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The World at War

1 Series ∙ 26 Episodes ∙ Military & War

Acclaimed British documentary series from the 1970s telling the story of World War II

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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.

Churchill's Bodyguard

Guy Martin's World War 1 Tank

Guy Martin's Lancaster Bomber

Guy Martin's Spitfire

Nazi Hunters

Cleopatra's Lost Tomb

England's Forgotten Queen: The Life & Death of Lady Jane Grey

Decades That Defined Us

The Black Panthers of WW2

Rise of the Nazis