Warriors

For centuries, the Mayas ruled over one of the largest empires in the Americas. Then they vanished, leaving their sophisticated cities and colossal monuments to be swallowed by the jungle. Traveling deep into the untamed tropical forests of Guatemala, Terry Schappert learns of the Mayas' bizarre rituals and fighting techniques and discovers the role their warrior society may have played in their disappearance. He finds that the Mayas were not only accomplished architects and astronomers but fierce warriors as well.

Germany, 9 AD: The Romans seek to expand their empire into Germany; however, they didn't count on the warrior chief Arminius and his band of Barbarians. Germanic tribes annihilate the greatest army in the world at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. Terry investigates the tactics used by the rebels.

Host Terry Schappert travels to Scotland to examine the epic 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge, where William "Braveheart" Wallace and his rag-tag band of soldiers took on the full power of Edward I's 13,000-strong English army. Terry uses his expertise as a Green Beret to break down this battle through the eyes of the soldiers. He'll explain how the techniques, weaponry, and strategy of these warriors influenced the surprising outcome of the battle.

Malta, 1565: The Knights of Saint John defend Malta from attacking Ottomans in one of history's greatest sieges - the Siege of Malta - the last battle of the Crusades. Terry describes how the outnumbered and outgunned Knights defend Malta against a massive Ottoman invasion force to halt the Ottoman advance into Europe.

Brilliant tactics and battlefield discipline helped the Spartans spearhead the Greek victory over the Persians in the Battle of Plataea in 479 B.C., avenging the defeat of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. Terry explains how the Spartans defeated the Persians, killed Persian General Mardonias, and avenged the death of Leonidas.

South Africa, 1879: At the Battle of Isandlwana, Zulu warriors nearly annihilate an occupying British army. It was Britain's Little Bighorn - England's worst defeat at the hands of a colonial force. Shaka Zulu developed fighting techniques, weaponry, tactics, and, ultimately, their psyche to transform the Zulu tribe creating the Zulu warrior culture in the early 19th Century. SFC Terry Schappert presents the culture of some of the most famous warriors in history.

This episode explores the bloody history of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, where tribal chieftains battle for domination of the archipelago in brutal warfare during the 1790s. Terry Schappert learns about the bloody hand-to-hand combat techniques and vicious weaponry (like shark tooth clubs) of 18th-century Hawaiian warriors. He also reenacts the tactics King Kamehameha the Great used in his crushing victory at the Battle of Nu'uanu Cliffs.

Green Beret Terry Schappert reveals the origin of his own American warrior culture, the U.S. Special Forces: The Alamo Scouts. This elite reconnaissance unit operated behind enemy lines during World War II. Terry not only tests weapons like the Thompson submachine gun and M1 Garand, but he also demonstrates their guerilla tactics. These unconventional fighting skills led to a daring POW rescue at the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines. The raid made the Alamo Scouts legendary.