BBC - History: World War Two (2024)

The causes, events and people of the most destructive war in history.

• World War Two: Summary Outline of Key Events - A guide to the key events of World War Two.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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 Danco*cks