When it comes to the subject of war there are few conflicts that loom larger in our minds than the Second World War.

As the years go by, passing the lessons learnt from World War Two to each new generation becomes ever more important.

War Diaries is a fascinating series of documentaries charting the events of WWII year-by-year, using unique archive footage to take you back in time to see what actually happened when the world went to war.

In this second film of the series, 1940, we follow Adolf Hitler's trail of occupation into Denmark and Norway, which forced the resignation of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

See for yourself what happened the very day Winston Churchill became Britain's wartime leader, while Hitler's Blitzkrieg ripped through the Low Countries and France.

Witness the "Miracle of Dunkirk" when more than 300,000 Allied soldiers were safely snatched, quite literally from Hitler's grasp and then look to the skies for the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

As the casualties of war rise with the fall of Paris and the bombing of London, discover what happened when every man, woman and child in Britain joined the fight for freedom.

This is modern history at its most evocative, recorded for posterity by the people who lived through this incredible time and survived to tell the tale.