Family members that prepared for the end of the world left many of their loved ones in the lurch.

Michael Menkin uses his head to quite literally prevent alien invasions.

Host Geoff Edgers meets a private collector who shows him some amazing artifacts that came off the German submarine U-505, which was captured by the Americans at the end of WWII, including a trophy pistol that has been missing for 75 years.

Geoff takes a visit to the NSA National Cryptologic Museum to study a revolutionary new idea from the Civil War that changed battlefield tactics forever.

At the National Museum of the Marine Corps Geoff discovers an award given to a small group of heroes who filmed a crack Marine fighting crew amidst a bloody Pacific battle. The award was an Oscar for footage shot at Tarawa.

The West Point Museum stores a dangerous weapon sent to Europe during the Cold War meant to stop an invasion from the Soviets with an extremely powerful punch - the Davy Crockett recoilless rifle-delivered nuclear bomb.

Geoff visits the National Museum of the United States Air Force and is presented with mission-specific goggles that were issued to the airmen aboard the Bockscar for the atomic bombing of Japan.

Geoff meets with former helicopter pilot Lt. Col. Hugh Mills (Ret.), who was shot down 16 times over Vietnam during the course of his three tours of flying as a low level scout during the Vietnam War.

Veterans and footage from the invasion of Normandy provide the details as to just how treacherous the initial landings and fierce the German defenses were their with underwater mines, 88-milimeter artillery rounds and machine gun emplacements.

Private Hal Baumgarten and his fellow GIs are victims of a deadly German ambush as they advance inland from the beach at Normandy. As he is about to be evacuated a sniper hits him, then gets "exterminated" by an unexpected friend.

A formidable German defense in Caen forces the Allies to unleash a massive aerial bombardment on the key city, with both the enemy and allies forced to seek cover.

As Lance Cpl. Stan Matulis is moving house to house clearing out the Germans in the Falaise pocket during the Battle of Normandy he and his comrades take a break in a home. After passing a window a couple of times he is shot in the neck by a sniper.

As the Germans were withdrawing from Normandy and Belgium many regrouped in Holland and attacked the Allies, inflicting many casualties. As the body count grew so did the letters that had to be written to family members of the deceased.

Besides the cold and lack of supplies and onrushing German forces soldiers of the 101st Airborne had to contend with the fear of the unknown, and fear of letting your fellow soldier down during the harsh Siege of Bastogne.

Airman Leonard recounts the chaos and cruelty of nighttime bombing raids over Berlin in a Lancaster and how he and his crew had to crash-land their disabled aircraft on one particular sortie.

Tales originating from a shiphand's diary from the early 18th century describe where a cache of booty, including the fabled Treasure of Lima, has been buried on Cocos Island, and a German adventurer is intent on finding it.