History to Know Before You Watch World on Fire Season 2
The World War II period drama World on Fire shares stories of ordinary people in extraordinary times. But what timely events from the war actually happened that can inform what you’ll see in Season 2? Get important context and helpful historical insights before you watch.
- 1.
Britain in Dire Straits
British wartime poster released in 1939 Season 2 opens in October 1940. With much of continental Europe under Nazi occupation, Great Britain is the last major power actively opposing Germany. This resistance surprised Hitler since he had expected Britain to sue for peace after the fall of France the previous summer. But the British fought on, backed by the nations in their empire, notably India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Great Britain played a singular role in World War II. The war started with Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, and ended with Japan’s surrender to the Allies almost exactly six years later. Great Britain and its empire were the only nations—on either side—to be involved in the war from beginning to end, in most of the major theaters of combat.
- 2.
Operation Sea Lion
WW2 propaganda photo of British soldier standing guard on a beach in southern England, October 1940 Aiming to deliver a knock-out blow to Britain, Hitler began planning an invasion of the island soon after the fall of France in June 1940. Codenamed “Operation Sea Lion,” this offensive was to be a repeat of William the Conqueror’s seaborne invasion of 1066, only vastly larger and with the 20th century’s fearsome armaments. Nazi preparations were obvious to the British, who began bolstering their defenses to make any invasion attempt as costly as possible. This included measures such as removing all street, road, and railway signs to sow maximum confusion in the enemy.
Phase 1 of Operation Sea Lion opened with coordinated air attacks on British shipping, seaports, airfields, radar installations, and eventually cities. The goal was to cripple British defenses and especially the Royal Air Force (RAF). Meanwhile, German invasion forces were assembling in France…
- 3.
The Battle of Britain
1940s Battle of Britain Royal Air Force poster, quoting Winston Churchill Seasons 1 and 2 portray Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters intercepting German bombers in the skies over England. These attacks commenced on July 10, 1940. Initially, they were daylight raids designed to gain air superiority and control of the English Channel—two essential requirements for a successful German invasion. However, the RAF had the upper hand—in technology (including radar and superior aircraft), morale, leadership, and home advantage. In September, German strategy shifted to emphasize night bombing, which was more difficult for the RAF to oppose. But it was also far less accurate.
This change in strategy marked the transition from the Battle of Britain to the Blitz: from the opening act of an impending invasion to a backup plan to break Britain’s will to fight by destroying factories, infrastructure, and housing. Although Hitler had cooled to the idea of an invasion, British intelligence was less sure, and the nation continued to prepare for the moment when German landing craft would hit the beaches and Nazi parachutists would descend from the sky. Fortunately, that moment never came.
- 4.
The North Africa Campaign
Indian troops in North Africa, October 1940 The start of Season 2 finds British Sergeant Stan Raddings stationed with Indian colonial troops in North Africa. What were they doing there? Having dominated continental Europe, Germany and its ally Italy sought to control North Africa as a gateway to Middle Eastern oil fields and as a potential chokehold to British naval operations in the Mediterranean. The fighting started in September 1940 when Italian troops invaded Egypt from neighboring Libya, which was an Italian colony. The Italian forces made little headway, facing better-led and better-equipped British and Indian units, not to mention the formidable desert.
The North Africa campaign eventually expanded to involve crack German divisions led by strategic genius General Erwin Rommel, and in 1942 American forces in their baptism of fire in the European Theater. The British Indian Army played a significant role, contributing tens of thousands of soldiers.
- 5.
Events in the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Japan
1940 front page of the New York Journal American In 1940, the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Japan were not yet formally engaged in World War II, but they were far from idle. Despite being officially neutral, America was all but allied with Great Britain, providing armaments and building up its own forces in anticipation of being pulled into the conflict. For its part, the Soviet Union had taken advantage of a secret agreement with Germany to occupy eastern Poland and the Baltic states. But the Soviets were wary of Hitler’s intentions, and similarly prepared for war, which would come with a massive German invasion in June 1941.
Japan had been prosecuting a war against China since 1937, and in September 1940 signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, designed in part to deter the U.S. from intervening militarily against Japanese expansion in Asia. This concern ultimately led Japan to mount a surprise air raid on the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, drawing America into the war. Germany declared war on the U.S. soon after.
- 6.
France and the French Resistance
General Charles de Gaulle in uniform during WW2, c. 1942 In the second half of 1940, France hit bottom—militarily, economically, and spiritually. After France’s capitulation to Germany in June, the nation was divided into a German-occupied zone, centered on Paris, and a “Free Zone” administered by collaborating French officials with headquarters at the resort town of Vichy in southern France. Under these desperate conditions, a resistance movement started to form.
At first, the French Resistance developed organically, with patriotic French citizens opposing the Nazis in individual acts of courage, such as handing out leaflets or hiding downed British pilots. Gradually, the movement acquired a more organized structure, although deliberately decentralized to maintain flexibility and security. From England, exiled General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the “Free French,” coordinated key Resistance operations. His political rivals also had a hand in the Resistance. But ideology was largely put aside to fight the Nazis.
Don’t miss Season 2 of World on Fire airing Sundays at 9/8c from October 15 to November 19, 2023 on MASTERPIECE on PBS. Watch on air, online, or on the PBS App. Catch up on all seven episodes of Season 1 when you watch PBS Passport, an added member benefit.
