The History Channel Ultimate Collections: World War II

This riveting account details the German attack on Kasserine Pass where the British 1st Army and untested American troops faced the full force of Germany's seasoned Africa Corps.

Follow the story of the Allied landing, the brutal German counterattack, and the final Allied offensive that would turn the tide of this historic battle.

The day the Allies threw the full weight of their forces at Hitler at Normandy remains the largest amphibious assault in world history.

The Allies launched this historic penetration raid on a German munitions factory and ultimately paid an extraordinary price in men and machines, but this battle would prove to be a turning point.

It was the largest pitched battle in American military history, the last major engagement of the European campaign, and the scene of some of the war's fiercest fighting, leading to a final blow against the Nazis.

The final campaign of the European theater unfolded in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge with the British and Canadian offensive, the historic crossing of the Rhine at Remagen, and Eisenhower's final drive to Berlin.

Hitler's 1940 Blitzkrieg upon Europe drove the British Expeditionary Force into the sea at Dunkirk, but his reckless plan of attack turned his chance to destroy the British into history's greatest escape.

One lost and confused Luftwaffe pilot mistakenly dropped his bombs on London, igniting what became known as the Blitz and pushing Britain's durability to its furthest limit.

How Hitler's strategy of using lightning-fast, short-range fighter-bombers in support of highly mobile ground forces went horribly awry.

An analysis of mistakes made at the Battle of the Bulge

On June 4, 1942, the fanatical and efficient Japanese war machine wanted to finish off the U. S. Pacific Fleet, but their blind arrogance and underestimation of American willpower led them to disaster instead.

Steeped in the ancient code of the Samurai, Kamikaze forces on land, sea, and air sacrificed themselves in battle in a desperate bid for victory that spelled ultimate doom for the Japanese Empire.

In Hitler's quest to take Stalingrad at all costs, he underestimated both the Russian winter and the steadfastness of the Russian people in the face of the Nazi threat.

World War II didn't end on the battlefield-- it ended in a courtroom. The Nuremberg Trials bore witness to some of humanity's darkest hours and revealed the full scope of the atrocities of Nazism, culminating in the execution of many top Nazi leaders.

Follow the epic story of the Allies' island-by-island Pacific campaign in which they utilized massive amphibious assaults.

In the steamy jungles of the Pacific, soldiers battled not only the Japanese, but malaria, heat exhaustion, and swarms of parasites.

Chronicling the war's first days through the suicidal Kamikaze attacks and the bombing missions that brought the war to the Japanese homeland, this documentary utilizes extensive air combat footage.

From the opening Naval bombardment, to the hand-to-hand combat and vicious guerrilla warfare, this is the complete story of this brutal and historic battle.

From MacArthur's strategy to the heroics of the ground troops, the 7th Fleet's naval forces, and the pilots of the Air Force, the heroic saga of the Philippines is a stunning story of unstoppable determination

Winston Churchill described it as the most intense and famous battle in military history. Witness the desperate, suicidal resistance of the Japanese in the final battle of the Pacific campaign.

One of the most celebrated naval commanders in American history, Admiral Halsey led the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and helped neutralize the Japanese offensive.

General Douglas MacArthur was one of America's greatest and most complex commanders, a warrior so tough and determined that he helped win World War II with a simple promise: "I shall return." MacArthur was a soldier's soldier: the son of an officer, the star of West Point, and the Army's youngest ever full general. He was already a retired hero when he was recalled in 1941 to face his biggest challenge--defending an unprepared Pacific force against a seemingly unstoppable Japanese war machine. But everything about MacArthur's life was extraordinary: from his army brat childhood to his rogue war in Korea, the magnificent stand in the Philippines, and a head-to-head confrontation with an angry Harry Truman. Featuring rare footage and interviews with MacArthur's comrades, family, and friends, this compelling BIOGRAPHY program reveals the man who remains a hero to millions.

The war in the Pacific was long and bloody, and when the final battle came, it was perhaps the fiercest of all. At Okinawa, over 250,000 people fought a desperate battle for control of the island, in which nearly half of them died. "Okinawa: The Final Battle" is a riveting look at one of the most storied engagements in military history. Soldiers who were there, including USMC General Victor Krulak and Colonel Joseph Alexander, recall the extraordinary circumstances that made Okinawa unique. The Japanese defenders, in an all-or-nothing attempt to stop the Americans, employed guerrilla tactics, bolstered their defense with women, and sent wave after wave of Kamikaze planes at the attackers. Dramatic footage--some of it unseen for decades--captures the chaos and destruction of this ultimate battle, and military historians probe its lasting legacy. "Okinawa: The Final Battle" is a gripping portrait of one of the most important engagements in military history.

Flight was born in America at the turn of the century. But World War II saw more planes built in a single year--300,000--than had been built in the previous forty. World War II turned the American aviation industry into a huge, high-tech giant. Among the aircraft built for World War II were some of the greatest planes of all time: the C-47 transport (the "Loony Bird"); the rugged B-17 Flying Fortress; the B-24 Liberator, mass produced by Ford on the world's longest assembly line; the P-51 Mustang, the greatest prop-driven fighter; and the scrappy Grumman "Iron Works" output Wildcats and Helicats that leapt from the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers to maul the Japanese air force. Modern shots of restored aircraft, historic footage ranging from factory floors to dogfights, and interviews with pilots and designers recapture the aviation industry's finest hour.