All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S13E09.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM_track3_[eng]

[narrator] In Michigan,
a top-secret Air Force base

embroiled in controversy.

[expert] It's possible there
was some form of cover-up.

The official documentation does
have some redacted sections.

[narrator] In Italy,
an entrepreneur's dream

shattered by links
to organized crime.

Was he guilty?

Or was this just a huge
miscarriage of justice?

[narrator] And a California
transportation hub

that inspired
lasting change.

Oakland has always had a secret
sauce in people fighting

for greater justice
and a better way to live.

[narrator]
In northern Michigan,
on the edge of Lake Superior,

remnants of a global conflict
conceal a tale of intrigue.

[Sascha] A dirt track leads
to a clearing dotted

with large,
industrial-looking buildings.

This is a site built
for function, not beauty.

[Dr. Sharp] On the edge
of this place are what look

like just normal
suburban streets.

[Alicia] There's a basketball
court and a baseball field

and what looks like the remains
of a bowling alley.

This has all the amenities
of any small town,

but why
are they out here?

[Zachary]
Well, there's only

2,000 permanent residents
in this entire area,

and so to have this little city
just up here on the top

of a mountain popping out
of nowhere is just very unusual.

[narrator] But this
was not a normal town.

When constructed,
this was a covert facility

with one objective,
to protect America.

[Sascha]
At the top of the hill,

two large constructions
stand out.

This is a clue
to the place's true function.

[Dr. Sharp] The US Air Force
is using this technology

to defend the country
from what they thought

was a real
existential threat.

[narrator] Yet this site
would become infamous

because of its connection to
an alleged government cover-up

that involved the disappearance
of two American aviators.

[Alicia] The jet
and its occupants vanished,

and the mystery
has never been solved.

So I first visited this site
about 10 years ago

with my cousin,

and we made kind of the joke
that everybody makes.

If we ever had the opportunity
to purchase this,

then we had
to try and purchase it.

Come on, right here.

[narrator] In 2021, Zachary
Garner did buy this property.

He's been working hard to
uncover its secrets ever since.

[Zachary] We wanted to save it,
preserve the history,

tell the story.

This place and most
of the others like it

were always surrounded
with an air of mystery

because everything
that happened up here

was classified
during the times

when it was active.

[narrator]
There was a good reason

this site
was clandestine.

It was built as a reaction
to the rising threat

of communist activity.

On August 29, 1949,
in the very early part

of the Cold War,
the Soviet Union detonated

their first atomic bomb,

codename Joe-1.

Even more terrifying news
was to follow.

The Soviets also created
long-range aircraft

capable of delivering nuclear
bombs to the United States.

This new reality caught
the United States off guard.

They were unprepared,
and they were nervous.

[narrator] If America
was to regain the upper hand,

they needed a system that
would provide early detection

of any incoming threat
from the Soviet Union.

The United States
takes action by setting up

radar stations
all across the country.

Calumet Air Force Station
was part of this radar network.

[Zachary] So they built
a lot of these stations

further north
in the U.S. and Canada

because they were specifically
monitoring for bombers

coming over the Arctic Circle
from the Soviet Union,

that was the quickest
or shortest flight path

from primarily two
Soviet Air Force bases.

[Sascha] Should a Soviet
aircraft approach,

Calumet would be able
to detect it and help guide

American fighters
to intercept and destroy it.

This station in particular
was right in the flight path

if they would have sent bombers
to either Chicago or New York.

[narrator]
By April of 1951,

Calumet
was fully operational.

Less than two years later,
it was called into action.

[Zachary] On the evening
of November 23rd, 1953,

the radar operators
here noticed a flight

that was coming
through Lake Superior

that was not registered
on any particular flight plan.

If this was a Soviet bomber,
they needed to act fast.

[narrator] The operators
noted the coordinates

and sent them
to Kinross Air Force Base,

located 190 miles
southeast of Calumet.

From there,
an F-89 Scorpion jet

was immediately
scrambled to intercept.

First Lieutenant Felix Moncla,
an experienced airman

who clocked 811 hours,
took the pilot seat.

Behind him
was the navigator,

Second Lieutenant
Robert Wilson.

On that day, the weather
was pretty typical

for a late November,
it was cold, low visibility,

cloudy,
of course dark.

Operators at Calumet
were tracking the object

and then sending directions
to navigator Robert Wilson.

[narrator]
For the next 30 minutes,
a high-speed game

of cat and mouse played out in
the skies above Lake Superior.

Every time the radar
would spin around,

they would get an updated
location on the bogey

and tell them
a new heading.

[narrator] Yet reports claim
the unidentified entity

moved with alarming
irregularity

in ways that shouldn't
be possible.

The blip was changing course,
changing airspeed,

changing altitude,
and they just weren't sure

what it was.

At 6:52 PM,
the operators let the crew know

that the object was at
their 11:00, 10 miles out.

The two men would have by now
had the unknown object

in their sights.

[narrator] At 6:55 PM
the radar signature

of the Scorpion jet
converged with that of
the unknown object,

forming a single dot
on the radar screen.

They assumed that the fighter
jet was flying in formation

with the bogey and making
contact with the pilot.

[narrator] Then the unthinkable
happened.

When radio operators
tried to hail Moncla,

they heard
nothing back.

Next, the jet's transponder
signal was lost

and its radar signature
disappeared from their screens.

The staff at Calumet
urgently tried to reestablish

contact with the missing
Scorpion jet, but to no avail.

The Scorpion jet
had vanished.

[Zachary]
According to the official
reports from the Air Force,

the dot of the aircraft
that was still in the air

continued on its original
flight path, flying east.

[Sascha] In the following
days, a number of aircraft

joined the search
from all over the country,

but no trace of the plane or
the two airmen was ever found.

[narrator] During this period,
the American public

was increasingly fascinated
by the phenomena of UFOs,

after a number of
high-profile sightings occurred

across the country.

[Sascha] The incident
quickly became a source

of various
conspiracy theories.

Many of the most
extraordinary

revolved around
alien abduction.

[Zachary]
As we were researching,

we interviewed
several different people

that had intimate knowledge
and slowly we were able

to put together what we believed
to be the full story.

[narrator] In the 1950s,
radar operators

at a top-secret military site
spotted

an unidentified object
flying in restricted airspace.

An F-89 fighter jet
was scrambled to intercept,

but mysteriously vanished.

Wild theories
soon began to surface.

[Zachary] The conspiracy that
has formed from the blips merged

is that the UFO ate the aircraft
or absorbed it,

and that's why it was never seen
or heard from again.

[narrator]
The Air Force put forward

a very different
explanation.

When they looked on the screen
and saw those two blips merge,

that simply meant that
they were within half a mile

of one another,
not that they actually

ran into each other.

[Alicia] And while no conclusive
evidence has ever been found

to explain
the aircraft's disappearance,

the most
plausible theory

is some type
of mechanical failure.

[Dr. Sharp] The F-89 Scorpion
had known issues just a year

before all F-89s had been
grounded to fix a wing problem.

[narrator] Yet respected UFO
researcher Major Donald Keyhoe

believed the government
was trying to hide the truth.

He claimed the wife
of Felix Moncla was given

two different stories
by the U.S. Air Force

as to how
her husband died.

At first, she was told his jet
crashed into Lake Superior.

Then she was told
his jet exploded in midair.

Keyhoe also suggested
certain details were left out

of the official record
to cover it up.

[Zachary] The official
documentation does have some

redacted sections
that we've been unable

to figure out
what it says.

But ultimately,
the puzzle was never solved.

My personal opinion
is that the fighter jet

got too close to the other
aircraft during intercept,

made some maneuver
to avoid hitting it,

and crashed
into Lake Superior.

[Sascha]
But this all still leaves

a crucial question unanswered,
which is,

what was
that original radar signature

that the Calumet station
detected?

[Dr. Sharp]
It remains a mysterious

footnote to the Cold War,

which claimed the lives
of two American airmen.

[narrator] Calumet continued
to operate in secrecy

for the next 35 years,
until communism collapsed

and the threat
of nuclear war subsided.

[Sascha] In September 1988,
the station was closed

and the remaining personnel
were transferred elsewhere.

[narrator] Zachary now
has big plans to open Calumet

to the public so its story
can continue to be told.

[Zachary] The entire top
of the mountain here

that we're standing on now
will be turned into a museum

dedicated to radar stations
in the Cold War.

We expect this to be
kind of a lifetime project,

and we're here for it.
It's really exciting.

[narrator] In central Italy,
40 miles from Florence,

is the site
of a fallen stronghold

besieged
by personal tragedy.

[Alexis] We are in the foothills
of Tuscany,

famous for
its glorious countryside,

incredible wines
and centuries-old towns.

So it's no great surprise
when you come across

what appear to be
ancient remains

concealed
in dense forest.

The structure
has thick stone walls,

a crenellated tower
and a drawbridge,

all the hallmarks
of a medieval castle.

But look closer
and you start to see problems

with that theory.

[narrator] All around are clues
that suggest not everything

is what it seems.

Some of the features
are more recent,

like there's a gazebo
with a plastic canvas roof.

Inside, it gets
even stranger.

There are bars,
stages, and even the artwork

appears as
if made to look old.

[Daisy] All sorts of people
used to come here

from all over Italy --
VIPs, celebrities, politicians,

and it was
a great success.

But the question is,
who killed the party?

[Rob] This place
would be engulfed by scandal.

We're talking links
to organized crime,

a wrongful arrest,
and lives torn apart.

[Daisy] The last time I came
here, it was about 10 years ago,

and now the building --
everything is completely

covered
with trees and plants.

It looks so strange
and even sad.

[narrator]
When Daisy Vannelli was young,

this enchanted setting
was her family's business,

and it played a very important
role in her life.

I remember my childhood here
with my sister and my brothers.

When we were younger,
it was like our playground.

The construction
was inspired

by my father's passion
for castles.

Like many good stories,
this one begins

with an ambitious vision
to build something magical.

And the person behind
everything we see here,

a man named
Walter Vannelli.

[Alexis] So, Walter
is a local entrepreneur.

And back in the '80s,
he had this idea

that he wanted
to create a beautiful hotel

in the mountains.

But then my father
came up with the idea

of opening
a nightclub.

He discussed this idea
with my two brothers,

who were in their twenties
at that time,

and who enthusiastically opted
for the nightclub idea.

It wasn't long
before the wacky concept

that we see
today emerged.

[narrator] Walter funded the
project using his own money,

that of investors,
and by loaning around

$750,000
from the bank.

In 1987,
construction began.

But bringing his dream to life
proved to be a difficult task.

Walter changed his mind
constantly

about what
it should look like.

[Alexis] One day, he'd ask
the builders to build something.

Then the next day,
knock it down,

start over again
from scratch.

[Daisy] Honestly,
we all thought

we would never
get the club finished.

But finally,
we did it.

[Rob] In the end,
the club had three dance floors,

two restaurants,
four bars.

It took six years and cost
around $5 million.

[narrator] The Vannellis
called their labor of love

the Excalibur.

On December 23rd, 1993,
it opened for business.

[Daisy] And on that night,
there were 3,000 people.

Up there
was the DJ booth.

I remember flag bearers,
fire eaters, fireworks.

Yes, champagne.

A lot of drinking,
a lot of dancing,

a lot of fun, everything that
made it a night to remember.

[narrator] As the months
passed,

the club's reputation
continued to grow.

[Dominic] There were politicians
celebrities, soccer players,

and even royalty in the form of
Princess Stephanie of Monaco,

the rebellious youngest
daughter of Grace Kelly.

[Daisy] Everything was
looking really good.

We were making
good money,

and everything
was just perfect.

The Excalibur was a huge hit.
What could possibly go wrong?

The answer was everything.

[narrator] When the Excalibur
nightclub first opened in 1993,

it was a resounding success.

But two and a half years later,
Walter Vannelli's dream

turned into a nightmare.

In July 1996, around 5 AM,
a police helicopter swooped in

and landed
next to the club.

Armed officers streamed out
and raided the house

that Walter was living in.

He was handcuffed,
hooded,

and taken
to a high-security prison.

[Dominic] Walter had no idea
why he'd been arrested.

But it turns out he was being
accused of being a key player

in the Brenta Mafia.

[narrator] The Brenta
Mafia was a ruthless
criminal organization

founded by career criminal
Felice Maniero.

His illicit empire made millions
from drug trafficking,

extortion,
money laundering.

But in 1994, his criminal
dealings caught up with him

after a crackdown
on mafia gangs.

He was arrested
and became an informant

to save his own skin.

He gave up over 400 mob bosses,
corrupt judges,

corrupt policemen,
and he named Walter

as part
of the operation.

[narrator] Walter had met
Maniero 20 years earlier,

but this was long before
the mafia boss

had founded
his criminal enterprise.

Since then, there had been
no further dealings

and Walter was given
no explanation

of why he had been
implicated.

Prosecutors insisted
he be kept in isolation

and refused to tell him
when a trial date would be set.

Walter chose to take matters
into his own hands.

My father had to go on a hunger
strike because they gave him

no possibility to tell
his side of the story.

And so he had to do
that in order to be heard.

[narrator] Only then did the
authorities start to listen.

[Dominic] After this,
the anti-mafia prosecutor,

Dr. Fogliardelli,
conducted more investigations

and interviewed people
from the mafia clan.

His findings eventually found
that Walter had no mafia

involvement, and he was cleared
of all charges completely.

[narrator] In June 1997,
Walter was finally released

after almost
a year in prison.

The reason Maniero originally
named him remained a mystery.

[Daisy]
But he always kept his dignity,

and he always maintained
a positive attitude, really.

He's an incredible person
for this.

It was a terrible
miscarriage of justice,

but there was even
worse news to come.

[narrator] Following
Walter's initial arrest,

local newspapers
and TV stations relentlessly
covered the event.

They linked his suspected mob
affiliation to the Excalibur.

Which inevitably led
to a significant drop

in attendances.

[Rob] This, coupled
with a landslide that blocked

the main road leading
to the club signaled its demise.

[Daisy] And so, from the 2,500
people crowding the nights,

the attendance dropped
to only a few hundred.

In July 1996, while Walter
was still locked up,

the Excalibur
was forced to close.

Today, the future
of the Excalibur is uncertain.

[Rob] It's up for sale.

So perhaps one day,
the hills surrounding

this medieval discotheque
will once again

be alive
with the sound of music.

[Daisy]
I'd love to see it getting
back to its original glory.

It would be so nice
to see it full of people

having fun
and dancing.

[narrator] In Oakland,
California, is a faded relic

that fostered a movement
whose impact

is still felt
to this day.

This area has
an industrial feel to it.

There are freeways, rail lines,
and an active port.

Then on the edge of a pretty
residential neighborhood,

you see this building
unlike the rest.

It's majestic and imposing with
these three huge arch windows.

[Jim] Once you get inside,
you've got light flooding in,

illuminating the marble floors.
You've got ornate plaster work.

And then in other parts
of the structure,

there's a more
utilitarian space.

[narrator] Yet the interior
reveals little about

this building's
original purpose.

The big giveaway
is out back.

[Jim] You see this set
of railroad tracks heading out

of the structure, so clearly
it's a railroad station.

[narrator] This grand site
was built at a time

when Oakland was a city
on the rise.

[David] The people
that worked here were viewed

as very important
people in the community.

[narrator] That's because
they did so much more

than just keep
the wheels turning.

Their actions would help
bring change to America.

[David] This place is related
to the civil rights struggle,

particularly on the West Coast,
because so much

of the organizing
happened here.

[Prof. Mitchell] Their Battle
would inspire leaders

for generations
to come.

[narrator] In Oakland
is the rundown shell

of a once majestic
railway building.

David Peters
is the founder

of the Black Liberation
Walking Tour.

This long-forgotten station

is an important stop
on his route.

[David] What a sense
of awe and wonder I'm feeling

right now to be able
to be in this place

that has
so much history.

You know, many people think
that the resistance movement

in Oakland started
with the Black Panthers,

and there's a reason
for that,

but they didn't just
spring out of nowhere,

and this place
is integral to that.

In fact, I can feel goosebumps
on my arms right now

as I talk about it.

[narrator] The story of
struggle that unfolded
within these walls

all began with a marvel
of American engineering.

Originally, Oakland
was just a small town

at the edge
of the bay,

but its fortunes
massively changed

with the arrival
of the Transcontinental Railroad

in 1869.

[Jim] One thing
a lot of people don't realize

is that it didn't go all the way
to San Francisco.

It actually
ended here in Oakland.

Passengers
would get off the trains

and go to a nearby
ferry terminal

to take a ferry
across the bay

to the city
of San Francisco.

[narrator]
By the early 1900s,

the existing
wooden railway station

couldn't support
the increasing number

of travelers
or their baggage.

In 1912,
the Southern Pacific Railroad

unveiled a grand
new terminus.

This is Oakland's
16th Street Station.

[James] Driven by
the railroad industry,

Oakland's economy
was booming,

and its population
was skyrocketing.

[Prof. Mitchell] Many of those
migrating to the city

were African Americans
looking for a new life

away from the racism
and segregation

of the Jim Crow South.

[narrator] But finding work
was no easy task.

One area that did become a good
opportunity for Black workers

was in serving the clientele
that rode these railroads

on long-distance trips.

[David] The Transcontinental
Railroads here had ultra-luxury

sleeper cars
called Pullman cars.

These cars were an important
part of the history here.

It took an army of employees
to deliver the indulgence

that the company's founder,
George Pullman,

wanted to achieve.

They were employed
almost entirely

from the African-American
community.

[narrator] They were called
the Pullman Porters,

and they carried out
their duties with pride.

Because of its
vital position at one end

of the Transcontinental
Railroad,

Oakland
and this station

became a very important hub
for the Pullman Porters.

[David] We're in a historic
baggage wing.

This is the place
where the Pullman Porters

would have handled
the servicing

thousands of passengers
on the trains

that came
through this station,

Dozens of trains
on a daily basis.

[Jim]
But it was difficult work
and not as well paid

as comparable
white workers would be.

[Prof. Mitchell] They
often worked as many

as 400 hours a month

with little time off
and no overtime.

[narrator] In 1923,
a man named C.L. Dellums

moved
from Texas to Oakland.

His arrival would
herald a brighter future

for the Pullman Porters.

When Dellums came to Oakland,
he hoped to enroll

in law school.

To make money, he took a job
as a Pullman Porter.

But he quickly realized
that between the long hours

and the low wage, he couldn't
actually afford school.

[David] So unfortunately for him
and his law school dreams,

but so fortunately for us,
he can continued to work

as a porter.

And C.L. Dellums immediately
distinguished himself

by demanding better conditions
for the Black workers.

[narrator] But the Pullman
company was resistant
to change.

Fortunately,
Dellums wasn't on his own.

[Jim]
In 1925,

the Brotherhood of
Sleeping Car Porters and Maids

was founded
in New York City.

This was a group that wanted
to unionize the Porters

give them some
negotiating power to demand

better pay
and better conditions.

They clearly knew that
it was going to be a struggle.

The union's motto
was, "Fight or be slaves."

[Jim] When Dellums
learned about

the founding
of the Brotherhood Union,

he knew that this was
something that he really

wanted to embrace.

And he helped organize
the Oakland porters and maids

to join
the organization.

[David] Certainly here
in this baggage room

would have been place
where the porters

were organizing and talking
about their frustrations.

[narrator] The Pullman Company
was strongly opposed

to this fledgling union

and refused
to recognize them.

They did everything
in their power

to stop Dellums
in his tracks.

Dellums himself
got fired in 1927.

The company claimed that he'd
been found sleeping on the job,

but in fact, this was
a common tactic they used

to get rid of people
that they saw as troublemakers.

So the Pullman Car Company,
they used every dirty tactic,

every dirty trick in the book
to be able to

squash this union.

[narrator] The company
encouraged African-American

staff to tell on
their fellow workers

and would dismiss employees
if they joined the union.

The company also transferred
work away from Oakland

so they could make do
with fewer porters
at that station.

[Prof. Mitchell]
Dellums wasn't deterred,

and he continued the fight
but then disaster struck.

[narrator] In the 1920s,
after working

at the 16th Street Station
in Oakland,

C.L. Dellums
became a key member

of one of America's first
African-American unions.

He fought tirelessly for better
working conditions

on behalf of its members,
who regularly worked

400 hours a month
for low pay.

In 1929, Dellums
became vice president

of the entire
labor union.

It was a long fight,
and they didn't win initially,

but they kept at it.

[narrator] It would take
one of the worst

economic disasters
in American history

to transform
the union's fortunes.

In 1929,

the Wall Street
stock market crashed,

ushering in the start
of the Great Depression.

The American economy
had hit rock bottom,

and something
needed to be done

to ease the population's
suffering.

[Jim] During the New Deal
under Roosevelt,

laws were passed
that made it easier

for workers
to unionize and required

companies
to give workers

the right to bargain
collectively.

[narrator]
In 1935,

the Brotherhood
of Sleeping Car Porters

began negotiations
with the Pullman Company

for union recognition
and a fairer contract.

The Depression had led
to a decline in the company's

prosperity, and they stood
vehemently opposed.

But in 1937,
the Porters finally won.

[Jim] The contract
improved wages and limited hours

to a maximum of
240 hours a month,

which is still a lot.

[Prof. Mitchell] This was
the first time in U.S. history

that a black union
reached a bargaining agreement

with a major
American company.

[David] This is a huge,
huge win for the porters.

But this is not only important
for the porters,

this is particularly important
for Black America.

[James]
After the Brotherhood's

monumental victory,
the 16th Street Station

continued
to provide jobs

for porters, maids,
and other staff.

But the winds of change
were blowing.

[Prof. Mitchell]
In the 1950s and '60s,

with the rise of the automobile
and airplane,

fewer people
relied on passenger trains

for long-distance travel,
and the number of porters

steadily declined.

[narrator] Yet the impact
of the men and women

that worked
at the 16th Street station

would not
be forgotten.

[David] The legacy
of the porters

is impossible
to overestimate.

The fight for civil rights
in C.L. Dellums

went so far just beyond
the organizing of the union.

[Prof. Mitchell]
Oakland is known to many

as birthplace
to movements like

the Black Panther Party,
but those movements are part

of a much longer tradition
that stretches back

to the incredible
work of C.L. Dellums

and the Pullman Porters.

[narrator] C.L. Dellums
continued to live

in West Oakland
until his death in 1989.

But that same year,
a natural disaster struck

that meant
the 16th Street station

had reached
the end of the line.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
was the final blow,

and in fact, it sustained
significant damage

and had to be closed.

Currently,
we are greatly concerned

about the future
of this station.

It's essential
that this space be preserved.

It's so important
to Oakland.

It's so important
to the Bay Area.

It's critical
to understand our past

to know where
we're going in the future.

[narrator] In southern Croatia
is an overgrown compound

that became embroiled
in the fate of a nation.

[Hadley]
At the tip of this peninsula

is a really dramatic sight,
this great stone building.

It looks like
it's been standing watch

for hundreds of years.

[Dr. Nusbacher] But as we move
along the coastline,

we can see much
more modern structures.

[Hadley] So obviously,
this has been an important place

for a long time.
But why?

[Dr. Nusbacher]
This is a tiny point of land,

but it's a point
of power.

It controls access
to the bay beyond.

[narrator]
In the 1990s,

that access
was violently fought over.

And this cliffside citadel
played a crucial role

in the chaos
that followed.

[Dr. Nusbacher] This was a time
when neighbors,

literal neighbors,
became sworn enemies.

[Hadley] A foreign force
was sent to keep

the entire region
from going up in flames.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
They came to be peacekeepers,

but there was
no peace to keep.

Croatia used to be part of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire,

and Croatia was where
the Austro-Hungarian Empire

based
its Mediterranean fleet.

[Hadley] The Austrians built
a series of fortifications

along the Bay of Kotor,

including this
grand stone fortress

at the tip of Prevlaka.

For almost 100 years,
this fort stood guard

over the mouth of the bay.

[narrator] But in the wake of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire's

collapse after
the First World War,

a new country
called Yugoslavia

was formed
in this region.

It was comprised
of six republics,

including Croatia,
Slovenia, Montenegro,

and Serbia.

[Dr. Nusbacher] Yugoslavia
was created on the theory

that all of the Slavic states
in the Balkans

were all brethren.

But it was a diverse
and tenuous coalition.

For years, Yugoslavia
was held together

by the dictator of Yugoslavia,
Josip Broz Tito.

Tito was sufficiently powerful
to keep it all together.

[narrator]
By the 1950s,

the old fortress
at Prevlaka was obsolete,

and Tito decided
he needed to modernize

and expand
the stronghold.

Yugoslavia's geographical
position made it a potential

target for Cold War rivals
on both sides of the globe.

Tito was always
concerned that either

the West
or the Soviet Union

would try to attack
Yugoslavia

to control
Yugoslavia.

And Tito
had to prepare to defend

his Adriatic coast
against all comers.

The Tito regime
then fits these fortifications

out with a helipad, new bunkers,
and new radar stations

to detect
incoming threats.

[narrator] It was called
the Prevlaka Military Base.

But as it turned out,
the enemy that endangered

Yugoslavia's borders didn't
come from east or west.

[Hadley] The threat instead came
from within, and it would send

shockwaves across
this entire region.

[narrator]
In Croatia is the site

of a rundown
military base.

In the 1990s, it would be
drawn into a conflict

that tore
this region apart.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
Tito died in 1980.

At that point,
there was nothing

holding Yugoslavia
together anymore.

Slovenia, Croatia,
they secede.

Yugoslavia starts
to disintegrate

[narrator] But the powerful
Serbian president,

Slobodan Milosevic,
still controlled the Yugoslav

people's army and retained
the support of Montenegro.

Together,
they were not going to let

Croatia and Slovenia
leave the union

without a fight.

And so instead of
a peaceful departure,

there was going
to be a war.

And of course,
the Serbs and the Croats

and the Montenegrins battle
over these forts

at the southern
tip of Croatia.

If Croatia
controls Prevlaka,

then Croatia is going
to control the biggest

natural harbor in
the former Yugoslavia.

[narrator]
On September 23, 1991,

the Yugoslav People's Army
advanced into southern Croatia.

Their aim was to crush
the Croatian drive

for independence and to seize
control of strategically

important sites, like
the Prevlaka military base.

Historian Ivan Viden
is an expert on this facility.

European countries
quickly realized

they had
to stop the war.

[Hadley]
An intervention was needed,

and it would take place here,
on the peninsula of Prevlaka.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
Montenegro and Serbia say

that they should
control Prevlaka Peninsula.

The Croats say,
"No, it's part of Croatia".

And the answer was,

demilitarize
the Prevlaka Peninsula.

[narrator]
On October 20, 1992,

United Nations
peacekeepers descended

on Prevlaka in an attempt
to restore order

at this contested site.

In theory, Prevlaka
is Croatian territory,

but there are no Croatian
soldiers in the garrison.

Demilitarizing the Prevlaka
Peninsula doesn't make

anybody happy, but it keeps
the peninsula peaceful.

[narrator] The Croatian War
of Independence

raged on
until November 1995.

Across the region, tens
of thousands lost their lives.

The Prevlaka Peninsula remained
a source of dispute

throughout the conflict
and beyond.

In 2002, Croatia
and Montenegro finally agreed

on a temporary solution.

It stipulated that Croatia
receive control of the entire

peninsula as well as some
of the waters around it.

[narrator]
Following the settlement,

the United Nations peacekeepers
were finally able to leave.

Prevlaka has been
abandoned ever since.

Today, the Prevlaka Peninsula

still belongs
to Croatia,

but debate continues to rage
over their right

to control
this controversial area.

It's still grit
in the years between Croatia,

Serbia, and Montenegro.

But because
it's still demilitarized,

Prevlaka is no longer
a potential battlefield.