Schedule

This countdown special reveals the weapons, inventions and vehicles that shaped and decided World War II, from the humble Studebaker to the shock and awe of the A-Bomb. With a countdown format and an outstanding cast of experts, we'll provide an explosive and definitive understanding of the greatest conflict of all time seen through the incredible hardware that tipped the balance and changed the world.

Two weeks after Pearl Harbor... A courageous, rag-tag band of American mercenaries dare to challenge the over-whelming might of the Japanese Air Force. The legendary "Flying Tigers" slash through the skies of China, and help vanquish the unstoppable Japanese. Follow leading Tiger aces Tex Hill and John Alison as their P-40 Tomahawks fight to the death against the agile Japanese 1-97 Nate. First-hand accounts, rare archival footage and original shooting will supplement the remarkable computer graphics.

July 9, 1943. Just before midnight, Colonel Jim Gavin, age 36, heads towards Sicily in a C47 in command of just over 3,400 members of the 505th Regimental Combat Team. This is the inside story of the first large-scale invasion by paratroopers in U.S. history, headed by one of WWII's youngest leaders. Based on the book "Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe" and drawing on surviving veterans' stories, this is an in-depth story of epic determination, fear, and survival.

Marksmen face a supreme long-range test, the iconic 1000 yard shot. They will use the biggest gun ever used in Top Shot competition -- a Barrett 82A1 .50. Teams dissolve and it is every marksmen for himself.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Two weeks after Pearl Harbor... A courageous, rag-tag band of American mercenaries dare to challenge the over-whelming might of the Japanese Air Force. The legendary "Flying Tigers" slash through the skies of China, and help vanquish the unstoppable Japanese. Follow leading Tiger aces Tex Hill and John Alison as their P-40 Tomahawks fight to the death against the agile Japanese 1-97 Nate. First-hand accounts, rare archival footage and original shooting will supplement the remarkable computer graphics.

July 9, 1943. Just before midnight, Colonel Jim Gavin, age 36, heads towards Sicily in a C47 in command of just over 3,400 members of the 505th Regimental Combat Team. This is the inside story of the first large-scale invasion by paratroopers in U.S. history, headed by one of WWII's youngest leaders. Based on the book "Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe" and drawing on surviving veterans' stories, this is an in-depth story of epic determination, fear, and survival.

Marksmen face a supreme long-range test, the iconic 1000 yard shot. They will use the biggest gun ever used in Top Shot competition -- a Barrett 82A1 .50. Teams dissolve and it is every marksmen for himself.

This countdown special reveals the weapons, inventions and vehicles that shaped and decided World War II, from the humble Studebaker to the shock and awe of the A-Bomb. With a countdown format and an outstanding cast of experts, we'll provide an explosive and definitive understanding of the greatest conflict of all time seen through the incredible hardware that tipped the balance and changed the world.

Two weeks after Pearl Harbor... A courageous, rag-tag band of American mercenaries dare to challenge the over-whelming might of the Japanese Air Force. The legendary "Flying Tigers" slash through the skies of China, and help vanquish the unstoppable Japanese. Follow leading Tiger aces Tex Hill and John Alison as their P-40 Tomahawks fight to the death against the agile Japanese 1-97 Nate. First-hand accounts, rare archival footage and original shooting will supplement the remarkable computer graphics.

July 9, 1943. Just before midnight, Colonel Jim Gavin, age 36, heads towards Sicily in a C47 in command of just over 3,400 members of the 505th Regimental Combat Team. This is the inside story of the first large-scale invasion by paratroopers in U.S. history, headed by one of WWII's youngest leaders. Based on the book "Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe" and drawing on surviving veterans' stories, this is an in-depth story of epic determination, fear, and survival.

Marksmen face a supreme long-range test, the iconic 1000 yard shot. They will use the biggest gun ever used in Top Shot competition -- a Barrett 82A1 .50. Teams dissolve and it is every marksmen for himself.

All it takes to set off a booby trap is an unsuspecting victim lifting, moving, or disturbing a harmless-looking object. Booby traps continue to worry law enforcement; made from easily acquired items, information detailing their construction and needed materials are accessible through the mail--anonymously! And unlike a land mine, they can be anywhere. We detail the history of booby traps--from the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greek, and Romans to the Middle Eastern crisis and the War on Terrorism.

Ski commandos battle through storms and snow drifts; a tiny army in the Egyptian desert.

Ever imagine what it would be like to participate in the most historic air battles of all time? Imagine no more. This special puts viewers in the cockpit to recreate four famous air battles, using computer graphics, animation, firsthand accounts, and archival footage to make these thrilling and dangerous dogfights all too real. Each segment begins with an introduction to a pilot as we learn of the conflict he is engaged in, the history and technology of the aircraft that he flies, and the mortal enemy he must face. Then comes the moment of contact with the enemy--the fight begins! Experience a computer-generated recreation of the aerial battle as the voice of the pilot plays out this life and death combat.

The Pacific Ocean is a vast emptiness, where World War Two is fought on tiny specks of land. As the big battles unfold, soldiers come face- to-face at close quarters with their enemies. In this episode, we head right into the middle of a daring raid on the Makin Atoll; on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, a solo machine gunner is outnumbered; two dozen Marines face hundreds of Japanese on Peleliu; and a single rifleman holds off two companies in the Philippines. Sometimes they took minutes, at others they took hours. Join us as we examine these famous shootouts in history--from the perspectives of both sides of the fight. Meet the men with guns in their hands, thousands of miles from home, where the winners are the only ones left alive.

For five years, heroic U.S. Servicemen and their allies have hunted Al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists who caused the deaths of 3,000 Americans in a single day. Special Forces Captain Jason Amerine orchestrates a bombing campaign that forces the Taliban to surrender Kandahar and escape into the hills. 10th Mountain Division and 101st Airborne Division soldiers kill or capture hundreds of Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Dozens more are rooted out in the birthplace of the Taliban, the Oruzgan Province in south-central Afghanistan. The on-going search for enemy combatants in the mountains of Afghanistan has brought both battlefield successes, and heartbreaking tragedies. This is the story of the gun battles from that search--harrowing, deadly shootouts.