Civilizations & Combat

Former combat videographer Miles Lagoze presents personal footage of U.S. Marines in the Afghan war zone.

4-part series revealing the real history of the Wild West. Beyond gunslingers and lawmen, we meet the diverse pioneers who shaped a country.

An original series that tells the often unknown stories of the men and women who have defined America and its place in the world.

British actor Michael Enright rose to fame in Hollywood and then did something most of us would never dream of doing… he gave it all up for a chance to join the fight against ISIS with the Kurdish forces, known as the YPG, as they battled on the front lines in Syria.

Modern science reveals the environmental forces that have shaped human history

Ex-CIA agent Ben Smith and a retired FBI officer journey through the Jungles of Burma in search of answers to a family mystery. They are searching for a crashed WWII plane that went down in this little-known, but important, theater of WWII, the perilous “Hump” - an airbridge over the Himalayas.

Gjellestad, Norway. Archaeologists made the discovery of a lifetime: a 20-meter-long, 1200-year-old Viking funeral ship. Who is hiding in the grave? Is Gjellestad one of the oldest Viking settlements? What can this coffin tell us about the daily lives, beliefs, and traditions of the Vikings?

Cleopatra may be the most famous ancient monarch, but she is only one in a long line of Egyptian queens, spanning 3,000 years of history.

Napoleon Bonaparte met with diplomat Metternich, known as Austria’s “strong man” and the Emperor’s closest confidant. This fateful showdown between two of the most powerful men of this time period marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon.

Torch-lit marches down Main Street... at first glance, images like these conjure up some of America's darkest moments. But this wasn't the Klan. These black-clad torch-bearers were the Wide Awakes: a para-military political machine that some say delivered the presidency to Abraham Lincoln.

In the closing days of World War II, a daring band of American pilots embarks on a secret mission to capture a revolutionary German aircraft that will change the course of history.

Rare firsthand accounts bring us inside some of the most daring escape stories from the American Civil War.

Allied Special Forces launched daring wartime missions to capture or kill Nazi generals where they were stationed on the front lines of war. This film captures the real-time drama felt as the Special Forces ordered these dangerous and complicated missions to exotic locations.

This fascinating series unearths the story about how the Great War went on underground.

WW2. The British Royal Navy turn to a retired wargamer and an unlikely group of young women to develop tactics and sink the German U-boats.

Secret Nazi files from World War II reveal formerly classified technological innovations from brilliant German scientists who raced to create terrifying new “Wonder Weapons” and an atomic bomb. Some of their technological “firsts” remain the basis for modern-day air and spacecraft.

This is the extraordinary story of how silver shaped the history of our world, from the 16th century to the present day.

Take a deep dive into the great armed conflicts that made the Normans one of the world’s most powerful dynasties.

Just over 30 years ago, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. The once-mighty world power splintered into 15 independent states. Which of these are successful today, and what role does Moscow still play? This presentation chronicles what has happened since the dissolution of the USSR.

Our views of 20th century history have been shaped by popular beliefs and myths. But what if the truth was slightly different?

Meet the most advanced machines in modern warfare. From stealth jets to amphibious tanks, they are built to dominate land, sea and sky.

The Battle of Jutland was the biggest and bloodiest conflict in the Royal Navy's history. One hundred years later, Dan Snow investigates what went wrong, uncovering brand new evidence about why so many died, and the crucial role Jutland played in the Allies’ eventual victory in World War I.

In ancient Mesopotamia, engineers made the bricks that built the first cities—and founded civilizations. While Europe was in the Dark Ages, the Middle East became home to the Golden Age of Islamic tech and architecture.

From D-Day through Liberation and beyond: uncover little-known facts, forgotten heroes and untold stories behind World War II.

Oscar winner and Marine Gene Hackman narrates this moving account of what it takes to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. This action-packed adventure takes you behind-the-scenes and serves as a powerful tribute to the men and women who honor and defend our country.

After the invasion of the German army in 1940, the Jews living in France, with the help of many, began their fight for survival. The film shows the circumstances surrounding the rescue of tens of thousands of Jews and the civilian resistance that produced the many Silent Saviours.

By means of archive images and interviews with experts, take a behind-the-scenes look at the true stories of war innovations and secrets.

In the second World War, a new generation of planes and daredevil pilots take aerial combat to deadly new heights.

Take an exclusive look behind Russia's gas monopoly as the dubious facade of the secretive energy giant, Gazprom, is revealed.

During the Middle Ages, the Normans—a warrior tribe from the north— built a golden kingdom in Sicily, embracing science, art and diversity to create a multicultural empire. How did the Normans turn conquest into cooperation and lasting influence? Explore their rise and legacy.

Crusading knights and Ottoman armies battle for control of four of the medieval world’s greatest fortresses.

The US and China are in fierce competition. Others are catching up. How can we survive—and even thrive—in a globalized world?

Between 1939 and 1945, thousands of World War II wrecks disappeared and remained hidden...until now. Watch their remarkable stories.

More than a million people fleeing the civil war in Syria have found shelter in Europe. Most of them left everything behind, also beloved pets. Rawaa Kilani, who fled Damascus herself and now lives in the Netherlands, helps her compatriots to be reunited with their pets.

Decades after the Vietnam War, U.S. Navy SEALs reunite with their former combat interpreter, Nguyen Hoang Minh, now living in poverty. Their heartfelt reunion—captured with archival footage and narration—reveals enduring bonds, sacrifice, and the power of loyalty.

The son of war refugees, Arian Berberović returns to his home country of Bosnia to investigate a massive landmine crisis left behind by the devastating Yugoslav Wars. He is helped along the way by the Bosnian Paralympic community, the leading global agencies in demining, and a few Belgian Shepherds.

Forget the textbooks! These 8 fast-paced episodes reveal the funny, disturbing, weird, but always interesting bits of history.

Military memorabilia expert Bruce Crompton and his team travel the world to buy, restore and sell wartime artifacts.

International correspondent Jason Bellini forms connections with everyday individuals in their moments of bravery and despair.