Just years after World War I, Germany and other nations are in an economic depression. Leader approval ratings of Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain are shallow, giving the rise to military dictators along with their parties. Years after Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, he and his generals plot the invasion of Poland

The German Blitzkrieg allowed them to overrun both Poland and France within weeks. See how this radical military tactic caught the Allies totally unprepared

In July 1940, Britain stood alone against the Nazis. Hitler had more troops, abetter air force and the better weapons. Britain came extremely close to defeat, as its exhausted air force struggled to fight off the German Luftwaffe

When Hitler expounded his intention to invade Russia his generals looked at him in horrified silence. The Soviet Union was vast and had matchless resources. Hitler’s whole plan depended upon striking a swift and decisive knock-out blow

December 7th 1941 is “a date that will live in infamy”proclaimed President Franklin Roosevelt. That was the day that Japan entered World War II, with its surprise attack upon theU.S

Mussolini’s ambition had always been to recreate the old Roman Empire. The trouble was, he was a disaster militarily. After failed attacks in North Africa and Greece, his armies were on the run

Nazi submarines tried to cut supply lines across the Atlantic, while the Allies fire-bombed German cities

By July 1943, the full extent of Hitler’s failed gamble in the East had become clear. After failing to deliver knock-out blows at Stalingrad and Moscow, his army was now at the mercy of the vast Soviet war machine. With its huge resources and seemingly limitless numbers of men, the Red Army slowly pushed the Germans back out of Russia through Ukraine, Poland, the Balkans and Hungary

How close did D-Day come to failure? Despite meticulous planning, deception plans and specialised equipment, its success was always balanced on a knife-edge

The Battle of the Bulge saw Hitler take his last great gamble, throwing his reserve forces against the oncoming Allies in the Ardennes

The war in the Pacific against Japan was a savage, hand-to-hand, island-to-island struggle, fought by new specialist fighting units like the valiant Chindits

Allied forces converge on Germany, uncovering the horrors of Bergen-Belsen and Buchenwald, before pushing towards Berlin, where Hitler clings to power in his last desperate days

With Germany beaten, the Allies turned their attention to Japan, who made them pay for every inch of gained ground