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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Espionage, Deception and Codebreaking
Behind the fierce frontline clashes of World War II, a hidden battle rages—one of espionage, deception and codebreaking. In rural England, a group of brilliant academics races to crack Germany’s seemingly unbreakable Enigma code, helping to change the course of the war. See more in this clip from World War II with Tom Hanks, Season 1, Episode 9, “Secrets and Lies.” Behind the fierce frontline clashes of World War II, a hidden battle rages—one of espionage, deception and codebreaking. In rural England, a group of brilliant academics races to crack Germany’s seemingly unbreakable Enigma code, helping to change the course of the war. See more in this clip from World War II with Tom Hanks, Season 1, Episode 9, “Secrets and Lies.”
A look back at one of the most hard-fought battles of World War II.
From the man who led the evacuation of USS Arizona to the fighter pilot who took to the skies in his pajamas, learn the stories of eight of the many servicemen who distinguished themselves on one of the darkest days in American military history.
Thousands of Inexperienced US Troops Face Off During Operation Torch
In Operation Torch, the first joint U.S.-British offensive of the war, thousands of inexperienced U.S. troops—and their untested leader, Eisenhower—face off against the hardened German Afrika Korps and the infamous Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.
Before D-Day, Allied forces battled across the region’s deserts to secure the Mediterranean and prepare for the invasion of Europe.
How Europe Descended Into the Holocaust
As Hitler’s influence extends beyond Germany and darkness descends across Europe, his hateful rhetoric fuels anti-Jewish persecution and, ultimately, genocide. See more in this clip from Season 1, Episode 7, “Darkness Falls.” New episodes Mondays at 8/7c.
In a decisive victory, inexperienced U.S. troops stopped a Japanese juggernaut.
The majority of the world's countries eventually formed two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Axis.
On June 6, 1944, more than 156,000 American, British and Canadian troops executed the largest amphibious landing in history. Five veterans share their stories from that day.
America's Terrifying Battle to Control the Seas
The story of how America’s battle to control the seas against the terrifying German U-boats in the Atlantic and Japan’s fearsome Navy in the Pacific ultimately turns the tide of the war. See more in this clip from Season 1, Episode 5, "The War at Sea."
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Jack McDowell Recalls his Experiences as a Marine in World War II
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Jack McDowell recalls his experience as a Marine, from his time in boot camp at Montford Point, to the occupation of Tokyo, and the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines.
