World War II with Tom Hanks

The war is over, and the Allies are triumphant. The United States and the Soviet Union initially work together to establish a new world order, but over the course of the next four years these two nations will go from Allies of convenience to ideological adversaries, launching the next phase of global conflict under the shadow of nuclear war. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Michel Paradis, professor, Columbia University Jon Meacham, presidential historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author Timothy Naftali, senior research scholar, Columbia University S

The U.S. determines by early 1945 that Japan will never surrender and will need to be subdued by force. Newly sworn-in President Truman must authorize an invasion of the Japanese home islands at a terrible cost to American lives. Emperor Hirohito hopes to avoid the destruction of his land and people, but his generals are agitating for war. Both men seek a way out, but only one can deploy the most terrible weapon the world has ever seen. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Jon Meacham, presidential historian Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History Craig L. Symonds,

In the winter of 1944, as American and British armies are advancing across western Europe, Hitler plans one last major offensive attempt through the Ardennes forest - the Battle of the Bulge - to swing the tide of the war back in Germany’s favor. Meanwhile, the Soviet Red Army is swiftly moving across Eastern Europe to fulfill Stalin’s ultimate wish of taking Berlin. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History James Holland, military historian and author Dr. Peter Lieb, military h

In 1944-45, as Allied victory in Europe seems all but assured, the fighting in the Pacific intensifies. The U.S. and Japan suffer terrible losses in the Philippines and on Iwo Jima. Roosevelt understands what ordinary Americans are only beginning to realize: in a clash between a nation which demands unconditional surrender and a nation which refuses to surrender, the worst is still to come. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Jon Meacham, presidential historian Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War

Resistance to Nazi occupation and oppression has been a constant throughout the war. In the summer of 1944, two cities revolt against the Nazis but meet very different outcomes. And some, living and dying through the Holocaust, take their fate into their own hands and mount organized resistance in the direst of circumstances. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas Michael Neiberg,

As the tide begins to turn against the Axis powers, the leaders of Germany and Japan deploy opposite strategies on their home fronts. Hitler and his propaganda minister do everything in their power to shield the German people from the war, while Hideki Tojo asks the Japanese to sacrifice more and more to support the war effort. But both governments’ demands of their people will grow more intense – and deadly. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas Nicholas Stargardt, h

For more stories just like these, check out HISTORY This Week wherever you get your podcasts. June 6, 1944. As thousands of Allied soldiers prepare to storm the beaches of Normandy, they climb down rope nets into small wooden landing craft bobbing in the dark waters of the English Channel. Within hours, these boats will carry them into the largest amphibious invasion in history. The craft are known as Higgins boats, named for their inventor, Andrew Higgins: a hard-driving New Orleans boatbuilder who built his reputation designing vessels that could speed through swamps, crash through obstacles

The B-29 bomber is the Allies’ best chance to strike Japan, and they turn to China as a potential air base. But Japan launches its largest land offensive of the war to gain control of Asia, leading to brutal fighting in the jungles and plains of South Asia. All the while, the U.S. Navy is speeding through the Pacific towards the Mariana Islands, another potential future B-29 base. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College Dr. Rebecca Grant, national security analyst A.J. Baime, journalist and author Robert Citino, sen

After years of discussion over how to take the fight directly to Germany, the Allies set a target for a cross-channel invasion: Normandy, spring of 1944. But the road to Operation Overlord is no easy journey, with Hitler lying in wait. For the Allies, it’s a race to pull off one of the most complicated operations in military history. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Craig L. Symonds, military historian and author Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst

In the summer of 1943, after a successful campaign in North Africa, Churchill convinces Roosevelt that the best way forward is an invasion of the island of Sicily. But what is thought to be a quick and decisive attack instead becomes a months-long slog up the Italian peninsula, as Hitler has no intention of giving up this key part of his empire without a fight. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst Jon Meacham, preside

In 1942, the Allies are eager to challenge the Luftwaffe’s superiority in the air. The RAF and U.S. Army Air Forces combine operations to bomb the industrial heart of Germany and destroy German air power ahead of the upcoming Allied invasion of France. Airmen on both sides will suffer grievous losses – and so will civilians below. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster A.J. Baime, journalist and author Martin Morgan, military historian and author John Curatola, military historian

In 1942, Hitlers launches his second offensive in the Soviet Union: Operation Blue. Quickly becoming impatient, Hitler splits his force in an attempt to capture both the Caucasus oil fields and Stalingrad. Initially successful, the German Sixth Army captures up to 90% of the city until they are trapped by General Zhukov’s men. The Soviet attacks and the unforgiving Russian winter steadily wipe out the German troops until their leader, General Paulus, surrenders. Furious, Hitler launches his final attack, ending all hopes for a German victory on the Eastern Front. This episode features intervie

In 1942, Eisenhower leads the first joint U.S.-British operation of the war – Operation Torch – successfully landing thousands of untested U.S. troops on the Vichy-controlled shores of North Africa. The Allies race to trap the German forces in Tunisia, resulting in fearsome tank battles against the famed “Desert Fox,” German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel and his battle-tested Afrika Korps. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College General Wesley Clark, US Army,

Amid World War II’s chaos, a hidden battle rages — a war of espionage, deception, and codebreaking. At Bletchley Park, Alan Turing and his team race to crack Germany's "unbreakable" Enigma Code in a bid to thwart Nazi plans and save Britain from invasion. But as the codes evolve, daring missions and deadly risks intensify… This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum David O’Keefe, professor, Marianopolis College Nicholas Reynolds, historian and former CIA officer David Abrutat, Offici

America’s “day of infamy” at Pearl Harbor is the birth of a new Japanese empire. Japan launches unprecedented attacks across Asia, proclaiming “Asia for the Asians” and pushing out Western colonial powers. Fueled by ideology, Japan’s armies are seemingly unstoppable – until a confrontation with the 1st Marine Division of the United States at Guadalcanal becomes a testing ground in a war without mercy. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): General Wesley Clark, US Army, Ret. Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College Robert Citino, senior historian, N

Under Adolf Hitler's leadership, anti-Semitic policies escalate from discrimination to widespread genocide. The state-sponsored persecution features mobile killing squads conducting mass shootings, and then purpose-built death camps, where millions of men, women and children are murdered by poison gas. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Waitman Wade Beorn, assistant professor, Northumbria University Jadwiga Biskupska, associate professor, Sam Houston State University Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas Daniel Greene, adjunct professor, Northwestern Univ

In 1940, German U-boats are sinking British hopes of victory. From the sidelines, FDR loans Britain much needed aid and maneuvers US patrols to the edge of an “undeclared war” with Germany. Meeting at a game-changing summit, Churchill and FDR align their goals. But as America and Britain get closer, so do the German U-boats. Once at war, the US will face not only German ships but the might of the Japanese empire. At Midway, America’s young and inexperienced forces will fight for control of the sea. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Dan Snow, historian and broadca

Driven by their desire for resources and an Asian empire, Japan invades China. The US joins the global outcry as Japanese troops brutally destroy the Chinese capital of Nanking. FDR responds with a crippling oil embargo, but Japan refuses to back down, propelling them towards an attack on Pearl Harbor that will change the trajectory of WWII and the world. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University Takima Melber, the University of Heidelberg Robert Citino, senior hi

In September 1939, enabled by a secret pact between Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, Germany invades Poland with its lightning style of tank warfare, plunging Europe back into war. Adolf Hitler can now pursue his longed-for racial war, as the world watches in horror, and the stage is set for global conflict. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum Cameron Zinsou, associate professor, Command and General Staff College Geoffrey Wawro,

After defeating Poland, Hitler looks west, planning an attack into France that will take advantage of a weak point in their defences. France is overrun and new British Prime Minister Churchill scrambles to evacuate Allied troops from the coast. Shocked by the defeat of France, Roosevelt calls to mobilize the US while German planes bombard Britain from the sky. The Germans are pushed back as Roosevelt establishes the US as the “arsenal of democracy” in the war against tyranny. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Ludivine Broch, historian, University of Westminster C

Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany’s surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, launches on June 22, 1941. In what is the largest military operation in history, Hitler aims to capture the Soviet Union’s vast economic resources, enslave its populations, and expand Germany east. It is the beginning of a brutal campaign that will ultimately help decide the war in Europe. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author Sean McMeekin, professor, Bard College Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College Alexandra Richie, professor, C

Coming May 26th: World War II with Tom Hanks reexamines history’s most devastating conflict for a new century. Across twenty hours, the series traces the war’s full arc–from the rise of fascism to Hiroshima–uncovering the decisions, hidden networks, and lasting consequences that continue to shape our world.