Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW, MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

GHOST BOMBS OF WORLD WAR II.

THERE'S A TIME BOMB RIGHT UNDER YOUR HOUSE

WAITIN' TO GO OFF.

[ SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

Narrator: DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES,

THE VIKING HOUSE OF CORPSES.

THIS IS REALLY A FANTASTIC NEW DISCOVERY.

THIS STRUCTURE IS COMPLETELY UNIQUE.

Narrator: AND ALIEN-LOOKING SYMBOLS ETCHED INTO THE DESERT.

THINGS IMAGE IS WEIRD AS IT IS,

BUT WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WEIRDER IS

THAT THIS WAS TAKEN NEAR AREA 51.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA. MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

**

**

**

[ BIRD CALLING ]

JUNE 23, 2019,

4 A.M., IN THE VILLAGE OF HALBACH, WESTERN GERMANY.

IT'S THE PREDAWN DARKNESS,

WHEN SUDDENLY THE PEACE AND QUIET

IS INTERRUPTED BY AN EAR-SPLITTING EXPLOSION.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

[ ALARM SOUNDS ]

IT'S SO POWERFUL THAT SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS IN

THE AREA ACTUALLY RECORD IT AS AN EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: THE CAUSE OF THE MASSIVE BLAST IS A MYSTERY.

A FEW HOURS LATER, AERIAL CAMERAS SCANNING

FIELDS NEAR THE VILLAGE CAPTURE THIS IMAGE.

IT LOOKS ALMOST AS IF SOME VOLCANO HAS

JUST ERUPTED FROM THE MIDDLE OF THIS FIELD.

Narrator: GUY WALTERS THINKS THE CRATER IS

EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING EVEN MORE TERRIFYING.

WHAT'S APPARENT IS THAT SOMETHING HAS BLOWN UP.

I THINK IT'S A SUBTERRANEAN BOMB.

Narrator: IT APPEARS THE EXPLOSION IS A LEGACY OF

THE TERROR THAT GRIPPED THE WORLD EIGHT DECADES AGO.

WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS

AN UNEXPLODED BOMB THAT'S JUST WOKEN UP

75 YEARS LATER AND BLOWN UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

Narrator: ON-SITE INVESTIGATORS CONFIRM THAT A LONG-BURIED,

550-POUND WORLD WAR II BOMB HAS SPONTANEOUSLY DETONATED.

IT IS A HAUNTING REMINDER THAT

THE DEADLIEST CONFLICT IN HISTORY CONTINUES TO

THREATEN LIVES.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE REALITY OF THIS SITUATION IS THAT

THERE ARE POTENTIALLY

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BOMBS THAT ARE OUT THERE

WAITING TO EXPLODE LIKE THIS ONE DID.

THE QUESTION IS, WHERE ARE THEY?

Narrator: THE DISTURBING THING IS THAT MOST OF THESE BOMBS

AREN'T LYING UNDER REMOTE FIELDS,

BUT IN HIGHLY POPULATED EUROPEAN TOWNS AND CITIES,

CITIES LIKE GLOGOW IN POLAND,

WHICH STILL BEARS THE SCARS OF ONE OF

THE MOST INTENSE BOMBARDMENTS OF WORLD WAR II.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

THIS IS THE TEAM TASKED WITH FINDING

AND DEFUSING THE CITY'S WARTIME BOMBS BEFORE THEY KILL

YET MORE PEOPLE.

COMMANDER JAROSLAW ROMANOWSKI HEADS UP

GLOGOW'S BOMB DISPOSAL SQUAD.

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

Narrator: THE CHALLENGE FACING THE BOMB SQUAD IS IMMENSE.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

BETWEEN MARCH AND APRIL 1945, THE ADVANCING SOVIETS SUBJECT

NAZI-HELD GLOGOW TO A SERIES OF CATACLYSMIC ATTACKS,

WHICH DESTROY MORE THAN 95% OF THE CITY.

IT WAS A MAJOR TARGET.

DURING THE END OF WORLD WAR II.

THE ALLIES WERE TRYING TO DESTROY THE AREA

AND ALSO BLOCK OFF GERMAN SOLDIERS

FROM RETREATING AND SAVING THEMSELVES.

Narrator: THESE BOMBING RAIDS SEND SHOCKWAVES

620 MILES INTO THE AIR.

[ EXPLOSIONS BLASTING ]

YET MORE AERIAL HELL

COMES IN THE FORM OF THE RED ARMY'S

ARTILLERY SHELLS, MORTARS, AND GRENADES.

Silbey: THEY TARGETED PARTICULARLY

TRANSPORT HUBS, RAILWAYS, ROADS,

UM, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, WHICH MEANT ALL OF THOSE AREAS

GOT CARPETED WITH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF BOMBS.

Narrator: NOT ONLY ARE THESE AERIAL BOMBS AND ORDNANCE

HOPELESSLY UNRELIABLE,

BUT ALMOST ALL MISSED THEIR INTENDED TARGETS.

THE FUSES ONLY WORKED ABOUT NINE OUT OF 10 TIMES,

WHICH LEAVES 10% OF THESE BOMBS STILL LAYING IN

THE GROUND SOMEWHERE.

Narrator: FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II,

BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERTS CLEAR SOME

AREAS OF GLOGOW,

BUT EVEN TODAY, UNTOLD TONS

OF UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE LITTER THE CITY.

NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THEY ARE

OR WHEN THEY WILL EXPLODE.

Morgan: THAT'S SORT OF A CHILLING REALITY TO CONSIDER.

HERE WE ARE MORE THAN 75 YEARS BEYOND THE CONFLICT,

AND THERE'S THE POTENTIAL THAT SOMEONE COULD BE SITTING

AT HOME ENJOYING LUNCH, AND THEN KABOOM.

Narrator: TODAY, COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI

IS TURNING TO AERIAL IMAGERY TO

HUNT FOR THESE DEADLY RELICS OF WORLD WAR II.

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

Narrator: USING PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN JUST AFTER

GLOGOW'S DESTRUCTION, COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI IDENTIFIES AREAS

THAT SUFFERED HEAVY BOMBARDMENT

BUT HAVE YET TO BE SWEPT FOR WORLD WAR II MUNITIONS.

Narrator: THE TEAM IS HEADING FOR AN AREA A MILE

TO THE NORTHEAST THAT

WITNESSED A BRUTAL ASSAULT BY THE RED ARMY

ON A NAZI-HELD POSITION.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

Narrator: FOR COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI AND HIS TEAM,

EACH MISSION IS MORE PERILOUS THAN THE LAST.

THE MORE TIME THAT PASSES,

THE MORE THE BOMBS DECAY, AND THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO

SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODE.

Silbey: THESE ARE NOT STABLE BOMBS,

SO THESE PEOPLE ARE TAKING THEIR LIVES IN THEIR OWN HANDS

WHEN THEY GO TO EXTRACT YET ANOTHER ONE OF

THESE UNEXPLODED DEVICES.

Narrator: IN 2019, TWO FELLOW SOLDIERS DIED WHEN

A WORLD WAR II BOMB THEY WERE DEFUSING DETONATED.

THESE WEAPONS OF WAR ARE STILL CLAIMING LIVES.

THE FIRST SIGN WE MIGHT GET AS TO

THE PRESENCE OF AN UNEXPLODED BOMB IS WHEN IT BLOWS UP.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

...AND A MYSTERY DISCOVERY IN THE LAND OF THE VIKINGS.

Chamberlain: THIS IS VERY STRANGE.

THIS REALLY LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF RUNIC SYMBOL.

Narrator: LATE WINTER IN GLOGOW, WESTERN POLAND.

[ DISTANT SIRENS WAILING ]

ON THE GROUND, A TEAM OF COMBAT ENGINEERS ARE ON

THE HUNT FOR LIVE WORLD WAR II BOMBS AND MUNITIONS.

Narrator: USING AERIAL IMAGES TAKEN IN 1945, THE BOMB SQUAD

HAVE HIGHLIGHTED AREAS OF INTENSE BOMBING

THAT COULD CONTAIN WARTIME ORDNANCE.

[ SPEAKING POLISH OVER RADIO ]

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

Narrator: THE POLICE HAVE CORDONED OFF

AN AREA FOR THE TEAM TO SWEEP.

IN ITS CENTER STANDS THE REMAINS OF

A HUGE FORT OBLITERATED BY SOVIET AIR RAIDS AND ARTILLERY.

Narrator: COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI WILL CONDUCT

A FORENSIC SEARCH OF THE AREA.

HIS KEVLAR SUIT CONCEALS BALLISTIC PLATES THAT CAN

WITHSTAND SHRAPNEL TRAVELING AT ALMOST 6,000 FEET PER SECOND.

BUT A LARGE EXPLOSION WOULD BE FATAL.

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II, ALMOST ONE IN FIVE POLISH

PEOPLE DIED AT THE HANDS

OF THE NAZIS IN FORESTS SUCH AS THIS ONE.

EVEN NOW, THEIR RULE OF TERROR CASTS

A LETHAL SHADOW OVER THE DESCENDANTS OF THOSE

WHO PERISHED HERE.

Narrator: COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI HAS LOCATED TWO PIECES

OF ORDNANCE NEAR THE BASE OF THE FORT.

ONE OF THEM, A SOVIET MORTAR SHELL,

POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT.

Narrator: COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI CALCULATES THE MORTAR

GRENADE HAS A BLAST RADIUS OF AROUND 80 FEET.

HE HOPES USING THIS GRAPPLE WILL PROVIDE HIS BOMB SUIT

WITH A VITAL FEW FEET OF CLEARANCE

SHOULD IT DETONATE.

[ INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER ]

Narrator: AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS FOR EIGHT DECADES,

THE RUSTING MORTAR SHELL IS HIGHLY UNSTABLE.

IT CARRIES A CONTACT FUSE THAT

COULD DETONATE ON THE SLIGHTEST IMPACT.

**

**

Narrator: TO TRANSPORT MUNITIONS TO THE DISPOSAL SITE,

THE BOMB SQUAD USES A BLAST-PROOF TRAILER,

WHICH THEY HOPE WILL SUPPRESS ANY EXPLOSION EN ROUTE.

WITH THE VOLATILE MORTAR ROUND SECURED,

THE TEAM TURNS THEIR ATTENTION TO

THE SECOND MORE STABLE PIECE OF ORDNANCE,

A 122-MILLIMETER ARTILLERY SHELL.

**

**

Narrator: DISPOSAL TAKES PLACE AT A SECURE SITE

THREE MILES SOUTH OF THE CITY.

GLOGOW WAS SO BADLY BOMBED AND THE QUANTITY OF UNEXPLODED

ORDNANCE SO GREAT,

THE BOMB DISPOSAL TEAM REGULARLY DETONATES WHOLE

STOCKPILES OF NEWLY DISCOVERED WORLD WAR II MUNITIONS.

Narrator: THE SAPPERS ATTACH DETONATORS AND FUSES TO

THE WEEK'S HAUL BEFORE BURYING IT UNDERGROUND.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

Narrator: WITH THESE BLASTS,

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

THE TEAM DESTROYS 130 POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES

THAT MIGHT HAVE OTHERWISE CLAIMED COUNTLESS LIVES.

FOR MANY LIVING HERE AND ELSEWHERE ACROSS EUROPE,

WORLD WAR II IS FAR FROM OVER.

Albertson: YOU MIGHT BE LIVING ON TOP OF ONE OF THESE THINGS,

AND YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IT.

AND THERE'S A TIME BOMB RIGHT UNDER YOUR HOUSE,

WAITIN' TO GO OFF.

Narrator: COMING UP, THE VIKING HALL OF DEATH.

MAYBE WE'RE LOOKING AT A PRISON FOR THE VIKING DEAD.

Narrator: AND SEEN OVER AREA 51...

IT'S THE PERFECT BLUFF IN THIS

HIGH-STAKES GAME OF MILITARY POKER.

AUGUST 2019.

AN AERIAL CAMERA SCANNING AN AREA NEAR

THE VILLAGE OF VINJEORA

IN CENTRAL NORWAY UNCOVERS THIS IN THE LANDSCAPE BELOW.

THIS REALLY LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF RUNIC SYMBOL.

Krueger: IT JUST LOOKS SO UNUSUAL,

AND THERE SEEMS TO BE THIS RECTANGLE INSIDE THE CIRCLE,

WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE MYSTERIOUS.

Narrator: THE IMAGE IS OF INTENSE INTEREST

TO RAYMOND SAUVAGE, WHO HAS RECENTLY BEGUN

EXCAVATING THE SYMBOL SEEN FROM THE SKIES.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST BELIEVES IT IS THE FOOTPRINT OF

A STRUCTURE THAT STOOD HERE 1,000 YEARS AGO.

ALL OUR EVIDENCE POINTS THAT THIS STRUCTURE

DATES FROM THE VIKING AGE.

Narrator: BUT WHAT PUZZLES THE VIKING EXPERT IS THAT IT'S

UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE THE NORSEMEN

ARE KNOWN TO HAVE BUILT.

Sauvage: WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT

THIS MYSTERIOUS FEATURE IS YET.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT STRUCTURE IS LOCATED AT THE END OF

A 33-MILE-LONG FJORD THAT ONCE CARRIED WARRIORS SEEKING

PLUNDER ACROSS THE SEAS.

CENTURIES OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY HAVE ERASED MUCH

OF THE EVIDENCE OF WHAT STOOD HERE,

BUT FROM THE AIR, CLUES DO REMAIN.

USING THE SATELLITE MEASURING SYSTEM,

WE CAN MAP FEATURES WITHIN A VERY HIGH DEGREE OF ACCURACY.

SAUVAGE'S GPS DATA AND EXCAVATIONS REVEAL THAT

THE LINE TRANSECTING THE CIRCLE

IS A SCAR CREATED BY FARMING.

THE CIRCLE ITSELF IS A DITCH

ENCLOSING WHAT WAS ONCE A LARGE MOUND.

BUT IT'S WHAT WAS HIDDEN IN

THE CENTER OF THIS MOUND THAT BAFFLES THE ARCHAEOLOGIST.

Sauvage: INSIDE, WE FOUND STONES THAT

SUPPORTED A WOODEN STRUCTURE.

SO IT'S CLEAR THAT THIS WAS

AN ACTUAL HOUSE CONSTRUCTED INSIDE A MOUND.

Narrator: THE BIZARRE SEMI-SUBTERRANEAN HOUSE IS

THE FIRST SUCH STRUCTURE

DISCOVERED IN THE LAND OF THE VIKINGS.

AND AROUND IT, SAUVAGE AND HIS TEAM

ARE FINDING MACABRE CLUES

AS TO WHY THE NORSEMEN BUILT IT ALL THOSE CENTURIES AGO.

YES, THIS IS A SINGLE-EDGED SWORD.

IT HAS A...

CUTTING EDGE ON THIS SIDE HERE.

Narrator: THE SWORD WAS DISCOVERED IN THIS GRAVE,

WHICH CONTAINS THE ROTTED REMAINS OF A BOAT BURIAL.

Sauvage: IT TELLS US THAT THIS MAN

PROBABLY SERVED AS A WARRIOR.

HE WAS BURIED WITH HIS WEAPONS.

Narrator: SURROUNDING THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE,

THE TEAM HAS UNCOVERED DOZENS MORE

GRAVES SPANNING 200 YEARS OF VIKING HISTORY.

THERE ARE NO SETTLEMENTS HERE.

I WOULD CHARACTERIZE

THIS AS THE LANDSCAPE OF THE DEADS.

Narrator: VIKINGS BELIEVED THAT WHEN YOU DIED,

YOU WOULD EMBARK ON A JOURNEY TO ONE OF THREE REALMS.

VALHALLA, THE HALL OF THE DEAD.

FOLKVANGR, THE FIELD OF WARRIORS.

OR HELHEIM, THE UNDERWORLD.

BUT IT APPEARS THIS IS A STRANGE NEW FORM OF

NORSE BURIAL,

A MORTUARY HOUSE DESIGNED TO PREVENT SUCH A VOYAGE AND KEEP

THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD HERE ON EARTH.

THE MORTUARY HOUSE IS A MYSTERY BECAUSE

IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE IN SCANDINAVIA.

Narrator: SOME EXPERTS THINK THE MORTUARY HOUSE

WAS USED TO STORE BODIES BEFORE BURIAL,

BUT TO SAUVAGE, EVIDENCE OF A DOORWAY SUGGESTS

IT SERVED A MORE RITUAL PURPOSE.

WE CAN IMAGINE THAT THE DOORWAY WAS A THRESHOLD.

SO WHEN YOU ENTER THE HOUSE,

YOU ENTERED SORT OF THE REALM OF THE DEADS.

Narrator: BY ENTERING THIS REALM,

THE LIVING COULD COMMUNE WITH THE DEAD, SEEKING

PROPHECY OR PROTECTION BEFORE CROSSING THE WATERS TO DO

BATTLE IN FOREIGN LANDS.

Krueger: IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE THAT VIKINGS WANTED

TO REACH OUT TO THE DECEASED,

BUT THERE'S A DARKER EXPLANATION FOR

THE HOUSE THAT'S UNDER THE MOUND.

Narrator: EVIDENCE FROM VIKING TEXTS

SUGGEST THAT THE STRUCTURE

WASN'T BUILT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD,

BUT TO IMPRISON THEM.

THERE ARE LOTS OF SOIL MATERIAL.

IT SHOWS CLEARLY THAT PEOPLE WERE AFRAID THAT

PEOPLE COULD COME BACK FROM THE DEAD.

THE VIKINGS BELIEVED THAT SOME CORPSES

COULD TURN INTO DRAUGR,

UNDEAD CREATURES THAT

RISE FROM THE GRAVE TO STALK THOSE WHO THEY BELIEVE

WRONGED THEM IN LIFE.

Paul: THEY COULD BRING CROP FAILURES.

THEY COULD BRING DEFEAT IN BATTLE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING FORMS OF THE UNDEAD.

Narrator: TO PREVENT THE DECEASED FROM BECOMING

A DRAUGR, THEY ARE CARRIED THROUGH A SO-CALLED CORPSE DOOR,

WHICH IS THEN BRICKED UP TO TRAP THEM IN THEIR TOMB.

Sauvage: BY CARRYING THE BODY INSIDE THIS PORTAL,

THE BODY SHOULDN'T RETURN.

SO MAYBE THIS IS CONNECTED WITH THOSE KIND OF BELIEFS.

Narrator: FOR NOW, THE EXACT PURPOSE OF THE HOUSE

OF THE DEAD DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES REMAINS UNCLEAR.

Narrator: SAUVAGE CONTINUES TO EXCAVATE THE SITE,

BUT THIS ANCIENT LANDSCAPE IS NOT GIVING UP

ITS SECRETS EASILY.

THIS IS REALLY A FANTASTIC NEW DISCOVERY BECAUSE IT

COULD GIVE US NEW INSIGHTS INTO VIKING RITUALS

AND BELIEFS.

Narrator: COMING UP, AREA 51'S STRANGE SYMBOLS.

THIS IS SO WEIRD -- IT'S A PERFECTLY DESIGNED STAR

ETCHED INTO THE GROUND.

Narrator: AND THE UNDERGROUND WAR THAT CHANGED HISTORY.

Silbey: UNION SOLDIERS DIG TUNNELS

AND LITERALLY BLOW THE CONFEDERATES SKY HIGH.

Narrator: JULY 1, 2017,

ORBITING ABOVE NEVADA,

THE WorldView-2 SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS

IN THE DESERT SCRUB BELOW.

THIS IS SO WEIRD -- IT'S A PERFECTLY DESIGNED,

ALMOST SNOWFLAKE OR STAR ETCHED INTO THE GROUND.

Narrator: ANOTHER ALMOST IDENTICAL PATTERN SITS NEARBY.

THIS IMAGE IS WEIRD AS IT IS,

BUT WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WEIRDER IS THAT THIS WAS TAKEN NEAR

AREA 51.

Narrator: AREA 51,

A FACILITY SO SECRETIVE THAT MOST OF ITS

EMPLOYEES COMMUTE TO WORK IN UNMARKED PRIVATE PLANES.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SHOT TRYING TO ENTER INTO AREA 51.

AND WHY? BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE

INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES TEST NEW TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTS.

Narrator: REPORTS OF STRANGE THINGS IN THE SKIES

OVER AREA 51 DATE BACK TO THE 1950s,

WHEN THE U.S. MILITARY

BEGINS TESTING A SERIES OF NEW EXPERIMENTAL

AIRCRAFT KNOWN AS X-PLANES.

WHAT WE COULD BE LOOKING AT HERE

IS WHAT'S KNOWN AS A TEST TRACK.

THERE'S A SIMILAR TEST TRACK AT GROOM LAKE WITHIN AREA 51.

IT'S A SERIES OF RUNWAYS THAT THE U.S. MILITARY

USES TO DO RESEARCH ON NEXT-GENERATION AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: THE FIRST SPY PLANE TO TAKE TO THE SKIES FROM

THE GROOM LAKE RUNWAYS IS THE U-2 DRAGON LADY IN 1955.

IT PAVES THE WAY FOR

THE 2,193-MILE-PER-HOUR SR-71 BLACKBIRD,

THE WORLD'S FASTEST PLANE.

THEN THE REVOLUTIONARY B-2 STEALTH BOMBER

AND THE F-117 NIGHTHAWK,

ALL OF WHICH WERE FIRST LAUNCHED FROM TEST TRACKS

IN AREA 51.

AREA 51 BROKE THE MOLD FOR

HOW MODERN-DAY FIGHTER JETS WERE CONSTRUCTED.

NOW, IF THESE ARE TEST TRACKS,

IT ACTUALLY WOULD PROVIDE OPTIONS

TO LAUNCH DIFFERENT AIRCRAFT IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

BUT TREVOR ALBERTSON DOUBTS THE PATTERNS

ARE LEGACIES OF THESE GROUNDBREAKING TEST FLIGHTS.

THESE RUNWAYS, IF THEY WERE RUNWAYS AT ALL,

WOULD ONLY BE 2,000 FEET IN LENGTH,

FAR TOO SHORT FOR AN AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: THE FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FINDS

THE STRANGE SHAPES INTRIGUING AND CONFUSING,

AND, HE WONDERS,

MAYBE THAT'S THE POINT.

Albertson: ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT THESE SITES WE SEE IN

THESE IMAGES ARE ACTUALLY DECOYS FOR THE OPEN SKIES PROGRAM.

Narrator: THE TREATY ON OPEN SKIES IS AN AGREEMENT THAT

ALLOWS NATIONS TO CONDUCT AERIAL SURVEILLANCE OF EACH OTHER'S

MILITARY SITES.

THE IDEA BEHIND OPEN SKIES IS TO

BASICALLY SHOW YOUR CARDS TO EACH OTHER.

THE RATIONALE IS THAT THIS BUILDS

A KIND OF TRUST BETWEEN THE POWERS.

Narrator: THE TREATY MEANS THAT RUSSIAN SPY BIRDS

CAN LEGALLY SNOOP ON AREA 51'S INSTALLATIONS.

KNOWING THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE FLYING OVER AREA 51,

MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING MEANT TO THROW THEM OFF THE SCENT.

Narrator: OPEN SKIES IS FIRST PROPOSED IN 1955 BY

PRESIDENT EISENHOWER.

MANKIND EXPECTS THE PARTICIPANTS

IN THIS SUMMIT MEETING

TO WORK HONESTLY AND INTELLIGENTLY

FOR MEASURES TOWARD GENUINE PEACE.

Narrator: HOWEVER, HIS SOVIET COUNTERPART, NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV,

REJECTS THE IDEA.

IT TRANSPIRES THIS IS BECAUSE HE HAS AN AUDACIOUS

PLAN TO TRICK THE U.S. ABOUT RUSSIA'S MILITARY CAPABILITIES.

Wawro: ONE REASON KHRUSHCHEV VETOED EISENHOWER'S IDEA

WAS THAT KHRUSHCHEV DID NOT WANT THE AMERICANS

TO DISCOVER THE LACK OF SOVIET PREPAREDNESS FOR NUCLEAR WAR.

Narrator: DURING THE 1950s,

THE SOVIETS ARE AWARE THAT THE U.S. POSSESSES

FAR MORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS THAN THEY DO.

BUT BY PLAYING ON ANTI-COMMUNIST PARANOIA,

THEY BEGIN TO CONVINCE WASHINGTON THAT THE OPPOSITE

IS TRUE.

ONCE KHRUSHCHEV REALIZES THE AMERICANS ARE STARTING TO

BITE, HE SAYS, OH,

WE'RE MAKING THESE MISSILES LIKE SAUSAGES AND UPS

THE ANXIETY ON THE AMERICAN SIDE.

Narrator: FUELED BY A LACK OF AERIAL INTELLIGENCE,

AMERICAN ANALYSTS WILDLY OVERESTIMATE

THE SOVIETS' NUCLEAR STOCKPILE,

CLAIMING THE COMMUNISTS POSSESS MANY HUNDREDS OF

INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES.

THE REAL NUMBER, IT TURNS OUT, IS FOUR.

IT WAS CRITICAL FOR KHRUSHCHEV

AND HIS SUCCESSORS TO ALWAYS PROJECT

FAR MORE STRENGTH THAN

THEY ACTUALLY DEPLOYED SO THE U.S.

WOULDN'T DARE ATTEMPT A NUCLEAR FIRST STRIKE.

Narrator: TO RATCHET UP THIS DECEPTION,

THE KREMLIN PARADES WHAT THE CIA LATER LEARNS ARE FAKE ICBMs

IN RED SQUARE.

Hymel: IT'S THE PERFECT BLUFF IN THIS HIGH-STAKES GAME OF

MILITARY POKER,

AND THE ACE UP THE SOVIETS' SLEEVE IS NO ACE AT ALL.

Narrator: THE U.S. ITSELF IS NO STRANGER

TO THIS KIND OF SUBTERFUGE,

HAVING USED INFLATABLE TANKS,

DUMMY AIRSTRIPS, AND FAKE RADIO TRANSMISSIONS TO DECEIVE

THE NAZIS DURING THE D-DAY LANDINGS.

ANALYSTS SPECULATE THE STRANGE PATTERNS REPRESENT ANOTHER

TWIST IN THE GAME OF BLUFF

THAT HAS BEEN PLAYING OUT BETWEEN AMERICA

AND HER ENEMIES FOR DECADES.

Munoz: IF THESE IMAGES HAVE NO MEANING WHATSOEVER,

THE HOPE IS YOU HAVE RUSSIAN AND CHINESE ANALYSTS KIND OF

SPINNING THEIR WHEELS

FIGURING OUT WHAT THIS PATTERN IS IN THE DESERT.

MEANWHILE, YOU'RE ACTUALLY CONDUCTING

THE REAL WORK IN SOME OTHER SECTOR.

Narrator: COMING UP, THE MEGA BLAST THAT SHAPED AMERICA.

THE NOISE IS SO LOUD THAT IT CAN BE HEARD 25 MILES AWAY.

Narrator: AND THE 2,000-YEAR-OLD JUNGLE MYSTERY.

THIS LOOKS ALMOST MOLECULAR, LIKE WHAT

YOU WOULD BUILD IN CHEMISTRY CLASS.

Narrator: JULY 2014.

ARIEL ARCHAEOLOGISTS TAKE TO THE SKIES OVER THE HISTORIC

19th-CENTURY BATTLEFIELD OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

PETERSBURG WAS THE SITE OF ONE OF THE GREAT BATTLES OF

THE CIVIL WAR, THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG.

Narrator: THE SURVEY PLANE FIRES LASER PULSES AT THE GROUND,

CREATING A LIDAR IMAGE OF THE WOODED LANDSCAPE BELOW.

IT REVEALS A SERIES OF LONG-HIDDEN TUNNELS

CRISSCROSSING ONE OF THE MOST INTENSELY

STUDIED ARCHAEOLOGICAL LANDSCAPES IN THE COUNTRY.

THEY'RE NOT ON MODERN MAPS.

I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.

THE QUESTION IS, WHO BUILT THEM AND WHY.

Narrator: ANALYSTS TURN TO THE HISTORY

OF THE BATTLE FOR CLUES.

Wawro: PETERSBURG PLAYS A REALLY IMPORTANT ROLE

IN THE WAR, BECAUSE WHEN ULYSSES S. GRANT

TAKES OVER THE COMMAND OF THE UNION ARMY,

HE DECIDES TO GO AFTER ROBERT E. LEE'S ARMY

OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, DESTROY IT, AND END THE WAR.

[ DISTANT SHOUTING ]

Narrator: BY JUNE 1864,

THE CIVIL WAR HAS BEEN WAGING FOR OVER THREE YEARS.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SEEKING REELECTION

FOR HIS SECOND TERM,

INSTRUCTS GENERAL GRANT TO CAPTURE PETERSBURG,

CUT OFF SUPPLIES TO THE NEARBY CONFEDERATE CAPITAL OF RICHMOND,

AND FINALLY DEFEAT THE REBEL STATES.

GRANT RECKONS THAT IF HE TAKES PETERSBURG,

HE CAN BRING THE CONFEDERACY TO ITS KNEES.

THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UNION SOLDIERS

ATTACKING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CONFEDERATES.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY VIOLENT, INCREDIBLY DEVASTATING BATTLE.

Narrator: WHAT MAKES THE BATTLE SO DEVASTATING IS THAT

IT SIGNALS THE DAWN OF A NEW,

BRUTAL FORM OF COMBAT, ONE THAT COULD SHED LIGHT

ON THE TUNNELS DISCOVERED BY AERIAL IMAGING...

TRENCH WARFARE.

WE TEND TO THINK OF TRENCH WARFARE STARTING

IN WORLD WAR I,

BUT ACTUALLY, WHAT HAPPENED AROUND PETERSBURG LOOKS

AN AWFUL LOT LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN FRANCE IN 1914 TO 1918.

Narrator: WHEN THE UNION SOLDIERS ARRIVE AT PETERSBURG,

THEY DISCOVER IT'S FORTIFIED WITH 10 MILES OF DEFENSIVE

EARTHWORKS PROTECTED BY A DEVASTATING NEW GENERATION

OF WEAPONRY.

AMONG THESE NEW IMPLEMENTS OF WAR YOU'RE SEEING

AT PETERSBURG IS THE GATLING GUN.

BECAUSE OF THE INCREASING SOPHISTICATION OF THE WEAPONS

IN THIS CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR,

THESE ARMIES ARE BEGINNING TO GO UNDERGROUND AS THEY TRY TO

ESCAPE THE MURDEROUS FIRE OF THE RIFLES AND ARTILLERY.

Narrator: OVER THE FOLLOWING MONTHS,

THE OPPOSING FORCES CONSTRUCT A FURTHER

30 MILES OF TRENCHES,

AND THE UNION'S LONG-HOPED-FOR VICTORY,

DESCENDS INTO A MUDDY, BLOODY DEADLOCK.

Silbey: THE UNION ARMY COULDN'T FIND A WAY

TO BREAK THROUGH THE TRENCH LINES.

THE SIEGE WAS A STALEMATE, AND NEITHER SIDE

COULD FIGURE OUT A WAY TO RESOLVE IT.

Narrator: TO BREAK THROUGH THE CONFEDERATE DEFENSES,

FORMER MINING ENGINEER HENRY PLEASANTS

DEVISES A DARING PLAN.

HE SUGGESTED THE UNION SOLDIERS SHOULD DIG TUNNELS

UNDERNEATH THE CONFEDERATE TRENCHES,

PACK THEM FULL OF EXPLOSIVES, AND LITERALLY

BLOW THE CONFEDERATES SKY HIGH.

Narrator: BY JULY 23rd, UNION ENGINEERS HAVE

HAND-EXCAVATED A 510-FOOT-LONG SHAFT

DIRECTLY UNDER CONFEDERATE POSITIONS

AND FILLED IT WITH 320 KEGS OF GUNPOWDER.

ON JULY 30th, THEY DETONATE THE MINE.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

WHEN THIS THING BLOWS, I MEAN,

CONFEDERATES ARE TOSSED INTO THE AIR.

IT KILLS HUNDREDS OF THEM. IT'S A HUGE GAP IN THE LINE.

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

THE NOISE IS SO LOUD THAT IT CAN BE HEARD IN RICHMOND,

25 MILES AWAY.

AND THERE'S A GIANT CRATER FORMED IN

THE DEFENSIVE TRENCH SYSTEM OF THE CONFEDERATES.

Narrator: THE SO-CALLED BATTLE OF THE CRATER KICKSTARTS

A GRUELING CAMPAIGN OF TUNNELING

AND COUNTER-MINING REVEALED BY THE LIDAR IMAGE

TAKEN ABOVE THE BATTLEFIELD.

Wawro: SO YOU SEE THIS KIND OF CAT-AND-MOUSE GAME GOING ON,

UNION TRYING TO DIG UNDER THE CONFEDERATE POSITION

AND MINE IT, CONFEDERATES

DIGGING INTO THESE UNION TUNNELS BEFORE THEY REACH

THE CONFEDERATE POSITION, DESTROYING THEM.

IT REALLY IS KIND OF ALMOST A TERROR WEAPON,

BECAUSE NOW THE TROOPS

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LINE ARE PARANOID -- WHEN'S MY TURN?

YOU KNOW, WHEN AM I GONNA BE SITTING PLAYING CARDS,

AND KABOOM! MY LIFE IS OVER.

Wawro: THESE ARE PROBABLY CONFEDERATE TUNNELS BECAUSE

THE CONFEDERATE COUNTER-MINING OPERATIONS

WERE VERY OPPORTUNISTIC, PROBABLY NOT RECORDED ANYWHERE.

Narrator: ON APRIL 2, 1865,

PETERSBURG FINALLY FALLS, AND WITH IT, RICHMOND,

HERALDING THE END OF THE CONFLICT.

OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS, THE TUNNELS COLLAPSE,

BURIED BY HISTORY UNTIL THEY ARE REDISCOVERED

BY EYES IN THE SKY.

THIS COULD BE A TREASURE TROVE OF INFORMATION ABOUT

THE LITTLE-KNOWN CONFEDERATE SIDE OF THE UNDERGROUND

CIVIL WAR.

Narrator: COMING UP, THE CONGO'S MEGA BEASTS.

Kays: IF A PREHISTORIC CREATURE WAS TO SURVIVE,

UNDISCOVERED, UNTIL TODAY,

IT WOULD BE IN THE CONGO BASIN.

Narrator: JUNE 30, 2019.

A SATELLITE ABOVE CENTRAL AFRICA SCANS

AN AREA OF FOREST ALMOST 400 MILES BELOW.

Fanara: THIS IS PRETTY CRAZY-LOOKING.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THESE CIRCLES,

AND THERE'S TRACKS CONNECTING THEM.

IT'S THE STRANGEST THING.

Schuttler: THIS LOOKS ALMOST MOLECULAR IN SHAPE,

LIKE WHAT YOU WOULD BUILD IN CHEMISTRY CLASS.

Narrator: THE WEIRD FOREST BLOBS

SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CONGO BASIN,

A LARGELY UNEXPLORED TROPICAL RAINFOREST LARGER THAN

THE STATE OF ALASKA.

ZOOLOGIST ROLAND KAYS TAKES A CLOSER LOOK.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS, BUT THE WAY THERE ARE

THESE LINES CONNECTING BETWEEN

THESE CIRCULAR THINGS SUGGESTS IT

COULD BE SOME SORT OF NETWORK OF TRAILS

MADE BY SOME SORT OF ANIMAL.

Narrator: THERE ARE STORIES OF A BEAST IN THE CONGO, WHICH,

ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO LIVE HERE,

COULD HAVE MADE THE STRANGE PATTERNS IN THE IMAGE.

Dennie: TRIBES THAT INHABIT THIS AREA HAVE A LEGEND

OF SOMETHING CALLED MOKELE-MBEMBA,

WHICH ESSENTIALLY IS A CREATURE THAT HELPS SHAPE

THE LANDSCAPE.

ITS NAME MEANS THE ONE WHO STOPS THE FLOW OF RIVERS,

Narrator: REPORTEDLY A LARGE HORNED REPTILE

THAT LIVES IN CAVES ALONG RIVERBANKS.

OVER 50 EXPEDITIONS HAVE VENTURED INTO THESE JUNGLES IN

SEARCH OF THE GIANT CREATURE.

Kays: AS OF YET, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SPOT ONE.

BUT IF A PREHISTORIC CREATURE WAS TO SURVIVE,

UNDISCOVERED, UNTIL TODAY,

IT WOULD BE IN A REALLY REMOTE PLACE LIKE THE CONGO BASIN.

Narrator: ADAM RUBEN CONSIDERS IF SUCH A MONSTER COULD

ACCOUNT FOR THE STRANGE PATTERN DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES.

Ruben: AS A BIOLOGIST, I TRY NOT TO RULE THINGS OUT,

BUT A MORE LIKELY EXPLANATION IS A DIFFERENT LARGE ANIMAL

THAT WE ALREADY KNOW LIVES IN

THIS FOREST, WHICH IS THE FOREST ELEPHANT.

Narrator: THE FOREST ELEPHANT IS AN ELUSIVE, LITTLE-STUDIED

SUBSPECIES OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT

THAT EVOLVED AROUND 1.5 MILLION YEARS AGO.

THE BETTER KNOWN AFRICAN ELEPHANTS MOVED OUT

TO THE SAVANNAH, WHILE THE FOREST ELEPHANTS

STAYED IN THE FOREST AND ADAPTED TO LIFE IN A DENSE JUNGLE.

Narrator: FOREST ELEPHANTS ARE CALLED

ANIMAL ENGINEERS BECAUSE THEY TRANSFORM

THE JUNGLE AS THEY MOVE THROUGH IT,

CREATING GAPS FOR PLANTS TO GROW AND TRACKS FOR OTHER

ANIMALS TO USE.

THEY FOLLOW THE SAME PATHS

AND TEND TO GATHER IN THE SAME AREAS.

SO BASED ON THE PATTERNS WE'RE SEEING,

ARE WE LOOKING AT SOME KIND OF ELEPHANT VILLAGE?

Narrator: YET WHEN INVESTIGATORS TRAVEL TO THE REMOTE SITE,

THEY UNCOVER A STRANGE NEW CLUE TO THE ORIGIN OF

THE MYSTERY PATTERNS.

WHEN THEY EXPLORE THE CREEKS AND THE RIVERS,

THEY FIND OIL PALM NUTS.

OIL PALMS ARE A CULTIVATED SPECIES.

THEY'RE NOT FOUND NATURALLY IN THE JUNGLE.

SO WHERE DID THESE NUTS COME FROM?

Narrator: CARBON DATING REVEALS

THE NUTS WERE CULTIVATED BETWEEN 2,300

AND 1,000 YEARS AGO,

SUGGESTING THE PATTERNS ARE A KIND OF ANCIENT FARMLAND.

THESE PATHS AND CLEARINGS

SHOW A SOPHISTICATED AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM.

THERE'S AREAS FOR WATER MANAGEMENT, GROVES,

DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIELDS.

IT'S CRAZY.

Narrator: FURTHER AERIAL IMAGES REVEAL MANY MORE SUCH SITES

COVERING AN AREA LARGER THAN GREAT BRITAIN,

WHICH WERE ONCE LIKELY HOME TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

Schuttler: THIS IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

WHAT THIS REVEALS IS THAT AN AREA THAT

IS COMPLETELY FORESTED NOW WAS ONCE AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION.

Narrator: WHAT ISN'T APPARENT FROM THE IMAGES

IS WHERE ALL THESE PEOPLE LIVED.

DO THESE JUNGLE CANOPIES ALSO CONCEAL LOST TOWNS

AND CITIES?

AND THE DISCOVERY LEAVES OTHER UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.

SO WE CAN FIND ALL THIS REALLY OLD EVIDENCE THAT THERE WAS

A SIZABLE POPULATION HERE,

BUT ONLY UP TO A POINT, AND THEN NO MORE.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE PEOPLE?

Narrator: IT APPEARS THAT AROUND 1,000 A.D.,

WHATEVER WAS HAPPENING HERE STOPPED,

AND WHOEVER WAS HERE DISAPPEARED.