World War Two: Season 05
Season 5 of the documentary and war and politics series World War Two covers the events of the year 1943 during the deadliest conflict in human history. Created by Indy Neidell, who also stars in the series, the program follows the global conflict in real time, week by week, and blow by blow. As part of a long-running educational television project spanning multiple seasons from 2018 through 2026, this installment fo
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- The series follows the deadliest conflict in human history in real time, week by week, and blow by blow.
- The documentary and war and politics program is created by and stars Indy Neidell.
- The overarching series provides a continuous, chronological examination of the global war across multiple seasons and hundreds of episodes.
- Prior to the start of this season, the narrative has covered the earlier years of the conflict leading up to 1943.
Season overview
Season 5 of the documentary and war and politics series World War Two covers the events of the year 1943 during the deadliest conflict in human history. Created by Indy Neidell, who also stars in the series, the program follows the global conflict in real time, week by week, and blow by blow. As part of a long-running educational television project spanning multiple seasons from 2018 through 2026, this installment focuses specifically on the military actions, strategic decisions, and historical developments that unfolded throughout the year 1943. Viewers follow the chronological progression of the war as the series continues its detailed, week-by-week examination of the events, combatants, and turning points that shaped the historical trajectory of the mid-twentieth century global catastrophe documented across its numerous episodes.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Week 175 - And Now It's 1943... - WW2 - January 1st, 1943
Jan 1, 2022 · 20 min
The attrition cannot continue so the Japanese decide they will evacuate Guadalcanal, conceding the Solomon Islands to the Allies. The Allies are also conceding the Caucasus, and a
Week 176 - A Soviet Offensive Along the Entire Front? - WW2 - January 8th, 1943
Jan 8, 2022 · 17 min
Things look grim for the Germans, surrounded at Velikie Luki and Stalingrad and with no real help of relief. The Soviets are, in fact, making plans for attacks all along the front,
Week 177 - Food for Leningrad, Breaking the Siege! - WW2 - January 15th, 1943
Jan 15, 2022 · 20 min
Soviet attacks are launched this week to destroy the Hungarians, all while the German desperation at Stalingrad and Velikie Luki continues, but in the far north the Soviets have br
Week 178 - Hitler's Interference is Losing the War - WW2 - January 22, 1943
Jan 22, 2022 · 20 min
This is a rough week for the Germans- their trapped garrison at Velikie Luki is liquidated, and their trapped army at Stalingrad is... well, it isn't going well for them. In fact,
Week 179 - Time to Fire Rommel? - WW2 - January 29, 1943
Jan 29, 2022 · 20 min
The Allies are unable to win in Tunisia, though further east Bernard Montgomery has achieved his goal of driving the enemy out of Libya. To the west, the Casablanca Conference come
Week 179B - Stalingrad: Endgame - WW2 - January 31, 1943
Jan 30, 2022 · 15 min
The Allies are unable to win in Tunisia, though further east Bernard Montgomery has achieved his goal of driving the enemy out of Libya. To the west, the Casablanca Conference come
Week 180 - Guadalcanal, A New Offensive - WW2 - February 5, 1943
Feb 5, 2022 · 21 min
This week sees the 10th anniversary of Hitler's ascension to power in Germany, but while there may be celebrations and speeches in Germany, the Battle of Stalingrad comes to its en
Week 181 - Victory at Guadalcanal - WW2 - February 12, 1943
Feb 5, 2022 · 16 min
Operation KE, the Japanese evacuation of Guadalcanal, concludes this week and the campaign has been a big loss for the Japanese. The Axis forces are also withdrawing- and the Red
Week 182 - Can the Red Army Capture Hitler? - WW2 - February 19, 1943
Feb 19, 2022 · 17 min
The Red Army liberates both Rostov and Kharkov this week, but their advancing spearheads are close to an even bigger prize, Adolf Hitler himself. It is the Axis, however, who are
Week 183 - The Blitzkrieg is Back - WW2 - February 26, 1943
Feb 26, 2022 · 18 min
Erich von Manstein's Axis counterattack on the Eastern Front begins this week and right away smashes through the Red Army lines, threatening all the recent Soviet gains. The Allies
Week 184 - Another Naval Disaster for Japan - WW2 - March 5, 1943
Mar 5, 2022 · 19 min
The Japanese again fail to reinforce New Guinea, losing many transport ships, and their forces there are ever more isolated. In Tunisia the Axis lose a bunch of new Tiger tanks, b
Week 185 - Rommel Leaves Africa - March 12, 1943
Mar 12, 2022 · 16 min
Erwin Rommel loses his command and leaves Tunisia, while change in American command there puts George Patton in charge. On the ground the Axis lose the Battle of Medenine, but in t
Week 186 - Kharkov Falls Once Again - WW2 - March 19, 1943
Mar 19, 2022 · 19 min
The twin prizes of Kharkov and Belgorod fall to Erich von Manstein's German forces this week, but this is a week of preparations- the Americans and New Zealanders are on the move i
Week 187 - American Army Finally Does Something Right - WW2 - March 26, 1943
Mar 26, 2022 · 19 min
The British are attacking the Mareth Line in North Africa while the Americans hit the Axis flank, but the Allies are withdrawing in Burma. It's the Germans who are pulling back in
Week 187B - The End of Hydra? - WW2 - April 1, 1943
Apr 1, 2022 · 10 min
The phantom submarine that has been savaging both Japanese and Allied shipping in the South Pacific is tracked to Hydra Island, Baron von Strucker's base. The fighting for it is a
Week 188 - Patton Has a Plan, and it's Bad - WW2 - April 2, 1943
Apr 2, 2022 · 18 min
American attacks in Tunisia meet with local disaster, but in general the Axis forces are withdrawing there. The Allies learn about the German rocketry plans this week, and both sid
Week 189 - Mussolini is Tired of War - WW2 - April 9th, 1943
Apr 9, 2022 · 18 min
Adolf Hitler meets with Benito Mussolini to hopefully restore his flagging morale and convince him that the Axis can hold out in North Africa, but the situation there grows more pr
Week 190 - Kursk - The Next Great Battle? - WW2 - April 16, 1943
Apr 16, 2022 · 19 min
The Allies have one chance left to catch the Axis forces in Tunisia before they can reach the Tunis defences, in the USSR both the Axis and Soviets are making plans for a fight nea
Week 191 - Ladies and Gentlemen, We Got Him - Yamamoto - WW2 - April 23, 1943
Apr 23, 2022 · 19 min
The mastermind of Pearl Harbor meets his fate this week in the Solomons, as do a great many Italian airmen and sailors in the Mediterranean in the Palm Sunday Massacre trying to su
Week 192 - The Race for Tunisia Turns into a Crawl - WW2 - April 30, 1943
Apr 30, 2022 · 17 min
The Allies launch a deception operation to hide their intent of soon attacking Sicily, but first, they'll actually have to secure Tunisia, and it is slow going. A German offensive
Week 193 - Kilroy was Here! The Fall of Tunis - WW2 - May 7, 1943
May 7, 2022 · 17 min
Tunis falls to the Allies, but the Axis are still fighting back from their little corner of Tunisia. There is more of the seemingly endless fighting in the Kuban in the Caucasus, a
Week 194 - The End of the War in Africa - WW2 - May 14, 1943
May 14, 2022 · 17 min
With the end of the Tunisian Campaign, the Allies have won the war for the African Continent. What next? They meet at the Trident Conference in Washington DC to try and figure that
Week 195 - Wrapping up the North African Campaign - WW2 - May 21, 1943
May 21, 2022 · 16 min
The Allies have won the battle for Africa, but now they have nearly 250,000 POWs to care for, and do not have the facilities to do so. The Trident Conference continues in Washingto
Week 196 - Black May, Nazi Subs Defeated - WW2 - May 28, 1943
May 28, 2022 · 18 min
German Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz orders the U-Boats to leave the Atlantic this week; the losses lately have just been too great for their patrols to continue there. There is active
Week 197 - Banzai Charges in Alaska - WW2 - June 4, 1943
Jun 4, 2022 · 19 min
The Chinese defeat the Japanese at Shipai Fortress and the Americans maul the Japanese in the Aleutians. The Japanese are also worried about the possibility of the USSR joining the
Week 198 - Eisenhower Lays Out His Plans for Sicily - WW2 - June 11, 1943
Jun 11, 2022 · 17 min
The Allies bomb Mediterranean islands in preparation for their invasion of Sicily next month; they also prepare a lot of deceptions to mislead the enemy as to where they will attac
Week 199 - Kursk: Soviets Dig-In for Blitzkrieg - WW2 - June 18, 1943
Jun 18, 2022 · 17 min
The Soviets have put civilians to work by the hundreds of thousands, building line after line of defenses in the Kursk Salient, where they are sure the Germans are soon to attack.
Week 200 - Two Hundred Weeks of War - WW2 - June 25, 1943
Jun 25, 2022 · 17 min
The Allies make some preliminary moves ahead of their next big operation in the Solomon Island as well as a few before their impending invasion of Sicily. Meanwhile, in the Soviet
Week 201 - Tougher than Guadalcanal: New Georgia - July 2, 1943
Jul 2, 2022 · 16 min
The Allies begin the next phase of their Solomon Islands offensives, the invasion of New Georgia, even as the regional fighting continues on New Guinea. Adolf Hitler schedules his
Week 202 - Kursk, When Titans Clash - July 9, 1943
Jul 10, 2022 · 21 min
Adolf Hitler launches his huge summer offensive in the USSR, Operation Citadel, known as the Battle of Kursk. Men in the millions clash. The Allies New Georgia campaign continues i
Week 202 B - Prokhorovka: An Avalanche of Armor - WW2 - July 13, 1943
Jul 13, 2022 · 17 min
As dawn broke on 12th July 1943, the spearheads of the German II SS Panzer Corps and the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army were shuffling into their positions. The battle of Zitadelle wa
Week 203 - Who Let the Dogs Out?! - The Invasion of Sicily - WW2 - July 16, 1943
Jul 16, 2022 · 21 min
The Allies have begun their fight to take back Western Europe with Operation Husky. That's not the only news though. They are also trying to extend their foothold in the Solomons,
Week 204 - After a Victory at Kursk, The Soviets Attack Everywhere - WW2 - July 23, 1943
Jul 23, 2022 · 17 min
The Allied invasion of Italy powers on and puts the future of a key axis power at play. In the USSR, the Soviets have learnt to deal with German offensives, as the Wehrmacht strugg
Week 205 - Mussolini Falls from Power - WW2 - July 30, 1943
Jul 30, 2022 · 16 min
The Allied advance on Sicily continues, though they're really gearing up for operations next week. The Soviet advances around in the USSR and in New Georgia also continue, with the
Week 206 - Allied Tidal Wave in Romania - WW2 - August 6, 1943
Aug 6, 2022 · 20 min
The Allies bomb the Romanian oil fields, a major Axis source of oil, but it does not go well for the attackers. They do advance in both Sicily and the Solomon Islands- where a futu
Week 207 - Manstein Goes Great War Style - WW2 - August 13, 1943
Aug 13, 2022 · 20 min
From Sicily to Spas-Demensk, the Axis continue conceding ground to the Allies this week. But the fighting is still tough. The Wehrmacht has halted the Red Army offensive in the Kub
Week 208 - Sicily Liberated; Italy in the Firing Line - WW2 - August 20, 1943
Aug 20, 2022 · 19 min
The British and Americans race for Messina to complete the conquest of Sicily- who will reach it first? On New Guinea, the Allies destroy a substantial Japanese air force; there a
Week 209 - Kharkov Changes Hands for the Fourth Time - WW2 - August 27, 1943
Aug 27, 2022 · 20 min
As the war grows ever more ferocious, some people are unfortunate enough to see the front line arrive to their villages, towns, and cities multiple times.
Week 210 - The War is Four Years Old this Week - WW2 - September 3, 1943
Sep 3, 2022 · 16 min
Four years of war and no real end in sight, but as the week ends the Allies land their first troops on Italy, actively committing themselves to a front in Western Europe. In the US
Week 211 - The Allies' Latest Victory - WW2 - September 1943
Sep 10, 2022 · 15 min
Dwight Eisenhower publicly announces the secret armistice signed last week, and Italy is now officially out of the war. The Italian Fleet sails for Malta and Allied captivity. The
Week 212 - Jailbreak! Mussolini on the Loose Again! - WW2 - September 17, 1943
Sep 17, 2022 · 18 min
Week 213 - Red Army Reaches the Dnieper - WW2 - September 24, 1943
Sep 24, 2022 · 19 min
Benito Mussolini proclaims a new fascist republic in Italy, but this time it is a full puppet state to Germany. There is scattered fighting around Italy and the Dodecanese- includi
Week 214 - Smolensk and Naples Liberated! Both in Ruins - WW2 - October 1, 1943
Oct 1, 2022 · 20 min
Major prizes are taken by the Allies this week on two fronts- Naples in Italy and Smolensk in the USSR, but they are advancing all over the Eastern Front, across the Italian penins
Week 215 - Could the Soviets Cut Off Crimea? - WW2 - October 8, 1943
Oct 8, 2022 · 17 min
The Germans booby-trapped Naples when they evacuated last week and local civilians now pay the price. In the Mediterranean, Kos falls to the Germans while Corsica is liberated by t
Week 216 - Zaporizhzhia! - WW2 - October 15, 1943
Oct 15, 2022 · 19 min
The Allies begin an aerial bombing campaign against the Japanese base at Rabaul. It has big success, though Allied bombing in Europe this week achieves big failure. The Allied adva
Week 217 - Stalin Agrees to the United Nations - WW2 - October 22, 1943
Oct 22, 2022 · 17 min
A Conference in Moscow lays out some postwar plans of the Allies, but the war has to be won first. The Allies fight their way across both the Dnieper and Volturno Rivers, but the
Week 218 - Fresh German Armour in the USSR! - WW2 - October 29, 1943
Oct 29, 2022 · 19 min
Erich von Manstein finally gets the reserve armor he's been begging Hitler for, so he can carry out his counteroffensive in Ukraine. The Soviets are still on the move themselves th
Week 219 - Allies Launch New Phase in Pacific War - WW2 - November 5, 1943
Nov 5, 2022 · 20 min
The Allies hit the beaches of Bougainville, largest and last of the Solomon Islands. They create and expand a beachhead there and also win battles there at sea and in the skies. I
Week 220 - Kiev Liberated! Celebrations in Moscow! - WW2 - November 12, 1943
Nov 12, 2022 · 18 min
The Red Army has driven the Axis forces out of Kiev, third largest city in the USSR. The Allies are also advancing, albeit slowly and at great cost, in Italy, but in the South Paci
Week 221 - A Conspiracy to Kill America's President? - WW2 - November 19, 1943
Nov 19, 2022 · 18 min
A torpedo attack against the President; a Marine invasion in the central Pacific that turns very bloody in a hurry; German counterattacks in the Soviet Union; a bombing raid in Ita
Week 222 - The Costliest Day in US Marine History - WW" - November 26, 1943
Nov 26, 2022 · 23 min
The Americans attack the Gilbert Islands this week, and though they successfully take Tarawa and Makin Atolls, it is VERY costly in lives, and show that the Japanese are not going
Week 223 - Operation Overlord Confirmed at Teheran - WW2 - December 3, 1943
Dec 3, 2022 · 19 min
The Teheran Conference is in full swing and the Allied leadership and plan for a cross channel invasion of Europe is agreed upon by Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt. There are new
Week 224 - An Amphibious Landing to Take Rome? - WW2 - December 10, 1943
Dec 10, 2022 · 19 min
There are plans afoot to hit the enemy from behind in Italy. Allied leaders are meeting again in Cairo to go over other plans, notably what to do about China and Burma. There is ac
Week 225 - A Super Bomber to Break Japan - WW2 - December 17, 1943
Dec 17, 2022 · 19 min
This war has now lasted as long as the Great War did, but there's no signs of it slowing. The Soviets have three offensives going on on the Eastern Front, in Italy the Allies are a
Week 226 - Stalin's Christmas Surprise - Major Offensive to Come - WW2 - December 24, 1943
Dec 24, 2022 · 20 min
Twas the night before Christmas and the war was grinding on. The Moro River Campaign continues in Italy with Canadian infantry pushing past the Gully and into 'Little Stalingrad'.
Week 227 - Canadians Take Little Stalingrad - WW2 - December 31, 1943
Dec 31, 2022 · 18 min
1943 reaches its end with no end in sight for the war. In Italy, the Canadians take Ortona after bloody close fighting, the US Marines advance on New Britain, and a new Soviet off