World War Two Season 7, Episode 26: Week 302 - Operation Downfall: 2 Million Men to Invade Japan - WW2 - June 8, 1945

Week 280 - 1945 Begins! - January 6, 1945

The Germans launch a new offensive, Operation Nordwind, in Alsace, even as their offensive in the Ardennes is stalled. The Allies in the west don't just have to fight these, they are also having serious issues amongst themselves in High Command that threaten their unity. The siege of Budapest is in full swing and is a hard, fought, bloody battle, and the Soviets and the Americans have big plans for new offensives soon to kick off in Eastern Europe and the Philippines (respectively).

25 min

Week 281 - Soviet and American Massive Attacks - WW2 - January 13, 1945

In the East, the Soviets launch a massive series of new offensives. In the West, Monty holds an ill-judged press conference about the Battle of the Bulge. Operation Nordwind, the German offensive in Alsace, continues. In Hungary, there’s house to house fighting as the Red Army besieges Budapest. In Asia, the Allies wrestle with the Kamikazes, begin their landings on Luzon, and advance in Burma.

23 min

Week 282 - The Red Army Overruns Poland! - WW2 - January 20, 1945

The huge new Soviet offensives charge ahead this week, taking Warsaw and Krakow; in the west the Battle of the Bulge is officially called over... though there is still fighting there. On Luzon, the Americans push out of their beachhead, though there is heavy fighting to secure their flank.

Week 283 - Himmler Takes Command - WW2 - January 27, 1945

A new German Army Group has been formed, tasked with protecting the Reich from the east and commanded by none other than Heinrich Himmler, who has never held such a command. The Soviets are really on the move in the east and have even begun reaching the prewar German border. In the west the Allies have cleared the Roer Triangle and are also working hard to eliminate the Colmar Pocket. In the Far East the Americans are advancing on Luzon, and in Burma the Allies have success on the Arakan and the Shwebo Plain, and finally manage to re open the Burma Road with China.

27 min

Week 284 - Is the Red Army too Fast for It's Own Good - WW2 - February 3, 1945

Soviet forces have reached the old German border in force, however, logistical issues and a strong enemy presence possibly threatening their flanks means that a drive on Berlin may not be doable just now. Heinrich Himmler is in charge of the new Army Group to defend the Reich, and he has a host of problems. On the Western Front, the Allies finally eliminated the Colmar Pocket, and in the Philippines, the American advance reaches Manila, and the battle for the city is about to begin.

26 min

Week 285 - The Battle of Manila Begins - WW2 - February 10, 1945

The American advance on Luzon has reached the Philippine capital, and it looks like they have a real fight on their hands with the Japanese there. There are supposed to be two new Allied operations starting in Western Europe, but one is delayed by flooding. The Allies do manage to eliminate the Colmar Pocket in the west, though. On the Eastern Front, there are new Soviet attacks in Pomerania and East Prussia, as well as out of the Steinau Bridgehead to the south, and in Budapest, it looks like the Soviet siege might soon end in victory.

28 min

Week 286 - German Counterattack in Pomerania - WW2 - February 17, 1945

The Germans finally launch a counterattack into the Soviet flanks, but it does not go as well as was as hoped: The Siege of Budapest comes to an end, also not well for the Germans. The Soviets have now also surrounded Breslau. In Burma, the Allies cross the Irrawaddy River, in the Philippines the fight for Manila continues, and in the Pacific preparations are underway for an American invasion of Iwo Jima Island.

26 min

Week 287 - Iwo Jima! - WW2 - February 24, 1945

This week the Battle of Iwo Jima begins and American forces raise the Stars and Stripes on Mount Suribachi. Elsewhere, the Allies fight the stiff Japanese defences in Manila. The Red Army continues fighting through East Prussia and Pomerania as Stalin plans the next stage of the advance on the Reich. There are Allied advances in Western Europe and Italy too.

25 min

Week 288 - Allied Deception Surrounds Japanese in Burma - WW2 - March 02, 1945

Bill Slim's master plan is near fruition and the Japanese are surrounded at Meiktila in Burma. The Allies have also nearly cleared Manila on Luzon, but the fighting on Iwo Jima is just growing in intensity. In Europe, the Soviets are still on the move in Poland, though attacking now to the north, but in Hungary it's the Germans who are making plans for a new offensive. The big news on the Western Front is the Allies reaching the Rhine, though how they'll cross that mighty river is anyone's guess.

24 min

Week 289 - German Blunder Hands Allies a Rhine Crossing - WW2 - March 09, 1945

The Allies manage to take an intact bridge over the mighty Rhine at Remagen, a major piece of luck; the Germans launch a new offensive in Hungary, and the Allies end one in Italy. Over in Burma, Meiktila falls, sabotaging the entire Japanese supply system for the country, and on Iwo Jima the fight continues, bloodier than ever for both sides.

27 min

Week 290 - Smiling Albert Takes Command - WW2 - March 16, 1945

After the Allies took a Rhine Bridge last week, Adolf Hitler has again shuffled his commanders, moving Kesselring to the west. Meanwhile, the German offensive in Hungary comes to its end- and it does not end well for the Germans. The Japanese are nearly defeated Iwo Jima, are feeling a bit of desperation in Burma, but are far, far from defeated on Luzon.

26 min

Week 291 - Chiang versus Mountbatten - WW2 - March 23, 1945

Chiang Kai-Shek is demanding his Chinese troops back from Burma, but this doesn't fit well with Mountbatten's plans for the region. In Burma, Bill Slim's forces liberate Mandalay this week and make plans to head south for Rangoon. There's also friction elsewhere in Allied command- between the Soviets and the Western Allies- over Italy. In the field in Europe, the Soviets advance all along the eastern front, and in the west, the Allies secure another Rhine crossing, and they also launch a double operation to send even more men across the river in force.

25 min

Week 292 - Allies Charge Forward from the Rhine! - WW2 - March 30, 1945

All along the Western Front the Allies break out in force, invading German territory and receiving German surrenders by the thousands. In the east, the Soviets take Danzig and Gdynia, and rout the Germans in Hungary. There's a new Japanese offensive in China, though the fight on Iwo Jima ends with a Japanese defeat.

28 min

Week 293 - The Battle of Okinawa Begins - WW2 - April 06, 1945

It's the next step toward invading Japan's Home Islands- invading Okinawa, and it begins April 1st. Advances are easy by land, but at sea the kamikaze menace is in full swing. In Burma, plans are made to liberate Rangoon; in the west hundreds of thousands of Germans are surrounded in the Ruhr; and in the east, the Soviets begin assaults on Königsberg and Vienna.

28 min

Week 294 - Soviets Take Vienna and Königsberg - WW2 - April 13, 1945

The prizes of Vienna and Königsberg fall to the Soviets as they continue what seems an inexorable advance. In the West the Allies advance to the Elbe River, but there they are stopped by command. The big news in their national papers this week is the death of American President Franklin Roosevelt, which provokes rejoicing in Hitler's bunker. The Allied fighting dash for Rangoon continues in Burma, as does the American advance on Okinawa, although Japanese resistance is stiffening and they are beginning counterattacks.

28 min

Week 294B - Soviet Berlin Offensive Begins - WW2 - April 16, 1945

The final Soviet assault on Berlin begins today. The Soviets have two million men supported by tens of thousands of guns, tanks, and aircraft. Opposite them stand millions of men and boys of the German Wehrmacht, Waffen SS, Volkssturm, and Hitler Youth. The forces of Nazism are weakened and disorganised but determined to fight on as long as possible.

16 min

Week 295 - 300,000 Germans Surrender in the Ruhr - WW2 - April 20, 1945

The Soviet drive on Berlin continues, but it is now very much a race between the forces of Georgy Zhukov and those of Ivan Konev. In the west, over 300,000 Germans surrender to the Allies as the Ruhr Pocket is eliminated, though there are advances by all Allied armies this week on the whole Western Front. There is even an Allied breakthrough in Italy, though on Okinawa American attacks get nowhere. The Japanese are advancing in China, and in Burma the Allied drive for Rangoon continues.

29 min

Week 296 - The Battle of Berlin! - WW2 - April 27, 1945

The Battle for the German capital rages on all week, as the Soviets get ever closer to the Reich Chancellery, under which lies Hitler's bunker. Berlin is surrounded, but can it be relieved? There are also Allied advances in East Prussia, Czechoslovakia, and in Western Germany, but beyond that, it looks like the Axis lines have completely collapsed in Italy. The Allies are also advancing- and quickly- in Burma toward Rangoon, though not much at all on Okinawa, and it is the Japanese who are on the move in Western Hunan. It's a real rollercoaster of a week.

27 min

Week 296B - The Death of Adolf Hitler - WW2 - April 30, 1945

Europe is broken, its cities in ruins and millions have died in war and genocide. The world has risen against the Nazi threat, and now the Nazi leader cowers in bunker under Berlin - this is how Adolf Hitler's last 15 weeks unfold, and why he ultimately chooses suicide to escape responsibility for his actions.

34 min

Week 297 - Allied Victory in Berlin, Italy, and Burma! - WW2 - May 4, 1945

So much goes on this week, and this is the longest episode of the war by like 15 minutes. But there's so much to cover! The Battle of Berlin ends; the war in Italy ends; the war in Burma ends- well, it ends officially, though there are still tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers scattered around Burma. And there's a whole lot more to these stores and a whole lot more stories this week in the war. You can't miss this one.

43 min

297B - Germans and Americans fighting side by side! - WW2 - May 5, 1945

I don't want to give too much away about this extra regular episode here in the description, but it's true- German and American soldiers fought side by side in the waning days of the European part of WW2, and not just once! And the second time is an all-time great tale of adventure.

13 min

Week 298 - Germany Surrenders! - WW2 - May 11, 1945

Germany signs not one, but two unconditional surrenders and the war in Europe is officially over... although that does not mean that all the fighting in Europe is, for there is fighting and surrenders all over Europe all week. The Japanese launch a counteroffensive on Okinawa; the Chinese launch one in Western Hunan; the Australians advance on Borneo and New Guinea; and the fight continues on Luzon in the Philippines, so there is still an awful lot of the world war to come, even with the end of the war in Europe.

29 min

Week 299 - Kamikazes versus Admirals! - WW2 - May 18, 1945

The kamikaze menace continues unabated, with suicide flyers hitting not one but two Admirals's flagships. There's plenty of fighting on land, though, as the Americans advance on Okinawa and take a dam on Luzon to try and solve the Manila water crisis, but even after last week's German surrender there is also still scattered fighting in Europe.

27 min

Week 300 - The Last Battles in Europe - WW2 - May 25, 1945

This week, the fighting in Europe finally comes to an end and the Allies round up more leading Nazis including Heinrich Himmler and Karl Doenitz. In Asia, the fighting continues on Okinawa even as the Japanese start pulling back. The Australians continue fighting on Tarakan, and the Chinese are victorious in western Hunan.

23 min

Week 301 - Japan vows to fight to the end! - WW2 - June 1, 1945

This week President Truman and his aides meet to discuss the use of the atomic bomb. In Japan, the imperial government vows to fight on even as Yokohama is turned to ash by firebombing. On Okinawa, Japanese 32nd Army withdraws from the defences of Shuri Castle but there is still plenty of hard fighting left for the Americans. There are US Navy command reshuffles and the stage is set for an Allied conference in Potsdam.

19 min

Week 303 - Mao Tightens His Grip - WW2 - June 15, 1945

After several weeks of the Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong's power has consolidated to the point that it is absolute. All pledge loyalty Mao, and his infallibility shall not be questioned. Meanwhile the war goes on in the field with Australian landings on Brunei, continuing fighting on Okinawa, and the last part of Europe- in the Netherlands- liberated from Axis control.

25 min

Week 304 - Okinawa Ends - WW2 - June 22, 1945

Mitsuru Ushijima's forces are defeated and the Battle of Okinawa is officially over. However, since most of the Japanese fought to the death, victory comes at a bloody cost- over 50,000 US casualties and over 100,000 Japanese and also possibly that many Okinawan deaths. The fight on North Borneo continues, there's a raid on Wake Island, and the Japanese powers that be meet to actually discuss making some sort of peace with the Allies.

21 min

Week 305 - Operation Olympic - 100,000 US casualties in 60 days? - WW2 - June 29, 1945

The casualty projections for the planned November invasion of Kyushu, Japan are in... or are they? They might have been 'massaged' a little to sell the operation more easily. The fight in the field still goes on, though, with parachutes flying over Luzon as more American troops land, and an Australian advance on Borneo.

17 min

Week 306 - Aussies Land on Borneo - WW2 - July 6, 1945

Australian forces land at Balikpapan to hopefully secure the oil facilities there; In Burma, the Japanese try a diversion to allow some troops to escape the country, but the timing is not what it should be; in the Philippines there is an American landing on Mindanao, but behind the scenes there are those wondering if they really need to push Japan for complete unconditional surrender.

20 min

Week 307 - Japan's New Defense plan, 100 million dead - WW2 - July 13, 1945

Japan is aware that soon enough the Allies will invade the Home Islands, and they will mobilize absolutely everything and everyone they can for their defense plan, "The Glorious Death of the 100 Million". In the meantime, Allied carrier forces keep hitting them, the Australian advance on Borneo continues, the Chinese advance on Guilin continues, the Allied rebuilding of Okinawa continues, and American preparations are nearly complete for a test detonation of an atomic bomb.

22 min

Week 308 - The Atomic Age Begins! - WW2 - July 20, 1945

This week the Americans explode a nuclear bomb at the Trinity Test in New Mexico. The plan is to possibly use more such bombs against targets in Japan. US President Harry Truman is meanwhile in Germany for the Potsdam Conference with other Allied leaders to hammer out some details of the postwar global order. The active war continues, of course, in Burma, Borneo, the Philippines, and China, with the Japanese being defeated everywhere.

17 min

Week 309 - Allies Issue Potsdam Declaration - WW2 - July 27, 1945

China, Britain, and the US issue a Declaration demanding Japan's unconditional surrender, and promising complete destruction if this does not happen and happen soon. The plan is to for the Americans to use their atomic bombs on Japan if she does not comply, but by the end of the week the Japanese have not replied. They still have hopes for the Soviets to mediate some sort sort of peace. What they don't have is a navy, as its final destruction comes this week.

22 min

Week 310 - Mokusatsu! - WW2 - August 3, 1945

The Japanese reaction to the Allied ultimatum for unconditional surrender is... mokusatsu. This can be translated several ways, but all involve not giving a response. Meanwhile, materials for atomic bombs to be dropped on Japan are delivered to Tinian, though the ship making the delivery is sunk by a Japanese submarine days afterward. The active war continues in Burma and China, and the Potsdam Conference ends in Germany with the map of Poland very much re-drawn.

21 min

Week 311 - The US drops two atomic bombs on Japan - WW2 - August 10, 1945

This week atomic bombs are for the first time in history dropped on cities- Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The bombs kill over 100,000 people and flatten large parts of the urban area. The Japanese government is actually meeting while the second bomb is dropped to consider their response to the first and to the demands for unconditional surrender. The response is not just to that first bomb, though, for on the 8th the Soviets tell the Japanese not only that they will not help them negotiate some sort of settled peace with the other Allies, they too are declaring war on Japan, and indeed invade Manchuria. With two atomic bombs and an invasion instead of mediating help, Japanese Emperor Hirohito cuts off any debate and says that Japan will surrender. This could happen next week.

22 min

Week 312 - Hirohito Announces Surrender - War Continous - WW2 - August 17, 1945

Hirohito broadcasts Japan's surrender to the world- despite an attempted to coup to prevent it from happening, and much of the world celebrates, but the war isn't really over. The Soviets are busy invading Manchuria, and there's revolution in Vietnam and Indonesia.

23 min

Week 313 - Soviet Victory in Manchuria - WW2 - August 24, 1945

The Soviet Red Army completes its conquest of Manchuria and the northern half of Korea this week, although Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender already last week. Behind the scenes are machinations going on by Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong that they hope will lead to a Communist China in future. Vietnam might well be going communist right now, though, for the August revolution continues with the Viet Minh taking ever more control.

16 min

Week 314 - Can Chiang and Mao Unite China? - WW2 - August 31, 1945

Mao Zedong takes his first ever journey by plane to go and meet with Chiang Kai-Shek. They begin what will be several weeks of talks and negotiations. However, Chiang is not aware that Josef Stalin is lurking in the background. And the Soviet Red Army is lurking in Manchuria, having defeated the Japanese there, and are giving tacit support to the Chinese Communists, whose power base is very strong in the north. As for Japan, a motley collection of Allied fleets arrives in Tokyo Bay, for Japan's surrender document is to be officially signed two days from now.

17 min

Week 314B - The End of World War Two - WW2 - September 2, 1945

The Japanese sign the official document of surrender and the Second World War is over. There are still some Japanese garrisons yet to surrender, but they begin doing so one after the other. However, war is not over- and there is serious foreboding for future events in places like Vietnam and China - where Mao Zedong is meeting with Chiang Kai-Shek, even as Josef Stalin lurks in the background to secure Soviet interests no matter which Chinese regime comes out on top.

22 min