World War II - Battles for Europe

screenable online: 8 episodes

This compelling eight-part series takes you to the heart of iconic moments in the history of warfare: the D-Day landings, the ill-fated airborne operation at Arnhem, the German counterattack at the Battle of the Bulge and the dash for one of the last bridges standing across the Rhine at Remagen.

WWII — Battles for Europe tells the grand narrative through eye-witness veteran testimony from men who served under fire on the front line — some many times over.

Each episode conveys the reality of the fast-moving, life or death nature of the key battles in the defeat of Nazi Germany in the West. Meticulously researched and authoritative, the series portrays the reality of warfare, how everything from weather and terrain to supply and communications, combat stress, unit morale and unexpected enemy action can turn the tide of battle.

Episodes:
1. D-Day: The Normandy Landings
2. The Battle of Caen
3. Normandy Breakout
4. Market Garden
5. Battle of the Scheldt
6. Battle for the Siegfried Line
7. Battle of the Bulge
8. Crossing the Rhine

June 1944 – The combined American, British and Canadian armies make up the most powerful invasion force ever assembled. They plan to establish a bridgehead in Normandy, storming beaches along a 50…

June 1944 - The Allies are bogged down in bitter fighting amid the hedgerows of Normandy. The British and Canadians are still short of the objective they planned to capture on D-Day: the city of Caen…

July 1944 – American forces plan a major offensive codenamed Operation Cobra. They would attack near St. Lo, achieve a breakthrough, then unleash General Patton and US Third Army to exploit the…

September 1944 – Montgomery proposes a bold plan to cross the Rhine and encircle Germany’s industrial heartland. Operation Market Garden begins as thousands of Allied paratroopers seize key bridges,…

October 1944 – The Allies face a major supply crisis. Vital fuel and ammunition still has to be landed at the D-Day beaches 300 miles to the rear. When the Belgian port of Antwerp falls into Allied…

November 1944 – As the Allies advance into Germany they run into formidable concrete bunkers, pillboxes, minefields, and tank traps. German soldiers fight tenaciously to defend their homeland. We…

December 1944 – Hitler has picked the Ardennes sector for a major offensive – a last gamble to turn the tide of the war. The surprise attack, spearheaded by elite divisions, initially sends American…

March 1945 – The Allies have reached the River Rhine, which Hitler is counting on to stall their advance. Field Marshal Montgomery plans a giant operation to cross the river in the north, but luck…

D-Day: The Normandy Landings (Episode 1)

The Battle of Caen (Episode 2)

Normandy Breakout (Episode 3)

Market Garden (Episode 4)

Battle of the Scheldt

Battle for the Siegfried Line (Episode 6)

Battle of the Bulge (Episode 7)

Crossing the Rhine (Episode 8)