D-Day Collection

D-Day Collection

6 Seasons

On 6th June, 1944, the Allies embarked on the liberation of Europe. Explore the events of Operation Overlord with our specially selected documentaries.

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D-Day Collection
  • D-Day Secrets - Excavating the Archives

    Episode 1

    In this special History Hit film to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Dan Snow meets celebrated military historian Saul David at the National Archives to dig into the top secret documents that tell the story of the incredible planning that went into D-Day.

    Hidden in the archives for decades, t...

  • D-Day - 24 Hours in Normandy

    Episode 2

    At 07.37 on 6th June 1944, the ramps of the landing craft carrying the men of A and D companies 6th battalion Green Howards went down, and the men stormed up the beaches.

    It was D-Day.

    Now Dr James Rogers is going to put D-Day under the microscope, following in the footsteps of the men of the ...

  • D-Day with James Holland

    Episode 3

    James Holland, author of Normandy ‘44: D-Day and the Battle for France, answers the key questions surrounding D-Day.

  • D-Day Minus One

    Episode 4

    Before the masses arrived by sea on D-Day, the brave few came from the air. This archive documentary follows the operations of the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, who landed behind enemy lines to prepare the way for the D-Day landings.

  • D-Day: As It Happened

    Episode 5

    An immersive documentary of how the Allied landings on D-Day unfolded from midnight to late afternoon on 6 June 1944. Using extensive archive footage, veteran interviews and expert interviews this will get viewers closer to what happened during the Normandy landings, as it happened.

  • D-Day: Secrets of the Solent

    Episode 6

    On 6 June 1944, Allied forces undertook the largest air, land and sea invasion in history. On D-Day, more than 150,000 allied troops stormed five assault beaches in Normandy, attempting to break through Hitler's Atlantic Wall. ⁠

    Whilst the remnants of the D-Day landings can be seen all around No...

  • D-Day Deception: Operation Bodyguard

    Episode 7

    British deception before D-Day was such that it tricked the Germans into concentrating their forces around the Pas-de-Calais, rather than near the beaches of Normandy. Blow up tanks, scarecrow paratroopers and dropping tin foil all contributed to creating a huge diversion and helped secure the be...

  • Behind the Photograph: Taxis to Hell and Back

    Episode 8

    At c.7.40am 6 June 1944 Robert F Sargent took one of the most famous photographs from D-Day - and the whole of the Second World War - on a landing craft at Omaha Beach. This is the story behind the photograph.

  • Consolidating in Normandy

    Episode 9

    Once the beach heads were secure on 6 June 1944, the Allies faced a huge battle for the domination of northern France. Despite landing over 1 million men and having vast air superiority over the German defenders, the Battle for Normandy continued for two more months. In August, several German arm...

  • Tank Mission World War Two

    Episode 10

    A US War Department film details the vital role of tanks in defeating the Axis during World War Two, particularly in Europe. Not only were tanks deployed for punching through enemy lines, but also mine and obstruction clearance and supporting engineer units. Sourced via AP Archive.

  • The Spirit of France

    Episode 11

    Having been defeated by Nazi Germany in the Battle for France of April and May 1940, French resistance fighters carried on the underground struggle, causing difficulty for the German occupiers, and supplying the Allies in Britain with much needed intelligence in the build up to D-Day. An archive ...

  • 5 Great Speeches By Allied Leaders on D-Day

    Episode 12

    Many Allied political leaders and generals delivered remarkable speeches on D-Day, here are 5 of the greatest.

  • Liberating Armies Invade Normandy

    Episode 13

    This short film includes contains remarkable footage from several beaches on D-Day - but particularly Sword. You can clearly see just how tiny some of the Allied beach heads were in the immediate aftermath of the invasion - a huge amount of men, tanks, guns and supplies were being shipped into ve...

  • 9 Remarkable D-Day Photos Colourised by Marina Amaral

    Episode 14

    Marina Amaral is a Brazilian artist. Her remarkable colourisations of original photographs have been compiled in the recent book The Colour of Time: A New History of the World, 1850-1960, authored with Dan Jones. In this video, some of the most famous photographs of the Allied landings during Ope...