Schedule

These marvels of technology extend the reach and amplify the deadliness of the modern warrior. But their genesis came centuries ago--and legend has it that it all began with an accident! We trace the evolution of the rocket, from the first Chinese "fire arrows" to the latest supersonic, heat-seeking missiles.

Part two of the deadly saga of the Solomons plays out at the Santa Cruz Islands. In one terrible day of vicious combat, Enterprise loses her sister ship USS Hornet and suffers dozens of casualties as bombs nail her flight deck. When the smoke clears, Enterprise is the only American carrier left in the Pacific. For the U.S. Navy at Santa Cruz, survival becomes the ultimate battle.

R. Lee Ermey applies his gruff sense of humor while answering viewers' mail about the armed forces. This week we find out about the Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge, used by combat engineers; the Fulton Recovery System, which allows fixed-wing aircraft to rescue downed pilots; a pilot's survival kit; the ancient Greek warship, the Trireme; how to aim, load, and fire battleship guns; and how "grape shot", used in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, got its name.

R. Lee Ermey returns to Afghanistan and Bagram Air Base devoted to the hard-charging Marines stationed there. The Gunny goes on foot patrol into the rural villages surrounding Kabul. With his armed Marine Corps escorts, he shows what it's like to gather intelligence and promote goodwill among the Afghanis. Next, Lee goes for a ride in the Ch-53 Super Stallion, gets a little trigger time on a helicopter gunship--the Cobra attack helicopter, and test drives the Marine Corps' newest heavy duty truck, the MTVR. Finally, Lee spends time with the lifeline for the Marines in Afghanistan, the Medical Corpsman, and finds out how they treat injuries on base and on the battlefield.

The lifeblood of every nation, trade becomes more vital than ever during war. Twice in the 20th century, the German Navy nearly defeated Great Britain by throttling her sea-lanes. In both World Wars, submarines proved the deadliest threat. But Germany also used a combination of disguised armed merchant vessels and surface warships of the Kriegsmarine to sink Allied commercial shipping. While U-boats battled under the seas, German surface commerce raiders wreaked havoc on the Allies in WWI and WWII.

In the beginning of the 3rd century, Rome is in crisis. Ravaged by civil war and foreign invasions it now faces an even greater challenge, the new religion of Christianity. When barbarian Goths attack the Empire's borders, and traitors rise against Emperor Philip, his trusted general Decius blames Philip's leniency toward the Christians. But Decius soon becomes a traitor, as well, as he faces Philip in battle, taking the crown for himself. As emperor, Decius sets out to win back the pagan gods favor, and his reign's first victims are the Christians. Yet, the wrath of the gods only continues as plague strikes, and the Goths launch full-scale invasions into the Empire. Decius and his son, Herennius, are forced to meet the Gothic king, Cniva, in a deadly clash that will mark the first time a Roman emperor is ever killed by a barbarian in battle. Unfortunately, for the Empire, it will not be the last.

Perhaps one of the greatest expressions of weapons, naval guns first encouraged nations to develop the concept of "sea power". From sail, to steam, to steel, the warships of the world exist for one purpose--to overpower the enemy at sea. Step aboard as we test the mighty force of enormous guns at sea.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

R. Lee Ermey applies his gruff sense of humor while answering viewers' mail about the armed forces. This week we find out about the Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge, used by combat engineers; the Fulton Recovery System, which allows fixed-wing aircraft to rescue downed pilots; a pilot's survival kit; the ancient Greek warship, the Trireme; how to aim, load, and fire battleship guns; and how "grape shot", used in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, got its name.

R. Lee Ermey returns to Afghanistan and Bagram Air Base devoted to the hard-charging Marines stationed there. The Gunny goes on foot patrol into the rural villages surrounding Kabul. With his armed Marine Corps escorts, he shows what it's like to gather intelligence and promote goodwill among the Afghanis. Next, Lee goes for a ride in the Ch-53 Super Stallion, gets a little trigger time on a helicopter gunship--the Cobra attack helicopter, and test drives the Marine Corps' newest heavy duty truck, the MTVR. Finally, Lee spends time with the lifeline for the Marines in Afghanistan, the Medical Corpsman, and finds out how they treat injuries on base and on the battlefield.

The lifeblood of every nation, trade becomes more vital than ever during war. Twice in the 20th century, the German Navy nearly defeated Great Britain by throttling her sea-lanes. In both World Wars, submarines proved the deadliest threat. But Germany also used a combination of disguised armed merchant vessels and surface warships of the Kriegsmarine to sink Allied commercial shipping. While U-boats battled under the seas, German surface commerce raiders wreaked havoc on the Allies in WWI and WWII.

In the beginning of the 3rd century, Rome is in crisis. Ravaged by civil war and foreign invasions it now faces an even greater challenge, the new religion of Christianity. When barbarian Goths attack the Empire's borders, and traitors rise against Emperor Philip, his trusted general Decius blames Philip's leniency toward the Christians. But Decius soon becomes a traitor, as well, as he faces Philip in battle, taking the crown for himself. As emperor, Decius sets out to win back the pagan gods favor, and his reign's first victims are the Christians. Yet, the wrath of the gods only continues as plague strikes, and the Goths launch full-scale invasions into the Empire. Decius and his son, Herennius, are forced to meet the Gothic king, Cniva, in a deadly clash that will mark the first time a Roman emperor is ever killed by a barbarian in battle. Unfortunately, for the Empire, it will not be the last.

Perhaps one of the greatest expressions of weapons, naval guns first encouraged nations to develop the concept of "sea power". From sail, to steam, to steel, the warships of the world exist for one purpose--to overpower the enemy at sea. Step aboard as we test the mighty force of enormous guns at sea.

These marvels of technology extend the reach and amplify the deadliness of the modern warrior. But their genesis came centuries ago--and legend has it that it all began with an accident! We trace the evolution of the rocket, from the first Chinese "fire arrows" to the latest supersonic, heat-seeking missiles.

Part two of the deadly saga of the Solomons plays out at the Santa Cruz Islands. In one terrible day of vicious combat, Enterprise loses her sister ship USS Hornet and suffers dozens of casualties as bombs nail her flight deck. When the smoke clears, Enterprise is the only American carrier left in the Pacific. For the U.S. Navy at Santa Cruz, survival becomes the ultimate battle.

R. Lee Ermey applies his gruff sense of humor while answering viewers' mail about the armed forces. This week we find out about the Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge, used by combat engineers; the Fulton Recovery System, which allows fixed-wing aircraft to rescue downed pilots; a pilot's survival kit; the ancient Greek warship, the Trireme; how to aim, load, and fire battleship guns; and how "grape shot", used in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, got its name.

R. Lee Ermey returns to Afghanistan and Bagram Air Base devoted to the hard-charging Marines stationed there. The Gunny goes on foot patrol into the rural villages surrounding Kabul. With his armed Marine Corps escorts, he shows what it's like to gather intelligence and promote goodwill among the Afghanis. Next, Lee goes for a ride in the Ch-53 Super Stallion, gets a little trigger time on a helicopter gunship--the Cobra attack helicopter, and test drives the Marine Corps' newest heavy duty truck, the MTVR. Finally, Lee spends time with the lifeline for the Marines in Afghanistan, the Medical Corpsman, and finds out how they treat injuries on base and on the battlefield.

The lifeblood of every nation, trade becomes more vital than ever during war. Twice in the 20th century, the German Navy nearly defeated Great Britain by throttling her sea-lanes. In both World Wars, submarines proved the deadliest threat. But Germany also used a combination of disguised armed merchant vessels and surface warships of the Kriegsmarine to sink Allied commercial shipping. While U-boats battled under the seas, German surface commerce raiders wreaked havoc on the Allies in WWI and WWII.

In the beginning of the 3rd century, Rome is in crisis. Ravaged by civil war and foreign invasions it now faces an even greater challenge, the new religion of Christianity. When barbarian Goths attack the Empire's borders, and traitors rise against Emperor Philip, his trusted general Decius blames Philip's leniency toward the Christians. But Decius soon becomes a traitor, as well, as he faces Philip in battle, taking the crown for himself. As emperor, Decius sets out to win back the pagan gods favor, and his reign's first victims are the Christians. Yet, the wrath of the gods only continues as plague strikes, and the Goths launch full-scale invasions into the Empire. Decius and his son, Herennius, are forced to meet the Gothic king, Cniva, in a deadly clash that will mark the first time a Roman emperor is ever killed by a barbarian in battle. Unfortunately, for the Empire, it will not be the last.

Perhaps one of the greatest expressions of weapons, naval guns first encouraged nations to develop the concept of "sea power". From sail, to steam, to steel, the warships of the world exist for one purpose--to overpower the enemy at sea. Step aboard as we test the mighty force of enormous guns at sea.

Contestants compete with the legendary longbow. A breakout performance gives one team immunity, while two competitors from the losing team face off on the William Tell challenge in which they'll have to hit a series of apples with a crossbow.

Everyone knows the public archive footage of Hitler. But most of it is silent. What was he saying? What did he sound like when he was having a conversation rather than shouting his beliefs to his followers? Special computer technology enables us for the first time to lip-read the silent film. Using a unique sound recording of Hitler never previously broadcast, we can, put his words into his mouth. The result will add texture and depth to our understanding of a man about whom millions of words have been written--but whom we have never heard just talking. Footage includes film shot by Eva Braun, sequences filmed by Nazi cameramen, and a secret sound recording made in 1942 by radio engineer Thor Damen.

In the last years of WWII, Hitler's war machine turned in desperation to some of the strangest weapons ever devised--an arsenal of advanced technological weapons so secret that even today, their true uses remain a mystery. We look at the Messerschmitt 262, the first jet fighter; the V-1 flying bomb, ancestor of today's cruise missile; and the V-2, the first ballistic missile. Perhaps most extraordinary, we investigate the possibility that the Nazis were sending UFOs into the sky.

The teams dissolve, as everyone competes for him or herself, and three people are ultimately sent home. In the first of two surprise challenges, everyone has to shoot a lit fuse sending the shortest fuse home. Only four will remain to compete in the final episode.

How can the Marines' 26-ton AAV (Amphibious Assault Vehicle) stay afloat? Can a jeep float? How did medieval battering rams work? What types of tactics do the military use for urban warfare? Who were the guys who fired guns from the bubbles underneath WWII bombers? What's the story behind all those pictures of girls and other stuff drawn on WWII airplanes? R. Lee Ermey sends these viewers' questions to military experts in the field for explanations and short demonstrations.

R. Lee Ermey sends viewer questions to military experts for answers and demonstrations. Go aboard the Coast Guard's latest and greatest--the multi-purpose 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB); find out which and how many ships comprise a carrier battle group; learn why we call a tank a tank and not a toilet, and why the Sherman was considered a deathtrap; get a look at the M-16's replacement, the futuristic XM-29 rifle; and hear how WWII V-mail didn't talk, but kept letters flowing from the front to home.

In June 1916, after 400 years of oppression, Arabs began a revolt throughout the Arabian Peninsula to win independence from the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The British supported them with arms, money, and the presence of one extraordinary man: 27-year-old military intelligence officer, Captain T.E. Lawrence, who proved to be an inspirational leader and highly skilled at guerrilla warfare in the desert. We reveal the truth behind the myth of Lawrence of Arabia and follow his real wartime exploits.