On 13 October 1943, one month after surrendering to the Allies, Italy declared war on its former partner, Nazi Germany. In this episde from the History Hit archives, Dan talks to Paul Reed about the role of Italy in World War Two, from the battles that they took part in to the alliances they made. Paul is a leading military historian, specializing in the two world wars.

This photograph shows Warfare presenter James Rogers' grandfather, Sgt Ted Rogers (Coldstream Guards), leading his men into Impruneta, Italy, in 1944. The image was colourised by TIG.

The Second World War was the first time that many on the home front in the United States were able to see and hear war in action. In this episode, Professor Steven Casey from LSE introduces the correspondents who covered America's war against Japan in the Pacific theatre. He takes us through their experiences and their impact on the home front, shining a light on the critical role that journalists on the frontline played.

Steven Casey is the author of 'The War Beat, Pacific: The American Media at War Against Japan', published by Oxford University Press Inc.

Though excluded from decisions on their occupation in the Munich Agreement in 1938, the citizens of the new country of Czechoslovakia were by no means passive for the rest of the war. The story of Czechoslovakian espionage and resistance is one which spans Europe and the length of the war, including assassinations of Nazi leaders and brave battles to the death. George Bearfield is the grandson of Jaroslav Bublík, a key figure in intelligence and the leader of possibly the last parachute drop of the Second World War. He has been studying his grandfather’s experiences during the war for his book ‘Foursquare: The Last Parachutist’. In this episode he sheds light on this story and whether an operation which was thought to have been cancelled really went ahead.

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