Second World War - Getty Images

Second World War

The Second World War, which started on 1 September 1939, was fought between two groups of countries: on one side were the Axis Powers (primarily Germany, Italy and Japan); and on the other side were the Allies (which included Britain, France, the Soviet Union, China and America, plus Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India). The war broke out when Germany, which was ruled by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, invaded Poland in 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later, on 3 September 1939. It has been estimated that more than 50 million people died in the Second World War, including an estimated six million Jewish people in the Nazi genocide. The conflict ended on 2 September 1945 when Japan formally surrendered to the Allies

Membership

Why did Hitler believe D-Day was a trick?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A person in a U.S. military uniform sits at a desk writing with a pencil, papers spread out in front of them as light falls through a nearby window.

Second World War

Who was the real Kay Summersby of Pressure?

A historical photo of soldiers landing on a beach is combined with an overlaid weather map featuring contour lines, grids, and numerical data. The composite blends a military scene with meteorological information.

Second World War

Is Pressure a true story? Here’s the real history behind the D-Day drama

A high‑ranking military officer in a dark uniform and cap stands outdoors, with a blurred field and trees behind them.

Second World War

Who was the real Dwight D Eisenhower of Pressure?

A person wearing a Royal Air Force uniform with brass buttons and a peaked cap sits outside a stone building with classical columns and arched windows. A military vehicle and decorative stone urns stand in the background.

Second World War

Who was the real James Stagg of Pressure?

A person in a suit sits at a desk holding a rolled sheet of paper, with documents and drawings spread out in front of them.

Second World War

Who was the real Irving P Krick of Pressure?

Membership

The man who saved D-Day: the real history behind Pressure. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A medieval manuscript illustration showing a lively musical performance. Three standing musicians play long wind instruments and drums while three seated women clap and dance before a richly patterned red-and-gold backdrop.

General History

How history changed music: 8 moments that shaped the soundtrack of our world

Membership

Episode 4“You can’t kill and maim with impunity”: the powerful legacy of Nuremberg. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two overlapping circular portraits on a green background. The left circle contains a black‑and‑white photo of a person in a military-style uniform sitting at a desk and speaking on a telephone. The right circle shows a colour photo of a person with medium-length hair looking toward the camera.

Membership

Churchill called him the greatest British general of the war – so why isn't he better remembered?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Colour portrait of Princess Elizabeth standing in an ornate room at Buckingham Palace, wearing a light dress and pearl necklace, hands clasped.

Second World War

After two world wars, monarchies across the world collapsed. Why did Britain's survive?

Four women in military uniform celebrate VE Day by waving Union Jack flags from an open-top jeep surrounded by cheering crowds. The joyful scene takes place in a city street lined with large stone buildings, as onlookers smile and gather around the vehicle.

Second World War

A brief guide to VE Day

Black-and-white portrait of a young John F Kennedy in US Navy uniform, facing forward.

Second World War

JFK’s brother was destined for the presidency. Then a tragedy struck that changed American history

Membership

Episode 3Did the Nazis get a fair trial?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Black-and-white studio portrait of Winston Churchill seated in an armchair, wearing a suit and bow tie, looking directly at the camera.

Second World War

Churchill's ‘finest hour’ helped defeat the Nazis. But was it a double-edged sword?

Membership

Episode 2The Nazis’ crimes laid bare. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage-style image shows King Charles III and Donald Trump in formal evening dress on the left, set against a blended backdrop of the US and UK flags and a 19th-century painting. To the right, Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a tiara and turquoise gown, raises a glass in a toast with President Gerald Ford, while smaller historical figures appear in the background.

Membership

Pageantry and politics: a history of British royal visits to the US. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A person in a dark shirt stands near the entrance of a rough‑walled cave. Red graffiti is painted on the rock above, and the cave interior fades into darkness

Membership

I went digging for buried Nazi gold – and this is what I discovered. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

Episode 1What should we do with the Nazis? The road to the Nuremberg Trials. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

The battle of the Arctic: the forgotten crucible of WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A stylised, brightly coloured scene shows a group of 19th‑century men, women, and children standing in a pastoral landscape. Some hold farm tools or baskets of apples, others sip tea, and an older woman knits beside them. In front of the group, a table holds a modern blue radio emitting musical notes, a teacup, and a small bird, with a dog resting underneath.

Membership

Want to understand modern Britain? Look towards its villages. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A low-angle photograph of a large rocket standing upright on a launch platform, framed by tall metal towers on either side. The rocket is white with a prominent orange central tank and is mounted on a mobile launcher above rail tracks. The sky is clear and bright blue, and small vehicles and structures around the base emphasise the scale of the launch site.

Cold War

8 weird stories from the Space Age: from hungry tortoises to gorilla suits

A military pilot seated inside an aircraft with a Nato emblem overlaid across the image.

Cold War

Nato is in crisis. Can history predict what happens next?

Portrait of French military officer Charles de Gaulle in uniform wearing a decorated kepi hat against a teal background.

Second World War

Meet the embattled French WW2 leader who withstood the Nazis – and Winston Churchill

A group of boys from the BBC adaptation of Lord of the Flies stand in tall grass on a tropical island, some holding sharpened wooden spears. Their clothes and faces are smeared with dirt, and they look ahead with wary, hardened expressions, palm trees and a rocky outcrop rising behind them.

20th Century

What inspired the darkness of Lord of the Flies? The disturbing history behind the novel

Composite image featuring a portrait of Winston Churchill over scenes of the Nuremberg Trials and soldiers carrying out wartime executions.

Second World War

Before the Nuremberg Trials, this was Winston Churchill’s shocking plan for Nazi war criminals

Composite image showing a portrait of a Nazi leader overlaid with handwritten documents and a concentration camp entrance with railway tracks.

Membership

How Nazi investigators used secret tools to create Hitler’s Holocaust ‘hitlist’. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

Following the footsteps of a WW2 prisoner of war. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A surfaced German U-boat moves through choppy water, with crew members standing on deck and gathered around the conning tower. A low shoreline with buildings is visible in the background.

Second World War

Step inside Hitler’s U-boats to witness the nightmarish reality of life on board

A composite image of US President Franklin D Roosevelt in front of the US and Latin American national flags.

Second World War

In the aftermath of WW2, why did FDR’s Latin American experiment end in abject failure?

You're currently on page 2

Prev Page

Next Page