Neuschwanstein is Louis II of Bavaria's 19th-century fairy-tale castle that inspired Walt Disney. Inside, medieval fantasy hides modern innovation: steel beams, plumbing, and central heating.

Begun in 1882, the Sagrada Família became Gaudí's radical engineering laboratory. In 2026, the church yet to be finished, builders use modern engineering to raise the 170-metre spires above Barcelona.

No surrender before defeat - the bloodiest months of the war are still ahead. A Soviet surge pushes German forces back to within 30 kilometres of the Polish border.

Retracing the story of Hermann Goering, we learn how a revered fighter pilot of the First World War could emerge as a psychopathic war criminal in World War II.

A team of experts investigate the methods Hitler used to indoctrinate Germany, turning it into a finely-tuned war machine; we visit Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry and the holiday park of Prora.

December 1944: Hitler has picked the Ardennes sector for a major offensive. The surprise attack, spearheaded by elite divisions, initially sends American units reeling.

Lyon is the third-largest city in France; in ancient times it was the largest. At the time, the capital of the Gauls was called Lugdunum, a showcase for Rome in lands conquered by Julius Caesar.

The final hours of WW2 change the course of history; as the Americans inch closer to Japan, the Japanese fight with greater intensity. The question now is how to force capitulation.

By 1942, deception had become extremely sophisticated; the most cunning operation used a deceased homeless man to trick the entire Nazi leadership about the Normandy invasion.

Retracing the story of Hermann Goering, we learn how a revered fighter pilot of the First World War could emerge as a psychopathic war criminal in World War II.

Pierrefonds looks like a 14th-century fortress, yet it is a 19th-century masterpiece. We uncover how a ruined stronghold became a revolutionary hybrid of Middle Ages and Industrial Age innovation.

Rising 80 metres above Athens, the Acropolis is a high-speed engineering feat forged in an age of war and political ambition. This episode decodes the logistics behind the Parthenon.

Neuschwanstein is Louis II of Bavaria's 19th-century fairy-tale castle that inspired Walt Disney. Inside, medieval fantasy hides modern innovation: steel beams, plumbing, and central heating.

Begun in 1882, the Sagrada Família became Gaudí's radical engineering laboratory. In 2026, the church yet to be finished, builders use modern engineering to raise the 170-metre spires above Barcelona.

The inter-war years saw the rise of dictators, appeasement and the policies of the Third Reich until the invasion of Poland, and Japan's 1937 invasion of China escalated into a full-scale conflict.

Technology was used to deceive the enemy; radio and transmitters spread false information, and a ghost army tricked entire enemy forces by using sound effects.

At the outbreak of World War II, the Nazis had the finest air force in the entire world. James Holland learns how internecine squabbles led the Nazi High Command on the catastrophic road to defeat.

James Holland uncovers the truth behind Hitler's feared Panzer divisions and explores how the German obsession with over-engineering their armoured vehicles brought about their downfall.

No surrender before defeat - the bloodiest months of the war are still ahead. A Soviet surge pushes German forces back to within 30 kilometres of the Polish border.

During the Gallic Wars, Arles in the south of France fared really well. The most beautiful Roman monuments were built there, hence Arles was nicknamed 'the little Rome of Ancient Gaul'.

We go on the trail of Adolf Eichmann, the notorious Nazi bureaucrat who escaped justice for 15 years until his trial made the Holocaust a household name.

Aachen Cathedral is a 1,200-year engineering marvel. We decode the 'smart' mortar, the hidden iron ring stabilising the cupola, and the metal reinforcements that let stained glass replace stone.

For 2,600 years, Carcassonne has stood as Europe's ultimate fortress. Blending archaeology and engineering, we learn how innovation, strategy and restoration shaped an 'impregnable' citadel.