MEGA EPISODE: The Fall of Nazi Germany: The Final Year of WWII Uncovered

On the Edge of the Abyss EP9 : Days of Destiny (00:00:00) On the Edge of the Abyss EP10 : Scorched Earth (00:43:45) On the Edge of the Abyss EP11 : End time (01:26:07) On the Edge of the Abyss EP12: Capitulation and a new beginning (02:08:16) When the largest armada in the history of wars appears off the French Normandy coast at dawn on June 6, 1944, a fateful day of the Second World War begins: D-Day heralds the liberation of Europe. On June 22, the anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Red Army launches a major offensive on the Eastern Front - Operation Bagration becomes the heaviest and most costly defeat in German military history. On July 20, the events at Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia also take a dramatic turn: the explosive device used by Stauffenberg's resistance fighters does not detonate as planned - the dictator survives. In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, the Nazi regime brought the German population even more mercilessly under its control: every dissenter was mercilessly persecuted and the hopeless war continued with fanatical severity. Documentary: On the Edge of the Abyss EP9: Days of Destiny Directed by: Nina Adler, Hendrik Behrendt Production: Spiegel TV From the middle of 1944, the Second World War takes on apocalyptic proportions in all its theaters. On the islands of the Pacific, thousands of Japanese civilians plunge to their deaths from the cliffs during the battles between their own and US troops. In desperate kamikaze attacks, Japanese pilots try to turn the tide of the hopeless war. In Europe, the courageous uprising of the Polish resistance army is bloodily crushed by the Germans with mass murders of the civilian population and the complete destruction of Warsaw. As they retreated before the Red Army, the Wehrmacht left scorched earth in its wake, devastating entire regions without restraint. Neither the Volkssturm (People's Storm) launched by Goebbels nor the final offensive in the Ardennes could stop the fall of the Third Reich. Documentary: On the Edge of the Abyss EP10: Scorched Earth Directed by: Nina Adler, Hendrik Behrendt Production: Spiegel TV In the final phase of the war, the dictatorship ruthlessly throws younger and younger generations onto the front line in order to pursue its insane dream of final victory. The conflict has long since been lost: the Red Army has been on German soil in the east for several months, while in the west the Americans crossed the Rhine at the beginning of March. The episode takes a look at the various theaters of war in the spring of 1945 and shows the increasingly hopeless situation in which the Wehrmacht finds itself. The dramatic situation in which the civilian population throughout Europe found itself at this time is also highlighted. Documentary: On the Edge of the Abyss EP11: End time Directed by: Nina Adler, Hendrik Behrendt Production: Spiegel TV "It is reported from the Führer's headquarters that our Führer, Adolf Hitler, died this afternoon in his command post in the Reich Chancellery, fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism for Germany." With these words, the dictator's death is broadcast over the radio. Hitler did not die, however, but ended his own life on April 30, 1945. One day later, his long-time confidant Joseph Goebbels and his family followed him in committing suicide. The suicide of the prominent National Socialist brought the "Thousand Year Reich" to an abrupt end. A few days later, the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht was signed and the Allies assumed power in Germany. And while the war in Europe comes to an end, US and Japanese troops continue to fight fierce battles in the Pacific until the use of a new weapon changes everything. Documentary: On the Edge of the Abyss EP12: Capitulation and a new beginning Directed by: Nina Adler, Hendrik Behrendt Production: Spiegel TV #fulldocumentary #documentary #germany #frenchnormandy #secondworldwar #dday #redarmy #easternfront #operationbagration #militaryhistory #germany