World War II

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

Take a look at the equipment paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions used on D-Day.

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.

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

The team tours the Bremer's family home.

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

On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy and turned the tides of World War II.

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

The 761st Tank Battalion was the first all-Black tank squad to see combat during World War II.

The 761st Tank Battalion receive new orders.

Check out this hair-raising account of how Flying Tiger Tex Hill reacted to a Japanese KI-27 attacking his flight leader over Thailand.

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

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

The Tuskeegee Airmen were a group of pilots who overcame racism and prejudice, becoming decorated war heroes of WWII.

The Japanese deploy deadly kamikazes in an effort to destroy the USS Laffy.

In WWII, FDR spends years preparing for the "day of days" when Allied forced invade Normandy.

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

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

Examine President Franklin D. Roosevelt's role in World War II. Find out how he led the United States from isolationism to victory.

Some of the brightest American minds were called to work on the Manhattan Project, including a number of Black scientists and engineers.

On February 19, 1945, American soldiers make their first strike on the Japanese Home Islands at Iwo Jima.

The U.S. invades Kwajalein on January 31, 1944, breaking the outer ring of the Japanese Pacific territory.

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

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

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

In July 1942, the Nazi Army bombs the Soviet city of Stalingrad, launching one of the bloodiest battles in history.

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

David Keran's grandfather was an OSS agent working with the French Resistance during WWII and left behind films of his experiences.

On December 7, 1941, Japan launches a surprise attack on American soil at Pearl Harbor.

As goodwill ambassador for the Earth Summit, Brazilian soccer star Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, discusses the importance of the upcoming summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to discuss an international effort to preserve natural resources by rethinking methods of economic development.

Decoded puzzle clue for the episode D.B. Cooper.

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

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

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

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.

After WWII, soldiers went about the difficult process of readjusting to civilian life.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Known as the “Flying Fortress,” the B-17 was the backbone of the United States’ aerial forces during World War II. Get all the facts and figures.

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

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

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.

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

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

On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, better known as the G.I. Bill, in order to help soldiers secure stability as they returned to civilian life. A broadcast aired shortly after the bill was signed describes a nation preparing to welcome World War II veterans.

The K-25 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was built to enrich uranium for the atomic bomb.

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.

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.

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.

A lack of labor supply during World War II forced women into industrial jobs. This Flashback highlights the "problems" female workers faced in a new and unfamiliar environment – reflective of a less enlightened time.

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.

D-Day raised-relief map of Utah Beach prepared U.S. troops for the 1944 invasion of Normandy.

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

Learn more about the history of D-Day.

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

It was all hands on deck as Americans pitched into a second World War effort after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Learn more about the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Allies' first major offensive - and a decisive victory - in the Pacific theater during World War II.

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

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.

When the Nazis occupied France, five-year-old Bernard Marie believed every man in uniform was a bad guy. The D-Day invasion changed all that.

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.

Facing the harsh conditions of the European winter, American soldiers fighting in the Battle of the Bulge faced a challenge like no other.

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

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.

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

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

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

With almost 50,000 manufactured during World War II, the M4 medium tank, popularly known as the "Sherman," provided critical armored support to Allied ground troops.

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.

The internment of Japanese Americans began after President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942. For the following three years, American men, women, and children were forced to live under prison-like conditions in remote concentration camps. This 1943 film explains the internment from the U.S. government's perspective.

Senator Daniel Inouye fought to prove his American patriotism.

The United States' decision to use the atomic bomb was made after great debate, but still led to a massive loss of human life.

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.

During the Holocaust, Jewish photographer Henryk Ross used his camera as a tool of resistance against the Nazi regime by documenting the harsh realities inside the ghetto of Lodz, Poland.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Find out about the life of George S. Patton, one of America's most famous generals and an enduring legend of World War II. From Patton 360.

Patton's tank crews must devise new tactics in order to defeat one of the most terrified weapons of World War II--Hitler's Tiger tanks. From Patton 360.

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.

Meet Patton's chief rivals in World War II, including Rommel, Kesselrig, Von Runstedt, Manteuffel and Balck. From Patton 360.

Originating from the United States, General George S. Patton's soldiers proudly fight from the deserts of North Africa to the hills of Sicily and the villages of France and Germany. From Patton 360.

In honor of Veterans Day, survivors of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks share their insight on war, sacrifice, and remembering their fallen comrades.

Liberators and survivors return together to the notorious Nazi concentration camp seven decades later.

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

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.

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

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