Comprised mainly of innocent teenage farm boys, the doughboys in Europe faced a most horrific warfare of machine guns, mustard gas and artillery shells. New weapons and old tactics turned an infantry charge into a mass suicide for the brave young soldiers of WWI.
World War I was in every way more epochal and earth-shaking than World War II. After World War I, nothing was recognizable. What was rebuild was a shadow of the greatness and history that had been destroyed.
Experts disucss the political personalities and intolerance behind the "War to End All Wars." Discover the history behind the first weapons of mass destruction, why they were created, and how they were made. Look at the documents that were once classified for reasons of national security and discover why they were kept secret.
Cinch your goggles and fly with the first great aces ofr WWI. Experience a time when, with open cockpits and unaided targeting, aces literally saw the whites of their foes' eyes. In canvas-and-wire biplanes, these dashing warriors engaged in classic duels, inventing tactics "on the fly."
The legendary World War I flying ace, Manfried von Richthofen, managed 80 kills over WWi Europe. Watch this pioneer of the dogfight as he meets his greatest challenge, a warplane seemingly designed for the express purpose of bringing him down.
From bombing runs to the high-flying spy balloons that soared out of the reach of enemy planes and guns, see how airships, dirigibles and zellelins affected World War I.
A veteran of the bruta lnaval battles of World War I, the German submarine UB-107 was discovered on the floor of the North Sea in 1985. An important find in itself, it harbored a suprise that would force experts to re-examine the records of the epic combat.
Drawing on eyewitness accounts from survivors, expert testimony, rare photos and military documents from the battle, discover the events of April 22, 1918, when a flotilla of British warships, led by the cruiser HMS Vindictive set sail for the fortified harbor of Zeebrugge, defended by coastal batteries, a deadly mole, and a seawall bristling with guns.
What really happened when catastrophe befell the mightiest fleet in the world? See the remarkable new analysis of the epic battle that sent Britain's unconquerable super-dreadnoughts to the seafloor.
In just one day almost 60,000 British soldiers were killed our wounded. Why was this first day on the Somme such a disaster for the British?
From the fading frontier to the trenches of World War I, follow the career of one of the most imporant American generals of all time, taking a 128,000-man force and transforming it into a juggernaut of four million soldiers that won a war.
It was a conflict the likes of which the world had never seen, embroiling 15 nations and 65 million people, and fought with weapons unprecedented in their power to maim and kill. Drawing in on the millions of letters written home by American doughboys, nurses, drivers and clerks, HISTORY reveals what it was like to fight in the "Great War".
Amid the trench warfare that defined World War I, a few days of spontaneous peace broke out. Without a signed treaty, surrender, or armistice, German and Allied soldiers alike were able to share Christmas cheer together.
Discover why more soldiers died on the final day of World War I than on D-Day, as this chilling indictment of the horror and pointlessness of war is captured by rare footage and photos.
From the German Blitzkrieg to the Allies' bloody battle for Berlin, experience a breathtaking overview of the savage global fighting that marked the war.
This riveting account details the German attack on Kasserine Pass, where the British 1st Army and untested American troops faced the full force of Germany's seasoned Africa Corps.
Follow the story of the Allied landing, the brutal German couterattack, and the final Allied offensive that would turn the tide of this historic battle.
The day the Allies threw the full weight of their forces at Hitler at Normandy remains the largest amphibious assault in world history.
In a daring offensive move, the Allies boldly thrust forward under tactical air support to break through German lines, and the enemy resistance ultimately crumbled.
The Allies launched this historic penetration raid on a German munitions factory and ultimately paid an extraordinary price in men and machines, but this battle would prove to be a turning point.
It was the largest pitched battle in American military history, the last major engagement of the European campaign, and the scene of some of the war's fiercest fighting, leading to a final blow against the Nazis.
The final campaign of the European theater unfolded in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge with the British and Canadian offensive, the historic crossing of the Rhine at Remagen, and Eisenhower's final drive to Berlin.
Follow the epic story of the Allies' island-by-island Pacific campaign in which they utilized massive amphibous assaults.
In the steamy jungles of the Pacific, soldiers battled not only the Japanese, but malaria, heat exhaustion, and swarms of parasites.
Chronicling the war's first days through the sucidal Kamikaze attacks and the bombing missions that brought the war to the Japanese homeland, this documentary utilized extensive air combat footage.
From the opening naval bombardment, to the hand-to-hand combat and vicious guerrila warfare, this is the complete story of this brutal historic battle.
From MacArthur's strategy to the heroics of the ground troops, the 7th Fleet's naval forces, and the pilots of the Air Force, the heroic saga of the Philippines is a stunning story of unstoppable determination.
Winston Churchill described it as the most intense and famouse battle in military history. Witness the desperate, sucidal resistance of the Japanese in the final battle of the Pacific campaign.
One of the most celebrated naval commanders in American history. Admiral Halsey led the Battle of the Bismark Sea and helped neutralize the Japanese offensive.
General Douglas MacArthur was one of America's greatest and most complex commanders, a warrior so tough and determined that he helped with World War II with a simple promise: "I shall return." MacArthur was a soldier's soldier: the son of an officer, the star of West Point, and the Army's youngest-ever full general. He was alredy a retired hero whe nhe was recalled in 1941 to face his biggest challenge - defending an unprepared Pacific force against a seemingly unstoppable Japanese war machine. But everthing about MacArthur's life was extraordinary: from his army brat childhood to his rogue war in Korea, the magnificent stand in the Philippines, and a head-to-head confrontation with an angry Harry Truman. Featuring rare footage and interviews with MacArthur's comrades, family, and friends, this compelling BIOGRAPHY program reveals the man who remains a hero to millions.
The war in the Pacific was long and bloody, and when the final battle came, it was perhaps the fiercest of all. At Okinawa, over 250,000 fought a desperate battle for control of the island, in which nearly half died. OKINAWA: THE FINAL BATTLE is a riveting look at one of the most storied engagements in military history. Soldiers who were there, including USMC General Victor Krulak and Colonel Joseph Alexander, recall the extraordinary circumstances that make Okinawa unique. The Japanese defenders, in an all-or-nothing attempt to stop the Americans, employed guerella tactics, bolstered their defense with wome, and sent wave after wave of Kamikaze planes at the attackers. Dramatic Footage - some of it unseen for decades - captures the chaos and destruction of the ultimate battle, and military historians prove it's lasting legacy. OKINAWA: THE FINAL BATTLE is a gripping portrait of one of the most important engagements in military history.
Flight was born in America at the turn of the century. But World War II saw more planes built in a single year - 300,000 - than had been build in the previous forty. World War II turned the American aviation industy into a huge, high-tech giant. Among the aircraft built for World War II were some of the greatest planes of all time: the C-47 transport (the "Goony Bird"); the rugged B-17 Flying Fortress; the B-24 Liberator, mass-produced by Ford on the world's longest assembly line; the P-51 Mustang, the greatest prop-driven fighter; and the scrappy Grumman "Iron Works" output - Wildcats and Hellcats that lept from the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers to maul the Japanese air force. Modern shots of restored aircraft, historic footage ranging from factory floors, to dogfights, and interviews with pilots and designers recapture the aviation industry's finest hour.
World War II didn't end on the battlefield - it ended in a courtroom. The Nuremberg Trials bore witness to some of humanity's darkest hours and revealed the full scope of the atrocitites of Nazism, culminating in the execution of many top Nazi leaders. NUREMBERG: TRYANNY ON TRIAL follows the hearings from accusation to sentencint, offering insight into the cases of such defendants as Rudolph Hess and Hermann Goering. Discover how the trials galvanized modern principles regarding the laws of nations and established a new stand for atrocity: "Crimes against Humanity." Meet some of the men who witnessed the hearings and those who presented the cases, including the chief councel for the prosecution, while history balanced on their every word. John HISTORY for an in-depth investigation of the Nuremberg Trials, a moment in history the world has promised to never forget.
Hitler's 1940 Blitzkrieg upon Europe drove the British Expentitonary Force into the sea at Dunkirk, but his reckless plan of attack turned his chance to destory the British into history's greatest escape.
Even with Hitler's forces ravaging Europe, America hesitated to join the fight against him. All that changed, however, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and a foolish decision on the Führer's part to ally with Japan.
One lost and confused Luftwaffe pilot mistakenly dropped his bombs on London, ignithing what became known as the Blitz and pushing Britan's durability to it's furthest limits.
The Luftwaffe's lighting-fast, short-range fighter-bombers were used in support of highly mobile ground forces, a stratege which ultimately went horribly awry.
Bonus episode.
Bonus Episode
On June 4, 1942, the fanatical and efficent Japanese war machine wanted to finish off the U.S. Pacific Fleet, but their blind arrogance and understimation of America nwillpower led them to disaster instead.
Steeped in the ancient code of the Samurai, Kamikaze forces on land, sea, and air sacfriced themselves in battle in a desperate bid for victory thta spelled ultimate doom for the Japanese Empire.
In Hitler's quest to take Stalingrade at all costs, he understimated both the Russian winter and the steadfastness of the Russian people in the face of the Nazi threat.
In the wake of the British army's flight from France, the British were all but beaten. But a Nazi invasion of england was inexplicably postponed, diverting certain triumph and ultimately leading to the Allied victory.