What It Was Like to be a WW2 Paratrooper

When the First Crusade arrived at the walls of Antioch in 1097, the two most powerful Muslim rulers in Syria were not preparing a joint defense. They were trying to destroy each other. Ridwan of Aleppo and his brother Duqaq of Damascus had been locked in a fratricidal war over th ... Show More

On the morning of January 24, 1848, a carpenter named James Marshall climbed into a ditch beside a half-finished sawmill in the Sierra Nevada foothills, stooped down, and found gold. He crawled out clutching his hat to his chest like a hurt child, showed the men a teaspoon of yel ... Show More

Early America’s most important invention wasn’t Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod, or the cotton gin. It was the world's first fully automated flour mill, built by Oliver Evans in the 1780s. Evans's mill used a conveyor-belt grain elevator, leather straps, wheels, and Archimedean ... Show More

When people think of the paratroopers of World War II, they tend to think of the European theater — the 101st Airborne Division and the Band of Brothers.But paratroopers were also deployed in the Pacific, and here to unpack their lesser-known but equally epic and heroic story is ... Show More

The largest ever surrender of American forces occurred in May 1942. The event resulted in medals of honour for two American military leaders - one who escaped, another who became the highest ranking prisoner of war of the Second World War.In this episode, Don is joined by Jonatha ... Show More

Former US Paratrooper and now historian, James Fenelon joins Jim and John McManus to discuss the extraordinary and little-known exploits of the 11th Airborne Division - a unit led by the brilliant Joe Swing and who excelled during the Battle for the Philippines. The term ‘forgott ... Show More

It was one of the defining battles of 1944, but what really happened at the Admin Box - and where was it? In this gripping series, they explore the extraordinary challenges faced by the British and Indian forces under the command of General Bill Slim as they confronted relentless ... Show More

<p>If somebody asked you to go on a dangerous mission, no other details, would you volunteer?</p><br><p>Well, in 1942, that's exactly what 120 crewmen of the US Army Air Force did. In this episode, find out how it went and who Jimmy Doolittle was. From an impossible take off, thr ... Show More

Americans and Nazis fought side-by-side in the ‘Battle For Castle Itter’ on 5th May, 1945 - an attempt to free high-profile French prisoners from a 13th century Austrian castle at the very end of the War. The prison - a sub-unit of Dachau concentration camp - housed former prime ... Show More

How did Slim and the Allies plan to deceive Japanese forces in Burma? What was the true worth of the Chindits under Orde Wingate? When did the Allies attack Mandalay? Join James Holland and Al Murray for Part 4 of this series, as they explore the forgotten victories of commander ... Show More

<p>Amidst the epic clashes of armies and navies that make war such a fascinating subject, lie the smaller human interest stories that prove just as compelling. One such story is that of World War II soldier Joe Johnson Jr., which is told by Marcus Brotherton in a newly published ... Show More

April 19, 1951. General Douglas MacArthur's plane touches down in DC just after midnight. He’s coming home from fighting the Korean War. Over twelve thousand people are there to greet this person who the American people consider to be a national war hero. It’s quite the welcome f ... Show More