World War II with Tom Hanks
Explores WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age, examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt, and the human cost of total war.
- 2026-2026
- 1 season
- History Channel
- Documentary, Action & Adventure
Explores WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age, examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt, and the human cost of total war.
Season 1 Episode Guide
20 Episodes 2026
Episode 1
The Beginning
Mon, May 25, 2026 42 mins
The actor explores the key events of the Second World War, from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age, examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt, and the human cost of total war. In September 1939, enabled by a secret pact between Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, Germany invades Poland, plunging Europe back into war.
Episode 2
Blitz
Mon, May 25, 2026 42 mins
After overrunning the Netherlands and Belgium, Germany drives west as Churchill braces for an air assault and FDR races to mobilise America's industry.
Episode 3
Barbarossa
Tue, May 26, 2026 42 mins
The story of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's massive surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the largest and costliest land offensive ever undertaken.
Episode 4
Pearl Harbor
Mon, Jun 1, 2026 42 mins
The actor looks back at Pearl Harbor. Japan escalates their war in China, drawing increasing US sanctions and widespread outrage. Driven by resource shortages and military ideology, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in a move that will reshape the course of World War II.
Episode 5
The War at Sea
Tue, Jun 2, 2026 42 mins
America's battle against German U-boats in the Atlantic and Japan's powerful Navy in the Pacific ultimately shifts the war's momentum.
Episode 6
Guadalcanal
Tue, Jun 9, 2026 42 mins
After Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces sweep through Southeast Asia. On Guadalcanal, US Marines face a brutal fight to halt their restless advance.
Episode 7
Darkness Falls
Sun, Jun 7, 2026 42 mins
As Hitler's power spreads across Europe, his hateful ideology drives persecution of Jewish people, leading to escalating violence and ultimately the Holocaust.
Episode 8
Operation Torch
Sun, Jun 14, 2026 42 mins
The first joint U.S.-British offensive of the war, inexperienced troops and leader Eisenhower face hardened German Afrika Korps and the infamous Erwin Rommel.
Episode 9
Secrets and Lies
Sun, Jun 14, 2026 42 mins
Beyond WWII's frontlines, a secret war unfolds. In rural England, brilliant codebreakers race to crack Germany's Enigma Code and alter the war's outcome.
Episode 10
Stalingrad
Tue, Jun 23, 2026 43 mins
Operation Blue: Germany battles for Soviet oil fields and Stalingrad in one of history's deadliest battles, marking a major Eastern Front turning point.
Episode 11
Italy
Tue, Jun 30, 2026 41 mins
The Allies hope to quickly penetrate the Nazi Reich via Italy but instead endure a months-long slog with devastating results.
Episode 12
Battle for the Skies
Tue, Jun 30, 2026 41 mins
Allied air forces engage in a ferocious and costly battle with the German Luftwaffe over the skies of Europe.
Episode 13
Overlord
Mon, Jul 6, 2026 41 mins
The Allies launch Operation Overlord to liberate occupied France and open a second front.
Episode 14
Long Road to Tokyo
Mon, Jul 6, 2026
The Allies and Japan battle across Asia's jungles and plains in World War II's forgotten theater.
Episode 15
Home Front
Mon, Jul 13, 2026 41 mins
As the tide begins to turn against the Axis powers, the leaders of Germany and Japan deploy opposite strategies on their home fronts.
Episode 16
Resistance
Mon, Jul 13, 2026 41 mins
Resistance to Nazi occupation and oppression is a constant throughout the war, with results both triumphant and devastating.
Episode 17
No Surrender
Mon, Jul 20, 2026 41 mins
The Pacific campaign intensifies to extreme violence and carnage between 1944 and 1945.
Episode 18
Last Days of the Reich
Mon, Jul 20, 2026 41 mins
Allied forces push toward Berlin as the European war reaches its peak.
Episode 19
Endgame
Mon, Jul 27, 2026 41 mins
The most terrible weapon ever created will change the course of the war in the Pacific.
Episode 20
Fallout
Mon, Jul 27, 2026 41 mins
The end of the second world war and the dawn of the nuclear age see its two great victors go from allies to adversaries.