In the summer of 1776, the largest expeditionary army in British history arrives off New York to crush the American rebellion once and for all.

In 1937, conflicts across the globe wreak new levels of destruction and suffering. A civilian massacre in Ethiopia, the bombing of Guernica in Spain, and the ‘Rape of Nanking’ in China, provide glimpses of what could be endured in another world war.

February 1815. A small flotilla slips silently across the Mediterranean. On board: a former Emperor and fugitive, attempting the most audacious comeback in military history.

On 21st February 1916, a thousand German guns opened fire on French positions around Verdun - launching one of the most brutal battles in human history. For 300 days, Verdun consumed a thousand lives a day. This is how it unfolded.

1938 is a critical year on the road to World War Two.

By April 1916, the Battle of Verdun had become a grinding struggle of attrition, killing, on average, a thousand men every day for 300 days. In this episode we follow the battle to its shattering conclusion: desperate struggles for the prized forts, catastrophes for both sides, and a final chapter that will decide the fate of Verdun.