World War II with Tom Hanks

In 1942, the Allies are eager to challenge the Luftwaffe’s superiority in the air. The RAF and U.S. Army Air Forces combine operations to bomb the industrial heart of Germany and destroy German air power ahead of the upcoming Allied invasion of France. Airmen on both sides will suffer grievous losses – and so will civilians below.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
• A.J. Baime, journalist and author
• Martin Morgan, military historian and author
• John Curatola, military historian, National WWII Museum
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Dr. Rebecca Grant, national security analyst
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
• Jon Meacham, presidential historian
• Anand Toprani, military historian, U.S. Naval War College

In the summer of 1943, after a successful campaign in North Africa, Churchill convinces

Roosevelt that the best way forward is an invasion of the island of Sicily. But what is thought to be a quick and decisive attack instead becomes a months-long slog up the Italian peninsula, as Hitler has no intention of giving up this key part of his empire without a fight.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Sarada Peri, presidential speechwriter and political analyst
• Jon Meacham, presidential historian
• Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
• Saul David, military historian and author
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Martin Morgan, military historian and author
• Marco Aterrano, associate professor, University of Naples Federico II
• Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas

In 1942, Hitlers launches his second offensive in the Soviet Union: Operation Blue. Quickly becoming impatient, Hitler splits his force in an attempt to capture both the Caucasus oil fields and Stalingrad.

Initially successful, the German Sixth Army captures up to 90% of the city until they are trapped by General Zhukov’s men. The Soviet attacks and the unforgiving Russian winter steadily wipe out the German troops until their leader, General Paulus, surrenders. Furious, Hitler launches his final attack, ending all hopes for a German victory on the Eastern Front.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Sir Antony Beevor, military historian
• Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
• Sean McMeekin, professor, Bard College
• Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
• Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
• Jadwiga Biskupska, associate professor, Sam Houston State University

Amid World War II’s chaos, a hidden battle rages — a war of espionage, deception, and codebreaking. At Bletchley Park, Alan Turing and his team race to crack Germany's "unbreakable" Enigma Code in a bid to thwart Nazi plans and save Britain from invasion. But as the codes evolve, daring missions and deadly risks intensify…

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• David O’Keefe, professor, Marianopolis College
• Nicholas Reynolds, historian and former CIA officer
• David Abrutat, Official Historian, GCHQ
• Sir Dermot Turing, writer and speaker
• Matthew Hefler, intelligence historian, King’s College London
• Tessa Dunlop, historian and author
• Guy Walters, historian and author
• Katrin Paehler, professor, Illinois State University
• Robert Hutchinson, intelligence historian

In 1942, Eisenhower leads the first joint U.S.-British operation of the war – Operation Torch – successfully landing thousands of untested U.S. troops on the Vichy-controlled shores of North Africa. The Allies race to trap the German forces in Tunisia, resulting in fearsome tank battles against the famed “Desert Fox,” German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel and his battle-tested Afrika Korps.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
• General Wesley Clark, US Army, Ret.
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Saul David, military historian and author
• Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
• Cameron Zinsou, associate professor, Command and General Staff College
• Michael Neiberg, professor, US Army War College
• Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
• Jon Meacham, presidential historian

Under Adolf Hitler's leadership, anti-Semitic policies escalate from discrimination to widespread genocide. The state-sponsored persecution features mobile killing squads conducting mass shootings, and then purpose-built death camps, where millions of men, women and children are murdered by poison gas.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Waitman Wade Beorn, assistant professor, Northumbria University
• Jadwiga Biskupska, associate professor, Sam Houston State University
• Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
• Daniel Greene, adjunct professor, Northwestern University
• James Bulgin, Imperial War Museum
• Rebecca Erbelding, historian and author
• Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum

America’s “day of infamy” at Pearl Harbor is the birth of a new Japanese empire. Japan launches unprecedented attacks across Asia, proclaiming “Asia for the Asians” and pushing out Western colonial powers. Fueled by ideology, Japan’s armies are seemingly unstoppable – until a confrontation with the 1st Marine Division of the United States at Guadalcanal becomes a testing ground in a war without mercy.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• General Wesley Clark, US Army, Ret.
• Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Saul David, military historian and author
• Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
• Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
• Takima Melber, the University of Heidelberg
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas

In 1940, German U-boats are sinking British hopes of victory. From the sidelines, FDR loans Britain much needed aid and maneuvers US patrols to the edge of an “undeclared war” with Germany. Meeting at a game-changing summit, Churchill and FDR align their goals. But as America and Britain get closer, so do the German U-boats. Once at war, the US will face not only German ships but the might of the Japanese empire. At Midway, America’s young and inexperienced forces will fight for control of the sea.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster
• Phillips O'Brien, professor, University of St. Andrews
• Max Brooks, fellow, Modern War Institute, West Point
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Jon Meacham, presidential historian
• Leah Wright Rigueur, associate professor, Johns Hopkins University
• Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History

Driven by their desire for resources and an Asian empire, Japan invades China. The US joins the global outcry as Japanese troops brutally destroy the Chinese capital of Nanking. FDR responds with a crippling oil embargo, but Japan refuses to back down, propelling them towards an attack on Pearl Harbor that will change the trajectory of WWII and the world.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas
• Noriko Kawamura, professor, Washington State University
• Takima Melber, the University of Heidelberg
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Christopher Harding, cultural historian, University of Edinburgh
• Jon Meacham, presidential historian
• Leah Wright Rigueur, associate professor, Johns Hopkins University
• Jonathan Parshall, military historian, US Naval War College
• Max Brooks, fellow, Modern War Institute, West Point

Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany’s surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, launches on June 22, 1941. In what is the largest military operation in history, Hitler aims to capture the Soviet Union’s vast economic resources, enslave its populations, and expand Germany east. It is the beginning of a brutal campaign that will ultimately help decide the war in Europe.

This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance):

• Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author
• Sean McMeekin, professor, Bard College
• Colonel Douglas Douds, professor, US Army War College
• Alexandra Richie, professor, Collegium Civitas
• Robert Citino, senior historian, National WWII Museum
• Jadwiga Biskupska, associate professor, Sam Houston State University
• Dan Carlin, podcaster, Hardcore History
• General Wesley Clark, US Army, Ret.
• Sir Antony Beevor, military historian