Geheimnisse des "Dritten Reichs" - Season 2

In the last weeks of the Third Reich, the Nazi regime goes about hiding their immense riches in the Alps. They've been planning an incredible last retreat in the region between the Comer Lake and Wiener Neustadt, including gigantic building projects and underground factories. But was this ‘Alpine Fortress' an elaborate bluff or a serious plan? And what happened to the hidden Nazi treasure? Even today, treasure-hunters and fortune-seekers comb the area in the hope of finding something. We follow the trail of these old mysteries and uncover what happened in the turbulent last days of the Third Reich.

There‘s a face of the Second World War that takes place in secret, behind enemy lines, and with very high stakes: Daredevil missions, dangerous assignments and secret operations that continue to mystify experts. We take a fresh look at some of the most notable secret missions of the Second World War, including the 1943 Gran Sasso mission to free Benito Mussolini, the hair-raising kidnapping of a German commander in Crete by British special forces, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague, and the cold-blooded killing of the American-appointed mayor of Aachen in the last months of the war.

On the 27th of July 1943, a US patrol plane spots a German U-boat on the water surface. There is no time for the vessel to dive: 2 bombs are direct hits. The U-boat is U-513. It takes 46 of its crew to their deaths – only 7 men survive. But until now, the final resting place of U-513 and what exactly happened to it has remained a mystery. The adventurer Vilfredo Schürmann made it his mission to find the submarine off the Brazilian coast and in the spring of 2012 finally struck gold: followed by our cameras, he managed to locate the wreck. It allows us to piece together the puzzle of the U-boat's final mission and grisly end.

Hitler's medical records have recently been found in the US: X-Rays, medical assessments, and a report about his use of cocaine. From 1936, his personal physician Dr Theodor Morell remains at Hitler's side, always willing to hand out dubious treatments – up to 8 different medications daily, including one containing strychnine. Did Morell try to poison his employer? And was Hitler well enough to lead Germany? The American psychologist Nassir Ghaemi has doubts: he believes Hitler had bipolar disorder and used medications to excess. We give an exclusive and surprising insight into a previously unknown side of Hitler.

On the 17th of August 1987, Hitler's former deputy Rudolf Hess commits suicide in prison. It seems the 93-year-old hanged himself in the notorious Spandau prison for Nazi war criminals near Berlin. It marks the end of a life of mystery and intrigue. We investigate some of the riddles still surrounding Hess. What motivated him to single-handedly fly to Scotland on a secret mission in May 1941? Did he want to make peace with the UK? Whatever it was, it ended with his life-long imprisonment. And we explore Hess's last mystery: did he really kill himself or was he murdered – the last remaining prisoner at Spandau.