First Year of WW2 1939-1940 (Full Documentary)

Get Nebula with 40% off annual subscription with my link: https://go.nebula.tv/realtimehistory Watch Epic History's WW2 Series: https://nebula.tv/videos/epichistoryt... In 1939, Germany plunges Europe into war by breaking their promises for peace and marching into Poland. By the end of 1940 though, Britain is the only Great Power still standing against a seemingly invincible German juggernaut. On the surface, the war’s opening phase seems like Hitler’s crowning achievement, but did the first 16 months of WW2 actually lay the groundwork for his ultimate defeat? » SUPPORT US   / realtimehistory   https://nebula.tv/realtimehistory » THANK YOU TO OUR CO-PRODUCERS George Durrett, Luis Gonzalez, Mike Cumings, Jr., Charles Shananaquet II, Joel Sanchez, shane cawthon, Andrew Thomas Mooney, Chris Rohde, Bruce D, Jim Frame, Glenn Sugden, Lisa Anderson, George Haramundanis, G S, Kempf Mario, jhgBo8jigr hzufjkl, Gayle Elizabeth, Glenn G Webb, Stephen D Nugent PsyD, Daniel L Garza, Chris Daley, Simen Røste, Amy Williams, Jim F Barlow, Taylor Allen, Adam Smith, Josh Bruder, Konstantin Bredyuk, Richard L Benkin, Matt, Rob Carle, Murray Godfrey, Jan, Gage Manthey, Theodore Patrick Shannon, Bruce G. Hearns, Stephanie Schindhelm, Paul Wilcox, Brad Durbin, Fogeltje, CHAPTERS: 00:00 German-Soviet Invasion of Poland 1939 24:54 Soviet-Finnish Winter War 1939/40 46:26 Phoney War 1939/40 01:05:39 Battle of the Atlantic 1939 01:11:30 German Invasion of Norway and Denmark 1940 01:31:54 German Invasion of France, Belgium and the Netherlands 1940 01:58:06 Soviet Occupation in Eastern Europe 1940 02:02:41 British Empire 1940 02:09:41 Mediterranean Theatre 1940 02:18:34 Battle of Britain 1940 02:44:09 African Theatre 1940 02:47:22 Italian Invasion of Greece 1940 02:54:52 Taranto Raid 1940 02:58:26 British Counterattack in North Africa 1940 03:02:16 Battle of the Atlantic 1940 03:15:36 German Occupation of Poland 1939/40 03:20:09 German Occupation of Western Europe 1940 03:23:30 Conclusion » SOURCES (Selection) Mason, Francis K. Battle over Britain, McWhirter Twins Ltd., 1969 Holland, James, The War in the West, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2015 Mawdsley, Evan, The War for the Seas: A Maritime History of World War II, Yale University Press, 2020 Burgwyn, H. James, Mussolini Warlord: Failed Dreams of Empire, 1940-1943, Enigma Books, 2012 Latimer, Jon, Operation Compass 1940: Wavell’s Whirlwind Offensive, Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2013 Bosworth, Richard & Joseph Maiolo (eds.), The Second World War: Volume III – Part III - Occupation, Collaboration, Resistance and Liberation, Cambridge University Press, 2015 Frieser, Karl-Heinz, Blitzkrieg-Legende. Der Westfeldzug 1940, 5. Aufl., Berlin/Boston 2021. Ferris, John Robert and Evan Mawdsley, eds. The Cambridge History of the Second World War Vol I. Cambridge University Press, 2015. Jackson, Julian. The Fall of France : The Nazi Invasion of 1940. Oxford University Press, 2004. Moorhouse, Roger. The Devils’ Alliance: Hitler's Pact with Stalin, 1939-1941. Basic Books, 2014. Rentola, Kimmo. How Finland Survived Stalin. From Winter War to Cold War, 1939-1950. Yale University Press, 2024. Symonds, Craig L., World War II at Sea: A Global History. Oxford University Press, 2023. Overy, Richard., Blood and Ruins: The Great Imperial War, 1931-1945”, Penguin 2022. »CREDITS Presented by: Jesse Alexander Written by: Jesse Alexander, Mark Newton Director: Toni Steller Editing: Toni Steller Motion Design: Toni Steller Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: http://above-zero.com Research by: Jesse Alexander, Mark Newton Additional research by: Philipp Trzaska, Sofia Shirogorova, Roman Töppel, Christoph Bergs, Markus Linke, Athanasiou Valantis, Dr. Vanda Wilcox and Florian Wittig Fact checking: Florian Wittig Executive Producer: Florian Wittig Channel Design: Simon Buckmaster Contains licensed material by getty images, picture alliance, and Reuters Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3 Music Library: Epidemic Sound All photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image. All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2025