Though Hitler had failed to crush Britain during the summer of 1940, in the early days of 1941, as the Blitz on the UK’s towns and cities raged on, he had every reason to feel confident of the Third Reich’s eventual victory. However, the 12 months that followed shaped the eventual outcome of the war. In June, the Nazi war machine struck east, drawing Russia into the conflict. In December, Japan joined the Axis alliance and attacked the United States. World War II: 1941 explores the dramatic events of that year – a period in which World War Two truly became a global conflict.