In June 1944, the combined American, British and Canadian armies make up a powerful invasion force; together, they plan to form a bridgehead in Normandy, storming beaches along a 50-mile front while airborne troops secure targets inland.

The story of the Battle of Caen, David Wiley tells about panzer ace Michael Wittmann, Taff Gillingham shows how to use the MG42 machine gun and Matthias Strohn talks about the storm that nearly ruined Allied plans.

Veterans from all sides tell the story of the fighting amid the Normandy hedgerows, Patton's advance into Brittany, the liberation of Paris and the German defeat at Falaise; expert historians discuss the bomb plot that nearly killed Hitler.

Montgomery proposes a bold plan to cross the Rhine and encircle Germany's industrial heartland, which, if successful, can end the war by Christmas.

The Allies deal with a major supply crisis in October 1944, with fuel and ammunition still to be landed 300 miles to the rear; when Antwerp falls into Allied hands, the Canadians fight to clear the Scheldt Estuary, connecting the port to the sea.

The Allies advance into Germany in November 1944 but face concrete bunkers, minefields, pillboxes and tank traps.