Early in the war, the Germans decide they need to guarantee access to the Norwegian port of Narvik to ensure their supplies of Swedish iron ore. The British, however, send destroyers to up-end the German plan. Fierce sea battles result in the loss of many ships and soldiers. One German who was there tells his story.

Europe is under Hitler's Blitzkireg. To keep France free, 400,000 English soldiers have manned the battlefields. Germany's strength is too great and pushes the British to the coast town of Dunkirk where they are trapped. With the Germany army massing to surround them, an armada of every kind of boat forms to transport them back to England against all odds. The dramatic rescue of 338,000 will be known as the miracle of Dunkirk.

After British forces withdrew in defeat from Greece to the island of Crete in early 1941, they were soon fighting German invasion armies again. This time, 5,000 of Hitler's elite paratroopers landed to complete their conquest in the Mediterranean. This was the largest and most ambitious airborne operation to date. It was a dangerous campaign for both the British and the Germans.

For the first time since Americans entered the war, Marines face Japanese infantrymen at Guadalcanal. In the jungles, two powerful armies clash in a six month battle that claims nearly 30,000 lives. In their attempt to retake the Island's landing field, the Japanese are outnumbered four to one. Nearly 1,000 of them are cut down in a matter of hours.

The Allies launch an ill-fated attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe, France. By the middle of 1942, the allies are anxious to attack the Germans in Normandy but they are not prepared for a full-scaled invasion. Instead, a raiding party of 6,000 troops, including 5,000 Canadians, makes an ill-fated attempt to land at Dieppe, France. The heavily fortified German emplacements make it impossible for the forces to accomplish their mission. More than half of the force become casualties or are taken prisoner.