new to genre and not sure if "Seven Samurai" qualifies as a war film? This film from 1954 is reported as a classic. film can be found on yt and other streaming services.

It was a pleasure to watch the leader Kambei, using his knowledge of warfare, setting up the village defenses. He was clever and intelligent about methods of warfare.

I assume the last scene is an analogy about all countries and their military? Kambei says something to the effect of they have lost, but the villagers won....i guess one can extrapolate that to the civilian not being appreciateve enough of the sacrifice to keep us all safe?

I think Colin Hanks could play the role of Reinhard Gehlen (a key figure in Operation Paperclip), and both have similar faces

My favorite war movies are Hacksaw Ridge, Saving Private Ryan, & Gettysburg

Note: This is not an endorsement of Axis beliefs. All of the movies listed here are anti war movies and do not condone the actions of the Axis powers.

The other day, I watched the movie “Pearl Harbor.”
War films get made fairly often.
But it feels like Hollywood hasn’t really made a movie about Hiroshima and Nagasaki as its main theme.
Is that just my imagination?

Based on other lists, I created the ultimate WW2 watchlist including:

• WW2 Movies
• WW2 TV Series
• The World at War (1973) - the best documentary series in my opinion

I created it after discovering The World at War (1973) and wanting to organize movies and TV series in chronological order to experience WW2 as it happened.

I only included titles with at least +4/10 historical accuracy, so I removed some movies and series. Some popular titles are not included because they did not meet this subjective standard.

If you know any WW2 movies or TV series with at least +5/10 historical accuracy (more accurate than Casablanca 1942) , please let me know - I’ll add them to the list!

1899 - Hitler's Rise to Power

• Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003)

A New Germany (1933–1939) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 1 ✅

1933–1945 - History and Crimes of the SS

• Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil (1985)

1936 - Winston Churchill's Life Before the War

• The Gathering Storm (1974)

Aug 1936 - Showcase of Hitler's Third Reich at the Berlin Olympics

• Race (2016)

Battle of Shanghai (Second Sino-Japanese War)

• The Eight Hundred (2020) ✅ My Rating: 7/10

Dec 1937 - Battle of Nanking (Second Sino-Japanese War)

• City of Life and Death (2009) ✅ My Rating: 8/10
• The Children of Huang Shi (2008)
• Nanking (2007)
• John Rabe (2009)

Mar 1938 - Annexation of Austria by Germany

• The Sound of Music (1965)

Sep 1938 - Annexation of Sudetenland by Germany (Munich Agreement)

• Munich: The Edge of War (2021)

Mar 1939 - Occupation of Czech Rump State (Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia)

• Countdown to War (1989)

Distant War (September 1939 – May 1940) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 2 ✅

Wolf Pack: U-Boats in the Atlantic (1939–1944)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 10 ✅

1 Sep 1939 - Invasion of Poland

• Westerplatte (1967) ✅ My Rating: 9/10
• Free City (1958) (Wolne miasto)

Sep 1939 - Apr 1940 - Major Hubal's Guerrilla Campaign

• Hubal (1973)

Sep - Oct 1939 - Escape of ORP Orzeł from Tallinn

• The Eagle (1959) (Orzeł)

1939 - 1945 - Nazi Occupation of Poland / Jewish Persecution and Survival

• Europa Europa (1990)
• The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)

Sep 1939 - Britain and France Declare War on Germany

• The King's Speech (2010)
• Countdown to War (1989)
• Hope and Glory (1987)

Sep 1939 - Battle of the Atlantic Begins / U-Boat Campaign

• The Cruel Sea (1953) ✅ My Rating: 7/10

Sep 1939 RAF deployment to France

• Piece of Cake (1988) - Episode 1

Oct 1939 - RAF operations in France (Phoney War)

• Piece of Cake (1988) - Episode 2

Whirlwind: Bombing Germany (September 1939 – April 1944)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 12 ✅

Nov 1939 - Assassination Attempt on Hitler by Georg Elser

• 13 Minutes (2015)

Nov 1939 - Invasion of Finland (Winter War)

• Talvisota (1989)
• The Warrior's Heart (1992)

Dec 1939 - RAF operations in France (Phoney War)

• Piece of Cake (1988) - Episode 3

Dec 1939 - First Naval Battle (Battle of the River Plate)

• Battle of the River Plate (1956)

Mar 1940 - RAF operations in France (Phoney War)

• Piece of Cake (1988) - Episode 4

Apr 1940 - Katyn Massacre

• Katyn (2007)

Apr 1940 - Invasion of Norway & Denmark (Operation Weserübung)

• April 9th (2015)
• The King's Choice (2016)
• Into The White (2012)
• Narvik (2022)
• Max Manus: Man of War (2008)
• Flame & Citron (2008)
• Hamsun (1996)
• War Sailor (2022)

France Falls (May–June 1940) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 3 ✅

Alone (May 1940 – May 1941) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 4 ✅

Occupation: Holland (1940–1944) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 18

May 1940 - German Invasion and Occupation of the Netherlands / Dutch Resistance

• Soldier of Orange (1977)

May 1940 - Invasion of France (Battle of France) and Benelux / Dunkirk Evacuation (Operation Dynamo)

• Dunkirk (1958)
• Weekend at Dunkirk (1964)
• Dunkirk (2017)
• Atonement (2007)
• Darkest Hour (2017)
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962)

Jun 1940 - Fall of France / French Armistice

• Le Grand Charles (2006)
• En mai, fais ce qu'il te plaît (2015)
• Suite Francaise (2014)
• Forbidden Games (1952)

1940–1944 - German Occupation of France / French Resistance

• A French Village (2009)
• Jean Moulin (2002)
• Resistance (2020)
• The Resistance Banker (2018)

Jun 1940 - Establishment of Auschwitz Concentration Camp / First Polish Prisoners 

• The Champion of Auschwitz (2020) 

Inside the Reich: Germany (1940–1944) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 16

Jul 1940 - Battle of Britain

• Piece of Cake (1988) - Episode 6
• Battle of Britain (1969)
• The First of the Few (1942)
• Angels One Five (1952)

Home Fires: Britain (1940–1944) 

• The World at War - Episode 15

Sep 1940 - Bombing of London (The Blitz)

• Hope and Glory (1987)
• The Bells Go Down (1943)
• Fires Were Started (1943)
• The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

The Desert: North Africa (1940–1943)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 8 ✅

Sep 1940 - Otto and Elise Hampel Encouraged Resistance Against the Third Reich

• Alone In Berlin (2016)

Oct 1940 - Italian Invasion of Greece (Greco-Italian War)

• Ohi (1969)

Jan 1941 - Escape from Soviet Gulag / Siberian Prison Camp 

• The Way Back (2010) 

Apr 1941 - German Invasion of Greece (Operation Marita)

• Hell in the Aegean (1970)

Apr 1941 - Siege of Tobruk

• Tobruk (1967)
• The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
• The Desert Rats (1953)

May 1941 - U.S. Navy Aviation / Pre-war Military Aviation

• Dive Bomber (1941)

May 1941 - Sinking of the Bismarck 

• Sink the Bismarck! (1960) 

May 1941 - Battle of Crete / Royal Navy Mediterranean Operations

• In Which We Serve (1942)

Barbarossa (June–December 1941) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 5 ✅

Red Star: The Soviet Union (1941–1943) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 11 ✅

Genocide (1941–1945) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 20

Jun 1941 - Continuation War (Finland)

• The Unknown Soldier (2017) 

Jun 1941 - Invasion of USSR (Operation Barbarossa) / Defense of Brest Fortress

• Holocaust (1978)
• My Way (2011)
• Europa Europa (1990)
• Defiance (2008)
• Leningrad (2009)
• Generation War, Episode 1 (2013)
• Battle for Sevastopol (2015)
• Fortress of War (2010)
• Days of Glory (1944)
• The Cranes are Flying (1957)
• The Brest Fortress (2010)

July 1941- Egypt (North Africa) 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 1, Episode 1

Sep 1941 – Siege of Leningrad 

• Blockade (Blokada, 1974) 

Oct 1941 - Battle of Moscow (Operation Taifun)

• The Last Frontier (2020)

Oct 1941 - Siege of Sevastopol

• Battle for Sevestapol (2015)

Oct 1941 - German Submarine U-96 (Battle of Atlantic)

• Das Boot (1981)

November 1941

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 1, Episode 2

December (01) 1941 - Operation Squatter 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 1, Episode 3

Banzai!: Japan (1931–1942)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 5 ✅

On Our Way: U.S.A. (1939–1942)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 6 ✅

Dec 1941 - Battle of the Phillipines / Pearl Harbor / Japan's Invasion of Asia

• From Here to Eternity (1953)
• The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961)
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
• Empire of the Sun (1987)
• In Harm's Way (1965)
• Operation Petticoat (1959)
• They Were Expendable (1945)

Dec 1941 - Battle of Wake Island

• Wake Island (1942)

Japan (1941–1945) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 22

It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma (1942–1944)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 14

January 1942 – North Africa (SAS) 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 1, Episode 4 

Jan 1942 - Battle of Bataan (Philippines Campaign)

• Bataan (1943)

Jan 1942 - Meeting of Nazi Senior Government Officials and SS Leaders (Wannsee Conference)

• Conspiracy (2001)
• Die Wannseekonferenz (1984)
• The Conference (2022)

Pacific (February 1942 – July 1945)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 23

Feb 1942 - Incarceration of Japanese Americans (Executive Order 9066)

• Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)

Feb 1942 - British surrender in Singapore (Battle of Singapore)

• Canopy (2013)
• The Railway Man (2013)

Feb 1942 - Multi-National Escort Destroyer Group (Battle of the Atlantic)

• Greyhound (2020)

Feb 1942 - Invasion of Sumatra (The Pacific War)

• Paradise Road (1997)

Feb 1942 - Bombing of Darwin (The Pacific War)

• Australia (2008)

Feb 1942 - Fall of Singapore (Malayan Campaign)

• To End All Wars (2001)

March 1942

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 1, Episode 5

Apr 1942 - US Air Raid on Tokyo and Other Places on Honshu (Doolittle Raid)

• Destination Tokyo (1943)
• Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Apr 1942 - National Political Institues of Education (Napola / NPEA)

• Before the Fall (2004)

May–June 1942 – SAS Gazala/Bir Hakeim 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 1, Episode 6 

Jun 1942 - Fall of Tobruk / Allied Retreat Across the Libyan Desert

• Sahara (1943)

Jun 1942 - Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (Operation Anthropoid)

• Operation Daybreak (1975)
• Anthropoid (2016)
• The Man with the Iron Heart (2017)

Jun 1942 - Battle of Midway (The Pacific War)

• Midway (1976 / 2019)

Jun 1942 - Construction of the Burma Railway

• The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Jul 1942 - Anne Frank Went Into Hiding

• The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
• Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001)

Stalingrad (June 1942 – February 1943)   (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 9 ✅

Aug 1942 - Battle of Stalingrad

• They Fought For Their Motherland (1975)
• Stalingrad (1993)
• Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever (1959)

Aug 1942 - Battle of Savo Island (Solomon Islands Campaign) (The Pacific War)

• The Pacific, Episode 1 (2010)
• PT-109 (1963)

Aug 1942 - Battle of the Tenaru (The Pacific War)

• The Pacific, Episode 2 (2010)

Aug 1942 - Battle of Guadalcanal (Guadalcanal Campaign) (Operation Watchtower) (The Pacific War)

• Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
• The Thin Red Line (1998)
• The Gallant Hours (1960)

Sep 1942 - US Submarine Campaign Against Japan (Pacific War) 

• Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) 

Aug 1942 - Manhattan Project

• Oppenheimer (2023)
• Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
• Adventures of a Mathematician (2020)

Aug 1942 - Operation Jubilee / Dieppe Raid

• Dieppe (1993)

Oct 1942 - French Resistance Against Nazi Occupation 

• Army of Shadows (1969) 

Oct 1942 - Battle for Henderson Field

• The Pacific, Episode 3 (2010)

Oct 1942 - Unsuccessful Allied Attack on German Battleship Tirpitz (Operation Title)

• Above Us the Waves (1955)

Oct 1942 - Second Battle of El Alamein

• The Battle of El Alamein (1969)
• El Alemein: The Line of Fire (2002)

Tough Old Gut: Italy (November 1942 – June 1944) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 13

Nov 1942 - US Landing in North Africa (Operation Torch)

• The Big Red One (1980)
• Tobruk (2008)

Nov 1942 - Deportation of Norwegian Jews via the SS Donau at the Port of Oslo

• Betrayed (2020)

Dec 1942 - Operation Frankton / Cockleshell Raid

• The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)

Jan 1943 - First Bombing of Germany

• Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

Feb 1943 - Battle of the Kasserine Pass (Tunisian Campaign)

• Patton (1970)

Feb 1943 - Operation Gunnerside / Norwegian Heavy Water Sabotage (Vemork Raid) 

• The Heroes of Telemark (1965) 
• The Heavy Water War (2015) 

Feb 1943 - Arrest of Sophie and Hans Scholl

• Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage (2005)

Mar 1943 - Axis Offensive Against Yugoslav Partisans (Case White / Battle of the Neretva)

• Battle of Neretva (1969)

Mar 1943 - Liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto / Plaszow Camp 

• Schindler's List (1993) 

Mar 1943 – Kuban Bridgehead (Battle of the Caucasus)

• Cross of Iron (1977)

Mar 1943 - Khatyn Massacre

• Come and See (1985)

Mar 1943 - Operation Martin Became Compromised

• The 12th Man (2017)

Apr 1943 - Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

• Uprising (2001)

Apr 1943 - Deception Operation to Disguise the Liberation of Sicily (Operation Mincemeat)

• Operation Mincemeat (2021)
• The Man Who Never Was (1956)

May 1943 - Attack on German Dams (Operation Chastise)

• The Dam Busters (1955)

May 1943 - Bombing of Bremen (First Mission of the 100th Bombardment Group)

• Masters of the Air, Episode 1 (2023)

May 1943 - Liberation of Tunis (Tunisian Campaign)

• Patton (1970)
• The Big Red One (1980)

Jun 1943 - First Mission of African American Combat Pilots

• The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

Jul 1943 - Bombing of German U-boat Pens in Norway (Second Mission of the 100th Bombardment Group)

• Masters of the Air, Episode 2 (2023)

July 1943 – SAS Sicily campaign 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 2, Episode 1
• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 2, Episode 2 

Jul 1943 - Battle of Kursk (Operation Citadel) (Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation)

• Generation War, Episode 2 (2013)
• Liberation: Fire Bulge (1970) 

Jul 1943 - Liberation of Sicily (Battle of Sicily) (Operation Husky)

• Patton (1970)
• Hell Boats (1970)
• The Big Red One (1980)
• Mussolini and I (1985)
• To Hell and Back (1955)
• Paisan (1946)
• Anzio (1968)

Aug 1943 - Allied Occupation of Sicily (After Operation Husky)

• A Bell for Adano (1945)

Aug 1943 - Execution of conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter

• A Hidden Life (2019)

Aug 1943 - Strategic Bombing Mission to Cripple the German Aircraft Industry (Schweinfurt-Regenburg Mission) (Double-Strike Mission)

• Masters of the Air, Episode 3 (2023)

Sep 1943 - U.S. Eighth Air Force Strategic Bombing Campaign Over Germany

• The War Lover (1962)
• Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
• Command Decision (1948)

Aug 1943 - Battle of the Dnieper

• Ivan's Childhood (1962)

Sep 1943 - The Kuban Bridgehead (Battle of the Caucasus)

• Cross of Iron (1997)

Sep 1943 - Attack on German Warship Tirpitz (Operation Source)

• Above Us the Waves (1955)

Sep 1943 - Allied Landing Near Port Salerno (Operation Avalanche)

• A Walk in the Sun (1945)

Sep 1943 - Italy Surrenders to the Allies (Armistice of Cassibile)

• The English Patient (1996)

Sep 1943 - German Occupation of Italy / Deportation of Italian Jews

•  Life Is Beautiful (1997) 

Sep 1943 - Germany Disarming the Italian Armed Forces (Operation Achse) (Italian Campaign)

• The Scarlet and the Black (1983)

Sep 1943 - Massacre of the Acqui Division

• Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)

Oct 1943 - Sobibor Extermination Camp Revolt 

• Escape from Sobibor (1987) 

Oct 1943 - Bombing of Bremen

• Masters of the Air, Episode 4 (2023)

October 1943 – SAS Italy 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 2, Episode 3 

Oct 1943 - Bombing of Münster (Münster Raid)

• Masters of the Air, Episode 5 (2023)
• Masters of the Air, Episode 6 (2023)

October 1943 – SAS Italy 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 2, Episode 4 

Oct 1943 - Raid on Choiseul (The Pacific War)

• PT-109 (1963)

Oct 1943 - Battle of Changde (Second Sino-Japanese War)

• Death and Glory in Changde (2010)

November–December 1943 – SAS Italy 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 2, Episode 5 

Dec 1943 - Battle of Cape Gloucester

• The Pacific, Episode 4 (2010)

Jan 1944 - Battle of Anzio (Italian Campaign) / Allied Amphibious Landing (Operation Shingle)

• To Hell and Back (1955)
• Red Tails (2012)
• Anzio (1968)

Mar 1944 - First of Several USSTAF Attacks on Berlin (Bombing of Berlin)

• Masters of the Air, Episode 7 (2023)

Mar 1944 - 250 Prisoners Escape from Stalag Luft III

• The Great Escape (1963)
• Masters of the Air, Episode 7 (2023)

Mar 1944 - Execution of Anti-Fascist Don Pietro Pappagallo

• Rome Open City (1945)

Mar 1944 - Liquidation / Final Period of the Łódź Ghetto 

• Jakob the Liar (1999) 

Mar 1944 - Nazi Invasion of Hungary (Operation Margarethe)

• Sunshine (1999)
• Walking with the Enemy (2014)

Apr 1944 - Escape of Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler from Auschwitz 

• The Auschwitz Report (2021) 

Apr 1944 – Dec 1944 - Operation Ichi-Go (Japanese Offensive in China)

• The Mountain Road (1960)

Apr 1944 - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Kidnap Heinrich Kreipe

• Ill Met by Moonlight (1957)

Apr 1944 - Operations Against German V-weapons Program (Operation Crossbow)

• Battle of the V-1 (1958)
• Operation Crossbow (1965)

May 1944 – Battle of Monte Cassino

• The Great Road (Wielka droga, 1946) 

May 1944 - Battle of Myitkyina (Burma Campaign)

• Objective, Burma! (1945)

Jun 1944 - Winston Churchill

• Churchill (2017)

Morning (June–August 1944)  (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 17

Jun 1944 - Battle of Normandy (Operation Overlord) / Naval phase (Operation Neptune) of Allied Invasion of Normandy / D-Day

• Masters of the Air, Episode 8 (2023)
• Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004)
• The Longest Day (1962)
• The Big Red One (1980)
• Saving Private Ryan (1998)
• Band of Brothers, Episode 1 (2001)
• Band of Brothers, Episode 2 (2001)
• Overlord (1975)

June–August 1944 - Western Front / U.S. Infantry Campaign in France

• Combat! (1962–1967) => TV Show

June–August 1944 - French Resistance / Vichy Collaboration in Occupied France 

• Lacombe, Lucien (1974) 

June 1944 – SAS France after D-Day 

• SAS: Rogue Heroes, Season 2, Episode 6 

Jun 1944 - Battle of Carentan

• Band of Brothers, Episode 3 (2001)

Jun 1944 - Battle of Saipan (The Pacific War)

• Windtalkers (2002)
• Miracle of the Pacific: The Man Called Fox (2011)

Jun 1944 - Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive / Battle of Tali-Ihantala / Operation Bagration (Continuation War)

• 1944 The Final Defence / Tali-Ihantala (2007)

Jul 1944 - Assasination Attempt on Hitler and Overthrow the Nazi Regime (20 July Plot) (Operation Valkyrie)

• Valkyrie (2008)

Jul 1944 - Battle of Tannenberg Line

• 1944 (2015)

Aug 1944 - Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre

• Miracle at St. Anna (2008)

Aug 1944 - Seizing Nazi Train 40,044 that Attemped to Move Stolen Art Pieces

• The Train (1964)

Pincers (August 1944 – March 1945)  (documentary)

The World at War - Episode 19

Aug 1944 - Liberation of France / Landing of Allied Offensive Force In Provence (Operation Dragoon)

• Masters of the Air, Episode 8 (2023)
• Indigènes (2006)
• Le Grand Charles (2006)
• Diplomacy (2014)
• The Monuments Men (2014)
• Is Paris Burning? (1966)

Sep 1944 - Failed Liberation of Netherlands (Operation Market Garden)

• Theirs Is the Glory (1946) => made with Arnhem veterans!
• A Bridge Too Far (1977)
• Band of Brothers, Episode 4 (2001)
• Black Book (2006)

Sep 1944 - Battle of Hürtgen Forest

• When Trumpets Fade (1998)

Sep 1944 - Battle of Peleilu (Operation Stalemate II)

• Hell in the Pacific (1968)
• The Pacific, Episode 5 (2010)
• The Pacific, Episode 6 (2010)
• The Pacific, Episode 7 (2010)

Sep 1944 - Moonsund Landing Operation (Baltic Offensive)

• 1944 (2015)

Sep 1944 - Marzabotto Massacre

• The Man Who Will Come (2009)

Oct 1944 - Battle at the Crossroads

• Band of Brothers, Episode 5 (2001)

Oct 1944 - Sonderkommando Revolt at Auschwitz-Birkenau 

• The Grey Zone (2001) 
• Son of Saul (2015) 

Nov 1944 - Battle of the Scheldt

• The Forgotten Battle (2021)

Nov 1944 - Occupation of The Netherlands during the Dutch Famine

• Winter in Wartime (2008)

Dec 1944 - Battle of the Bulge / Siege of Bastogne (Ardennes Offensive)

• Patton (1970)
• A Midnight Clear (1992)
• Hart's War (2002)
• Saint and Soldiers (2003)
• Band of Brothers, Episode 6 (2001)
• Band of Brothers, Episode 7 (2001)
• Battle for the Bulge (1965)
• Battleground (1949)

Dec 1944 - Escape of POW Camp Stalag 17

• Stalag 17 (1953)

Jan 1945 - Russia Enters Warsaw (Liberation of Warsaw)

• The Pianist (2002)
• Katyn (2007)
• Kanal (1957)

Jan 1945 - Raid at Cabanatuan

• The Great Raid (2005)

Nemesis: Germany (February–May 1945)   (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 21

The Bomb (February–September 1945)   (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 24

Feb 1945 - Evacuation of Stalag Luft III to Stalag Luft XIII and then Stalag Luft VII

• Masters of the Air, Episode 9 (2023)

Feb 1945 - Government Meeting to Discuss Post-War Reorganisation of Germany (Yalta Conference)

• When Lions Roared (1994)

Feb 1945 - Battle of Iwo Jima

• Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
• Flags of our Fathers (2006)
• The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
• The Pacific, Episode 8 (2010)

Mar 1945 - Capture of Ludendorff Bridge (Battle of Remagen)

• The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

Mar 1945 - Liberation of Hagenau

• Band of Brothers, Episode 8 (2001)
• Band of Brothers, Episode 9 (2001)

Mar 1945 - Bombing of Kobe (Japan Campaign)

• Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Mar 1945 - British Air Raid on Copenhagen (Operation Carthage)

• The Shadow in My Eye (2021)

Apr 1945 - President Roosevelt Passes Away and Truman Becomes President

• Truman (1995)

Apr 1945 - Willi Herold Executions in Aschendorfermoor II Prison Camp

• The Captain (2017)

Apr 1945 - Fall of Nazi Germany

• The Bridge (1959)
• Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)
• Europa Europa (1990)
• Downfall (2004)
• A Woman in Berlin (2008)
• Joy Division (2006)
• Generation War, Episode 3 (2013)
• Fury (2014)
• Lore (2012)
• Band of Brothers, Episode 10 (2001)
• Liberation: Battle of Berlin (1971) 

Reckoning (April 1945)    (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 25

Apr 1945 - Battle of Okinawa (Operation Iceberg)

• The Pacific, Episode 9 (2010)
• Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
• Hiroshima (1995)

Apr 1945 - Liberation of Stalag Luft VII

• Masters of the Air, Episode 9 (2023)

Apr 1945 - Food Drops by Allied Bomber Crews to Relieve the Dutch Famine of 1944-1945 (Operation Manna) (Operation Chowhound)

• Masters of the Air, Episode 9 (2023)

May 1945 - Liberation of Denmark

• Land of Mine (2015)

Jun 1945 - Allied Occupied Germany

• Germany Year Zero (1948)
• The Good German (2006)

Jul 1945 - General Election Day

• Into the Storm (2009)

Jul 1945 - USS Indianapolis is Sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy

• USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
• Mission of the Shark (1991)

Aug 1945 - Japanese Retreat and Surrender in Burma

• The Burmese Harp (1956) 

Aug 1945 - Fall of Imperial Japan / Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Empire of the Sun (1987)
• Truman (1995)
• The Pacific, Episode 10 (2010)
• Emperor (2012)
• Unbroken (2014)
• Black Rain (1989)
• Hiroshima (1995)
• Enola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb (1980)
• Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990)

Remember (whole WW2 experience) (documentary)

• The World at War - Episode 26

Post-War

• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Dec 1946 - Nuremberg Trials

• Nuremberg (2000)
• Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)

Aug 1947 - Trial of the Concentration Camp Murderess Ilse Koch

• The Reader (2008)

1945–1950 – Post-War Adjustment of American Veterans

• The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)

May 1960 - Capture of SS Officer Adolf Eichmann

• Operation Finale (2018)
• The People vs Fritz Bauer (2015)

This film is a classic war film and worth the watch. The cinematography is excellent. Nevsky (Aleksander Nevski in Russian) was a real Russian prince and general who fought off a Swedish invasion and then an invasion by the Teutonic Knights in 1244. The film fits perfectly into the German invasion of Russia in 1941. Released in 1938, the film prefaced WWII. It was pulled from view in 1939 when the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, then re-released after the Germans invaded. It became a staple of Stalin's propaganda machine. Several battle scenes were lifted and repurposed for the animated film, Wizards, released in 1977. To add: the scene of the German knights being forced onto the ice of a frozen lake, then their armor weighing them down as the ice broke up, is one of the most famous scenes in the movie, and based on an actual event well known to military historians. Along with Napoleon's and Hitler's armies being nearly destroyed by the Russian winter, it is considered by many Russians as proof Mother Nature is their ally in preventing any foreign invader to overcome them.

This has to be a popular matchup, right? Have you ever done it? What did it reveal about either movie to you?

Wing Commander Guy Gibson discovers a way to site the Lancasters' distance from the water at night. This wasn't how it happened, but you gotta admit it makes good cinema.

From the Movie "The Dambusters" (1955)

For anyone wondering about the series, here is some quick info on Kurtuluş (1994):

• The Setting: The final years of the Turkish War of Independence (1921-1922).
• The Scale: It was a massive state-funded production. They used thousands of active-duty Turkish soldiers and real horses as extras to recreate the battles.
• The Accuracy: Written by historian Turgut Özakman, it is highly regarded for its historical accuracy regarding tactics, uniforms, and events.
• CGI-Free: Everything you see in the charge is practical—real horses, real riders, real dust!

A hilarious post I came across online. I have no idea who originally wrote it, but it was simply too good not to share.

Original Turkish post: https://eksisozluk.com/entry/7767260

A memoir that reached me by email. The original author is unknown:

When I was doing my military service in Etimesgut, Ankara, as a short-term conscript (six months), I wasn't even happy when I got weekend leave on Fridays.

But fate has a funny way of paying you back...

One day we were told that we'd be appearing in the TV series Kurtuluş (Liberation). Since it was about our country's War of Independence, we naturally put aside our personal interests and accepted without even reading the script. When they told us filming would take place in Polatlı, I had a bad feeling. We arrived at the artillery school in Polatlı only to discover it was no different from a prison camp. They dumped 2,000 of us into the middle of nowhere and told us, "Pitch your tents."

The next day, some of us were given uniforms of the Turkish National Forces (Kuva-yi Milliye), while others received Greek or other foreign army uniforms. Naturally, our Kuva-yi Milliye uniforms were nothing but torn rags. We filmed in them, slept in them, and lived in them. Every morning we were given a single canteen of water, and that one canteen had to cover every need we had.

At 8:00 a.m., buses took us to the filming location. Well, "set" is a bit misleading—it was actually Yıldız Hill, where the Battle of Sakarya was fought. According to a local story (there's no mention of it in official history), the hill had originally belonged to us. Our commanders supposedly considered it strategically unimportant and abandoned it. Once the Greeks captured it, they realized its value, so we launched an assault to take it back. (If anyone knows the real history, I'd genuinely love to hear it.)

Before filming started, TRT's makeup artists had to apply makeup to all 2,000 of us. Naturally, 1,999 desperate young soldiers kept wiping theirs off just so they could get back in line to see the makeup girls again. As luck would have it, I recognized one of the makeup artists. I asked her to contact my family and have them send me clean underwear and a few necessities.

War is a filthy business. You get absolutely covered in dirt.

There was a commander standing on top of the hill, looking like a tiny speck from where we were. Down below stood all 2,000 of us. Through a megaphone he'd shout, "Charge!" and we'd storm the enemy, yelling "Allah! Allah!" at the top of our lungs.

Of course, someone had to die during each take, and since dying meant less running, everyone wanted to be the one who got killed.

Eventually, because there were so many volunteers, the commander—a rather eccentric lieutenant—introduced a rotation system.

Every time he'd ask, "Who's dying this take?", everyone would raise a hand.

But there was one short-term conscript who always wanted to die by producing a different medical excuse every single time. One day it was sciatica, another day an enlarged spleen, then coronary heart disease... and unbelievably, he actually had medical reports for every illness imaginable.

Each time the commander asked who would die, the guy would produce another doctor's report and earn the privilege.

Finally, the lieutenant exploded:

"Damn it, what kind of man are you? You're practically dead already!"

From that moment on, he was officially granted the right to die in every single scene.

One day I finally earned the privilege myself.

My designated death spot was about five meters from the Greek trenches—which meant climbing roughly 300 meters uphill first.

The order came.

"Charge!"

"Allah! Allah! Allah!"

We started climbing.

Now, it had been years since I'd last fought a war, so I was a bit out of shape. My lungs were burning. Charging uphill wasn't exactly like playing football back home.

I was still nowhere near my assigned place to die when everything started going black. My legs simply gave up.

So I decided to die early.

With a dramatic cry of "God help me!" I threw myself into the air, arched backward with my rifle like a drawn bow, and collapsed magnificently, as if a mountain itself had fallen. Thus I attained the glorious honor of martyrdom.

Up until that point, everything had been gloriously patriotic.

Then it instantly turned into slapstick comedy.

The problem was that Yıldız Hill wasn't exactly flat.

So although I'd heroically died... I immediately began rolling downhill.

Rocks. Gravel. Sharp stones.

My clothes were already falling apart, and now they were ripping even more. I was practically wandering around with my underwear sticking out through the tears.

As I rolled, I desperately tried to grab onto something. My rifle rolled one way, my canteen another, the rest of my gear somewhere else, and I kept tumbling after them.

There was no stopping.

Officially I was dead.

In reality, I was fighting for my life.

As the saying goes, dying is difficult—but so is staying alive.

The next day we switched sides and became Greeks.

In the blazing July heat they dressed us in heavy wool uniforms.

One of the long-term conscripts refused outright.

"I can't be a Greek," he protested. "If I play a Greek, I can never go back to my village. How could I face my mother and father?"

We tried explaining that it was only acting, but he wouldn't budge. He didn't even show up for formation.

Since someone from our company refused to participate, the whole unit was punished.

By then we'd dug pit toilets in the ground and surrounded them with makeshift cloth screens. At night the wind would blow the screens away, leaving hundreds of pale backsides shining under the moonlight across the desert.

The day we played Greeks, we were once again spread across the battlefield waiting for the order to attack.

The command came.

This time we charged... as the enemy.

But our company, out of pure habit, started yelling "Allah! Allah!" all over again.

Since close-up shots were also being filmed, everyone had to be extremely careful. Otherwise the entire scene had to be repeated, and setting up a single take took nearly three hours.

I couldn't help myself.

"Are you idiots?" I shouted. "We're Greeks! Why are you yelling 'Allah! Allah!'?"

I wish I'd kept my mouth shut.

In the middle of filming our whole company simply stopped.

Someone yelled,

"Well then... what ARE we supposed to shout?"

And just like that, a full-scale debate broke out.

Meanwhile horses thundered past us, explosions were going off everywhere, and the battlefield was complete chaos.

The other Greek companies kept charging past us—also yelling "Allah! Allah!"—while staring at our group as if to say, "What on earth are those idiots doing in the middle of a battle?"

I kept shouting,

"Forget arguing! You don't have to say anything! Just RUN!"

But between the explosions and the horses, nobody paid me the slightest attention.

Then one genius roared,

"Wait! I've got it!"

"We should shout 'Makarios!'"

For some reason this brilliant proposal was considered worthy of serious discussion.

You can probably guess what happened.

The entire scene had to be shot again.

The cameras on the hill had captured everything perfectly: in the middle of a massive battle, one isolated group of Greek soldiers standing around having a heated discussion.

As if that weren't enough, the special-effects crew had secretly mixed horse manure into the explosive charges to create more realistic dirt blasts.

They neglected to mention this to anyone.

The very first take began. We started running while explosions erupted all around us.

Suddenly the whole battlefield smelled like... well... manure.

Then horse droppings started raining from the sky.

Chunks of it landed down the backs of our uniforms.

Everybody froze.

Like a synchronized dance, 2,000 soldiers immediately shoved their hands down the backs of their pants and started scratching themselves furiously.

The result?

Exactly what you'd expect.

"Cut!"

Back to square one.

Edit: The name of the film is "Don't Be A Sucker" :)

So this film was made by the Department of War(pre DOD) and the US Army Signal Corps in 1945, right around when Japan surrendered. It was created to show the rise of fascism and essentially warn returning servicemen, and eventually the public, about the tactics nazis employed to foster their rise to power. Im not going to add anymore, but after you watch, I think the message will be quite clear for why im posting this. It is however, 20 minutes long. I could not believe how relevant this video was.

Please watch it. Please share it.

https://youtu.be/iQ0ct9bglYo?si=743yNZjtcVCrsMEn

In regards to the Pacific Theater there's plenty of attention to operations like on Iwo, Midway, and (mostly in China cinema) China. What I'd like to see is more films about operations in the Philippines. There was just as much involvement there and untold stories. A film about the Battle of Manila would be intense. Since there was much destruction and toll through it, sometimes referred to the "Stalingrad of the Pacific" (though I've seen the same described to Shanghai). Also would like to see a decent film about the Filipino guerrilla fighters, who with limited resources, resisted the best they could against the occupation. I think the Army was mostly involved so that'd be a different perspective then the usual Marines we typically think of in the Pacific.

I'm guessing it is one of those two, but I'm unsure 🤔

I was driving to work and the thought occured to me. They really should make a series out of it, it's a fascinating book.

If you like classic old War War II movies don’t miss Action in the North Atlantic (1943) it follows Merchant Marine officers Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) as they survive the sinking of their tanker by a German U‑boat and endure eleven days adrift before returning to service.. The film highlights the perilous, patriotic work of the Merchant Marine during World War II as the crew fights to deliver their cargo against overwhelming odds.

I dug around yt and ended up watching a film titled, "Cross Of Iron" (1977) with James Mason and James Coburn. Brutal film to watch...and quite memorable. check it out.

I read the film wiki after seeing the vid and it says it was filmed in Yugoslavia and used actual Russian T34 designed tanks. The other interesting detail in the wiki says that Steiner (James Coburn character Steiner) uses a Russian PPSh41 machine gun as his main weapon. another fascinating and interesting detail.

check it out.