From D-Day to the atom bomb, Laurence Rees guides listeners through the closing stages of the Second World War

By Laurence Rees

Published: Monday, 01 May 2023 at 12:00 am


How risky were the D-Day landings? What sealed the downfall of Nazi Germany? And why did the US decide to drop atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

In the final episode of this five-part series tackling the big questions of the Second World War, historian Laurence Rees explores the final stages of the conflict.

New to the series? Start watching from the beginning, or go to the series homepage  Finished all five episodes? Discover more of our masterclasses and video lectures, including another from Laurence Rees devoted to the Holocaust.


Laurence Rees’ book Auschwitz: The Nazis and the ‘Final Solution’ won History Book of the Year at the British Book awards. His book The Holocaust: A New History was a Sunday Times Bestseller and described by the Telegraph as “the finest single volume account of the Holocaust ever written”. Educated at Oxford University, he has been awarded two Honorary Doctorates for this work.