Battlefront - WWII: Road To Victory
Season 1
The fiercest battles of WWII come to life as never seen before in this collection of one of the most powerful epics of history. This documentary series takes you behind enemy lines and to the front lines of the tumultuous campaigns of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific theaters where the soldiers, sailors and airmen fought in the most defining time in the history of the modern world.
40 Episodes
- Dunkirk (May, 1940)
E1Dunkirk (May, 1940)Europe is under Hitler's Blitzkireg. To keep France free, 400,000 English soldiers have manned the battlefields. Germany's strength is too great and pushes the British to the coast town of Dunkirk where they are trapped. With the Germany army massing to surround them, an armada of every kind of boat forms to transport them back to England against all odds. The dramatic rescue of 338,000 will be known as the miracle of Dunkirk. - The Battle of Norway (Early 1940)
E2The Battle of Norway (Early 1940)Early in the war, the Germans decide they need to guarantee access to the Norwegian port of Narvik to ensure their supplies of Swedish iron ore. The British, however, send destroyers to up-end the German plan. Fierce sea battles result in the loss of many ships and soldiers. One German who was there tells his story. - The Bombing of England (Fall, 1940)
E3The Bombing of England (Fall, 1940)After invading France, Hitler is planning to cross the Channel. his only obstacle is the Royal Air Force. Determined to decimate British air strength, the luftwaffe forces the RAF into the air. Throughout the summer of 1940, both sides lose an incredible number of daring flyers in what becomes one of the most important battles of the war. - The Battle of Malta (June 1941)
E4The Battle of Malta (June 1941)In 1941, Mussolini desperately wants to wrest the tiny island of Malta from the British for control of the Mediterranean. When his inadequate air force fails to bomb the Maltese into submission, Hitler's Luftwaffe joins the campaign. Malta becomes the most bombed target of the war but the British and the Maltese refuse to surrender. - North Africa (November, 1942)
E5North Africa (November, 1942)In the North African desert in 1942, American fighting forces encounter the dreaded Rommel for the first time to stop the German war machine. It's a desert battle in which Rommel's tanks are able to cut off the British and American armies. But Germany's inability to supply Rommel allows the allies to force him back. - Monte Cassino (September 3, 1943)
E6Monte Cassino (September 3, 1943)As the allies make their way into Italy, they encounter tremendous resistance at German defensive positions along the Gustav line. one of these locations is an ancient monastery called Monte Cassino. The U.S. army h as to make a controversial decision to bomb the religiously significant monastery where the Germans are entrenched. - D-Day (June 6, 1944)
E7D-Day (June 6, 1944)D-Day, the 6th of June--one of the most pivotal moments in world history. In a massive armada of thousands of ships, 3,000,000 allied troops land at Three Beaches in Normandy, France--one of the most incredibly co-ordinated military operations ever. Scaling the impregnable "Atlantic Wall," constructed by the Germans, turns out to be one of the most difficult and constly battles of World War II. - Retaking France (6 weeks after D-Day)
E8Retaking France (6 weeks after D-Day)Six weeks after the D-Day invasion of the Beaches of Normandy, the allied forces are pushing the Germans back through the French countryside. Town by town is won back as Panzer divisions retreat back to the Meuse River. Finally, the Red Ball Express makes the difference and daringly gets supplies through General George Patton's 3rd army, allowing the Americans to crush the Germans. - The Fall of Singapore (October, 1941)
E9The Fall of Singapore (October, 1941)Before the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese initiate the Pacific War by firing on the British in Malaya. Their route to the rubber-rich nation takes them into Singapore, the World's most armed fortress. The ultimate surrender of Singapore becomes the British Army's first major loss of the War. - Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)
E10Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)During a two-hour surprise attack on the American Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Japanese navy pilots score a near-complete victory. Almost 85% of the American fleet is either damaged or destroyed. Air bases are strafed and 2,500 Americans are killed. it is one of the most devastating losses in the history of the United States navy. - The Battle of Midway (June 2, 1942)
E11The Battle of Midway (June 2, 1942)Only one isolated atoll prevents an enemy invasion of Hawaii. Midway Island is where the Japanese fleet converges on a tiny American base with a massive strafing and bombing attack. The Japanese expect to wipe out American defenses and keep the U.S. out of the Pacific. But, because of advance intelligence, U.S. navy pilots are able to locate the Japanese carriers and destroy them in one of the most decisive Pacific battles of World War II. - The Solomon Islands (July, 1942)
E12The Solomon Islands (July, 1942)For the first time since Americans entered the war, Marines face Japanese infantrymen at Guadalcanal. In the jungles, two powerful armies clash in a six month battle that claims nearly 30,000 lives. In their attempt to retake the Island's landing field, the Japanese are outnumbered four to one. Nearly 1,000 of them are cut down in a matter of hours. - The Gilbert Islands (November, 1943)
E13The Gilbert Islands (November, 1943)Bloody fighting erupts on a group of tiny Pacific islands in November 1943. In November 1943, a group of island in the Pacific would become the scene of some of the most brutal combat of World War II. The Japanese would fight furiously, almost to the last man. On the tiny atoll of Tarawa, the Japanese cut down landing marines with vicious precision. Military blunders by American commanders add to the losses in taking the Island of Tarawa. Through sheer numbers, Americans finally take hold and firebomb the final Japanese resistance. - Battle in Palau (Summer, 1944)
E15Battle in Palau (Summer, 1944)As the United States prepared for the invasion of the Philippines, scheduled for late 1944, the tiny Palau Islands had to be taken first. The well-entrenched Japanese were ready to fight to the last man. It was a bloody campaign with heavy losses on both sides. - Battle of the Bulge (December, 1944)
E18Battle of the Bulge (December, 1944)The December 1944 battle pitting American forces against German Panzer divisions in the Ardennes Forest. By the end of 1944, the allied armies are within striking distance of Germany. In a last-ditch effort, Hitler orders 65,000 of his finest soldiers to cut off the American units in the Ardennes forest and force them back to the Meuse River. In forming their bulge, they surround the town of Bastogne but an allied bombing and Patton's third Army save the Americans and push the Germans back. - Operation Mercury (May, 1941)
E21Operation Mercury (May, 1941)After British forces withdrew in defeat from Greece to the island of Crete in early 1941, they were soon fighting German invasion armies again. This time, 5,000 of Hitler's elite paratroopers landed to complete their conquest in the Mediterranean. This was the largest and most ambitious airborne operation to date. It was a dangerous campaign for both the British and the Germans. - Bombing of Germany
E25Bombing of GermanyThe development of the B-17 bomber, which allowed American planes to reach inside Germany and bomb its cities. By the end of the war, American B-17's are pounding Germany in the thousand bomber raids. The remains of the Luftwaffe does its best but cannot match against the numbers. Germans suffer through the deprivation that war has brought them and the bombing brings them closer to a final defeat. - Battle of Okinawa (Spring 1945)
E29Battle of Okinawa (Spring 1945)As the U.S. makes its way through the pacific towards Japan, the final invasion is on the island of Okinawa. Although the landing is simple, the Japanese commander has decided to meet the Americans in the steeper inland terrain of the island. It is a brutal and violent final pacific battle of the war. Kamikaze fighters strike back in a last-ditch effort to keep the Americans away. - Battle of Dieppe (August 1942)
E33Battle of Dieppe (August 1942)The Allies launch an ill-fated attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe, France. By the middle of 1942, the allies are anxious to attack the Germans in Normandy but they are not prepared for a full-scaled invasion. Instead, a raiding party of 6,000 troops, including 5,000 Canadians, makes an ill-fated attempt to land at Dieppe, France. The heavily fortified German emplacements make it impossible for the forces to accomplish their mission. More than half of the force become casualties or are taken prisoner. - Battle of Anzio (Spring 1944)
E34Battle of Anzio (Spring 1944)Allied armies encounter German resistance in the Italian fishing town of Anzio. A succession of attacks resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, though no budge in the stalemate. After a four-month stalemate during which British and American losses totaled seven thousand killed, thirty-six thousand wounded or missing, and forty-four thousand hospitalized from various nonbattle injuries and sickness, the siege of Anzio finally ended on May 23, 1944, when the Allies launched a breakout offensive. - Battle of Kwajalein (Early 1944)
E37Battle of Kwajalein (Early 1944)Examining the battle at the Kwajelein Atoll in the South Pacific during 1944. Included: operations by the Seabees. To avoid the catastrophic losses experienced in taking Guadalcanal and Tarawa, American forces assemble 42,000-man army to invade the tiny atoll of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Part of the island's value is in setting up an advance base to bomb Japanese targets. While the fighting continues, the navy construction battalion builds an entire base camp on the tiny atoll in just a matter of days.
