History Channel - Battlefield Mysteries (2007)

Battlefield Mysteries is a compelling series that follow acclaimed historian Norm Christie as he investigates the real and often unknown stories behind history's most significant battles. With a unique "Everyman's Historian" style narrative, Christie presents each episode direct from the front-line, reconstructs the momentous actions that shook history and shaped the world we know today. From the Second World War to the Spanish Civil War, Norm walks the old battlefields and airfields that hold the answers to the important questions concerning these important stories.

Part 1: Who Killed Michael Wittmann?
SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael Wittmann was one of the Nazis' greatest tank aces. He had over 138 kills to his name before he was finally killed in battle.
Normandy, August 1944. The highest scoring German Panzer Ace, Michael Wittmann, was killed during a counter-attack against British and Canadian tanks. Wittmann's death went unexamined until his remains were found in 1983. Norm Christie now examines the evidence to determine who killed the Black Baron.
On the 8th August 1944 the Black Baron or Michael Wittmann as he was known, was killed during the Battle of Villers-Bocage. But who really killed him? This is the question that has gone unanswered for over 70 years. The Battlefield Mysteries team return to Villers-Bocage to find out…

Part 2: The Siege of Malta: 1940 – 1942 – the Turning Point in the Mediterranean
By early 1942, all that stood between the Axis powers and victory in North Africa was the Mediterranean island of Malta. This episode examines the stories of Allied forces who defended Malta.
The siege of Malta was the most important battle in 1941 – 1942. The courage of the Maltese civilians in the face of indescribable bombing and the amazing Spitfire pilots, such as Canadian "Buzz Beurling", helped turn the tide in this critical, but little appreciated campaign.
In the spring of 1940 the island of Malta was far from war. But all that was about to change. With the war stretching out to North Africa, the island became critical in the Allies' ability to halt Axis supply routes. And so Malta came under direct fire from the feared Luftwaffe. In this episode of Battlefield Mysteries we hear from the soldiers who defended the island and the civilians that took cover in the underground bomb shelters while the bombs rained down overhead.


Part 3: Bandits of the Air: The Wooden Mosquito Intruders
During the second world war, the Intruders and their Mosquito aircraft were a brilliant synthesis of man and machine. We return to the battlefields above Europe to reveal the legend of the Intruders - the Bandits of the Air.
The De Havilland Mosquito was a one of the most successful fighters of WWII. The 'Wooden Wonder' was the queen of the skies in 1943 – 1944. The Germans had nothing to match this beautiful aircraft. Being able to go undetected over occupied territory it carried out some of the most dangerous missions fo the war. The Mosquito turned the tables on the Luftwaffer, and the hunter became the hunted, as the plywood wonder stalked the skies over occupied Europe.
In this episode of Battlefield Mysteries we take a look at this iconic aircraft and the men that flew them.


Part 4: The Lost Graves of the International Brigade
A search for the lost graves of the International Brigades who were murdered by the fascist forces of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War.
The Spanish War, 1936-39, was one of the most complicated and passionate episodes in Modern History. Spain became the showdown between the rising wave of Fascism, and those who decided it had to be stopped. Thousands of international volunteers came to Spain, including 1600 Canadians, to fight the Fascists. By the end of the War half had simply vanished. What became of the missing of the International Brigades?
When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Canadian and American volunteers rushed to Spain's defence. Seeking to uphold the republic and halt the march of General Franco and facism, they travelled in their thousands, giving their lives for a country they had never seen. This episode of Battlefield Mysteries seeks to uncover their stories and bring to light the heroic deeds of these forgotten men.