The British fought the Second World War to defeat Hitler. This film asks why, then, did they spend so much of the conflict battling through North Africa and Italy? Historian David Reynolds reassesses Winston Churchill's conviction that the Mediterranean was the 'soft underbelly' of Hitler's Europe. Travelling to Egypt and Italian battlefields like Cassino, scene of some of the worst carnage in western Europe, he shows how, in reality, the 'soft underbelly' became a dark and dangerous obsession for Churchill. Reynolds reveals a prime minister very different from the jaw-jutting bulldog of Britain's 'finest hour' in 1940 - a leader who was politically vulnerable at home, desperate to shore up a crumbling British empire abroad, losing faith in his army and even ready to deceive his American allies if it might delay fighting head to head against the Germans in northern France. The film marks the seventieth anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein in 1942.
As Nazi troops prepare to occupy the already truncated Czechoslovak Republic, a small military garrison made up of communists defies orders to abandon their post.
The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany.
During the World War II in Italy, Sergeant Joe Mooney is leading his small squad on the front-lines but is ordered to avoid rescuing a soldier trapped in no man's land.
Near the end of World War II, General Dietrich von Choltitz receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he's unable to maintain control of the city.
World War II comes to an end. Tokyo is a destroyed place, without law, driven by hunger and greed. From over 100,000 pages of declassified CIA documents and hours of newly discovered footage, recorded by American occupation charges and private individuals, the documentary shows Tokyo during this crucial year, Year Zero.
Popular movie trailers from 2012
These some of the most viewed trailers for movies released in 2012:
From Boris Karloff to Mel Brooks - Frankenstein has fired the imagination of generations of artists who have created their own interpretation of this Gothic masterpiece.
Convinced the family needs to reconnect, Martin surprises the wife and kids with a little experiment - he locks them in their own home with no power, no heat, no running water, and absolutely no contact with the world outside!
A group of travelers descends on The Park to witness one last Firefall. They come from different backgrounds and walks of life, but their paths will crash together in hilarious ways, as a film crew document (Mockuments) their crazy antics.
100 Musicians is a sensual and intimate film. It is a hazy summer night in Kensignton market. Sydney and June are in bed, in the afterglow of making love.
Boss Peaches wants her revenge. Why? Because nobody dumps Boss Peaches... not even Bruiser Bom-Bash. Unfortunately for her, Peaches will have to get in line with the rest of them.
Comments
Have you watched World War Two: 1942 and Hitler's Soft Underbelly yet? What did you think about it?
