World War II with Tom Hanks

The HISTORY Channel | Back Pocket Studios | Audacy•www.history.com

For eighty years, the Second World War has remained the most devastating and defining conflict in human history. World War II with Tom Hanks reexamines the war through the lens of a new century. Told over twenty hours and guided by Tom Hanks, whose lifelong passion for this history has shaped some of the most profound screen portrayals of the era, the series captures the full arc of the war — from the rise of fascism in Europe to the fall of Berlin, from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima, and the uneasy peace that follows. Each episode uncovers new dimensions of the conflict: the decisions that shaped the battlefield, the unseen networks that sustained the war effort, and the aftershocks that still shape our world today. World War II with Tom Hanks is the definitive retelling of that story for a new generation: a sweeping, deeply human portrait of how the modern world was forged in the fires of global war.

Last refreshed: June 12th, 2026 at 8:22 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Darkness Falls

Under Adolf Hitler's leadership, anti-Semitic policies escalate from discrimination to widespread genocide. The state-sponsored persecution features mobile killing squads conducting mass shootings, and then purpose-built death camps, where millions of men, women and children are murdered by poison gas. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Waitman Wade Beorn, assistant professor, Northumbria University Jadwiga Biskupska, associate professor, Sam Houston State University...

Jun 09, 2026•41 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Guadalcanal

America’s “day of infamy” at Pearl Harbor is the birth of a new Japanese empire. Japan launches unprecedented attacks across Asia, proclaiming “Asia for the Asians” and pushing out Western colonial powers. Fueled by ideology, Japan’s armies are seemingly unstoppable – until a confrontation with the 1st Marine Division of the United States at Guadalcanal becomes a testing ground in a war without mercy. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): General Wesley Clark, US Army, ...

Jun 09, 2026•39 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Pearl Harbor

Driven by their desire for resources and an Asian empire, Japan invades China. The US joins the global outcry as Japanese troops brutally destroy the Chinese capital of Nanking. FDR responds with a crippling oil embargo, but Japan refuses to back down, propelling them towards an attack on Pearl Harbor that will change the trajectory of WWII and the world. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Geoffrey Wawro, professor, University of North Texas Noriko Kawamura, professo...

Jun 02, 2026•40 min•Season 1Ep. 4

The War at Sea

In 1940, German U-boats are sinking British hopes of victory. From the sidelines, FDR loans Britain much needed aid and maneuvers US patrols to the edge of an “undeclared war” with Germany. Meeting at a game-changing summit, Churchill and FDR align their goals. But as America and Britain get closer, so do the German U-boats. Once at war, the US will face not only German ships but the might of the Japanese empire. At Midway, America’s young and inexperienced forces will fight for control of the s...

Jun 02, 2026•38 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany’s surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, launches on June 22, 1941. In what is the largest military operation in history, Hitler aims to capture the Soviet Union’s vast economic resources, enslave its populations, and expand Germany east. It is the beginning of a brutal campaign that will ultimately help decide the war in Europe. This episode features interviews with (in order of appearance): Simon Sebag Montefiore, historian and author Sean McMeekin, professor...

May 26, 2026•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Blitz

After defeating Poland, Hitler looks west, planning an attack into France that will take advantage of a weak point in their defences. France is overrun and new British Prime Minister Churchill scrambles to evacuate Allied troops from the coast. Shocked by the defeat of France, Roosevelt calls to mobilize the US while German planes bombard Britain from the sky. The Germans are pushed back as Roosevelt establishes the US as the “arsenal of democracy” in the war against tyranny. This episode featur...

May 26, 2026•40 min•Season 1Ep. 2

The Beginning

This episode explores the harrowing beginning of World War II with Germany's lightning invasion of Poland in September 1939. It delves into Adolf Hitler's long-held ambitions for a racial war and his rise to power, shaped by the aftermath of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles. The brutal Blitzkrieg tactics and the atrocities committed by the SS Einsatzgruppen against civilians and Jews are highlighted, alongside the West's hesitant response and ultimate declaration of war. Crucially, the narrative reveals Joseph Stalin's shocking non-aggression pact with Hitler, which secretly carved up Eastern Europe and led to the Soviet invasion of Poland from the east, signaling Poland's tragic abandonment and the terrifying scope of the unfolding global conflict.

May 26, 2026•40 min•Season 1Ep. 1

World War II with Tom Hanks

Coming May 26th: World War II with Tom Hanks reexamines history’s most devastating conflict for a new century. Across twenty hours, the series traces the war’s full arc–from the rise of fascism to Hiroshima–uncovering the decisions, hidden networks, and lasting consequences that continue to shape our world.

May 18, 2026•1 min

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