The causes, events and people of the most destructive war in history.
World War Two
World War Two: Key Events
- World War Two: Summary Outline of Key Events - A guide to the key events of World War Two.
The Gathering Storm
Churchill: The Gathering Storm
Had Britain's wartime leader truly stood alone in his opposition to appeasement, or did he rewrite history to portray himself in a better light? By Professor John Charmley.
- The Ending of World War One - Germany had high hopes of winning World War One - especially after astonishing advances early in1918.
- The Rise of Adolf Hitler - From aimless drifter to brutal dictator, by Jeremy Noakes
- Hitler's Leadership Style by Dr Geoffrey Megargee
- Nazi Propaganda by Professor David Welch
- Japan's Quest for Empire 1931 - 1945 by Dr Susan Townsend
- Countdown to World War Two: Monday 28 August 1939 by Mark Fielder
Blitzkrieg: Germany's 'Lightning War'
Blitzkrieg
How did this new doctrine of speed, flexibility and surprise deliver a string of stunning victories for Hitler's armies? By Robert T Foley
- Voices of Dunkirk - Listen to eight survivors of the Dunkirk evacuation recount their stories
- Invasion of Poland - The gamble that led to war, by Bradley Lightbody
- Spinning Dunkirk - Miracle or propaganda? By Professor Duncan Anderson
- The Norway Campaign in World War Two by Dr Eric Grove
- WW2 Movies: Dunkirk
- France, 1940: 1 Squadron by Christopher Shores
- The Fall of France by Dr Gary Sheffield
- Animated Map: The Fall of France (Dunkirk)
- Churchill Becomes Prime Minister by Helen Cleary
- Dunkirk by Bruce Robinson
- Norway Campaign by Helen Cleary
- The Fall of France by Bruce Robinson
Britain Stands Alone
Winston Churchill: Defender of Democracy
The rows were explosive, the challenges enormous, but he led Britain through the war with unique assurance. By Dr Geoffrey Best.
- Audio: Churchill and World War Two - Audio of three of Winston Churchill's speeches to the British nation during World War Two.
- The German Threat to Britain in World War Two - Was an invasion likely? By Dan Cruickshank
- The Battle of Britain - Explore the Battle of Britain with clips from BBC programmes
- Battlefield Academy: WW2 Mission - Defend Britain from air attack by the Luftwaffe
- WW2 Movies: The Bombers and the Bombed - An interactive animation looking at the air war
- The Battle of the Atlantic: The U-boat peril - Britain's fight for survival, by Dr Gary Sheffield
- The Battle of the Atlantic Game - Defeat the U-boats and guide your convoy to safety
- Aerial Reconnaissance in World War Two Gallery by Allan Williams
- Battle of Britain by Bruce Robinson
- Battle of the Atlantic: An Overview by Helen Cleary
- Channel Islands Invaded by Bruce Robinson
- The Blitz by Bruce Robinson
The Allies in Retreat
Hitler and 'Lebensraum' in the East
Why did Hitler believe that the East should provide lebensraum (living space) for the German people? By Jeremy Noakes.
- Pearl Harbor: A Rude Awakening - Bruce Robinson explores the factors that led to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
- Hitler's Invasion of Russia in World War Two - The rationale, by Laurence Rees
- The Dieppe Raid - A disastrous blunder, by Julian Thompson
- The Burma Campaign 1941 - 1945 - The 'forgotten war', by Michael Hickey
- Animated Map: The Burma Campaign - A step-by-step guide to the campaign
- Colonies, Colonials and World War Two by Marika Sherwood
- The Siege of Malta in World War Two by Dr Eric Grove
- Aerial Reconnaissance in World War Two Gallery by Allan Williams
- Rommel in the Desert by Dr Niall Barr
- 'Bismarck' Sunk
- Burma Campaign by Bruce Robinson
- Dieppe Raid by Helen Cleary
- HMS 'Hood' Sunk by 'Bismarck' by Helen Cleary
- Siege of Malta by Helen Cleary
The Tide of War Turns
World War Two: The Battle of El Alamein
Churchill said that there was never a victory before it and never a defeat after it. How important was this epic victory? By Professor Richard Holmes.
- Animated Map: The Battle of El Alamein - A step-by-step guide to the battle
- Animated Map: The North African Campaign - A step-by-step guide to the campaign
- The Battle of Midway - From ambush to victory in the Pacific, by Andrew Lambert
- Aerial Reconnaissance in World War Two Gallery - Intelligence from above, by Allan Williams
- Battle of the Atlantic: The U-boat peril - Overcoming the U-boat threat, by Dr Gary Sheffield
- Partisans: War in the Balkans 1941 - 1945 by Dr Stephen A Hart
- The Soviet-German War 1941 - 1945 by Professor Richard Overy
- Allied Landings in French North Africa by Phil Edwards
- Dambusters Raid by Phil Edwards
- Second Battle of El Alamein
The Axis in Retreat
The 'D-Day Dodgers'
Has an obsession with the Allied landings in Normandy given a distorted view of the achievements of the Italian campaign? By Professor Richard Holmes.
- Animated Map: The Italian Campaign - A step-by-step guide to the campaign
- World War Two: The Battle of Monte Cassino - Was it worth it? By Professor Richard Holmes
- The Burma Campaign 1941 - 1945 - From defeat to victory, by Michael Hickey
- Animated Map: The Burma Campaign - A step-by-step guide to the campaign
- The Sinking of the 'Scharnhorst' - A blow to German pride, by Norman Fenton
- British Bombing Strategy in World War Two - The moral dilemmas of the air war, by Detlef Siebert
- The Air War, and British Bomber Crews, in World War Two - The price they paid, by Mark Fielder
- Germany's Final Measures in World War Two - Hitler's search for a miracle, by Louise Wilmot
- Japan: No Surrender in World War Two - The policy's terrible cost, by David Powers
- Allied Landings in Italy by Phil Edwards
- Allied Landings in Sicily by Phil Edwards
- Battle of Monte Cassino by Phil Edwards
- Defence of Imphal and Kohima by Bruce Robinson
- Scharnhorst Sunk by Helen Cleary
Special Section: D-Day and Operation Overlord
D-Day: Beachhead
How meticulous planning, good luck and sheer guts ensured the success of history's largest amphibious invasion. By Duncan Anderson.
- Voices of D-Day - Listen to the voices of eight people who experienced D-Day first-hand.
- Animated Map: The D-Day Landings - A step-by-step guide to the invasion
- WW2 Movies: D-Day - An interactive animation looking at the landings
- From Gallipoli to D-Day - The Allies' steep learning curve, by Peter Hart
- The Dieppe Raid - A disaster, but with valuable lessons, by Julian Thompson
- Operation Overlord: D-Day to Paris - How the liberation of Western Europe began, by Lloyd Clark
- Animated Map: Operation Overlord - A step-by-step guide to the campaign
- From D-Day to Berlin Gallery - The bloody slog of the war's last year
- The Allies at War - The Allied leaders' uneasy relationships, by Simon Berthon
- GI Joe: US Soldiers of World War Two - The American contribution, by Captain Dale Dye
- Caen Captured by Phil Edwards
- Caen Offensive by Phil Edwards
- Closing the Falaise Gap by Phil Edwards
- D-Day: The Normandy Landings by Phil Edwards
- Gold Beach by Phil Edwards
- Juno Beach by Phil Edwards
- Operation Overlord by Phil Edwards
- Pegasus Bridge by Phil Edwards
- Sword Beach by Phil Edwards
Victory in Europe and Japan
The Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden)
How Operation Market Garden could have shortened the war by six months - and why it failed at the last moment. By Mark Fielder.
- Animated Map: The Battle of Arnhem - A step-by-step guide to the operation
- The Battle of the Bulge - Hitler's last offensive, by Robin Cross
- Liberation of the Concentration Camps - The Allies' horrific discoveries, by Dr Stephen A Hart
- Genocide Under the Nazis Timeline - The drip-drip of events that led to genocide
- The Battle for Berlin in World War Two - The carnage of the Soviet campaign, by Tilman Remme
- Victory in Europe Day - How the news was greeted, by Dr Gary Sheffield
- Audio: Churchill and World War Two
- Nuclear Power: The End of the War Against Japan by Professor Duncan Anderson
- World War Two: How the Allies Won by Professor Richard Overy
- Battle of the Bulge by Phil Edwards
- Market-Garden by Phil Edwards
- V E Day by Helen Cleary
- V-weapons Attack Britain by Helen Cleary
- VJ Day by Helen Cleary
Post-war Reconstruction and Retribution
Why Churchill Lost in 1945
Labour's landslide in the 1945 general election remains one of the greatest shocks in British political history. How did Churchill fail to win? By Dr Paul Addison.
- Nuremberg: Nazis On Trial by Professor Richard Overy
- Making Justice at Nuremberg, 1945 - 1946 by Professor Richard Overy
- European Refugee Movements After World War Two by Bernard Wasserstein
- President Truman and the Origins of the Cold War by Arnold A Offner
- The Legacy of World War Two: Decline, Rise and Recovery by William R Keylor
- The League of Nations and the United Nations by Charles Townshend
- Churchill Loses General Election by Helen Cleary
Special Section: The Secret War
Breaking Germany's Enigma Code
Germany thought its Enigma encryption was impenetrable, but the codebreakers of Britain's Bletchley Park had other ideas. By Andrew Lycett.
- Code breaking - Explore the world of the code breaker through BBC clips, and understand the importance of Bletchley Park during World War Two.
- The Special Operations Executive 1940 - 1946 - What was the foundation of the underground army that helped turn the balance of power during World War Two?
- Double Cross - MI5 in World War Two - The role of double agents, by Nigel West
- WW2 Movies: SOE - An interactive animation looking at the secret war
- British Special Operations Executive (SOE): Tools and Gadgets Gallery
- Training SOE Saboteurs in World War Two by Bernie Ross
- SOE Quiz: Destination D-Day
- Killing Hitler by Professor Duncan Anderson
- The Foxley Report: Plotters against Hitler by Bernie Ross
- The Foxley Report: Secret Operations in World War Two by Mark Seaman
- The 'Lancastria' - a Secret Sacrifice in World War Two by Raye Dancocks
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the BBC is covering the World War One Centenary, and see the latest programmes and online content
Surviving the trenches
Pack Up Your Troubles
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