Operation Market Garden was a daring Allied plan to drive deep behind enemy lines into German held Holland. The intention is to end the Second World War by Christmas. But far from being a decisive master stroke, Market Garden is a disaster, one of the Allies worst defeats. The Question is why? Using ground breaking new research, Battlefield Detectives investigates whether Market Garden was a daring plan that almost succeeded, or whether it was fatally flawed from the start.
For centuries, the North American Apache tribes enjoyed remarkable success on the battlefield—overpowering opponents who were wealthier, better armed, and more organized. This revelatory program explores two of the key battles that took place during the Apache wars of the 1800s to uncover the secrets of the tribe’s success and the reasons behind its ultimate defeat. Watch as archaeologists and forensic scientists investigate and compare the weapons used by the Apache tribes and their final enemy—the U.S. Army. Follow geologist Peter Doyle as he examines how the Apache used the landscape to help defeat outsiders. And, at the sites of the Battle of Cieneguilla (1854) and Hembrillo (1880), remote locations in New Mexico, uncover tantalizing clues that help solve the mystery of how the Army came to overpower these cunning and determined fighters.
The Battle of Monmouth took place on 28th June, 1778 in rural New Jersey. It was a key moment in the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and her thirteen rebellious colonies, and was the last major battle of the Revolution in the North. As the British Army's column led by Sir Henry Clinton left Monmouth Court House, the American Continental Army under George Washington attacked them at the rear. The battle became a standoff, with neither side able to inflict a crushing blow. Despite the lack of a decisive victory, for over 200 years this battle has been seen as one of George Washington's greatest triumphs, but now forensic science is casting a shadow of doubt over the battle-field. Was it such a triumph of personal command for Washington or was the first president just plain lucky?
The Soldiers have been told to expect only minimal resistance. The huge attack was supposed to overwhelm the Germans, instead it is a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. In only one day nearly 60,000 British soldiers are either killed or wounded. It is the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. Why was the first day of the Battle of the Somme such a disaster?
On May 8th 1846 the armies of Mexico and the United States met in battle at a place called Palo Alto, near Brownsville, deep in Southern Texas. The two countries had been anticipating war since the annexation of Texas in 1845 - For Mexico, Texas was too important to surrender and at Palo Alto, the battle began. The future President, General Zachary Taylor led the Americans. Among his officers, 51 future generals including Ulysses S. Grant and George Meade. The US commanders in the field represented a new generation of professional soldiers.
The Battle of Cowpens was one of the most critical battles of the American Revolution. It was a signpost and it pointed directly to Yorktown where the British would finally surrender less than a year later. Now historians, soil scientists, tacticians, psychologists, geographers and weapons experts have combined their disciplines to analyze this important clash between American Patriots and King George's men. Through their efforts we discover how and why Morgan's amateurs managed to totally destroy a force belonging to the world's best trained and most feared Army.
July 1-3, 1863: Over three hot days, Union and Confederate forces clashed in and around a small Pennsylvania town. When the Battle of Gettysburg ended, the two exhausted sides had inflicted more than 50,000 casualties upon one another--the largest battle ever fought on American soil. The third day is considered the Confederacy's "high-water mark"--when General Robert E. Lee lost the decisive battle of the Civil War. But scientific battlefield evidence now suggests that by the time the artillery began firing that day, the Confederate fight was already doomed. And when Pickett's Charge--the famous full frontal attack against Union lines--got underway, the battle effectively was over. Experts in physics, geology, crowd control, and cartography join forces with military historians to better understand this epic battle.
General Robert E. Lee's first invasion into the North ended in the Battle of Antietam--the bloodiest single day in the Civil War--and in all US history. Just 12 hours of fighting resulted in nearly 23,000 casualties. On September 17, 1862, two determined armies gathered near Sharpsburg, a quiet backwater near Antietam Creek in western Maryland. Union forces were desperate to repel the South's invasion of their territory. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, its back to the Potomac River, was fighting for its very existence. Much was at stake. But just why was Antietam such a terrible killing field? Now the latest forensic techniques are shedding new light on the question. Experts from the fields of archaeology, geology, weapons technology, and pathology investigate this uniquely horrific moment in American history.