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The origins of war remain
a subject of great debate.

Some argue that it is a necessary evil,

a means of shaping history
and sparking social change.

Others believe it is simply an
extension of political conflict.

Even Plato theorised that war
was a direct result of human desire.

Regardless of the perspective,
history is undeniably marked by warfare.

Stretching from ancient battles
to the conflicts of the modern era.

By the dawn of the 20th century the
concept of war was well understood.

But nothing could have
prepared the world for

the devastation wrought by the two
most cataclysmic conflicts in history.

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With the advancements of
the Industrial Revolution, war

took on a terrifying new form.

Submarines prowled beneath
the waves, aerial warfare emerged,

deadly mines lay in wait and, at the

conclusion of the Second
World War, the atomic

bomb introduced an entirely
new level of destruction.

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Between 1914 and 1918 the First World War

claimed more than 40 million
lives, both military and civilian.

Yet, scarcely two decades later, the
world found itself on the brink once more.

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The conflict that was supposed to have
been the war to end all wars had failed

in its promise.

And the 1930s saw the ominous rise of

totalitarian regimes that would propel
the globe into yet another brutal war.

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The Second World War began
in 1939 and lasted until 1945.

The nations of Great Britain
and the Commonwealth,

alongside France and later the United
States, formed the Grand Alliance.

Commonly known as the
Allies, fighting against Nazi

Germany, Imperial Japan
and Mussolini's fascist Italy.

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Initially, the Soviet Union,
under Joseph Stalin, had

signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler.

But when the German dictator
betrayed this agreement,

the Russians too joined the Allied cause.

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The war spanned six years, resulting in the

staggering loss of over 50 million
lives, two -thirds of whom were civilians.

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This programme, using rare
archival footage, will examine

the events that led to the outbreak
of war on September 3rd 1939.

And, more specifically,
how the paths of two

men, Winston Churchill and
Adolf Hitler, helped shape

the contours of this
devastating global conflict.

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Looking back with the
clarity of hindsight, it

is evident that more
decisive action and better

preparation could have
averted a war that continues

to cast long shadows over world history.

To understand the climate
in which war erupted,

we must step back into the early 20th

century and delve into the
intricate history that preceded it.

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The First World War left Europe in turmoil,

its economies shattered and
political landscapes transformed.

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Monarchies crumbled, revolutions
erupted and long-standing institutions

were upended.

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Mussolini established a
fascist regime in Italy, the

Russian Revolution of
1917 birthed the world's first

communist state, and
Germany, once a proud empire,

was left reeling from defeat.

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The Treaty of Versailles, signed
in 1919, officially ended the

war but imposed severe
penalties on Germany.

Though the fighting had
ceased on November 11th

1918, it took months to
finalise the terms of peace.

In the opulent Hall of Mirrors at the

Palace of Versailles, American
President Woodrow Wilson, British

Prime Minister Lloyd George
and French Premier Georges

Clemenceau gathered to
shape the post-war world.

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The treaty stripped Germany
of valuable industrial land,

drastically reduced its
military capability and saddled it

with a crippling war debt.

But rather than ensuring
lasting peace, these measures

plunged Germany into economic ruin.

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The ultimate humiliation
came in the form of

the infamous War Guilt
Clause, forcing Germany to

accept full responsibility
for the conflict.

When German politicians signed the
treaty, nationalist outrage exploded.

Among those enraged
was a young soldier named

Adolf Hitler, who would later
brand them the November Criminals.

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The 1920s saw Germany in dire straits.

Poverty, unemployment and
social unrest gripped the nation.

It was in this atmosphere
of desperation that

Adolf Hitler rose to prominence,
vowing to restore Germany's former glory.

Though Austrian by birth, Hitler
considered Germany his true homeland.

He had fought for the country during the

First World War and had even been
awarded the Iron Cross for bravery.

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After the war, the German
army, fearing communist

uprisings, tasked him with spying
on the German Workers' Party.

But instead of merely observing,
Hitler became deeply involved.

One evening, after delivering
an impassioned 15-minute

speech, he caught the
attention of the party's

leaders, who quickly
recognised his potential.

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Hitler's anti-Semitic and
nationalistic rhetoric resonated with

many, and soon the small
party swelled in numbers.

Within days, Hitler was on its committee.

His speeches captivated
audiences, railing against the Treaty

of Versailles, blaming the
Jews for Germany's woes

and denouncing Marxism and communism.

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Under his leadership,
the party rebranded as the

National Socialist German
Workers' Party, the Nazi Party.

Hitler became its undisputed
leader, or Führer, introducing

the now infamous swastika as its emblem.

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As Hitler's speeches grew ever
more impassioned, Germany's

economic woes deepened.

With the Allies demanding
reparations, hunger riots erupted

and the country verged on collapse.

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In 1923, the Nazis attempted a coup in

Munich, but it failed, and Hitler
was imprisoned for treason.

However, rather than
ending his career, his trial

and subsequent imprisonment
only amplified his influence.

His courtroom speeches were
widely published, spreading his

ideology far beyond his
initial base of support.

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Hitler used his time in
prison to pen Mein Kampf,

a manifesto that laid bare his
extreme nationalist and racist beliefs.

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He vilified Jews, blamed
them for Germany's decline,

and spoke of conspiracies to
control global finance and media.

He glorified the Aryan
race, demeaning Slavs, Poles

and Russians, and outlined
his vision of Lebensraum,

or living space, for the German people.

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This expansionist policy
would be pursued through war,

as Hitler openly discussed enslaving
or exterminating entire populations.

He also fixated on
avenging Germany's defeat in

the First World War, particularly
by striking against France.

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Upon its publication in 1925, Mein
Kampf was not an immediate success.

However, it provided a chilling warning,
one that the world largely ignored.

Hitler, however, was patient.

As Germany's economy
stabilised in the mid-1920s,

public interest in his
extremist rhetoric waned, but

he waited for the right moment.

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That moment came in 1929, with the Wall

Street crash and the
subsequent Great Depression.

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The effects on Germany were catastrophic.

Banks collapsed, life savings
vanished, inflation skyrocketed, and

the economy ground to a halt.

In the ensuing desperation,
Hitler and his Nazis

seized their opportunity, infiltrating
the political establishment and

gaining widespread support.

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On January 30th, 1933, Hitler was
appointed Chancellor of Germany.

As the Nazi SS marched
triumphantly beneath the

towering columns of Berlin's Brandenburg
Gate, thousands of Germans cheered.

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Josef Goebbels, Hitler's
propaganda mastermind, exulted in his

diary, writing, It is almost like a dream,

a fairy tale.

The new Reich has begun.

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With Hitler's rise to power, democracy
in Germany was swiftly dismantled.

Civil liberties were stripped
away, freedom of the

press was curtailed, and
political opponents were rounded

up, tortured or executed.

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The persecution of Jews
intensified, as Nazi paramilitary

forces enforced boycotts on
Jewish businesses and burned

books deemed un-German.

Many of Germany's brightest
minds, scientists, artists, and

intellectuals fled the country,
including Albert Einstein, Sigmund

Freud, and Marlene Dietrich.

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Within mere days, Germany
had begun its transformation

into a totalitarian police
state, where individual freedoms

were systematically eradicated.

The world watched in alarm, but few could

foresee the unprecedented
horrors that lay ahead.

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Support for Hitler continued to grow at an

alarming rate, with rallies
reaching unprecedented sizes.

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When 87-year-old
President Hindenburg died on

the 2nd of August 1934,
Hitler swiftly assumed

presidential powers, making himself
the unchallenged Führer of Germany.

Matters worsened in 1935,
when, in direct violation

of the Treaty of Versailles,
Hitler bolstered the German army.

As he methodically expanded
his military thousands of

miles away, another dictator
pursued similar ambitions.

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In October 1935, Italian leader
Mussolini invaded Abyssinia,

aiming to enhance his political
prestige and establish new colonies.

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Despite public outcry in Britain,
Stanley Baldwin's government

failed to act, potentially
emboldening Hitler.

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When Hitler marched into
the industrially rich Rhineland,

territory lost by Germany
after the First World

War, on 7th March 1936, the world watched

as Britain and France failed to respond.

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Hitler later admitted, If
the French had marched

into the Rhineland, we would have had to

withdraw with our tail
between our legs, for

our military resources were wholly
inadequate for even a moderate resistance.

He even contemplated suicide
had Britain and France intervened.

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But with no repercussions,
he pressed forward.

That summer, as the
world gathered in Berlin

for the 1936 Olympic Games,
Hitler continued plotting.

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With the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War, Hitler and

Mussolini supported General
Franco's fascist regime.

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In November, Hitler signed
an alliance with Japan,

forming a dangerous coalition.

Japan, deeply affected by
the Great Depression, sought

to secure vital resources, escalating
its conflict with China from 1931.

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The battle at Marco Polo Bridge in 1937

marked the start of full-scale
war between China and Japan.

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Despite its vast population,
China lacked military strength,

giving Japan the upper hand.

Meanwhile, Hitler set his
sights on further expansion.

In a secret conference
with his military chiefs,

he announced plans to seize
Austria and Czechoslovakia,

exploiting France and
Britain's perceived weaknesses.

His army commanders, Blomberg
and Fritsch, were alarmed

at his aggressive intentions, but
challenging him had become perilous.

Soon after, both were
removed from their positions

under humiliating circumstances.

By 1938, with no opposition,
Hitler forced Austria into unification.

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Following months of Nazi
propaganda, German troops marched in,

and the Austrian Chancellor, after a heated

argument with Hitler, was
coerced into submission.

Not a single shot was fired.

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This left neighbouring Czechoslovakia
vulnerable, and Hitler wasted

no time declaring it his next target.

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At a Nazi congress in Berlin, 20,000

Nazis cheered as he
threatened war over the region.

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Those who had established
the Treaty of Versailles

now recognised that
decisive action was necessary.

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With Prime Minister Stanley
Baldwin retired, Neville Chamberlain

took office, advocating
a strong anti-war stance.

As Britain prepared for
possible conflict, with gas

masks distributed and sandbags
filled, Chamberlain flew to

Germany in an attempt to negotiate peace.

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On 28th September 1938,
four world leaders, French

Premier Edouard Daladier,
Mussolini, Hitler and Chamberlain met

in Munich to discuss Czechoslovakia's fate.

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With memories of the First
World War still fresh, Chamberlain

and Daladier, desperate to
prevent another global conflict,

conceded Czechoslovakian territory
to Hitler, believing his assurance

that this was his final demand in Europe.

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Returning to Britain with Hitler's
signed promise, Chamberlain

was met with public
and political celebration.

However, one voice of dissent stood out.

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Winston Churchill.

He had long warned of Hitler's threat and

condemned the Munich Agreement,
famously stating, Britain and

France had to choose
between war and dishonour.

They chose dishonour, they will have war.

Churchill's fears were soon realised.

On 15th March 1939, without
warning, Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia.

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The Munich Agreement had
been a missed opportunity to halt

Nazi expansion, and with
Germany now even stronger,

Hitler turned his gaze eastward to Poland.

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That summer, Germany
began a relentless campaign for

the return of Danzig
and the Polish Corridor,

lost under the Treaty of Versailles.

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Before advancing, Hitler
secured Soviet support, despite his

disdain for communism.

Foreign Minister Ribbentrop
was sent to Moscow to

finalise a non-aggression pact with Stalin.

The world saw the writing on the wall.

Hitler was preparing for his next move.

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Having seized the Rhineland,
Austria and Czechoslovakia with

little resistance, Hitler assumed
Britain and France would remain passive.

But on 1st September 1939, when Nazi troops

invaded Poland, the Allies
were bound by treaty to respond.

Britain and France issued an ultimatum.

If German troops did not withdraw
immediately, war would be declared.

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The deadline was 11am on
Sunday, 3rd September 1939.

When no response came,
Neville Chamberlain addressed the

British people, announcing that
Britain was at war with Germany.

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The hours following this
declaration were extraordinary.

Londoners enjoying their Sunday
morning were suddenly ushered

into shelters as air raid
sirens blared across the capital.

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Fortunately, it was a false alarm, but the

fear was real, as memories of
the First World War loomed large.

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By the end of the day, with concerns
of a Nazi assault mounting, 1.5 million

evacuees – children, expectant
mothers and women with

infants – were sent to the countryside.

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The evacuationwas efficiently managed.

Each child was tagged with their
name, address and school number.

They carried gas masks, basic toiletries
and, if they had one, an overcoat.

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The process, however, was
deeply distressing, as families

parted with no certainty of
their children's destinations.

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That same day, the first casualties of
war were not in the cities, but at sea.

The SS Athenia, carrying
over 1,000 passengers,

including women and
children, from Dublin to Canada,

was attacked by a German
U-boat, killing 112 people.

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Any prospect of a peaceful resolution
with Hitler now seemed impossible.

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But there was one significant development.

Winston Churchill, the fiercest
critic of appeasement, was

appointed First Lord of the Admiralty.

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The Royal Navy, relieved
by his return, famously

signalled its fleet with a simple message.

Winston is back.

For Churchill, this was a pivotal moment.

Born at Blenheim Palace
in Oxfordshire to aristocratic

parents, Lord Randolph Churchill
and American heiress Jenny

Jerome, his early life had
been fraught with difficulties.

Estranged from his parents
and struggling in school,

Churchill found his calling in
the military and later in politics.

Now, with war engulfing
Europe, his leadership would

soon be tested like never before.

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Yet Churchill was no
stranger to controversy, having

switched political parties
multiple times and being blamed

for the disaster at Gallipoli in the First

World War, cutting short
his tenure at the Admiralty.

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Following Gallipoli, he was demoted.

After years in the political
wilderness, it seemed

as though his career had ended and
that Winston was destined for retirement.

But everything changed
on 3rd September 1939.

His country desperately needed
his blunt style of leadership.

And being who he was,
Churchill rose to the occasion.

After all, he had been right
about Hitler's wicked plans.

In the nation's eyes, he was the man
for the job, first at the Admiralty and

then beyond.

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As the British adapted
to curfews and nightly

blackouts, little seemed to happen.

The only casualties were
road accidents and falls,

as car headlights and streetlights
were completely blacked out.

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A lull in activity even led to confused

evacuees returning home, as war
and danger felt like a distant concern.

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Aircraft were sent over
Germany, but rather than

dropping bombs, they released
millions of leaflets informing

civilians and soldiers alike
about the evils of the Nazi regime.

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It was thought this
might intimidate the Nazis

by demonstrating Germany's
vulnerability to air raids.

But many dismissed this
as a pointless confetti

war, futile against such a ruthless enemy.

In fact, between the outbreak of war and

the year's end, this period
became known as the Phony War.

For British civilians, war seemed distant.

But in Poland, it was a different reality.

The nation was being
annihilated by Nazi forces,

and its people desperately
needed Western Allied support.

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Hitler's commanders showed
no mercy in their assault.

Fields and forests quaked as
armoured columns thundered

through the terrain, destroying
everything in their path.

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Overhead, the Luftwaffe raised
buildings and roads, sending

civilians scattering.

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This new military tactic
was called Blitzkrieg, or

lightning strike, allowing
the Nazis to attack with

speed and surprise, rather
than being bogged down

in trench warfare, a lesson
learned from the First World War.

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The British and French had wrongly
assumed Poland could hold out

for two to three months before
requiring military assistance.

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Huge numbers of civilians
perished as terror bombings

devastated Poland, with the Nazis
brutally massacring many Poles.

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Operation Tannenberg claimed
20,000 lives, with shootings

at 760 mass execution sites.

But these atrocities
were only the beginning of

the horrors that would unfold
in the Second World War.

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Hoping for Western aid,
Polish militia and civilian

volunteers courageously defended Warsaw.

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Meanwhile, the British Expeditionary
Force was swiftly deployed

to France, with half a million British and

French troops waiting
at the Maginot Line along

the German border for the order to strike.

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But the command never came.

Allied leaders believed
they were still unprepared for

war, and hesitated to advance into Germany.

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Little did they know, there were no tanks

left on the German
defensive line, the Siegfried

Line, as the Nazis prioritised
Poland's destruction.

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Had the Allies acted then, the
war might have been cut short.

Tragically, intelligence
came too late, and the brave

Poles were steadily crushed.

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Worse was yet to come.

On 17th September, the Soviet Red Army, 800

,000 strong, marched into
eastern Poland, fulfilling Stalin's

agreement with Hitler
to divide the country.

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Hundreds of miles west,
Warsaw held out until

disease, starvation and
exhaustion forced its surrender.

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The Polish capital was
utterly reduced to rubble.

On 28th September, its
defenders were marched out,

as the Nazis triumphantly marched in.

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In Poland’s aftermath, Chamberlain's
vague address in the Commons failed

to inspire confidence, while Churchill's
resolute words captivated Britain.

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Even Hitler saw Churchill
as Britain's true leader,

particularly after Poland's
fall, and attempted to broker

peace, appealing to Churchill's
faction rather than Chamberlain's.

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Although Britain and
France had failed to save

Poland, they now fully understood
Hitler's imperial ambitions

and prepared for their own defence.

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After war was declared, Britain's
National Service Act made men

aged 18 to 40 eligible for conscription
into the Army, Navy or Air Force.

Many also volunteered throughout 1939.

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Mobilisation extended beyond
Europe, as Indians, Cypriots, Australians

and New Zealanders trained while
Canada provided military and financial aid.

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Soon, soldiers, airmen,
ships and supplies poured into

Britain from across the Commonwealth
to support the fight against Nazi Germany.

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Despite this, many European
nations remained neutral, reluctant

to risk their economies
or sever ties with Germany.

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The United States wished to avoid
sending troops into overseas conflicts,

but Roosevelt's Neutrality Act of
1939 permitted US arms to aid the Allies.

Norway and Denmark also
sought neutrality, as they

had in the First World War, but
events would soon drag them into battle.

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While Britain remained
largely peaceful on land, the

situation at sea was far deadlier.

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A German submarine
torpedoed the aircraft carrier HMS

Courageous, killing 550 men,
including the captain, who

refused to leave the bridge.

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Yet under Churchill's leadership,
the Royal Navy fought back fiercely.

While the phony war continued at home,
at sea, Hitler was left in no doubt of

Britain's naval strength.

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However, Hitler was not the only
aggressor seeking territorial gains.

Just two months after
securing Poland, the Soviet

Union struck again,
drawing Finland into the war.

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Despite their pact with
Hitler, Stalin's regime feared

Germany, France or
Britain might use Finland as

a launching point against Leningrad.

Under their agreement,
Finland was assigned to the

Soviet sphere of influence,
and Stalin's forces were

eager to claim what they considered theirs.

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In autumn 1939, the Soviets
demanded Finland move

its border 25 kilometres from Leningrad.

When Finland refused, Stalin ordered
an invasion on 30 November 1939.

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Overpowering Finland seemed easy.

Soviet troops outnumbered the Finns 4 to 1,

their tanks 200 to 1 and aircraft 30

to 1.

But Stalin's forces faced a
tougher battle than expected.

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The winter of 1939 was one of Finland's

harshest, with temperatures
plunging to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Soviet troops, recruited from
Russia's south, were unaccustomed

to such conditions.

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In contrast, the Finns
used their knowledge of

the terrain, deploying
swift ski troops in white

camouflage to ambush the enemy.

Despite shortages of
weapons and supplies, the Finns

struck Soviet troops
as they huddled by their

fires and seized enemy provisions.

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Finnish snipers exploited the
Soviets' dark uniforms against the snow.

One, a farmer by trade, killed 542 Red

Army soldiers, earning the title of
deadliest sniper in military history.

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The world was captivated by
Finland's plight and its ghost-like

warriors gliding through wintry forests.

The struggle against the
Soviets united Finland, a

nation once torn by civil war.

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Christmas 1939 saw Finns
rally together, determined to

defend their homeland, while
in Britain families gathered

for festive dinners, wondering
if war would reach their shores.

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As 1940 dawned, the naval
conflict began affecting daily life.

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As Britain depended on
food imports, German U

-boat attacks made it increasingly
difficult for cargo ships to deliver goods.

Bacon, sugar and butter became
the first items to be rationed.

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Ration books with coupons
ensured fair distribution as

Britain felt war's impact.

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A major threat to British
merchant ships was the formidable

German battleship Graf Spee, which
had sunk nine Allied vessels in 1939.

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The British and French
navies organised eight task

forces to track down the raider.

The resulting chase
ended in a dramatic battle

off Argentina's coast, delivering
Britain a much-needed morale boost.

(dramatic music)

Though the navy had managed to sink
the Graf Spee, another issue remained.

The 300 British prisoners
captured from the ship

sunk by the Nazis, who had been
transferred to the German vessel Altmark.

Under Winston Churchill's
command, the Admiralty ordered the

destroyer HMS Cossack to rescue them,

eventually tracking the Altmark
to a fjord in neutral Norway.

The Cossack pursued,
ran alongside, and after an

intense battle with hand-to-hand
combat, the prisoners were freed.

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Returning home with the
rescued men, the Cossack's

crew received a jubilant welcome.

In London, Churchill celebrated
the navy's triumph, further

increasing his popularity in Britain.

With Chamberlain's government
continuing to falter, Churchill became

the obvious leader to counter
Adolf Hitler's ambitions.

Amidst this, the Allies pressed
on with their plan to aid Finland.

However, by the 15th of March, the heavily

bombed-out Finns could wait no longer and

chose to make peace with the Red Army.

The new frontier, as
demanded by the Soviets,

was established, forcing 200,000
Finns to abandon their homes.

(dramatic music)

The failure to aid
Finland led to widespread

discontent in Britain and France,
with Allied leaders blamed for inaction.

Five days after Finland
signed the Moscow Peace

Treaty, the French Premier was replaced.

And Neville Chamberlain's fate became
clear as his critics grew in Parliament.

(dramatic music)

Finland's fall shook not
only Britain and France,

but also their Scandinavian neighbours,
who now questioned their neutrality.

Both the Germans and
the Allies turned their

focus to Norway, strategically
valuable and an outlet

for Swedish iron ore, essential
to Hitler's war machine.

(dramatic music)

Churchill urged troops
to be sent there, but

Chamberlain's government
refused to act, once again letting

Hitler seize the advantage.

(dramatic music)

The Nazi invasion of
Denmark and Norway proved

the devastating skill and
organisation of the German military.

Ironically, the Allies had
expected a land advance,

believing Germany would avoid
confronting the superior Royal Navy.

But the Nazis did exactly that.

(dramatic music)

On the 9th of April, 1940, Germany
launched its assault, catching everyone off

guard.

Denmark surrendered immediately,
with minimal losses, but Norway

resisted as long as possible.

(dramatic music)

Against Germany's relentless
tactics, however, its defence was

nearly impossible.

Before British, French and
Norwegian forces could coordinate,

the Germans seized key coastal
positions, pushing as far as Narvik.

(dramatic music)

In London, when news
confirmed Churchill's warnings had

been right, the cabinet at
first struggled to believe it.

Due to Chamberlain's
hesitation, Norway was lost before

any real defence could
be mounted, leaving the

Nazis dangerously close to Britain.

Though Hitler's ships suffered
constant attacks, the Germans

pressed forward relentlessly.

The British public and
politicians alike were outraged

by Chamberlain's government's failures
over Norway, sparking fierce debate.

In Parliament, it was
clear the Prime Minister

had lost the people's confidence,
and with honour, he resigned.

On the 10th of May,
1940, Winston Churchill,

at 65, became leader
of a coalition government

set to guide Britain through the war.

To a relieved nation, there was no doubt,

Churchill was the right man for the job.

(dramatic music)

At last, Hitler faced a
formidable adversary.

As Churchill assumed office,
his inaugural speech signalled

to Germany that success
would no longer come easily.

(dramatic music)

He declared, I have nothing to
offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.

You ask, what is our policy?

I can say it is to wage war by
sea, land and air with all our might,

and with all the strength that God
can give us, to wage war against a

monstrous tyranny never
surpassed in the dark, lamentable

catalogue of human crime.

That is our policy.

You ask, what is our aim?

I can answer in one word.

It is victory.

Victory at all costs.

Victory in spite of all terror.

Victory, however long
and hard the road may be.

For without victory, there is no survival.

(dramatic music)

Even as Churchill spoke
these now legendary words

in Parliament, the very threat he warned of

was closing in on
Britain at alarming speed,

sweeping through the
Netherlands and the Low Countries.

(dramatic music)

Nazi forces struck Holland, Belgium
and Luxembourg simultaneously,

leaving destruction
and death in their wake.

As cities crumbled and
civilians fled, German troops

cut a path towards their
long-time enemy, France.

(dramatic music)

Hitler had anticipated this
confrontation, but knew his

army was smaller than the French.

(dramatic music)

However, by employing
blitzkrieg tactics, he once again

breached enemy lines with remarkable speed.

This time, having learned from past
mistakes, the Allies responded immediately.

British and French forces
swiftly mobilised, advancing to

meet the Belgian army and form a solid

defensive line from the
English Channel to Switzerland.

(dramatic music)

Yet the southern flank collapsed
against German pressure.

Within days, the entire BEF and half the

French army found themselves encircled.

(dramatic music)

By the 12th of May, German
troops had entered France.

By the next day, a 50-mile gap had
formed between French divisions.

The Luftwaffe had
inflicted heavy losses on the

RAF, while the French Air Force was nearly

annihilated, only three
days into the battle.

(dramatic music)

As a million refugees
fled in panic, Holland

had fallen, Belgium was
crumbling, and on the

16th of May, French
Commander-in-Chief General

Maurice Gamelin admitted
to the Anglo-French War

Council that he had no remaining reserve.

It was a dire moment for France,
and the situation was rapidly worsening.

By the 20th of May, the Germans had

reached the coast, effectively
severing the Allied forces.

The Allies now risked
losing the entire British

expeditionary force, trapped
against the sea and surrounded.

(dramatic music)

Exhausted British troops faced
relentless attacks and were

driven back to Dunkirk.

(dramatic music)

The loss of thousands of
soldiers seemed inevitable,

and Hitler was convinced
victory was at hand.

France lay exposed, awaiting occupation.

(dramatic music)

Yet despite Hitler's impressive
conquests, he had miscalculated

Churchill's resolve and the
resilience of the British people.

(dramatic music)

What followed was one of history's
most astonishing rescue operations.

The phony war had ended.

With Europe in turmoil under
Hitler's relentless offensive,

the battle for Dunkirk had begun.

(dramatic music)