Tom Hanks Revisits WWII 28 Years After “Saving Private Ryan”: &x27;A Major European Nation...Removed from the Map&x27; (Exclusive) Lizzie HymanSat, May 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC 0 Tom Hanks in 'World War II with Tom Hanks'Credit: 2025 A&E Television Networks, LLC/Art Streiber Tom Hanks received a best actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan He returns to the subject of WWII in the upcoming documentary series World War II with Tom Hanks, premiering May 25 on the History channel In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, the actor—who executive...
Tom Hanks Revisits WWII 28 Years After “Saving Private Ryan”: 'A Major European Nation...Removed from the Map' (Exclusive)
Lizzie HymanSat, May 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC
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Tom Hanks in 'World War II with Tom Hanks'
Credit: 2025 A&E Television Networks, LLC/Art Streiber -
Tom Hanks received a best actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan
He returns to the subject of WWII in the upcoming documentary series World War II with Tom Hanks, premiering May 25 on the History channel
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, the actor—who executive produces and narrates the series— and two historians detail Germany's advancement into Poland alongside archival footage from the war
Nearly three decades after starring in Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks is heading back behind enemy lines.
The actor, 69, who portrayed Captain John Miller in the Oscar-winning 1998 war drama, is revisiting the deadliest conflict in history for a new generation in the History channel'supcoming docuseries World War II with Tom Hanks.
In an exclusive clip from the 20-episode series shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Hanks — who also serves as an executive producer and narrator — joins historians in painting a deeply human portrait of the war.
“In less than a month, a major European nation has been removed from the map,” Hanks says as archival footage shows soldiers in combat and bombs detonating. He adds, “In the first 24 hours of the invasion, the Germans take out railroads, bridges and airfields. The destruction paves the way for their army to advance deep into Poland.”
Footage shows grieving Polish civilians and bodies being carried away, and historian and Sam Houston State University professor Jadwiga Biskupska explains, “Polish civilians experience modern war in an unbelievably horrifying way. They see people killed. It’s a nightmare.”
Alexandra Richie, a historian and professor at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, adds, “The Poles have a modern army. It’s the fifth largest army in the world, and it’s equipped with modern tanks, with all sorts of artillery and armored trains.”
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Tom Hanks filming 'World War II with Tom Hanks' in 2025.
Credit: 2025 A&E Television Networks, LLC/Art Streiber
“But Hitler has been putting almost all his resources into equipping the military,” she continues. “The Poles were outgunned.”
The trailer further explores the invasion of Poland and the devastating early days of World War II. “Despite those odds, the Poles are determined to defend their country,” Hanks says as the clip ends with additional wartime footage.
The first three episodes of World War II with Tom Hanks premiere on May 25. The docuseries is part of the HISTORY Honors 250 campaign, leading up to the 250th anniversary of the United States in July.
Tom Hanks in 1988's 'Saving Private Ryan'
Credit: David James/Dreamworks/Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
In 2019, Hanks reflected on the lasting significance of Saving Private Ryan in an interview with NBC News, emphasizing the importance of remembering the individuals who sacrificed their lives during D-Day and throughout the war.
“If we ever forget that it was a bunch of individuals that went over, and they all had names like Ernie, and Buck and Robert — that’s when we’ve done a bad job of being citizens of the world, I think,” he said.
The first three episodes of World War II with Tom Hanks premiere May 25 on the History channel.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: May 9, 2026 at 07:09PM on Source: MORNING MAG
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