History Detectives Season 7 Episode 10 Stalag 17 Portrait/Seadrome/Black Tom Shell

History Detectives season 7 episode 10 explores three intriguing mysteries from America's past: a World War II portrait found in an attic, a forgotten seaplane crash from the 1930s, and a mysterious shell casing discovered on a beach.

The first mystery begins with a portrait of a young man in a WWII uniform, discovered in an attic in the small town of Glencoe, Minnesota. The man, identified only as Richard, is said to have been a prisoner of war at Stalag 17 in Austria. The History Detectives set out to uncover who Richard was and how the portrait ended up in the attic. Along the way, they discover the heartbreaking story of a young soldier's capture, imprisonment, and eventual escape from the Nazi prison camp.

The second mystery takes the team to Lake Worth, Florida, where they investigate the forgotten story of a seaplane crash that occurred in 1933. The crash killed three people, including a prominent millionaire, and was blamed on pilot error. But some locals believe that there was more to the story, and that the crash may have been a cover-up for something bigger. The History Detectives dig into the evidence and hear from witnesses who shed new light on the decades-old mystery.

The final mystery leads the team to New Jersey, where they investigate a mysterious shell casing found on the beach at Liberty State Park. The casing bears the name "Black Tom," a reference to an infamous 1916 sabotage plot by German agents to destroy American munitions supplies. The History Detectives explore the history of Black Tom, which was largely forgotten after the United States entered World War I. They also examine the shell casing to determine whether it is authentic and whether it could hold the key to solving the mystery of Black Tom.

As always, the History Detectives use their expert research skills to piece together the clues and bring these little-known stories from America's past to light. Through interviews with experts and descendants of those involved, as well as through archival footage and images, they reveal surprising details about these fascinating historical mysteries.