Best WW2 radio series including one 'harrowing' hit that will ‘make you cry’

Radio fans on Reddit have shared their favourite World War 2 dramas - and we've picked out the best of their suggestions. First on the list should be Bomber - it might be a dramatisation, but one chilling aspect which makes it unmissable is its "high degree of historical accuracy".

It's based on Len Deighton's novel, Bomber, which follows the progress of a real-life Allied air raid from 1943 over a 24-hour period - and everyone's perspective is included, whether in the air or waiting anxiously on the ground. The novellist is also a historian and he lent his insights about the real-life realities of war to the story - something which was taken a step further by BBC Radio 4. It "interspersed interviews with former Lancaster bomber crew with a full cast dramatisation of the story of the novel" - and the result was a true tearjerker.

Those who aren't sure where to find it should check out this YouTube link, although Reddit users caution that it can be a difficult watch.

One wrote on the site: "They went for a high degree of historical accuracy and realism so some parts are quite harrowing. There's a couple of scenes that have stuck with me to this day after first hearing it when I was five or six.

"That being said, it is a very good adaptation and definitely well worth a listen. The interview sections are particularly fascinating."

Another option featuring first-person interviews is the BBC Witness History WWII special feed, which is not just unmissable but great for those who are short on time as each segment is around 15 minutes each.

Over on BBC Sounds, it's the devastating but historically important Radio 4 drama Nuremburg: The Trial of the Nazi War Criminals.

It lays bare the full extent of German wartime atrocities, as well as zooming in on the impact of the trials that took place after the Nazis surrendered in 1945, showing exactly how justice was served.

One Spotify download tells a story from further afield: Supernova in the East, from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History series zooms in on Japan and has been described as one of the broadcaster's very best episodes.

Finally, checking out Ben Macintyre audio books - from Colditz to Operation Mincemeat - won't be a waste of your time.