The Last Days of World War II

Season 1

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26 episodes · First aired 2005-02-18

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Episodes

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Showing 6 at a time

S1 E2141 min

July 8-July 14

In Indochina, Chinese forces advance rapidly eastwards and cut the last link between the Japanese army and its garrison, while the U.S. 3rd Fleet joins the attack on Tokyo for the first time. In Berlin, U.S. and British troops take control of their allotted sectors from the Red Army. In turn, the two countries agree to share some control with the French. And General Eisenhower issues a farewell message to all Allied troops in Europe. Finally, this episode profiles the F-6 Hellcat as the "Weapon of the Week."

S1 E2242 min

July 15-July 21

In Europe, the war's aftermath is gaining steam: the Municipal Council in Berlin confiscates the property of former Nazi party members while President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill arrive in Potsdam for the "Big Three" conference. But in the Pacific, the fighting rages on: U.S. navy ships launch an attack on Japan's second biggest steelworks, while 1,000 carrier-based planes bomb six of the island's main towns. And in New Mexico, the U.S. tests the first atomic bomb at the Alamogordo Bombing Range.

S1 E2341 min

July 22-July 28: The Final Ultimatum

As the last vestiges of Japanese resistance crumble, Truman announces his intention to drop the atomic bomb. In Burma, 5,000 Japanese troops, trapped in the Pegu Hills, attempt to make a break east towards the Sittang River. In the Philippines, all organized Japanese resistance in the Sarangani Bay area ends. At the Potsdam Conference, President Truman announces that the atom bomb will be used against the Japanese as soon after August 3rd as is possible. And in New York, a freak accident leaves a B-25 bomber implanted into the side of the Empire State Building. This episode of LAST DAYS OF WWII also chronicles the wartime career of Winston Churchill, who became Britain's Prime Minister on the day Germany attacked France and the Low Countries.

S1 E2441 min

July 29-August 4

Japanese aircraft factories are targeted by American forces. The U.S. submarine Indianapolis is sunk by the Japanese. The Allied forces decide to suppress the growth of the German economy. The Soviet Union joins the war against Japan.

S1 E2542 min

August 5-August 11

Atom bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the U.S. Army arrives at Luzon and prepares for the invasion of Japan.

S1 E2642 min

August 12-August 18: V-J Day

In Tokyo, the Japanese government at last accepts the inevitable and surrenders to the Allies unconditionally. President Truman declares that "this is the day we've been waiting for since Pearl Harbor." Emperor Hirohito makes an emotional broadcast to the Japanese nation saying that they had to surrender to keep the country from being destroyed by "a new and most cruel bomb." The surrender is formally made to General MacArthur at a ceremony aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

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