1 00:00:02,042 --> 00:00:04,000 WILLIAM SHATNER: A vast Nazi fortune 2 00:00:04,208 --> 00:00:06,417 hidden beneath a Polish castle. 3 00:00:06,583 --> 00:00:09,167 An otherworldly presence, 4 00:00:09,333 --> 00:00:12,250 spawned by an infamous surprise attack... 5 00:00:13,250 --> 00:00:15,042 ...and a top secret German invention 6 00:00:15,208 --> 00:00:16,625 with the power... 7 00:00:17,750 --> 00:00:20,375 ...to defy gravity. 8 00:00:22,917 --> 00:00:25,000 World War II was the largest, 9 00:00:25,167 --> 00:00:27,167 and deadliest conflict in history. 10 00:00:27,375 --> 00:00:30,958 From 1939 until 1945, more than 50 nations 11 00:00:31,125 --> 00:00:33,000 engaged in harrowing combat. 12 00:00:33,208 --> 00:00:35,000 And during that time, 13 00:00:35,167 --> 00:00:39,542 a number of intriguing and persistent mysteries were born. 14 00:00:39,708 --> 00:00:43,833 Curious stories about everything from lost gold 15 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,167 to secret societies 16 00:00:46,292 --> 00:00:49,125 and highly advanced technology. 17 00:00:49,208 --> 00:00:53,625 Nearly 80 years later, can new information help us 18 00:00:53,792 --> 00:00:57,875 better understand the strangest tales of the Second World War? 19 00:00:58,042 --> 00:01:01,917 Well, that is what we'll try and find out. 20 00:01:02,083 --> 00:01:04,208 ♪ ♪ 21 00:01:24,708 --> 00:01:28,750 As dawn breaks, Nazi Germany launches a surprise attack 22 00:01:28,958 --> 00:01:32,000 with one and a half million soldiers, 23 00:01:32,125 --> 00:01:34,792 2,500 tanks, 24 00:01:34,958 --> 00:01:37,333 and 2,000 war planes. 25 00:01:38,375 --> 00:01:42,625 This massive invasion marks the beginning of World War II. 26 00:01:43,708 --> 00:01:46,917 After conquering Poland, Hitler expands German territory 27 00:01:47,083 --> 00:01:49,000 throughout Europe, 28 00:01:49,125 --> 00:01:51,750 and steals billions of dollars... 29 00:01:52,833 --> 00:01:54,875 ...in gold. 30 00:01:55,042 --> 00:01:57,667 RICHARD SPENCE: One of the things connected to Hitler's grand scheme 31 00:01:57,833 --> 00:02:01,458 of completely restructuring Europe is loot. 32 00:02:01,625 --> 00:02:04,833 As Nazi Germany extended its control 33 00:02:05,042 --> 00:02:06,625 over most of continental Europe, 34 00:02:06,750 --> 00:02:10,208 a great deal of acquisition of valuables went on. 35 00:02:11,333 --> 00:02:13,500 And so, they were just sort of grabbing anything 36 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:14,958 that might be of value. 37 00:02:16,042 --> 00:02:19,708 Nazi Germany had to be very minded toward the accumulation 38 00:02:19,875 --> 00:02:23,333 of gold as a resource that was going to help it win the war. 39 00:02:24,417 --> 00:02:26,208 Their military went to war with the world, 40 00:02:26,375 --> 00:02:30,375 and then stole a great deal of wealth from millions of people. 41 00:02:31,583 --> 00:02:34,458 SHATNER: In April 1945, near the end of the war, 42 00:02:34,625 --> 00:02:37,417 the U.S. Army received intelligence 43 00:02:37,583 --> 00:02:40,167 about a hidden stash of stolen Nazi gold 44 00:02:40,333 --> 00:02:42,292 in Merkers, Germany. 45 00:02:42,458 --> 00:02:46,333 There, in an abandoned salt mine, 46 00:02:46,542 --> 00:02:51,208 American soldiers discovered a jaw-dropping fortune. 47 00:02:53,875 --> 00:02:58,542 The U.S. Army discovered the most astonishing hidden horde 48 00:02:58,750 --> 00:03:00,125 of Nazi gold. 49 00:03:00,250 --> 00:03:02,417 I mean, they literally walked in and were almost 50 00:03:02,625 --> 00:03:06,208 knee-deep in gold coins and other treasures. 51 00:03:06,375 --> 00:03:08,583 They couldn't believe their eyes. 52 00:03:08,750 --> 00:03:13,833 And the sum total value was, by today's valuation, 53 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:18,000 8.5 billion dollars' worth. 54 00:03:18,167 --> 00:03:21,167 And that's just in that one tunnel. 55 00:03:21,333 --> 00:03:26,208 So, it makes sense that there are other tunnels 56 00:03:26,375 --> 00:03:30,583 and other caves elsewhere that have more Nazi gold. 57 00:03:31,875 --> 00:03:34,250 SHATNER: Is there billions of dollars in stolen Nazi gold 58 00:03:34,417 --> 00:03:36,000 that has yet to be found? 59 00:03:36,208 --> 00:03:39,458 And if so, where could it be? 60 00:03:42,292 --> 00:03:45,333 Well, according to local legend, some of this vast treasure 61 00:03:45,542 --> 00:03:49,542 could still be hidden where the war started... 62 00:03:49,708 --> 00:03:51,625 in Poland. 63 00:03:51,750 --> 00:03:54,708 During the closing weeks of World War II, 64 00:03:54,875 --> 00:03:57,375 the Germans are hurriedly trying to evacuate things 65 00:03:57,542 --> 00:03:58,875 out of occupied Poland. 66 00:03:59,042 --> 00:04:01,542 And there was a lot of stuff, 67 00:04:01,708 --> 00:04:03,500 in the chaos at the end of the war, 68 00:04:03,667 --> 00:04:05,917 that was being loaded up any way you could 69 00:04:06,125 --> 00:04:07,958 and spirited out of the country. 70 00:04:08,167 --> 00:04:10,667 And then a lot of valuables go missing. 71 00:04:10,875 --> 00:04:13,917 And so that's where you get stories of things 72 00:04:14,083 --> 00:04:16,292 like the Nazi gold train. 73 00:04:17,542 --> 00:04:19,500 SHATNER: The fabled Nazi gold train 74 00:04:19,667 --> 00:04:22,792 is one of the most enduring mysteries of World War II, 75 00:04:22,958 --> 00:04:25,875 and an obsession for treasure hunters around the world. 76 00:04:27,083 --> 00:04:29,333 Legend has it that a Nazi train, 77 00:04:29,542 --> 00:04:33,208 brimming with stolen gold and valuables, 78 00:04:33,375 --> 00:04:38,333 departed from Wroclaw, Poland, in 1945. 79 00:04:38,542 --> 00:04:42,958 And then, it reportedly disappeared without a trace. 80 00:04:44,958 --> 00:04:48,458 As the story is told, they had a special train, 81 00:04:48,625 --> 00:04:51,500 which was to transport this contents. 82 00:04:51,625 --> 00:04:53,500 At least the most valuable contents. 83 00:04:54,792 --> 00:04:59,333 It was armor-plated, and they had gun turrets on it. 84 00:04:59,500 --> 00:05:01,333 So it was very well protected. 85 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:04,917 And it was filled with 300 tons 86 00:05:05,083 --> 00:05:07,917 of gold bullion, and other valuables 87 00:05:08,042 --> 00:05:12,333 and artwork that were loaded onto the train. 88 00:05:12,542 --> 00:05:14,958 And the train was never seen again. 89 00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:17,958 MORGAN: The belief is that that train, 90 00:05:18,125 --> 00:05:20,500 carrying God only knows how much gold, 91 00:05:20,667 --> 00:05:24,542 was on its way between Wroclaw and a town called Walbrzych. 92 00:05:24,667 --> 00:05:28,083 And somewhere between Wroclaw and Walbrzych, 93 00:05:28,208 --> 00:05:30,792 the train was sent onto a siding, 94 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,333 where it was then ultimately stopped permanently, 95 00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:36,125 and then buried to prevent it 96 00:05:36,250 --> 00:05:37,833 from falling into the enemy's hands. 97 00:05:38,958 --> 00:05:41,625 SHATNER: Could the Nazi gold train really be buried somewhere near 98 00:05:41,833 --> 00:05:45,833 the 40 miles of track between these two Polish towns? 99 00:05:46,917 --> 00:05:49,375 For Polish treasure hunter Michael Dembinski, 100 00:05:49,542 --> 00:05:54,125 this persistent local legend is a fascinating mystery. 101 00:05:55,167 --> 00:05:58,583 MICHAEL DEMBINSKI: Did the Germans hide this train somewhere along the line? 102 00:05:58,708 --> 00:06:02,458 That is the possibility that has intrigued 103 00:06:02,625 --> 00:06:06,542 treasure hunters for the best part of 80 years. 104 00:06:07,542 --> 00:06:09,333 It's all about eyewitnesses, really. 105 00:06:09,542 --> 00:06:10,708 There's nothing on paper. 106 00:06:10,875 --> 00:06:13,500 But this story was doing the rounds. 107 00:06:13,625 --> 00:06:16,625 In Walbrzych, if you talk to older people there, 108 00:06:16,792 --> 00:06:19,250 they will say, "Yes, I remember that story 109 00:06:19,375 --> 00:06:22,542 "from childhood, about these trains 110 00:06:22,708 --> 00:06:26,125 full of treasures that have mysteriously disappeared." 111 00:06:27,625 --> 00:06:29,583 SHATNER: Not only do the people of Walbrzych 112 00:06:29,750 --> 00:06:31,958 distinctly remember the gold train, 113 00:06:32,042 --> 00:06:34,708 they also say that during the German occupation, 114 00:06:34,833 --> 00:06:36,792 there was a stretch of train track 115 00:06:36,917 --> 00:06:39,125 that branched off the main railway line. 116 00:06:39,292 --> 00:06:41,333 And it led to a fortified location 117 00:06:41,458 --> 00:06:44,042 that was under Nazi control... 118 00:06:44,208 --> 00:06:47,083 a place called Ksiaz Castle. 119 00:06:49,125 --> 00:06:54,500 DEMBINKSKI: Ksiaz Castle finds itself just outside of Walbrzych ? 120 00:06:54,708 --> 00:06:56,625 The castle itself is beautiful. 121 00:06:56,750 --> 00:06:59,208 It's a magnificent palace, really. 122 00:06:59,375 --> 00:07:02,750 Now, very important in all of this is 123 00:07:02,875 --> 00:07:06,208 the rumor that many, many people talk about. 124 00:07:06,375 --> 00:07:08,583 That between Ksiaz Castle itself 125 00:07:08,792 --> 00:07:12,583 and the main Wroclaw to Walbrzych railway line, 126 00:07:12,750 --> 00:07:18,167 there was a spur, linking Ksiaz Castle and the main line. 127 00:07:18,333 --> 00:07:20,500 This is still to be confirmed, 128 00:07:20,667 --> 00:07:23,125 but there are enough rumors to suggest that this 129 00:07:23,333 --> 00:07:24,250 actually was the case. 130 00:07:25,375 --> 00:07:27,667 PICKNETT: Ksiaz Castle has been described as the pearl 131 00:07:27,833 --> 00:07:30,458 of Lower Silesia in Poland. 132 00:07:30,625 --> 00:07:33,708 It's a beautiful, fairy-tale place 133 00:07:33,875 --> 00:07:36,542 that the Nazis certainly took a great interest in. 134 00:07:36,708 --> 00:07:39,500 And not only aboveground, but below it. 135 00:07:40,583 --> 00:07:44,958 Local people tell the story of an underground city... 136 00:07:45,125 --> 00:07:47,292 where they would have a lot of 137 00:07:47,458 --> 00:07:51,833 Nazi looted gold and treasures, 138 00:07:52,042 --> 00:07:53,375 and, perhaps, 139 00:07:53,542 --> 00:07:57,583 the great legendary Nazi gold train. 140 00:07:59,042 --> 00:08:00,792 DEMBINSKI: This is crucial to the whole story, 141 00:08:00,917 --> 00:08:05,417 because it was here that the Germans were building 142 00:08:05,542 --> 00:08:10,375 a top secret complex of underground tunnels 143 00:08:10,542 --> 00:08:14,625 and bunkers and caverns. 144 00:08:14,750 --> 00:08:17,417 And to this day, no one can really come up with 145 00:08:17,542 --> 00:08:21,042 a good reason as to why 146 00:08:21,208 --> 00:08:25,750 the Nazis were so obsessed with completing this project. 147 00:08:27,208 --> 00:08:29,333 We don't know what the plan was 148 00:08:29,542 --> 00:08:31,000 for how this site was going to be used. 149 00:08:31,208 --> 00:08:34,667 All we know is there is a massive underground network 150 00:08:34,833 --> 00:08:39,167 of tunnels and caves that were all being interlinked together, 151 00:08:39,333 --> 00:08:41,167 and that there might be a train 152 00:08:41,292 --> 00:08:43,708 with unimaginable gold wealth on it, 153 00:08:43,833 --> 00:08:45,958 buried there in 1945. 154 00:08:47,542 --> 00:08:50,167 SHATNER: A secret underground lair 155 00:08:50,375 --> 00:08:53,083 in the same region that the Nazi gold train 156 00:08:53,292 --> 00:08:55,042 was said to disappear. 157 00:08:55,208 --> 00:08:58,917 For many, it's just too coincidental to ignore. 158 00:08:59,083 --> 00:09:00,958 But only about 10% 159 00:09:01,125 --> 00:09:04,667 of this massive underground complex has been explored. 160 00:09:04,792 --> 00:09:07,333 So even if the legendary Nazi gold train 161 00:09:07,500 --> 00:09:08,958 was buried there, 162 00:09:09,125 --> 00:09:13,333 there's still no guarantee it will ever be found. 163 00:09:13,542 --> 00:09:16,333 The problem for treasure hunters 164 00:09:16,500 --> 00:09:19,500 in that area is where to start. 165 00:09:20,958 --> 00:09:24,667 There are thousands upon thousands of tunnels... 166 00:09:24,875 --> 00:09:28,667 and the difficulty is finding where they begin and end. 167 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,333 DEMBINSKI: The tunnels branch off here and there, 168 00:09:32,500 --> 00:09:34,167 and some of them go underwater. 169 00:09:34,375 --> 00:09:37,500 Each of them is extensive in size, 170 00:09:37,625 --> 00:09:40,333 and it really does beg the question, 171 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:42,458 why were the Nazis doing this? 172 00:09:42,583 --> 00:09:46,000 So in terms of further searches 173 00:09:46,167 --> 00:09:47,333 for the gold train, 174 00:09:47,542 --> 00:09:49,375 my hunch is that 175 00:09:49,542 --> 00:09:53,042 it's going to be found under Ksiaz Castle. 176 00:10:04,500 --> 00:10:07,708 SHATNER: This active naval and air force base is also home 177 00:10:07,875 --> 00:10:10,458 to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, 178 00:10:10,625 --> 00:10:13,375 a hallowed site that draws nearly 179 00:10:13,542 --> 00:10:15,208 two million visitors every year. 180 00:10:16,667 --> 00:10:18,833 At the heart of this historic landmark 181 00:10:18,958 --> 00:10:23,333 is a floating memorial built over the sunken wreckage 182 00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:26,708 of the USS Arizona battleship. 183 00:10:26,875 --> 00:10:30,417 It is a solemn place to contemplate 184 00:10:30,583 --> 00:10:33,833 a dark day which will forever 185 00:10:34,042 --> 00:10:36,083 live in infamy. 186 00:10:37,500 --> 00:10:40,958 LANCE GEIGER: The morning of December 7th, a substantial Japanese fleet 187 00:10:41,125 --> 00:10:44,500 launched an air assault on the U.S. at Pearl Harbor. 188 00:10:44,708 --> 00:10:46,625 The goal was to cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet 189 00:10:46,792 --> 00:10:48,500 so that they could not contest 190 00:10:48,708 --> 00:10:51,000 Japanese plans for invasion across the Pacific. 191 00:10:52,042 --> 00:10:55,000 They launched about 353 aircraft. 192 00:10:57,083 --> 00:10:58,583 They attacked for about an hour and a half. 193 00:10:58,708 --> 00:11:01,583 And over the period, 194 00:11:01,708 --> 00:11:04,625 they killed some 2,403 Americans... 195 00:11:05,750 --> 00:11:08,208 ...including 68 civilians. 196 00:11:08,375 --> 00:11:12,958 And they damaged or destroyed 19 ships of the United States Navy. 197 00:11:13,125 --> 00:11:14,500 The Arizona was one of the first ships 198 00:11:14,708 --> 00:11:16,167 to be attacked in the very first attack. 199 00:11:16,250 --> 00:11:18,833 Ten aircraft went after it, and they were dropping 200 00:11:18,958 --> 00:11:20,417 armor-piercing aerial bombs. 201 00:11:21,667 --> 00:11:24,875 One went through five decks into the Arizona... 202 00:11:26,042 --> 00:11:29,292 ...which had about a million pounds of gunpowder in it. 203 00:11:29,458 --> 00:11:31,667 Caused an explosion so large 204 00:11:31,875 --> 00:11:34,792 that the ship's bulkheads blew outwards. 205 00:11:34,958 --> 00:11:38,958 The entire 30,000-ton ship 206 00:11:39,125 --> 00:11:42,333 was lifted bodily from the water and then sank very quickly. 207 00:11:43,708 --> 00:11:45,417 Fires burned for two days afterwards, 208 00:11:45,583 --> 00:11:46,667 making it almost impossible 209 00:11:46,875 --> 00:11:48,792 to engage in recovery efforts. 210 00:11:48,917 --> 00:11:52,333 And so 1,104 sailors and Marines 211 00:11:52,417 --> 00:11:54,417 of the Arizona are still aboard. 212 00:11:54,583 --> 00:11:55,833 They went down with the ship, 213 00:11:56,042 --> 00:11:58,417 and then the remains were never removed. 214 00:11:58,583 --> 00:12:00,792 So it is definitely a cemetery. 215 00:12:03,208 --> 00:12:06,208 SHATNER: The names of the men who died on the USS Arizona 216 00:12:06,375 --> 00:12:08,875 are immortalized on a marble wall 217 00:12:09,042 --> 00:12:11,833 at the Pearl Harbor Memorial. 218 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,875 And for over 80 years, the attack on Pearl Harbor 219 00:12:16,042 --> 00:12:20,000 has continued to haunt the American people. 220 00:12:20,167 --> 00:12:23,000 NELSON: With Pearl Harbor, we have a tragedy 221 00:12:23,208 --> 00:12:26,500 that's become part of our national story. 222 00:12:26,625 --> 00:12:29,625 So when we see at Pearl Harbor, 223 00:12:29,792 --> 00:12:31,708 "Oh, this is where this happened." 224 00:12:31,875 --> 00:12:33,667 Or "This is where so and so was killed." 225 00:12:33,875 --> 00:12:36,000 I've got goosebumps right now just talking about it. 226 00:12:36,208 --> 00:12:39,042 It is a spiritual experience for anyone. 227 00:12:40,417 --> 00:12:42,708 RICKSECKER: When you talk about Pearl Harbor, there are 228 00:12:42,875 --> 00:12:46,167 a lot of reports of ghost hauntings. 229 00:12:46,375 --> 00:12:49,167 This is a location that saw so much death, 230 00:12:49,375 --> 00:12:53,667 so much tragedy, and now as people go back, 231 00:12:53,833 --> 00:12:56,917 there's an energy that still permeates the area. 232 00:12:57,083 --> 00:13:00,042 These are echoes of the past. 233 00:13:00,208 --> 00:13:02,917 GEIGER: The people that died in the attack at Pearl Harbor 234 00:13:03,083 --> 00:13:05,167 died in horrible circumstances. 235 00:13:05,333 --> 00:13:08,042 They were burned to death or drowned or both. 236 00:13:08,208 --> 00:13:10,792 If any place was going to be haunted, 237 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,875 Pearl Harbor is such a place. 238 00:13:14,917 --> 00:13:17,667 SHATNER: Pearl Harbor is a graveyard, 239 00:13:17,792 --> 00:13:21,875 but could it also be home to restless spirits? 240 00:13:22,042 --> 00:13:24,958 Some say yes, in light of the fact 241 00:13:25,125 --> 00:13:27,500 that both civilians and military personnel 242 00:13:27,667 --> 00:13:29,833 have reported strange apparitions 243 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,083 and supernatural phenomena throughout the base, 244 00:13:33,250 --> 00:13:36,292 the most famous of which is a mysterious spirit 245 00:13:36,500 --> 00:13:38,750 referred to as Charley. 246 00:13:38,875 --> 00:13:41,667 Reportedly, Charley is this sort of 247 00:13:41,833 --> 00:13:43,833 benevolent, mischievous spirit. 248 00:13:43,958 --> 00:13:45,917 Charley's on Ford Island. 249 00:13:46,042 --> 00:13:48,250 So Ford Island is in the middle of Pearl Harbor. 250 00:13:48,417 --> 00:13:51,125 And it was actually the first to be attacked in the battle. 251 00:13:51,292 --> 00:13:54,625 So many people think of Ford Island as being haunted. 252 00:13:54,750 --> 00:13:57,000 And according to the stories, 253 00:13:57,167 --> 00:14:00,042 sometimes a light will be left on that wasn't supposed to, 254 00:14:00,208 --> 00:14:03,167 or a radio will turn on, or its station will just change. 255 00:14:03,375 --> 00:14:05,208 And when that happens, 256 00:14:05,375 --> 00:14:07,167 they'll say, "Oh, that's, that's just Charley." 257 00:14:08,292 --> 00:14:10,833 RICKSECKER: This is a spirit that's been around the area 258 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,000 for a long, long time. 259 00:14:13,167 --> 00:14:15,750 People attribute it to somebody that perished 260 00:14:15,875 --> 00:14:18,792 there at Pearl Harbor. 261 00:14:18,917 --> 00:14:20,417 So, it's one of those things that really 262 00:14:20,583 --> 00:14:23,500 heightens that idea that Pearl Harbor is haunted. 263 00:14:24,917 --> 00:14:26,708 SHATNER: While encounters with Charley have been 264 00:14:26,875 --> 00:14:29,083 reported on Ford Island for decades, 265 00:14:29,250 --> 00:14:32,000 many visitors have also felt 266 00:14:32,208 --> 00:14:37,125 a ghostly presence near the wreckage of the USS Arizona. 267 00:14:37,292 --> 00:14:41,208 RICKSECKER: The USS Arizona Memorial is a very reverent location. 268 00:14:41,375 --> 00:14:43,792 You can feel the sadness that is there. 269 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:45,458 And they've done a really beautiful job 270 00:14:45,583 --> 00:14:47,083 of creating this memorial, 271 00:14:47,208 --> 00:14:49,583 so these sailors who lost their lives 272 00:14:49,792 --> 00:14:51,500 in such a gruesome, horrific fashion 273 00:14:51,667 --> 00:14:54,333 can be remembered to this day. 274 00:14:55,375 --> 00:14:58,792 SPENCE: You go out to this bridge-like structure, 275 00:14:58,958 --> 00:15:01,208 and there isn't a ship sitting there. 276 00:15:01,375 --> 00:15:02,792 It's underwater. 277 00:15:02,875 --> 00:15:05,125 The water is fairly murky. 278 00:15:05,333 --> 00:15:08,417 But you can only sort of make out this... 279 00:15:08,583 --> 00:15:10,125 the-the kind of vague outlines. 280 00:15:10,292 --> 00:15:13,208 And you really have to examine things 281 00:15:13,375 --> 00:15:14,833 to figure out what you're looking at. 282 00:15:15,042 --> 00:15:16,417 You have to keep in mind 283 00:15:16,542 --> 00:15:18,167 that what you're essentially standing over 284 00:15:18,375 --> 00:15:20,167 is a grave. 285 00:15:20,375 --> 00:15:23,000 That, to me, is the most important part. 286 00:15:24,625 --> 00:15:27,167 RICKSECKER: When the Pearl Harbor attack occurred, 287 00:15:27,292 --> 00:15:29,917 the USS Arizona had just been topped off 288 00:15:30,083 --> 00:15:32,375 the day before on all of its fluids. 289 00:15:33,917 --> 00:15:37,625 So, when it sank, over a million gallons of oil 290 00:15:37,792 --> 00:15:39,875 were trapped within the superstructure. 291 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,833 And what's happening to this day is 292 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,167 oil will rise to the surface. 293 00:15:45,375 --> 00:15:49,125 and they call these the black tears of the USS Arizona. 294 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:51,958 GEIGER: This oil rises up, and it creates 295 00:15:52,167 --> 00:15:53,667 kind of a slick on the water, 296 00:15:53,750 --> 00:15:55,167 which you can see from the memorial. 297 00:15:55,333 --> 00:15:59,333 And occasionally, people will see in the slick 298 00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:02,083 what appears to be like a ghostly face, 299 00:16:02,250 --> 00:16:05,292 and some of the photos of these are truly haunting. 300 00:16:05,417 --> 00:16:07,667 And of course, it's not surprising that people 301 00:16:07,875 --> 00:16:10,333 would take that as being some sort of representation 302 00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:13,750 of the agony of the men who died aboard the Arizona. 303 00:16:14,792 --> 00:16:17,917 NELSON: Skeptics may scoff at the idea of ghosts 304 00:16:18,042 --> 00:16:19,833 or things of this nature. 305 00:16:20,042 --> 00:16:22,500 But you cannot deny that when you walk 306 00:16:22,667 --> 00:16:24,042 aboard that memorial, 307 00:16:24,208 --> 00:16:26,375 it is a powerful experience. 308 00:16:26,542 --> 00:16:28,292 It's just a fascinating 309 00:16:28,458 --> 00:16:30,542 and unique piece of American history. 310 00:16:31,542 --> 00:16:34,833 Do the events of December 7, 1941, 311 00:16:34,958 --> 00:16:38,458 continue to cast a dark shadow over Pearl Harbor? 312 00:16:38,625 --> 00:16:40,125 It's a sobering thought. 313 00:16:40,292 --> 00:16:42,167 And that day of infamy 314 00:16:42,333 --> 00:16:46,375 still looms large in our collective consciousness. 315 00:16:47,542 --> 00:16:50,292 But on another note, 316 00:16:50,458 --> 00:16:53,875 historians remain fascinated by a much different kind 317 00:16:54,042 --> 00:16:55,958 of World War II mystery. 318 00:16:56,083 --> 00:16:59,042 Because there are reports which suggest 319 00:16:59,208 --> 00:17:01,958 that German engineers 320 00:17:02,042 --> 00:17:04,333 successfully pioneered technology 321 00:17:04,542 --> 00:17:06,750 that may have actually 322 00:17:06,917 --> 00:17:09,500 defied the laws of physics. 323 00:17:17,250 --> 00:17:19,292 SHATNER: At a top secret military research 324 00:17:19,417 --> 00:17:22,625 and development facility, Nazi Germany unleashes 325 00:17:22,792 --> 00:17:25,250 a terrifying new weapon: 326 00:17:25,417 --> 00:17:27,625 the V-2 rocket. 327 00:17:27,792 --> 00:17:29,583 During the next six months, 328 00:17:29,792 --> 00:17:34,000 the Nazis launch roughly 1,100 V-2 rockets against England, 329 00:17:34,208 --> 00:17:36,958 which decimate buildings throughout London, 330 00:17:37,125 --> 00:17:40,000 and kill approximately 9,000 people. 331 00:17:40,208 --> 00:17:42,333 These missiles belong to a category 332 00:17:42,542 --> 00:17:47,000 of advanced technology that the Nazis call "Wunderwaffe," 333 00:17:47,208 --> 00:17:49,042 or "wonder weapons." 334 00:17:49,208 --> 00:17:52,792 Hitler's wonder weapons were 335 00:17:52,958 --> 00:17:55,917 high technology weapons. 336 00:17:56,083 --> 00:17:59,583 While the Allies were dropping 337 00:17:59,708 --> 00:18:01,375 bombs on German cities, 338 00:18:01,542 --> 00:18:05,417 the Germans were launching a ballistic missile, 339 00:18:05,542 --> 00:18:09,375 which could travel from Germany to London 340 00:18:09,500 --> 00:18:12,000 in just minutes 341 00:18:12,167 --> 00:18:14,250 and unleash hell. 342 00:18:15,625 --> 00:18:17,542 In many respects, 343 00:18:17,708 --> 00:18:19,833 the Germans were well ahead 344 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,208 of the Allies in technological advances 345 00:18:23,375 --> 00:18:25,042 in a whole range of fields. 346 00:18:25,208 --> 00:18:29,333 And Hitler was promising the party faithful 347 00:18:29,542 --> 00:18:33,833 that "We have a game-changing addition to the war. 348 00:18:34,042 --> 00:18:36,333 We can turn the tide." 349 00:18:36,500 --> 00:18:39,292 So that confidence must have come from somewhere. 350 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,542 SHATNER: What secret technology were Nazi scientists working on 351 00:18:44,708 --> 00:18:49,167 that convinced Hitler that Germany could win the war? 352 00:18:49,333 --> 00:18:50,875 Well, according to Polish researcher 353 00:18:51,042 --> 00:18:52,583 and author Igor Witkowski, 354 00:18:52,750 --> 00:18:55,958 who has investigated that very question for more than 20 years, 355 00:18:56,125 --> 00:18:58,958 it was a mysterious Nazi weapon 356 00:18:59,125 --> 00:19:01,500 known as "die glocke," 357 00:19:01,708 --> 00:19:04,292 or "the bell." 358 00:19:57,333 --> 00:19:58,583 SHATNER: In 2007, 359 00:19:58,708 --> 00:20:01,333 Igor Witkowski's extraordinary claims 360 00:20:01,500 --> 00:20:03,458 were revealed to the wider world 361 00:20:03,583 --> 00:20:05,250 when he published a book titled 362 00:20:05,375 --> 00:20:07,917 The Truth About the Wunderwaffe. 363 00:20:09,250 --> 00:20:11,667 SWARTZ: According to Igor Witkowski, 364 00:20:11,875 --> 00:20:14,167 the bell was described 365 00:20:14,333 --> 00:20:17,208 as being about 12 to 15 feet tall, 366 00:20:17,375 --> 00:20:19,542 and shaped like a bell. 367 00:20:19,708 --> 00:20:24,083 It had two counter-rotating cylinders that were filled 368 00:20:24,250 --> 00:20:27,833 with a mercury-like substance 369 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,833 that was highly radioactive. 370 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,875 Once it was activated, 371 00:20:32,042 --> 00:20:34,958 it emitted a field that was about 372 00:20:35,125 --> 00:20:37,667 600 feet in diameter. 373 00:20:37,833 --> 00:20:42,750 Anybody that got too close to this field died. 374 00:20:43,750 --> 00:20:45,667 Several of the scientists who were working on the Bell 375 00:20:45,833 --> 00:20:47,792 suffered this fate. 376 00:20:48,917 --> 00:20:53,542 The theory was that when the Bell was activated, 377 00:20:53,708 --> 00:20:57,958 if you create a powerful enough electromagnetic field, 378 00:20:58,125 --> 00:20:59,500 that you could actually 379 00:20:59,708 --> 00:21:04,625 warp space-time in a highly localized area, 380 00:21:04,750 --> 00:21:10,250 creating anti-gravity, and possibly even time travel. 381 00:21:11,042 --> 00:21:15,125 SHATNER: But if the Bell did exist, as Igor Witkowski claims, 382 00:21:15,292 --> 00:21:18,167 then where were the Nazis developing 383 00:21:18,375 --> 00:21:21,625 such an extraordinary piece of secret technology? 384 00:21:25,875 --> 00:21:29,500 This densely forested area hides remnants of 385 00:21:29,667 --> 00:21:31,958 an ultra-clandestine test facility 386 00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:33,917 with secret subterranean chambers, 387 00:21:34,125 --> 00:21:35,500 tunnels and fortifications. 388 00:21:35,625 --> 00:21:39,333 And Igor Witkowski contends that this town 389 00:21:39,500 --> 00:21:43,250 was dedicated to the development of the Bell. 390 00:22:22,208 --> 00:22:26,792 SHATNER: Could this secret facility have been the test site for the Bell? 391 00:22:26,917 --> 00:22:30,917 Some believe the proof lies with an enigmatic structure 392 00:22:31,083 --> 00:22:32,833 at the center of the complex 393 00:22:33,042 --> 00:22:35,125 known as The Henge. 394 00:22:35,250 --> 00:22:38,792 POPE: The Henge is a name given 395 00:22:38,958 --> 00:22:41,042 to this bizarre structure, 396 00:22:41,208 --> 00:22:45,458 which really does look almost like a concrete Stonehenge. 397 00:22:46,875 --> 00:22:52,333 And some researchers believe that Die Glocke, 398 00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:57,792 or the Bell, was somehow inserted into this structure. 399 00:23:27,625 --> 00:23:31,375 POPE: The biggest mystery about Die Glocke is what it was. 400 00:23:31,542 --> 00:23:34,000 We've heard all the theories, but we don't know, 401 00:23:34,167 --> 00:23:38,292 because, apparently, it was not ready for operational use. 402 00:23:38,458 --> 00:23:42,333 But had the Bell been developed, 403 00:23:42,458 --> 00:23:46,250 and had it proven to be an effective weapon, 404 00:23:46,417 --> 00:23:49,500 Hitler would have used it. 405 00:23:51,542 --> 00:23:55,667 The infamous Nazi Bell continues to capture the imagination 406 00:23:55,875 --> 00:23:58,958 of both historians and amateur researchers alike. 407 00:23:59,125 --> 00:24:01,708 Perhaps further clues about the scientific achievements of 408 00:24:01,875 --> 00:24:04,875 the Third Reich can be found by examining 409 00:24:05,042 --> 00:24:09,250 what happened to 1,600 brilliant German scientists after the war. 410 00:24:09,417 --> 00:24:12,333 Because, in an ironic twist of fate, 411 00:24:12,458 --> 00:24:14,750 these former Nazis ended up working 412 00:24:14,917 --> 00:24:16,958 for the United States government. 413 00:24:26,500 --> 00:24:29,542 The Soviet Red Army has surrounded the city, 414 00:24:29,708 --> 00:24:34,167 and the total defeat of the Third Reich is at hand. 415 00:24:35,375 --> 00:24:38,167 On May 7, 1945, the remaining leadership 416 00:24:38,333 --> 00:24:41,583 of the German army officially surrenders to Allied forces. 417 00:24:44,417 --> 00:24:47,500 But as people rejoice around the world... 418 00:24:47,708 --> 00:24:52,542 the United States government initiates a top secret program. 419 00:24:52,708 --> 00:24:57,292 Code name: Operation Paperclip. 420 00:24:57,417 --> 00:25:01,458 Operation Paperclip was a secret Allied plan 421 00:25:01,625 --> 00:25:03,167 at the end of World War II 422 00:25:03,292 --> 00:25:08,875 to acquire former Nazi German talent 423 00:25:09,042 --> 00:25:12,000 in the areas of aeronautics, especially, 424 00:25:12,167 --> 00:25:16,625 but also physics, chemistry and medicine. 425 00:25:17,625 --> 00:25:19,250 In other words, they were rounding up 426 00:25:19,375 --> 00:25:21,500 former Nazi scientists, 427 00:25:21,708 --> 00:25:25,125 and bringing many of them to the United States. 428 00:25:25,292 --> 00:25:27,792 GEIGER: The name Operation Paperclip came because 429 00:25:27,958 --> 00:25:29,500 if you were a high-value target, 430 00:25:29,667 --> 00:25:30,917 a scientist that we really wanted, 431 00:25:31,083 --> 00:25:33,042 then there was a paperclip on your folder. 432 00:25:33,208 --> 00:25:36,167 This would have been things like aircraft production, 433 00:25:36,375 --> 00:25:38,583 rocketry, atomic weapons. 434 00:25:38,708 --> 00:25:41,583 Eventually, about 1,600 scientists and their families 435 00:25:41,750 --> 00:25:43,333 were brought to the United States, 436 00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:46,958 where, officially, they did not exist. 437 00:25:47,083 --> 00:25:51,333 POPE: Paperclip was essentially an acknowledgment 438 00:25:51,542 --> 00:25:53,458 by the Allied powers that the Germans, 439 00:25:53,625 --> 00:25:57,083 in so many areas, were technologically ahead. 440 00:25:57,208 --> 00:26:01,208 They had science and engineering skills 441 00:26:01,375 --> 00:26:04,125 that we simply didn't have. 442 00:26:05,167 --> 00:26:08,000 So, they wanted to identify these people, 443 00:26:08,167 --> 00:26:11,875 bring them back to the U.S. and set them to work. 444 00:26:13,750 --> 00:26:16,208 GEIGER: We kept Paperclip very secret 445 00:26:16,375 --> 00:26:19,250 because we did not want to tell the American public that we were 446 00:26:19,417 --> 00:26:21,417 out finding Nazi scientists 447 00:26:21,583 --> 00:26:23,083 to come work in the United States. 448 00:26:23,250 --> 00:26:26,333 And so a lot of the paper trail is still just missing. 449 00:26:26,500 --> 00:26:28,458 That's why Operation Paperclip 450 00:26:28,583 --> 00:26:30,167 still leaves you wondering today, 451 00:26:30,375 --> 00:26:32,125 you know, what came from it, and what are we hiding? 452 00:26:33,292 --> 00:26:37,625 SHATNER: What were Nazi scientists working on in the United States 453 00:26:37,792 --> 00:26:41,500 that, even today, remains a closely guarded secret? 454 00:26:41,667 --> 00:26:45,500 Some say a clue lies in the remarkable events 455 00:26:45,708 --> 00:26:49,417 which transpired throughout 1947, 456 00:26:49,583 --> 00:26:50,833 which has been referred to 457 00:26:50,958 --> 00:26:53,958 as "The Year of the Flying Saucer." 458 00:26:55,000 --> 00:27:00,167 During 1947, flying saucers were sighted all over the country, 459 00:27:00,333 --> 00:27:03,917 from the northwest all the way to the southeast. 460 00:27:04,083 --> 00:27:07,750 There was so much panic about what are these things, 461 00:27:07,917 --> 00:27:10,792 who's piloting them, where are they from? 462 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,875 And the sightings of UFOs were on front pages 463 00:27:15,042 --> 00:27:17,500 of newspapers across the country. 464 00:27:17,667 --> 00:27:21,042 SHATNER: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Daily Record 465 00:27:21,167 --> 00:27:24,708 famously reported that a flying saucer had crashed 466 00:27:24,875 --> 00:27:26,333 in the New Mexico desert, 467 00:27:26,542 --> 00:27:28,833 and was seized by the U.S. Army. 468 00:27:29,792 --> 00:27:32,167 While many people believe that the unidentified craft 469 00:27:32,375 --> 00:27:34,833 was extraterrestrial in origin, 470 00:27:34,917 --> 00:27:38,667 others claim that it may have actually been the result 471 00:27:38,833 --> 00:27:41,000 of Operation Paperclip. 472 00:27:41,125 --> 00:27:43,625 GEIGER: The Germans were known to use non-traditional techniques 473 00:27:43,792 --> 00:27:46,667 and unconventional aircraft design. 474 00:27:46,875 --> 00:27:48,917 Some people say what happened at Roswell was 475 00:27:49,125 --> 00:27:51,833 a saucer-shaped disc that we got from Nazi technology. 476 00:27:52,042 --> 00:27:54,625 Because there's some anecdotal evidence that they were 477 00:27:54,792 --> 00:27:57,208 working on some sort of saucer-shaped aircraft. 478 00:27:57,333 --> 00:28:00,333 And that's the sort of thing we would have been taking 479 00:28:00,500 --> 00:28:02,458 to the United States, that we would have hidden 480 00:28:02,625 --> 00:28:03,667 from the American public. 481 00:28:04,875 --> 00:28:07,833 SHATNER: Is it possible that the mysterious flying object 482 00:28:07,958 --> 00:28:10,458 recovered in Roswell, New Mexico, 483 00:28:10,625 --> 00:28:13,917 was an experimental craft developed by Nazi scientists? 484 00:28:15,875 --> 00:28:17,792 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining 485 00:28:17,958 --> 00:28:20,792 an iconic UFO sighting that took place 486 00:28:20,958 --> 00:28:24,125 only a month before the Roswell crash. 487 00:28:24,292 --> 00:28:27,833 On June 24, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported 488 00:28:28,042 --> 00:28:31,833 seeing UFOs near Mount Rainier in Washington State 489 00:28:32,042 --> 00:28:35,667 flying at supersonic speeds which, interestingly, 490 00:28:35,833 --> 00:28:38,833 matches the velocity of the German V-2 rocket. 491 00:28:39,875 --> 00:28:42,333 And when Arnold described the mysterious crafts 492 00:28:42,500 --> 00:28:46,333 that he had seen, some pointed out their striking similarity to 493 00:28:46,542 --> 00:28:50,958 an aircraft developed by German scientists in World War II. 494 00:28:51,042 --> 00:28:52,458 GEIGER: The Germans did a lot of 495 00:28:52,667 --> 00:28:54,333 crazy aircraft design, and one of them 496 00:28:54,542 --> 00:28:56,542 was this massive bomber that was called the Horton 229. 497 00:28:56,708 --> 00:28:59,333 It was a flying wing. The two look so similar, 498 00:28:59,542 --> 00:29:00,792 how could they not be related? 499 00:29:00,917 --> 00:29:02,500 And those are the sort of scientists 500 00:29:02,667 --> 00:29:04,125 that Operation Paperclip was grabbing, 501 00:29:04,333 --> 00:29:06,167 was the people that built that aircraft. 502 00:29:06,333 --> 00:29:09,125 And so when you keep a lot of secrets, 503 00:29:09,292 --> 00:29:11,042 then you leave room for a lot of speculation. 504 00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:14,667 SHATNER: It's intriguing to think that aircraft 505 00:29:14,875 --> 00:29:17,375 built by former Nazi scientists 506 00:29:17,542 --> 00:29:22,167 may have been mis-identified as extraterrestrial spacecraft. 507 00:29:22,333 --> 00:29:24,833 But on the other hand, many still believe 508 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:27,417 that these UFOs came from another world. 509 00:29:27,625 --> 00:29:32,625 So, is it possible that one purpose of Operation Paperclip 510 00:29:32,792 --> 00:29:36,958 was to analyze recovered alien technology? 511 00:29:37,958 --> 00:29:41,500 Let's say that you got ahold of some sort of alien craft. 512 00:29:41,708 --> 00:29:43,292 Who are you gonna bring in to look at it? 513 00:29:44,417 --> 00:29:47,875 You would bring in the most savvy people in terms 514 00:29:48,042 --> 00:29:51,458 of aeronautics, rocketry, propulsion systems. 515 00:29:51,625 --> 00:29:56,333 And if you're talking about the late 1940s or 1950s, 516 00:29:56,417 --> 00:29:58,250 Paperclip-connected scientists would be some of 517 00:29:58,375 --> 00:30:02,542 the key individuals you would want to have there. 518 00:30:03,583 --> 00:30:07,875 POPE: There is a direct potential connection here 519 00:30:08,042 --> 00:30:11,833 between Nazi scientists and the Roswell crash. 520 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,708 But there's still vast parts of it that we don't know, 521 00:30:17,875 --> 00:30:20,000 and maybe we never will. 522 00:30:22,042 --> 00:30:25,667 Was the flying disc that crashed in Roswell, New Mexico, 523 00:30:25,833 --> 00:30:28,708 created by the German war machine, 524 00:30:28,875 --> 00:30:32,000 or by an extraterrestrial civilization? 525 00:30:32,208 --> 00:30:34,792 Either way, it's a fascinating mystery. 526 00:30:34,958 --> 00:30:39,208 Just like another alleged alien encounter 527 00:30:39,375 --> 00:30:43,500 that took place in 1942 between the U.S. military 528 00:30:43,625 --> 00:30:48,792 and an unidentified flying object. 529 00:30:56,917 --> 00:31:00,500 SHATNER: The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 530 00:31:00,667 --> 00:31:03,000 Congress declares war on Japan. 531 00:31:03,208 --> 00:31:06,750 Three days later, Japan's allies, Germany and Italy, 532 00:31:06,875 --> 00:31:09,167 declare war on the United States. 533 00:31:10,208 --> 00:31:12,250 And as the country prepares to send millions of troops 534 00:31:12,417 --> 00:31:14,292 to fight in Europe and the South Pacific, 535 00:31:14,458 --> 00:31:19,083 Americans on the home front anxiously wonder 536 00:31:19,250 --> 00:31:21,958 whether the war will reach the mainland. 537 00:31:23,458 --> 00:31:26,250 In the days and weeks that followed Pearl Harbor, 538 00:31:26,417 --> 00:31:28,667 the American military was on high alert. 539 00:31:28,875 --> 00:31:31,417 The American people were aware of the possibilities 540 00:31:31,583 --> 00:31:33,333 of an enemy attack of some kind 541 00:31:33,542 --> 00:31:37,083 that might fall somewhere else. 542 00:31:37,250 --> 00:31:39,542 It wasn't just Pearl Harbor. 543 00:31:39,708 --> 00:31:43,167 The island of Midway also came under enemy attack. 544 00:31:43,375 --> 00:31:46,708 And so the American people suddenly had to recognize 545 00:31:46,833 --> 00:31:50,417 that we had a long coastline, and it was open and vulnerable. 546 00:31:56,833 --> 00:32:00,417 SHATNER: Just two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 547 00:32:00,542 --> 00:32:04,917 a Japanese submarine surfaces off the coast... 548 00:32:05,125 --> 00:32:08,875 and fires armor-piercing shells at the Ellwood Oil Field. 549 00:32:10,958 --> 00:32:14,583 While the bombardment causes little damage... 550 00:32:14,792 --> 00:32:17,292 America is on high alert. 551 00:32:19,083 --> 00:32:21,000 Civilians are reading in their newspapers 552 00:32:21,167 --> 00:32:24,042 on the morning of February 24th about a submarine attack. 553 00:32:25,042 --> 00:32:28,333 And then on the evening of February 24th, 554 00:32:28,500 --> 00:32:32,500 the headquarters of the 37th Anti-Aircraft Brigade 555 00:32:32,625 --> 00:32:36,333 and the Fourth Anti-Aircraft Command received a message 556 00:32:36,542 --> 00:32:40,333 from the Office of Naval Intelligence, stating, 557 00:32:40,458 --> 00:32:44,542 "Predict Los Angeles attack tonight." 558 00:32:45,917 --> 00:32:48,333 MORGAN: Everyone was on the lookout for the submarine 559 00:32:48,542 --> 00:32:50,333 that had shelled the oil refining complex 560 00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:53,333 right near Santa Barbara the night before. 561 00:32:53,500 --> 00:32:56,542 All of Southern California went under a blackout. 562 00:32:56,750 --> 00:32:58,583 No radio stations could broadcast. 563 00:32:58,792 --> 00:33:00,417 There was a full military alert. 564 00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:03,083 POPE: What happened was, 565 00:33:03,250 --> 00:33:06,708 over a series of some hours, 566 00:33:06,875 --> 00:33:11,333 strange objects were seen over Los Angeles... 567 00:33:12,708 --> 00:33:14,375 ...in and around the city itself. 568 00:33:14,542 --> 00:33:18,208 And the witnesses included members of the public, 569 00:33:18,375 --> 00:33:23,083 but also some of the people manning the coastal batteries. 570 00:33:24,708 --> 00:33:27,167 And these people opened fire on 571 00:33:27,375 --> 00:33:30,250 whatever this object or objects were. 572 00:33:32,167 --> 00:33:34,583 SHATNER: Anti-aircraft guns erupted, 573 00:33:34,792 --> 00:33:38,875 firing blindly at unidentified objects in the sky. 574 00:33:39,042 --> 00:33:41,833 But were these objects Japanese planes? 575 00:33:42,042 --> 00:33:45,250 Or could they have been something else? 576 00:33:46,292 --> 00:33:50,542 This strange incident has come to be known as 577 00:33:50,708 --> 00:33:53,125 "The Battle of Los Angeles." 578 00:33:54,792 --> 00:33:57,833 POPE: You've got to imagine all these coastal batteries 579 00:33:58,042 --> 00:34:00,083 firing up into the air. 580 00:34:00,292 --> 00:34:05,125 So, the Battle of Los Angeles, in many respects, 581 00:34:05,292 --> 00:34:09,792 took the war to the mainland, continental United States. 582 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:13,042 And it was apocalyptic. 583 00:34:13,208 --> 00:34:16,333 The city of Los Angeles is stunned. 584 00:34:16,500 --> 00:34:18,500 Nobody's quite sure what's happening. 585 00:34:18,667 --> 00:34:20,083 Are we under attack? 586 00:34:20,208 --> 00:34:24,000 They looked as if they were, but by who or what? 587 00:34:25,542 --> 00:34:28,708 SHATNER: In total, 1,400 rounds were fired 588 00:34:28,875 --> 00:34:31,542 into the sky at unidentified objects. 589 00:34:32,833 --> 00:34:35,292 Remarkably, after the smoke cleared, 590 00:34:35,417 --> 00:34:38,292 there was no evidence of any downed planes, 591 00:34:38,458 --> 00:34:42,583 and no coherent explanation for what happened. 592 00:34:44,083 --> 00:34:47,125 Within hours, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox 593 00:34:47,292 --> 00:34:50,667 held a press conference, dismissing the incident 594 00:34:50,833 --> 00:34:52,833 as "war nerves." 595 00:34:53,042 --> 00:34:56,500 Frank Knox makes a very interesting statement 596 00:34:56,708 --> 00:34:58,042 that it was a false alarm. 597 00:34:59,542 --> 00:35:03,833 A lot of people say that there was a cover-up, and the military 598 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,917 was obfuscating the truth, and everyone's dodging this. 599 00:35:08,083 --> 00:35:09,833 There more than likely is some truth to that. 600 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,625 The civilians didn't know anything except that shrapnel 601 00:35:13,750 --> 00:35:17,125 was raining down on the citizens of Los Angeles, 602 00:35:17,292 --> 00:35:20,208 because many rounds didn't impact and didn't detonate 603 00:35:20,375 --> 00:35:22,167 until they hit the ground. 604 00:35:22,333 --> 00:35:24,333 And this is pretty alarming. 605 00:35:25,750 --> 00:35:29,333 SHATNER: What really happened on February 24, 1942, 606 00:35:29,458 --> 00:35:31,708 over the skies of Los Angeles? 607 00:35:32,875 --> 00:35:36,833 Some say the answer can be found by examining the iconic photo 608 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,083 of the attack that appeared in the Los Angeles Times. 609 00:35:41,250 --> 00:35:43,083 NELSON: It's an amazing photograph. 610 00:35:43,250 --> 00:35:47,125 And it shows these beams of light going up into the sky 611 00:35:47,250 --> 00:35:50,583 and terminating at one large object 612 00:35:50,750 --> 00:35:54,333 that is, in fact, some kind of oblong shape. 613 00:35:55,708 --> 00:35:59,000 MORGAN: The photo enters the general American cultural zeitgeist 614 00:35:59,167 --> 00:36:01,208 in a powerful way, because in that photograph, 615 00:36:01,375 --> 00:36:03,667 what they think they see is that U.S. Army 616 00:36:03,792 --> 00:36:06,500 coast artillery anti-aircraft searchlight batteries 617 00:36:06,625 --> 00:36:09,375 have illuminated a flying saucer. 618 00:36:10,833 --> 00:36:13,792 SHATNER: Did the U.S. military engage in a firefight 619 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,625 with a flying saucer during World War II, as some believe? 620 00:36:17,792 --> 00:36:19,583 It's a tantalizing question 621 00:36:19,750 --> 00:36:23,542 that is still up for debate, especially considering 622 00:36:23,750 --> 00:36:27,708 that the photo in the Los Angeles Times 623 00:36:27,875 --> 00:36:29,833 was altered for publication. 624 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,667 The original photograph is so faint 625 00:36:33,792 --> 00:36:38,583 that it shows some blurry blobs of light. 626 00:36:38,750 --> 00:36:42,750 And then a few search lights that sort of fade out. 627 00:36:42,917 --> 00:36:47,458 So they helped the viewer see the searchlights 628 00:36:47,625 --> 00:36:51,542 by doctoring it and making it more acceptable for print. 629 00:36:51,708 --> 00:36:53,333 So what is up there? 630 00:36:53,458 --> 00:36:54,708 (air-raid sirens wailing) 631 00:36:54,875 --> 00:36:56,250 SHATNER: More than 80 years 632 00:36:56,417 --> 00:36:58,167 after the Battle of Los Angeles... 633 00:36:59,958 --> 00:37:01,292 ...people still debate whether 634 00:37:01,458 --> 00:37:03,708 a firefight with extraterrestrials 635 00:37:03,875 --> 00:37:07,167 actually took place over a major American city. 636 00:37:08,458 --> 00:37:12,042 Not unlike another strange World War II mystery 637 00:37:12,167 --> 00:37:15,333 that has also stirred controversy. 638 00:37:15,542 --> 00:37:18,667 It involves the Nazis' bizarre quest 639 00:37:18,792 --> 00:37:23,625 to obtain mystical objects believed to possess... 640 00:37:23,792 --> 00:37:26,208 supernatural powers. 641 00:37:30,375 --> 00:37:32,417 SHATNER: World War II spanned six years, 642 00:37:32,583 --> 00:37:34,833 inflicted upwards of 80 million casualties, 643 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:38,208 and shaped our modern world. 644 00:37:39,250 --> 00:37:40,583 But what most people don't realize 645 00:37:40,708 --> 00:37:42,667 is that remnants of the ideology 646 00:37:42,875 --> 00:37:46,167 that gave rise to this monumental conflict 647 00:37:46,292 --> 00:37:48,208 can still be seen today 648 00:37:48,333 --> 00:37:51,125 in a remote town in Western Germany. 649 00:37:51,292 --> 00:37:53,667 Near the small village of Wewelsburg, 650 00:37:53,833 --> 00:37:55,167 stands an ominous castle 651 00:37:55,375 --> 00:37:58,000 that was home to the strange beliefs 652 00:37:58,208 --> 00:38:01,375 and occult practices of Nazi Germany. 653 00:38:01,542 --> 00:38:06,042 This 400-year-old stronghold is sometimes called 654 00:38:06,208 --> 00:38:09,500 the Nazi Temple of Doom. 655 00:38:11,667 --> 00:38:15,750 PICKNETT: Wewelsburg Castle was Heinrich Himmler's headquarters. 656 00:38:15,917 --> 00:38:18,500 It was, to him, a temple for 657 00:38:18,667 --> 00:38:21,375 his particular brand of black magic, if you like. 658 00:38:21,542 --> 00:38:23,750 They had their unholy ceremonies there. 659 00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:27,583 It was the center of the most devilish, 660 00:38:27,792 --> 00:38:31,583 genuinely satanic operation the world has ever seen. 661 00:38:32,625 --> 00:38:34,333 CHRISTOPHER HALE: Heinrich Himmler was in charge 662 00:38:34,500 --> 00:38:38,042 of what was called the Schutzstaffel-- the SS. 663 00:38:38,208 --> 00:38:40,167 Himmler was very concerned with rituals 664 00:38:40,292 --> 00:38:42,958 and strange occult ideas. 665 00:38:43,083 --> 00:38:46,958 And he invited members of the officer class of the SS 666 00:38:47,125 --> 00:38:49,333 to meetings at Wewelsburg. 667 00:38:49,458 --> 00:38:51,333 KIRKPATRICK: In the dungeon area, 668 00:38:51,500 --> 00:38:53,833 they had an eternal flame burning, 669 00:38:53,958 --> 00:38:58,333 and crypts containing Nazi military heroes. 670 00:38:58,542 --> 00:39:01,750 And it's presumed that all kinds of 671 00:39:01,875 --> 00:39:05,917 what would be considered pagan rituals were conducted. 672 00:39:07,125 --> 00:39:08,583 SPENCE: You can visit it today, 673 00:39:08,708 --> 00:39:12,708 and you can still see the 12-armed Black Sun emblem 674 00:39:12,875 --> 00:39:15,375 that Heinrich Himmler had inlaid in the floor 675 00:39:15,542 --> 00:39:17,125 at a considerable cost. 676 00:39:17,292 --> 00:39:19,667 And the point of ritual magic 677 00:39:19,792 --> 00:39:24,167 is to bend reality to your desires. 678 00:39:24,333 --> 00:39:26,875 Well, just imagine what the Nazis wanted. 679 00:39:27,042 --> 00:39:28,417 A world controlled by Nazis. 680 00:39:28,583 --> 00:39:30,667 So everything they're doing there is 681 00:39:30,792 --> 00:39:33,625 this attempt to manifest that reality. 682 00:39:34,750 --> 00:39:37,708 SHATNER: Not only did Himmler and the SS perform dark rituals 683 00:39:37,875 --> 00:39:39,500 at Wewelsburg Castle, 684 00:39:39,625 --> 00:39:43,917 they also sent expeditions to the far reaches of Tibet 685 00:39:44,083 --> 00:39:48,083 and Antarctica in search of relics said to possess 686 00:39:48,250 --> 00:39:49,917 mystical properties. 687 00:39:50,042 --> 00:39:54,625 And while this fascination with the occult is certainly bizarre, 688 00:39:54,792 --> 00:39:57,042 some historians believe it embodies 689 00:39:57,208 --> 00:40:01,875 the Nazis' relentless quest for absolute power. 690 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:03,625 PICKNETT: When we talk about the Nazi obsession 691 00:40:03,750 --> 00:40:06,083 with the occult, I mean, it sounds crazy. 692 00:40:06,250 --> 00:40:07,583 And indeed, it probably is. 693 00:40:07,750 --> 00:40:10,375 The real roots of Nazi occultism 694 00:40:10,542 --> 00:40:13,917 was a great desire to dominate the entire Earth. 695 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,417 So, to establish some kind of mystical contact 696 00:40:18,583 --> 00:40:21,667 and, obviously, get a bit of their power, 697 00:40:21,875 --> 00:40:25,000 was a sensible idea from their perspective. 698 00:40:25,125 --> 00:40:28,167 SHATNER: Despite numerous theories and intense study, 699 00:40:28,292 --> 00:40:32,042 we may never fully understand what drove Nazi Germany 700 00:40:32,208 --> 00:40:33,542 to embrace the occult. 701 00:40:35,042 --> 00:40:38,250 And the surprising truth is that even though 702 00:40:38,375 --> 00:40:40,875 World War II ended more than 70 years ago, 703 00:40:41,042 --> 00:40:44,417 there is still much more we have to learn about 704 00:40:44,625 --> 00:40:47,833 the most devastating conflict in human history. 705 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:51,958 Why does World War II spawn so many unexplained things, 706 00:40:52,125 --> 00:40:53,792 so many, so many mysteries? 707 00:40:54,875 --> 00:40:56,708 Simple explanation is that it is 708 00:40:56,875 --> 00:40:59,125 the single biggest event in human history. 709 00:41:00,208 --> 00:41:04,667 More blood and treasure, more energy was expended on that 710 00:41:04,833 --> 00:41:07,583 than anything else that we have ever done. 711 00:41:07,750 --> 00:41:11,167 And the world and everybody since has been 712 00:41:11,375 --> 00:41:14,917 irreparably shaped by those events. 713 00:41:16,458 --> 00:41:18,875 World War II was just massive in scale. 714 00:41:19,042 --> 00:41:20,833 We were hiding technologies and developing stuff, 715 00:41:21,042 --> 00:41:22,333 and keeping secrets. 716 00:41:22,542 --> 00:41:24,167 It's not a shock that we come out of there 717 00:41:24,375 --> 00:41:26,833 with an awful lot in our minds, 718 00:41:26,958 --> 00:41:31,000 in our spirits, that is still just unexplained. 719 00:41:33,375 --> 00:41:36,542 It's remarkable how many bizarre, 720 00:41:36,708 --> 00:41:38,917 unsolved mysteries emerged from the Second World War. 721 00:41:39,083 --> 00:41:42,708 These extraordinary tales show the profound influence 722 00:41:42,875 --> 00:41:46,000 that the war continues to have, even in the 21st century. 723 00:41:47,333 --> 00:41:49,542 Which is precisely why both historians 724 00:41:49,708 --> 00:41:51,667 and curious members of the public 725 00:41:51,792 --> 00:41:55,333 will keep investigating the many strange stories 726 00:41:55,542 --> 00:41:58,625 of World War II that remain... 727 00:41:59,625 --> 00:42:00,875 ...unexplained. 728 00:42:01,042 --> 00:42:02,750 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS