The History of the Twentieth Century

Épisodes

• 
  455 Up Against the Wall 16.08.2026 44min

  The Western Allied advance in August 1944 was breathtaking, but it stopped short at the German border as the German Army rebuilt its defenses and Allied supply lines became strained to the limit.
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  454 The Altar of Alliance 09.08.2026 46min

  By 1944, a German defeat seemed inevitable. In August, Romania defected from the Axis and joined the Allies. Within weeks, Bulgaria followed suit, while Finland agreed to an armistice with the USSR. This left Hungary as Germany's sole remaining ally in Europe, and Hungary only stayed loyal because of German military intervention.
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  453 The Panacea Target 02.08.2026 39min

  The British view on aerial bombing over Germany held that area attacks on German cities were the only effective form of attack. The Americans preferred to target specific sites crucial to the German war effort, an approach the head of RAF Bomber Command dismisses as "panacea targets."
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  452 The Double V 19.07.2026 48min

  The Second World War offered African Americans new opportunities and new political clout.
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  451 Wonder Weapon 12.07.2026 44min

  The United States had its Manhattan Project. Germany had its rockets.
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  450 The Gadget 05.07.2026 41min

  By 1944, the United States had developed the facilities to produce U-235 and plutonium in sufficient quantities. The last problem was how to design and build a bomb that would detonate an atomic explosion when you wanted it, but not before.
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  449 All For the Front 21.06.2026 45min

  The war made life in the Soviet Union very difficult. Even by Soviet standards, the government took an unprecedented degree of control over the allocation of labor and of food. Despite food shortages, there was no mass opposition as there had been in 1917.
• 
  448 Keep Calm and Carry On 14.06.2026 41min

  The British had to deal with many more shortages of food and fuel and consumer goods than did Americans. And they had to worry about the Luftwaffe.
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  447 Don't You Know There's a War On? 07.06.2026 39min

  The war put Americans in the unfamiliar position of enduring limits on what they could buy or eat, even how much they could drive their cars.
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  446 Is Paris Burning? 24.05.2026 48min

  The Allies invade southern France, close the Falaise pocket, and the German line collapses. Soon the Allies are advancing on Paris.
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  445 Breakout and Pursuit 17.05.2026 42min

  When Patton's Third Army broke through the front line, the Germans had a serious problem.
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  444 Tempest 10.05.2026 42min

  The Polish Home Army makes a last-ditch effort to assert the authority of the government in exile, while Romania successfully switches sides.
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  443 Shoot the Works 26.04.2026 42min

  Hitler exacts retribution for the assassination attempt against him, while in France, the Americans break out of Normandy.
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  442 Make Peace, You Fools 19.04.2026 40min

  Bloody inconclusive fighting in Normandy, and the Democratic Party nominates Roosevelt for a fourth term.
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  441 The Plot to Assassinate Hitler 12.04.2026 56min

  There had been grumbling about Hitler in the Army since 1938, but by 1944 a group of officers were determined to get rid of him and overthrow the Nazi government.
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  440 The Destruction of Army Group Center 29.03.2026 36min

  The Soviet summer offensive of 1944, "Operation Bagration," costs the German Army virtually an entire army group.
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  439 Doctor Win-the-War 22.03.2026 40min

  In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt's health began to fail, while Stalin made good on his pledge to begin a Soviet offensive in June.
• 
  438 A Bill of Goods 15.03.2026 43min

  The China and Burma fronts remained relatively quiet for two years. That changed in 1944.
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  437 Where Do We Go From Here? 01.03.2026 40min

  In this episode, we conclude the story of the American occupation of Saipan, while US commanders ponder the question of where to strike next.
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  436 Too Good to Be True 22.02.2026 48min

  When the Americans attacked Saipan, the Japanese saw a final opportunity to force that decisive battle they'd been yearning for.