Monday, May 30

6-7 PM

GOIN’ BACK:  BATAAN AND CORREGIDOR

Journey to the Philippines with U.S. and Filipino veterans who fought in the bitter Battle of Bataan, a hopeless struggle that began the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor and ended with the infamous Bataan death march.  These incredible men survived the death march only to face years of brutal captivity under the Japanese military.  This program tells the dramatic story of WW II in the Philippines in the words of those who were there, in the actual locations where it all took place.

Monday, May 30

7-8 PM

BATTLEFIELD DIARIES: BATTLE OF AL KHAFJI

American air power dominated the Persian Gulf War early on, but Saddam Hussein was not about to stay on the defensive.  To draw American and Coalition forces into a ground war, the Iraqi military launched a surprise invasion of the Saudi Arabian city of Al Khafji. 

The three-day clash raged across a 40-mile stretch of desert along the Kuwaiti border, as U.S. Marines were unequipped to face the invading Iraqi army.  The soldiers who fought to recapture the city of Al Khafji share their experiences in this special program, which provides an intimate portrait of heroism, bravery and sorrow on the battlefield.

World Premiere

Monday, May 30

8-9 PM

AMERICA REMEMBERS (wt)

Produced for Military Channel by NBC Productions, this special travels around the country to mark this special holiday, covering same-day events from across the nation.  At Arlington National Cemetery and in towns across the country, viewers hear the touching stories of those servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.  Join friends, family members and fellow citizens as they commemorate this day of remembrance in their own special ways. 

Monday, May 30

9-10 PM

GOIN’ BACK:  IWO JIMA

The iconic image of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima is the best-known image of World War II.  GOIN’ BACK: Iwo Jima brings living heroes back to this tiny Pacific island, where the costliest battle in U.S. Marine Corps history took place in the spring of 1945.  A dozen surviving veterans revisit the black-sand beaches, the tunnels and foxholes, notorious Mount Suribachi and the all-important airfields where so many of their comrades gave their lives.

Monday, May 30

10-11 PM

BATTLEFIELD DIARIES: LAM SON 719

On February 8, 1971, American helicopters lifted off from a base in South Vietnam carrying troops from that country.  Their mission was simply stated—cut the supply lines of their mutual enemy, the army of North Vietnam.  Dubbed Lam Son 719, the operation left an indelible mark on U.S. Army aviation, but despite its importance, it was largely ignored at home.  The death toll on both sides reached into the thousands as friends, brothers and fellow warriors fell in shocking numbers.  For those who survived, the battle will be long remembered for the pain and sacrifice they endured. 

World Premiere

Thursday, May 5

8-9 PM

MONTE CASSINO:  THE SOLDIERS STORY

In March 1944, the 1st and 4th Essex Battalions were enmeshed in one of the bloodiest, most dramatic British engagements of the war—five brutal days of fighting for the key obstacle on the Allied route to Rome. This is the story of the men who captured the mountaintop.

Thursday, May 5

9-11 PM

D-DAY: RELFECTIONS OF COURAGE

D-DAY: REFLECTIONS OF COURAGE is a unique telling of the preparation and execution of the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.  The program presents hidden stories of bravery, ingenuity, triumphs, failures, deception and betrayal behind the most audacious military invasion of all time.  It also provides an in-depth look at this defining moment in world history from all sides of the conflict, including tales of courage and sacrifice from the U.S. and British forces, the story of the defense of the Western Front by the forces of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, and the complex and deadly secret war fought by the men and women of occupied France.   

World Premiere

Tuesday, May 10

8-9 PM

[TV-PG]

Pre-emptive Strike

Winning a swift victory by catching the enemy unaware is one of any commander’s great dreams, but the strategy of pre-emptive strike can be ruthless.  This episode sets out the parameters for this battle plan, applies them to a series of individual cases and examines why military—and often political—leaders decide on pre-emptive strike, including previous pre-emptive strike plans by Winston Churchill and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

World Premiere

Tuesday, May 24

8-9 PM

[TV-PG]

Control of the Air

Air control lies at the heart of most modern military battle plans.  By the end of World War I, the extraordinary growth of air combat led some military thinkers to conclude that air power would soon be able to control the battlefield and win wars on its own.  This episode looks at how and when these ideas were tested, including the world's first purely aerial battle between the German Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain, as well as the British and American strategic bombing offensive that failed to bring Nazi Germany to its knees.  The program also explores how even with the recent development of precision-guided, remotely launched weapons, the most sophisticated air offensives have served only to show that air control cannot replace conventional boots on the ground in winning wars.

North American Premiere

Tuesday, May 3

9-9:30 PM

[TV-PG]

Bridgehead at Remagen

Near the end of WW II, German forces had crossed back into their homeland and had to defend their own borders.  The Rhine River was a natural barrier that became their last defense.  Every bridge over the river became a battle zone.

North American Premiere

Tuesday, May 3

9:30-10 PM

[TV-PG]

El Alamein

In 1942, North Africa was dominated by one man—Erwin Rommel, Hitler’s field marshal and head of the Panzerarmee.  Rommel had soundly defeated the Allies in the desert at every turn and earned himself the name “Desert Fox.”  But American and British forces were closing in to trap the fox.  His victory would not last much longer.

North American Premiere

Tuesday, May 10

9-9:30 PM

[TV-PG]

Bombing of Ploesti

In July 1943, American B-24 bombers flew one of the most daring and dangerous missions of WW II—a low-level bombing raid on the heavily guarded oil refinery at Ploesti, Romania.

North American Premiere

Tuesday, May 10

9:30-10 PM

[TV-PG]

Kwajelein

By 1944, American forces were successfully retaking islands from Japanese occupation armies in the central Pacific.  There had been costly battles, but each island was part of the master plan to push toward Japan.  As soon as a beachhead was established, the Seabees came ashore to turn the island into an advance base.