPG VL | CC

On April 18, 1943, the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was shot down by U.S. fighters. Yamamoto--chief architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor--was visiting the forward Japanese bases at Bougainville, some 650 miles from the nearest U.S. base. His clash with U.S. fighters so far from their territory was more than simple bad luck--the pilots must have known where and when to find their target. We talk to the U.S. pilots and find out why the mission had to remain secret until war's end. TVPG VL | CC

Revered and feared in their own time, the ancient warriors from the Greek city-state Sparta invented the boot camp, frontal assault, state-sponsored education, and a lifestyle and aesthetic that still bears their name. Who were these soldiers willing to fight a losing battle in defense of honor and country? How did they become the greatest fighting force the world has ever known? What kind of society produced such men? We explore the cornerstones of life and death in ancient Sparta. TVPG VL | CC

African-Americans have fought bravely for America throughout our history. But sadly, until recently, they didn't receive deserved commendations. This is the story of seven men who deserved the Medal of Honor for their valor during WWII, but only recently received their medals--six had already died. More than a million African-Americans served within the army's segregated ranks. Despite their bravery and courage, not one of the 432 Medal of Honors awarded went to a black soldier. Was the army racist? Did African-Americans receive appropriate training? We explore all these issues and more in breathtaking recreations as we document the stories of the seven black Congressional Medal of Honor winners. Vernon Baker is the last living awardee. Witness as President Clinton presents these medals to Baker and the proud family members of the other six. TVPG VL | CC

1.2 million African Americans served in World War II in some capacity, and although largely forgotten by history, nearly 2,000 African Americans were among the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy. For the first time ever, seven of these forgotten heroes tell their stories. We will examine the African-American contribution to the Normandy invasion. TVPG VL | CC

In the 5th century BC, all of Greece united against Persia. But after the defeat of the invading Persian army, both Sparta and Athens became rivals, each expanding in strength and influence. While Athens ruled the sea, Sparta's celebrated army was unbeatable on land. When the two Greek giants met on a collision course, the resulting Peloponnesian War spanned 27 years, engulfed all of Greece, and changed the nature of democracy. We explore the devastating effects of the war and demise of Sparta. TVPG VL | CC

For 21 days in the spring of 2003, two US Army and Marine divisions race north across the Iraqi desert from Kuwait. Their mission: seize the Iraqi capital as quickly as possible. The planners of Operation Iraqi Freedom believe that taking Baghdad in a hurry will be like "cutting off the head of the snake" and will bring a speedy end to the war. But it won't be a cakewalk. A tenacious force of guerrilla fighters throw up roadblocks. They call themselves Saddam Fedayeen--Saddam's Men of Sacrifice. The Fedayeen weapon of choice is the RPG--the rocket-propelled grenade. This nasty piece of handheld artillery can stop the Marines' thin-shelled armored personnel carrier, and it can even put a tank out of commission if it hits it in just the right spot. We'll hear from troops who found themselves on the receiving end of punishing RPG barrages and veterans who recount stories of brutal shootouts on the bloody road to Baghdad. TVPG VL | CC

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a move of unprecedented aggression that shook the U.S. out of its peaceful slumber and into WWII. But for 60 years, veterans of the destroyer USS Ward claimed they sank an enemy submarine outside the harbor more than an hour before the aerial attack began. The wreck was never found, and the story was dismissed. In August 2002, a dive team crossed its path and their find made headlines worldwide. We travel to Pearl Harbor to investigate the midget sub mystery. TVPG VL | CC

Former Navy fighter pilot and series host Hunter Ellis discovers how non-lethal military equipment developed for peacekeeping duties is now used in civilian settings, including the debilitating audio weapon, Hypersonic Sound. Then, he sees how warfare has entered the wired age with digital technology that provides a clear and continuous picture of the battlefield, and how the Internet began as a military system. And, we profile the fastest military and civilian craft on the land and in the water. TVPG VL | CC

August 1942... the Solomon Islands. Heroic, die-hard American pilots of the tiny Cactus Air Force match skills and instincts against top Japanese aces as they battle in the skies above Guadalcanal. Legendary Marine Capt. John Smith and Medal of Honor recipients Jeff De Blanc and Jim Swett pit their tough 4F4 Wildcats against the relentless Japanese Zeros. At stake--the fate of the Pacific War. TVPG VL | CC

For Allied servicemen, the last year of WWII proved the most difficult. Though victory was nearly assured, some of the roughest battles lay ahead. These men desperately wanted to return to home and loved ones. If they survived, what would the peace bring? WWII comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates. TVPG VL | CC

A revealing look at the untold story of Japan's atomic bomb, and how they may have detonated a nuclear device just two days before surrender. Since the end of WWII, conventional wisdom claimed that Imperial Japan was years away from building an atomic weapon--this special shatters this view. Using once secret Japanese wartime documents, we provide evidence that Japan had world-class nuclear physicists, access to uranium ore, and cyclotrons to process it. They devised an innovative way to deliver the bombs using 400-foot long Sen Toku submarines, capable of carrying and launching airplanes. Most startling--just six days after Hiroshima, Japan tested its own atomic device on a small island 20 miles off the Korean coast. The sobering conclusion is that Japan may have been just weeks behind the US in the race for the bomb. TVPG VL | CC

The submarine USS Bowfin made nine patrol runs during WWII, all packed with hair-raising adventures. In the course of sinking some 175,000 tons of Japanese shipping, the Bowfin faced an increasingly sophisticated Japanese anti-submarine campaign and endured vicious depth bomb and surface attacks. The boat aided guerrillas in the Philippines, hunted in wolfpacks, rescued downed flyers, and scourged the Japanese throughout the war under command of various colorful skippers. The Bowfin has been gorgeously restored and is berthed next to the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor. This is her glorious story. TVPG VL | CC

September 17th 1944. 20,000 elite troops descend from the skies into Nazi occupied Holland in a massive airborne assault. In this dramatic race against time, an armored relief force has to fight through sixty miles of enemy defenses and reach the British paratroopers at Arnhem bridge before their 48 hour deadline runs out. The British paratroopers, known as "Red Devils", have orders to hold their positions. This fight would become legendary as they refused to surrender after being surrounded by the German Army. For the first time Aerial reconnaissance photographs taken at the time have now been layered over a 3 dimensional map to create a CGI "model" of the battle allowing the viewer to track the fighting, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can be placed in the exact location where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

When the HMT Rohna sank in 1943, it marked the greatest loss at sea of U.S. Army personnel in WWII: 1,015 soldiers, three Red Cross workers, and 120 ship's crew perished. Yet the U.S. government never revealed the truth about the disaster, in part to hide Germany's missile capability, and also to keep secret the deplorable conditions onboard and lack of lifeboats. After the recent release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, we unveil a military debacle kept under wraps for decades. TVPG VL | CC

By late 1942, the Germans had invaded deep into the Russian interior, their objective the vast oilfields of the Caucasus. The last obstacle that remained in their way was the city of Stalingrad. But far from being the final step in the conquest of the USSR, Stalingrad proved a bloodbath. After a terrible battle lasting "200 days", it became the first major defeat for Hitler during WWII. Half-a-million Germans died there. Perhaps three times as many Russians lost their lives. The German Army was modern, well-trained and well-led, with state of the art military equipment, high morale and a string of victories behind it. By comparison the Red Army was inexperienced, old-fashioned, and ill-equipped. So how did the Russians win? Legend goes that it was "General Winter" who defeated the German Army--but forensic analysis and historical research show that coping with freezing weather was not the only ace in the Russians' pack. TVPG VL | CC

For over 20 years, the Black Hawk has been the US Army's frontline utility helicopter for air assault, air cavalry, and medical evacuation. Today, the Black Hawk remains the world's most advanced twin-turbine military helicopter and flies wherever duty calls, from hot deserts to the icy Arctic. This is the dramatic story of how post-Vietnam, in the 1970s, the America designed and built a new generation of sophisticated helicopters. TVPG VL | CC

In January 1945, 500 of the last survivors of the Bataan Death March were trapped in one of Japan's most notorious concentration camps. As MacArthur advanced, the Army feared the Japanese might kill them before retreating. In one of the most daring raids in U.S. history, 121 Army Rangers snuck 30 miles behind enemy lines to attack Cabanatuan with the help of Filipino guerrillas, and brought home a grateful band of survivors who called themselves ghosts because they thought they'd been forgotten. TVPG VL | CC

Dawn, June 6, 1944. The largest invasion in history is underway. Four miles to the west of the Allied landings at Omaha Beach, a flotilla of landing craft head towards Hitler's'Atlantic Wall defenses. They are carrying just 200 men of a newly trained elite force--the United States Rangers. Their objective is the vital German coastal defense gun battery on a headland known as the Pointe du Hoc. Climbing the 90 foot cliffs under a storm of German bullets and grenades, the Rangers find that the German guns are not where they should be. What follows is a desperate game of cat and mouse, as the Rangers attempt to hunt down the guns. The story of their mission is remembered now as one of the most extraordinary aspects of the D-Day landings. TVPG VL | CC

The Nazis converted their country from a flawed democracy to a fascist dictatorship in which the rights of the individual were trampled in the interests of the state. Institutions and organizations were warped to serve this purpose, none more than the police. At first, it was the Storm Troopers of the SA, who beat, intimidated, and killed those who opposed the regime. But something more was needed than simple thuggery and the police were co-opted. The Gestapo, the Secret State Police, was the organization set up to perform this function. By reputation its network of black-clad officers spread everywhere; yet it was a small organization--at its height in 1941 there were only 8,000 officers. Program 1 shows the power struggle between the worst of Hitler's henchmen, Himmler and Heydrich on the one hand, and G ring on the other. And it introduces us to a mysterious figure, Heinrich M ller, a career policeman who became the ice-cold leader of the Gestapo. TVPG VL | CC

Firsthand accounts highlight a look at the deadliest battle in the war in Afghanistan--the revolt at Qala-I-Jangi, or "The Fortress of War" in November 2001. Here, CIA Agent Mike Spann and captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh would meet. Spann interrogated Lindh just before the revolt of Taliban soldiers being held in the 18th-century fortress--a brutal battle that killed more than 300 people. This is the story of the battle and of these two Americans who met at that fateful place. TVPG VL | CC

At 7:45 a.m. on June 5, 1967, Israel launched the most successful preemptive air strike in military history. Within a few hours, virtually the entire Egyptian Air Force lay in smoldering wreckage. Fighting on three fronts, against the combined might of five different armies, Israel secured a stunning victory in a mere six days. How did this tiny state manage to overcome an Arab enemy that had twice as many soldiers, three times as many tanks, and four times as many airplanes? With firsthand testimony from combatants and military planners plus access to key figures in the intelligence world, we gain insight into the meticulous preparations that the Israeli military undertook in the 1960s. Field-testing of key Israeli weapons and analysis of battlefield strategy on both sides show how this extraordinary victory was achieved. TVPG VL | CC

At the beginning of WWII, America wasn't yet fighting, but her support for the Allies was clear. The 1941 Lend-Lease Act enabled FDR to ship weapons and essential materials to England. But were U.S. harbors being watched? In 1942, fire broke out on The Normandie, a luxury liner turned troop carrier. Was it Nazi sabotage? Decades later, Lucky Luciano claimed the Mafia had burnt The Normandie, and in the aftermath struck a protection deal with the government to prevent further "Nazi sabotage". TVPG VL | CC

A technical and historical thumbnail of the US Navy from 1912 through 1945, the USS Texas fought in some of the most horrendous naval battles of the 20th century, including D-Day Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Today she's been renovated and set up as floating museum in LaPorte, TX, a glorious reminder of two great wars. TVPG VL | CC

Revered and feared in their own time, the ancient warriors from the Greek city-state Sparta invented the boot camp, frontal assault, state-sponsored education, and a lifestyle and aesthetic that still bears their name. Who were these soldiers willing to fight a losing battle in defense of honor and country? How did they become the greatest fighting force the world has ever known? What kind of society produced such men? We explore the cornerstones of life and death in ancient Sparta. TVPG VL | CC

It was a weapon conceived in desperation yet horrifying in its destructive power--young Japanese pilots willing to turn themselves into human bombs to attack the US fleet in the Pacific. Witness the first organized kamikaze attack in history on October 25, 1944. In brutal fashion, a US escort carrier is sunk, and a survivor re-lives the terrifying scene. At the same time, the Japanese unveil an even more sinister suicide weapon: the rocket-powered Okha. A Japanese Okha veteran describes the training and mindset of a suicide pilot, and US Navy veterans onboard ships struck by Ohkas, tell the enormous devastation this "flying torpedo" could unleash. Then, we'll explore another desperation tactic--this one in Germany. In the face of the wholesale destruction of their homeland, young Germans were motivated to destroy American bombers by any means necessary, including using their own aircraft as battering rams. TVPG VL | CC

In the 5th century BC, all of Greece united against Persia. But after the defeat of the invading Persian army, both Sparta and Athens became rivals, each expanding in strength and influence. While Athens ruled the sea, Sparta's celebrated army was unbeatable on land. When the two Greek giants met on a collision course, the resulting Peloponnesian War spanned 27 years, engulfed all of Greece, and changed the nature of democracy. We explore the devastating effects of the war and demise of Sparta. TVPG VL | CC

Nathanael Greene. Many people don't even recognize his name, but he was considered George Washington's favorite general. Nathanael Greene was an unlikely war hero--he walked with a limp and suffered from asthma. He joined the Rhode Island militia and was promoted from private to general with no stops in between. Once the war broke out, he became a general in the Continental Army and soon emerged as one of Washington's most trusted advisors. His ability to procure supplies at Valley Forge literally saved the army. Congress appointed Greene to head up a third Southern army and his heroic efforts in the South played a critical role in securing American independence. 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

Former Navy fighter pilot and series host Hunter Ellis discovers how non-lethal military equipment developed for peacekeeping duties is now used in civilian settings, including the debilitating audio weapon, Hypersonic Sound. Then, he sees how warfare has entered the wired age with digital technology that provides a clear and continuous picture of the battlefield, and how the Internet began as a military system. And, we profile the fastest military and civilian craft on the land and in the water. TVPG VL | CC

A one-man army who took center stage in some of the most pivotal battles of the American Revolution, Daniel Morgan was the field commander every general wanted on his front line. George Washington selected Morgan to head up an elite unit of 500 hand picked riflemen, known as Morgan's Rangers. His finest moment came at the Battle of Cowpens, against Lord Cornwallis' elite light troops. He implemented a battle plan that one historian calls "the tactical masterpiece of the Revolutionary War." It was a crucial victory that helped stop the British advance through the South. It was also Daniel Morgan's last battle. TVPG VL | CC

They are the unsung heroes of the U.S. Navy. With a wrench in one hand and a rifle in the other, they build and fight. For close to 60 years, in war and peace, the Seabees have built the huts, ramps, roads, and runways that allow the Navy to land, the Marines to move, and the Air Force to fly. On the beaches of Normandy, the sands of Iwo Jima, at Inchon and Saigon, Antarctica and Saudi Arabia, the Navy's blue-collar battalion, the Seabees, have made and paved the way to victory. TVPG VL | CC

A revealing look at the untold story of Japan's atomic bomb, and how they may have detonated a nuclear device just two days before surrender. Since the end of WWII, conventional wisdom claimed that Imperial Japan was years away from building an atomic weapon--this special shatters this view. Using once secret Japanese wartime documents, we provide evidence that Japan had world-class nuclear physicists, access to uranium ore, and cyclotrons to process it. They devised an innovative way to deliver the bombs using 400-foot long Sen Toku submarines, capable of carrying and launching airplanes. Most startling--just six days after Hiroshima, Japan tested its own atomic device on a small island 20 miles off the Korean coast. The sobering conclusion is that Japan may have been just weeks behind the US in the race for the bomb. TVPG VL | CC

Take an unprecedented look at the aircraft of tomorrow and the tactics that will determine air superiority above the battlefield of the future. Profiled are the F-22, F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon as well as adversaries such as the Russian Su-35 and Su-37 and Chinese Chengdu J-10. Watch as these aircraft engage in realistic air combat scenarios. Interviews and computer graphics will give viewers a unique look at how advanced avionics, stealth technology, and extreme performance will be combined in the future. 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

When the HMT Rohna sank in 1943, it marked the greatest loss at sea of U.S. Army personnel in WWII: 1,015 soldiers, three Red Cross workers, and 120 ship's crew perished. Yet the U.S. government never revealed the truth about the disaster, in part to hide Germany's missile capability, and also to keep secret the deplorable conditions onboard and lack of lifeboats. After the recent release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, we unveil a military debacle kept under wraps for decades. TVPG VL | CC

By 1944 it was clear that the war was lost as the Reich shrank back to the borders of Germany. But there was plenty for the Gestapo to do. Even within the dwindling resources of a doomed regime, the Gestapo was determined to keep its grip on the people. They persecuted resistance members, the merely indifferent, "decadent" jazz musicians, and couples of mixed race. As with any corrupt system, they lost touch with reality, and its violence spiraled out of control even while in its own death throes. When the Stauffenberg plot to assassinate Hitler failed, the Gestapo was given a free hand. But amidst the bloodshed, many Gestapo officers prepared themselves for a future in a defeated Germany. Many were able to slip back into normal society at war's end and many prospered. Some were brought to justice: Eichmann in Israel in the 1960s, others in Germany, France, and elsewhere--some pursued into the 1970s. The Gestapo is long gone--but its crimes have not been forgotten. 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

In January 1945, 500 of the last survivors of the Bataan Death March were trapped in one of Japan's most notorious concentration camps. As MacArthur advanced, the Army feared the Japanese might kill them before retreating. In one of the most daring raids in U.S. history, 121 Army Rangers snuck 30 miles behind enemy lines to attack Cabanatuan with the help of Filipino guerrillas, and brought home a grateful band of survivors who called themselves ghosts because they thought they'd been forgotten. TVPG VL | CC

On April 18, 1943, the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was shot down by U.S. fighters. Yamamoto--chief architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor--was visiting the forward Japanese bases at Bougainville, some 650 miles from the nearest U.S. base. His clash with U.S. fighters so far from their territory was more than simple bad luck--the pilots must have known where and when to find their target. We talk to the U.S. pilots and find out why the mission had to remain secret until war's end. 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

Firsthand accounts highlight a look at the deadliest battle in the war in Afghanistan--the revolt at Qala-I-Jangi, or "The Fortress of War" in November 2001. Here, CIA Agent Mike Spann and captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh would meet. Spann interrogated Lindh just before the revolt of Taliban soldiers being held in the 18th-century fortress--a brutal battle that killed more than 300 people. This is the story of the battle and of these two Americans who met at that fateful place. TVPG VL | CC

1.2 million African Americans served in World War II in some capacity, and although largely forgotten by history, nearly 2,000 African Americans were among the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy. For the first time ever, seven of these forgotten heroes tell their stories. We will examine the African-American contribution to the Normandy invasion. TVPG VL | CC

Modern day warrior, Green Beret Terry Schappert, reveals how 700 Christian soldiers defeated 40,000 Ottomans in one of history's greatest siege battles. He demonstrates the tactics--including weapons of fire--that led to victory. TVPG VL | CC

A technical and historical thumbnail of the US Navy from 1912 through 1945, the USS Texas fought in some of the most horrendous naval battles of the 20th century, including D-Day Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Today she's been renovated and set up as floating museum in LaPorte, TX, a glorious reminder of two great wars. TVPG VL | CC

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a move of unprecedented aggression that shook the U.S. out of its peaceful slumber and into WWII. But for 60 years, veterans of the destroyer USS Ward claimed they sank an enemy submarine outside the harbor more than an hour before the aerial attack began. The wreck was never found, and the story was dismissed. In August 2002, a dive team crossed its path and their find made headlines worldwide. We travel to Pearl Harbor to investigate the midget sub mystery. TVPG VL | CC

It was a weapon conceived in desperation yet horrifying in its destructive power--young Japanese pilots willing to turn themselves into human bombs to attack the US fleet in the Pacific. Witness the first organized kamikaze attack in history on October 25, 1944. In brutal fashion, a US escort carrier is sunk, and a survivor re-lives the terrifying scene. At the same time, the Japanese unveil an even more sinister suicide weapon: the rocket-powered Okha. A Japanese Okha veteran describes the training and mindset of a suicide pilot, and US Navy veterans onboard ships struck by Ohkas, tell the enormous devastation this "flying torpedo" could unleash. Then, we'll explore another desperation tactic--this one in Germany. In the face of the wholesale destruction of their homeland, young Germans were motivated to destroy American bombers by any means necessary, including using their own aircraft as battering rams. TVPG VL | CC

For Allied servicemen, the last year of WWII proved the most difficult. Though victory was nearly assured, some of the roughest battles lay ahead. These men desperately wanted to return to home and loved ones. If they survived, what would the peace bring? WWII comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates. 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

Nathanael Greene. Many people don't even recognize his name, but he was considered George Washington's favorite general. Nathanael Greene was an unlikely war hero--he walked with a limp and suffered from asthma. He joined the Rhode Island militia and was promoted from private to general with no stops in between. Once the war broke out, he became a general in the Continental Army and soon emerged as one of Washington's most trusted advisors. His ability to procure supplies at Valley Forge literally saved the army. Congress appointed Greene to head up a third Southern army and his heroic efforts in the South played a critical role in securing American independence. TVPG VL | CC

September 17th 1944. 20,000 elite troops descend from the skies into Nazi occupied Holland in a massive airborne assault. In this dramatic race against time, an armored relief force has to fight through sixty miles of enemy defenses and reach the British paratroopers at Arnhem bridge before their 48 hour deadline runs out. The British paratroopers, known as "Red Devils", have orders to hold their positions. This fight would become legendary as they refused to surrender after being surrounded by the German Army. For the first time Aerial reconnaissance photographs taken at the time have now been layered over a 3 dimensional map to create a CGI "model" of the battle allowing the viewer to track the fighting, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can be placed in the exact location where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

Allied troops continue Operation Plunder, their thrust across the Rhine into Germany's heartland. Realizing the situation is hopeless, thousands of German troops surrender. The race to Berlin continues, and disagreement over their strategy plagues the Allies. Hitler is now holed up in his Berlin bunker, totally divorced from reality. In the Pacific, fighting finally comes to a head on Iwo Jima. As US Marines close in around them, 200 Japanese soldiers make a last desperate mass suicide--or banzai--charge at the Americans. The attack on Okinawa begins. TVPG VL | CC

A one-man army who took center stage in some of the most pivotal battles of the American Revolution, Daniel Morgan was the field commander every general wanted on his front line. George Washington selected Morgan to head up an elite unit of 500 hand picked riflemen, known as Morgan's Rangers. His finest moment came at the Battle of Cowpens, against Lord Cornwallis' elite light troops. He implemented a battle plan that one historian calls "the tactical masterpiece of the Revolutionary War." It was a crucial victory that helped stop the British advance through the South. It was also Daniel Morgan's last battle. TVPG VL | CC

For over 20 years, the Black Hawk has been the US Army's frontline utility helicopter for air assault, air cavalry, and medical evacuation. Today, the Black Hawk remains the world's most advanced twin-turbine military helicopter and flies wherever duty calls, from hot deserts to the icy Arctic. This is the dramatic story of how post-Vietnam, in the 1970s, the America designed and built a new generation of sophisticated helicopters. TVPG VL | CC

Dawn, June 6, 1944. The largest invasion in history is underway. Four miles to the west of the Allied landings at Omaha Beach, a flotilla of landing craft head towards Hitler's'Atlantic Wall defenses. They are carrying just 200 men of a newly trained elite force--the United States Rangers. Their objective is the vital German coastal defense gun battery on a headland known as the Pointe du Hoc. Climbing the 90 foot cliffs under a storm of German bullets and grenades, the Rangers find that the German guns are not where they should be. What follows is a desperate game of cat and mouse, as the Rangers attempt to hunt down the guns. The story of their mission is remembered now as one of the most extraordinary aspects of the D-Day landings. TVPG VL | CC

The Nazis converted their country from a flawed democracy to a fascist dictatorship in which the rights of the individual were trampled in the interests of the state. Institutions and organizations were warped to serve this purpose, none more than the police. At first, it was the Storm Troopers of the SA, who beat, intimidated, and killed those who opposed the regime. But something more was needed than simple thuggery and the police were co-opted. The Gestapo, the Secret State Police, was the organization set up to perform this function. By reputation its network of black-clad officers spread everywhere; yet it was a small organization--at its height in 1941 there were only 8,000 officers. Program 1 shows the power struggle between the worst of Hitler's henchmen, Himmler and Heydrich on the one hand, and G ring on the other. And it introduces us to a mysterious figure, Heinrich M ller, a career policeman who became the ice-cold leader of the Gestapo. TVPG VL | CC

The Nazis converted their country from a flawed democracy to a fascist dictatorship in which the rights of the individual were trampled in the interests of the state. Institutions and organizations were warped to serve this purpose, none more than the police. At first, it was the Storm Troopers of the SA, who beat, intimidated, and killed those who opposed the regime. But something more was needed than simple thuggery and the police were co-opted. The Gestapo, the Secret State Police, was the organization set up to perform this function. By reputation its network of black-clad officers spread everywhere; yet it was a small organization--at its height in 1941 there were only 8,000 officers. Program 1 shows the power struggle between the worst of Hitler's henchmen, Himmler and Heydrich on the one hand, and G ring on the other. And it introduces us to a mysterious figure, Heinrich M ller, a career policeman who became the ice-cold leader of the Gestapo. TVPG VL | CC

At 7:45 a.m. on June 5, 1967, Israel launched the most successful preemptive air strike in military history. Within a few hours, virtually the entire Egyptian Air Force lay in smoldering wreckage. Fighting on three fronts, against the combined might of five different armies, Israel secured a stunning victory in a mere six days. How did this tiny state manage to overcome an Arab enemy that had twice as many soldiers, three times as many tanks, and four times as many airplanes? With firsthand testimony from combatants and military planners plus access to key figures in the intelligence world, we gain insight into the meticulous preparations that the Israeli military undertook in the 1960s. Field-testing of key Israeli weapons and analysis of battlefield strategy on both sides show how this extraordinary victory was achieved. TVPG VL | CC

At the beginning of WWII, America wasn't yet fighting, but her support for the Allies was clear. The 1941 Lend-Lease Act enabled FDR to ship weapons and essential materials to England. But were U.S. harbors being watched? In 1942, fire broke out on The Normandie, a luxury liner turned troop carrier. Was it Nazi sabotage? Decades later, Lucky Luciano claimed the Mafia had burnt The Normandie, and in the aftermath struck a protection deal with the government to prevent further "Nazi sabotage". TVPG VL | CC

At the beginning of WWII, America wasn't yet fighting, but her support for the Allies was clear. The 1941 Lend-Lease Act enabled FDR to ship weapons and essential materials to England. But were U.S. harbors being watched? In 1942, fire broke out on The Normandie, a luxury liner turned troop carrier. Was it Nazi sabotage? Decades later, Lucky Luciano claimed the Mafia had burnt The Normandie, and in the aftermath struck a protection deal with the government to prevent further "Nazi sabotage". TVPG VL | CC

Revered and feared in their own time, the ancient warriors from the Greek city-state Sparta invented the boot camp, frontal assault, state-sponsored education, and a lifestyle and aesthetic that still bears their name. Who were these soldiers willing to fight a losing battle in defense of honor and country? How did they become the greatest fighting force the world has ever known? What kind of society produced such men? We explore the cornerstones of life and death in ancient Sparta. TVPG VL | CC

Revered and feared in their own time, the ancient warriors from the Greek city-state Sparta invented the boot camp, frontal assault, state-sponsored education, and a lifestyle and aesthetic that still bears their name. Who were these soldiers willing to fight a losing battle in defense of honor and country? How did they become the greatest fighting force the world has ever known? What kind of society produced such men? We explore the cornerstones of life and death in ancient Sparta. TVPG VL | CC

In the 5th century BC, all of Greece united against Persia. But after the defeat of the invading Persian army, both Sparta and Athens became rivals, each expanding in strength and influence. While Athens ruled the sea, Sparta's celebrated army was unbeatable on land. When the two Greek giants met on a collision course, the resulting Peloponnesian War spanned 27 years, engulfed all of Greece, and changed the nature of democracy. We explore the devastating effects of the war and demise of Sparta. TVPG VL | CC

In the 5th century BC, all of Greece united against Persia. But after the defeat of the invading Persian army, both Sparta and Athens became rivals, each expanding in strength and influence. While Athens ruled the sea, Sparta's celebrated army was unbeatable on land. When the two Greek giants met on a collision course, the resulting Peloponnesian War spanned 27 years, engulfed all of Greece, and changed the nature of democracy. We explore the devastating effects of the war and demise of Sparta. 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

Former Navy fighter pilot and series host Hunter Ellis discovers how non-lethal military equipment developed for peacekeeping duties is now used in civilian settings, including the debilitating audio weapon, Hypersonic Sound. Then, he sees how warfare has entered the wired age with digital technology that provides a clear and continuous picture of the battlefield, and how the Internet began as a military system. And, we profile the fastest military and civilian craft on the land and in the water. TVPG VL | CC

Former Navy fighter pilot and series host Hunter Ellis discovers how non-lethal military equipment developed for peacekeeping duties is now used in civilian settings, including the debilitating audio weapon, Hypersonic Sound. Then, he sees how warfare has entered the wired age with digital technology that provides a clear and continuous picture of the battlefield, and how the Internet began as a military system. And, we profile the fastest military and civilian craft on the land and in the water. TVPG VL | CC

They are the unsung heroes of the U.S. Navy. With a wrench in one hand and a rifle in the other, they build and fight. For close to 60 years, in war and peace, the Seabees have built the huts, ramps, roads, and runways that allow the Navy to land, the Marines to move, and the Air Force to fly. On the beaches of Normandy, the sands of Iwo Jima, at Inchon and Saigon, Antarctica and Saudi Arabia, the Navy's blue-collar battalion, the Seabees, have made and paved the way to victory. TVPG VL | CC

A revealing look at the untold story of Japan's atomic bomb, and how they may have detonated a nuclear device just two days before surrender. Since the end of WWII, conventional wisdom claimed that Imperial Japan was years away from building an atomic weapon--this special shatters this view. Using once secret Japanese wartime documents, we provide evidence that Japan had world-class nuclear physicists, access to uranium ore, and cyclotrons to process it. They devised an innovative way to deliver the bombs using 400-foot long Sen Toku submarines, capable of carrying and launching airplanes. Most startling--just six days after Hiroshima, Japan tested its own atomic device on a small island 20 miles off the Korean coast. The sobering conclusion is that Japan may have been just weeks behind the US in the race for the bomb. TVPG VL | CC

A revealing look at the untold story of Japan's atomic bomb, and how they may have detonated a nuclear device just two days before surrender. Since the end of WWII, conventional wisdom claimed that Imperial Japan was years away from building an atomic weapon--this special shatters this view. Using once secret Japanese wartime documents, we provide evidence that Japan had world-class nuclear physicists, access to uranium ore, and cyclotrons to process it. They devised an innovative way to deliver the bombs using 400-foot long Sen Toku submarines, capable of carrying and launching airplanes. Most startling--just six days after Hiroshima, Japan tested its own atomic device on a small island 20 miles off the Korean coast. The sobering conclusion is that Japan may have been just weeks behind the US in the race for the bomb. TVPG VL | CC

During the Vietnam War, Air Force and Marine pilots flew "low and slow" over jungles in antiquated propeller planes--often unarmed--to direct jet bombers toward target. FACs often became victims of enemy ground fire as they carried out their dangerous missions. Meet some of the brave pilots, including the man who saved BAT-21. TVPG VL | CC

Designed by visionary aeronautical engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, Lockheed's twin-engined P38 was the most advanced fighter of its day, proving more than a match for the Japanese Zero. This is the dramatic story of the P38's struggle for supremacy in the skies of the Southwest Pacific during WWII. Taking the viewer into the cockpit of this formidable aircraft, we reveal the thoughts of the men who pushed the Japanese back through the Pacific, out of the Philippines, and all the way home to Japan. TVPG VL | CC

By 1944 it was clear that the war was lost as the Reich shrank back to the borders of Germany. But there was plenty for the Gestapo to do. Even within the dwindling resources of a doomed regime, the Gestapo was determined to keep its grip on the people. They persecuted resistance members, the merely indifferent, "decadent" jazz musicians, and couples of mixed race. As with any corrupt system, they lost touch with reality, and its violence spiraled out of control even while in its own death throes. When the Stauffenberg plot to assassinate Hitler failed, the Gestapo was given a free hand. But amidst the bloodshed, many Gestapo officers prepared themselves for a future in a defeated Germany. Many were able to slip back into normal society at war's end and many prospered. Some were brought to justice: Eichmann in Israel in the 1960s, others in Germany, France, and elsewhere--some pursued into the 1970s. The Gestapo is long gone--but its crimes have not been forgotten. 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

In January 1945, 500 of the last survivors of the Bataan Death March were trapped in one of Japan's most notorious concentration camps. As MacArthur advanced, the Army feared the Japanese might kill them before retreating. In one of the most daring raids in U.S. history, 121 Army Rangers snuck 30 miles behind enemy lines to attack Cabanatuan with the help of Filipino guerrillas, and brought home a grateful band of survivors who called themselves ghosts because they thought they'd been forgotten. TVPG VL | CC

On April 18, 1943, the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was shot down by U.S. fighters. Yamamoto--chief architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor--was visiting the forward Japanese bases at Bougainville, some 650 miles from the nearest U.S. base. His clash with U.S. fighters so far from their territory was more than simple bad luck--the pilots must have known where and when to find their target. We talk to the U.S. pilots and find out why the mission had to remain secret until war's end. 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

Firsthand accounts highlight a look at the deadliest battle in the war in Afghanistan--the revolt at Qala-I-Jangi, or "The Fortress of War" in November 2001. Here, CIA Agent Mike Spann and captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh would meet. Spann interrogated Lindh just before the revolt of Taliban soldiers being held in the 18th-century fortress--a brutal battle that killed more than 300 people. This is the story of the battle and of these two Americans who met at that fateful place. TVPG VL | CC

1.2 million African Americans served in World War II in some capacity, and although largely forgotten by history, nearly 2,000 African Americans were among the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy. For the first time ever, seven of these forgotten heroes tell their stories. We will examine the African-American contribution to the Normandy invasion. TVPG VL | CC

Modern day warrior, Green Beret Terry Schappert, reveals how 700 Christian soldiers defeated 40,000 Ottomans in one of history's greatest siege battles. He demonstrates the tactics--including weapons of fire--that led to victory. TVPG VL | CC

A technical and historical thumbnail of the US Navy from 1912 through 1945, the USS Texas fought in some of the most horrendous naval battles of the 20th century, including D-Day Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Today she's been renovated and set up as floating museum in LaPorte, TX, a glorious reminder of two great wars. TVPG VL | CC

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a move of unprecedented aggression that shook the U.S. out of its peaceful slumber and into WWII. But for 60 years, veterans of the destroyer USS Ward claimed they sank an enemy submarine outside the harbor more than an hour before the aerial attack began. The wreck was never found, and the story was dismissed. In August 2002, a dive team crossed its path and their find made headlines worldwide. We travel to Pearl Harbor to investigate the midget sub mystery. TVPG VL | CC

It was a weapon conceived in desperation yet horrifying in its destructive power--young Japanese pilots willing to turn themselves into human bombs to attack the US fleet in the Pacific. Witness the first organized kamikaze attack in history on October 25, 1944. In brutal fashion, a US escort carrier is sunk, and a survivor re-lives the terrifying scene. At the same time, the Japanese unveil an even more sinister suicide weapon: the rocket-powered Okha. A Japanese Okha veteran describes the training and mindset of a suicide pilot, and US Navy veterans onboard ships struck by Ohkas, tell the enormous devastation this "flying torpedo" could unleash. Then, we'll explore another desperation tactic--this one in Germany. In the face of the wholesale destruction of their homeland, young Germans were motivated to destroy American bombers by any means necessary, including using their own aircraft as battering rams. TVPG VL | CC

For Allied servicemen, the last year of WWII proved the most difficult. Though victory was nearly assured, some of the roughest battles lay ahead. These men desperately wanted to return to home and loved ones. If they survived, what would the peace bring? WWII comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates. 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

Nathanael Greene. Many people don't even recognize his name, but he was considered George Washington's favorite general. Nathanael Greene was an unlikely war hero--he walked with a limp and suffered from asthma. He joined the Rhode Island militia and was promoted from private to general with no stops in between. Once the war broke out, he became a general in the Continental Army and soon emerged as one of Washington's most trusted advisors. His ability to procure supplies at Valley Forge literally saved the army. Congress appointed Greene to head up a third Southern army and his heroic efforts in the South played a critical role in securing American independence. TVPG VL | CC

September 17th 1944. 20,000 elite troops descend from the skies into Nazi occupied Holland in a massive airborne assault. In this dramatic race against time, an armored relief force has to fight through sixty miles of enemy defenses and reach the British paratroopers at Arnhem bridge before their 48 hour deadline runs out. The British paratroopers, known as "Red Devils", have orders to hold their positions. This fight would become legendary as they refused to surrender after being surrounded by the German Army. For the first time Aerial reconnaissance photographs taken at the time have now been layered over a 3 dimensional map to create a CGI "model" of the battle allowing the viewer to track the fighting, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can be placed in the exact location where they took place. TVPG VL | CC

Allied troops continue Operation Plunder, their thrust across the Rhine into Germany's heartland. Realizing the situation is hopeless, thousands of German troops surrender. The race to Berlin continues, and disagreement over their strategy plagues the Allies. Hitler is now holed up in his Berlin bunker, totally divorced from reality. In the Pacific, fighting finally comes to a head on Iwo Jima. As US Marines close in around them, 200 Japanese soldiers make a last desperate mass suicide--or banzai--charge at the Americans. The attack on Okinawa begins. TVPG VL | CC

A one-man army who took center stage in some of the most pivotal battles of the American Revolution, Daniel Morgan was the field commander every general wanted on his front line. George Washington selected Morgan to head up an elite unit of 500 hand picked riflemen, known as Morgan's Rangers. His finest moment came at the Battle of Cowpens, against Lord Cornwallis' elite light troops. He implemented a battle plan that one historian calls "the tactical masterpiece of the Revolutionary War." It was a crucial victory that helped stop the British advance through the South. It was also Daniel Morgan's last battle. TVPG VL | CC

A 2-hour comprehensive look at some of the 20th century's most influential military firepower, including: the former Soviet Union's Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK-47), America's M-16 assault rifle, and Israel's Uzi submachine gun. TVPG VL | CC

General Eisenhower has decided to halt the Allied advance at the Elbe River--just 60 miles west of Berlin. The Russians, therefore, take Berlin. Other forces head towards the south of Germany--to the Bavarian Alps--where they believe the Nazis will make their last stand. As the Allies advance throughout Europe, the initial stage of one of the largest and most devastating assaults in history begins--Operation Iceberg, the Battle for Okinawa, in which 172,000 soldiers and marines find themselves in a fight to the death against fanatical Japanese troops defending the island. Join us for a blow-by-blow, week-by-week look at the final months, days, and hours of World War Two. TVPG VL | CC

British General Charles, Lord Cornwallis is largely remembered as the man who lost the American colonies. However, during the Revolution, Cornwallis was considered one of Britain's finest field officers. When the American Revolution began he was torn by conflicting emotions. A Member of Parliament, he actually opposed many of the repressive tax policies that helped spark the rebellion. As a military man, he questioned whether Britain could win a war fought so far from home. Cornwallis ultimately surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown. For Lord Cornwallis, it was the first and only battlefield defeat of his military career. TVPG VL | CC