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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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.
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."
The Attack on Pearl Harbor Changed Everything
Japan escalates their war in China, drawing increasing US sanctions and widespread outrage. Driven by resource shortages and military ideology, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in a move that will reshape the course of World War II. See more in this clip from Season 1, Episode 4, "Pearl Harbor."
