Schedule

When today's warriors go toe-to-toe in combat the weapon they rely on is the machine gun. From the crude machines of the 19th century to the slick weapons of today, Gunny takes us on a journey that looks at the engineering development of this rapid-fire battle winner. Learn how the "potato digger" machine gun got it's name, and why a hand held gun developed in 1965 is still the weapon of choice for the toughest warriors on the planet. Ermey compares the machine guns that stormed the beaches of D-Day--the Bren gun and the B.A.R.--with a classic shooting match. Then, Gunny cuts loose with the Special Forces wonder weapon, the MP-5, as used by the British SAS and American Navy Seals. Not only will you see these weapons in action, but with cutting-edge 3D GFX you will go inside the weapons--to see close up and personal the mechanism, operation and evolution of the machine gun.

Discover a book that has never been seen in the west until now. In a world exclusive we track down the secret manual that explained how the Vietnamese defeated not only the US in the 20th century, but the Mongols 700 years earlier--including a revelation of the largest booby trap in history--one that snagged an entire battle fleet. Next, discover how king Mithridates used a substance called burning mud in his revolt against Rome. Learn how the terrorist booby-traps and letter bombs of today were invented hundreds of years ago. Investigate the legend that the Christians wiped out paganism in an attack on their temples with fire so hot it could melt bronze. And, learn how the great ancient revolutionary Spartacus kick-started his great revolt against the Roman Empire.

R. Lee Ermey, who portrayed the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like! Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. Ermey learns about the different pieces of a 15th-century knight's armor; what was inside a WWI infantry back; and what makes up a landmine.

R. Lee Ermey, the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about the armed forces. Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. In this episode, we find out: If a bullet can penetrate body armor? How accurate was a medieval crossbow? How did WWI pilots shoot through their propellers?

Among the first U.S. Navy vessels to see action in the Pacific in WWII were the motor torpedo boats of PT Boat Squadron 3 in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion. And for the next three years, from Guadalcanal to the coasts of Japan, they ran reconnaissance and screening missions, landed raiding parties, and attacked enemy shore installations and supply barges. See how they lived up to the motto of John Paul Jones: "Give me a fast ship, for I intend to go in harm's way."

Hitler's special forces, led by the ruthless Otto Skorzeny, carried out some of the most daring raids of WWII, including the first glider-borne assault, a paratroop aerial assault on the Island of Crete, and the audacious rescue of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from his mountaintop prison. For the first time, the hidden world of these elite forces is uncovered as we feature never-before-seen footage filmed by German cameramen.

Join us for a review of the incredible 51-year career of BB-63, the battleship Missouri, which fought in WWII, the Korean War, and Desert Storm. The crew that served on her last voyage could have been grandchildren of the men who fought on her first. Though this behemoth should have been a relic after WWII, she was continually upgraded, making her a formidable first-line warrior to her final day in commission. Launched in 1944, she was the last battleship built and the last in service. But her most enduring image came in 1945, when the Allies accepted Japan's surrender on her deck in Tokyo Bay. Now a national monument in Pearl Harbor preserving the details of that historic day, we step aboard with some of the great men who served in her during the long career of this icon of US naval history.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

R. Lee Ermey, who portrayed the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like! Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. Ermey learns about the different pieces of a 15th-century knight's armor; what was inside a WWI infantry back; and what makes up a landmine.

R. Lee Ermey, the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about the armed forces. Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. In this episode, we find out: If a bullet can penetrate body armor? How accurate was a medieval crossbow? How did WWI pilots shoot through their propellers?

Among the first U.S. Navy vessels to see action in the Pacific in WWII were the motor torpedo boats of PT Boat Squadron 3 in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion. And for the next three years, from Guadalcanal to the coasts of Japan, they ran reconnaissance and screening missions, landed raiding parties, and attacked enemy shore installations and supply barges. See how they lived up to the motto of John Paul Jones: "Give me a fast ship, for I intend to go in harm's way."

Hitler's special forces, led by the ruthless Otto Skorzeny, carried out some of the most daring raids of WWII, including the first glider-borne assault, a paratroop aerial assault on the Island of Crete, and the audacious rescue of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from his mountaintop prison. For the first time, the hidden world of these elite forces is uncovered as we feature never-before-seen footage filmed by German cameramen.

Join us for a review of the incredible 51-year career of BB-63, the battleship Missouri, which fought in WWII, the Korean War, and Desert Storm. The crew that served on her last voyage could have been grandchildren of the men who fought on her first. Though this behemoth should have been a relic after WWII, she was continually upgraded, making her a formidable first-line warrior to her final day in commission. Launched in 1944, she was the last battleship built and the last in service. But her most enduring image came in 1945, when the Allies accepted Japan's surrender on her deck in Tokyo Bay. Now a national monument in Pearl Harbor preserving the details of that historic day, we step aboard with some of the great men who served in her during the long career of this icon of US naval history.

When today's warriors go toe-to-toe in combat the weapon they rely on is the machine gun. From the crude machines of the 19th century to the slick weapons of today, Gunny takes us on a journey that looks at the engineering development of this rapid-fire battle winner. Learn how the "potato digger" machine gun got it's name, and why a hand held gun developed in 1965 is still the weapon of choice for the toughest warriors on the planet. Ermey compares the machine guns that stormed the beaches of D-Day--the Bren gun and the B.A.R.--with a classic shooting match. Then, Gunny cuts loose with the Special Forces wonder weapon, the MP-5, as used by the British SAS and American Navy Seals. Not only will you see these weapons in action, but with cutting-edge 3D GFX you will go inside the weapons--to see close up and personal the mechanism, operation and evolution of the machine gun.

Discover a book that has never been seen in the west until now. In a world exclusive we track down the secret manual that explained how the Vietnamese defeated not only the US in the 20th century, but the Mongols 700 years earlier--including a revelation of the largest booby trap in history--one that snagged an entire battle fleet. Next, discover how king Mithridates used a substance called burning mud in his revolt against Rome. Learn how the terrorist booby-traps and letter bombs of today were invented hundreds of years ago. Investigate the legend that the Christians wiped out paganism in an attack on their temples with fire so hot it could melt bronze. And, learn how the great ancient revolutionary Spartacus kick-started his great revolt against the Roman Empire.

R. Lee Ermey, who portrayed the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like! Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. Ermey learns about the different pieces of a 15th-century knight's armor; what was inside a WWI infantry back; and what makes up a landmine.

R. Lee Ermey, the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about the armed forces. Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. In this episode, we find out: If a bullet can penetrate body armor? How accurate was a medieval crossbow? How did WWI pilots shoot through their propellers?

Among the first U.S. Navy vessels to see action in the Pacific in WWII were the motor torpedo boats of PT Boat Squadron 3 in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion. And for the next three years, from Guadalcanal to the coasts of Japan, they ran reconnaissance and screening missions, landed raiding parties, and attacked enemy shore installations and supply barges. See how they lived up to the motto of John Paul Jones: "Give me a fast ship, for I intend to go in harm's way."

Hitler's special forces, led by the ruthless Otto Skorzeny, carried out some of the most daring raids of WWII, including the first glider-borne assault, a paratroop aerial assault on the Island of Crete, and the audacious rescue of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from his mountaintop prison. For the first time, the hidden world of these elite forces is uncovered as we feature never-before-seen footage filmed by German cameramen.

Join us for a review of the incredible 51-year career of BB-63, the battleship Missouri, which fought in WWII, the Korean War, and Desert Storm. The crew that served on her last voyage could have been grandchildren of the men who fought on her first. Though this behemoth should have been a relic after WWII, she was continually upgraded, making her a formidable first-line warrior to her final day in commission. Launched in 1944, she was the last battleship built and the last in service. But her most enduring image came in 1945, when the Allies accepted Japan's surrender on her deck in Tokyo Bay. Now a national monument in Pearl Harbor preserving the details of that historic day, we step aboard with some of the great men who served in her during the long career of this icon of US naval history.

Examines U.S. intelligence gathering--from inception in the 1920s and development during WWII through the Office of Strategic Services and the Allied Intelligence Bureau. We investigate espionage during the war, the breakthrough in aerial reconnaissance technology, cracking of the Japanese naval codes by Navy intelligence, and birth of the Central Intelligence Agency. We also look at the darker side. Did the CIA strike a deal with Nazi war criminals in return for their help in the Cold War?

During the Cold War, much of the Soviet Union's economy went into developing weapons. With paranoia about U.S. technical superiority at a height, even the craziest sounding idea stood a chance--the military-industrial complex incubated ambitious, but often unfeasible weaponry. We focus on the sinking of M-256, which lost 37 submariners, and the Ekranoplan, a super-secret flying ship capable of carrying thousands of soldiers or missiles over great distances at high speeds under radar detection.

R. Lee Ermey, who portrayed the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like! Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. Find out how Civil War cannoneers aimed their artillery pieces; exactly how night vision technology works; and how to clear a minefield.

R. Lee Ermey, who portrayed the sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket", applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like! Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. Ermey learns how to operate the Landing Craft, Air Cushion Hovercraft; what kind of saddles the cavalry used in the Old West; and how gas masks work.

In June 1995, two U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter-bombers were enforcing the U.N. no-fly zone over Bosnia when they were engaged by Surface to Air Missiles from Serb territory. One was hit and Captain Scott O'Grady ejected. For five days, he evaded Serb forces until a fellow pilot picked up a faint signal from his emergency beacon. This is the story of his spectacular rescue by an elite Air Force and Marine Corps pilot rescue unit, a helicopter-borne force that picked up O'Grady deep behind enemy lines.