The World at War

  • Series 1 Episode 1
  • A New Germany
  • Duration: 65 minutes
  • High Definition available
  • Subtitles available

Legendary actor Laurence Olivier narrates the definitive series on World War II. Hear why Germany, stricken by defeat in WWI, looked to Adolf Hitler for hope.

Series Selector for The World at War

All episodes for series 1 of The World at War

  • S1 E1 · A New Germany

    Defeated, Germany looks to Adolf Hitler for a resurgence of pride and prosperity.

  • S1 E2 · Distant War

    An uneasy calm settles on Britain as Churchill replaces Chamberlain as prime minister.

  • S1 E3 · France Falls

    France relied on the fortified Maginot Line but the Germans skirted it and forged south.

  • S1 E4 · Alone

    After Dunkirk, Britain faces the Germans across the English Channel. The outlook is grim.

  • S1 E5 · Barbarossa

    The German-Soviet pact ends, and Hitler turns his tanks and troops against Russia.

  • S1 E6 · Banzai!

    The Japanese launch the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor and sweep through Southeast Asia.

  • S1 E7 · On Our Way

    The European and Pacific conflicts were separate - until Hitler declared war on America.

  • S1 E8 · The Desert

    The North Africa conflict took nearly three years to resolve, culminating at El Alamein.

  • S1 E9 · Stalingrad

    After initial successes, Hitler's invasion of Russia is decisively stopped at Stalingrad.

  • S1 E10 · Wolf Pack

    German U-boats cause havoc among Allied merchant shipping in the Atlantic.

  • S1 E11 · Red Star

    The Soviet Army battles the Germans almost alone for two years.

  • S1 E12 · Whirlwind

    Bomber Command hit German cities at night and the Americans reinforce the daytime attacks.

  • S1 E13 · Tough Old Gut

    The Allies underestimate the tough task of attacking Germany via Italy.

  • S1 E14 · It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow

    As Allied troops prepare to defend Burma, they are confronted by the Japanese.

  • S1 E15 · Home Fires

    The Luftwaffe changes the direction of bombing raids from London to the provincial cities.

  • S1 E16 · Inside the Reich

    In the summer of 1940, the German forces are the conquerors of western Europe.

  • S1 E17 · Morning

    The story of the 1944 D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy.

  • S1 E18 · Occupation

    The Germans strike Holland, a country with a Nazi movement but also liberal traditions.

  • S1 E19 · Pincers

    With the liberation of Paris in August 1944, the war seems to be as good as over.

  • S1 E20 · Genocide

    This edition recounts Himmler's plans to realise Hitler's vision of a pure Aryan Germany.

  • S1 E21 · Nemesis

    As the net closes upon Berlin, Hitler retreats to an underground bunker.

  • S1 E22 · Japan

    A look at Japan's fight for survival in 1944, as it was crippled by food shortages.

  • S1 E23 · Pacific

    This episode looks at the Allied offensive in the Pacific.

  • S1 E24 · The Bomb

    This episode looks at the Allied scientists' attempts to develop a new, powerful weapon.

  • S1 E25 · Reckoning

    This episode looks at how a new political order was established at the end of the war.

  • S1 E26 · Remember

    Final episode: a sombre reminder of the human cost of the bloodiest conflict in history.