World War II with Tom Hanks Season 1, Episode 12: Battle for the Skies

The Beginning

In September 1939, Germany invades Poland, setting the stage for the most destructive war in history.

42 min

Blitz

After toppling the Netherlands and Belgium, Nazi Germany pushes further west. The Allies scramble to support France as Churchill is forced to defend Britain from the skies and FDR rushes to mobilize wartime production.

42 min

Barbarossa

The story of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's massive surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the largest and costliest land offensive in human history.

42 min

Pearl Harbor

Exploring WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age and examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt and the human cost of total war.

42 min

The War at Sea

Exploring WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age and examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt and the human cost of total war.

42 min

Guadalcanal

United States Marines are given the bloody task of stopping a relentless advance.

43 min

Darkness Falls

Hitler's hateful rhetoric leads to anti-Jewish persecution and ultimately, genocide.

42 min

Operation Torch

Thousands of inexperienced U.S. troops face off against the hardened German Afrika Korps.

42 min

Secrets and Lies

Behind the fierce frontline clashes of WWII, a hidden battle rages - one of espionage, deception, and codebreaking. In rural England, a group of brilliant academics work to crack Germany's unbreakable Enigma Code and change the course of the war.

Stalingrad

Operation Blue: the German Army fights to take Soviet oil fields and the city of Stalingrad, becoming one of the deadliest battles ever fought and a major turning point on the Eastern Front.

Italy

The Allies hope to quickly penetrate the Nazi Reich via Italy but endure a months-long slog.

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

Episode 19

Episode 20