World War II - The War Chronicles

14 Episodes that survey the massive scope of the war in Europe and the Pacific.

Production

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Seasons

14 Episodes • Premiered 1983

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 1: The Greatest Conflict

1. The Greatest Conflict

A quick review of the various campaigns and calamitous occurrences that happened from the start to the end of World War II.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 2: North Africa... the Desert War

2. North Africa... the Desert War

The birth of the Afrika Korps and it's leader Erwin Rommel who was to earn the pseudonym Desert Fox.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 3: The Beachhead at Anzio

3. The Beachhead at Anzio

Beginning with Operation Shingle, the allies obtained a foothold in Italy while the Germans were determined to make the allies job a difficult one starting with the Gustav line.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 4: D-Day... The Normandy Invasion

4. D-Day... The Normandy Invasion

Operation Overlord began on Jun 6, 1944, with parachutists, deception tactics, and Mulberry harbors so as to ensure a successful invasion in France.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 5: Pursuit to the Rhine

5. Pursuit to the Rhine

Once the Normandy invasion was concluded it was a cacophony of multiple allied drives to silence the German offensives with having to deal with some strong defensive fronts and offensive attacks.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 6: The Bomber Offensive: Air War in Europe

6. The Bomber Offensive: Air War in Europe

In 1943, Britain began bomber offensives over Germany's war production sites, some without fighter protection because of limited fuel capacity. Bombing targets and improved fighter protection would soon occur.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 7: The Battle of the Bulge

7. The Battle of the Bulge

Adolf Hitler is desperate to stop the allies advance onto German soil and pushes a number of his military forces through the Ardennes and begins what has come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. The allies had a number of clues that something was going to happen but ignored them.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 8: The Battle of Germany

8. The Battle of Germany

A more detailed overview of the causes of the German assault through the Ardennes and the battle in Bastogne. The German line fell apart on the 25th after the weather cleared on the 23rd of December 1944. The allies then continued to drive toward the Rhine.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 9: Island Hopping: The Road Back

9. Island Hopping: The Road Back

Beginning with the battle on Tarawa, the Gilbert's, Marshall's, and Mariana's island groups were next in the island hopping strategy.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 10: Jungle Warfare: New Guinea to Burma

10. Jungle Warfare: New Guinea to Burma

The jungle campaigns in New Guinea and Burma were necessary. This was more easily accomplished by attacking the weaker Japanese defenses.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 11: Air War In The Pacific

11. Air War In The Pacific

Chronicling the war’s first days through the suicidal Kamikaze attacks and the bombing missions that brought the war to the Japanese homeland, this documentary utilizes extensive air combat footage.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 12: The Bloody Ridges of Peleliu

12. The Bloody Ridges of Peleliu

From the opening Naval bombardment, to the hand-to-hand combat and vicious guerrilla warfare, this is the complete story of this brutal and historic battle.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 13: The Return To The Philippines

13. The Return To The Philippines

From MacArthur's strategy to the heroics of the ground troops, the 7th Fleet’s naval forces, and the pilots of the Air Force, the heroic saga of the Philippines is a stunning story of unstoppable determination.

Still image for World War II - The War Chronicles season 1 episode 14: Okinawa... The Last Battle

14. Okinawa... The Last Battle

Winston Churchill described it as the most intense and famous battle in military history. Witness the desperate, suicidal resistance of the Japanese in the final battle of the Pacific campaign.

Cast

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