An assassin's bullet sparks a global conflict that quickly evolves into the deadliest war humanity has ever seen. In the chaos, a new generation of soldier emerges, including future leaders Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, and Adolf Hitler. It is the beginning of modern warfare as both the tank and chemical weapons are introduced.

With help from the Americans, the Allied forces finally repel the German army from France. The fighting may have stopped, but tensions only mount as political leaders are dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles. The end of war brings economic collapse to Germany. A young Adolf Hitler feels betrayed by the German government and begins his rise to power.

The Wall Street crash of 1929 plunges the entire world into depression, giving Adolf Hitler the crisis he needs for his message to take hold. Josef Stalin also seizes power with bloody purges, while Japan plots a path to dominate Asia. Hitler rebuilds his military and begins his quest to take back territory lost in the Treaty of Versailles, forcing the allies to back down in Munich despite Churchill's warnings.

Hitler breaks his promise made in Munich and takes over all of Czechoslovakia, while Churchill's loud criticism of his government pushes him to the sidelines. Stalin and Hitler sign a non-aggression pact that shocks the world. When Hitler invades Poland, the world is back at war and Churchill rises to Prime Minister. Hitler betrays Stalin and invades the Soviet Union in what may be his undoing. Hideki Tojo becomes prime minister as Japan makes a move toward the US-controlled Philippines. FDR responds with an oil embargo that puts Japan and the US on the brink of war.

The United States is attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor bringing the Americans into the conflict. General Douglas Macarthur is forced out of the Philippines and the Germans almost topple Moscow, only to be defeated by the Russian Winter. Hitler and the Nazis continue their round up and systematic execution of European Jews. The Allies gain a huge victory at the Battle of Midway putting Tojo and the Japanese on the defensive. General George Patton leads an invasion of Sicily, setting the stage for the fall of Benito Mussolini.

Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt meet in Tehran, Iran and argue over an invasion of Europe from the west. D-Day is launched and Hitler's hesitation leads to an Allied victory on the beaches of Normandy. Hitler lashes back with a desperate counter-attack but is forced to retreat by Patton and his tanks. Mussolini meets a gruesome end, a fate Hitler is determined to avoid. When Stalin's Red Army closes in on Berlin, Hitler kills himself and the war in Europe is over. New President Harry Truman meets with Stalin and Churchill, and wrestles with a terrible decision. Thirty years of war finally end, but a new conflict is on the horizon.

Hermann Goering's well-trained flyers filled the skies of Europe with dread and rained terror upon its great capitals. So how did the poorly equipped British Royal Air Force finally defeat them? Veterans and historians reveal the secrets.

The story of a revolutionary breed of tank, a weapon whose speed and power would dominate European battlefields with a new kind of battle, the stunning Blitzkrieg--"lightning war".