Secrets of World War II episode 14: Between 1941 and 1943 some of America’s most talented fighter pilots flew for Nationalist China against the Japanese. They became known as the ‘Flying Tigers’ and with the name a legend was born. In July 1941, five months before the United States officially entered the war, a band of American pilots arrived in […]
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Secrets of World War II episode 13: In 1943 as the Germans were producing ‘heavy water’ to build their atomic bomb, the Norwegian resistance launched a daring raid against the Norsk Hydro plant. In 1941, British intelligence received an ominous message from operatives in Nazi-occupied Norway: The Norsk Hydro electric plant in Telemark had stepped up production of “heavy water,”
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Secrets of World War II episode 12: Hundreds of sailors, eight ships and two American Admirals were to be lost in actions where valour overcame many mistakes on both sides – leading to the defeat of the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto. On August 7, 1942, American Marines waded ashore a tiny island to capture a Japanese airfield. It was the beginning
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Secrets of World War II episode 11: The underwater war saw many innovations and a rapid increase in electronic technology, which eventually enabled the Allies to achieve ultimate victory. It was the only thing that truly frightened Winston Churchill. Silently patrolling the cold, gray waters of the Atlantic, the German U-boat almost sank Great Britain’s chances for victory. How could
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Secrets of World War II episode 10: There have been larger land battles and more protracted air campaigns than Okinawa but this was a combined operation, unparalleled in size, scope and ferocity. In April 1945, a U.S. bombardment of the Japanese-held island Okinawa rapidly escalated into the most intense battle of the Pacific. Thousands of Americans perished, and the Japanese
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Secrets of World War II episode 8: In 1941 four Italian frogmen used their two-man underwater ‘chariots’ to place explosive charges on two British battleships in Alexandria Harbour. They were the first of many brave men to use these unconventional weapons. On the night of December 18, 1941, three frogmen from a top secret division of the Italian navy penetrated
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Secrets of World War II episode 7: By early 1940, British codebreakers at Bletchley Park, working with information from the Poles, had begun to crack the German military codes produced on the Enigma cipher machine. Once this had been achieved, the challenge was how to prevent the Germans from finding out their codes had been broken. It was transmitted on
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Secrets of World War II episode 6: He was nicknamed the ‘Desert Fox’ and highly decorated by Hitler. However, Rommel was not in sympathy with the Nazi party and may have been involved in the plot to kill Hitler. Did the legendary German General commit suicide or was he murdered? On October 14, 1944, Germany’s greatest military leader said goodbye
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Secrets of World War II episode 5: In 1942 a reconnaissance Spitfire photographed a strange shaped piece of German apparatus in a Normandy field. It turned out to be a sophisticated German radar system whose secrets had to be discovered. On the night of February 27, 1942, British paratroopers dropped into snowcovered fields along the coast of France. Their mission:
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Secrets of World War II episode 4: In June 1942 two German U-Boats landed secret agents on Long Island and at Jacksonville, Florida. Their aim was sabotage but their methods left a lot to be desired! On the night of June 12, 1942, a German U-boat emerged from the fog just off the coast of Long Island. It’s cargo: four
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