The History of the Twentieth Century

As Germany's military situation grew worse, its Nazi leadership--Adolf Hitler in particular--became increasingly detached from reality.

The German Fifth Panzer Army surrounded and beseiged the US 101st Airborne Division in the Belgian town of Bastogne.

On December 16, 1944, the German Army began a last-ditch offensive on the Western Front, triggering what became known as "The Battle of the Bulge."

Once again, I answer questions sent in by listeners.

On the Western Front, the Allies were probing the German defensive line. On the Eastern Front, the Red Army advanced past the 1939 border and into Germany itself.

When the Americans landed on the Philippine island of Leyte, the Japanese Navy executed a plan intended to cut off and isolate Allied ground forces on the island.

On October 20, 1944, Douglas MacArthur made good on his famous promise.

Bernard Montgomery proposed a risky operation that just might have allowed the Allies to break through the German defensive line. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler was planning a risky operation of his own.

The Western Allied advance in August 1944 was breathtaking, but it stopped short at the German border as the German Army rebuilt its defenses and Allied supply lines became strained to the limit.

By 1944, a German defeat seemed inevitable. In August, Romania defected from the Axis and joined the Allies. Within weeks, Bulgaria followed suit, while Finland agreed to an armistice with the USSR. This left Hungary as Germany's sole remaining ally in Europe, and Hungary only stayed loyal because of German military intervention.