440 The Destruction of Army Group Center

The Soviet summer offensive of 1944, "Operation Bagration," costs the German Army virtually an entire army group.

In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt's health began to fail, while Stalin made good on his pledge to begin a Soviet offensive in June.

The China and Burma fronts remained relatively quiet for two years. That changed in 1944.

In this episode, we conclude the story of the American occupation of Saipan, while US commanders ponder the question of where to strike next.

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

The initial Normandy invasions were moderately successful. Casualties were lighter than feared. But D-Day was not the end; it was only the beginning.

We conclude our look at the Normandy invasion by examining events at Sword, Juno, Gold, and especially Omaha Beaches.

In this episode we look at the Normandy amphibious landings generally, then focus on the US assault on Utah Beach.

The Normandy landings began at dawn on June 6, 1944, but the night before three Allied airborne divisions were dropped into Normandy to help prepare the way for the amphibious landings.

The German military was occupying many European countries, which put British and American bomber commanders in the awkward position of bombing nations that were supposedly their allies.