National geographic

Nazi Megastructures

Nazi Megastructures

Promo

Season 6

00:30

Synopsis

The story of Americas most important battles against the Nazis and the Japanese during World War Two. This series examines the military mind-set, pioneering tactics and state-of-the-art technologies deployed by both sides. Remnants of military hard-wear, defensive megastructures and forgotten relics of war are discovered as experts journey from the beaches of the Pacific islands to the battlefields of Northern Europe.

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Episodes

Season 6

Season 6
Season 5
Season 4
Season 3
Season 2
Season 1
Extra

Hitler's War In The Skies
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Hitler's fight for the skies sees the Reich adopt a policy of 'Total War'. With every man woman and child pushed into producing ever more aircraft and munitions. The result is one of the most effective air defence systems the world has ever seen. One that came very close to destroying the might of the US 8th Army Airforce.
Hitler's British Invasion Plan
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May 1940 and the Nazi war machine reaches the English Channel. Hitler plans to destroy Britain's air power and land troops in southern England.
Hell Island
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Guadalcanal is the glittering prize of the Pacific. Japan are determined to seize the island and build an airfield on it. But the US have their eyes on it, too. Whoever controls Guadalcanal will dominate the region and, with it, potentially win the Second World War. It's the catalyst for one of the most bloody and brutal episodes of World War Two.
Japan's Death Railway
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1942, Japan has captured oil rich Burma to secure its growing empire's future. But with its navy decimated at the Battle of Midway it needs a new supply route. The result is a 258 mile railway cut through the toughest terrain known to man. All built using the blood and guts of 200,000 Allied POWs and local laborers. Half of them will die on the tracks or in the terrible camps nearby.
Hitler's Desert War
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place in the deserts of North Africa. Armed with one of the most famous generals of WWII, Erwin Rommel, Hitler takes on the Allies across Tunisia, Libya and Egypt - in a brutal campaign that pushed the British to their limits and would dictate the course of the war.
Hitler's Mediterranean Fortress
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When allied spies plant false documents on a corpse, they are carrying out one of the most audacious deceptions of World War II. Operation Mincemeat ensures that the allied invasion of Sicily takes the Nazis totally by surprise. With few reinforcements, German troops must now make clever use of the island's rugged landscape to attempt a fighting retreat to the Italian mainland - and safety.

Japan's Warrrior Code
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June 1944. The Japanese are in retreat across the Pacific. Now they face a pivotal battle. If they lose the B-29 long-range bomber will be within range of Japan for the first time.
Japan's Island of Death
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September 1944 on Peleliu, Japanese soldiers build an island-wide structure creating a killing zone that lead to the death of thousands of Americans.
Fortress Japan
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This is the story of Japan's final months of world war two. When America threatens to invade, the Japanese turn their country into a fortress and unleash a terrifying new weapon, suicide bombers.
Pearl Harbor
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The extraordinary story of how Japan planned and carried out the surprise air attack on the US Navy in Hawaii.
Hitler's Final Offensive
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Hitler’s final attempt to win the war was a surprise winter attack. What resulted were some of the worst war crimes ever committed against America.
D-Day
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Spring 1944. An allied invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe is inevitable, and under the leadership of commander Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the Germans begin to turn coastal areas into killing zones.

Hitler's Death Trains
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The railways were the lifeblood of the Nazi empire. It was a vast network that spread Nazi ambition and control across Europe and beyond. The programme reveals Hitler's personal train, unseen bunkers, massive depots, railway weapons and record-breaking engines. It goes on to reveal the rail networks most sinister function and how Hitler and Himmler used the trains to mastermind the Final Solution.
Hitler's Italian Fortress
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From Monte Cassino to San Pietro and ultimately the defence of Rome, this is the amazing story of one of the toughest defensive structures that the Nazis ever conceived. The Allies thought an advance from the south would be a quick way to bring down the Nazis, but they were wrong. Hitler, determined to defend every inch of ground, ordered a series of defensive lines stretching across the entire Italian peninsula, stalling the Allies' advance into the Third Reich for almost two years.
Hitler's Luftwaffe
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The Luftwaffe, a revolutionary German air force, created from nothing and fast-tracked by Hitler to annihilate the enemy from the skies. From the factory where the deadly Heinkel HE111 bombers were mass-produced, to the Baltic and the ruins of the Luftwaffe's top-secret torpedo test facility to the most technologically advanced jet bomber of World War 2, Nazi Megastructures lifts the lid on Hitler's war from above.
Hitler's Propaganda Machine
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During the brutal Battle of Berlin in 1945, 100,000 German civilians fight to the death and 6,000 commit suicide. How did the Nazis motivate ordinary civilians to fight even when defeat was inevitable? The answer is propaganda, and in Dr Josef Goebbels, Adolf Hitler found a genius of mind-manipulation. This episode reveals the evidence left behind by the Nazi propaganda machine, monuments to the sinister but brilliant brain-washing of an entire nation.
Hitler's Arctic Fortress
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It's one of the most daring and bold operations of WW2: The Nazi's occupation and fortification of Norway. Hitler demands breath-taking defences along the country's 1500 mile coastline to prevent an Allied invasion. It includes some of the biggest gun batteries of the entire war. Norway is an Arctic frontline from which the Nazis can attack the Soviet Union, but it also offers Hitler the possible means to make an atomic bomb.

Hitler's Island Megafortress
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In June 1940, the Nazis set foot on British soil. The Channel Islands, a British territory is now under German occupation. Hitler becomes obsessed with keeping control of this small corner of Britain and orders the construction of some of the most fortified structures in the Third Reich.
Lightning War Machine
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In the first years of WWII, Hitler's Germany crushes its enemies in a series of lightning offensives. A new word is coined to describe this incredible string of successes -'Blitzkrieg' or 'Lightning War'. Ruins scattered across Europe tell the story of a revolution in tactics and weapons.
The Eagle's Nest
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In 1933 Hitler transforms his Alpine retreat in Obersalzberg into a mansion - the Berghof, protected by a high level security system. Above the Berghof, on top of Kehlstein mountain, Martin Bormann builds the Eagles Nest; a lavish tea house designed for Hitler to entertain guests and dignitaries.
Hitler's Killer Subs
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By early 1943 Nazi Germany is losing the battle in the Atlantic. Their U-Boat menace is no longer invulnerable to attack. It could cost them the war. But since 1940 Hitler have been planning a submarine capable of fast underwater speeds and phenomenal firepower, the world's most advanced submarine.
Japanese Superfortress
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April 1945. The war in the Pacific has now fully turned against the Japanese forces. In a fierce campaign the Americans are winning battles, rapidly gaining ground in their goal of invading mainland Japan. But the Japanese decide that the island of Okinawa will be their last bastion of defence.
Pacific Megaships
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In 1934 Japan begins designing The Yamato, the most powerful battleship in history. Japan is determined to retain control in the Pacific and builds a ship 30% larger than anything their enemies have. Constructed in secrecy, the Japanese go to extraordinary lengths to ensure no detail is revealed.

V1: Hitler's Vengeance Missile
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In retaliation for Allied bombing raids, Hitler ordered the development of the V1. The first cruise missile, it changed the face of war forever.
War On The Eastern Front
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This is the story of Hitler's invasion of Russia with the biggest invasion force ever assembled and the greatest tank battle in history.
War On The Eastern Front
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This is the story of Hitler's invasion of Russia with the biggest invasion force ever assembled and the greatest tank battle in history. As his plan for 'Total War' fails, the Germans face a vast Soviet army bent on revenge and must battle for every inch of ground from the Baltic all the way back to the heart of Berlin.
Hitler's Flying Forces
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From the Battle of Britain to the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Luftwaffe's Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 bombers were meant to annihilate the enemy from the skies.
Hitler's Flying Forces
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In defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler fast tracks a revolutionary air force in the years leading up to World War Two. From the Battle of Britain to the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Luftwaffe's Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 bombers were meant to annihilate the enemy from the skies.
Hitler's Siegfried Line
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The campaign to breach Hitler's 400 mile-long Siegfried Line took more than six months and cost the American forces 140,000 casualties.
Hitler's Megafortresses
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Hitler's plan for world domination relies on massive megafortresses, built to hold back an Allied invasion. Norway is an Arctic frontline from which the Nazis can target the Soviet Union.
Hitler's Megafortresses
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Hitler's plan for world domination relies on massive megafortresses, built to hold back an Allied invasion. With breath-taking defenses along a 1500-mile coast, Norway is an Arctic frontline from which the Nazis can target the Soviet Union. To the south, the Germans hold a series of defensive lines stretching across the entire Italian peninsula, from Monte Cassino to San Pietro, stalling the Allies' advance into the Third Reich for almost two years.
The Wolf's Lair
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A secret headquarters of concrete and steel is the heart of Hitler’s plans for domination and the key to a Nazi conspiracy - the Wolf’s Lair.
Battle For The Pacific
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As American forces sweep across the Pacific, the Japanese fight to their last breath to protect mainland Japan. They turn to desperate tactics with kamikaze suicide bombers using killer planes.
Himmler’s SS
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In a quest for world domination, the Nazis built some of the biggest, deadliest pieces of military hardware and malevolent technology in history.
Hitler's Henchmen
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This is the story of Himmler and Goebbels, the two men tasked with building the largest social megastructure of Nazi Germany. One used the power of fear. The other, the power of the human mind.
Hitler's Megaships
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The Bismarck and Tirpitz were battleships of record breaking proportions, ultimate status symbols of the Third Reich and hunted by the Allies.
Hitler's War At Sea
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In a bid to out gun the British in the battle for the Atlantic, Hitler orders the largest battleships the world had ever seen. The Bismarck and the Tirpitz. But they would not last long.
Kamikaze Suicide Bombers
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As America closes in on Japan in 1944, the Japanese turn to desperate new tactics: killer planes and super torpedoes guided by human pilots.
Hitler's Deadly Tanks
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Working in unison with the Stuka dive bombers, the German Panzer division smashes through Poland and France, but meets unexpected resistance with the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Blitzkrieg in the East
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This is the story of Hitler's invasion of Russia, of the biggest invasion force ever assembled in military history and the lesser-known story of how the Germans met their match on the shores of the Black Sea at Sevastopol - one of the world's most heavily defended strongholds. Never before or ever again would the Germans amass such a devastating artillery force with mega-weapons of such extraordinary firepower.
Atlantic Wall
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To protect occupied Europe from an Allied invasion Hitler demanded the construction of a defensive wall stretching thousands of kilometers from France in the South to Norway in the North. This is the story of how this vast engineering project sucked in huge quantities of raw materials and men from all over the Third Reich … and faced its ultimate test on D-Day.
The Battle of Kursk
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After Germany suffers a humiliating defeat by the Russians at Stalingrad, Adolf Hitler demands a switch to 'Total War.' Nazi Germany must out-produce the Soviet Union in armaments production and use their new Tiger and Panther tanks to beat the enemy's much-vaunted T-34. To turn the war back in its favour the Fuhrer launches the greatest tank battle in history - Kursk.
U-Boat Base
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To create a safe haven in port for their lethal U-boat submarines, the Nazis built massive, impenetrable concrete submarine pens. Structures too immense to be hidden, they were constructed to withstand direct hits from even the biggest Allied bombs. Such was their size and strength that these pens still survive today, a testament to their engineering.
Hitler's Fighting Retreat
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The tide of war with Russia has turned and the Germans face a vast Soviet army bent on revenge. Hitler's army must now rely on a series of defensive megastructures, innovative technology and grim determination, to stop the Soviet advance. The Germans battle for every inch of ground from the Baltic all the way back to the heart of Berlin. This is the story of the defensive megastructures underpinning the most brutal fighting retreat of WW2.
V2 Rocket Bases
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The first ever long-range rockets were designed and built by the Nazis in a network of top secret research labs, underground silos and hi-tech launch pads. This is the story of how scientist Werner von Braun heralded the birth of ballistic missiles and laid the technological foundations for the space race.
Super Tanks
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Hitlers megalomaniac impulses led him to demand the construction of the largest tank the world had ever seen a mobile fortress weighing 180 tons. But even this colossus couldnt satisfy Hitlers thirst for enormous weapons of war, as he went on to request a land battleship weighing 1,000 tons. This is the story of the Nazi engineers tasked with fulfilling that dream, and an arms race that resulted in the evolution of super-guns and tanks.
Hitler's Jet Caves
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In this episode, we explore one of the most technological advanced aeroplanes of World War II. A fighter jet that inspired a revolution in aerial warfare: the Messerschmitt Me 262. This is the remarkable story of an awe-inspiring aircraft, the subterranean bat-cave where it was built and the battle for air supremacy that decided the fate of the war.
Fortress Berlin
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April 1945. Hitler is in the center of Berlin, 30 feet (10 meters) underground, surrounded by 13-foot (4m)-thick concrete walls, safe from any attack the Allies can throw at him from the air. But the Russians are advancing on the ground the Red Army is lined up on the Oder River, and theyre coming for the Führer. Blocking the way are rings of ingenious defenses, kill zones and strong-points that have turned Berlin into a fortress. At the heart of this fortress is the Führerbunker.

Hitler’s Hideouts
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A look inside the impressive feats of engineering behind Hitler's most audacious hideouts. An Alpine retreat quickly transforms into Hitler's fortified fiefdom - crowned by the awe inspiring Eagles Nest. The Wolf's Lair - a vast, secret headquarters of concrete and steel is the heart of a paranoid Hitler's plans for world domination. During the final days of the Third Reich, Berlin becomes a Fortress with the Fuhrerbunker at its core.
Lines of Defense
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Hitler's most impressive lines of defense, designed to intimidate his enemies and protect the Fatherland. The ambitious Atlantic Wall sucked in huge quantities of raw materials and men from all over the Third Reich? and faced its ultimate test on D-Day. Originally built to protect Germany's western border while invading to the east, the deadly Siegfried Line held off American forces for more than six months and cost them 140,000 casualties.
Hitler's War Machines
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The innovative technology behind the war machines ordered by Hitler to crush his enemies. Hitler's megalomania led him to demand the construction of the largest tank the world had ever seen - a mobile fortress weighing 180 tons. A fighter jet that inspired a revolution in aerial warfare: the Messerschmitt Me 262. The speed, ability to stay submerged for days and unrivalled firepower make the Type 21 U-boat Hitler's ultimate deep-sea destroyer.

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