Retreat and Surrender • 2009 • episode "S1E6" • Apocalypse: The Second World War

Category: History

The dramatic story of the D-Day landings and of the liberation of Paris. In the east the Soviets liberate Auschwitz and fight their way to the heart of Berlin. Germany finally surrenders, but Japan fights on until the atom bombs are dropped.

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Apocalypse: The Second World War • 2009 • 6 episodes •

Hitler's Rise to Power

Hitler's Rise to Power

This first episode covers Hitler's invasion of Poland, when the world stood on the brink of war, and features stunning colourised footage of the catastrophe faced by the Polish army as it was crushed by the Nazi war machine.

2009 • History

Collapse of France

Collapse of France

The story of Hitler's lightning invasion of France and its rapid collapse, of the evacuation from Dunkirk, and of the summer of 1940 when Britain fought on alone. In new digital colour, this episode shows the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

2009 • History

Origins of the Holocaust

Origins of the Holocaust

The story of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, of Rommel's war against the British in North Africa and of the horrors of the murder of Russian Jews - sometimes known as the Holocaust by Bullets.

2009 • History

American Allies

American Allies

The story of the sudden Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the early days of the war in the Pacific. Back in Europe, this episode looks at the bombing offensive against Germany and at the appalling crime of the Holocaust.

2009 • History

Allies Strike Back

Allies Strike Back

This episode looks at the turning of the war against Germany, with Allied victory at El Alamein and Russian triumph at Stalingrad. Inside Hitler's Germany the SS gain more power, and in southern Europe the Allies fight their way though Italy

2009 • History

Retreat and Surrender

Retreat and Surrender

The dramatic story of the D-Day landings and of the liberation of Paris. In the east the Soviets liberate Auschwitz and fight their way to the heart of Berlin. Germany finally surrenders, but Japan fights on until the atom bombs are dropped.

2009 • History

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Part 4

D-Day is a success, but now the Allies face the challenge of breaking out of the dense hedgerows of Normandy and into open country. They face highly motivated and experienced German soldiers, including Waffen SS units, who make them pay dearly for every yard they advance. The savagery of the fighting also takes a high psychological toll on Allied soldiers – much more so than on German troops who have been subjected to years of indoctrination. But in the end, Allied material superiority takes its toll. General Patton arrives to lead the charge into open country. German soldiers start to surrender in ever greater numbers, and the road to Paris is suddenly open.

S1E4 • D-Day: The Soldiers Story • 2012 • History

Sick Man of Europe

Sick Man of Europe

Our third and final episode looks at the Ottoman Empire’s slow decline in the face of Russian expansion and explores the complex alliances it would forge with European powers in an effort to survive. The map of Europe would be radically redrawn and the Ottoman Empire would come to a humiliating end, giving birth to the modern Turkish Republic.

S1E3 • Ottomans Versus Christians: Battle for Europe • 2016 • History

Feuding Brothers 1575- 1584

Feuding Brothers 1575- 1584

Mary, Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate and flee to England, where Queen Elizabeth has her imprisoned. Refusing to acknowledge her cousin as her legitimate heir, Elizabeth accepts to wed one of Catherine de Medici’s sons. In Flanders, William I requests military assistance from France.

S2E5 • The Real War of Thrones: The True History of Europe • 2018 • History

Revolutions

Two great revolutions entwine. The American Revolution inspires dreams of political and personal liberty. The Industrial Revolution replaces muscle power with machines, freeing Mankind from nature’s limits. But our oldest foe – disease – thrives in industrial cities. With the American Civil War, the two revolutions collide. The world’s first industrial war, it is a battle to define ‘freedom’.

10/12 • Mankind: The Story of All of Us • 2012 • History

The Golden Age

The tale of what's broadly considered China's most creative dynasty - the Song (960-1279). Michael Wood heads to the city of Kaifeng, the greatest city in the world before the 19th century.

S1E3 • The Story of China • 2016 • History

The True Story of King Tuts Treasure

The True Story of King Tuts Treasure

The True Story of King Tut’s Treasure unravels the fascinating tale of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose lavish tomb lay hidden for over 3,000 years beneath the sands of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. When British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered the burial chamber in 1922, he revealed an astonishing collection of golden artifacts, intricate jewelry, and the legendary golden funerary mask. This discovery captivated the world, fueled myths about the “Curse of the Pharaohs,” and transformed our understanding of ancient Egyptian civilization.

2018 • History