TV Schedule for Smithsonian Channel USA

Combat Ships Lightning Strikes

Examining some of maritime history's most effective lightning strikes; how the French frigate Nivôse set a trap to lure Somali pirates; how the HMS Illustrious captured a well-defended Mediterranean harbor in WWII; a surprise attack on Tokyo in 1942.

Combat Ships Secrets and Lies

A look at how the art of deception was used by naval forces in the first half of the 20th century; in 1939, the German raider Atlantis is equipped with fake funnels, while its sailors dressed as women pushing prams to fool Allied merchant ships.

Combat Ships Galleons and Privateers

Revolutionary ship design helped Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake lead England to defeat the Spanish Armada and become a world power.

Combat Ships The Fast and Furious

A look at Naval warfare's fastest combat ships and how the advantage of speed determined the outcome of some of the great seas battles of the last 150 years.

Combat Ships Doomed Vessels

Bad design, human error and the enemy sent great ships to tragic ends, like Britain's K13 submarine and HMS Hood, Sweden's 17th century Vasa, and Kublai Khan's fleet, sunk by the original kamikaze.

Combat Ships Metal War Ships

The evolution from wooden ships to metal ones in the second half of the 19th century is examined.

Combat Ships War Beneath the Waves

The 200-year evolution of the submarine in wartime is examined, told by the designers and engineers behind the machines.

Combat Ships Cold War Warriors

An up-close look at the naval carriers, destroyers, and nuclear submarines of the Cold War.

Combat Ships Hidden Figures

Stories of historic Black struggle for equality in maritime combat; an enslaved powder boy who served during the French and Indian War; a Civil War gunner; the first African American to command a vessel with a fully integrated crew: Hugh Mulzac.

Air Warriors F-22 Raptor

The inside story of the ultimate stealth fighter, the F-22 Raptor, and its predecessors.

Air Warriors F-100 Super Sabre

The North American F-100 Super Saber, also known as the Hun, becomes a supersonic powerhouse after initial difficulties; it was used primarily in the Vietnam War.

Air Warriors Black Hawk

The 35-year history of the UH-60 Black Hawk.

Air Warriors C-47 Skytrain

A look at how the C-47 evolved from passenger plane to a transport aircraft and flying hospital in WWII and years later as a gunship in Vietnam.

Air Warriors Top Dogfighters

Stories of fighter aircraft and deadly combat, including dogfights with the P-38 Lightning and Messerschmitts over Nazi Germany, told through rarely seen battle footage and first-hand accounts.

Air Warriors B-29 Superfortress

The story of the world's first nuclear bomber, the B-29, and its explosive impact on aerial warfare.

Air Warriors Zero

An inside look at Japan's A6M Zero, the most feared fighter at the start of World War II.

Air Warriors C-17

The inside story of the massive military transport aircraft, the C-17.

Air Warriors U-2 Dragon Lady

The history and evolution of America's most legendary spy plane.

Air Warriors F-16

The history of the F-16 Fighting Falcon and how it became the U.S. Air Force's most versatile plane.

Air Warriors Top Ten WWII

A countdown of the ten greatest military planes of World War II, including the Japanese Zero, the Nazi ME 109, and the B-29 Superfortress.

Air Warriors F-4 Phantom

The inside story of the F-4 Phantom, the U.S. military's go-to fighter for more than four decades.

Aerial America Maryland & Delaware

The birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner; sites Harriet Tubman, Babe Ruth and the DuPont family made their marks on history.

Aerial America Massachusetts

A flight over Massachusetts explores the sites; the Bay State, from Martha's Vineyard to the Bambino's Curse, seen from the air.