TV SERIES · 1973–1974 · UK
The World at War
- Network
- ITV1
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 26
- Studio
- Thames Television, Blakeway Productions
48 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
A documentary series that gives a historical account of the events of World War II, from its roots in the 1920s to the aftermath and the lives it profoundly influenced.
48 Interesting Facts About The World at War
Interesting Facts (14)
- #001
Albert Speer's testimony in the series is now considered highly unreliable. Speer considerably downplayed his involvement in Nazi atrocities. After his death a letter he wrote in December 1971 proved he had full knowledge of the Holocaust throughout its course, despite his repeated public denials.
- #002
- #003
- #004
- #005
Joseph Stalin deliberately waited until 17 September 1939 before launching his invasion of Poland, since he knew that the UK and France would not be able to declare war on the Soviet Union as well as Germany. The UK and France did consider declaring war following the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, as well as immediately bombing Baku to help the Finns.
- #006
- #007
Joseph Stalin intended to attack German forces in Eastern Europe by 1944. Adolf Hitler was aware of this and launched Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941 as a pre-emptive strike, before Stalin had time to fully prepare for war against the European Axis Powers. The Soviet offensive plans controversy suggested Stalin was preparing to attack the Axis in the summer of 1941.
- #008
Some historians have suggested there was no need for an invasion of Japan (Operation Downfall), and a naval blockade with conventional bombings would have starved Japan into surrendering. It is believed Operation Starvation would have forced the country to surrender in the summer of 1945 if it had been started earlier.
- #009
- #010
- #011
- #012
- #013
Joseph Stalin planned to attack German forces in Eastern Europe only by 1944. Adolf Hitler was aware of this and launched Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941 as a preventive strike before Stalin could find the time to fully prepare for war against the European Axis Powers. The debate over Soviet attack plans indicated that Stalin was preparing to attack the Axis in the summer of 1941.
- #014
Some historians have argued that the invasion of Japan (Operation Downfall) was unnecessary and that a naval blockade combined with conventional bombing would have starved Japan into surrender. It is believed that Operation Starvation, had it been launched earlier, would have forced the country to surrender in the summer of 1945.
Production Story (9)
- #015
- #016
- #017
Albert Speer's statements in the documentary are now considered extremely unreliable. Speer significantly downplayed his role in Nazi atrocities. After his death, a letter he wrote in December 1971 proved that, despite repeated public denials, he had full knowledge throughout the course of the Holocaust.
- #018
- #019
Many historians believe that Japan surrendered because of the Soviet Union's declaration of war and simultaneous invasion of Manchuria on 9 August 1945. It has also been argued that the Allies' naval blockade and conventional bombing could have forced Japan to surrender without the need for nuclear weapons.
- #020
One fact not mentioned in the series is that Joseph Stalin violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on 28 June 1940 by annexing Bukovina. Following this, the German High Command began planning in July 1940 the invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Otto and later renamed Operation Barbarossa. In June 1940 the Soviets occupied the Baltic States, Bessarabia and northern Bukovina. Because this brought Ploiești, the source of nearly two-thirds of German oil, within two days' tank distance of the new border, the OKW began planning Barbarossa. When Joseph Stalin formally offered to join the Axis Powers on 25 November 1940, he also demanded the withdrawal of Axis forces from Eastern Europe. This threatened to cut off Germany's main oil supply from Romania and led Adolf Hitler to approve planning for Operation Barbarossa on 18 December 1940.
- #021
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini's decision to declare war on the United States on 11 December 1941 is described in the series as a mistake. It is likely, however, that this made no difference. Because Britain declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor, all restrictions on aiding Britain had been lifted. It was only a matter of time before German and Italian submarines began sinking American ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Britain, which would have given the US government a casus belli to declare war on Germany and Italy. Hitler and Mussolini could no longer ignore the enormous economic and military aid the United States was giving to the Soviet Union and the British Empire. Some historians believe Germany and Italy should have declared war on the United States after the Destroyers for Bases Agreement in 1940. The United States had formally abandoned its neutrality with the start of Lend-Lease in March 1941. American destroyers escorting convoys had effectively been at war with German submarines in the Atlantic for months, and Hitler's declaration of war made the Second Happy Time possible for the submarines. In early December 1941, Hitler and Mussolini had learned of "Rainbow Five," the plans for American forces to conduct offensive operations against Axis forces in Europe and North Africa. It is disputed whether they were aware of the Plan Dog memorandum, which determined that the United States would focus on defeating Germany and Italy while fighting a defensive war against Japan in the Pacific. Roosevelt had effectively declared naval war on Germany and Italy by issuing the "shoot on sight" order in early September 1941, and he confirmed this to the public in a speech on 11 September. In December 1940, Admiral Ernest King had said that the United States was already at war with Germany.
- #022
The Battle of Greece did not in fact delay the invasion of the Soviet Union. The operation could not begin until June 1941 because of equipment shortages, delays in building air bases in Eastern Europe, and the inability of armored units to move due to excessive flooding from the late melting of rivers and canals. The campaigns in Greece and Yugoslavia in fact helped Hitler conceal his buildup for Barbarossa.
- #023
Many historians believe Japan surrendered because of the Soviet Union's declaration of war and simultaneous invasion of Manchuria on 9 August 1945. It has also been argued that the Allies' naval blockade and conventional bombing could have forced Japan to surrender without the need for nuclear weapons.
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #024
- #025
Susan McConachy was responsible for locating ex-members of the SS for potential interviews. She spent months trying to find Karl Wolff, without success. However, whilst she was staying at a hotel in Berlin, Wolff arrived and introduced himself to her by saying, "I hear you are looking for me?" At first she was surprised by how charming he was, but as he tried to justify the ideology of Aryan superiority, she came to detest him. However, she did not argue with what he said, in order to gain his trust for an interview. She was unhappy with interviewing other SS veterans too, as she had to be dishonest about her own feelings and hoped that she didn't appear to totally agree with what they said.
Deeper Meaning (22)
- #026
- #027
The joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland was agreed in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on 23 August 1939. Adolf Hitler could only invade Poland if Joseph Stalin did as well, otherwise Germany risked fighting a two-front war in 1939 before it had sufficiently rearmed. Stalin waited until 17 September before launching his invasion, knowing France and the British Empire would be unable to declare war on the Soviet Union as well as Germany.
- #028
- #029
Many historians believe Japan surrendered because of the Soviet Union's declaration of war on 9 August 1945 and simultaneous invasion of Manchuria. It has also been suggested that an Allied naval blockade combined with conventional bombing would have been able to starve Japan into surrendering without the need for nuclear weapons.
- #030
The Battle of Greece did not in fact delay the invasion of the Soviet Union. The operation could not begin until June 1941 because of equipment shortages, a delay in building aircraft bases in eastern Europe, and because the rivers and canals were heavily flooded due to the late thaw, making it impossible for armored units to move. The campaigns in Greece and Yugoslavia actually helped Hitler conceal the build-up for Barbarossa.
- #031
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini's decision to declare war on the United States on 11 December 1941 is described in the series as a mistake. However it is likely that it made no difference. As the UK had declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor, all restrictions on aiding Britain were off. It would only have been a short matter of time until German and Italian U-Boats began sinking American ships that were carrying arms and munitions to the UK, giving the US government its casus belli to declare war on Germany and Italy. Hitler and Mussolini could no longer ignore the vast amount of economic and military aid the US was giving to the Soviet Union and the British Empire. Some historians believe that Germany and Italy should have declared war on the US after the Destroyers for Bases Agreement in 1940. The US had officially abandoned its neutral stance in March 1941 with the beginning of Lend-Lease. American destroyers escorting convoys had already been de facto at war for months with German U-boats in the Atlantic, and Hitler's war declaration made the Second Happy Time possible for U-boats. Early in December 1941 Hitler and Mussolini had learned of "Rainbow Five", plans for offensive operations by American forces against Axis forces in Europe and North Africa. It is disputed whether they were aware of the Plan Dog memorandum, which determined the US would focus on defeating Germany and Italy while fighting a defensive war in the Pacific against Japan. Roosevelt had effectively declared naval war on Germany and Italy in early September 1941 when he issued the "shoot on sight order", which he publicly confirmed in a speech on 11 September. In December 1940 Admiral Ernest King had said that the US was already at war with Germany.
- #032
Albert Speer's testimony in the series is now considered highly unreliable. Speer considerably downplayed his involvement in Nazi atrocities. After his death, a letter he wrote in December 1971 proved he had full knowledge of the Holocaust throughout its course, despite his repeated public denials.
- #033
Although the invasion of the Soviet Union is often portrayed as a mistake and a turning point in the war, in reality Adolf Hitler could not continue the war against the British Empire without vastly increased reserves of oil and grain. He was forced to turn east after the failure to defeat the UK in 1940-41, in order to seize the natural resources.
- #034
Not mentioned in the series is the fact that Joseph Stalin violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by annexing Bukovina on 28 June 1940. Following this the German High Command began planning the invasion of the Soviet Union in July 1940 under the code name Operation Otto, which was later changed to Operation Barbarossa.
- #035
The UK and France rejected a German-Soviet peace proposal on 28 September 1939. Adolf Hitler offered to end the war on 6 October 1939 following the German-Soviet conquest of Poland. The German government put out peace feelers to Britain on 26 May 1940, the first day of the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk. Hitler offered to end the war with the UK on 19 July 1940 following the Fall of France, and only authorized the bombing of RAF fighter bases in August after the British had already bombed German cities for three months. In May 1941 he again offered to end the war in the West if the British Empire did not interfere with Operation Barbarossa. Winston Churchill chose to reject Hitler's peace offers in 1940 and 1941.
- #036
- #037
When Joseph Stalin offered to formally join the Axis Powers on 25 November 1940 he also requested that Axis forces should withdraw from eastern Europe. This threatened to cut off Germany's main supply of oil from Romania, and led Adolf Hitler to authorize planning for Operation Barbarossa on 18 December 1940.
- #038
- #039
The attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor was regarded as a war crime because the Japanese government did not declare war first. Declarations of war were rendered obsolete after World War II by the United Nations Charter. The Japanese had sent a message stating that negotiations with the US had been terminated, but there was a delay in its translation and it arrived half an hour after the attack had started. Japan formally declared war on the United States and the British Empire on 8 December 1941 (7 December in US time).
- #040
- #041
Early in 1941 Adolf Hitler was faced with the choice between obtaining more oil from the Soviet Union or surrendering. Undoubtedly Joseph Stalin would have resisted any demands for increased oil deliveries, or at least made an increase dependent on greatly increased German deliveries of manufactured products that Germany would have been incapable of meeting. Viewed in that light, the invasion of the Soviet Union appears inevitable, even without the ideological aspect.
- #042
- #043
Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to invade Poland through a secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed on 23 August 1939. In 1989 the Soviet government publicly apologized for the secret protocol. Adolf Hitler could only invade Poland if Joseph Stalin also invaded, otherwise Germany would have faced the risk of a two-front war in 1939 without being sufficiently armed. Stalin waited until 17 September, knowing that France and the British Empire could not declare war on both Germany and the Soviet Union. The United Kingdom and France considered declaring war after the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939 and bombing Baku to aid the Finns.
- #044
Without the invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Germany's oil would have run out by August and it could not have continued the war against the British Empire. In early 1941 Adolf Hitler faced a choice between obtaining more oil from the Soviet Union or surrendering. It was certain that Joseph Stalin would resist increased oil deliveries or at least make them conditional on increased deliveries of manufactured goods that Germany could not afford. From this perspective, even without an ideological dimension, the invasion of the Soviet Union appears inevitable. Although the invasion of the Soviet Union is usually portrayed as a mistake and a turning point in the war, in reality Adolf Hitler could not have continued the war against the British Empire without greatly increased oil and grain reserves. Having failed to defeat the United Kingdom in 1940-41, he was forced to turn east to seize natural resources.
- #045
The attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor was regarded as a war crime because the Japanese government did not declare war first. Declarations of war were invalidated by the United Nations Charter after World War II. The Japanese had sent a message stating that negotiations with the US had ended, but there was a delay in its translation and the message arrived half an hour after the attack began. Japan formally declared war on the US and the British Empire on 8 December 1941 (7 December by US time).
- #046
The United Kingdom and France rejected a German-Soviet peace proposal on September 28, 1939. Adolf Hitler offered to end the war on October 6, 1939, after Germany and the Soviet Union's conquest of Poland. On May 26, 1940, the first day of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, the German government sent peace signals to Britain. After the fall of France, Hitler offered to end the war with the United Kingdom on July 19, 1940, and only approved the bombing of RAF bases in August, after the British had bombed German cities for three months. In May 1941, he again offered to end the war in the West if the British Empire did not intervene in Operation Barbarossa. Winston Churchill chose to reject Hitler's peace offers in 1940 and 1941.
- #047
Career & Awards (1)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
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- IMDb
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