Episode 23 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles examines the Battle of Inchon (1950) — the bold amphibious assault that reversed the course of the Korean War. After North Korean forces drove South Korean and UN troops to the brink of defeat at the Pusan Perimeter, General Douglas MacArthur proposed a daring plan: land deep behind enemy lines at the heavily fortified port of Inchon. The operation faced enormous risks, including extreme tides, narrow channels, high seawalls, and urban terrain. Many commanders opposed the plan, but MacArthur believed surprise would compensate for the dangers. On September 15, 1950, UN forces launched Operation Chromite, catching North Korean troops completely off guard. U.S. Marines quickly secured the port and advanced inland. The successful landing allowed UN forces to recapture Seoul, cut North Korean supply lines, and trap enemy units between Inchon and the breakout from Pusan. What had been a near-defeat became a dramatic reversal in just weeks. Though the war would later intensify with Chinese intervention, Inchon remains one of history’s most successful amphibious operations — a masterclass in audacity, timing, and strategic surprise that saved South Korea from collapse.

Episode 22 explores the Battle of the Bulge (1944–1945) — Nazi Germany’s final major offensive of World War II. With Allied armies closing in after D-Day, Hitler launched a last desperate counterstroke through the heavily forested Ardennes, hoping to split British and American forces, capture Antwerp, and force a negotiated peace. Taking advantage of winter weather and thinly defended lines, German troops smashed into the American front on December 16, 1944, creating a deep “bulge” in the Allied lines. The attack caused chaos and forced the Allies into a fighting retreat. The battle’s pivotal moment came at Bastogne, where the encircled 101st Airborne Division held out despite freezing conditions and dwindling supplies. When ordered to surrender, their commander issued the immortal reply: “Nuts!” General George S. Patton then executed a massive, rapid maneuver, turning his entire Third Army north to relieve the siege. When the weather cleared, Allied air power destroyed German supply lines. Running out of fuel, tanks, and time, the offensive collapsed. By January 25, 1945, the Germans had been pushed back to their starting positions, losing invaluable troops and equipment. The Bulge failed to change the war’s outcome and instead hastened Germany’s defeat, proving that the Allies could withstand even Hitler’s last and most dangerous gamble.

Episode 21 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles examines the Second Battle of El Alamein (1942) — the clash that halted Axis expansion in North Africa and marked a decisive shift in World War II. After a series of British defeats, Axis forces under Erwin Rommel advanced deep into Egypt, threatening the Suez Canal and vital Allied supply routes. At El Alamein, geography forced both armies into a narrow front, eliminating maneuver and making a decisive stand unavoidable. The arrival of General Bernard Montgomery transformed the British Eighth Army. Rejecting risky improvisation, Montgomery rebuilt morale, stockpiled supplies, and prepared a carefully planned offensive. When the battle began on October 23, massive Allied artillery and methodical infantry advances ground down Axis defenses. Rommel’s army, already weakened by fuel shortages and stretched supply lines, could not withstand sustained pressure. The Allied breakthrough during Operation Supercharge forced Rommel into retreat, despite Hitler’s orders to stand fast. El Alamein secured Egypt, protected the Suez Canal, and paved the way for Allied landings in North Africa. Alongside Stalingrad and Midway, it marked the moment when the Axis powers permanently lost the initiative — a true turning point in the war.

Episode 20 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles focuses on the Battle of Midway (June 1942) — the decisive naval clash that reversed the momentum of the Pacific War. After early Japanese victories, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned to lure and destroy the remaining U.S. aircraft carriers by attacking Midway Atoll. Unbeknownst to him, American codebreakers had identified the target, allowing Admiral Chester W. Nimitz to position U.S. carriers in ambush. On June 4, Japanese carriers launched strikes against Midway but failed to neutralize the base. As Japanese decks were crowded with rearming aircraft, American torpedo squadrons attacked, suffering devastating losses but drawing enemy fighters low. Moments later, U.S. dive bombers struck, destroying Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu within minutes. The fourth carrier, Hiryu, was sunk later that day. Japan lost four fleet carriers, hundreds of aircraft, and many veteran pilots—losses it could not replace. Though the U.S. lost Yorktown, Midway shattered Japanese naval supremacy and marked the start of America’s offensive across the Pacific.

Episode 19 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles examines the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943), the pivotal confrontation that broke the momentum of Nazi Germany in World War II. As part of Hitler’s southern campaign, German forces advanced toward the Volga River to seize the industrial city of Stalingrad and secure access to vital oil fields. The city was reduced to ruins by aerial bombardment, but the destruction favored Soviet defenders, who fought in brutal close-quarters combat amid rubble, factories, and cellars. Bound by Stalin’s order of “Not one step back,” Soviet troops clung to narrow positions while commanders secretly prepared a counteroffensive. In November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, striking the weaker Axis flanks and encircling Germany’s Sixth Army. Hitler refused withdrawal, relying on an airlift that failed disastrously. Starvation, cold, and disease followed. On February 2, 1943, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered the remnants of his army. With hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides, Stalingrad became the deadliest battle in history. Strategically and psychologically, it shattered the myth of German invincibility and marked the beginning of a relentless Soviet advance westward — a decisive turning point in the war.

Episode 18 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles examines the Battle of the Somme (1916), one of the deadliest and most defining battles of World War I. Launched by Britain and France to relieve pressure on Verdun and break the stalemate on the Western Front, the offensive relied heavily on an unprecedented artillery bombardment intended to destroy German defenses. However, the German army survived in deep bunkers, leaving their machine guns largely intact. On July 1, 1916, tens of thousands of British soldiers advanced across open ground, only to be cut down by devastating fire. The first day alone produced nearly 60,000 British casualties, making it the bloodiest day in British military history. Despite this catastrophe, the fighting continued for months, with gains measured in yards at enormous human cost. The Somme saw the first battlefield use of tanks, signaling the future of warfare, but they were too few and unreliable to change the battle’s outcome. By the time the offensive ended in November, more than one million men had been killed, wounded, or captured. Though it failed to deliver a decisive victory, the Battle of the Somme reshaped military thinking and public perception of war. It exposed the brutal realities of industrialized conflict and became a lasting symbol of sacrifice, loss, and the human cost of modern warfare.

Episode 17 explores the Battle of Verdun (1916) — one of the longest, bloodiest, and most symbolically powerful battles in World War I. Seeking to break the stalemate on the Western Front, German Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn launched an offensive aimed not at capturing land but at destroying French morale through sheer attrition. Verdun, a historic fortress city, was chosen precisely because the French would feel compelled to defend it “to the last man.” Beginning on February 21, 1916, the Germans unleashed an unprecedented artillery bombardment, reducing forests, villages, and trenches to rubble. France rushed reinforcements under General Philippe Pétain, who organized the Voie Sacrée (“Sacred Road”) to supply the front continuously. The cry “They shall not pass!” became the rallying spirit of the French defenders. The struggle centered on key forts — Douaumont, which fell early, and Vaux, where Major Raynal’s outnumbered garrison resisted heroically in dark, airless tunnels before surrendering only due to lack of water. For ten months, Verdun became a landscape of mud, smoke, and constant artillery fire. Both sides suffered enormous casualties, but the French slowly regained ground. With Germany forced to redirect forces to the Somme, the Verdun offensive stalled, and by December, France had recovered most of the lost territory. Verdun cost more than 700,000 casualties and became a symbol of French endurance and national will. Though tactically indecisive, it proved strategically crucial, strengthening French resolve and shaping the memory of an entire generation.

Episode 16 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles covers the Battle of Gettysburg (1863) — the pivotal moment of the American Civil War. After a string of Confederate victories, General Robert E. Lee invaded the North, hoping to force political concessions or foreign recognition. His army clashed unexpectedly with Union forces under General George G. Meade in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Day 1 saw Confederate troops push Union forces back through the town, but the Union seized strong defensive positions on Cemetery Hill and surrounding ridges.
Day 2 brought Lee’s attempt to roll up the Union flanks, leading to brutal fighting at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, and Devil’s Den. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s bayonet charge saved Little Round Top and prevented a Confederate breakthrough.
Day 3 culminated in Pickett’s Charge, a massive Confederate assault across open fields toward Cemetery Ridge. The attack was shattered by Union artillery and rifle fire. The Confederates briefly breached the Union line at the Angle — the “High-Water Mark of the Confederacy” — before being repulsed. The Confederates suffered nearly 28,000 casualties, a devastating blow that ended Lee’s northern invasion. Combined with the fall of Vicksburg the next day, Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War, ensuring the Union would maintain strategic momentum.

Episode 15 recounts the Battle of Waterloo (1815), the final, decisive clash that ended Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule. After escaping exile and returning to power, Napoleon attempted to defeat the British under Duke of Wellington and the Prussians under Blücher before they could unite. The battle unfolded near Waterloo, where muddy terrain slowed the French advance. Fierce fighting erupted at Hougoumont, French cavalry assaults failed against British infantry squares, and although the French captured La Haye Sainte, Wellington’s line held. The turning point came when Prussian reinforcements struck Napoleon’s flank. In a last attempt at victory, Napoleon deployed his elite Imperial Guard, which — for the first time ever — broke under British fire. The French army collapsed, and Napoleon fled the field. Waterloo ended the Napoleonic era, reshaped Europe’s political order, and elevated Britain to global dominance.

Episode 14 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles explores the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) — widely regarded as Napoleon’s greatest military triumph. Facing the combined armies of Russia and Austria, Napoleon deliberately appeared weak, thinning his right flank and pretending to retreat. The Allied commanders, overconfident and eager for a quick victory, shifted their forces south to exploit this supposed weakness. At dawn on December 2, thick fog covered the battlefield. As the Allies advanced, they unknowingly left their center — the Pratzen Heights — dangerously exposed. When the fog lifted, Napoleon launched Marshal Soult straight at the weakened heights, splitting the Allied army in two. Coordinated attacks by French infantry, cavalry, and reserves overwhelmed the enemy. The Allied right wing collapsed near the frozen lakes of Satschan, where French artillery shattered the ice, causing soldiers and horses to drown. By day’s end, the Allies suffered over 36,000 casualties, while French losses were fewer than 9,000. Austerlitz destroyed the Third Coalition and cemented Napoleon’s dominance over continental Europe. It became the ultimate example of strategic deception and perfectly timed execution — a battle still studied in military academies worldwide.