AllMovie

As an Emmy-winning adaptation of General Dwight D. Eisenhower's bestseller Crusade in Europe, the series World War II: When the World Went to War explores some of the pivotal events which characterized the conflict that shook the world from 1939-1945, as the shadow of fascism loomed over Europe. Subtitled "Pacific Island Battles and the Victory Over Japan," this second volume in the series covers the years 1941 through 1945, and discusses the events that took place in the Pacific Theater, which led to Japan's defeat. Part One, "Solomon Islands, Palau and Iwo Jima," examines the American capture of the three titular Pacific islands from the Japanese. Part Two, "Pearl Harbor, Singapore and Burma," looks at the events that led up to Singapore's 1942 surrender to Japan, and the Allied defeat of the Japanese at Burma. Finally, Part Three, "Midway, Philippines and Hiroshima," discusses the Battle of Midway's function as the turning point of the Pacific Theater, including the destruction of four Japanese aircraft carriers, the capture of Manila, the 1945 air strikes against Tokyo, and the Japanese surrender that followed the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.