
Apocalypse: The Second World War ·Apocalypse : La 2ème Guerre mondiale
A six-part French documentary about the Second World War composed exclusively of actual footage of the war as filmed by war correspondents, soldiers, resistance fighters and private citizens. The series is shown in color, with the black and white footage being fully colorized, save for some original color footage. The only exception to the treatment are most Holocaust scenes, which are presented in the original black and white.
- Created By
Jean-Louis GuillaudIsabelle ClarkeDaniel CostelleHenri de Turenne
- First Aired on
Sep 08, 2009
- Popularity: 15.2956
- 140 votes
- Networks
- (FR)
- Production
CC&C (FR)Établissement de Communication et de Production Audiovisuelle de la Défense (ECPAD)NHK (JP)France 2 (FR)National Geographic (US)ECPAD (FR)
- Status: Ended
Show Ended
1 seaons till Sep 22, 2009
Last episode: Inferno (1944-1945)
Seasons & episodes
Total 1 seasons, 6 episodes

Miniseries
Aired
Episode 1Aggression (1933–1939)53 min
Colourised footage of Hitler as he visits the Austrian village where he grew up, see the heart-felt good-byes as French soldiers leave loved ones at Gare de l’Est train station in Paris and civilians. Hitler continues his conquest of Europe by invading Holland and Belgium.
Episode 2Crushing Defeat (1939–1940)53 min
The British troops hastily evacuate from the beaches at Dunkirk, France, but are forced to abandon kilometres of precious military vehicles and equipment. Heart-rending footage captures the plight of thousands of French civilians as they flee from the Nazis, as well as home movies taken by Londoners as they dig out from daily bombings.
Episode 3Shock (1940–1941)50 min
Polish prisoners and Jews are forced into slave labour to complete Nazi building projects. The Italian army is in disarray so Hitler dispatches one of his best generals to Libya. The Afrika Korps fry eggs on the surfaces of their tanks amidst the blistering desert sands of North Africa. Shock includes vivid colourised footage of the battle for the Soviet Union as the Germans struggle toward Moscow in the brutal Russian winter.
Episode 4World Ablaze (1941-1942)53 min
America joins the war as the conflict rages in South-East Asia, North Africa and Russia. The Allied forces are unable to slow the furious progress of the Japanese army through South-East Asia. Even India and Australia are at risk. The Nazis instigate The Final Solution.
Episode 5The Noose (1942-1943)52 min
The turning of the war against Germany, with Allied victory at El Alamein and Russian triumph at Stalingrad. In the North Atlantic, the Allies make progress in reducing the threat from German U-boats. Inside Hitler's Germany the SS gain more power, and in southern Europe the Allies fight their way though Italy.
Top Cast
- Mathieu Kassovitz
Narrator (voice)
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Self (archive footage)
- Adolf Hitler
Self (archive footage)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
Self (archive footage)
- Charles de Gaulle
Self (archive footage)
- Heinrich Himmler
Self (archive footage)
- Erwin Rommel
Self (archive footage)
- Joseph StalinИосиф Сталин
Self (archive footage)
Crew & Team

Producer