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Where to watch "Need to Know"
30. Oliver Cromwell
2018 - Season 2018
He remains one of the most controversial figures in British history. A decisive, ruthless and deeply religious general, he defeated and executed the king and ruled England with an iron fist. This is the story of Oliver Cromwell.
29. Kamikaze
2018 - Season 2018
It was at first sight one of the most incomprehensible developments of the second world war. In 1945, thousands of Japanese pilots made the ultimate sacrifice, and unleashed the most intense period of suicide bombings the world had ever seen. This is the story of the Kamikaze.
28. The Atomic Bomb
2018 - Season 2018
During the second world war, a horrific new weapon was born: the Atomic Bomb. Its first and only use in 1945 obliterated two Japanese cities and instantly wiped out over 100,000 people. Once its enormous power was unleashed, it changed the face of warfare and the world forever.
27. Leonardo Da Vinci
2018 - Season 2018
Leonardo Da Vinci is considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time. A true genius, Da Vinci was equally skilled as an inventor, architect, engineer and scientist, and created some of the world's most famous images and inventions which were centuries ahead of their time.
26. Charles Darwin
2018 - Season 2018
On February 12, 1809, a boy was born in an English market town. As a man he would go on to make scientific discoveries so profound that they would smash traditional religious theories and redefine man's place on the earth. This is the story of Charles Darwin.
25. Alexander the Great
2018 - Season 2018
He was one of the most successful military commanders in history. By the time of his death at just 32, he was undefeated in battle. His brilliantly fought campaign secured much of the ancient world for the Greek empire. This is the story of Alexander the Great.
24. Shackleton
2018 - Season 2018
His Antarctic adventures captured the public imagination and shot him to fame. As an explorer he tackled some of the most inhospitable places on earth. As a leader of men, he was resourceful, determined and courageous. This is the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton.
23. Robert E. Lee
2018 - Season 2018
Famous for his often spectacular victories against superior forces, General Robert E. Lee was one of the most celebrated generals in American history. A brilliant tactician, he led the pro-slavery army of the southern states during the bloody American Civil War.
22. Toulouse Lautrec
2018 - Season 2018
On November 24, 1864, a boy was born into an Aristocratic French family. He would go on to become one the most influential artists of his generation. His decadent lifestyle inspired his paintings but ultimately led to his death. This is the story of Toulouse Lautrec.
21. Pearl Harbor
2018 - Season 2018
Early on December 7, 1941, in a surprise air assault, the Japanese bombed a U.S. pacific fleet and its base in Hawaii. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the unprovoked attack, "a date which will live in infamy." It was the date that ironically ensured allied victory in the second world war. This is the story of Pearl Harbor.
20. Rommel
2018 - Season 2018
On October 13, 1944, two German generals visited a famous German colleague, field marshal and decorated war hero at his family home. He left with them and fifteen minutes later he was dead by suicide at the age of 52. This is the story of field marshal Erwin Rommel.
19. The Battle of the Bulge
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler's final offensive gamble of the second world war and the last chance to turn the tables on the invading allies. Late in 1944 as the war in western Europe entered its finally phase, the German dictator launched an ambitious attack the would decide the fate of Germany and Europe.
18. Dunkirk
2018 - Season 2018
Only eight months after the second world war began, the British army faced annihilation. The dramatic escape of over 330,000 soldiers from the beaches of France in May 1940, would become the stuff of legend. This is the story of Dunkirk.
17. The Battle of Britain
2018 - Season 2018
When the history of the second world war was written, The Battle of Britain was described as on the most decisive ever fought. The events in the summer of 1940, prompted the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, to say, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
16. The Battle of Verdun
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of the first world war. Intended to bleed France white, it reached new heights of misery, destruction and death. For ten terrible months in 1916, Germany and France fought a battle that would leave its mark on both countries for generations to come.
15. The Battle of Gettysburg
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest action of the American Civil War. Only July 1, 1863, 160,000 American soldiers clashed in a battle that over three days would claim over 50,000 casualties and ultimately decided the fate of a nation.
14. The Battle of Agincourt
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle of Agincourt was one of the greatest triumphs in the history of British warfare. On October 25, 1415, a sick, depleted and exhausted English army of 6,000 men defeated a French army five times its size.
13. Napoleon
2018 - Season 2018
On August 15, 1769, a boy was born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. As a man he would shape his country's laws, promote education, science, literature and the arts. As a military dictator, he would rule absolutely and plunge the world into war. This is the story of Napoleon Bonaparte.
12. The Battle for Stalingrad
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle for Stalingrad was one of the most savage, inhuman and devastating battles in history. In August 1942, the German's launched an attack on a Russian city that proved to be the turning point that led to the allied victory in the second world war. For five months men fought in freezing conditions, house to house, room to room until nearly 1.5 million were dead.
11. Operation Valkyrie
2018 - Season 2018
On July 20, 1944, a young Nazi officer held the fate of the German nation in his hands. In his briefcase was a bomb and his target was Adolf Hitler. His plan was to kill the German dictator, seize power and save his country from total destruction. This is the story of Operation Valkyrie.
10. Hitler
2018 - Season 2018
On April 20, 1889, a boy was born in an Austrian village. He would go on to lead a nation to the brink of destruction and leave Europe in ruins. As one of history's most brutal dictators, he would be responsible for the death on millions. This is the story of Adolf Hitler.
9. The U-boat
2018 - Season 2018
The U-boat was one of the most efficient killing machines of twentieth century warfare. During the second world war alone, it sank nearly 15 million tons of allied shipping and sent 100,000 allied seamen to a watery grave.
8. The Battle of Waterloo
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle of Waterloo was one of the most important battles in the history of the world. On July 18, 1815, the British and French armies clashed on Belgian fields. The outcome was to shape Europe for the next century.
7. The Battle of Rorke's Drift
2018 - Season 2018
On January 22, 1879, 139 British soldiers were attacked by 3,500 Zulu warriors in what would become one of the most famous battles in military history. The heroic stand of the defenders earned them the highest British military honors and ensured them immortality. This is the story of the Battle of Rorke's Drift.
6. The Stuka
2018 - Season 2018
The JU-87 Stuka became one of the most feared planes of the second world war. The terrifying noise of its siren was synonymous with death and destruction. With gravity defying dives more intense than a rollercoaster, the Stuka was the plane German pilots wanted to fly.
5. The Battle of the Somme
2018 - Season 2018
Early on a French summer's morning in 1916 the British army attacked the Germans in what came to be the bloodiest day in British military history. 100,000 men rose from the security of their trenches into a storm of machine gun, rifle and artillery fire. This is the story of the Battle of the Somme.
4. D-Day
2018 - Season 2018
On the June 6, 1944, 146,000 allied troops crossed the English Channel - their mission to free Europe from the tyranny of Hitler and the third reich. This is the story of D-Day.
3. The Mighty Panzer
2018 - Season 2018
Employing a new tactical doctrine called blitzkrieg, on the first of September 1939, Germany invaded its neighbor, Poland. At the forefront of this attack was a military machine that would change the face of warfare from Berlin to Baghdad. This is the story of the mighty panzer.
2. Battle of Hastings
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle of Hastings is one of the most famous battles in the history of warfare. Two armies met on an English field and fought for an awesome prize. In just one bloody day of battle in 1066, the future course of the English nation was decided.
1. The Battle of Berlin
2018 - Season 2018
The Battle of Berlin was one of the bloodiest battles in history. By its end, over half a million people died, among them one of the twentieth century's most brutal dictators.
