World War II

After the 1936 Olympic games, Adolf Hitler planned to build an enormous stadium.

American fighter pilots take on the Japanese in a grueling fight for control of Guadalcanal.

Pearl Harbor survivors give first-hand accounts of the fiery destruction of battleships like the USS Arizona, USS West Virginia, and USS Oklahoma.

General George S. Patton chose some of the best generals in the United States army to help carry out his missions. From Patton 360.

WWII Veteran Randy James fought the Japanese during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. Learn more about the Battle of Midway.

During WWII, Hitler's decentralized and paranoid military command structure spells disaster on the battlefield.

Though German Jewish teenager Anne Frank did not survive the Holocaust, the memoirs from her two years in hiding live on forever.

Excerpts from an interview with Dick Winters of the 101st Airborne Division

Learn more about the history of D-Day.

An army troop ship of over 860 refugees from Europe sails into New York Harbor. These people were victims of Nazi persecution; many of them spent long, terrible months in concentration camps.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt committed American forces to the Allied cause.

After 70 years, Joshua Kaufman reunites with Daniel Gillespie, who helped liberate him from Dachau.

The Allies launched this high stakes attack in order to win the war.

What is it like to be onboard an American military ship under attack? Find out firsthand from a serviceman who was on the USS Texas when it was hit by enemy fire in the English Channel in June 1944. From Hero Ships.

Franklin D. Roosevelt declares war on Japan in the wake of Pearl Harbor and warns Americans to steel themselves for difficulties ahead.

FDR passed away shortly after the Yalta conference. See more in Season 1, Episode 3, "Arsenal of Democracy."

The Lend-Lease Act was a compromise that allowed the United States to provide aid to England while avoiding full involvement in World War II.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Government issued executive order 9066, which empowered the military to round up anyone of Japanese ancestry and place them in internment camps.

The team tours the Bremer's family home.

Who was the "real" Rosie the Riveter? Ask History has the story behind this famous icon.

Excerpts from an interview with Dick Winters of the 101st Airborne Division.

Theo Wilson time-travels to the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 where the underdog Russian Army is about to pull off a victory that will turn the tide of the war in favor of Allied forces.

Take a look at key events that led to the Nazi party's rise to power in Germany.

Faced with the harsh terrain of the European Alps, American soldiers didn't back down – they just hit the slopes.

On September 7, 1940, 300 German bombers raided London in what would be the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing. This "blitzkrieg" would continue until May 1941.

Historian and author Don Miller discusses how one WWII battle before Thanksgiving would affect the homefront.

Albert Fagler's grandfather was an Army Air Corps photographer during WWII and left behind film reels.

Pearl Harbor survivors describe the attack's harrowing first moments on the morning of December 7, 1941.

The War Department considered coffee an essential element to the troops' diet.

With the U.S. Army and Air Force at their side, Patton and his troops campaign to drive the Nazis from the Mediterranean and liberate Europe. From Patton 360.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese sunk the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, killing more than 1,100 American soldiers. Did anyone aboard the Arizona survive? Find out more. From "Hero Ships."

The general gains fame in World War II, then infamy when he is removed from his command in the Korean War.

Mini-biography on the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Rodger Bushell plots his escape from the most notorious Nazi prison camp of WWII.

How did the Jeep come to get its name? R. Lee Ermey answers this question and looks at one of the most well-known military vehicles.

As American servicemen prepared for a bloody battle in the Pacific, an unprecedented event would change the course of WWII.

Veterans of Pearl Harbor describe the personal circumstances that led them to enlist in the Navy.

D-Day is one of the most widely known battles in WWII, but it almost didn't happen. Here's Why.

In a Mail Call video, R. Lee Ermey answers a question from Tom of Kansas, who wants to know what the biggest gun in the world is. Ermey says to answer this question you first have to define what you mean by big; for we all know that guns like Big Bertha and Anzio Annie are big, but if you are talking total weight and size of the shell, then they are not the biggest. The Gustav gun created by the Germans, takes the cake on this one with an 80cm barrel. The Germans first used this gun in World War II; it was designed to pulverize French defensive bunkers in the early days of the war.

Survivors share how D-Day changed their lives forever.

Adolf Hitler commissioned his engineers to build a domed structure to serve as the center of the new German Capital, Germania.

The Pearl Harbor attack caused a wave of nationalist resentment that had long-reaching effects on the Japanese-American population.

On April 1, 1945, Allied forces invade the island of Okinawa and engage the Japanese in the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.

Allied forces uncover valuable artworks and other treasures hidden by Nazi Germany, but one piece in particular has a more symbolic meaning.

His ivory-handled gun bearing the initials G.S.P. distinguished General Patton on the battlefield and made him one of the most recognized generals in World War II. From Patton 360.

After the sudden and deliberate attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese during World War II, President Roosevelt spoke to Congress and the American people.

Pearl Harbor survivors share the valuable lessons that future generations can take away from the attacks.

The USS Laffey engages in a heated battle against 22 kamikazes off the coast of Okinawa in the most concentrated kamikaze attack of World War II.

Under the cover of darkness, the Allies pulled off an operation in the hours before D-Day that may have changed the tide of the battle before it had begun.

How close was Hitler to launching a nuclear attack against the Allies in World War II? After developing a V2 ballistic missile capable of reaching as far a New York, Hitler made nuclear development his highest priority. On December 3, 1942, the first atomic pile went critical, and maintained a self-contained nuclear chain reaction. This was key in the development of an atomic bomb; however, the Manhattan Project was far from reaching its goals. The Germans had no long range bomber so they moved ahead in ballistic missile development. In May 1943, the A4 missile was successfully demonstrated, making Hitler's highest priority nuclear development. Because nerve agents like tabun and sarin were unreliable, nuclear weapons were the best alternative. Paul Harteck created a low energy nuclear reactor, a major step in Hitler's plans. When the warhead landed, a cloud of dust would arise, spreading death over the area for weeks. If plutonium was put into the warhead, the land would be contaminated for years. However, Hitler's plans failed with the invasion of Normandy, making this the least known close call in modern history.

Take a look at the events leading to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which prompted President Roosevelt to declare war on Japan.

Seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, American and Japanese forces clashed over Midway Atoll, a dot of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Battle of Midway tested intelligence and combat capabilities on both sides – while decidedly altering the outcome of World War II.

This 1944 American propaganda film imagine’s Hitler’s surrender and explains the Füher’s greatest mistake – his underestimation of American women. This episode of Flashback shows how female wartime workers were an indispensable part of America’s victory, even before the war was officially won.

Explore the intense and harrowing Battle of Caen, a pivotal clash during World War II that saw the Allied forces and German defenders locked in a brutal struggle for control of a key city in Normandy.

Frank DeVita was in charge of lowering the ramp on the USS Samuel Chase on D-Day. The role would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Pilots of the USS Yorktown reminisce about their epic raid on Japan.

Senator Daniel Inouye fought to prove his American patriotism.

Pearl Harbor veterans talk about where they were and how they felt when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.

With Europe under Nazi rule and Britain low on funds, Roosevelt and Churchill met in secret to strike a bold wartime agreement.

Los Angeles Times war correspondent Tom Treanor recounts his firsthand experience landing on the beach at Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

A look back at the day the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise military strike against the United States naval base in Hawaii.

FDR asks Congress to declare war on Japan in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.

In the days immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American homefront quickly mobilized to support the war effort.

Discover the remarkable story of D-Day, where Allied forces broke through the formidable Atlantic Wall during the Normandy invasion.

A look back at the intelligence failures and oversights that led to the successful Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Fake news isn’t new news. During WWII, military bases were breeding grounds for false reports and gossip. In this cartoon, part of a series created for the armed forces by Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) and the folks behind Looney Tunes, “Private Snafu” learns the dangers of spreading rumors the hard way.

Waverly Woodson Jr., was a medic on D-Day in the only all-black battalion to storm the beach. He worked for over 30 hours straight saving lives while he himself was wounded.

American soldiers used military-issue shovels for many tasks in World War II.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies invade Western Europe in the largest amphibious attack in history.

Though blindsided by the attack, Pearl Harbor fighters made a valiant effort to combat the first wave of Japanese planes.

Charles Norman Shay's heroics at D-Day are etched into history, and his perspective as a Native American makes his story all the more important.

The 761st Tank Battalion receive new orders.

Pearl Harbor was a shocking moment in American history, but instead of cowering in fear, the country rose to the occasion.

855 Black women of the 6888th Postal Battalion delivered mail in WWII, breaking racial and gender barriers in the military.

In December 1944, a major German offensive is launched against the Allies in the Ardennes Mountains region on the Western Front.

In a costly battle, U.S. forces assault Peleliu in the Palau Islands.

In this scene, Hitler comes to the realization that this is the end as the Allies successfully invade Europe and continue to liberate territories.

During World War II, feeding thousands of troops in enemy territory wasn't easy. Discover how soldiers carried rations into battle.

Joseph Stalin's forced industrialization of the Soviet Union caused the worst man-made famine in history. Find out more about his life and rise to power in this video.

Explore the top-secret American project to build the world's first atomic bomb.

Find out about the assault of the Japanese Center Force during World War II.

In this video clip of History's Mail Call, host R. Lee Ermey, along with Andy Miller of the Military Radio Collectors Club, takes a look at what kind of radios they used in World War II including the handie-talkie, walkie-talkie and TBX8 radio set.

After the end of World War II, society expected women to return to the subservient roles they held before the war. Proper dress and pristine hygiene became paramount concerns, and as this 1948 film demonstrates, the expectations were quite high.

Armored tanks provided extra firepower and mobility during World War II.

Guy Whidden was one of the first to parachute into Normandy on D-Day. A moment of divine intervention would save his life.

In August 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What happened to people on the fringes of the blasts?

WWII veteran Robert Morgan was captain of the B-52 Memphis Belle during the historic 25 mission tour.

As fighting continues in the Pacific, The U.S. Navy begins night raids on Japan's island territories unleashing a punishing assault that will signal the end of WWII in the pacific.

An inventor develops an idea during the mix of WWII, which would have pigeons guide missiles.

The most ambitious amphibious invasion in history begins as the Allies launch a high-stakes attack of Nazi-occupied France to win the war.

Though blindsided by the attack, Pearl Harbor fighters made a valiant effort to combat the first wave of Japanese planes.

After the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944, the Allied advance is mired in the thick hedgerows of Normandy's bocage country.

WWII veteran Samuel Hynes talks about the lasting effects of the war on his generation.

The Battle of Leyte was an amphibious invasion that launched the beginning of the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippines after almost three years of Japanese occupation in this clip from "Battle of Leyte Gulf."

Find out why the legend of George S. Patton, Jr. endures, even 60 years after his death. From Patton 360.

On June 15, 1944, the U.S. launches a critical attack on Saipan in the Mariana Islands.

The USS New York saw heavy action during World War II. Five decades later the battleship was rebuilt using metal from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.