By now you might be thinking that it would be hard to look at World War II in a way that hasn’t already been done. This is Tom Hanks we’re talking about. Few individuals have done more to remember World War II, its veterans, and their sacrifices than Tom Hanks. If anyone can do it, it’s him.
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On Memorial Day 2026, History launches an ambitious 20-part series, “World War II with Tom Hanks.” The documentary series doesn’t lean on the linear timeline your high school history teacher relied on, it also focuses on countries and regions as the war explodes and progresses. It dives into how the war affected individuals and groups of people around the world, all while detailing the little-known and less understood areas of World War II history—including the actual causes of the war.
“Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, often just a bunch of kids, served with honor and bravery to liberate enslaved people and preserve human dignity,” Hanks says in the show’s introduction. “In doing so, they saved that which is most precious and valued by us all: freedom.”
World War II With Tom Hanks | Premieres Memorial Day 2026
From “Saving Private Ryan” to “Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific,” and “Masters of the Air,” Hanks detailed the graphic real-world experiences of the Americans who fought the war in the Army and Army Air Forces. In “Greyhound,” he showed us what life was like for the U.S. Navy and the Merchant Marine during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Not to mention his real-life advocacy for the World War II Memorial Campaign and his personal and financial contributions to getting the World War II Memorial built on the National Mall.
“World War II” is also not the actor’s first documentary. He’s been part of standalone films and series that explored different areas of the war. “The Bloody Hundredth” was a companion to “Masters of the Air,” he lent his voice to Ken Burns’ series “The War,” and even showcased the combat cameramen who risked their lives to capture the footage of combat that make all of these World War II documentaries possible today.
What’s new in “World War II with Tom Hanks” is that Hanks dispels a lot of popular history—much of which is still affected by propaganda today. The devil is in the details, and nuance is important. The series takes a deep dive into areas that other World War II documentaries (and even most history books) only touch on: the American oil embargo on Japan, the Poles’ last stand at Warsaw, Operation Torch, and the personal experiences of those who fought the war.
Just to name a few. This show is a really ambitious, informative, and expansive undertaking, unlike any World War II docuseries before it. In the first three episodes alone, the show dispels the enduring idea that Poland failed to resist the Nazi invasion or that France fell without a fight. It also highlights just how critical the Red Army would be to ultimate victory in Europe.
Perhaps most importantly, the series lays out aspects of the war that are still relevant in today’s world, more than eight decades since World War II’s end. For added clarity, History partnered with the National World War II Museum for research, archival imagery, and interviews with actual World War II veterans.
“‘World War II with Tom Hanks’ is the definitive retelling of that story for a new generation,” the museum said. ” A sweeping, deeply human portrait of how the modern world was forged in the fires of global war.”
The first three episodes of the series debut on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2026 on History and History.com. They cover the invasion of Poland, the German blitz through the Netherlands and Belgium, and the launch of Operation Barbarossa.
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