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COUPS & CHAOS
How the French armed forces lost the war in Algeria and almost destroyed French democracy in the process
BATTLE OF ALGIERS
When the Front de libération nationale FLN) took its war to the streets of the capital, France’s military responded with merciless wrath
THE RISE OF ALGERIAN RESISTANCE
How the anti-colonialist struggle around the globe helped inspire Algeria’s liberation movement to organise and fight back
ROOTS OF REVOLUTION
A century of French occupation led to a genocide in Algeria that provoked one of the bloodiest showdowns of the modern age
DWIGHT W BIRDWELL
In the opening hours of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive, this Specialist Five led his armoured cavalry detachment in repulsing a fierce communist assault against Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon
THE FIVE STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP
Phillips O’Brien discusses how this quintet of national leaders impacted the course of the Second World War
Great Battles FLODDEN
On the morning of 9 September 1513, King James lV of Scotland stood atop Flodden Hill with what seemed an insurmountable advantage over the English. Yet by the day's end he would lay slain and his army shattered
FERDINAND 'THE BLOODY'
Known for his brutal martial punishment and execution of his own men, Ferdinand Schérner’s ruthlessness was matched only by his devotion to Nazi ideology
AIRBORNE UNDER SIEGE ARNHEM
For nine days the heroic 1st Airborne fought desperately, waiting vainly for relief that never came
SCANDINAVIA UNDER ATTACK
Hitler’s forces smash through Denmark and Norway ina grim foretaste of the terrible fate awaiting the rest of Western Europe
DEFEAT & OCCUPATION
Nazi victory in the north ushered in five years of occupation characterised by collaboration and brutal retribution
ALLIED FIGHTBACK
Britain and France race to Norway’s aid as the two nations suffer their first defeats and score their earliest victories of the war
PLOTTING THE STRIKE NORTH
Ahead of his push west, Hitler launched a pre-emptive assault on neutral Scandinavia to secure iron ore supplies and Nazi control of the North Sea
RUSSIAN ROULETTE Q&A WITH ANNA REID
As WWI reached its bloody crescendo, a foolhardy intervention was launched into Russia's civil war -a move that descended into sinister complicity and defeat
The FIRST BATTLE
At the end of the 7th century, a battle you've probably never heard of took place between two emerging nations, soon to be historic rivals. The fighting settled a border that still endures over 1,300 years later
BRITS BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN
At the beginning of the Cold War, a peculiar military mission began its work officially, and unofficially, gathering intelligence inside Soviet-occupied East Germany
TALI-IHANTALAI
Outnumbered and outgunned, the Finns’ spirited defence of a natural choke point turned back the Red Army during the largest battle in the region's history
Heroes of the Medal of Honor LUCIAN ADAMS
Armed with a Browning Automatic Rifle and hand grenades, this lone sergeant silenced three enemy machine gun emplacements in the mountains of northeastern France
HOME GUARD
Beginning as veteran volunteers in Britain's 'Darkest Hour', the nation's defence forces grew to take on a range of dangerous and secretive roles
THE OTHER OPERATION OVERLORD D-DAY'S GHOST ARMY
Historian Taylor Downing discusses the cunning use of intrigue and deception during Operation Fortitude
D-DAY LANDING CRAFT
Over 4,000 Allied landing craft took part in the Normandy Landings with a huge range of designs created for specific roles and capabilities
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Spearheading the invasion of occupied France in 1944 were a small number of Special Forces soldiers dropped deep into enemy territory. Among them was a young Londoner, fresh from training here he reveals how he survived guerrilla warfare in France and beyond as part of the fledgling Special Air Service
JIMMIE MONTEITH
In the crucible of battle at Omaha Beach on D-Day, this officer of the famed 1st Infantry Division earned his nation’s highest honour at the cost of his life
KLEINKAMPFVERBÄNDE - GERMANY'S COUNTER-ATTACKS
As Allied forces crossed the Channel and stormed into Normandy, Hitler's navy fought back using a deadly new breed of maritime weaponry
STORMING GOLD BEACH
War veteran Ron Peet helped assault Gold Beach on D-Day Here he shares his experiences
UNDERGROUND WREN
Deep in the bowels of Fort Southwick, radio operator Marie Scott was one of the first to hear reports as Operation Overlord got underway, passing critical communications between the men on the beaches and high command
MINESWEEPER OFF NORMANDY
After helping clear the path to France, Royal Navy veteran Claude Sealey and his crewmates experienced a deadly encounter with their own countrymen
THE RECCE RIDER OF RANVILLE
After fencing behind enemy lines in Normandy, William Bill’ Gladden conducted us reconnaissance on his motorcycle
SWORD BEACH
The easternmost sector of the 6 June Normandy Landings was a mostly British affair, and Saw some of the biggest territorial gains of the first day of the Allied invasion
THE FIRST ON JUNO BEACH
As a member of the RAF Beach Squadrons, Teacher's job was to help unload and dispatch personnel and equipment