World War Two Explained: The Key Battles and Dates

Dan Snow explains the most destructive war in history. From its origins through the dark days of 1940 through to the defeat of Germany and the dropping of the atomic bomb. World War Two changed the world.
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00:00 Introduction
01:10 When Did WW2 Start?
02:39 1939
05:49 1940
12:11 1941
15:56 1942
17:41 1943
20:31 1944
23:26 1945
26:55 Post-WW2

[@johnbulger8044]

that was the most succinct, comprehensive, level-headed summary of WWII I've ever heard - good show mate!

[@priatalat]

This is why I love English. You can use words that mean the same thing but evoke specific emotions.

[@MargaretUK]

💯👍

[@marrs1013]

From a British centric European point of view, yes.

[@danubiosalas4231]

@@marrs1013I guess France, Germany, Russia and Japan have KZbinrs able to do their own centric reviews.

[@andymartin6471]

Better a American point of view?@@marrs1013

[@damngoodjob1]

This is one of the best short summaries of WW2 that I have ever seen. Simply brilliant and should be shown in schools worldwide. Bloody well done.

[@epicsilvergamer2545]

It is now! My teacher used it to explain to us WW2!

[@esjey6953]

Dan Snow, Bethany Hughes, Mary Beard and Simon...., are the best British historians. Love their narration and comprehensive understanding of history.

[@alexcurtas2616]

I'd watch Dan Snow explain pretty much anything. Great video!

[@darrenjosephgregory]

I love how you answer the question of when did the war start with 'it depends on your point of view' we in the west (UK for me) often only think of Europe, but if we generally accept the defeat of Japan as the end, I think it is fair to say that it began in 1937 with the invasion of China by Japan. Keep up the good work.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Speak for yourself I don’t just think Europe.

[@TheGamer-ld8xd]

@@anthonyeaton5153He did say “often”

[@user-cm9sn1xr1i]

No, I don't think so because the Axis alliance was signed in 1940, more precisely on September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact. WW2 start in Europe and end in Asia because the two majors power of the Axis was defeated in Europe by 1945.

[@dawsonlindahl7427]

@@user-cm9sn1xr1iyes, this is the correct view. Don’t get me wrong, Japan was doing some wild shit beforehand. But Europe wouldn’t have gotten involved with Japan independently, it would have been just another regional war and Europe would have normalized relations with the Japanese empire within a decade

[@kaitefink2031]

An amazing summary in under a half hour while still explaining all the major details clearly! Well done!

[@kueller917]

One part that never ceases to amaze me is the true global extent of the world war. Almost every country on the planet on some level was involved in the war, a scale even greater than the first. Even with our current world in chaos everything still feels far away so the scale of conflict in the 1940s is hard to comprehend.

[@rageagainstmyhatchet]

Apart from South America... Which was largely unaffected(?)

[@kueller917]

@@rageagainstmyhatchet In combat and destruction, yes, but for other reasons many ended up joining the Allies and aiding then with production, so were still part of the war.

[@cskiller86]

Meanwhile, Switzerland is like "nah, bruh"

[@inigobantok1579]

it was the culmination of 300 years of ideology set in a very simple premise: Liberty or Tyranny. Might vs Right. Democracy vs Fascism.

[@zachm.2651]

What an absolutely fantastic succinct brief of World War II. Really just absolutely succeeded here. Obviously there’s enough detail to hammer out tens of thousands of hours of video, but I’m guilty of it and know plenty of people who pursue those veins of knowledge and can easily miss out on some of the pretty significant aspects of the war. I’m sure this will be as educational a video for many as it will be inspirational to dive into new areas to learn more details of certain operations for people. Just blown away again by the quality of content here.

[@drew_peabawlz]

That was bloody brilliant

[@johnnyoutlaw6534]

My great grandfather was at the battle of Midway and the battle of Okinawa. He used to tell me stories about them and he even had classic naval tattoos. He was a living bad ass and also a very sweet and loving man. RIP Papa

[@georgejernigan3312]

Bravo Dan!

[@williamrobinson7435]

Good this. A great summary! Nice one Dan and team. ⭐👍

[@cskiller86]

This was a great summary of WW2. I would love to see a similar video on The Great War.

[@DoctorXProducer]

Wow, really glossed over the North Africa campaign. No mention of the East Africa campaign or the fall of Singapore and only a glancing mention of Hong Kong. At least Imphal and Kohima was noted, but nothing else at all about the China-Burma-India theater. A decent summary but not comprehensive. Still appreciated this video.

[@AledPritchard]

Despite knowing all of this…. Wow! Much respect. Love the channel, love Dan Snow. Also, this condensed, or bitesize video would be a great introduction for learners of this period.

[@janfelchner1543]

20:33 In 1944 indeed Soviets crushed German armies, but this one offensive must have been mentioned: operation Bagration - the biggest one, the most successful, the one which disintegrated the whole German central army, comparable to operation Uranus from 1942/43.

[@alancooper9632]

I'm 65 and have been fascinated by the second world war since as a young lad watching all our yesterdays in the 1960's . For someone younger this is the perfect thing to watch to get an interest in an absolute fascinating part of world history.

[@user-fq4oi1dg8s]

I like this man; he gives detailed history.

[@tramolho]

What a wonderfull work!!! 🤩👌 Great video! 🙌🏻

[@gavinedmondstone316]

That was an amazing quick summary! Inevitably simplifications were made. China was the scene of much bitter fighting throughout the was but lacked real highlights so I understand the minimal coverage. I have heard it argued that the German invasion of the Balkans did not delay Barbarossa (the invasion of the USSR) because they needed to wait for the ground to dry up after the spring mud season anyway. I think a word about the forced movements of people in post-war Europe would have been worthwhile. Those points made, it was an excellent video.

[@alexamerling79]

Amazing summary of the war. Great job Dan!

[@oneworldawakening]

Despite growing up with knowledge of the war, the scope and scale of it are still mind-boggling.

[@missvidabom]

Oh, Dan Snow. I cried so much watching this. You always make the scale of war so much larger and at the same time, so much smaller somehow. Your next-door neighbor and the person across the globe. All of us have been torn apart and connected through war. The true violence and destruction, I cannot even comprehend. I can’t imagine the fear, the anger, the blood on all sides of the war. No matter how many movies, tv shows, and documentaries I watch, or books I read, I still cannot know the true cost in bullets and blood.

[@stevemull2002]

I learnt a lot with this vid, thanks, How did south america, keep them selves out, or did i miss a bit

[@destroyer2579]

Yap sesh

[@todd9593]

For real!!! I relate to this homie!

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

A wonderful introduction by history Hit channel... Thank you for sharing .

[@GreeklishOutdoors]

A fantastic overview of WW2. I love your passion on the subject. It made me want to read about it in more detail 🙂👍

[@rodeastell3615]

Excellent ... thanks for posting.

[@hollye142]

You’re the best

[@cos-9113]

In the intro you forget the fourth dictator critical to the start, also wanting to increase his empire: the Soviet Union/Joe Stalin and the desire for half of Poland, part of Finland, and all of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. Stalin was Hitlers equal partner and resource supplier until Hitler turned on him.

[@John14-6...]

My thoughts exactly!

[@tausifameen956]

Do one for WWI as well

[@kimberlyholt2241]

Excellent short documentary!!!!!👏 Although, it's simply heartbreaking of all the loss of lives! 💔

[@archer8492]

That was a very effective, succinct and clear overview of an incredibly complex and important topic.

[@stephaniecoulshaw9288]

That was excellent! Very informative and interesting.

[@devoncook5899]

that was the most succinct, comprehensive, level-headed summary of WWII I've ever heard - good show mate! (bulger said it good)

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Surely it is either succinct or comprehensive but not both.

[@Toldale15]

Another perfect video from this channel! Thank-you.

[@iancole931]

Excellent description. One very important point however that was left out. The battle of midway only succeeded because the Japanese didn't know that 3 American aircraft carriers were not in Pearl Harbour at the time of the raid. It was these ships with their hundreds of planes that were able to destroy the Japanese fleet. Had these ships been in Pearl Harbour at the time of the raid it might have been a completely different outcome.

[@superpantman]

That's a great overview of the war. I think you did an excellent job explaining the German-UK dynamic. Germany never wanted to fight Britain they just wanted them to give up so they could focus on eastern Europe. In a way it's lucky the Brits could retreat after Dunkirk, protected by the channel. If there was a landbridge between Britain and Europe, Britain would have fallen very quickly in the early days of the war similar to France.

[@ruthindigo]

If there was a land bridge between Britain and Europe the world would look so completely different it's not really worth considering.

[@benboucher-giles2241]

@@ruthindigo I'm inclined to agree: Had such a land bridge existed the UK would have been defeated swiftly but that's because the UK had focused upon its navy almost to the exclusion of the army, largely because it has a large moat around it (and needed a navy to obtain and retain its Empire). Had there been a land bridge (and of course there was one until c.6,500 BC, search for 'Doggerland') then I suspect that the Western part of Europe would have enjoyed a very different history indeed. A more interesting question would be, had the English been unable to get any troops off the mainland at Dunkirk, would that have changed Hitler's timetable for the invasion of Britain and would it have changed the course of the war?

[@anthonyeaton5153]

@@benboucher-giles2241 is that the sum of your WW2 knowledge talking about What Ifs? It is a lazy argument.

[@GEL0_12]

The Axis betraying the Soviet Union was the worst mistake followed by Japan angering and waking a sleeping giant

[@54mgtf22]

Hey Dan. Love your work 👍

[@perarduaadastra7648]

Hey Dan, great video. Although as an Aussie, I do get sick and tired of being lumped into “British Forces” and/or American Forces. Aussies did perform quite well as part of the Empire (Tobruk and El Alamein) and in coalition with USA in the Pacific (Singapore and Kokoda). Even the good old Kiwis deserve a mention for Crete and Italy. And Canada was awesome! Might be nice to get a look in every now and then.🇦🇺🇳🇿🇨🇦

[@stephmaehder4155]

I was shocked not to hear Australia even mentioned with El Alamein! I'm Canadian and am more familiar with the battles of mainland Europe. Even with my limited knowledge of the African theater I know the Australians were unbelievable.

[@MrHullRockers]

They were British Empire troops. India, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland's individual troops don't get a mention either.

[@TheSnoopHogg69]

As a Kiwi I agree. Always hard to not hear the ANZACs get a shout

[@anthonyeaton5153]

It makes a change not hearing the Aussies mentioned who on other forums can’t stop shouting about themselves whilst denigrating British troops which is scandalous.

[@perarduaadastra7648]

@@anthonyeaton5153 Of course, as opposed to us being written off as untrained, ill disciplined, colonial hooligans. How dare we be parochial? All’s fair in love and war. 🇦🇺

[@IamdeaththedestroyerofWorlds]

Are you planning to make videos for WW3 after it is finished?

[@SaturnCanuck]

Wow~! A great overview. Excellent.

[@SirFatDuck]

Fantastic way to put such a complex time in history into a nutshell

[@tjanderson5892]

After Dunkirk and the rest of France I always wondered if Brittain would’ve been open to either allying w/ Hitler or a non aggression pact while Hitler targeted the SU. Once Hitler bombed Britain that possibility was gone forever, but the few months before that may have been able to change history

[@LudiCrust.]

I’ve studied WWII for most of my adult life. This is very well put together. I don’t know why exactly but most of us have a hard time summarizing the war in a way that’s easy to understand. We get too bogged down in the details & debate which parts are more important than the others.

[@janhansen554]

I have studied ww2 too alot. May i ask, when do u think germany lost ww2? At young age a set date at defeat at Stalingrad, at age 52, i set date when Hitler came to power. How about u?

[@cowcocky]

Very good but not sure how you can talk of turning back the Japanese without noting the Australians and Kokoda Track.

[@johnjames3286]

Great summary. Pity the bomber command offensive including fire bombs and Operation Chastise didn't really advance the war effort, and Guy Gibson and Co unfortunately killed over 1,000 of allied POWs in their raid. Pearl Harbour didn't hold up the Americans either as the water was shallow and they were able to retrieve their sunken ships and make them sea worthy again quickly

[@nursestoyland]

plus the 3rd canceled strike was meant to strike at the oil reserves and submarine pens

[@powerfrenzy]

Still don't understand the decision to engage USSR in the East before settling the western front if they were already stretched thin there as mentioned...

[@syncopaint_minis3016]

Was Hitlers biggest military mistake

[@oneworldawakening]

Madness, megalomania, possibly amphetimine-induced.

[@finndaniels9139]

I’d put forward 3 points : 1) the matters in the west were unsettle-able. Germany had no means of invading Britain, they evidently couldn’t win in the air, and they couldn’t force her to the negotiating table. 2) war with the Soviets is the overall aim of this war. The other bits are peripheral, even though they are so strong in the public conscience. War is inevitable. i) Germany needed resources that the Soviets held. Oil and food especially. War was not possible without these resources. ii) Hitler and the Nazis were guided by ideology, and this ideology often overtook common sense. They thought the Soviets had no means of repelling them. They had failed in Poland 10 yrs ago, in Finland 3 yrs ago etc. they were ineffective in ww1, and it seems they’ve only gotten worse. Our idea of the USSR is one that is formed from hindsight, the view at the time (especially to an ideologically tainted mind) was not the same. 3) that the Soviets are getting stronger year on year. Within the previous decade Stalins 5 yr plans had - at terrible human cost - modernised the Soviet nation. They have very quickly caught up to the industrial strength of other western nations, and have within the last 3 yrs overtaken Germany in a broad range of industrial markers. They are out producing them in steel, oil, and much else. The soviet army is also undergoing a process of modernisation. A great purge is undertaken throughout 1938 and 39, and much of the upper army leadership is removed from their positions. New doctrines of deep battle are being implemented on the strategic and tactical level. The soviet air force is modernising rapidly as well. For almost the last time for the foreseeable future, Germany is in a better situation for war than the Soviets. This will never be true again, for the Nazi state. To summarise : war b/n the two is inevitable. Germany is still the top dog, but for not much longer at all. The window for a succesful war is closing very fast (it has already closed in fact, but this isn’t clear at the time). The war in the west is both unwinnable and not on a significant scale yet. Hope this helps :)

[@Shifty51991]

Any chance of doing videos that focus on Canada and Australia? both the good and bad eh?..... Notice you left out the bombing the allies did during the Blitz

[@alantentevier4018]

The last official action of the war against Japan was not at Nagasaki on 9th August, but on 15th August 1945 when Fleet Air Arm pilots shot down eight Mitsubishi Zeros for the loss of a single British aircraft. Its 19 year-old pilot became one of the last direct casualties of the war when he was murdered by his captors after the emperor announced Japan's surrender later that day. If you learn your history from the Americans, you will be unaware of the fact that the British took part in the battles of both Iwo Jima and Okinawa. On 1st April 1945 HMS Indefatigable, part of the now-forgotten British Pacific Fleet, received a direct hit from a kamikaze attack. With their metal decks, British carriers could withstand these attacks far better than the American wooden-decked ships; the Indefatigable was back in action an hour later. The British Pacific Fleet was the largest ever assembled by the Royal Navy, and its contribution to the fight against the Japanese was significant. It comprised over 200 ships, including six first-class aircraft carriers, and over 750 aircraft. Its personnel comprised British, Australian, New Zealand, South African, Canadian and other Commonwealth citizens as well as one Greek - Prince Philip.

[@angusmackaskill3035]

WWII was an extension of WWI

[@user-yh2pl2bw5p]

Hey Dan. Love your work . This man is an absolute treasure. Must protect at all costs..

[@ExpectedBoy]

Another brilliant video

[@pedroh.g.8071]

amazing video

[@porksterbob]

Very annoyed that Ichigo was left off the summary.

[@liam5382]

This was fantastic. Thanks Dan

[@janfelchner1543]

19:55 The maps are not correct. They present north and central (north Philippines) Pacific, not south (New Guinea) and central.

[@katherinecollins4685]

Fantastic video

[@dylanbrice9783]

missed the kokoda track and the first victory of the japanese on land in ww2

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Both minor in the concept of the war.

[@karenhanania9014]

Oops: I'm sure there are already comments on this, but the Battle of the Phillippine Sea was in June 1944, not Sept 3,1939, as the tag indicates.

[@151mattwilson]

I see this reaching 5 million views and beyond

[@jasse803]

...and yet not a single word about Iron Curtain...

[@Madmun357]

I'm always a little surprised by how the American perspective barely makes mention of the eastern front against the Soviets.

[@roxammon5858]

Tidy summary. Thanks

[@jilltagmorris]

Good show

[@michaelpye2451]

My grandfathers both fought in world war 2 my dads father in the army in I think the kings Liverpool regiment and my mums father served in the Royal Navy all 4 brothers went to sea he served aboard HMS Storke I use to have his uniform and life jacket he served in the Atlantic convoys to America and Russia with tales of hunting the U Boats and trying to avoid the Stuka s brave men now sadly all passed on godbless

[@bloonstowerdefender]

I appreciate that you acknowledge that in some regard that WWII didn't necessarily start in 1939. That always bugged me. I get it. People "declare war" but the Nazis had famously already invaded other countries. And as you noted, Japan had already started conquering Asia

[@bloonstowerdefender]

Look up some of the stuff the Japanese did. Particularly to the Chinese

[@darrenk920]

Great video, though the British didn’t sink the Graf Spee, it was scuttled by its own crew

[@anthonyeaton5153]

You are correct.

[@Chipoo88]

Fantastic video however did I miss it or was Malta not mentioned at all?

[@MrMann0123]

Well done!

[@janfelchner1543]

3:38 Western Poland was the part of Poland occupied by Prussia, later by Germans, for around 123 years. It's like saying Ireland is English territory (because they belonged to England/UK).

[@Blazecfc]

Saying that south Korea was a democracy is a wild take

[@Tacozrule12]

Pretty decent video, but just a quick thing, Finland lost territory in both the Winter War and Continuation War. So while technically they “lost” they still maintained sovereignty.

[@unixbadger]

Thanks!

[@Risran]

That was fantastic! Thank you!

[@ianmunro1427]

The Graf Spee scuttled herself. She had been damaged but not sunk by 2 British ships and one New Zealand ship..

[@everssonnascimento4601]

Fantastic 😮

[@anprimdude]

what embarassing defeat in Finland ? If you're talking about the soviets, it's an embarassing victory, if the finnish, it's an honourable defeat... very misleading here

[@simontaylor2525]

He is soooo wearing that henley

[@matthewwilson5548]

amazing synopsis of WW II, as always History Hit has hit the bulls eye.

[@3ftsteamrwy12]

I know it's controversial, but I think there was only ONE "World War" and it had an intermission, not unlike the 100 years war and the 30 years war in the middle ages...it began in 1914 with the assasination of Franz Ferdinand, and ended with the Atom-bombing of Japan in 1945.

[@scottfoster3445]

Yep pretty much

[@scottfoster3445]

If america wernt hermits they jumped in sooner it might have not happened

[@NixHarpinger]

I loved this succinct documentary, but I did find it a little bit amusing that when stating the repeating victories and success the allies had by 1944, the very British commentator never mentioned the devastating, English-led operation Market Garden, which led to massive allied casualties - up to 17,000 men killed or wounded; nearly a 100 tanks and over 300 planes lost. And it's possible the lives lost were mainly because of Montgomery's pompousness, cos he resented Eisenhower taking over supreme command and wanted to come up with a winning strategy to show that he is a capable general fit to lead the European offensive. That omission doesn't mean I don't love the documentary and the work it was put in to make it so short yet immensely informative and spoken so well it keeps you engaged for the entire duration. So good work all around, I just wanted to mention Market Garden, which to my mind seems like the worst offensive launched by the allies during the war.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Market Garden was BRITISH led and the word us pomposity.

[@dredavbar]

4:40 I'm always buckled up for you Dan.

[@Russia-bullies]

You should feature what British & UK military personnel ate in colonial times at the colonies.

[@roxammon5858]

I lost an uncle in Burma. He died before i was born. Chindits. South Staffs Regiment. Cerebral malaria got him in the end.

[@Shilo-fc3xm]

Your representation of Australia, New Zealand and Canada was quite typically a little underwhelming.

[@ankledsquid]

What makes you realise how sadistic hitler was is in the closing phase of the war. Hitler was being defeated, and yet, piled all of his resources into genocide. Not defence

[@roxammon5858]

This video should be shown to all school children. Every year.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Heaven forbid.

[@Thomas-41234]

Why cant i hear

[@loganwallace101]

The story of the graff spee is an interesting one, if left unchecked it could have caused serious damage to Atlantic supply convoys however while in port it’s captain who when faced with a small british force incorrectly thought his situation hopeless scuttled the ship

[@mouthpiece806]

quick correction: stalin and hitler were never allies. they had a non-aggression pact, as the germans had with lots of other european nations

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Cool

[@harrygriffiths-iy5gb]

I guess we won’t talk about Australians in the pacific or New Zealand either

[@eaphantom9214]

Antarctica, What was going on down there? ❓️ 💭 ❓️ 🤔

[@claytonberg721]

It was useful as a whaling station, and you could turn whale blubber into explosives and lots of other things. The Germans, Brits, americans and argentina all tried to set up a base there. No shots were fired in antartica.

[@OhHamburgers0258]

Wow, it realy was 28 minutes too! Thank you for this!

[@Emjackson89]

Incredible explanation of Ww2 in such a detailed but simple way. Excellent

[@Trecesolotienesdos]

Essentially a follow on from WWI, with roughly the same powers against each other again. WWII was different in that each side had very different aims - Allies were generally democratic and capitalist, whistl the Axis were fascist/authoritarian.

[@vladyslav4]

Why didn't you mention that in 30th USSR also expanded in Europe??

[@steelbubbab1]

If thats what he can do with 30min imagine what he could do with an hour