The World at War

Season 1

TV-PG

100%

A multi-volumed documentary mini-series, "The World at War" covers the entire history of World War II from the causes of the 1920s to the aftermath of the Cold War in the 1950s. Emphasis is also placed on several inside story episodes, where events are covered which occurred inside Germany and Japan such as resistance to Hitler, life in general under a dictatorial regime, and particular emphasis is focused on the Jewish Holocaust.

Where to Watch Season 1

26 Episodes

A New Germany (1933–1939)
E1
A New Germany (1933–1939)Germany, a nation stricken by humiliating defeat and emerging from crippling economic depression, looks to one man for a resurgence of hope and dignity. That man is Adolf Hitler…
Distant War (September 1939–May 1940)
E2
Distant War (September 1939–May 1940)In Eastern Europe, the full force of the Nazi machine rolls on - but in Britain, an uneasy calm settles on the nation. It is the 'phoney' war, with the sound of distant guns thundering ominously on the horizon…
France Falls (May–June 1940)
E3
France Falls (May–June 1940)France discovers it is woefully unprepared for modern warfare as the Nazi war machine easily skirts around the Maginot Line. Britain retreats and prepares for invasion.
Alone (May 1940–May 1941)
E4
Alone (May 1940–May 1941)After Dunkirk, Britain faces the German onslaught. Although the Rap wins the Battle of Britain, the cities are blitzed and on the continent the last Allies are conquered. The outlook is grim.
Barbarossa (June–December 1941)
E5
Barbarossa (June–December 1941)Following the conquest of France Hitler, almost casually by blitzkrieg standards, turn his eyes toward Russia. But Stalin is equally lackadaisical in preparing defenses against Germany. The German invasion rapidly reaches the gates of Moscow where it is stopped cold by the onset of winter then crushed by the Russian counterattack.
Banzai! Japan (1931–1942)
E6
Banzai! Japan (1931–1942)Following Japan's conquest of eastern Asia the Allies finally respond with sanctions. They prove so threatening to Japan that it prepares to conquer Southeast Asia to secure the resources it needs. But first the threat from the British and American Pacific fleets must be eliminated.
On Our Way: U.S.A. (1939–1942)
E7
On Our Way: U.S.A. (1939–1942)The opposition to the United States' entry into the war, Lend Lease, U-boat attacks on Atlantic convoys and American responses, mobilization of America after Pearl Harbor, loss of the Philippines, Doolittle Raid, Midway and Guadalcanal.
The Desert: North Africa (1940–1943)
E8
The Desert: North Africa (1940–1943)In 1940 Mussolini deploys a massive army to invade British held Egypt, to capture the Suez Canal and most of all to establish an Italian empire to rival Germany's. So begins a multi-year campaign over a meaningless stretch of desert involving forces from a dozen nations and characterized by persistent attackers, stubborn defenders and ultimately controlled by supply line challenges.
Stalingrad (June 1942-February 1943)
E9
Stalingrad (June 1942-February 1943)Germany is dealt a crushing defeat when the Russians' stubborn defense of Stalingrad delays the German offensive giving the Russians time to mass their forces for a counter attack that surrounds then destroys the German Sixth Army and its supporting forces.
Wolfpack: U-Boats in the Atlantic (1939–1944)
E10
Wolfpack: U-Boats in the Atlantic (1939–1944)In a war of high technology and animal courage, the German U-Boats fight Allied merchantmen, hounding them in packs.
Red Star: The Soviet Union (1941–1943)
E11
Red Star: The Soviet Union (1941–1943)For two years the Soviet Army fights the Germans almost alone. After one of the greatest land battles in history, the nation survives and triumphs - but with a loss of no less than twenty million of its people.
Whirlwind: Bombing Germany (September 1939–April 1944)
E12
Whirlwind: Bombing Germany (September 1939–April 1944)Bomber Command begin bombing German cities by night and the Americans reinforce the attacks by day; a whirlwind of terror and destruction that will win the war.
Tough Old Gut: Italy (November 1942-June 1944)
E13
Tough Old Gut: Italy (November 1942-June 1944)After driving the Germans from North Africa the Allies turn their sites on Italy. But the Italian campaign turned out to be tougher the anyone expected. American reluctance to divert resources from the planned Normandy invasion, geographic challenges and German reinforcements hinders the Allied campaign which continued until the eve of the Normandy invasion.
It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma (1942–1944)
E14
It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma (1942–1944)Allied forces were totally unprepared for the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942. The Japanese quickly overran the country. The Allies counter-attacked using troops unfamiliar with jungle warfare which were unsuccessful against the Japanese guerrilla forces. But the Allies persisted and gradually adapted to the jungle environment. As additional forces arrived the Allies succeeded in destroying the Japanese forces.
Home Fires: Britain (1940–1944)
E15
Home Fires: Britain (1940–1944)Finding strength in unity at home in Britain during the war, it was a time of gas masks, Winston Churchill, Dig for Victory, evacuation, George Formby, the Land Army, ITMA, the Squander Bug and the Beveridge Report.
Inside the Reich: Germany (1940–1944)
E16
Inside the Reich: Germany (1940–1944)Changes in German society as the fortunes of war are reversed. Censorship and popular entertainment, German industry, recruitment of female, foreign and slave labor, Allied bombing, German dissent, and the mobilization of the Volkssturm.
Morning (June–August 1944)
E17
Morning (June–August 1944)The Western Allies resolve to invade Europe. England becomes a floating supply dump and the British and Americans assemble the largest invasion fleet in history. It is June 6th 1944 - D Day.
Occupation: Holland (1940–1944)
E18
Occupation: Holland (1940–1944)Through a neutral country, Holland is attacked by Germany without warning in 1940. During the next four years, life carries on seemingly without incident, but underneath resistance never dies.
Pincers (August 1944–March 1945)
E19
Pincers (August 1944–March 1945)The end of the war appears close at hand with the liberation of Paris in 1944, but the British and Americans disagree on how to advance. Meanwhile, Poland suffers devastating losses to achieve victory.
Genocide (1941–1945)
E20
Genocide (1941–1945)The history of the Nazi persecution of the Jews, showing events leading to the "Final Solution". Footage and Interviews with SS officers and Jewish survivors from various countries describe how the extermination camps operated and what existence was like there.
Nemesis (February–May 1945)
E21
Nemesis (February–May 1945)Hitler retreats to the Fuhrer bunker is Berlin as Germany crumbles around him and his lieutenants abandon him to a fate of suicide. Meanwhile, the Russians raise the red flag in Berlin.
Japan (1941–1945)
E22
Japan (1941–1945)Japanese society during wartime. How life transformed as the country suffered defeats, including the Doolittle raid, Midway, the death of Isoroku Yamamoto, the Battle of Saipan, Okinawa, and the relentless bombing of Japanese cities.
Pacific - The Island to Island War (February 1942–July 1945)
E23
Pacific - The Island to Island War (February 1942–July 1945)The island hopping strategy of Admiral Nimitz and General MacArthur leads from one costly, battle after another. The Japanese fight fanatically as the war gets ever closer to home, but Americans finally use their newest weapon, the A-bomb.
The Atomic Bomb (February–September 1945)
E24
The Atomic Bomb (February–September 1945)Western scientists have developed a new, immensely powerful weapon - the atomic bomb. On August 6th 1945, the Enola Gay delivers the world's first atomic bomb to Hiroshima. The world would be forever altered.
Reckoning (April 1945)
E25
Reckoning (April 1945)As wretched survivours suffer deprivations amongst the ruins, half of Germany and eastern Europe trade one socialist tyranny for another as the Soviets take power. Japan is occupied by the U. S., but the colonial empires disintegrate.
Remember
E26
RememberFor many the Second World War was the most significant experience of their lives. Heartbreaking first hand remembrances from a vast array of survivors on both sides of the war.