Starting Monday, July 27, HISTORY premieres the final twelve episodes of “WORLD WAR II WITH TOM HANKS” (World War II with Tom Hanks), the documentary series presented and produced by Tom Hanks that revisits the most devastating conflict of the 20th century from a contemporary, human and remarkably in-depth perspective.
The result of more than ten years of work, the super-production reconstructs the conflict using real archival footage—much of it never publicly seen before—along with restored images, previously unseen footage and recovered historical audio that bring the war to life with a level of immediacy rarely achieved on screen. Without fictional recreations, the series, which after its premiere in May became one of the most-watched productions across Latin America, connects footage filmed during the conflict with expert testimony, building a narrative that seeks to convey the true human, political and military scope of World War II.
“There is an enormous amount of material that we have never seen. Not only are there new scenes, literally new film footage, new images, but they are also much more integrated into the context of their time,” Hanks explains. He adds: “It is a way of telling the story visually that is no longer limited to telling. Now it shows what happened. And that is huge.”
This second part, which once again brings two premiere episodes every Monday and is also available On Demand, delves into the most decisive and devastating period of the war, when the conflict enters a phase of total attrition and the Allies slowly begin to turn the tide in their favor. The episodes reconstruct the secret war fought in the shadows—espionage, cryptography and intelligence operations connected to the Enigma code—and portray some of the most brutal and decisive clashes of the entire conflict: Stalingrad, the Italian campaign, the air battle over Europe and the Normandy landings. As the conflict expands, the narrative also explores the underground resistance in occupied territories, tensions among the Allies and the enormous human toll endured by soldiers and civilians on all fronts.
At the same time, the series follows the progressive collapse of the Axis powers, from the Allied advance toward Berlin and the final days of the Third Reich to the extreme violence of the campaign against Japan. The development of the atomic bomb and the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 appear as the culmination of a war that forever transformed contemporary history and ushered in a new era defined by the nuclear balance and the beginning of the Cold War. HISTORY returns to the series in the first days of August, as the 81st anniversary of those attacks approaches, offering an essential look at the human, political and moral consequences of a war that continues to shape the world order.
Tom Hanks remains at the heart of the production as presenter, narrator and executive producer. His connection to this period of history is rooted in a career deeply linked to its portrayal on screen through iconic productions such as Saving Private Ryan (1998), Band of Brothers (2001), The Pacific (2010), Greyhound (2020) and Masters of the Air (2024).
Reflecting on the importance of revisiting this period, Hanks says: “When I was a kid, every adult who took care of me had a view of the war that was similar to the way someone talks about a great plague or a great flood. Their lives were divided into three parts: before the war, after the war and during the war,” recalling how the generation that lived through the conflict experienced years of absolute uncertainty, when time seemed suspended and the future was impossible to predict.
The actor and producer also says that the purpose of the series is not to repeat what is already known, but to understand it from new perspectives: “The main reason we come back and look at this again is because of the example set by the people who lived through that time. The only way to know who we are is through our behavior, and that is where the importance of the example of World War II lies for its study.” He adds: “The world is a better place when all its citizens are considered to possess certain inalienable rights. That was the idea that guided half the world that decided to confront those who wanted to impose domination and the loss of basic freedoms.”
On September 2, the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II will be commemorated. By that date, “WORLD WAR II WITH TOM HANKS” will already be available in its entirety, with all 20 episodes, On Demand.
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ENTIRE CONFLICT
“WORLD WAR II WITH TOM HANKS” covers the global conflict in all its magnitude, from the rise of Nazism and Japanese expansionism to the fall of the Axis powers and the emergence of the new post-1945 world order. The series explores some of the war’s most decisive episodes—the invasion of Poland, the fall of France, the evacuation of Dunkirk, the Blitz over Great Britain, Operation Barbarossa, Pearl Harbor, the Guadalcanal campaign, Stalingrad, D-Day and the invasion of Normandy, the final offensive toward Berlin, and the nuclear ending in Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and portrays the violence of battles fought on land, at sea and in the air, from the Atlantic and Mediterranean to Eastern Europe and the jungles of the Pacific.
The production also delves into less explored aspects of the conflict, including tensions within the Allied command, the role of propaganda, intelligence and espionage operations, underground resistance, submarine warfare and the enormous industrial and technological power that ultimately tipped the balance of the war and reshaped the 20th century. It also explores the human cost of total war, including the Holocaust, civilian resistance and the bombing of cities, as well as the psychological and everyday impact that forever transformed the lives of millions of people around the world.
Throughout this journey, the series combines the strategic decisions of key figures of the period—including Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Erwin Rommel and Hideki Tojo—with the experiences of soldiers and civilians across different continents, connecting the geopolitical scale of the conflict with its deeply human dimension.
EXPERT VOICES
Among the series’ historical contributors are Tessa Dunlop, Saul David, James Bulgin, Antony Beevor, Dan Snow, Guy Walters and Simon Sebag Montefiore, among other international specialists. Throughout the episodes, key figures provide military, political and historiographical context, including Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham, Robert Citino, Phillips O’Brien, Geoffrey Wawro, Rebecca Grant, Alexandra Richie, Doug Douds, Albert J. Baime, Dan Carlin, Wesley Clark, Jonathan Parshall, Michael Neiberg, Waitman Beorn and Jadwiga Biskupska, among other experts who help reconstruct in depth the strategic decisions, the development of the campaigns and the human impact of the conflict on all fronts.
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
World War II was the largest and deadliest conflict in human history: more than 50 nations took part in a war fought on land, at sea and in the air that spanned virtually every continent. Its origins can be traced back to the economic crisis of the Great Depression and unresolved political tensions following the end of World War I with the Treaty of Versailles, which further destabilized the international order.
The conflict began on September 1, 1939, with Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland and quickly expanded into a global war that lasted six years. The war ended on September 2, 1945, with Japan’s surrender following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, marking the definitive conclusion of the conflict.
During this period, the world witnessed unprecedented destruction: an estimated 60 to 80 million people died, including as many as 55 million civilians, while entire cities across Europe and Asia were reduced to rubble. Among the victims were the 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust, the brutal genocide carried out by Adolf Hitler’s regime.
The end of the war not only redrew political borders but also opened a new chapter in contemporary history: the creation of the United Nations as an international peace organization and the beginning of a new global order marked by geopolitical rivalries that would lead to the Cold War.
“WORLD WAR II WITH TOM HANKS” is produced for HISTORY by Nutopia and A+E Factual Studios Group, in association with Motion Entertainment, a WPP Media company, with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman as executive producers, alongside Jon Meacham, Ben Goold, Jane Root and Steve Condie, among others. Produced in collaboration with The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
“WORLD WAR II WITH TOM HANKS” EPISODE SYNOPSES
SECRETS AND LIES (#09)
MONDAY, JULY 27
Far from the visible front lines, a secret war of espionage, deception and cryptography unfolds in the shadows. In the English countryside, brilliant mathematicians and linguists work tirelessly to decipher the seemingly unbreakable Enigma code and alter the course of the conflict.
STALINGRAD (#10)
MONDAY, JULY 27
With Operation Blue, Germany launches a massive offensive to capture the Soviet oil fields and the strategically important city of Stalingrad. The battle becomes one of the most terrible in history, marking a crucial turning point that changes the fate of the Eastern Front.
ITALY (#11)
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
The Allies plan to quickly penetrate the heart of the Reich through Italy, but the campaign turns into a slow and costly advance. Months of fierce fighting, difficult terrain and determined German resistance turn the operation into a prolonged and bloody war of attrition.
BATTLE FOR THE SKIES (#12)
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
A fierce and extremely costly battle takes place over the skies of Europe between the Allied air forces and the powerful German Luftwaffe. From strategic bombing and aerial combat to enormous human losses, the struggle for air superiority leaves its mark across the continent.
OVERLORD (#13)
MONDAY, AUGUST 10
With Operation Overlord, the Allies launch the largest and most complex amphibious invasion ever organized. The Normandy landings seek to liberate occupied France and open a genuine second front in Western Europe, forever changing the course of the war.
LONG ROAD TO TOKYO (#14)
MONDAY, AUGUST 10
In the so-called “forgotten theater” of Asia, Allied and Japanese forces continue fighting across dense jungles and vast plains. The United States fights to advance from island to island, with the ultimate goal of bringing the war to the very gates of Tokyo. How long did the Japanese resist?
HOME FRONT (#15)
MONDAY, AUGUST 17
As the tide begins to turn against the Axis powers, Germany and Japan adopt very different strategies to defend their territories. While one opts for total resistance, the other reorganizes its resources for a desperate defense in the face of the Allied advance.
RESISTANCE (#16)
MONDAY, AUGUST 17
With all of Europe under occupation, resistance against the Nazi regime remains alive despite terror and repression. Underground networks, sabotage and uprisings challenge the Nazis, with outcomes ranging from heroic victories to devastating reprisals that hit civilian populations hard.
NO SURRENDER (#17)
MONDAY, AUGUST 24
Between 1944 and 1945, the Pacific campaign reaches extreme levels of violence. Decisive battles, fierce resistance and enormous human losses make the final stage of the war against Japan one of the most brutal and decisive episodes of the conflict.
LAST DAYS OF THE REICH (#18)
MONDAY, AUGUST 24
World War II reaches its climax as Allied armies advance relentlessly toward Berlin from several fronts. In an act of final fanaticism, Hitler orders his people to resist to the last man, even as total defeat already appears inevitable.
END GAME (#19)
MONDAY, AUGUST 31
In the Pacific, the development and use of the most devastating weapon ever created ushers in a new era of destruction. Its unprecedented power not only accelerates the end of the war but also forever changes the nature of future conflicts. How did the world react to the nuclear bomb?
FALL OUT (#20)
MONDAY, AUGUST 31
With the defeat of the Axis and the end of World War II, the nuclear age begins. The two great victorious powers, the United States and the USSR, previously allies by circumstance, quickly move from cooperation to distrust, giving rise to a new global confrontation.
