TV, FILM & RADIO
The long road to defeat
Rise of the Nazis: The Eastern Front BBC Two, February
In June 1940, Adolf Hitler, not a man renowned for taking foreign jaunts, travelled secretly to Paris. It was the briefest of visits, but he made time to pay homage at the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. It’s a moment that has subsequently come to seem rich in significance as the Nazi leader became determined to achieve a military victory that eluded Napoleon: the defeat and conquest of Russia.
A year later, in June 1941, the Nazis launched Operation Barbarossa. It was the biggest land invasion in history and saw more than three million German soldiers cross the border. Within just a few days, the Germans were within 400 miles of Moscow. Had the Germans pushed
