As the Second World War entered its third year Adolf Hitler and his Axis allies continued their advance into new and unconquered terrain. In 1942 the vast armies of the Third Reich were plunging ever deeper into Russia. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e13: The Tide Begins to Turn
The beginning of America’s change from defensive operations to offensive action ... Fierce naval battles would continue to rage. ibid.
Despite orders from Hitler to fight to the last, the Nazi commander started his retreat two days later ... A portion of Rommel’s army had escaped ... Rommel was beaten out of Egypt. ibid.
News of Eisenhower’s collaboration with the Vichy commander spread overseas. ibid.
As the Second World War entered its fourth year it had become a confrontation that was truly global. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e14: Facing the Music
All France was now directly under the iron hand of the Nazis. ibid.
Japan’s determination to present itself as the leader of a newly awakened Asia had the potential to seriously undermine the Allied war effort. ibid.
All Libya was now in Allied hands. ibid.
The Germans and the Italians faced humiliating defeat on the northern shores of Africa. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e15: Resistance is Never Futile
Hundreds of thousands of Germans were left homeless by the attacks. ibid.
Poland had had the largest Jewish population of any European state, numbering about three million people. ibid.
As World War II progressed into its fifth year, the German machine ... was well and truly faltering ... The Allies were well placed to capitalise on their advantage. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e16: Tentative Steps
The massive Anglo-American invasion fleet – as it was able to approach Sicily virtually unopposed. ibid.
The atrocities visited on innocent civilians, particularly those of the Jewish faith, became ever more horrifically apparent. WWII: Countdown to Victory e17: New Challenges
It was the beginning of a dark age of oppression for the Italian people ... Italy was far from being a strong military nation. ibid.
More and more attention was now being focussed on Overlord. ibid.
World War II continued at a rapidly accelerating pace. All eyes turned to London. All eyes turned to London as tye preparations for Operations Overlord, the long-awaited Allied invasion of northern France, were finalised. WWII: Countdown to Victory ep18: Blueprint for Victory
Hitler grew increasingly withdrawn and was often irrational in his decision making. ibid.
The economic power of the Americans combined with the colossal manpower of the Russians meant that the British had the breathing space they needed to recover to fighting strength. ibid.
These peaceful picturesque beaches were actually the setting for the remarkable never to be forgotten Normandy landings … Thousands of Allied troops came ashore on 6th June 1944. WWII: Countdown to Victory ep19: D-Day at Last
Winston Churchill was of the opinion that Italy needed to be dealt with and taken out of the war as quickly as possible. ibid.
With the promise of summer the Second World War entered a very positive phase for the Allies in 1944 … The Italian forces were losing their Italian stronghold. The Russians were becoming more powerful in the east. WWII: Countdown to Victory ep20: Liberty, Equality & Fraternity
Secrecy had been paramount because the element of surprise was vital if Operation Overlord stood any chance of succeeding. ibid.
Even the formidable Nazi propaganda machine could do little to make Germany’s position appear anything but compromised. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e21: Onwards Ever Onwards
Hitler focused the V1s on London: immense damage was caused. ibid.
Hitler’s miracle [V2s] weapon would make little difference to the outcome of the war. ibid.
The opening months of 1945 would see some of the most brutal battles of the Second World War. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e22: The Race for Berlin
Hitler’s gamble in the Arden had failed. ibid.
In April 1945 the Second World War was nearing its conclusion. Europe’s Allied armies were driving ever further into Nazi Germany from east and west. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e23: Churchill's Finest Hour
Yet is was Harry S Truman who had the technology within his grasp to force the Japanese to surrender. ibid.
On May 8th 1945 the news the world had been waiting for was announced. War in Europe, that had begun with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, almost six years earlier, was over ... A brave and dangerous new world. WWII: Countdown to Victory s1e24: Brave New World
A desperate state ... millions of people had been systematically murdered ... The Nazis had targeted the Jews ... The Holocaust: the war crimes mounted ... ibid.
Sentenced at Nuremberg – Rudolph Hess, who had been Hitler’s deputy before he was captured in Britain in 1941. ibid.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor they did so intending to smash in one single blow America’s resolution and its inability to retaliate. They failed miserably on both counts. The Japanese sank or badly damaged seven antiquated American battleships, but since they were lost in harbor many of their crews were saved. Battle of Midway, Movies4men 2013
May 1 1942, south of the Solomon Islands: five cruisers and eleven destroyers. ibid.
May 7 1942: Both sides suffered equally from errors and accidents. ibid.
Japan’s admirals were already planning another battle … Midway, May 20 1942: A lengthy radio signal in code from Admiral Yamamoto to his fleet. ibid.
The Japanese had attacked the Aleutian Islands: oil dumps, barracks, hospital and a church. ibid.
As the fires burned over Midway, the extent of the damage was surveyed … A second air attack was needed. ibid.
Four of Japan’s finest carriers had gone. ibid.
The Americans had turned the tide of the war in the Pacific. ibid.
This is the only Lancaster Bomber left flying in Britain ... The 70th anniversary of most of the most daring raids of the Second World War ... They would be known simply as Dambusters. Dan Snow, The Dambusters: 70 Years On, BBC 2013
An idea that began on a family holiday on Chesil Beach. ibid.
His idea was to overcome the torpedo nets which protected the German dams by skipping a bomb across the water’s surface. ibid.
Not all of these aircrew were Brits. ibid.
On 6th June 1944 British and Allied forces put a top-secret plan into action: D-Day. In a single day 14,000 men would be captured, wounded or lose their lives. Their sacrifice gave the Allies their best chance of defeating Nazi Germany. Dan Snow, D-Day: The Last Heroes I, BBC 2014
The Allies realised that 3D was a powerful weapon that could make the difference between success and failure on D-Day. ibid.
By early 1944 the Allies were fully committed to D-Day. ibid.
If the weather got any worse it could be weeks before conditions were right again. 164,000 troops waited for a decision. At the eleventh hour the weather offered a small window of opportunity. Conditions weren’t ideal: ‘Ok. Let’s go.’ ibid.
Half a million men unleashed in a single day the full fury of Operation Overlord. Dan Snow, D-Day: The Last Heroes II, Eisenhower
6,000 vessels ... Two years’ meticulous planning had gone into D-Day. ibid.
They did not liberate Paris until August of that year. ibid.
A hastily cobbled together fleet carrying out a daring rescue mission. For many of those ships and their crews it would prove fatal but it would lead to what is now known as the Miracle of Dunkirk. Dan Snow, Little Ships: The Miracle of Dunkirk, BBC 2019