As some of the country s most notorious criminals, they were responsible for an historic crime spree that included hundreds of bank robberies, kidnappings, and murders. Though the havoc they wreaked across America lasted just 18 months, it resulted in the rise of the FBI and the nation s first war on crime.

Meet the outlaws who defined this golden age of crime, from John Dillinger and Machine Gun Kelly to Ma Barker, Bonnie and Clyde, and Pretty Boy Floyd, as HISTORYTM details the crime wave of 1933-34. At the height of the Great Depression, police jurisdictions ended at state lines, the FBI barely existed, and many of the thirteen million Americans out of work blamed their troubles on the banks, setting up an opportune time for criminals to rob, steal, and kill. And with technological advances like the Tommy Gun, electric-start V-8 engines, and bulletproof vests, the robbers often had the advantage over the cops.

Attention-grabbing and action-packed, CRIME WAVE: 18 MONTHS OF MAYHEM mixes archival footage with evocative reenactments to help capture the hectic pace of the heists, stick-ups, and high-speed chases that turned these charismatic thieves and murderers into legendary characters, as well as the bloody sprees and shoot-outs that resulted in their deaths.