History DetectivesSeason 2, Episode 3 of 12 : Wwii Land Craft/The Abolitionist Flag/Mail Order B
WWII Land Craft - In the harbor of Bayfield, Wisconsin, a craft used for dredging and hauling rocks may hold a dramatic secret. A local man whose father fought in the World War II claims that 60 years ago the vessel played a vital role in the D-Day landings, transporting American tanks onto the beaches of Normandy. Could this ship really be one of the 1,500 "Landing Craft Tanks" designed and built to support the amphibious landings of the war? And did it really see action off the beaches of France? HISTORY DETECTIVES goes to Wisconsin and investigates. The Abolitionist Flag - Two Michigan brothers uncovered what they believed was just an old sheet in a family trunk. But could this "sheet" have actually contributed to the end of slavery in America? Was it a flag that an ancestor may have used to campaign for the creation of Free States? Or was it used as propaganda in a pivotal pre-Civil War campaign? HISTORY DETECTIVES explores the politically charged abolition movement to reveal the unknown and surprising past of this family and their flag. Mail Order Brides - In California, a photograph collector owns four small images of women taken in Chicago in the 1890s. On the back of one of the portraits are personal details and comments about the woman's inheritance, leading this collector to believe these are advertisements for mail order brides. Could he be right? HISTORY DETECTIVES visits California and Chicago to investigate the Victorian marriage industry, and discovers a shocking story of late 19th- century extortion and corruption.












