The Ghost Army of World War 2

Late at night in his palace at Aachen, Charlemagne had a dream. A mysterious figure approached him carrying a sword engraved with four Germanic words: raht, radoleiba, nasg, and enti. The meaning seemed immediately clear to the emperor, who fancied himself a philosopher as well a ... Show More

On December 7, 43 BCE, a sixty-three-year-old man was carried in a litter down a woodland path near the Italian coast, fleeing soldiers who had been sent to kill him. When they caught up, he ordered his attendants to set down the litter, put his head out, and offered them his nec ... Show More

On March 13, 1930, Adolf Hitler was sitting in the passenger seat of his chauffeur-driven car when a trailer truck sped through an intersection and struck the vehicle, pushing it across the road and stopping just short of crushing it. Everyone survived. Three years later, Hitler ... Show More

<p>As the Allied forces prepared for the monumental invasion of Normandy, concealing the massive build-up of troops in Britain from the Germans became increasingly challenging. To mislead German intelligence about the timing and location of the invasion, the Allies devised a seri ... Show More

As World War II raged on in 1943, both Allied and Axis forces knew they were riddled with spies. In a dizzying cavalcade of undercover, double, and even triple agents, both sides of the war sought to deceive their opponents -- and ethical concerns increasingly took a back seat in ... Show More

In the dead of night, two British commandos carry out a daring intelligence gathering mission… right under German noses. President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill set the date for the largest seaborne invasion in history. The Allies hatch an elaborate plan to throw Hitler ... Show More

<p>At the close of WWII, US allies created secret, "stay-behind" armies, designed to protect the population in the event of a Communist invasion. So why are they linked with terrorist groups? What were these secret armies actually doing, and - perhaps more i</p><p> </p> Learn mor ... Show More

July 10, 1943. 150,000 British and American soldiers storm the beaches of Sicily in the first Allied invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe. But the Nazis…aren’t really there to put up a fight. Hitler thought the invasion was coming for Greece. The Nazis have been tricked by two Brit ... Show More

In the dead of night, two British commandos carry out a daring intelligence gathering mission… right under German noses. President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill set the date for the largest seaborne invasion in history. The Allies hatch an elaborate plan to throw Hitler ... Show More

A mysterious radio broadcast summons help from behind enemy lines. British spies steal their way through France, as Resistance operatives sabotage key German targets. Civilians gather vital intelligence while hiding in plain sight. And a wave of brutal reprisals horrifies the Fre ... Show More

A mysterious radio broadcast summons help from behind enemy lines. British spies steal their way through France, as Resistance operatives sabotage key German targets. Civilians gather vital intelligence while hiding in plain sight. And a wave of brutal reprisals horrifies the Fre ... Show More

<p>In this episode, historian Taylor Downing joins me to explore the remarkable work of reconnaissance pilots and photo interpreters during the Second World War. These daring aviators flew perilous missions over Occupied Europe, risking life and limb to capture the detailed aeria ... Show More