World war documentaries

From the murder of Franz Ferdinand to the fall of the Nazis, World War I and II shook the world to its core. BBC Select is the place to dig deeper into these monumental moments in history. Watch BBC world war documentaries with BBC Select in the US and Canada today.

Hiroshima: The Real History

Watch Hiroshima: The Real History on BBC Select

The nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima heralded the dawn of a new era. It killed over 100,000 people and unleashed a new merciless threat that no country could hide from.

From the war rooms that led the attack and the planes tasked with the deadly mission to the city’s devastated streets, this eye-on-the-ground film unravels a chilling moment whose motives and consequences are still in question.

BBC at War

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Hailed and derided in equal measure, in 1939 the BBC had yet to establish its reputation.

In this enthralling history documentary on BBC Select, Jonathan Dimbleby reveals how the BBC fought not only Hitler during World War II, but also the British government to become the institution it is today.

What impact did the BBC’s wartime broadcasts have on the British public and on the Nazi hordes abroad?

1945: The Savage Peace

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When the Second World War ended, the people of liberated Europe celebrated their freedom from Nazi tyranny. Years of suffering had ended, but for millions of Germans, a new and terrible chapter was beginning.

This remarkable history documentary on BBC Select reveals the appalling violence meted out to the defeated Germans, which mirrored some of the worst cruelty of Hitler’s Nazi forces.

100 Days to Victory

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It was the birth of modern warfare. In Spring 1918, the Germans launched a massive ‘shock and awe’ offensive to defeat the Allied forces. To survive, the Allies needed to coordinate and cooperate.

As this gripping history documentary on BBC Select reveals, this sudden need for a concerted defensive effort led to an Allied victory in World War I and changed the way that war was waged forever.

D-Day

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The planning for the Allied invasion against the Nazi forces on June 6th 1944 took two years, cost thousands of lives and involved a deception of breathtaking audacity.

Presenting events through the eyes of the men and women who were there, this extraordinary D Day documentary explores the story in full.

With personal testimonies and compelling drama, this two-part World War II series recreates the biggest seaborne invasion in history.