World War II: Race to Victory

To mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, an examination of the race, not only to win WWII, but also to gain power and an ideological stronghold.

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, who kill more than 2,000 Americans, causing the US to rethink its policy of neutrality in the war.

An exploration of the tensions at the heart of the Allied war effort, as the dominant powers weigh up the moral ambiguity and actions of their alliance.

After a year of fraught relations and tension, the big three leaders meet in Tehran. Will they find the unity they need to help the Allies win the war?

6th June 1944--D Day. More than 156,000 British, American, and Canadian soldiers are transported across the English Channel, in the largest seaborne invasion ever attempted. After years of pressure from Stalin, Churchill has finally agreed to open a second front in Europe and send Allied troops to liberate occupied France. From there, they will fight their way across to Germany and--with the Red Army, advancing from the East--finally bring down Hitler's Fascist Empire. And yet just three months later, the Big Three's optimism will turn to despair. How did the operation that promised to end the war by Christmas, turn into such a huge failure?

It is February 1945 and the Allies can almost taste victory. They agree to meet to decide what the future will look like after the war finally comes to an end. And so "The Big Three" come face to face for the second, and last, time in the seaside town of Yalta.