AllMovie

This program chronicles the history of American involvement in warfare during the 20th century. Starting with the Spanish American War and ending with the Gulf War, the United States participated in a century of turmoil, marked by two world wars. Wars took a huge toll in lives and suffering in a steady course of conflict, punctuated by a few years of peace. This program evaluates the causes and costs of warfare in the last century. No price for the sake of freedom was ever more dear than that paid in World War II. This episode traces the fortunes of the war effort on the seas. Navy battleships and air carriers, and submarines played a crucial role in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters on the other side of the world, as well as in the far flung Arctic. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard kept watch over America's shorelines for German U-Boats. The now celebrated Higgins boat made possible the landing at Normandy on D-Day, a major turning point in the war. Archival film footage, photographs, and personal accounts by those who served at sea, as well as scholarly commentary, tell the story.