Dr. Rothacker Smith looked death in the eye several times during World War II. In these moments during his wartime service, during captivity as a German POW and beyond, his faith carried him through and indeed directed much of his life, as did the proud tradition of the Buffalo Soldier which he upheld.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill's defeat in the British General Election of 1945 changed the course of the Potsdam Conference.

The African American 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion earned a Presidential Unit Citation for its heroic stand in France in December 1944, and a Medal of Honor in 1980 posthumously awarded to Major Charles Thomas.

The Red Army's liberation of Majdanek in July 1944 was one of the most significant moments in the history of World War II and the Holocaust.

One of World War I's greatest battles, the siege of Przemyśl, set the stage for the brutal fighting—and genocide—that scarred Eastern Europe in World War II.

The African American Black Panthers of the 761st Tank Battalion completed their distinguished combat record by breaching Germany's Siegfried Line and crossing the Rhine in 1945.

As Allied troops gained ground in Europe, members of the Women’s Army Corps [WAC] were there to serve. Bringing vital communication skills, they jumped into seats at switchboards still warm from the enemy operators who had just vacated their posts. In July 1945, the WAC telephone operators were selected to manage the "Victory switchboard" at the Potsdam Conference.

Daniel Haulman, PhD, one of the world's leading authorities on the all African American Tuskegee Airmen, joins us for an interview on their service, challenges, and legacy.

Although the star was used as the main identification for Allied vehicles in World War II, its design changed over time.

 By January 1945 the African American soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion, the Black Panthers, were battle-tested veterans. But they would encounter one of their toughest fights in January 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge.

The 156th Infantry Band from Louisiana brought a New Orleans flair to one of the most influential postwar moments in Europe, when they were selected to provide the musical backdrop for the Potsdam Conference as the “house band” at the Little White House.

A snapshot of Roland Martin's course from boyhood in California to a B-17 Pilot stationed in England, ending as a POW in Germany.