S1 E8 ∙ The Desert ∙
Laurence Olivier narrates this exhaustive account of World War II. In the deserts of North Africa, the 8th Army battles against Rommel's Afrika Korps.
G
Contains Mature Themes
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.
