A look at the story of Franz Honiok. Shot in August 1939,the 43-year-old farmer is often considered the first victim of the war. But the war really began across the planet years earlier, and the forces which propelled the world to war had numbers at their heart.

Hitler's ministers told him the war was too costly. Japan knew it had six months to run wild.

When the United States entered the war it was in spite of election campaign promises made by President Roosevelt, but their arrival changed the war all the same.

Hitler had two reasons for attacking Stalingrad - its industrial resources and to eradicate the Jews of the Caucasus.

After Pearl Harbor, the US rebuilt its navy and turned its army, ranked 18th in the world, into one that could win a war.

The 4,000 men lost at Dieppe drove home just how costly an invasion of France would be.