World War Two - Season 3

First aired: 1/4/2020 63 episodes

WW II Year 1941

Episodes

1. Week 071 - It's 1941 - A World at War - WW2 - January 4 1941

Aired: 1/4/2020

1941 begins with action in North-Africa and China, but Indy also takes a moment to assess the current stakes and stakeholders in the East-Asian theatre. What is sure, is that 1941 will be an eventful year!

2. Week 072 - Fighting Far Away From Home - Allied Advance in Africa - WW2 - January 11 1941

Aired: 1/11/2020

Action in Albania. Action in North-Africa. Action in East-Africa. Action in China and action on the Mediterranean. It looks like every belligerent party is amping up its efforts to get a foothold wherever they are. And if your enemy is gaining ground? You just throw more material and men at them.

3. Week 073 - Mao Against Everyone - China at War and Civil War - WW2 - January 18, 1941

Aired: 1/18/2020

The Chinese Communists and Nationalists Clash while they're also both facing Japanese armies in the North. And although the Communists are not the obvious victor this week, the battle has bigger ramifications. Other action takes place in Cambodia and the Mediterranean.

4. Week 074 - When Anti-Semites Infight, Jews Still Die - Pogroms in Romania - WW2 - January 25, 1941

Aired: 1/25/2020

The British offensive in East-Africa takes off with some rapid advances. Meanwhile in Eastern-Europe, Romania is the stage of fierce anti-Semitism, but also infighting between two of the groups causing the anti-Semitism.

5. Week 075 - Africa, the Axis’ Achilles Heel - The Allied African Campaigns - WW2 - February 1, 1941

Aired: 2/1/2020

Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas dies this week as Italy is still uncomfortably wrapped up in the Albanian Mountains. Italy also finds itself in a pickle on other fronts, as Allied troops in Africa moves into Italian territory with three offensives this week.

6. Week 076 - Rommel to fix the Bungle in Benghazi - WW2 - February 8, 1941

Aired: 2/8/2020

As the Italian campaigns in Africa collapse, Hitler considers his options and then chooses Erwin Rommel to rescue their Italian allies.

7. Week 077 - Enter Erwin Rommel - The British Advance in Africa - WW2 - February 15 1941

Aired: 2/15/2020

While the Germans send one of their best generals to North Africa to bail out the Italians, Great Britain switches focus from Libya to Greece, but make symbolically important gains in East Africa.

8. Week 078 - The Brits Will Walk 500 Miles, and They Will Walk 500 More - WW2 - February 22, 1941

Aired: 2/22/2020

As the British make spectacular advances in East-Africa, with even more spectacular advances on the horizon, South-Eastern Europe is getting increasingly tense.

9. Week 079 - The Nazis Building Bridges, Not Walls - WW2 - February 28, 1941

Aired: 2/29/2020

Parts of the British forces in North-Africa are being send to Greece to strengthen the Allied position there. While the remaining British plan for the near future, others make huge advances in East-Africa and Hitler plans his attack on Greece through Bulgaria.

10. Week 080 - Bulgaria Joins the Fascist Alliance - WW2 - 080 - March 7, 1941

Aired: 3/7/2020

German troops pour into Bulgaria as they join the Axis alliance, while British troops enter Greece in anticipation of a German attack. Meanwhile, the British celebrate victories in East-Africa and on the Atlantic.

11. Week 081 - Nigerians Chasing Italians Like Cheetahs Hunt a Bull - WW2 - March 14, 1941

Aired: 3/14/2020

An Italian offensive into Greece is prepared, just as the Germans are preparing to also attack Greece via Bulgaria. Meanwhile, a daring and spectacular dash is made by the Nigerian Army.

12. Week 082 - Culling the Nazi Wolfpacks - Submarines, Spies, China, and Africa - WW2 - March 21 1941

Aired: 3/21/2020

While two more Kriegsmarine u-boat aces go down, the moving parts of the war are getting more complex leaving the intelligence services scrambling to separate fact from fiction - they don't always get it right.

13. Week 083 - Yugoslavia Joins the Axis Powers. and then they don’t - WW2 - March 28, 1941

Aired: 3/28/2020

This week, the Yugoslavia is the stage for some rather dramatic and quite consequential events. Furthermore, the Nigerian Army keeps on doing well in East-Africa, while the Italians think they can outsmart the British Royal Navy in the Mediterranean.

14. Week 084 - Rommel Storms Into North-Africa - WW2 - April 4, 1941

Aired: 4/4/2020

The British thought they would be safe for a while, but this week they are proven wrong. This week, Erwin Rommel begins his advance towards the East of North-Africa.

15. Week 085 - Nazis in the Balkans - The Invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia - WW2 - April 11, 1941

Aired: 4/11/2020

This week, the German Army invades Greece and Yugoslavia as it launches Operation Marita and Operation 25 respectively. They also take some remarkable captives in North-Africa.

16. Week 086 - Yugoslavia Crushed - Battle for Greece Continues - WW2 - April 18, 1941

Aired: 4/18/2020

The Battles for Yugoslavia and Greece continue as the Soviet-Union and Japan sign a non-aggression pact.

17. Week 087 - Another Last Stand at Thermopylae - The Battle of Greece - WW2 - April 25, 1941

Aired: 4/25/2020

The Battle of Greece continues as forces clash once more at the historic site of Thermopylae.

18. Week 088 - Balkans in Nazi Hands - A Greek Tragedy - WW2 - May 02, 1941

Aired: 5/2/2020

Greece falls as Axis troops push through the last Allied defenses. New plans are made for a German invasion of Crete, and a new war breaks out between Great Britain and Iraq.

19. Week 089 - Enigma Captured! - WW2 - May 9, 1941

Aired: 5/9/2020

An Enigma encode is captured in the Atlantic Ocean as the Germans make plans for a new offensive in Crete. Britain is heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe and fighting continues in Iraq, China and East-Africa.

20. Week 090 - Nazi Nuts Trading Places & Victory for the Commonwealth - WW2 - May 16, 1941

Aired: 5/16/2020

In the week that Rudolf Hess makes his flight to Britain, the Luftwaffe prepares for theirs to Crete. The British utilize their code-breaking methods and prepare for defense.

21. Week 091 - Invasion of Crete: a Bloody Mess - WW2 - May 23 1941

Aired: 5/23/2020

Operation Mercury commences as fallschirmjäger airborne troops land on the Greek island of Crete. A bloody and messy battle follows as it turns out to be costly in more ways than one.

22. Week 092 - Sink the Bismarck! - The Pride of the Kriegsmarine's Demise - WW2 - May 30 1941

Aired: 5/30/2020

This week, the Battle of Crete continues as the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen set sail to the Atlantic, starting one of the most dramatic episodes in the histories of the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine.

23. Week 093 - British Officers Abandon Their Men to the Nazis - WW2 - June 6 1941

Aired: 6/6/2020

The British morale reaches new low after losses at Crete and the loss of the HMS Hood. New plans are made for North-Africa and Syria to restore the public and the soldier's faith.

24. Week 094 - Finland and France Join Hitler - WW2 - June 13 1941

Aired: 6/13/2020

Germany, Romania and Finland prepare for a gigantic invasion of the Soviet Union, whose own military is in a dire state. The Allies invade Vichy French Syria and prepare to relieve the Australians besieged at Tobruk.

25. Week 095 - French Killing French in Syria - WW2 - June 20, 1941

Aired: 6/20/2020

The Allies continue advancing into Vichy French Syria, but they are halted and pushed back by Erwin Rommel at the Halfaya Pass in Libya. Meanwhile, the last preparations are being made for Operation Barbarossa. It will begin in two days.

26. Week 096a - Operation Barbarossa - Biggest Land Invasion in History - WW2 - June 22 1941

Aired: 6/22/2020

June 22 1941. The first day of Operation Barbarossa begins as Adolf Hitler’s German armies invade Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union with the largest force on the longest front ever seen in human history...

27. Week 096b - Operation Barbarossa - End of the Nazi-Soviet Alliance - WW2 - June 27 1941

Aired: 6/27/2020

Operation Barbarossa kicks off this week with action all along the front as German panzers pierce through deep into the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Claude Auchinleck becomes Commander of the Allied forces in the Middle East that capture Damascus.

28. Week 097 - Wehrmacht 1/3 of Way to Moscow - WW2 - July 4 1941

Aired: 7/4/2020

Operation Barbarossa continues this week but is already running into problems that are gonna be hard to fix. The Japanese are thinking future war strategy, while the British set up a focused research program on nuclear power and atom bombs...

29. Week 098 - Has Germany Lost WW2 Already in Mid-1941? - WW2 - July 11 1941

Aired: 7/11/2020

Germany keeps advancing on the eastern front, and yet by now, transport and supply problems are seriously undermining the capability of the German spearheads, even as they pull further away from the infantry. The Syria-Lebanon campaign is coming to an end, though, and an armistice is proposed which would give the Allies victory if accepted.

30. Week 099 - Barbarossa: a Wehrmacht Soap Opera - WW2 - July 18 1941

Aired: 7/18/2020

As the German armed forces stretch further and further into the USSR, the Wehrmacht command doesn't seem to agree where they are really going. In the Middle East, the Facsit French forces are delivered a hard blow as the Allied Syrian campaign comes to an end.

31. Week 100 - The Wehrmacht - an Army on Horseback - WW2 - July 25 1941

Aired: 7/25/2020

Although we may picture panzers when we think of the German Army in WW2, it was very much an army that relied on horses- especially in the east- for a large part of its supplies and logistics, and the horse situation on the Eastern Front has grown dire. Japan's economic situation has also grown dire and they are now looking south for new sources of raw materials.

32. Week 101 - Japan is Getting Hungry, Barbarossa is Confused - WW2 - August 1, 1941

Aired: 8/1/2020

Japan needs resources for its seemingly endless war in China, but where to look for them? And who might have a problem with it? Meanwhile in the Soviet Union, Hitler's forces have been diverted from the Moscow Road, and are on the move in the north and the south.

33. Week 102 - Tanks, but no Tanks - Hitler Hinders the Blitzkrieg - WW2 - August 8, 1941

Aired: 8/8/2020

In Japan those in power are divided as to what to do as war with the Western powers looks more and more likely. Meanwhile in the USSR the war gets deadlier and deadlier, but also more and more confusing with leadership conflicts on both sides of the front.

34. Week 103 - Churchill and Roosevelt vow to destroy all Nazis - WW2 - August 15, 1941

Aired: 8/15/2020

Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt issue a charter that lays out their thoughts for the future, the Soviets are in trouble on two fronts, and Adolf Hitler repeats his orders to those who failed to heed them the first time.

35. Week 104 - "There are no Soviet Prisoners of War, only Traitors" - WW2 - August 22, 1941

Aired: 8/22/2020

Josef Stalin is forming new armies to fight off the German onslaught, and yet it continues gaining ground in the north and the south. He also issues orders Draconian orders to the Red Army concerning any form of surrender.

36. Week 105 - The Allies Invade Iran, Barbarossa Continues - WW2 - August 29, 1941

Aired: 8/29/2020

The British and Soviets work together invade Iran, while Barbarossa trudges ever on, with heavy losses. Bletchley Park intercepts German messages, and unease grows among the German public.

37. Week 106 - The war is two years old - WW2 - 106 - September 5, 1941

Aired: 9/5/2020

It is two years this week since Germany invaded Poland. That European conflict soon became a global one. Japan's invasion of China began two years before that, but with Japan allied to the Axis Powers, they are now the same conflict. Those Axis are all fighting together now to try and defeat the Soviet Union, but the war has grown not just in the scale of the armies fighting, but also in the scale of man's inhumanity to man. We see that this week in German occupied territory.

38. Week 107 - Victory for the Red Army! - WW2 - September 12, 1941

Aired: 9/12/2020

The German invasion of the Soviet Union has taken enormous amounts of territory, but this week the Red Army not only stops the Germans, they score a ringing victory. However, Leningrad comes under siege and Kiev is in great danger, and Adolf Hitler is issuing directives for the next phase of the Operation.

39. Week 108 - Another week, another half million for the Germans - WW2 - September 19, 1941

Aired: 9/19/2020

Kiev falls to the Germans, yielding hundreds of thousands of prisoners as whole armies are surrounded, but behind the lines all over German-occupied territories, partisan movements are gaining steam. Meanwhile, in China, Japan launches another campaign against Changsha.

40. Week 109 - Free from the Nazi Occupation - but for how long can it last? WW2 - September 26, 1941

Aired: 9/26/2020

In former Yugoslavia, the Republic of Uzice breaks free from the German occupation, even as the Germans are mopping up the masses of shattered Soviet Armies after last week's capture of Kiev. In the north, it really looks as if Leningrad will hold out for the time being, and German troops from both north and south converge on the center for the coming drive on Moscow.

41. Week 110 - A Huge New German Offensive Begins - Operation Typhoon! - WW2 - October 3, 1941

Aired: 10/3/2020

Adolf Hitler's renewed drive on Moscow, the Soviet capital, begins this week, even as the Japanese drive on Changsha ends. But major news this week is the colossal amount of equipment, arms, and ammunition that Britain and the neutral USA plan to ship to the beleaguered Soviet Union.

42. Week 111- An Open Road to Moscow! - WW2- October 10, 1941

Aired: 10/10/2020

The road to Moscow does indeed lay open before the Germans, but for how long? And can they exploit such an opportunity- since the panzers are busy encircling hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers near Vyazema? Georgy Zhukov arrives in Moscow to take charge of the Soviet defenses and try to shut the door.

43. Week 112 - Panic in Moscow! The Germans are here! - WW2 - October 17, 1941

Aired: 10/17/2020

Moscow panics as the Germans edge closer and take prisoners by the hundreds of thousands, even as the temperature drops far below freezing. At home in Germany, Josef Goebbels has a problem - he's promised victory too soon and too often. And in Japan, a government falls.

44. Week 113 - Martial Law in Moscow, but is the Cavalry coming? - WW2 - October 24, 1941

Aired: 10/24/2020

The Germans draw ever closer to Moscow, but Soviet reinforcements have begun to arrive from Siberia and the city's defenses have grown stronger. Meanwhile in the south, the Germans are sweeping into the Crimea and looking hungrily at the Caucasus.

45. Week 114 - Winter is Coming - WW2 - October 31, 1941

Aired: 10/31/2020

Operation Typhoon is halted until the coming winter can freeze enough ground to increase mobility. But the ever colder weather is a disaster waiting to happen for an already over-stretched German supply line.

46. Week 115 - The Red Army must double in size... and now! - WW2 - November 7, 1941

Aired: 11/7/2020

There is a lull now on the Eastern Front, and Adolf Hitler uses the time to plan another drive on Moscow and points beyond, but he'll be facing a larger Red Army, as reinforcements and recruits hope to nearly double its size in a matter of weeks. The British are counting down the days to their upcoming North African offensive, and the Japanese are sending out orders that will change the world dramatically in a single morning.

47. Week 116 - Night Vision Brings Triumph to the British! - WW2 - November 14, 1941

Aired: 11/14/2020

The British sink an entire convoy of supplies heading for Rommel in North Africa by using radar at night, something their opponents lack. In North Africa itself, the Allies are gearing up for a major offensive to begin in a few days. Meanwhile, the Germans are gearing up for a renewed drive on Moscow even as Georgy Zhukov launches small attacks there designed to spoil the larger German plans.

48. Week 117 - Surprise Attack On Rommel! - Operation Crusader Begins - WW2 - November 21, 1941

Aired: 11/21/2020

The long planned Allied Offensive in North Africa- Operation Crusader- begins, but the Allies are worrying about how to defend Singapore in case of Japanese aggression. The Germans renew their drive on Moscow, but their number one flying ace perishes, a major PR hit.

49. Week 118 - Winter is here? The Germans can see Moscow - WW2 - November 28, 1941

Aired: 11/28/2020

The German advance has pushed within artillery range of Moscow, but can they reach it- and take it- before the Red Army and the murderously cold weather halt them? Meanwhile in North Africa, both Erwin Rommel and Claude Auchinlek make daring and brilliant moves that save the fight for their sides. A mighty Japanese fleet is now secretly heading for Hawaii to make a surprise attack on American territory while the US worries where in Southeast Asia the Japanese are planning to attack.

50. Week 119 - Winter is Here! The failure of Barbarossa - WW2 - December 5, 1941

Aired: 12/5/2020

The Wehrmacht is halted by the Red Army at the gates of Moscow. Not only that, but a Red Army counteroffensive begins pushing the Germans back decisively. The Germans are also beginning to withdraw from their siege of Tobruk in North Africa. Japan, however, is advancing all over the Pacific, sending troop transports into the South China Sea, though it is unclear just whom Japan plans to attack. The Japanese are also- in top secrecy- sending a force of aircraft carriers to soon attack the American Pacific fleet at anchor at Pearl Harbor.

51. Week 120a E.01 - Enter Japan - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

Japan's meticulous planning and preparation made it possible to surprise the Americans at Pearl Harbor. Alert on Oahu is largely nonexistent. It is the deep breath before the plunge.

52. Week 120b E.02 - Genda's Plan - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

There are signals of attack and a buzz of chatter in the air, but will this be enough to force the American defenders out of their beds?

53. Week 120c E.03 - Calm Before the Storm - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

War is sort of declared, but Japanese planes have already started their attack.

54. Week 120d E.04 - Tiger, Tiger, Tiger - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

The first wave commences its attack, how successful will it be? Will months of planning and preparation pay off?

55. Week 120e E.05 - Burning Ships - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

The first wave continues, and with it, the chaos and destruction.

56. Week 120f E.06 - Another Wave - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

Desperate and shocked, American forces scramble to mount a resistance to the attack. But how effective can this be as the Japanese launch their second decisive raid?

57. Week 120g E.07 - Dogfights - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

American pilots are in the air, defending Pearl Harbor. They have already lost so much, and the Japanese show no sign of letting up the attack. How much will the Americans accomplish with their defense?

58. Week 120h E.08 - Burning People - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

The Japanese attack is over, but the damage is done and the remaining Americans in Hawaii are left to react to their defeat.

59. Week 120i E.09 - A Pacific War - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

Today marks the beginning of a war all over the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. How will the world change from here?

60. Week 120j E.10 - The Road to War - Pearl Harbour - WW2 - December 7, 1941

Aired: 12/7/2020

The circle closes, and we see why these fateful decisions were made and what the United States' reaction will be.

61. Week 120k - Hitler Declares War on the USA and the Jews - WW2 - December 12, 1941

Aired: 12/12/2020

The Japanese launch attacks all over Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and launch a preemptive surprise attack on the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. The war is suddenly much larger. In the USSR, the Germans find themselves now heavily on the defensive after the failure to take Moscow, while in North Africa, Erwin Rommel decides he must withdraw out of Cyrenaica to await reinforcements.

62. Week 121 - The Japanese are unstoppable everywhere - WW2 - December 19, 1941

Aired: 12/19/2020

The Japanese make gains in Malaya, Burma, Hong Kong, Borneo, and the Philippines. The Allies also have trouble in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, where they are beginning to seriously suffer from a lack of capital ships. The Soviet Red Army is advancing, though, and Stalin takes personal control of planning for the upcoming counteroffensive, while Adolf Hitler takes personal control of the German Army.

63. Week 122 - Heinz Guderian's Christmas and the fall of Hong Kong - WW2 - December 26, 1941

Aired: 12/26/2020

The Japanese offensives and advances in Southeast Asia and the Pacific continue unabated and both Hong Kong and Wake Island fall. British and American leaders begin the Arcadia Conference to decide just how they are going to fight this war together, and there are more changes made in the German High Command on the Eastern Front, even as the Soviets make advances there.