As Europe falls under Nazi control, America is unprepared for war and the attack on Pearl Harbor. The first bloody battles are fought on Guadalcanal and in North Africa.

The Allies take on the daunting forces of the Axis, with victory far from certain. Charles Scheffel battles Rommel's forces in Tunisia, and Jack Werner faces bitter combat in the northern Pacific.

The Marines assault Tarawa in one of the bloodiest battles yet waged. MacArthur island-hops, and Italy's front lines claim a casualty.

The Allies lay plans for the invasion of France. Bert Stiles and the 8th Air Force attempt to clear the skies over Normandy, while the Pacific remains a quagmire. D-Day arrives.

The Allies are bogged down in Normandy's hedgerows in the aftermath of D-Day, while on Saipan, victory turns to horror.

The Allies race toward Germany as American Marines battle for ground on Peleliu and across the bloody Pacific.

American forces storm the Philippines while Shelby Westbrook is shot down over Europe. Jack Yusen battles the dangers of the deep when his ship is sunk after a heroic duel.

The Marine assault on Iwo Jima brings horror and glory. Pilot Bert Stiles engages a German fighter with disastrous consequences. Reinforcements arrive in Europe to push the Allies toward victory.

The Battle of the Bulge pushes the Allies to the brink, and Rockie Blunt barely survives the fight. Okinawa erupts as the Japanese make their last stand. Hitler is handed a final ultimatum.

With the end in sight, Okinawa is a bloody obstacle to victory. The Third Reich ends with a single gunshot. America delivers the final blow to Japan, and the world celebrates the fall of the Axis.

An assassin's bullet sparks a global conflict that quickly evolves into the deadliest war humanity has ever seen. In the chaos, a new generation of soldier emerges, including future leaders Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, and Adolf Hitler. It is the beginning of modern warfare as both the tank and chemical weapons are introduced.

With help from the Americans, the Allied forces finally repel the German army from France. The fighting may have stopped, but tensions only mount as political leaders are dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles. The end of war brings economic collapse to Germany. A young Adolf Hitler feels betrayed by the German government and begins his rise to power.

The Wall Street crash of 1929 plunges the entire world into depression, giving Adolf Hitler the crisis he needs for his message to take hold. Josef Stalin also seizes power with bloody purges, while Japan plots a path to dominate Asia. Hitler rebuilds his military and begins his quest to take back territory lost in the Treaty of Versailles, forcing the Allies to back down in Munich despite Churchill's warnings.

Hitler breaks his promise made in Munich and takes over all of Czechoslovakia, while Churchill's loud criticism of his government pushes him to the sidelines. Stalin and Hitler sign a non-aggression pact that shocks the world. When Hitler invades Poland, the world is back at war, and Churchill rises to Prime Minister. Hitler betrays Stalin and invades the Soviet Union in what may be his undoing. Hideki Tojo becomes prime minister as Japan makes a move toward the U.S.-controlled Philippines. FDR responds with an oil embargo that puts Japan and the U.S. on the brink of war.

The United States is attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, bringing the Americans into the conflict. General Douglas Macarthur is forced out of the Philippines, and the Germans almost topple Moscow, only to be defeated by the Russian Winter. Hitler and the Nazis continue their round up and systematic execution of European Jews. The Allies gain a huge victory at the Battle of Midway putting Tojo and the Japanese on the defensive. General George Patton leads an invasion of Sicily, setting the stage for the fall of Benito Mussolini.

Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt meet in Tehran, Iran and argue over an invasion of Europe from the west. D-Day is launched, and Hitler's hesitation leads to an Allied victory on the beaches of Normandy. Hitler lashes back with a desperate counter-attack but is forced to retreat by Patton and his tanks. Mussolini meets a gruesome end, a fate Hitler is determined to avoid. When Stalin's Red Army closes in on Berlin, Hitler takes his own life, and the war in Europe is over. New President Harry Truman meets with Stalin and Churchill, and wrestles with a terrible decision. Thirty years of war finally end, but a new conflict is on the horizon.

Flanked by two oceans, America's fortunes would rise and fall on the exploits of a strong navy, which suffered disasters, but stood undefeated at the end of the 20th century.

Examine how the Navy builds itself back up and battles the Axis.

Victories at the Battle of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf crush the Japanese.

Small armored boats patrol Vietnam's rivers, while World War II-era battleships pound enemy positions. When the Vietnam War ends, the U.S. and Soviet Navies engage in an arms race of unprecedented size and cost.

JFK called their trademark beret "a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom." Some of the world's most unconventional warfare experts, the Green Berets are trained to train others. Their roots can be traced to WWII's OSS, which laid down the characteristics of the present-day Green Beret: intelligence, physical strength, and an ability to speak foreign languages. We'll explore the history of the "Quiet Professionals," as commandos and instructors.

Long before President Kennedy commissioned the Navy Seals in 1962, the Navy Combat Demolition Units were running demolition, such as on D-Day when the NCDU took over 50% casualties, and the Underwater Demolition Teams were clearing beaches. We'll recount the stories of honor, valor, and commitment of these backbones of the Navy.