WWII: Mysteries in the Archives 1938-1948

Tokyo Bay, Japan. September 2, 1945. On board the USS Missouri, an American battleship. Several weeks ago, American atom bombs devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan has capitulated. This morning at 9, eleven Japanese government and military officials climb aboard the Missouri to sign the surrender agreement.

In April 1945, just weeks before the war's end, Allied troops advancing on the Western Front uncovered and liberated numerous POW, labor, and concentration camps. It was only when the Americans opened camps like Ohrdruf, Buchenwald, and Dachau in Germany that the world truly grasped the scale of the horrors inflicted by the Nazis, revealing atrocities that had remained hidden until then.

February 1945, Southern Ukraine. As war rages in Europe, British Prime Minister Churchill and U.S. President Roosevelt secretly meet Soviet leader Stalin in Crimea. For over a week, the leaders of the Allied forces gather at Yalta to plan the end of WWII and shape post-war Europe. Their discussions in this Russian resort laid the foundation for Europe's future after the defeat of Nazi Germany.

In 1944, cameraman Felix Forestier was secretly sent to film the French Resistance in Vercors. His unique footage was lost and forgotten until 2013. How did it disappear for so long? Why did the maquis de Vercors become a symbol of the French Resistance, yet is often remembered as a failure? This series uncovers the story of the Vercors maquis and its lasting impact on history.