The Weeklong Event Includes Premieres of Original Specials Drain
the Oceans: Secrets of D-Day; Hitler’s Last Stand: Lost Battalion;
Eyewitness: D-Day and The King Who Fooled Hitler, Plus
Encore Presentations from National Geographic’s Programming Archives
D-Day Marathon Begins June 3, at 9/8c on National
Geographic
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The world was in its fifth year of war, when on June 6, 1944, western
Allied forces crossed the English Channel and stormed the German
defenses across the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy, France.
Invading by land, sea and air, the broad attack was code named Operation
Overlord, but the world knows it as D-Day, and it is said to be the
beginning of the end of World War II. Ranking as the greatest amphibious
landing in military history, the invasion allowed the Allies to advance
into France. As a result, by August 1944, Western Europe was liberated
from the Nazi German occupation, and World War II would be over the
following year.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the pivotal battle at Normandy, National
Geographic is celebrating with a week of powerful programming devoted to
World War II. Beginning Monday, June 3, at 9/8c, the D-Day Marathon
will feature premieres of original specials including Drain the
Oceans: Secrets of D-Day, Hitler’s Last Stand: Lost Battalion,
Eyewitness: D-Day and The King Who Fooled Hitler as well
as encore presentations from National Geographic’s programming archives.
In addition to providing unprecedented access to archival material,
National Geographic’s original special The King Who Fooled Hitler
presents never-before-seen documents, including secret letters from King
George VI himself, correspondence and diary entries, along with new
interviews giving fresh insight into the infamous D-Day deception that
outsmarted Hitler.
All specials will air globally in 172 countries and 43 languages on
National Geographic. Full details of the programming event are below.
Original D-Day Marathon Specials Include:
DRAIN THE OCEANS: SECRETS OF D-DAY
Monday, June 3, at 9/8c
World
War II saw the greatest-ever loss of ships and submarines at sea, and
beneath the oceans lies a hidden graveyard of those vessels that has its
own story to tell. Using the latest sonar technology, National
Geographic goes on a unique expedition to map the sunken Allied vessels
off the Normandy Coast, revealing stunning images from beneath the
waves, and uncovers extraordinary, secret technology that was deployed
by both the Allies and the Nazis in the battle for western Europe.
HITLER’S LAST STAND: LOST BATTALION
Monday, June 3, at
10/9c
On June 6, 1944, the Allies finally land troops in
Normandy to open the western front. But after the surprise of the D-Day
landings and Allied advances, Nazi loyalists dig in, determined to keep
a merciless grip on the towns, strongholds and fortresses of occupied
Europe to defend the Third Reich. These are the stories of desperate
battles waged on the edge of defeat — not just for victory but for
survival.
EYEWITNESS: D-DAY
Tuesday, June 4, at 9/8c
One
famous day. Five heroes. Five key turning points that changed the course
of World War II during the D-Day landings, told through the eyes of the
people who made a difference. Using rarely seen archive footage,
dramatic reconstruction and written accounts from eyewitnesses and
personal testimony from five heroes, this is D-Day as never seen before.
THE KING WHO FOOLED HITLER
Wednesday, June 5, at 9/8c
This
landmark film unearths exclusive new documents — secret letters,
correspondence and diary entries — about D-Day that shed new light about
the deception that fooled Hitler. In a tale of double agents and decoys,
the investigation reveals for the first time the identity of the most
secret agent of them all: King George VI. It also uncovers how the queen
and future Queen Elizabeth II were enlisted in the ruse, and how the
royal household managed to lose one of Britain’s greatest secrets of
World War II.
Additional Programming Includes:
D-DAY SACRIFICE: BATTLE FOR FREEDOM
Monday, June 3, at
8/7c
In the spring of 1944, the Allies rolled the dice and
chanced the whole fate of World War II on a single day. On the 75th
anniversary of D-Day, National Geographic revisits the Allied forces’
June 6, 1944, Normandy landings and the ensuing 100 days leading up to
the liberation of Paris from the Nazis.
AFTER HITLER: SPOILS OF WAR
Tuesday, June 4, at 8/7c
May
8, 1945: World War II has finally ended and the world is celebrating the
defeat of Nazi Germany, but the celebration is short lived. A shattered
Europe has to rebuild, heal its wounds and deal with the fallout from an
interminable and barbarous conflict while sketching the outlines of its
future. For many civilians, the aftermath of the war is even more brutal
than the conflict itself.
HITLER YOUTH: NAZI CHILD SOLDIERS
Tuesday, June 4, at
10/9c
In 1930s Germany, the Nazi Party created the Hitler Youth
to indoctrinate children and adolescents with Nazi ideology and prepare
them to become a child army for Hitler. The first program traces the
rise of the movement through to the war. The second program starts at
the height of World War II and traces the story of the Hitler Youth as
they face defeat.
INSIDE WWII: BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Wednesday, June 5, at 7/6c
Day
by day. Hour by hour. Second by second. This is the story of last
century’s bloodiest conflict told in a concise and compelling three-hour
special. Including personal accounts, strategic analysis and rare
footage, the special provides a new and intimate perspective on the
experience of war.
NAZI MEGASTRUCTURES
Across three nights, beginning
Wednesday, June 5, at 10/9c
High-tech superguns. Weapons of
mass destruction. In the quest for world domination, the Nazis built
some of the biggest and deadliest pieces of military hardware and
malevolent technology in history. These weapons changed the face of
modern warfare forever. Witness the hidden remains of Hitler’s most
ambitious projects and hear the stories of the engineering geniuses who
designed them.
MAKING A DICTATOR
Back-to-back nights, beginning
Wednesday, June 5, at 11/10c
A growing threat to democracies
appears in the force of dictatorships. Dictators like Adolf Hitler,
Saddam Hussein, Augusto Pinochet, Mobutu Sese Seko and Fidel Castro
found their way to power through similar methods. The special examines
the brutal methods and common practices implemented by each
dictatorship, along with the ways in which the dictators corrupted the
countries they claimed to improve.
About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between the
National Geographic Society and Disney, is committed to bringing the
world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an
unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National
Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo
WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media
and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines;
National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms;
books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include
travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and
e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our
world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years,
and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going
further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the
world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP
returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic
Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation
and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com
or nationalgeographic.com,
or find us on Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
YouTube,
LinkedIn
and Pinterest.
Contacts
Jennifer Driscoll, 212-656-0707, [email protected]
