World War II: Battlefield Europe

Was the Allied invasion of Italy a strategic necessity or, as many at the time suggested, a sideshow? Consider both sides in this lecture on Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, and two key battles-at Monte Cassino and Anzio-that illustrate the incredible tenacity of Allied soldiers, but also the uninspired generalship that led to an enormous waste of lives.

All Episodes - Season 1

Episode 1

The Battle of Moscow, December 1941

Episode 2

Anti-Semitism and the Nazis

Episode 3

Tearing Up the Treaty of Versailles

Episode 4

The War Begins, 1939

Episode 5

The Nazis Rise to Power, 1922-1933

Episode 6

The Fall of France, Spring 1940

Episode 7

The Battle of Britain-and the Blitz

Episode 8

Britain and Germany's Standoff at Sea

Episode 9

Hitler, Stalin, and Operation Barbarossa

Episode 10

Roosevelt, Isolationism, and Lend-Lease

Episode 11

North Africa and the Battle of el-Alamein

Episode 12

The Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943

Episode 13

Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Europe

Episode 14

The Holocaust

Episode 15

U-Boats and the Battle of the Atlantic

Episode 16

The Allies Invade Italy: Sicily to Anzio

Episode 17

Strategic Bombing over Germany

Episode 18

Allied Industry, Spying, and Wonder Weapons

Episode 19

Soviets, Germans, and the Eastern Front

Episode 20

D-Day at Last, June 1944

Episode 21

Hitler Runs Out of Options, Fall 1944

Episode 22

Soviet Push to Berlin and Yalta Power Play

Episode 23

Eisenhower's Endgame in Europe

Episode 24

War's End: Picking Up the Pieces