By James Barber
The BBC documentary series “Rise of the Nazis” has returned with a second season that actually begins at Hitler’s peak, the days just before he sent the German army to invade the Soviet Union.
The show will air on PBS in the United States, with “Barbarossa” set to air April 12, “Stalingrad” airing April 17 and “The Home Front” airing April 26. As with all PBS programming, check your local listings for exact times and dates. The episodes will also be available for streaming in the PBS app.
The show allows prominent historians to tell the story, while intercutting their descriptions with better-than-usual silent reenactments. The World War II recreations look good enough that you could be fooled into thinking you are watching scenes from a BBC drama series. There’s also engaging insight into the Soviet and Russian mindset from former world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
We’ve got a clip that explores the moment when Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin chose to take Adolf Hitler at his word, ignoring all the evidence that Germany was on the verge of invading the Soviet Union. Stalin’s decision would have fatal consequences for millions of his citizens, even as the failed invasion ultimately cost Germany the war.
If you’re looking to learn the story of the actual rise of the Nazis, you can go back and watch season 1 via the PBS Passport service available to contributors to local stations. This three-episode second season ends with the failed assassination of the Führer in July 1944, so it’s likely we’ll see a season 3 that describes Hitler’s final days.
