World War Two Season 1, Episode 14: Week 014 - The Winter War - WW2 - December 1, 1939

1

Week 001 -The Polish-German War - WW2 - September 1, 1939

When Germany invades Poland on September 1 1939, the world is already at the brink of a new world war…

12 min

2

Week 002 - World War Two Begins - WW2 - September 8, 1939

The German-Polish war is the match that ignites the flames that finally burn British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement efforts to the ground.

12 min

3

Week 003 - Poland on Her Own - WW2 - September 15, 1939

When the Wehrmacht and the SS continue devastating Poland and her people in the first weeks of September, her last chance is her western allies.

11 min

4

Week 004 - The Russians are Coming! - The Soviet Invasion of Poland - WW2 -September 22, 1939

When the USSR crushes the plans of the Allies for Poland and the Japanese plans in China in the same week, it is Germany that benefits.

12 min

5

Week 005 - Poland is Crushed - WW2 - 29 September, 193

Facing two enemies at once, Poland finds itself in a crushing vice after less than a month of war and the Polish forces must flee their own country to live to fight another day.

11 min

6

Week 006 - Poland Falls and China Rises - WW2 - October 6, 1939

In the West, the sun sets on Poland as the last forces surrender, but her defenders are already regrouping abroad. In the East,​ the sun rises on China as Japan meets yet another defeat.

11 min

7

Week 007 - The Baltic in Stalin's Squeeze - WW2 - 13 October, 1939

While the Third Reich and USSR consolidate their Polish conquest, their leaders are wary of each other but turn the attention to the next prize. Stalin moves to the North and Hitler pushes for an attack in the West.

10 min

8

Week 008 - The Submarine War - WW2 - October 20, 1939

For the men in the navies of the warring nations in Europe, there was nothing phony about WW2 in October 1939 - mortal danger was immediately under the cold surface at the receiving end of a torpedo or a depth charge...

11 min

9

Week 009 - Stalin's Murderous Adventures - Occupation of Poland - WW2 - October 27, 1939

The persecution, incarceration, enslavement and murder of the Polish people in occupied Poland is driven by ideological hatred for both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, but it's also a personal matter for Joseph Stalin.

11 min

10

Week 010 - Molotov's Heel on Finland and the Phoney War - WW2 - 3 November, 1939

Ten weeks into World War Two, and the Allied ground forces are bored in France. In North-Eastern Europe, Poland's suffering has no end and Finland is in the crosshairs of the USSR.

10 min

11

Week 011 - Hitler Almost Killed - WW2 - 10 November, 1939

As Hitler drives for a fast invasion he faces covert and open resistance, even an assassination attempt. In the background British and German agents and double agents play a game of betrayal and counter-betrayal.

10 min

12

Week 012 - The Mysterious Threat to the Royal Navy - Magnetic Mines - WW2 - 17 November, 1939

While the Finnish and the Soviets seem to be moving ever closer to war, the Royal Navy is losing ships at a frightening rate to an explosive threat not yet understood.

11 min

13

Week 013 - Will the Kriegsmarine Rule the Waves? - WW2 - 24 November, 1939

The European Allies seek a countermeasure to the mysterious German mines, in China the Japanese advance, and in Poland it is the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto.

10 min

14

Week 014 - The Winter War - WW2 - December 1, 1939

On the last day of November 1939 the Red Army of the USSR invades Finland and the Winter War begins.

10 min

15

Week 015 - The Invasion of Finland - WW2 - 8 December 1939

When the Red Army invades Finland they get a cold reception and a pretty nasty surprise. It looks like team Stalin might just be skating on some very thin ice.

11 min

16

Week 016 - Perkele! Finland Strikes Back - WW2 - 15 December 1939

In the second week of the Winter War, during multiple counteroffensives, including the famous Sausage War, the Finnish Defence Forces dash any hopes of a quick victory that the Red Army and Stalin might have had.

11 min

17

Week 017 - Trouble in China - WW2 - 22 December 1939

While the Winter War continues with a Soviet armoured attack at Summa and the Lähde Road and the British attack the Germans from the skies in the first official aerial battle of World War Two, there's trouble in China. Chiang Kai Shek is looking for ways to gain a new advantage on the Japanese.

11 min

18

Week 018 - Stalin’s Unexpected Bedfellows - Soviet Relations in East Asia - WW2 - 29 December 1939

The Chinese Nationalists under command of Chiang Kai Shek is desperately looking to make new or restore old, allies to aid them in their fight against the Japanese. Meanwhile, the Soviets are still struggling to turn the Winter War against the Finnish in their favor.

12 min