Escape from Nazi Alcatraz (2014)

Colditz Castle, a notorious prisoner of war camp in Nazi Germany, was supposed to be escape-proof. But at the end of World War II, a group of British officers dreamt up the ultimate escape plan: a two-man glider made out of bed sheets and floorboards. Now a crack team of engineers and carpenters rebuild the glider in the same attic using the same materials to find out if the legendary glider plan would have succeeded.

42 Ways To Kill Hitler (2014)

We visits locations and use reconstructions to shed new light on the many attempts that were made to assassinate Hitler.

What The Dambusters Did Next (2014)

The daring raid is undoubtedly one of the most famous in the history of the Second World War, the subject of a great British blockbuster and countless books. But what did the elite fliers of No 617 Squadron RAF, otherwise known as the Dambusters, do after Operation Chastise? This new documentary provides a wealth of insight into the spectacular missions undertaken by the squadron after the deployment of the famous bouncing bombs in 1943.

The World Wars (2014)

An assassination in Sarajevo sparks a global war. For the next 30 years, deadly fighting rages across Europe, Africa, China and the Pacific. Hitler. Churchill. De Gaulle. MacArthur. Patton. Stalin. Mussolini. We know them as legends. But they first learn what it will take to rise to greatness as young soldiers, fighting for their lives on the frontlines.

Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking (2007)

About a young Chinese-American author's journey into the darkest reaches of humanity as she researched and wrote her best selling book "The Rape of Nanking". Iris Chang's harrowing experience and dogged determination uncovers in graphic detail the forgotten holocaust of World War II when almost 300,000 Chinese women, children and soldiers were in a matter of weeks systematically raped, tortured and murdered by the invading Japanese forces.

America's Secret D-Day Disaster (2014)

Six weeks before D-Day, British, American, and Canadian soldiers took part in a vigorous and dangerous dress rehearsal for their Normandy invasion. Shockingly, the exercise would ultimately claim more American lives than the attack on Utah Beach. So what happened, exactly? How many Americans actually died? And who is to blame? Join us as we investigate the Exercise Tiger disaster, uncover the veil of secrecy surrounding it, examine the conspiracy theories it has inspired, and for the first time, tell the full story of the catastrophe.

D-Day Sacrifice (2014)

On the 70th anniversary of D-Day, revisit the Allied forces’ June 6, 1944 Normandy landings and the 100 days leading up to the liberation of Paris from the Nazis.

* Normandy '44: The Battle Beyond D-Day (2014)

As veterans gather to relive one of the turning points of the Second World War, historian James Holland moves beyond the D-Day beaches to reassess the brutal 77-day Battle for Normandy that followed the invasion. Challenging some of the many myths that have grown up around this vital campaign, Holland argues that we have become too comfortable in our understanding of events, developing shorthand to tell this famous story that does great injustice to those that saw action in France across the summer of 1944. Including perspectives from those who fought on both sides, Holland examines not only the nature of the fighting and the higher aims of the campaign, but also the operational level - the nuts and bolts - and in so doing reveals the true complexity of this bitter and bloody battle.

Heroes of War: Poland (2014)

2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the beginning of World War II. This new series takes us back to a time when ordinary people became extraordinary heroes, freedom fighters, spies and code-breakers, often in deadly battles with Nazi forces.
Set in Poland, which was home to some of the war's worst atrocities, Heroes of War uncovers tales of heroism and sacrifice from a number of unsung heroes of World War II. Featuring interviews with the few remaining eyewitnesses, access to newly released documents, re-enactment and archive footage, it reveals the true and, until now, hidden stories of heroism during wartime.

Part 1: Witold Pilecki
The series begins with the extraordinary story of Witold Pilecki, the “Auschwitz Volunteer” who stepped into a German roundup one day in order to see for himself the conditions at the new concentration camp outside Warsaw, known to Poles as Oswiecim. He not only survived the experience but after nearly three years escaped to report the facts to London and eventually to write the story in excruciating detail. Executed in 1948 by Poland’s Russian-controlled secret police

Part 2: Cichociemni
The second program tells the story of the Cichociemni, the Special Operations commandos who trained in Scotland and who were parachuted into Poland and other German-occupied countries to support local resistance groups under the control of the London-based Polish government in exile.

Part 3: Cracking Enigma
The third episode takes up the story of how the British broke the “Enigma” encryption machines of the German armed forces using the knowledge gained by Poland in the 1930s. Working for the Cypher Bureau of the Polish General Staff, and using only encrypted messages, mathematician Marian Rejewski and two colleagues reverse-engineered an Enigma machine and built a “cryptologic bomb” to translate messages

Part 4: Zegota
Less known today is Zegota, an underground organization with cells in Warsaw, Krakow, Vilnius, and Lwow that helped thousands of Jews survive the German occupation. Contrary to the well-established belief in Polish anti-Semitism, Poland was the only country in occupied Europe to have such an organization.

Part 5: Krystyna Skarbek
Finally, one of the best spies in WW2 gives us the astonishing story of Krystyna Skarbek, whose father was a Polish aristocrat and her mother a Jewish banking heiress. She and her second husband were en route to Nairobi where he was to assume a diplomatic post when the war broke out. They immediately changed course and sailed from Cape Town to England and once there she immediately displayed her remarkable gift for persuasion by overcoming the obvious objections. She wasn’t British! She was Polish! She was Jewish! And worst of all, she was a woman! Skarbek made her way home to Poland by way of still-neutral Hungary, crossing the mountainous frontier in December 1939 with the help of a Polish Olympic skier. Captured by the Gestapo, she gained her release and that of a comrade by biting her tongue until it bled, then feigning a tubercular cough. Later she worked in France for the Special Operations Executive,

The American Invasion (2014)

The arrival in Britain of the aircraft and crews of the US air force the largest air force in the world - had a profound effect on the military and social history of World War Two. Presented by renowned actor Michael Brandon, this revealing documentary provides a powerful record of a momentous period in American and British history. The memories and experiences of the local population and surviving US airmen provide the key to understanding the courage of men plucked from home and plunged into the terror of combat in the air.

D-Day (2014)

For the 70th Anniversary of the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe, History tells the story of D-Day in HD. Rare footage is rendered in High Definition, then combined with interviews from the men who lived through it. Allied and German survivors tell their first-hand stories about the war that changed the course of the world. Through these stories, the long held belief that an Allied victory was secured after a single, bloody day will be dispelled. In truth, it would take weeks of back and forth struggle before the Allies could cement their foothold in enemy territory. And the final death toll far exceeds anything seen on the beaches. D-Day remains one of the most important turning points of WWII, yet very few of us know the real story…until now.

* Apocalypse: The Second World War (2009)

This series tells the epic story of World War II, providing an insight into the experiences of the millions of soldiers who fought across countries and continents, and the moving stories of the millions of civilians who saw their homes destroyed and lives disrupted by the cataclysm of war.

To tell this story, the best footage of World War II has been painstakingly transformed into colour, using digital techniques. Along with original colour home movies, it gives a new perspective on one of the great events of the last century.

Episode 1: Hitler's Rise to Power (1933-1939)
This first episode covers Hitler's invasion of Poland, when the world stood on the brink of war, and features stunning colourised footage of the catastrophe faced by the Polish army as it was crushed by the Nazi war machine.

Episode 2: Collapse of France (1939-1940)
The story of Hitler's lightning invasion of France and its rapid collapse, of the evacuation from Dunkirk, and of the summer of 1940 when Britain fought on alone. In new digital colour, this episode shows the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

Episode 3: Origins of the Holocaust (1940-1941)
The story of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, of Rommel's war against the British in North Africa and of the horrors of the murder of Russian Jews - sometimes known as the Holocaust by Bullets.

Episode 4: American Allies (1941-1942)
The story of the sudden Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the early days of the war in the Pacific. Back in Europe, this episode looks at the bombing offensive against Germany and at the appalling crime of the Holocaust.

Episode 5: Allies Strike Back (1942-1943)
This episode looks at the turning of the war against Germany, with Allied victory at El Alamein and Russian triumph at Stalingrad. Inside Hitler's Germany the SS gain more power, and in southern Europe the Allies fight their way though Italy.

Episode 6: Retreat and Surrender (944-1945)

The dramatic story of the D-Day landings and of the liberation of Paris. In the east the Soviets liberate Auschwitz and fight their way to the heart of Berlin. Germany finally surrenders, but Japan fights on until the atom bombs are dropped.

* This was produced by a French company.

* The Story of the Swastika (2013)

In the week when Hindus celebrate the holy festival of Diwali, this documentary tells the story of one of their faith's most sacred symbols - the swastika. For many, the swastika has become a symbol synonymous with the Nazis and fascism. But this film reveals the fascinating and complex history of an emblem that is, in fact, a religious symbol, with a sacred past. For the almost one billion Hindus around the world, the swastika lies at the heart of religious practices and beliefs, as an emblem of benevolence, luck and good fortune.

* The Occult History of the Third Reich (2004)

From the occult origins of the Nazi party to the death of Hitler in the flaming ruins of Berlin, the emergence of the doctrine of National Socialism took place in a dark and sinister world of rituals and beliefs. Using newly discovered archive footage The Occult History of the Third Reich explores the remarkable phenomenon that mesmerized Germany in the 1930s and '40s.

Part 1 - The Enigma of the Swastika

50 min., b & w/Color - First adopted in 1920, the Swastika was at the very center of the Nazi Party's ideology. The armed cross became the cornerstone of Aryan mythology and the symbol of the terrifying ambition of one man - the messianic figure of Adolf Hitler. The unique documentary looks at the swastika's ancient roots in the mysterious religious cults of India and Tibet and explores its adoption by European occultists and the subsequent transformation of this symbol of good fortune into an infamous emblem of terror.

Part 2 - The SS Blood and Soil

55 min., b & w/Color - The most sinister of all Nazi creations was the black-clad SS. Originally Hitler's bodyguard, this military-religious order became a racial aristocracy under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler. A carefully selected elite, destined to subjugate all other peoples and achieve the ultimate purification through racial selection and elimination, the SS personified the Aryan vision of a master race. Their fascinating documentary explores the strange and secret world of the SS, from its roots in the teaching s of Germanic mystics and occultist circles, to its rise.

Part 3 - Adolf Hitler

50 min., b & w/Color - The occult was never far from the life of the infamous leader of the Third Reich. From his poverty-stricken boyhood years in Vienna right up to his death in the flaming ruins of war-torn Berlin, Adolf Hitler was immersed in the Germanic mysticism of Guido von lIst and Joerg Lanz. Believing he was the Stark von Oben, The Strong One From Above sent by providence to create the Thousand Year Reich, Hitler's vision of himself as a new Messiah was reinforced by his closest associate, deputy leader of the Nazi party, Rudolf Hess, himself an astrologer and mystic. For the first time in this remarkable video documentary the strange and terrifying beliefs of this sinister figure are explored. Hitler's fascination with the origins and rise to power of Aryan man his obsession with possessing the spear of destiny and his own messianic plans for the world are revealed through recently discovered rare archive footage of this terrifying era.

* Parer's War (2014)

Based on a true story, Parer’s War tells the story of WWII cameraman Damien Parer. Battling his own demons, his work won Australia’s first Oscar but almost cost him the woman he loved.

* Nazi Megastructures (2013)

Did you know? In the quest for world domination, the Nazis built some of the biggest and deadliest pieces of military hardware and malevolent technology in history? Creating huge terror machines, hi-tech superguns and some of the original weapons of mass destruction, their aim was to control a nation, conquer a continent and win the war! Over six unforgettable episodes, Nazi Megastructures uncovers the hidden remains of Hitler's most ambitious Megastructures, telling the stories of the engineering geniuses that designed them and revealing how these structures sparked a technological revolution that changed warfare forever.

Part 1: Atlantic Wall
Uncovering what is left of Hitler's ambitious structures which were built in a bid for world domination, beginning with a look at the Atlantic Wall. Created in order to protect Europe from an Allied invasion it stretches thousands of kilometres from France to Norway, and on D-Day the fortifications were put to the ultimate test.

Part 2: V2 Rocket Bases
Discover how Nazi scientist Wernher von Braun heralded the birth of ballistic missiles and laid the technological foundations for the space race.

Part 3: U Boat Base
A look at the huge concrete submarine pens built by the Nazis to protect their U-Boats from allied bombs. Such was their size and strength, they still survive today.

Part 4: Super Tanks
The story of Nazi engineers tasked with fulfilling Hitler's megalomaniac demand for the construction of a land battleship weighing 1,000 tons.

Part 5: Hitlers Jet Caves
Explore the story behind one of the most advanced aeroplanes of WWII, the Messerschmitt Me 262, and the subterranean bat-cave where it was built.

Part 6: Fortress Berlin
April 1945. Safe in his heavily fortified FYhrerbunker in the centre of Berlin, Hitler prepares for the Allies' final attack.

* Double Cross: The True Story of the D-day Spies (2012)

Writer and presenter Ben Macintyre returns to the small screen to bring to life his third best-selling book. Macintyre reveals the gripping true story of five of the double agents who helped to make D-day such a success.

* Death Camp Treblinka: Survivor Stories (2012)

The dark heart of the Nazi holocaust, Treblinka was an extermination camp where over 800,000 Polish Jews perished from 1942. Only two men can bear final witness to its terrible crimes. Samuel Willenberg and Kalman Taigman were slave labourers who escaped in a dramatic revolt in August 1943. One would seek vengeance in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, while the other would appear in the sensational trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961. This film documents their amazing survivor stories and the tragic fate of their families, and offers new insights into a forgotten death camp.

* Das Boot: Documentary (2011)

At the height of WWII, a young submarine crew heads out to sea on a top-secret mission that all but ensures most will never make it home alive. Ordered to patrol the Atlantic and destroy an allied armada bringing supplies to Britain, these raw recruits must band together, bracing themselves against a depth-charge assault from an unseen enemy. Oscar-nominated® director Wolfgang Petersen's epic adventure deftly explores tension as pressure builds to an explosive climax, packing a visceral punch few movies can match

Part 1: Maria's Take
Assistant director Maria Petersen describes her role in the making of the film.

Part 2: The Perfect Boat - The Director's Cut
Writer and director Wolfgang Petersen describes how the Director's Cut was created.

Part 3: Captain's Tour - Inside the Boat
J�Prochnow takes you on a tour inside U96.

Part 4: Behind the Scenes
J�Prochnow describes the filming of the special effects.

Part 5: The Battle of the Atlantic
Contains early B&W footage of the Kriegsmarine and various interviews including one with the actual captain of U96.

Part 6: Back to the Boat
Wolfgang Petersen describes the difficulties with filming..

* Churchill's Darkest Decision (2009)

During World War II, in the summer of 1940, Winston Churchill faced a terrible dilemma. France had just surrendered and only the English Channel stood between the Nazis and Britain. Germany was poised to seize the entire French fleet, one of the biggest in the world. With these ships in his hands, Hitler's threat to invade Britain could become a reality. This documentary tells the story of what Churchill did next, and why and how 1,300 French sailors died as a result in what the French still call their Pearl Harbor. This is the forgotten story of Churchill's darkest decision: to sink the French Fleet.