World War II: Witness to War
World War II: Witness to War
World War II: Witness to War
World War II: Witness to War
More from this Show
First-person accounts describe the perilous situation in which hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers found themselves struggling to escape Dunkirk under a barrage of enemy fire.
02:28
World War II: Witness to War
Chaos and Carnage on the Beach at Dunkirk
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As ground forces including the Home Guard were being assembled to counter a German invasion on British soil the Royal Air Force bore the responsibility win the immediate battle in the skies over the English Channel and the United Kingdom.
01:46
World War II: Witness to War
British Ground and Air Forces Prepare for a German Invasion
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Unlike in the First World War the Allies, with the British in particular, had to account for a much larger area of the sea to cover and protect from Axis threats.
02:18
World War II: Witness to War
Nazi Gains on Land Mean Freedom of the Seas
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Members of the US Pacific fleet recount their surprise when first seeing Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor as they initiated their attack.
02:01
World War II: Witness to War
Witnesses Are Surprised By Japanese Aircraft Flying Over Pearl Harbor
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With it's superior long range and superior performance the P-51 Mustang aided in the Allies' efforts to strike Nazi targets throughout Germany.
01:33
World War II: Witness to War
The Introduction of the P-51 Mustang to Bombing Raids
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Due to their inexperience many airborne troops including those of Fox Company loaded themselves up too much for their jump into Normandy on D-Day.
00:00
Against the Odds
Carrying Too Much Gear For Jump Into Normandy
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Eugene Sledge recounts in his diary how he and his fellow soldiers were being trained in subhuman slaughter before their landing at hellish Peleliu.
02:14
Against the Odds
Being Drawn Into the Flaming Abyss of Peleliu
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Unaware that the NVA was about to launch a new offensive around Dai Do a group of 250 Marines launch their attack against what would be 10,000 NVA.
01:45
Against the Odds
250 Marines Didn't Know They Were Up Against 10,000 NVA at Dai Do
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As part of their effort to put down the Iraqi insurgency in Fallujah, in some of the heaviest urban combat since Hue, Marines had to cross the very wide and perilous Highway 10 to reach a key objective.
02:54
Against the Odds
The Terror of Having to Cross Highway 10 in Fallujah
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With only 79 men Charlie company finds itself in a precarious position surrounded by a vastly superior NVA force in the dense jungle in Vietnam.
02:53
Against the Odds
Charlie Company is Bloodied and Trapped in the Jungle
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The only thing holding up Hitler's plan to divide and send General Patton's 3rd Army back to the sea was a group of 150 National Guardsmen occupying the crucially important Hill 314 in the village of Mortain, France.
02:33
Against the Odds
150 Men of Old Hickory in Mortain Hold Up Hitler's Plan to Destroy Patton's Army
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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
02:42
WWII Confidential
The Soviets and Nazis Throw the Poles to the Wind
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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.
02:38
WWII Confidential
Stalin Reveals to the British His Polish Pretension
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Despite the massive loss of life of his own people Stalin is viewed in the US as a hero by the end of 1942.
02:03
WWII Confidential
Stalin Man of the Year as His Country Bleeds
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As German forces gradually retreat from the Eastern front and Soviet forces wait just outside Warsaw the Polish resistance rises assuming that Stalin will come to their aid.
02:15
WWII Confidential
Stalin Watches as The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 Gets Crushed
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As part of the Soviet control that Stalin imposed over Poland Russians were made to pose as Polish officers.
02:06
WWII Confidential
Russians Pretending to Be Polish Officers
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A former interpreter of Stalin's confirms that he felt betrayed by the Allies because they only opened up a second front in Western Europe when the Red Army began to approach Germany and the West.
02:48
WWII Confidential
Stalin Feels the Allies Betrayed Him During the War
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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.
02:47
D-Day to Victory
Unimaginable Noise and the Hellish Defense in the Waters of Normandy
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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.
03:12
D-Day to Victory
Saved By an Unexpected Friend in a Ditch in Normandy
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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.
03:42
D-Day to Victory
Massive Allied Bombing of Caen Hits Both Friend and Foe
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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.
03:33
D-Day to Victory
Surviving a German Sniper's Bullet
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