This is the third episode in a 5-part series marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in August 1945.

In 1942, the Japanese seemed unstoppable in the Pacific, and the Germans steamrolled toward Stalingrad. Their victories proved ephemeral. And, in defeat, the Axis powers took millions of innocent people with them. This human drama is captured in historian Peter Fritzsche's new book, 1942, which bridges the gap between memory and history. Common American memories of righteous victory obscure the complexities, for this war was many wars in one. There were wars of national liberation, waged by people who'd been subjugated by the British and French Empires. And the U.S. was at war with itself, fielding a segregated army while throwing Japanese-American citizens into concentration camps.

Recommended reading:

1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe by Peter Fritzsche