World War II
It was the biggest and deadliest war in history, spanning six grueling years and involving countries in nearly every part of the world. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, World War II pitted the Allied forces (led by the United States, Great Britain and the U.S.S.R.) against the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy). Explore the battles, key players and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind today.
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The majority of the world's countries eventually formed two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Axis.
By the time the first Japanese bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, tensions between Japan and the United States had been mounting for the better part of a decade, making war seem inevitable.
The Allied invasion of Normandy was among the largest military operations ever staged.
The Holocaust was the persecution and murder of millions of Jews, Roma, political dissidents, homosexuals and others by the Nazi regime.
The Hidden Army of Women That Helped Defeat Hitler
Flashback: The Hidden Army of Women That Helped Defeat Hitler
This 1944 American propaganda film imagine’s Hitler’s surrender and explains the Füher’s greatest mistake – his underestimation of American women. This episode of Flashback shows how female wartime workers were an indispensable part of America’s victory, even before the war was officially won.
3 Key Battles
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The Combined Bomber Offensive helped the Allies gain air superiority, crippled Germany's war machine and paved the way for D-Day—but at an enormous human cost.
Austria’s national squad had been known as the 'Wunderteam,' but when conscripted to play for Germany, they were less impressive.
Gale-force winds wreaked havoc with paratroopers and gliders during World War II's Operation Husky.
Stalingrad: One of the Deadliest Battles Ever Fought
Operation Blue: the German Army fights to take Soviet oil fields and the city of Stalingrad, becoming one of the deadliest battles ever fought and a major turning point on the Eastern Front. See more in this clip from Season 1, Episode 10, "Stalingrad." #WorldWarIIWithTomHanksNew Episodes Mondays 8/7cListen to the World War II with Tom Hanks podcast, with new episodes every Tuesday, available wherever you get your podcasts.
