World War II - The War Chronicles - Season 1

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The Greatest Conflict

1 - The Greatest Conflict

Air Date: May 31, 1983

A quick review of the various campaigns and calamitous occurrences that happened from the start to the end of World War II.

North Africa... the Desert War

2 - North Africa... the Desert War

Air Date: June 6, 1983

The birth of the Afrika Korps and it's leader Erwin Rommel who was to earn the pseudonym Desert Fox.

The Beachhead at Anzio

3 - The Beachhead at Anzio

Air Date: June 13, 1983

Beginning with Operation Shingle, the allies obtained a foothold in Italy while the Germans were determined to make the allies job a difficult one starting with the Gustav line.

D-Day... The Normandy Invasion

4 - D-Day... The Normandy Invasion

Air Date: June 20, 1983

Operation Overlord began on Jun 6, 1944, with parachutists, deception tactics, and Mulberry harbors so as to ensure a successful invasion in France.

Pursuit to the Rhine

5 - Pursuit to the Rhine

Air Date: June 27, 1983

Once the Normandy invasion was concluded it was a cacophony of multiple allied drives to silence the German offensives with having to deal with some strong defensive fronts and offensive attacks.

The Bomber Offensive: Air War in Europe

6 - The Bomber Offensive: Air War in Europe

Air Date: July 4, 1983

In 1943, Britain began bomber offensives over Germany's war production sites, some without fighter protection because of limited fuel capacity. Bombing targets and improved fighter protection would soon occur.

The Battle of the Bulge

7 - The Battle of the Bulge

Air Date: July 11, 1983

Adolf Hitler is desperate to stop the allies advance onto German soil and pushes a number of his military forces through the Ardennes and begins what has come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. The allies had a number of clues that something was going to happen but ignored them.

The Battle of Germany

8 - The Battle of Germany

Air Date: July 18, 1983

A more detailed overview of the causes of the German assault through the Ardennes and the battle in Bastogne. The German line fell apart on the 25th after the weather cleared on the 23rd of December 1944. The allies then continued to drive toward the Rhine.

Island Hopping: The Road Back

9 - Island Hopping: The Road Back

Air Date: July 25, 1983

Beginning with the battle on Tarawa, the Gilbert's, Marshall's, and Mariana's island groups were next in the island hopping strategy.

Jungle Warfare: New Guinea to Burma

10 - Jungle Warfare: New Guinea to Burma

Air Date: August 2, 1983

The jungle campaigns in New Guinea and Burma were necessary. This was more easily accomplished by attacking the weaker Japanese defenses.

Air War In The Pacific

11 - Air War In The Pacific

Air Date: August 9, 1983

Chronicling the war’s first days through the suicidal Kamikaze attacks and the bombing missions that brought the war to the Japanese homeland, this documentary utilizes extensive air combat footage.

The Bloody Ridges of Peleliu

12 - The Bloody Ridges of Peleliu

Air Date: August 16, 1983

From the opening Naval bombardment, to the hand-to-hand combat and vicious guerrilla warfare, this is the complete story of this brutal and historic battle.

The Return To The Philippines

13 - The Return To The Philippines

Air Date: August 23, 1983

From MacArthur's strategy to the heroics of the ground troops, the 7th Fleet’s naval forces, and the pilots of the Air Force, the heroic saga of the Philippines is a stunning story of unstoppable determination.

Okinawa... The Last Battle

14 - Okinawa... The Last Battle

Air Date: August 30, 1983

Winston Churchill described it as the most intense and famous battle in military history. Witness the desperate, suicidal resistance of the Japanese in the final battle of the Pacific campaign.