Schedule

During the summer of 1940, the world held its breath and watched, as the British RAF and German Luftwaffe were locked in a battle to the death. It will last 114 days, take down almost 3000 aircraft, kill or wound 3800 aircrew and lead to the death of over 30,000 civilians. The German Nazi war machine had conquered all in its path, only Britain stood in its way to total European domination. Both British and German aerial reconnaissance photographs taken at the time have now been layered over a three dimensional contour map to create a CGI model of the battle. We use cutting edge technology, unique archive film, re-enactments and extraordinary interviews with the men who were there to tell the story of this historic battle.

Even as WWII raged on, another, more desperate, battle was being waged just behind the front lines...a battle to save lives. The victories and losses of this crusade are the stories of the price of war. The fact that so many servicemen lived to tell the tale is a testament to the brave medical personnel who fought daily against death. WWII comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates.

An oral history of the shocking abuse inflicted on U.S. and Filipino P.O.W.s as their Japanese captors marched them day and night, without food or medicine, for over 50 miles. Many died en route to the camp, but many more were shot, bayoneted, or beheaded by prison gaurds. We follow one survivor as he returns to Bataan for the first time.

A key moment in the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and her 13 rebellious colonies, the Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28, 1778, in rural New Jersey. The British assumed that the American Army was weak, ill-disciplined, and incapable of facing up to seasoned British regulars. But at Monmouth, things turned out differently. Washington used his artillery so effectively that the cowed British were pinned down, took significant casualties, and left their dead unburied. In this hour, historians, archaeologists, meteorologists, physiologists, and munitions experts examine the evidence of what took place at Monmouth. In modern laboratory conditions, they test what happens when men in heavy woolen uniforms fight on one of the hottest days in New Jersey history, and investigate the effects of a new intensive training regime on the colonial forces.

One of Adolf Hitler's most brutal and dramatic exterminations came half a decade before the sins of the Holocaust. The SA was Hitler's army of thugs, but the head of the SA, Ernst Roehm, was threatening Hitler's rule. On June 29th 1934, Hitler ordered the SA leadership to appear for a meeting at the Hotel Hanselbauer. Without warning, the SS burst in, beginning 48 hours of bloodshed in which 1000 of the leading SA, including Roehm, were rounded up and slaughtered. This murderous deed became an ominous warning of what was to come. It is the single most significant episode in Hitler's rise to absolute power, and the set the stage for World War and the Holocaust.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Even as WWII raged on, another, more desperate, battle was being waged just behind the front lines...a battle to save lives. The victories and losses of this crusade are the stories of the price of war. The fact that so many servicemen lived to tell the tale is a testament to the brave medical personnel who fought daily against death. WWII comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates.

An oral history of the shocking abuse inflicted on U.S. and Filipino P.O.W.s as their Japanese captors marched them day and night, without food or medicine, for over 50 miles. Many died en route to the camp, but many more were shot, bayoneted, or beheaded by prison gaurds. We follow one survivor as he returns to Bataan for the first time.

A key moment in the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and her 13 rebellious colonies, the Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28, 1778, in rural New Jersey. The British assumed that the American Army was weak, ill-disciplined, and incapable of facing up to seasoned British regulars. But at Monmouth, things turned out differently. Washington used his artillery so effectively that the cowed British were pinned down, took significant casualties, and left their dead unburied. In this hour, historians, archaeologists, meteorologists, physiologists, and munitions experts examine the evidence of what took place at Monmouth. In modern laboratory conditions, they test what happens when men in heavy woolen uniforms fight on one of the hottest days in New Jersey history, and investigate the effects of a new intensive training regime on the colonial forces.

One of Adolf Hitler's most brutal and dramatic exterminations came half a decade before the sins of the Holocaust. The SA was Hitler's army of thugs, but the head of the SA, Ernst Roehm, was threatening Hitler's rule. On June 29th 1934, Hitler ordered the SA leadership to appear for a meeting at the Hotel Hanselbauer. Without warning, the SS burst in, beginning 48 hours of bloodshed in which 1000 of the leading SA, including Roehm, were rounded up and slaughtered. This murderous deed became an ominous warning of what was to come. It is the single most significant episode in Hitler's rise to absolute power, and the set the stage for World War and the Holocaust.

During the summer of 1940, the world held its breath and watched, as the British RAF and German Luftwaffe were locked in a battle to the death. It will last 114 days, take down almost 3000 aircraft, kill or wound 3800 aircrew and lead to the death of over 30,000 civilians. The German Nazi war machine had conquered all in its path, only Britain stood in its way to total European domination. Both British and German aerial reconnaissance photographs taken at the time have now been layered over a three dimensional contour map to create a CGI model of the battle. We use cutting edge technology, unique archive film, re-enactments and extraordinary interviews with the men who were there to tell the story of this historic battle.

Even as WWII raged on, another, more desperate, battle was being waged just behind the front lines...a battle to save lives. The victories and losses of this crusade are the stories of the price of war. The fact that so many servicemen lived to tell the tale is a testament to the brave medical personnel who fought daily against death. WWII comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates.

An oral history of the shocking abuse inflicted on U.S. and Filipino P.O.W.s as their Japanese captors marched them day and night, without food or medicine, for over 50 miles. Many died en route to the camp, but many more were shot, bayoneted, or beheaded by prison gaurds. We follow one survivor as he returns to Bataan for the first time.

A key moment in the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and her 13 rebellious colonies, the Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28, 1778, in rural New Jersey. The British assumed that the American Army was weak, ill-disciplined, and incapable of facing up to seasoned British regulars. But at Monmouth, things turned out differently. Washington used his artillery so effectively that the cowed British were pinned down, took significant casualties, and left their dead unburied. In this hour, historians, archaeologists, meteorologists, physiologists, and munitions experts examine the evidence of what took place at Monmouth. In modern laboratory conditions, they test what happens when men in heavy woolen uniforms fight on one of the hottest days in New Jersey history, and investigate the effects of a new intensive training regime on the colonial forces.

One of Adolf Hitler's most brutal and dramatic exterminations came half a decade before the sins of the Holocaust. The SA was Hitler's army of thugs, but the head of the SA, Ernst Roehm, was threatening Hitler's rule. On June 29th 1934, Hitler ordered the SA leadership to appear for a meeting at the Hotel Hanselbauer. Without warning, the SS burst in, beginning 48 hours of bloodshed in which 1000 of the leading SA, including Roehm, were rounded up and slaughtered. This murderous deed became an ominous warning of what was to come. It is the single most significant episode in Hitler's rise to absolute power, and the set the stage for World War and the Holocaust.

In August 1777 on the New York frontier, an 800-strong column of patriot militia was marching to relieve Fort Stanwix, under siege by the British. In a densely forested area between two ravines on the banks of the Mohawk River, the column was ambushed. Oriskany became a massacre--400 militiamen died, making it the Revolutionary War's bloodiest battle. The militiamen were white farmers, part-time amateur soldiers armed with muskets. Their attackers were mainly warriors of the Seneca and Mohawk nations fighting with the British and armed with tomahawks, knives, and war clubs. Join our scientists and historians as they analyze the evidence, explore the little-known story of American-Indian involvement in the Revolutionary War, and discover what made the battle so bloody and why so many militiamen had to die.

One of the youngest and smallest nations, Israel has produced some of the world's fiercest weapons. In 1952, shortly after its War of Independence, Israel unleashed the Uzi...a submachine gun that set the standard for nearly 50 years. Between 1950 and 1980, Israel fought three wars, and superior weapons became a matter of survival. We examine the Negev Machine Gun and the Galil Assault Rifle, designed to survive the rigors of desert warfare, and the Tavor 21, a lightweight 21st-century assault rifle.

Bomber's vs. Fighters face off in three of the most intense dogfights in history! Courageous bomber pilots from World War II and Vietnam challenge deadly foes against incredible odds. Using state of the art computer animation, you're in the cockpit with legendary World War II Navy ace Swede Vejtasa's SBD dive bomber as he fights off eight lethal Japanese Zeroes. World War II Medal of Honor winner Jay Zeamer and his crew pit their slow B-17 bomber against 17 Japanese fighters in a battle for survival. Next, soar with Air Force Lt. Col. Leo Thorsness as his F-105 Thunderchief takes on a flight of skilled MiG-17's in the skies over Vietnam.

In the skies above North Korea, a new kind of air war is raging at 500mph...jet vs. jet dogfighting for the first time in history. American pilots bravely pit their F-86 Sabres against Communist MiG-15s. They will re-define air combat in pursuit of a previously unknown glory...the title of "Jet Ace." Their missions are fraught with peril. The new jet aircraft fly at nearly twice the speed of the piston-driven fighters of WWII. At edge of the speed of sound, life or death is decided in fractions of a second and tactics have to evolve quickly to meet the break-neck pace of jet combat. On May 20, 1950, Capt. James Jaraba rushes headlong into combat despite a malfunctioning jet. He claims his fifth and sixth victories in the resulting dogfight, becoming the first American ace of the jet age.

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.

Naval engineering has led the way in technological advances through all History. For the simple reason that if anything goes wrong at sea, you're dead. Relive the most extraordinary Naval ambitions of antiquity. The macabre collapsible death-yacht, commissioned by Roman emperor Nero, as a one- time-only assassination device--designed to kill his own mother. The ship that needed no engine and powered up-river by itself. The underwater booby trap defense system that smashed through pirate hulls in 15th century Italy. The chemical bomb fire ships that killed hundreds on the high seas of ancient Greece. And in a high adrenaline investigation, for the first time on television, we build and test the oldest white-water rapids crafts ever discovered.