Episode 14 - Closing In

Episode 23 - The Baedeker Invasion

In February 1940, Manstein's daring plan for the invasion of France gets Hitler's approval, Finland's defenses falter as Sweden refuses military aid, and the first cavity magnetron marks a leap in radar technology. The German invasion of Norway is planned from a tourist guidebook, Gestapo and NKVD coordinate in Poland, Kretschmer's U-boat sinks HMS Daring, and Operation Wikinger ends in German disaster by friendly fire and mines. Amidst these events, a five year old is enthroned as Dalai Lama.

Episode 22 - The Navy's Here

This episode covers February 11-16, 1940: The Soviet breakthrough of Finland's Mannerheim Line prompts Finnish peace talks. Germany and the USSR sign a major trade pact, exchanging oil for military tech. A Royal Navy destroyer raids a Norwegian fjord to rescue 299 POWs, accelerating plans for Germany’s invasion of Norway. Key events also include the recovery of Enigma rotors, Rommel's promotion, Guderian's tank strategy, and the death of espionage author John Buchan.

Episode 21 - 400 Shells Per Minute

This episode covers February 5-10, 1940: the Allies plan to occupy Norway’s ports to cut off German iron ore, while the Soviet assault on Finland’s Mannerheim Line intensifies with up to 400 shells per minute. Łódź Ghetto is established, Blaskowitz’s SS atrocity complaints are sidelined, a double agent dismantles German espionage in America, Roosevelt publicly defends Finland, and Manstein’s transfer leads to Hitler embracing his invasion plan.

Episode 20 - Wave After Wave

This episode covers January 28–February 4, 1940, when the Winter War shifts from Finnish resilience to Soviet attrition. Daladier defends liberty, Hitler vows victory despite Germany's fragile economy, and the Soviets hint at peace talks. Personal stories include a Norwegian boy's birthday aboard a U-boat, the first German plane shot down in England, Meyerhold's execution, Prague's stations renamed to erase Czech identity, and Frank Sinatra's debut recordings.

Episode 19 - No Hour to Lose

This episode covers January 21-27, 1940: HMS Exmouth lost with all hands, British-Japanese naval tensions, the Enigma code breakthrough at Bletchley Park, French army stagnation, Charles de Gaulle’s ignored warnings, pivotal Nazi decisions on Auschwitz and the Final Solution, Krivitsky’s missed exposure of Kim Philby, South Africa narrowly staying in the war, and Churchill’s urgent call for action as WWII intensifies.