Longer explorations of the war's most remarkable untold tales
A German submarine commander's act of mercy that changed the rules of naval warfare
After torpedoing a troopship, a German U-boat commander spent days rescuing survivors—only to be attacked by an American bomber while flying Red Cross flags.
Denis Avey's extraordinary mission to witness the horrors inside the most notorious death camp
A British POW deliberately swapped places with a Jewish inmate to smuggle himself into the Auschwitz-Monowitz slave labor camp—to bear witness.
How an all-female bomber regiment flew obsolete biplanes on daring nighttime raids
The 588th Night Bomber Regiment, composed entirely of women, flew over 30,000 sorties in rickety plywood biplanes, earning the nickname "Night Witches" from terrified German soldiers.
The unknown tragedy that killed six times more people than the Titanic
On January 30, 1945, a Soviet submarine torpedoed a German ship carrying 10,000 refugees fleeing the Red Army. Over 9,000 died—making it the deadliest maritime disaster in history.
How a handful of art historians, museum curators, and architects saved Western civilization's greatest treasures from destruction
A small group of Allied art experts raced across Europe to prevent the Nazis from destroying millions of stolen artworks and cultural artifacts.
A young mother who gave her life fighting behind enemy lines in occupied France
Violette Szabo, a half-French, half-British SOE agent, twice parachuted into occupied France before being captured, tortured, and executed at age 23.
RAF Mosquito bombers blasted open a French prison to free resistance fighters hours before their scheduled execution
In a precision bombing raid, RAF Mosquitoes blew open the walls of Amiens Prison to allow Resistance fighters facing execution to escape—but the operation's true purpose remains debated.
The controversial Allied decision that obliterated one of Western civilization's greatest treasures
The Allies bombed and destroyed the ancient Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, founded in 529 AD—only to discover the Germans hadn't been using it as a military position.
A bridge the Germans failed to destroy gave the Allies their first crossing of the Rhine
When American troops found the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen still standing—the last intact bridge over the Rhine—they seized it in a desperate race against German demolition charges.
Unofficial ceasefires and moments of shared humanity between enemies during World War II
While the famous Christmas Truce of 1914 is well known, similar unauthorized moments of peace between enemies occurred during World War II as well.
The audacious bombing raid that proved America could strike back at Japan's homeland
Just four months after Pearl Harbor, 80 airmen launched Army bombers from a Navy carrier in an "impossible" mission that changed the course of the Pacific War.
The real story was more amazing—and more tragic—than Hollywood depicted
The true story of the mass breakout from Stalag Luft III involved 600 men, 200 feet of tunnels, and ended in the murder of 50 recaptured officers on Hitler's direct orders.