Secret History Of WW2

During the early stages of World War II, the British Expeditionary Force and other Allied troops were rescued from French seaport Dunkirk and taken across the channel, to England. We tell the secrets behind the famous evacuation, like the story of the 38,000 men left behind and how Hitler ordered the Nazi tanks to cease their advance on the Allies, which ultimately changed the course of the war.

Operation Overlord (D-Day) was launched on June 6,1944. The Allied invasion of Western Europe began with the simultaneous landing of US, British and Canadian forces on five beaches in Normandy. There are many secrets behind the invasion, like disastrous practice run Exercise Tiger, which left over 700 US soldiers dead and the story of reporter Martha Gellhorn: the only woman at D-day.

The aerial attack by the Japanese on US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, on 7 December 1941 led to the United States entering World War II. These are the secret stories of the brave soldiers who battled in vain to fight off the attacks from above - like Joe George who risked his own life to save six shipmates, and Dorie Miller the first ever African American to receive the Navy Cross.

The RAF's successful defence of Great Britain against air raids conducted by the German Luftwaffe from July through September 1940 became known as The Battle of Britain. There are many stories behind the campaign, like pilot Bill Millington who sacrificed himself to save civilians and the US Olympic Gold Medallist who flew for the RAF.

For eight months the Germans bombarded Britain from above in an attempt to cripple the Allied war effort. The country pulled together and stayed strong as bombs rained down. These are the incredible tales behind the Blitz: like the RAF employing German speaking radio controllers to confuse Luftwaffe pilots in Operation Corona and the French spy who helped the RAF put an end to the bombings.

Many battles were fought on the banks of the Rhine in 1944 in the failed Operation Market Garden: an Allied offensive which aimed to advance towards Germany. We tell the secrets of the battleground, like the Germans who assumed fake British identities to fight against their own country and Kate ter Horst, the Angel of Arnhem, who turned her small home into an allied hospital.