War Stories

From the two World Wars, to Korea, Vietnam and today’s conflicts, War Stories reveals the courage and sacrifice of the Americans who serve in our nation’s military.

Latest Episodes:

The Battle For Leyte Gulf Oct 10, 2017

Show notes

The Battle of Leyte Gulf in October, 1944, was a desperate gamble by the Japanese navy to stop in its tracks America's march straight toward Tokyo. It also marked the moment when the attack on Pearl Harbor was truly avenged, as some of the ships resurrected from the bottom of Pearl Harbor took on the Japanese fleet with some devastating results. In this exciting episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll meet some of the men who landed with General Douglas MacArthur on the beaches at Leyte, and engaged in brutal jungle fighting with crack Japanese troops. You'll also meet some of the sailors who, when faced with unbelievable odds and the biggest and best of the Japanese navy, didn't turn and run. Instead they headed straight for what the rules of modern warfare spelled as certain defeat. Legendary Admiral James Holloway talks about wreaking havoc on part of the Japanese fleet at Suriago Strait, using a textbook maneuver taught at every naval school. And you'll find out if the man in charge of the Third Fleet, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, really did fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the last great naval battle of World War II, and laid to waste the once invincible Japanese navy.

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The Big Red One Oct 10, 2017

Show notes

Since the First World War erupted in 1917, one U.S. Army division has been on activation longest, ready to defend the United States and its freedoms. Known as The Big Red One -- from its distinct arm patch - the First Infantry Division has fought in all major American military campaigns of the last 80 years. In this gripping episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll go inside the battlefields of World War I all the way through Operation Iraqi Freedom with those who proudly served in the Big Red One. You'll hear from veterans who suffered mustard gas attacks in the trenches of Europe. This was the U.S. Army's brutal initiation into 20th Century warfare. You'll go along with the Division as it returns to Europe 27 years later to take on Hitler's elite Panzer Divisions. In that epic struggle, the fighting First Division took part in three amphibious invasions and five major land battles. Barely 20 years later, in the jungles of Vietnam, The Big Red One continued the fight against Communist insurgents. And during 1991's "Operation Desert Storm," the First Division was chosen to breach Saddam Hussein's defenses and take on the dictator's well-trained Republican Guard in the fight to liberate Kuwait. In this episode, you'll also learn the story of General Terry Allen, the little known, but beloved commander of The Big Red One during its first battles with Hitler's legions. From his granddaughter, you'll hear the inside story of the controversy surrounding General Allen, and the sacrifice made by his namesake son a generation later in Vietnam. The story of The Big Red One is the history of soldiers in the United States Army. And, in the words of First Infantry Division veterans: "They always say, if you're going to be one, you got to be a Big Red One!"

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The Black Sheep Squadron Sep 11, 2017

Show notes

Their Marine Corps designation was VMF-214, but for millions of people around the world, they will always be remembered by the name they gave themselves: the "Black Sheep Squadron." Though they fought together for just twelve short weeks under the command of Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, the Black Sheep became the most famous fighter squadron in American aviation history. "Baa Baa Black Sheep," a television show loosely based on their exploits, portrayed them as rebels and misfits but as you will see, their real story shatters the televised myths and boasts an ending that rivaled anything from a Hollywood scriptwriter. In this unforgettable episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll take off with five of the original Black Sheep as their F4-U Corsairs roar into battle against the legendary Japanese Zero. In two combat tours they'd lose twenty percent of their fellow pilots but before they were disbanded in March of 1944, the 51 men of the Black Sheep were credited with an incredible 94 enemy kills. Was "Pappy" Boyington the two-fisted drinker he was portrayed to be? What really happened to him on his fateful final mission? From blistering dogfights over the South Pacific to bar room brawls on the ground, this is the real story of the Black Sheep Squadron from the men who were there.

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Running The Gauntlet: The Merchant Marine Sep 11, 2017

Show notes

In World War II, the U.S. Merchant Marine played a crucial role in every theater of war. Without them, without the bridge of merchant ships delivering weapons, troops, food, ammo, and fuel from the home front to the battle lines, there would have been no Allied victory. While transiting the ocean, the United States Merchant Marine had to contend with German u-boats, dive-bombers, surface raiders, auxiliary raiders, and mines. When World War II ended in 1945 nearly 80 thousand Allied mariners and 5,000 ships lay at the bottom of the sea. In this poignant episode of "War Stories" you'll hear firsthand accounts from mariners who were torpedoed, shot at, and captured. You'll meet a member of Hitler's Unterseebootwaffe and see the inside of a u-boat. And you'll learn why it took them over forty years to gain veteran status. This is the story of The United States Merchant Marine.

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Animal Warriors Sep 11, 2017

Show notes

Why was a cat recruited to spy for the CIA during the Cold War? What led President Roosevelt to approve the development of a bat bomb to be used against the Japanese in World War II? And how were dolphins trained to seek out enemy divers in Vietnam? Find out all this and more in this riveting episode of "War Stories with Oliver North." From antiquity to present day, you'll learn how these unsung heroes have braved enemy fire to keep our troops safe. You'll hear from a 103-year-old World War I cavalryman, and a Vietnam veteran who wouldn't be alive if it weren't for his war dog Kelly. We also take you inside behavioral training of animals that, at first glance, don't appear to be trainable. And go along for a day in the life of today's war dogs at the Department of Defense Military Working Dog School at Lackland Air Force Base. You'll see how our four-legged warriors are being trained in drug and explosive detection.

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The Forgotten Front And The 1st Air Commandos Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

This is one of the most overlooked chapters of World War II. This is the story of the 1st Air Commandos and their top-secret missions. Imagine flying a canvas-covered plywood glider without an engine 200 miles deep into Japanese territory in the dead of night transporting over 500 troops, hundreds of tons of cargo, as well as mules and horses. This was the monumental task undertaken by the volunteers of the 1st Air Commandos. They were 523 handpicked men, chosen to help protect and regain lost territory in the beleaguered China-Burma-India Theater. In this gripping episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll meet the masterminds of "Operation Thursday." They were two trailblazing American lieutenant colonels, John R. Alison and Philip G. Cochran, who joined hands with an extraordinary British general, Orde C. Wingate. Together they accomplished what had never been done before: penetrating so deep behind enemy lines that it wouldn't be done again until the War on Terror in Afghanistan. You'll also learn about the distinguished "Flying Tigers" and how they became the only source of hope in this often forgotten theater of operations. You'll also hear from courageous veterans of this little known place on earth and how they proved they were indeed ready "Any Time, Any Place".

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Flashpoint Vietnam – The Road To War Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

How did the United States find itself embroiled in Vietnam - fighting a war that lasted more than a decade and cost more than 58,000 American lives? You'll witness the rise of a determined Communist leader named Ho Chi Minh and go inside the U.S. Marines first major operation, "Starlite." This is the story of how Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson led America into a war that may have been doomed from the start. In this electrifying episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll meet one of the very first Americans to see combat in Southeast Asia, U.S. Army Special Forces soldier Billy Waugh, who spent seven and a half years fighting in Vietnam. Hear how Navy pilot Everett Alvarez became the first American shot down over North Vietnam. As a prisoner of war, he endured more than eight years of brutal captivity at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton." And you'll meet Colonel Robert Nett, a legendary WWII Medal of Honor recipient who served as a military advisor in Vietnam in 1963. From the White House, you'll hear recordings of private conversations between Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and the two presidents he served - JFK and LBJ. "Flashpoint Vietnam: The Road to War" is a close look at the early days of the only conflict where we won all the battles but still lost the war.

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Hill Battles Of Korea Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

America's post World War II euphoria was shattered in the summer of 1950, when North Korean communist forces invaded democratic South Korea. The Korean campaign of 1950-1953 has been called the "Forgotten War." More than 1.7 million Americans served in Korea and over 35,000 of them died there fighting at places like "Bloody Ridge," "Pork Chop Hill" and "Heartbreak Ridge." These were the treacherous "hill battles" known for some of the most brutal combat in military history. They fought for hills that were sometimes smaller than a football field. In this exciting episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll meet some of the heroic men who survived this unbelievable carnage. You'll hear how one trapped soldier stacked frozen enemy torsos to protect himself from enemy artillery fire. And yet another soldier vividly remembers a face on a hill that haunts him today. And you'll meet the man who would later be portrayed by screen legend Gregory Peck in the classic war drama, "Pork Chop Hill."

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The Secret Race For The Atomic Bomb Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

The worldwide race to build the atomic bomb involved scientists, soldiers and spies. With a price tag of two billion dollars, it was a daunting task accomplished in one thousand days. The Americans emerged as victors and ended mankind's bloodiest conflict...but the road to the world's first nuclear bomb wasn't an easy one. In this unique episode of "War Stories with Oliver North", you'll meet the characters of an international game of cat and mouse. In this tale of intrigue, deception and espionage, go along with Oliver North as "War Stories" follows the footsteps of Col. Boris Pash, Dr. Samuel Goudsmit and team ALSOS -- a top-secret Allied task force assigned to snatch German scientists on the run and beat the Soviets to the finish line in the race for the world's first atomic bomb. You'll meet ALSOS veterans Robert Furman and Eddie Dolan as they trekked through Europe leaving no stone unturned, searching for hidden secrets of Hitler's nuclear program in a difficult and often dangerous mission. You'll also hear from a German scientist whose father was kidnapped by the Soviets and forced to work under harsh conditions for over a decade. Come along as "War Stories" takes you on a journey through Hitler's Germany...and meet the men behind the secret race for the atomic bomb.

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