Bringing History to Life

In 1933, Adolf Hitler seizes power in Germany, where he has seduced the population with golden promises of a restoration of the Great German Empire. He allies himself with Mussolini's fascist Italy, Stalin's communist Soviet Union and the military dictatorship in Japan, which has the same dreams of grandeur as Germany. In this series, you get a thorough review of World War II - from the birth of fascism through the war's many dramas to the aftermath, where the victors deal with the war's worst criminals.

» The Red Army breaks Hitler

1943 January -April

1943 May -August

1943 September -December

HITLER’S ARMY LOST IT ALL AT STALINGRAD • In early January 1943, the Soviets launched a major offensive at Stalingrad. The goal was to crush the remnants of Hitler’s besieged 6th Army. For the next 20 days, the German soldiers fought a futile battle against a vengeful enemy.

NORDIC VOLUNTEERS JOINED THE NAZIS • The German Army attracted Nazis from occupied countries across Europe, but many also chose to fight for Hitler in order to liberate Europe from the Bolsheviks. The soldiers found a community of like-minded men among the military, but condemnation awaited them in their homelands.

JEWISH REVOLT WAS CRUSHED • The last remaining Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto knew they were going to die, but they refused to give up without a fight. In a desperate showdown, they took up arms against the Wehrmacht. Thanks to well-planned preparations, they managed to keep the mighty German Army at bay for an entire month.

OFFICER VOLUNTEERED FOR AUSCHWITZ • Witold Pilecki volunteered to become an inmate at Auschwitz concentration camp to organise resistance among the Poles and to document Nazi war crimes. For several years, the cavalry officer outfoxed the Germans, but when it came time to escape, he found that getting out of Auschwitz was no easy task.

DISGUISED CORPSE FOOLED THE GERMANS • British intelligence needed to draw Hitler’s forces away from their planned invasion of Sicily. What they came up with was an ingenious plan to drop a dead English courier with fake invasion plans where the Germans could find it. They just needed a good cover story – and a corpse…

TROOPS TOOK TIME OFF FROM WAR • A soldier’s life was hell – but not all the time. Occasionally, even the most battle-hardened troops needed to relax. However, it required a little ingenuity to create somewhere to unwind far from home. All the same, soldiers managed to snatch a few hours to play music, enjoy sports – and maybe even find romance in the shadow of war.

THE ALLIES PREPARED TO LAND IN EUROPE • Half a million men stood ready for the one of the greatest amphibious operations in history. The target: Sicily. Thanks to a clever diversion, the soldiers came ashore with little resistance, and there was even an unexpected bonus as the campaign drew to a close.

HISTORY’S BIGGEST-EVER TANK BATTLE • In mid-1943, Hitler attempted to halt the Russian advance on the Eastern Front by committing his forces to a huge tank battle near the Russian city of Kursk. But his generals were worried. If Hitler’s major offensive failed, the Third Reich’s chances of winning the war could be over.

HORSES, PIGEONS, AND DOGS WERE USED IN THE WAR • Millions of animals were used by the armed forces during World War II. Some helped with transportation and delivering messages, while others acted as weapons. Pets also lifted the soldiers’ morale. Zoos were hit hard by the war, while wild animals sometimes proved a greater threat to the soldiers than enemy bullets.

STALIN FORCED GERMAN RETREAT FROM KIEV • After the Soviet victories at Stalingrad and Kursk in the first half of 1943, Stalin was ready to follow up his successes with a major offensive. But Hitler put his trust in the wide River Dnieper, where his troops...