SETTING THE SCENE
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
World War II with Tom Hanks
2026SERIES
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.
DocumentaryHistoryWar
THE STORY UNFOLDS
Episodes 20
EPISODE 01The Beginning
In September 1939, Germany invades Poland, setting the stage for the most destructive war in history.
May 26, 2026
EPISODE 02Blitz
After toppling the Netherlands and Belgium, Nazi Germany pushes further west. The Allies scramble to support France as Churchill is forced to defend Britain from the skies and FDR rushes to mobilize wartime production.
May 26, 2026
EPISODE 03Barbarossa
The story of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s massive surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the largest and costliest land offensive in human history.
May 26, 2026
EPISODE 04Pearl 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.
Jun 2, 2026
EPISODE 05The War at Sea
The story of how America’s battle to control the seas against the terrifying German U-boats in the Atlantic and Japan’s fearsome Navy in the Pacific ultimately turns the tide of the war.
Jun 2, 2026
EPISODE 06Guadalcanal
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces sweep across Southeast Asia. On Guadalcanal, United States Marines are given the bloody task of stopping their relentless advance.
Jun 9, 2026
EPISODE 07Darkness Falls
As Hitler’s reach extends beyond Germany and darkness descends on Europe, his hateful rhetoric leads to anti-Jewish persecution and ultimately, genocide.
Jun 9, 2026
EPISODE 08Operation Torch
In Operation Torch, thousands of inexperienced U.S. troops face off against the hardened German Afrika Korps and the infamous Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.
Jun 16, 2026
EPISODE 09Secrets and Lies
Behind the fierce frontline clashes of WWII, a hidden battle rages — one of espionage, deception, and codebreaking. In rural England, a group of brilliant academics work to crack Germany’s “unbreakable” Enigma Code and change the course of the war.
Jun 16, 2026
EPISODE 10Stalingrad
Operation Blue: the German Army fights to take Soviet oil fields and the city of Stalingrad, becoming one of the deadliest battles ever fought and a major turning point on the Eastern Front.
Jun 23, 2026
EPISODE 11Italy
The Allies hope to quickly penetrate the Nazi Reich via Italy but instead endure a months-long slog with devastating results.
Jun 30, 2026
EPISODE 12Battle for the Skies
Allied air forces engage in a ferocious and costly battle with the German Luftwaffe over the skies of Europe.
Jun 30, 2026
EPISODE 13Overlord
The Allies undertake Operation Overlord, one of the most complicated and massive military invasions in history, to liberate Occupied France and open up a true second front in Western Europe.
Jul 7, 2026
EPISODE 14Long Road to Tokyo
The Allies and Japan clash in the jungles and plains of Asia, the "forgotten theater" of World War II, as America struggles to bring the fight to Tokyo’s door.
Jul 7, 2026
EPISODE 15Home Front
As the tide begins to turn against the Axis powers, Germany and Japan deploy opposite strategies.
Jul 14, 2026
EPISODE 16Resistance
Resistance to Nazi occupation and oppression is a constant throughout the war, with results both triumphant and devastating.
Jul 14, 2026
EPISODE 17No Surrender
The Pacific campaign reaches a brutal and bloody fever pitch from 1944 to 1945.
Jul 21, 2026
EPISODE 18Last Days of the Reich
The war in Europe reaches a climax as Allied armies advance towards Berlin, and Hitler orders his people to fight to the last man.
Jul 21, 2026
EPISODE 19Endgame
The most terrible weapon ever created will change the course of the war in the Pacific.
Jul 28, 2026
EPISODE 20Fall Out
The end of the second world war and the dawn of the nuclear age see its two great victors go from allies to adversaries.
Jul 28, 2026
