This chapter examines how the political and economic turmoil of the Weimar Republic assisted the Nazis into a position of power. The economic depression of the early 1930s and opposition to communism from senior German politicians are shown to be important contributory factors.
Shows that behind the public façade of a rigidly ordered Nazi party, the lackadaisical approach to administration of Adolf Hitler created a cloud of confusion in which ambitious Nazis could exert considerable power in the formulation of specific policies.
The immediate events preceding the outbreak of WW2 are presented and the question why Hitler ended up at war with the power he most admired – Great Britain - and allied to the country he most hated – Soviet Russia – is answered.
Reveals how the occupied territories of Eastern Europe were governed once they were conquered. The chapter focuses on the brutal Nazi administration of Poland, in which forced migration, slave labour and execution were commonplace.
Charts the rise of anti-Jewish sentiment and policies which led to the Holocaust and the creation of mass slaughter camps such as the one at Treblinka. The daily operation of the Treblinka camp is revealed and accounts from living survivors are presented.
Asks why, despite a growing awareness of the repression and atrocities of the Nazi regime and a realisation of impending military defeat, the German people were not able to rid themselves of Adolf Hitler and were left fighting to the end. Even in the midst of set backs Hitler was able to inspire a fatalistic loyalty in his people and army that prolonged the Second World War. In addition, fear of the advancing Soviet army and the reprisals they would exact on the German people kept the nation fighting until the finale of the Battle of Berlin.
Details Hitler's invasion of Russia and also Stalin's initial dismissal of agents reports that Hitler was planning to invade and also gives evidence confirming Stalin's attempts to seek a negotiated peace with the Germans when they did invade. Considers the morale and state of the Red Army, often low and ill-equipped or led, and the blitzkrieg tactics used by the Germans - with first hand accounts from ex-SS and Red Army men. Uses eye- witness accounts and new film footage and information available since the opening up of East European archives and society in former Communist countries.
This edition chronicles the Battle for Moscow, and explores why more civilians died in this war than any other in history.
This program chronicles the horrors of the Battle for Stalingrad in 1942, a turning point in the conflict between the two countries.
Summer 1944. The seeds of Soviet victory are sown when Germany suffers huge casualties against Stalin's troops in Byelorussia. When in April 1945, the red flag appears over the Berlin Reichstag, Germany's defeat is followed by violent retribution.
An examination of the campaign fought by German U-boats to sever Britain's seaborne supply routes between 1939 and 1942.
How the allied forces fought back against the German U-Boats that had sunk more than 3 million tons of shipping in ther first 18 months of war. Allied intelligence was greatly helped by the capture of cipher material and an Enigma code machine.
In the first three years of war, German U-boats threatened to starve Britain into submission, but by the spring of 1943 the tide had turned. Eyewitness testimonies, archive film and reconstructions illuminate the story of how, in just a few months, the Allies destroyed the U-boat fleet.
The first program of a two-part documentary on Japanese tactics in World War II. Examines the Japanese treatment of allied prisoners-of-war in World War I and World War II, arguing that the cruelty was not so much part of a unique warrior code as modern militarism. Reports on how Chinese prisoners were used as living targets for bayonet practice.
The concluding program in a two-part documentary on Japanese tactics in World War II. Looks at why so many Japanese civilians and fighting men in the final years of the war, followed the path of `death before surrender', and reveals that, for many, the decision to commit suicide was as much the result of social pressure as a deeply felt traditional response. Talks to survivors of mass civilian suicides, such as those that took place on the island of Saipan, as well as former kamikaze pilots and Allied prisoners of war.
An analysis of the Battle of El Alamein. Military historian Richard Holmes visits the battlefield. Veterans recall it. The archive footage includes Rommel and Montgomery.
The Italian campaign of 1944 was considered by some at the time as merely a sideshow to the Allied thrust through continental Europe, with Allied soldiers in Italy referred to as 'D-Day Dodgers'. This program, however, with its use of archive footage and reconstruction, recounts the four major Allied assaults on Monte Cassino, the Benedictine monastery on the German Gustav defensive line, to illustrate how grueling the Italian offensive was, with massive losses suffered on both sides.
Bomber Command veterans recall how they flew missions to destroy German targets during World War II.
Operation "Market Garden" was an allied attempt to bring an early end to the second World War in the west by forcing an armored column straight into the heart of Germany. It's failure at Arnhem in the Netherlands left the way open to Russia to invade Germany from the east.
On November 6, 1944, the Allied forces invaded Normandy and began the long but highly effective march through Europe that would bring about the downfall of the Nazis. Known as D-Day, it is one of the most important dates of the 20th century.
D-Day: Reflections of Courage documents the personal stories of many of the men who engaged in battle that day.
Drama-documentary narrated by Sean Bean about the decisive struggle to break out of the D-Day beachhead and advance across Normandy to begin the defeat of Hitler's Third Reich. The program draws on the memories of those from both sides involved in the close fighting that summer, and carefully researched drama scenes chart the growing tensions between Allied commanders Eisenhower and Montgomery.
The battle for the beaches had been won, and the narrow sliver of French coastline gained on D-Day was slowly extending. But the optimism born of the successful D-Day landings quickly began to fade as the Allies confronted a skilful enemy who was determined to throw them back into the sea. British troops became trapped in a terrible battle of attrition reminiscent of the grim battles of the First World War.
Hitler's last great offensive in the Ardennes failed. With British and American armies poised to cross the Rhine in the west, and Soviet forces advancing towards the River Oder in the east, there was only one offer on the table for Germany - unconditional surrender. The Allies would not negotiate with a country that had plunged Europe into war twice in 30 years. A new world order would have to emerge, one based on democracy and freedom. But for Goebbels unconditional surrender was a propaganda gift - evidence that the last battle must be fought for the survival of the German 'folk'. And the Allies seemed to be prepared to go to any lengths to secure their victory.
This episode sets the stage for the series and examines the radical increase in violence against all opponents of the Nazi state. In particular, it explores the German army's invasion of the Soviet Union during the summer of 1941 and connects this campaign to the first gassing experiments in Auschwitz, Poland, which were aimed at Russian prisoners of war, not Jews.
Laurence Rees continues his documentary history, marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, with an account of how the Nazis developed their "Final Solution". By 1942, Rudolf Hess had established the camp as a place to murder thousands of Jews, Slavs, & Roma Gypsies.
The Nazis' marshaling of Jews from across Europe - including the Channel Islands- gained momentum in 1942. Unable to cope with the huge influx, Auschwitz and Treblinka were modified with bigger gas chambers and crematoria. But inspirational stories of courage and compassion could still be found among this appalling catalog of inhumanity, including that of German officer Albert Battel, who risked his life to save detainees.
By 1943, life was good for many of the SS. Eyewitness accounts recall how those in power at Auschwitz lined their pockets with wealth stolen from Jewish inmates while also engaging in illicit affairs.
SS Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann ordered the deportation of Hungary's Jews following occupation in 1944, precipitating the most intensive period of slaughter in Aushwitz's history. The Allies, meanwhile, faced dilemmas: should they divert valuable resources to bomb transport routes to the camp? And should they consider Eichmann's offer of one million Jewish lives in exchange for certain provisions - the "Blood for Goods" deal?
The reality of life in the concentration camps was revealed upon the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen in 1945. But what was the fate of the remaining prisoners and the SS garrisons? The final days of the war and its immediate aftermath is a story as shocking as it is surprising, with Jewish survivors facing appalling treatment in their home countries and large numbers of SS perpetrators remaining hidden.
This programme investigates the fate of the two-and-a-half million Indians who fought for Britain during the Second World War. It looks at how they were forgotten by Britain, and disowned by India after the war and faced racism and prejudice.
Using actual footage recorded in the heat of battle this program studies the World War II battles in Burma where casualties on both sides were high, and the strategy and tactics employed.
Explores the role of British merchant seamen during World War II, through the personal testimony of the men who braved the North Atlantic storms and U-boat attacks to keep Britain supplied with essential provisions.
