Belize, 1924. Anna Mitchell-Hedges claims to find an extraordinary object under a collapsed altar. It's a beautiful skull from a single block of pure quartz crystal, that took generations to make which Mayan priests used for "esoteric rites."

Empress Helena makes a pilgrimage in search of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified, even resorting to torture in the quest for the holy relic.

As part of their plans for expansion into and domination of the Soviet Union the Nazi hierarchy create the Einsatzgruppe, death squads that are tasked with clearing territory of Jews and Communists for settlement by Germans.

During the Nuremberg Trials former SS officers explain how the Einsatzgruppen procured and employed their gas vans.

After the defeat at Stalingrad Nazi Germany initiates Aktion 1005, an attempt to eliminate evidence of the mass killings perpetrated by the Einsatzgruppen because of concerns about the repercussions once the war was over.

Celebrate Military Mondays on AHC by watching your favorite shows like WWII in Color, Against the Odds, D-Day to Victory, and Air Aces.

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.

By October 1939 after the Soviets and Nazis had partitioned Poland the Gestapo and Soviet secret police were looking for ways to increase and render more effective their collaboration

During a trip to Moscow in December 1941 British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden learns of Stalin's desire to hold onto eastern Poland after the end of the war.

Despite the massive loss of life of his own people Stalin is viewed in the US as a hero by the end of 1942.