8.7/1010 votes#1 - The Stumble to War
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 10/5/2010
The European legacy of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations after World War I plays into the start of the Second World War
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.8/109 votes#2 - The End of Illusion
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/12/2010
Hitler systematically overthrows the Versailles Treaty, then targets weaker Poland and Czechoslovakia, while public mood swings from appeasement to opposition.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.4/1012 votes#3 - The War That Wasn't
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/27/2010
During the five weeks, 'the phony war,' following the overthrow of Poland, Britain and France prepare to use the tactics of World War I, and a new prime minister emerges.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.6/108 votes#4 - A Kind of Victory
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 11/3/2010
In May 1940, Winston Churchill becomes Britain's prime minister, and the war in Europe intensifies; France's fall to Hitler's army rattles the British people.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/1013 votes#5 - Time of Legend, Time of History
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 11/10/2015
Winston Churchill declares the Battle of Britain begun, and the war escalates around the globe, drawing Japan and Italy to the Axis, and the United States to the Allied side.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.4/109 votes#6 - The World Shall Hold Its Breath
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/17/2015
As 1941 opens, disasters unfold, North Africa becomes a huge battleground, and Hitler stages a three-pronged attack on the Soviet Union, not reckoning on the severity of the Russian.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.4/109 votes#7 - The Day of Infamy
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/24/2015
Hitler's Operation Barbarossa falters in the harsh Russian winter, then Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in the Pacific brings the United States into the war with a single stroke.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.6/109 votes#8 - Six Months to Run Wild
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 12/1/2015
Fighting in the Pacific is savage, Hitler's forces turn to Stalingrad, and the Mediterranean island of Malta is under siege
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.7/109 votes#9 - The End of the Beginning
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 12/8/2015
The war reaches its turning point in North Africa as Montgomery begins to defeat Rommel, and the Allies turn from defensive to offensive action.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.6/109 votes#10 - The Beginning of the End
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/15/2015
The tank battle at Kursk; the Italians depose Mussolini; Nazi forces must go on the defensive; the Allies plan an invasion of Western Europe -- D-Day.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.7/109 votes#11 - Overlord
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/22/2015
In the spring of 1944, Allied forces launch a great amphibious assault against the Nazis, beginning the invasion on the beaches of Normandy.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/109 votes#12 - Unconditional Surrender
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 12/29/2015
Allied soldiers entering the territory of the Third Reich discover the horrors of the concentration camps and lay siege to Berlin.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/108 votes#13 - The Presence of History
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 1/5/2016
After V-E Day, the focus is on the Pacific, and President Truman decides to deploy the atomic bombs that destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of World War 2: The Complete History Season 1
Every episode of World War 2: The Complete History Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of World War 2: The Complete History Season 1!
This exhaustive collection encompasses all the events that occurred during World War II. Covering an astonishing amount of ground, events in France, London, Munich, Stalingrad,...
Genres:DocumentaryWar & Politics
Network:Discovery
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"The Stumble to War" is the best rated episode of "World War 2: The Complete History" season 1. It scored 8.7/10 based on 10 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 10/5/2010. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "The End of Illusion".