BBC - Secrets of World War II: Set 1 (1998)

You probably know the History, now discover the incredible SECRETS OF WORLD WAR II. Rarely has a war produced such clear cut reasons to fight as World War II. On the one hand were the totalitarian Dictators - Tojo, Hitler and Mussolini. On the other were the great democracies of the Western World which were gradually regaining their feet after the Great War of 1914-18 and the Wall Street Crash.

Part 1: The Corpse that Fooled the Axis
Little did the Germans know that the body they discovered on the coast of Spain in 1943 was part of one of the most elaborate hoaxes of World War II.
On April 30, 1943. a British submarine surfaced off the coast of Spain and dropped a body into the sea. The corpse was to play a central role in one of the most elaborate deceptions in military history. How did one decomposed body cause an uproar in the German High Command, dupe Adolf Hitler and ensure the success of an Allied invasion? And who, exactly, was the mysterious body? Discover the fascinating secrets of "The Corpse that Fooled the Axis."

Part 2: Adolf Hitler's Last Days
With access to Eva Braun's personal photograph album, this programme reconstructs the final days in the Dictator's underground lair, and in particular it examines the possibility of escape for the selected few.
Even a half century after his violent end, the death of the 20th century's most sinister evil is still shrouded in mystery. How did Hitler spend his final hours? Did he actually die in his Chancellery bunker, or did Hitler's doppelganger make one final impersonation? Why was Joseph Stalin obsessed with finding Hitler's body? Return to the war-torn ruins of Berlin to discover the secrets of "Adolf Hitler's Last Days."

Part 3: Secret Mission to North Africa
After numerous adventures, a small number of American officers managed to rendezvous with their submarine on the North Africa coast in 1942 and relay back to Eisenhower information which would save thousands of British and American lives.
Before the Allies could invade North Africa in 1943, a critical question needed to be answered: Would the Vichy French guarding the coastline meet the Allied troops with open arms…or with bullets? Now learn of the daring plan to gain crucial French support and at the American general who risked his life on the "Secret Mission to North Africa."

Part 4: When Hitler Invaded America
In June 1942 two German U-Boats landed secret agents on Long Island and at Jacksonville, Florida. Their aim was sabotage… but their methods left a lot to be desired!
On the night of June 12, 1942, a German U-boat emerged from the fog just off the coast of Long Island. It's cargo: four Nazi agents equipped with forged documents, explosives and an ambitious plan to blow up America. Could a small team of trained saboteurs actually bring the mighty U.S. armament industry to a grinding halt? Discover the diabolical plot of destruction that unfolded "When Hitler Invaded America."

Part 5: The Bruneval Raid
In 1942 a reconnaissance Spitfire photographed a strange shaped piece of German apparatus in a Normandy field. It turned out to be a sophisticated German radar system whose secrets had to be discovered.
On the night of February 27, 1942, British paratroopers dropped into snowcovered fields along the coast of France. Their mission: to capture a top secret German radar installation near the town of Bruneval. Relive the astonishing nighttime attack–and discover how it played a vital role in the Allied bombing offensive against Hitler's Reich in "The Bruneval Raid."
Witness the undercover battles of the radar war, where squiggles on an electronic screen meant the difference between life and death in the skies.

Part 6: What Really Happened to Rommel?
He was nicknamed the 'Desert Fox' and highly decorated by Hitler. However, Rommel was not in sympathy with the Nazi party and may have been involved in the plot to kill Hitler. Did the legendary German General commit suicide or was he murdered?
On October 14, 1944, Germany's greatest military leader said goodbye to his beloved wife and son, then drove away with two officers sent by Adolf Hitler. Just moments later, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was dead. Was it suicide…or retribution? Why would the Fuhrer order the death of his one-time supporter and close ally? Discover the fascinating details of "What Really Happened to Rommel?"

Part 7: The Enigma Secret
By early 1940, British codebreakers at Bletchley Park, working with information from the Poles, had begun to crack the German military codes produced on the Enigma cipher machine. Once this had been achieved, the challenge was how to prevent the Germans from finding out their codes had been broken.

Part 8: Human Torpedoes
In 1941 four Italian frogmen used their two-man underwater 'chariots' to place explosive charges on two British battleships in Alexandria Harbour. They were the first of many brave men to use these unconventional weapons.
On the night of December 18, 1941, three frogmen from a top secret division of the Italian navy penetrated the harbor at Alexandria, Egypt. Riding just below the water's surface on specially modified torpedoes, the men silently approached their target–the battleship Queen Elizabeth, flagship of the British Mediterranean fleet. Now experience the daring raid of Italy's elite Decima Flottiglia MAS and discover the exploits of secret submersibles during World War II – in "Human Torpedoes."

Part 9: Secrets of the Battle of the Bulge
In 1944 as Hitler faced defeat he tried one last gamble of an offensive on the Western Front. The result was the 'Battle of the Bulge'. But what the Germans did not know was the Allies were decoding their radio messages.
By late 1944, the Allied commanders were confident that the Third Reich was finished. But on December 16, thousands of storm troopers suddenly appeared from the mists of the Ardennes Forest and smashed into the weakest section of the American lines. How could an attack by twenty-five German divisions take the Allies completely by surprise. See the astonishing blunders made and the desperate risks taken in "Secrets of the Battle of the Bulge."

Part 10: Target Okinawa: The Greatest Sea/Air Battle in History
There have been larger land battles and more protracted air campaigns than Okinawa but this was a combined operation, unparalleled in size, scope and ferocity.
In April 1945, a U.S. bombardment of the Japanese-held island Okinawa rapidly escalated into the most intense battle of the Pacific. Thousands of Americans perished, and the Japanese lost ten times as many, along with their mightiest carrier, in what is described as "history's greatest madhouse." Discover the secret weapon that made such a decisive American victory possible – and significantly shortened the entire war – in "Target Okinawa: The Greatest Sea/Air Battle in History."

Part 11: Above Us - The Enemy (Secrets of the Submarine War)
The underwater war saw many innovations and a rapid increase in electronic technology, which eventually enabled the Allies to achieve ultimate victory.
It was the only thing that truly frightened Winston Churchill. Silently patrolling the cold, gray waters of the Atlantic, the German U-boat almost sank Great Britain's chances for victory. How could the U-boat nearly sever England's lifeline? What were U-boats doing off the American coastline and in the Gulf of Mexico? And how did Allied submarines bring Japanese industry to a grinding halt? Learn the crucial role of the submarine in every theater of war in "Above Us the Enemy."

Part 12: The Secrets Behind the Battle of Guadalcanal
Hundreds of sailors, eight ships and two American Admirals were to be lost in actions where valour overcame many mistakes on both sides - leading to the defeat of the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto.
On August 7, 1942, American Marines waded ashore a tiny island to capture a Japanese airfield. It was the beginning of an epic six-month battle that changed the course of the war in the Pacific. What was the importance of one small enemy airfield? How were the Allies able to anticipate almost every attack planned by the Japanese high command? Feel the intensity of one of the war's fiercest confrontations in "Secrets behind the Battle of Guadalcanal."

Part 13: The Real Heroes of Telemark
In 1943 as the Germans were producing 'heavy water' to build their atomic bomb, the Norwegian resistance launched a daring raid against the Norsk Hydro plant.
In 1941, British intelligence received an ominous message from operatives in Nazi-occupied Norway: The Norsk Hydro electric plant in Telemark had stepped up production of "heavy water," a vital componet in the manufacture of an atomic bomb. The threat of German nuclear capability triggered a daring secret operation to destroy the plant and the enemy's supply of heavy water. Discover how a courageous band of commandos prevented Hitler from building the ultimate weapon, in "The Real Heroes of Telemark."

Part 14: They Flew for China
Between 1941 and 1943 some of America's most talented fighter pilots flew for Nationalist China against the Japanese. They became known as the 'Flying Tigers' and with the name a legend was born.
In July 1941, five months before the United States officially entered the war, a band of American pilots arrived in the Far East to fly against the Japanese in China. Known as the Flying Tigers, their superior flighting skills - and the distinctive shark-teeth markings on the noses of their aircraft - terrified enemy pilots. Discover how a tiny, hell-raising collection of U.S. flyers became one of the war's most successful fighting units… in "They Flew for China."