Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW, MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

UNEXPLAINED SHAPES IN THE DESERTS OF GENGHIS KHAN...

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS AT ALL.

ME NEITHER.

THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN TO REACH ANOTHER WORLD.

Narrator: ...MASS DEATH IN THE ANTARCTIC...

IT WAS AN INDUSTRIAL SLAUGHTER ON A TREMENDOUS SCALE.

...AND RUSSIA'S SECRET NUCLEAR WASTELAND.

PEOPLE COULD USE THEM TO CREATE A DIRTY BOMB.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA. MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

[ BEEPING, CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

[ TRAIN WHEELS SCREECH ]

DECEMBER 1, 2018.

**

THE TRANS-MONGOLIAN RAILWAY FROM MOSCOW

PULLS INTO SAINSHAND,

A REMOTE TOWN IN SOUTHEASTERN MONGOLIA.

[ MAN ON P.A. SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

ON BOARD IS ARCHAEOLOGIST KLINT JANULIS.

HE'S HERE TO INVESTIGATE A SATELLITE IMAGE.

**

THE SATELLITE, WHILE PASSING

ABOVE MONGOLIA'S IMMENSE GOBI DESERT,

HAS CAPTURED SOMETHING CURIOUS --

A LINE OF STRUCTURES SITTING IN TOTAL ISOLATION.

Dr. Bellinger: THIS IMAGE IS REALLY STRIKING,

AND IT REALLY JUST STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB.

Paul: WE SEE CIRCULAR STRUCTURES

THAT ARE IN A PERFECTLY STRAIGHT LINE.

**

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES THEMSELVES ARE INTRIGUING,

AND SO IS THE LOCATION.

**

THE GREATEST EMPIRE OF THE ANCIENT WORLD ORIGINATED HERE,

AND HIDDEN SOMEWHERE LIES THE LEGENDARY LOST TOMB

OF ITS LEADER, GENGHIS KHAN.

**

THE WARRIOR TRIBES OF MONGOLIA

CREATED FEW PERMANENT STRUCTURES,

SO ONES LIKE THESE ARE OF POTENTIALLY HUGE SIGNIFICANCE.

THIS AREA HAS BEEN A CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

CONNECTING EMPIRES AND CREATING EMPIRES.

SO HOW MIGHT THAT RELATE TO WHAT'S IN THE IMAGE?

**

-KLINT? -YEAH. DANDI?

-NICE TO MEET YOU. -NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.

Narrator: JANULIS MEETS WITH LOCAL GUIDE DANDI DASHEMBO.

HE WILL NEED ALL OF HIS LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

TO SAFELY COMPLETE THE JOURNEY AHEAD...

**

...A JOURNEY THAT WILL TAKE THEM DEEP

INTO ONE OF THE MOST SPARSELY POPULATED PLACES ON THE PLANET.

**

Horton: THE GOBI DESERT IS ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE

AND INHOSPITABLE PLACES ON EARTH.

IN A HOT DAY, IT COULD BE PLUS-120.

A COLD DAY, IT CAN GO DOWN TO AT LEAST MINUS-40.

**

Narrator: THE GOBI IS VAST, AROUND TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS.

**

DANDI TAKES JANULIS SOUTHWEST, ACROSS DORNOGOVI PROVINCE.

**

THIS IS A COLD DESERT, AND IT'S A KILLER.

**

YET THERE IS THE OCCASIONAL HISTORIC SIGN OF HUMAN PRESENCE.

DANDI WONDERS IF ONE OF THEM,

ROUGHLY BUILT PAGAN MOUNDS CALLED OVOOS,

COULD SHED LIGHT ON THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

IF WE SEE AN OVOO, MAYBE WE SHOULD STOP AND CHECK IT OUT.

Dandi: YEP. I WILL TAKE YOU TO ONE OF THEM.

**

Narrator: LIKE THE STRUCTURES IN THE IMAGE,

OVOOS CAN BE CIRCULAR AND ARE USED TO HONOR

THE GODS OF THE SKY AND MOUNTAINS.

IN SUCH A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,

THE PEOPLE OF MONGOLIA, FOR MILLENNIA,

HAVE WORSHIPED AND DEPENDED UPON THE FORCES OF NATURE.

**

Narrator: FOR SOME NOMADS, THE GREATEST DEITY

IS TENGRI, THE SKY GOD.

**

SO OVOOS ARE FOUND ON MOUNTAINS OR OTHER HIGH PLACES.

**

Janulis: IT WAS QUITE A HIKE TO GET UP HERE,

AND I CAN SEE WE'VE GOT ONE BIG ROCK PILE.

**

MONGOLIANS COME TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE SPIRIT OF THE MOUNTAIN

BY ADDING TO THE OVOO PILE

AFTER THEY WALK THREE CIRCLES AROUND IT.

Narrator: TO HONOR THIS SKY GOD,

BLUE SILK SCARVES ARE TIED AROUND ROCKS.

**

SUPERFICIALLY, IT DOES SEEM LIKE IT COULD BE RELATED TO OUR SITE,

BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALLER PILES

AND MOUNDS AROUND THIS ONE.

THERE'S HUNDREDS OF THEM, ACTUALLY,

AND OUR SITE HAS PILES OR MOUNDS

THAT ARE GOING IN A SINGLE DIRECTION BOTH WAYS.

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE, UNLIKE THE OVOOS,

THE MYSTERY STRUCTURES APPEAR TO SIT IN A GULLY.

IT ACTUALLY DEEPENS THE MYSTERY.

Narrator: ONCE JANULIS DESCENDS,

THE TEAM PUSHES ON TOWARDS THE SITE IN THE IMAGE.

**

THESE ARE BARREN LANDS, BUT AFTER SEVERAL MILES,

THEY ENCOUNTER ONE OF THE FEW ANIMALS THAT THRIVE HERE --

THE BACTRIAN CAMEL.

THE ONLY LAND MAMMAL THAT CAN DRINK SALT WATER,

THESE ARE THE LOAD BEARERS WHO CARRY GOODS FROM EAST TO WEST,

A REMINDER FOR JANULIS THAT HE IS ON AN ANCIENT TRADE ROUTE.

IN MY RESEARCH FOR THIS PROJECT,

I READ A LOT ABOUT THE GREAT TEA ROAD,

THIS REALLY EPIC TRADING ROAD.

MASSIVE CARAVANS FULL OF CAMELS, LOADED DOWN WITH TEA,

WOULD TRAVEL FROM CHINA TO RUSSIA.

IT SEEMS POSSIBLE THAT THE FORMATIONS ON THE IMAGE

COULD BE RELATED TO THE GREAT TEA ROAD,

BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THIS LANDSCAPE,

YOU WOULD NATURALLY, I THINK, NEED SIGNPOSTS.

Narrator: IN THE 17th CENTURY, ONE POUND OF TEA

WAS WORTH MORE THAN THE AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGE.

SO NOMADS WOULD BRAVE THE 9,000-MILE TRADE ROUTE,

CARRYING VAST QUANTITIES WESTWARDS.

**

THEY WOULD MAKE A FORTUNE... OR DIE TRYING.

[ CAMELS GRUNTING ]

UNDOUBTEDLY, THE MOST DIFFICULT PART WAS THE GOBI DESERT.

**

NAVIGATING ACROSS MASSIVE SAND DUNES ALWAYS SHIFTING

MUST HAVE BEEN A REAL CHALLENGE TO THESE TEA TRADERS.

Dr. Hunt: MAYBE THESE ARE MARKERS,

TELLING YOU WHICH WAY TO GO

IN A SANDSTORM ALONG THE TEA ROUTE.

**

Narrator: BUT FOR NOW, THE MYSTERY WILL HAVE TO WAIT.

THE TEAM NEEDS TO FIND SOMEWHERE TO CAMP,

AND DANDI HAS A PLAN.

Dandi: MONGOLIAN FAMILIES -- THEY NEVER LOCK THEIR DOORS.

OKAY.

YOU NEED TO PLACE TO STAY, YOU JUST GO FIND A FAMILY AND --

AND NOBODY SAYS NO? NOBODY.

**

Narrator: EVENTUALLY, THEY SPOT SOMETHING IN THE DISTANCE.

**

THESE ARE GERS,

TENTS LARGE ENOUGH TO HOUSE ENTIRE FAMILIES.

LIKE 40% OF MONGOLIANS, THIS FAMILY ARE NOMADIC HERDERS,

MOVING THEIR CAMELS FROM PLACE TO PLACE

TO FIND NEW GRAZING GROUNDS.

SO, THESE ARE THE ANIMALS THAT HAULED TEA

FROM CHINA TO RUSSIA.

NOT EVEN JUST A VEHICLE, THOUGH.

IT'S LIKE IT MAKES FOOD, IT MAKES FUEL,

IT MAKES FIRE, TRANSPORTATION, AND CLOTHING.

-YEP. -AND THEY GIVE YOU KISSES, TOO.

HI. [ LAUGHS ]

**

Narrator: AS IS THE CUSTOM,

THE TRAVELERS ARE WELCOMED INTO THE GER

BEFORE THE CONVERSATION

TURNS TO THE OBJECTS CAPTURED ON SATELLITE.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

WHAT JANULIS LEARNS SUGGESTS THAT THEY CANNOT HAVE FUNCTIONED

AS BEACONS ON THE GREAT TEA ROAD.

Dandi: HE'S BEEN PASSING BY THE LOCATION.

-OH, HE HAS? -BUT NEVER NOTICED IT.

NEVER NOTICED IT.

Narrator: BUT THE NOMADS DO NOTICE

SOMETHING ABOUT THE NUMBER OF STRUCTURES IN THE IMAGE --

27, DIVISIBLE BY 9.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

TO THE HERDERS, THIS MEANS SOMETHING.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Dandi: NINE IS A GOOD SYMBOLIC NUMBER FOR MONGOLIANS

BECAUSE THERE ARE NINE TREASURES, INCLUDING GOLD.

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE, 13 STRUCTURES STRETCH OUT

FROM THE LARGER CENTRAL ONE,

A SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER HERE.

COULD THIS BE SOME KIND OF ANCIENT CODE?

SO THAT LEAVES A LOT OF NEW QUESTIONS, REALLY,

BUT NONE OF THEM CAN REALLY BE ANSWERED

UNTIL WE GO EXPLORE IT FOR OURSELVES.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, DANGER IN THE DESERT...

...AND RUSSIA'S MYSTERY ICE STATION.

ANY KIND OF RESEARCH FOR SURE WOULD HAVE HAD

SOME KIND OF MILITARY COMPONENT TO IT.

[ WHIRRING ]

**

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGIST KLINT JANULIS

IS DEEP IN THE GOBI DESERT IN MONGOLIA.

HE'S BEEN DRAWN HERE BY A SERIES OF MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURES

BUILT BY ONE OF THE TRIBES WHO HAVE ROAMED THESE LANDS

FOR COUNTLESS MILLENNIA.

THAT LITERALLY LEAVES US THOUSANDS OF YEARS

OF CULTURAL CHANGE

WITH WHICH WE HAVE TO INTERPRET OUR SITE FROM.

WITH FEW LANDMARKS, JANULIS MUST RELY

ON DANDI, HIS GUIDE,

TO NAVIGATE HIM THROUGH THIS WILDERNESS.

THEIR JOURNEY TAKES THEM FROM FLAT DESERT

INTO MORE RUGGED TERRAIN.

**

FINALLY, THE MYSTERY STRUCTURES COME INTO VIEW.

**

LET'S GO.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS AT ALL.

ME NEITHER.

Narrator: YET AS JANULIS PREPARES TO EXPLORE THE SITE,

IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT HIS VISIT HAS NOT GONE UNNOTICED.

[ ENGINE APPROACHES ] OHH.

**

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

THE ARMED MAN IS A MEMBER OF THE MONGOLIAN BORDER GUARD.

THE TEAM HAS VENTURED TOO CLOSE TO THE COUNTRY'S

3,000-MILE-LONG FRONTIER WITH CHINA.

UNAUTHORIZED PEOPLE IN THIS AREA

RISK IMPRISONMENT OR WORSE.

HE'S GOING TO REPORT BACK TO THE BORDER PATROLS ABOUT US.

Narrator: IT TAKES TIME AND A FORENSIC ANALYSIS

OF EX-SOLDIER JANULIS' PAPERWORK

BEFORE THE GUARD ALLOWS HIM ONTO THE SITE.

**

EXPLORATION REVEALS

THE STRUCTURES ARE MADE FROM PILES OF SHAPED ROCKS.

Janulis: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL STRUCTURE

CREATED BY THESE ROCK PILES,

YOU CAN SEE THAT IT KIND OF MAKES AN ARROW.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES RESEMBLE THE DIAL OF A COMPASS.

IF IT IS, THEN IT'S POINTING SOUTHEAST AND NORTHWEST.

AND IN MONGOLIAN PAGAN BELIEF, THIS HAS DEEP MEANING.

Dr. Hunt: THE ANCIENT MONGOLIANS BELIEVED

THAT THEIR WORLD WAS DIVIDED INTO SECTORS

AND THAT FAR TO THE NORTHWEST

WAS A GATEWAY FOR THE SPIRIT WORLD.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO THESE BELIEFS,

IN THE NORTHWEST SECTION OF THE WORLD LIES A MOUNTAIN.

THIS CONTAINS A PORTAL TO THE AFTERLIFE.

**

I CAN SEE THAT EACH ONE OF THEM IS POINTING WITHIN A FEW DEGREES

OF A VERY PRECISE DIRECTION.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES COULD BE A SO-CALLED SPIRIT ROAD.

PREHISTORIC MONGOLIAN SOCIETY

WAS DEEPLY SHAMANISTIC IN ITS ORIENTATION.

IT BELIEVED IN THE ABILITY TO GO INTO ANOTHER WORLD,

AND IT MAY WELL BE THAT THIS ALIGNMENT

MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED BY SHAMANS

IN THEIR ABILITY TO REACH ANOTHER WORLD.

**

Narrator: THIS BELIEF DATES BACK TO THE LATE BRONZE AGE.

IT SUGGESTS THE STRUCTURES ARE AROUND 2,500 YEARS OLD.

AND THIS ONSITE ANALYSIS PROVIDES A CLUE

TO THE PURPOSE OF THE LARGER CENTRAL MOUND.

THE CENTRAL MOUND MAY WELL HAVE

A BRONZE AGE BURIAL INSIDE OF SOME IMPORTANT PERSONALITY,

AND THEN THE INDIVIDUAL, SMALLER MOUNDS

ARE WHAT WE MIGHT DESCRIBE AS SACRIFICE MOUNDS,

IN WHICH MAY BE BURIED BITS OF ANIMAL.

**

Narrator: BRONZE AGE TOMBS

HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED IN MONGOLIA BEFORE,

YET THEY ARE SPREAD IN A CIRCLE OR MADE FROM SLABS OF STONE.

TO HAVE DISCOVERED ONE SHAPED LIKE THIS

AND WITH A PRECISE PAGAN ALIGNMENT IS HIGHLY ABNORMAL,

IF NOT UNPRECEDENTED.

WHAT'S UNUSUAL HERE IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A MUCH LARGER MOUND

SITUATED DIRECTLY AT THE CENTER OF THIS LINE OF MOUNDS.

**

Narrator: AS WELL AS SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS,

MONGOLIAN TOMBS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO CONTAIN TREASURES

TO ACCOMPANY A KING OR QUEEN TO THE AFTERLIFE.

**

TOMB RAIDERS HAVE EMPTIED MANY OF THEM,

BUT IF THIS IS ONE,

FOR SOME REASON, IT'S BEEN SPARED.

SINCE KINGS ARE SO OFTEN BURIED WITH TREASURE,

THIS, IF IT'S A BURIAL MOUND,

COULD BE A SITE WITH ENORMOUS WEALTH,

SAVED UP FOR THIS PERSON'S AFTERLIFE.

Narrator: AROUND THE TIME WHEN THESE STRUCTURES WERE LIKELY BUILT,

WARRIOR CHIEFTAINS RULED THESE LANDS,

ONES THAT GAVE RISE TO THE MONGOL HORDES

THAT RULED THE GREATEST EMPIRE OF ANTIQUITY.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

THE FINAL RESTING PLACE AND BODILY REMAINS OF MANY OF THEM,

INCLUDING THE GREAT GENGHIS KHAN,

HAVE NEVER BEEN FOUND.

WAS THIS THE COMPASS THAT GUIDED THEM TO A DIFFERENT REALM?

Janulis: COMING HERE HAS MADE ME THINK

IN A WAY THAT YOU CAN'T GET FROM AN OVERHEAD IMAGE.

YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND

THE CULTURE, THE PEOPLE, AND THE LANDSCAPE

TO REALLY APPRECIATE

WHAT THIS MIGHT REPRESENT TO WHOEVER MADE IT.

WHETHER IT'S A SPIRIT ROUTE

OR A BURIAL SITE OF SOME GREAT, LOST KING,

WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE GOBI DESERT REVEALS ITS SECRETS.

**

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP,

WEIRD SCIENCE AT THE END OF THE EARTH...

THIS IS AN AREA THAT IS KNOWN

FOR A VERY STRANGE GRAVITATIONAL ANOMALY.

Narrator: ...AND NORTH KOREA'S TERROR FACTORY.

THESE WERE DESIGNED TO BASICALLY

BURN A PERSON FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: JANUARY 18, 2018.

THE WorldView-3 SATELLITE FLYING OVER THE SOUTH POLE

SPIES THIS.

Kourounis: THERE'S A PLANE WRECK ON THE ICE IN ANTARCTICA.

OF COURSE, THE BIG QUESTION IS, "WHY IS IT THERE?"

**

Narrator: ANTARCTICA IS OFF-LIMITS

TO ALMOST ALL SMALL AIRCRAFT.

AVIATION LAW DICTATES THAT PLANES MUST REMAIN

WITHIN 60 MINUTES' FLIGHT TIME OF A RECOGNIZED LANDING SITE.

Kourounis: THERE ARE NO PROPER AIRPORTS IN ANTARCTICA.

IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS AND DIFFICULT PLACE TO FLY.

THE PLANE SEEMS TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE.

I'M NOT SEEING DEBRIS SCATTERED OVER A WIDE AREA.

VERY CURIOUS, INDEED.

Narrator: THE FIRST FLIGHT OVER THE ANTARCTIC

TOOK PLACE IN 1929.

SINCE THEN, 55 AIRCRAFT HAVE GONE DOWN HERE.

THE LOCATION OF ALL OF THEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED...

EXCEPT ONE.

DECEMBER 26, 1929.

THERE WAS A WHALE-SPOTTING PLANE

THAT WENT MISSING OFF THE COAST OF ANTARCTICA.

Narrator: THE PLANE WAS A DE HAVILLAND MOTH.

ITS JOB -- TO HUNT FOR PREY IN THE SEAS

AROUND THE NORWEGIAN WHALING SHIP THE KOSMOS.

BECAUSE OF GLARE, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE A CREATURE

BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE WATER WHEN YOU'RE AT SEA LEVEL.

HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO GET INTO A SPOTTER PLANE

AND LOOK DIRECTLY DOWN, YOU CAN SEE MUCH DEEPER

AND YOU'RE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME.

Narrator: FOR CENTURIES, WHALE OIL

WAS A HIGHLY VALUED COMMODITY.

IN THE MID-1800s, THE SO-CALLED "LIQUID GOLD"

SELLS FOR THE EQUIVALENT OF $60 A GALLON,

AND WHALING IS THE FIFTH-BIGGEST AMERICAN INDUSTRY.

IF YOU ARE A WHALE HUNTER,

YOU COULD GET VERY RICH VERY QUICKLY.

WHALING WAS SO LUCRATIVE

THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS WHALING FACILITIES

BUILT AROUND ANTARCTICA.

Narrator: DURING THE EARLY 20th CENTURY,

THESE FORTUNE HUNTERS KILL UP TO 50,000 ANIMALS EACH YEAR.

THE NORWEGIANS WERE THE KINGS OF THE WHALING FLEETS.

THEY WOULD HAVE WHALE-PROCESSING SHIPS

AND SCOUT PLANES THAT WOULD FLY OVERHEAD.

THEY COULD PROCESS THE WHALE OIL RIGHT THERE ON A SHIP.

IT WAS AN INDUSTRIAL SLAUGHTER ON A TREMENDOUS SCALE.

Narrator: RECORDS SHOW THAT THE NORWEGIAN WHALE-SPOTTER PLANE

VANISHES ON DECEMBER 26, 1929.

**

DESPITE AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH,

THE SAILORS FIND NEITHER THE PLANE NOR ITS CREW.

Kourounis: IF THEY CRASH-LANDED IN THE ICE,

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN IN TROUBLE VERY QUICKLY.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT, IN THIS IMAGE,

WE'RE SEEING THE LOST WRECKAGE OF THIS WHALE-SPOTTING PLANE?

Narrator: YET WHEN EX-CIA ANALYST LINDSEY MORAN

SEARCHES THE WIDER AREA FOR MORE CLUES,

SHE DISCOVERS THIS CANNOT BE THE LONE MISSING WHALING PLANE.

THERE'S AT LEAST FOUR OTHER PLANES IN THE SAME AREA.

**

SO THIS IS NOT A SINGULAR OCCURRENCE

OF A PLANE CRASHING IN ANTARCTICA.

Narrator: THIS AREA OF ANTARCTICA IS KNOWN AS ENDERBY LAND.

MORAN LEARNS THAT, DURING THE COLD WAR,

IT WAS OF GREAT INTEREST TO THE SOVIET UNION'S COMMUNIST REGIME.

THE SOVIETS BUILT A BASE DOWN HERE THAT THEY CLAIMED

WAS FOR BUILDING METEOROLOGICAL RESEARCH ROCKETS.

**

Narrator: SOVIET RECORDS REVEAL THAT AN ANTARCTIC STATION

CALLED MOLODYOZHNAYA OPENS HERE IN 1962.

**

IT IS VAST, CONSISTING OF 70 BUILDINGS,

AN ELECTRIC POWER PLANT, AND A RUNWAY.

**

THE BASE'S SCALE AND FLEET OF PLANES

SUGGEST THIS WAS NO MERE WEATHER STATION.

THIS TOOK PLACE DURING THE COLD WAR.

ANY KIND OF RESEARCH THAT THE SOVIETS WERE CONDUCTING

AT THAT TIME FOR SURE WOULD HAVE HAD

SOME KIND OF MILITARY COMPONENT TO IT.

Narrator: A GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEY

COMPLETED AROUND FOUR YEARS BEFORE THE RUSSIANS ARRIVE

OFFERS A CLUE.

IT DETAILS STRANGE SCIENTIFIC READINGS

NEAR THE SITE IN THE IMAGE.

THIS IS AN AREA THAT IS KNOWN FOR A VERY STRANGE ANOMALY

CALLED THE WILKES LAND GRAVITATIONAL ANOMALY.

Narrator: THERE IS SOMETHING UNDER THE ICE HERE SO MASSIVE

THAT ITS GRAVITATIONAL FORCE CAN BE DETECTED FROM SPACE.

OUR BEST SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE RIGHT NOW SUGGESTS

THAT A MAMMOTH METEORITE CRASHED INTO THIS PARTICULAR AREA

MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

Kourounis: THEY BELIEVE THAT IT'S TREMENDOUS IN SIZE,

BIGGER THAN THAT WHICH KILLED THE DINOSAURS

65 MILLION YEARS AGO.

AND THE DENSITY OF THAT METEORITE

ACTUALLY HAS AN EFFECT

ON THE EARTH'S GRAVITATIONAL FORCE.

Narrator: BUT WHAT MAY HAVE LURED THE SOVIETS TO THIS REMOTE LOCATION

WAS SOMETHING THE ROCK BROUGHT WITH IT FROM SPACE.

STUDIES OF A SIMILAR IMPACT CRATER IN YUCATáN, MEXICO,

GROUND ZERO FOR THE DINOSAUR EXTINCTION,

CONFIRMS IT IS RICH IN A RARE, PRECIOUS METAL.

Cerveny: ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE LEARNED

WHEN WE FOUND THE ASTEROID THAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS

WAS THAT IT HAD A LOT OF THE ELEMENT IRIDIUM.

Narrator: 40 TIMES RARER THAN GOLD,

IRIDIUM IS THE MOST CORROSION-RESISTANT METAL

KNOWN TO MAN

AND HAS A MELTING POINT OF OVER 4,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

Cerveny: IT IS POSSIBLE

THAT THE SOVIETS MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT

THAT MAYBE, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SEE IN THE YUCATáN,

THERE MIGHT BE ELEMENTS THAT WERE NOT COMMON ON THE EARTH

IN THIS PARTICULAR KIND OF METEORITE.

Narrator: WHATEVER THE RUSSIANS FOUND HERE,

RECORDS SHOW THAT IN 1990

MOSCOW MOTHBALLS THIS RESEARCH STATION...

YET ITS FLEET OF COLD WAR ICE PLANES REMAINS,

FROZEN IN TIME.

**

[ WHIRRING ]

COMING UP, THE MEGA WEAPON THREATENING AMERICA...

TERRIFYINGLY, ONE OF THE MAIN USES

IS TO CARRY NUCLEAR WARHEADS.

Narrator: ...AND POISONING THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

Chamberlain: SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DUMPED IN THE WATER.

AND WHERE IT COMES FROM IS EVEN MORE CURIOUS.

[ WHIRRING ]

**

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

RELY ON SPY BIRDS

TO MONITOR SECRETIVE ROGUE STATE NORTH KOREA.

[ WHIRRING ]

AN IMAGE CAPTURED ON JUNE 29, 2018,

OF A CLUSTER OF BUILDINGS IN THE NORTHERN CITY OF HAMHUNG

DRAWS THEIR ATTENTION.

WE'VE GOT A SERIES OF LARGE AND SMALL BUILDINGS

THAT HAVE VERY DISTINCTLY COLORED ROOFS.

NOW, THIS LOOKS OUTSIDE THE NORM OF WHAT WE USUALLY SEE

FROM OVERHEAD IMAGERY OF NORTH KOREA.

Narrator: HISTORICAL IMAGES REVEAL THAT THE DICTATORSHIP

APPEARS TO BE POURING LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY

INTO THE MYSTERIOUS FACILITY.

Janulis: 2017 SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW

THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HERE BUT A FEW HOUSES AND ROADS,

AND SO THIS SITE SORT OF

SPRANG UP OUT OF NOWHERE AND VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator: THE FACT THAT THE COMPLEX IS IN THE COUNTRY'S

SECOND-LARGEST CITY COULD BE SIGNIFICANT.

Muñoz: THE CITY OF HAMHUNG IS HOME

TO THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY FOR NORTH KOREA.

Narrator: THE NORTH KOREANS CLAIM

THE FACILITY MAKES PESTICIDES.

YET A 2015 U.S. INTELLIGENCE REPORT

REVEALS THAT A SIMILAR FACILITY DISCOVERED BY SATELLITE

IN THE CAPITAL, PYONGYANG, IS A FRONT.

IT'S MANUFACTURING ANTHRAX.

Price: A LOT OF THE INGREDIENTS USED IN CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

ARE THE SAME AS INGREDIENTS USED IN PESTICIDES.

Narrator: A SINGLE GALLON OF ANTHRAX,

IF SUITABLY DISTRIBUTED, COULD END ALL HUMAN LIFE.

AND NORTH KOREAN DISSIDENTS

CLAIM THE REGIME POSSESSES A 5,000-TON ARSENAL

OF THIS AND OTHER CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS.

SARIN GAS, MUSTARD GAS, VX GAS --

I MEAN, THESE CHEMICALS WERE DESIGNED

TO BASICALLY BURN A PERSON FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

**

WHAT HAS LEAKED OUT IS THAT NORTH KOREA

IS ACTUALLY NUMBER THREE IN THE WORLD

IN TERMS OF A CHEMICAL-WEAPON ARSENAL,

RIGHT BEHIND THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA.

Narrator: YET AN ARTICLE ON A STATE-CONTROLLED WEBSITE

FOR NORTH KOREA'S CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY

REVEALS THE FACILITY SERVES A DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

IT'S MANUFACTURING

NEXT-GENERATION MISSILE COMPONENTS.

THIS FACILITY IS DEVELOPING A COATING,

A BASICALLY HARDENED CARBON-TYPE MATERIAL

THAT IS SPECIFICALLY USED ON THE NOSE CONES

OF INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES.

Narrator: INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES

APPROACH THEIR TARGET AT OVER 4 MILES PER SECOND.

UNTIL AUGUST 2017,

ALL NORTH KOREAN HIGH-ALTITUDE MISSILES

FAILED TO WITHSTAND THE INTENSE FRICTIONAL HEAT

THESE SPEEDS GENERATE, BREAKING UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

**

THIS MEANS MOST OF THE COMMUNIST COUNTRY'S ADVERSARIES

ARE SAFE FROM ATTACK.

**

Janulis: NORTH KOREA'S WEAPON SYSTEMS

REQUIRE IT TO BE VERY CLOSE TO THE RECIPIENT.

IT JUST DOESN'T HAVE A MEANS OF PROJECTING THAT POWER

OVER OCEANS TO THE COUNTRIES IT CONSIDERS ENEMIES.

Narrator: THE CARBON COATING PRODUCED AT THIS FACILITY

COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER.

THIS COATING WILL NOT BURN UP

WHEN THE MISSILE ENTERS THE ATMOSPHERE

AND STRIKES ITS TARGET.

Janulis: SOMETHING LIKE THIS GIVES THEM THE ABILITY

TO SEND PAYLOADS GREAT DISTANCES.

Narrator: WORSE STILL, INTELLIGENCE ALSO SUGGESTS

COMPONENTS FROM THE SITE

ARE SHIPPED TO A NEARBY FACTORY KNOWN AS NUMBER 17.

NUMBER 17 IS KNOWN TO MAKE SOLID-FUEL ROCKET MOTORS.

IT HAS A LOT OF ADVANTAGES OVER ANY OTHER FUEL SYSTEM.

SOLID FUEL DOES NOT REQUIRE

THE SAME SORT OF PREPARATION TIME BEFORE TAKE-OFF,

AND IT JUST MEANS WE HAVE EVEN LESS OF A CHANCE OF INTERCEPTING

BEFORE IT HITS US OR AN ALLIED NATION.

**

Narrator: ON NOVEMBER 28, 2017,

NORTH KOREA DEMONSTRATES THE CAPABILITIES

OF THE FACILITY IN THE IMAGE

WHEN STATE TV BROADCASTS THE LAUNCH OF THE KN-22.

**

ANALYSTS CALCULATE THAT THE ROGUE STATE'S

LARGEST, MOST POWERFUL MISSILE TO DATE

HAS A RANGE OF UP TO 8,000 MILES.

THAT MEANS THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES

MAY NOW BE VULNERABLE TO ATTACK.

TERRIFYINGLY, ONE OF THE MAIN USES FOR MISSILES LIKE THIS

IS TO CARRY NUCLEAR WARHEADS.

Narrator: SEVEN MONTHS AFTER THE TEST,

IN JUNE 2018,

NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN

MEETS WITH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.

IT'S AN UNPRECEDENTED ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE LEADERS

OF THE HERMIT NATION AND ITS SWORN ENEMY.

Moran: ONLY MONTHS EARLIER, THE TWO LEADERS

WERE EXCHANGING INSULTS AND THREATENING TO UNLEASH

"FIRE AND FURY" AGAINST EACH OTHER.

Narrator: DURING THE MEETING,

KIM MAKES A STUNNING ANNOUNCEMENT.

IN JUNE, NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN

ACTUALLY REPEATED HIS PLEDGE TO DENUCLEARIZE THE PENINSULA

TO U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DURING THEIR HISTORIC MEETING.

**

Narrator: A YEAR LATER, ON JUNE 30, 2019,

PRESIDENT TRUMP MEETS AGAIN WITH THE DESPOTIC LEADER.

YET SATELLITE IMAGES TAKEN IN THE LEAD-UP TO THIS EVENT

SHOW RENEWED ACTIVITY AT THE MISSILE FACILITY.

THE TYRANT WASN'T JUST LYING.

HE APPEARS TO BE CLOSER TO UNLEASHING ARMAGEDDON THAN EVER.

**

[ WHIRRING ]

COMING UP, RUSSIA'S TICKING ATOMIC TIME BOMBS...

THE CRAZY PART ABOUT IT IS HOW LIGHTLY SECURED

THESE THINGS WERE.

Narrator: ...AND GUERILLA WARFARE

IN THE DESERTS OF AFRICA.

THE BIGGEST FEAR FOR THEM WAS SABOTAGE

BY GERMAN IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN THE AREA.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: JUNE 16, 2010.

SAKHALIN ISLAND, OFF THE EASTERN COAST OF RUSSIA.

A HELICOPTER PASSING OVER THIS REMOTE LANDMASS

CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

**

Chamberlain: THIS IS EXTREMELY UNUSUAL.

THIS ALMOST LOOKS LIKE EARTH HAS AN EYEBALL.

Dr. Albertson: THIS IS A PERFECT CIRCLE ON THE GROUND.

PERHAPS MAN-MADE, BUT IT LEAVES ME WONDERING

WHO OR WHY THEY WOULD HAVE MADE THIS.

Narrator: TOPOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS REVEALS

"THE EYE" IS, IN FACT, A 380-FOOT-DIAMETER DOME.

**

MILITARY HISTORIAN MARTIN MORGAN THINKS HE RECOGNIZES IT.

I'VE SEEN A DOME THAT BEARS A RESEMBLANCE

TO THIS FEATURE IN THE PACIFIC WHERE A SIMILAR STRUCTURE

WAS USED TO ISOLATE

THE RADIOACTIVE WASTE FROM A NUCLEAR TEST.

**

Narrator: DECLASSIFIED SOVIET FILES

SHOW THAT NO NUCLEAR TESTS TOOK PLACE ON THIS ISLAND,

BUT THEY DO REVEAL ANOTHER POTENTIAL SOURCE

OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE HERE.

Chamberlain: SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DUMPED IN THE WATER AROUND HERE

THAT'S INCREDIBLY RADIOACTIVE IS STRONTIUM-90.

AND WHERE IT COMES FROM IS EVEN MORE CURIOUS.

THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY PEPPERED WITH SOMETHING

THAT'S INGENIOUS BUT VERY DANGEROUS --

ATOMIC LIGHTHOUSES.

**

Narrator: A FIFTH OF RUSSIA'S LANDMASS

LIES WITHIN ARCTIC TERRITORY,

AND MANY PARTS EXPERIENCE PERMANENT DARKNESS

FOR WEEKS AT A TIME.

FOR CENTURIES, VOYAGES THROUGH THE POLAR SEAS

ARE FRAUGHT WITH DANGER.

**

THE COLD WAR ERA DOCUMENTS REVEAL THAT, IN THE 1970s,

SOVIET SCIENTISTS IMPLEMENT A PLAN

TO HELP IMPERILED MARINERS.

THEY CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF A NUCLEAR-GENERATED LIGHTHOUSE

THAT WOULD KEEP SUSTAINING ENERGY

OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

Narrator: ENGINEERS INSTALL A CHAIN OF 132 LIGHTHOUSES

ALONG HUNDREDS OF MILES OF RUSSIAN COASTLINE,

INCLUDING ONE NEAR THE SITE IN THE IMAGE.

THEY USE TECHNOLOGY ORIGINALLY INTENDED

TO POWER LUNAR AND MARS ROVERS --

MINIATURE NUCLEAR GENERATORS.

THE PROCESS OF AUTOMATING LIGHTHOUSES

IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS WORLDWIDE.

IN THE UNITED STATES, IT TAKES PLACE IN THE LATE 1960s.

BUT WHEN THE U.S. AUTOMATES LIGHTHOUSES,

WE'RE NOT USING NUCLEAR GENERATORS TO DO IT.

Narrator: THE COMMUNISTS MANUFACTURE

AROUND 1,000 SMALL NUCLEAR-POWERED GENERATORS

FOR USE IN THESE BEACONS.

THE CRAZY PART ABOUT IT IS

HOW LIGHTLY SECURED THESE THINGS WERE.

IN MANY CASES, THEY'RE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOTHING

WITH NO LARGE SECURITY FORCE PROTECTING IT.

IT WAS QUITE SOMETHING.

Narrator: IN 1991, THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSES,

PLUNGING THE RUSSIAN NATION

INTO ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY.

IN THE WAKE OF THIS CHAOS,

LOOTERS ATTACK THE UNATTENDED LIGHTHOUSES,

STRIPPING THEM OF VALUABLE METALS...

AND THEIR RADIOACTIVE CORES.

Morgan: PEOPLE COULD TECHNICALLY DISASSEMBLE THEM

AND USE THEM TO CREATE MAYBE NOT A NUCLEAR BOMB,

BUT A DIRTY BOMB,

A BOMB THAT WOULD DISTRIBUTE RADIOACTIVITY OVER A BROAD AREA.

Narrator: EXPERTS CONSIDER IF THE STRUCTURE IN THE IMAGE

IS AN ATTEMPT TO CLEAR UP THIS WEIRD ATOMIC LEGACY

OF THE COLD WAR.

IF THIS IS A CAP

FOR SOME MASSIVE NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP,

IT'S INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS.

ONE, THE CAP ITSELF LOOKS LIKE IT'S BORDERLINE FAULTY.

THERE'S LOTS OF CRACKS EMERGING.

YOU COULD HAVE SOME SORT OF CONTAMINATION

IF THIS CAP DISINTEGRATES.

Narrator: GEOLOGISTS SUGGEST THERE MIGHT BE

ANOTHER EXPLANATION FOR THE CRACKS,

ONE ROOTED IN THE HIGHLY TECTONIC GEOGRAPHY

OF THE SURROUNDING AREA.

THE ENTIRE SAKHALIN ISLAND REGION,

WHICH EFFECTIVELY IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF THE JAPANESE ARC,

IS A SEISMICALLY ACTIVE AREA.

IT'S A PLACE WHERE A LOT OF TECTONICS ARE GOING ON.

PLATES ARE MUSHING INTO EACH OTHER,

PUSHING THE LAND AROUND, SQUEEZING IT, DEFORMING IT.

Narrator: THIS SEISMIC ACTIVITY MAY BE CAUSING

A BIZARRE GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENON.

I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT THIS IS A MUD VOLCANO.

**

Narrator: MUD VOLCANOS CAN FORM WHEN TECTONIC ACTIVITY

CAUSES HOT WATER DEEP UNDERGROUND

TO MIX WITH GASES AND SEDIMENT.

THAT WATER AND GAS AND MUD FORCES ITS WAY UP TO THE SURFACE

UNTIL IT FINDS A CRACK OR A HOLE.

AND, POOF, THE GAS COMES OUT, AND A BURP OF MUD COMES UP.

Narrator: AS WELL AS BOILING MUD,

ERUPTIONS RELEASE NITROGEN, CARBON DIOXIDE, AND METHANE.

YET MUD VOLCANOES TYPICALLY LOOK LIKE THIS...

NOT THIS.

Dr. Dennie: THIS MUD VOLCANO IS UNUSUALLY SYMMETRICAL.

IT'S EXTREMELY ROUND,

AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT LOOK SO MUCH LIKE AN EYE.

IT'S PROBABLY FORMED IN A VERY FLAT PLACE

SO THAT WHEN MUD FLOWS THROUGH THE TOP OF THE CONE,

IT'S EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE SIDES OF THE VOLCANO,

WHICH GIVES IT THAT OPTICAL LOOK FROM AN AERIAL IMAGE.

Narrator: A FREAK EVENT, CAPTURED BY EYES IN THE SKY.

Chamberlain: THIS MUD VOLCANO DOESN'T ACTUALLY ALWAYS LOOK LIKE THIS.

AT THE POINT THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN,

THERE WAS AN ERUPTION GOING ON,

AND THAT'S WHAT GAVE IT THIS CIRCLE IN THE MIDDLE,

LOOKING TO BE THE IRIS OF THE EYE.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE TO HAVE CAUGHT THIS MOMENT IN TIME.

**

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, THE DESERT ENIGMA.

WHAT WAS IT THAT COMPELLED PEOPLE

TO GO UP ON THIS HILLSIDE AND CREATE THAT?

[ WHIRRING ]

**

Narrator: MARCH 3, 2013.

A SATELLITE OVER THE VAST NAMIBIAN DESERT

CAPTURES THIS IMAGE IN THE SANDS BELOW.

Walters: IT LOOKS REMOTE. IT LOOKS DRY.

IT LOOKS PRETTY GODFORSAKEN, FRANKLY.

AND YET, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT,

WE'VE GOT WHAT LOOKS LIKE A VAST SYMBOL

CARVED ONTO THE SIDE OF THE HILL.

WHAT WAS IT THAT COMPELLED PEOPLE

TO GO UP ON THIS HILLSIDE AND CREATE THAT?

**

Narrator: ANALYSIS REVEALS THE MYSTERY SYMBOL

IS MADE UP OF SEVERAL CHARACTERS AND EMBLEMS.

I CAN'T HELP BUT OBSERVE THE DETAILS,

AND ONE OF THOSE DETAILS LOOKS A LOT LIKE A COMPASS,

SUGGESTIVE OF THE FREEMASONS.

**

Narrator: THE SET SQUARE AND COMPASS

IS KNOWN AS THE MASONIC SQUARE.

Dr. Krueger: THIS PATTERN DOES HAVE SOME TYPE

OF A SACRED SIGNIFICANCE AMONG THE FREEMASONS.

Narrator: THE EXACT ORIGIN OF FREEMASONRY IS IN DISPUTE,

BUT MOST SCHOLARS THINK IT ORIGINATES IN MEDIEVAL TIMES.

**

WITH A HIGH DEMAND FOR NEW CHURCHES AND CATHEDRALS,

STONEMASONS WOULD WORK FAR AWAY FOR MONTHS OR YEARS AT A TIME.

**

THEY FORM ORGANIZATIONS TO PROTECT THEIR TRADE

AND KEEP UNSKILLED WORKERS OUT.

WHAT STARTED OFF AS A GROUP OF HIGHLY SKILLED STONEWORKERS

HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS

TO BECOME A FRATERNITY OF PROFESSIONALS

IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE.

**

Narrator: YET WHEN INVESTIGATORS OBTAIN HIGHER-RESOLUTION IMAGERY,

IT REVEALS THE DESERT SYMBOL SERVES A DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

AT THE BASE OF IT IS A HORN,

AND IT'S SORT OF A CLASSIC HUNTING HORN,

OFTEN SEEN IN MILITARY INSIGNIA,

SO THIS KIND OF POINTS TOWARDS A MILITARY ORIGIN.

Narrator: THREE LETTERS NOW VISIBLE ABOVE THE SYMBOL

YIELD FURTHER CLUES.

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS INSIGNIA,

YOU CAN SEE IT'S GOT THE SYMBOLS "2", "D", "L", "I",

AND THAT STANDS FOR THE SECOND DURBAN LIGHT INFANTRY.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

Narrator: THE DURBAN LIGHT INFANTRY

IS A REGIMENT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER WHAT HISTORICAL EVENT

COULD ACCOUNT FOR ITS PRESENCE IN THIS FOREIGN COUNTRY.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS FARAWAY PART OF AFRICA

PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

[ GUNFIRE ]

Narrator: AS WAR WAGES IN EUROPE,

A LESSER-KNOWN BUT CRUCIAL STRUGGLE

TAKES PLACE FOR DOMINANCE ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT,

A CONTINENT WITH A VAST GERMAN COLONIAL PRESENCE.

AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN 1914,

GERMAN SOUTHWEST AFRICA

WAS, OBVIOUSLY, CONTROLLED BY GERMANY.

BUT THEN, THE BRITISH AND THE SOUTH AFRICANS INVADE.

Narrator: FOLLOWING A FEW INITIAL SKIRMISHES IN 1914,

50,000 SOUTH AFRICAN TROOPS,

ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT,

ADVANCE ACROSS GERMAN SOUTHWEST AFRICA.

UNPREPARED AND UNDERSUPPLIED,

THE 7,000-STRONG GERMAN FORCE

SURRENDERS ON JULY 9, 1915.

THE VICTORIOUS SOLDIERS SEIZE CONTROL OF KEY TRANSPORT LINKS

SUCH AS THE RAILWAY LINE VISIBLE IN THE IMAGE.

Walters: AS SOON AS THE BRITISH AND THE SOUTH AFRICANS

TOOK OVER THIS TERRITORY,

THE TROOPS RECEIVE ORDERS TO PROTECT THIS RAILWAY,

THIS VITAL RAILWAY, AT ALL COSTS.

Narrator: THE 352-MILE-LONG OTAVI RAILWAY

IS A CRUCIAL SUPPLY LINE

CONNECTING NAMIBIA'S COAST AND ITS DESERT INTERIOR.

THE BIGGEST FEAR FOR THEM WAS SABOTAGE

BY GERMAN IMMIGRANTS STILL LIVING IN THE AREA,

SO THEY STATIONED TROOPS UP AND DOWN THE RAIL LINE

TO PREVENT ANYBODY FROM SABOTAGING THE RAIL LINE

AT ITS CRUCIAL POINTS.

Narrator: YET THE FEARED UPRISING NEVER MATERIALIZES.

**

ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A COUPLE OF ATTACKS AGAINST RAILROAD LINES,

FOR THE MOST PART, THESE TROOPS PERFORMED

THIS ROTE, ENDLESS, DAY-IN, DAY-OUT JOB

OF GUARDING RAILROAD WITH NOTHING HAPPENING.

Narrator: DIARY ENTRIES REVEAL

THAT THE SOLDIERS CONCOCT SCHEMES

TO STAVE OFF THE RELENTLESS MONOTONY.

Janulis: ONE OF THE WAYS THESE BORED SOLDIERS ENTERTAINED THEMSELVES

WAS TO CREATE THEIR UNIT INSIGNIAS ON THE GROUND

OUT OF LOCAL MATERIALS LIKE ROCKS.

AT THE HEART OF THE COMPETITION THAT EMERGES

IS PRIDE IN THEIR UNIT, PRIDE IN THEIR ORGANIZATION.

Narrator: REGIMENTS COMPETE TO CREATE

THE MOST COMPLEX AND ACCURATE VERSIONS OF THEIR EMBLEMS

ON THE HILLS ALONGSIDE THE TRACKS.

Janulis: AND AS COMPETITIONS DO, EVERYTHING SORT OF EVOLVED

TO GET BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BIGGER,

AND THEN IT BECAME SORT OF A CULTURE.

AND YOU CAN IMAGINE THE OTHER SOLDIERS COMING BACK ON LEAVE,

RIDING THE TRAIN LINE BY AND SEEING THE INSIGNIA

IN THE WINDOW ON THE HILLSIDE

AND THEN WANTING TO OUTDO THAT OTHER UNIT WHEN THEY RETURN.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

Narrator: IN NOVEMBER 1918, THE WAR ENDS,

AND MANY OF THE SOLDIERS RETURN HOME.

YET THE LEGACY OF THEIR OVERLOOKED CHAPTER

OF THE WAR TO END ALL WARS

REMAINS VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE CAN SEE THESE SYMBOLS NOW,

OVER A CENTURY OLD.

THEY'RE A GREAT REMINDER OF WHAT IS LARGELY

A FORGOTTEN PART OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR.