Don't Overlook These 5 German WW2 Movies

[@scottkrater2131]

There's a film about a German couple in Berlin who's only son is killed in the invasion of France. Leading them to take an anti war stance, and leave anti war notes around Berlin. A true story, they were eventually tracked down by the Gestapo and the husband was tortured and executed. But I can't remember the title.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Not sure off the top of my head. I'll pin the comment and maybe someone can help us out.

[@scottkrater2131]

@@JohnnyJohnsonHistory it's a great film, the lead investigator is actually pretty sympathetic to the husband and threw all the notes he recovered out the window so any one could find them, then shot himself I think. His bosses were hard core Nazis of course.

[@scottkrater2131]

I found it, it's called Alone in Berlin, but I think a French film actually, adapted from 2 German television movies. It's the story of Otto and Elise Hampel. Both executed by guillotine for writing the cards between 1940 and 1943. Sorry for saying it was German, Brendan Gleason is the husband.

[@PilzFarm]

@@scottkrater2131 it was actually the Brother of Elise who was killed in the war. The Couple lived and wrote Postcards they distributed just 300 meters from where I live in Berlin-Wedding which was a very left leaning workers district that underwent several cleaning operation by the Nazis. The Hempels where not identified till 1943 as the Autors of the Postcards, sadly betrayed by someone they where caught, trialed and executed.

[@geoffmaynard3751]

Alone in Berlin

[@martinroberts354]

"1944" - Forced to Fight" (2015) is a brilliant film about the experience of young Estonians who enlist in the German Army in order to fight to 'save' their country from the advancing Soviets. It's a fantastic realistic film which had me in tears in a few places. It's an Estonian production - so nobody would have heard of it - but it fully depicts the war from the point of view of those nations which Germany forced to fight. "Unsere Mutter, unsere Vater" (Our mothers, our fathers) AKA: "Generation War" (2013) is a three-part series about the wartime experience of 5 young Berliners. Put simply - this is one of the best things ever to come out of Germany about its war past. It's breathtaking, superb.

[@robertsmith6068]

second generation war, absolutely brilliant and riveting

[@Vladymir_Putin]

yeach, some 'middle' europeans war movies are intersting too, but rather unnown, mostly polish.

[@maitres-chez-nous5609]

The soviets were worst than the Germans without question. Also, many volunteers from different countries joined the Germans without being forced. Yes, to save their nations. You can find pictures of the very diverse units in the German army. From asian units to muslim units, the lie of the racist Germans is just something we were sold to justify the war. Europa - The Last Battle is a must see for anyone thinking they have been shown an accurate portrayal of WWII. The first victim of war is always the truth.

[@MrResearcher122]

Remember it: one of the friends, or brothers, gets shot near the end.

[@BartBart22]

The German's didn't force any other country to fight. Places like Finland, Estonia and the Baltics and Romania saw Hitler as the lesser evil when compared to Stalin and they were probably correct in that assumption.

[@lennartforsberg1519]

My comment isn't about German WW2 Movies. But there was a German tv drama called Heimat, which covered the period from 1918-1990s. This serie is one of my most memorable moments.

[@rightlyso8507]

"Heimat" was, and still is, the best thing I've ever seen on TV. I bought the VHS when I found it and then got it on DVD. There are three "Heimat" films, all taking place in successive years, The first "Heimat" is the best - taking up the years 1918-1982 and 15+ hours of screen time. I'd first seen it on one of the NYC PBS channels and they'd air it in several hour segments.

[@ricardoangulo8719]

@@rightlyso8507 There is "Die Zeite Heimat" The second motherland. Director: Edgar Reis. It is a 20 hours long film divided in 2 hours chapters. It"s a must.

[@joelopez3954]

If anyone watches Das Boot, make sure you watch the definitive version which clocks in at 4hrs 53m!! It was released as a miniseries in Germany and is WAY better than the English version of “ The Boat “, and even the slightly longer director’s cut DasBoot! It’s got loads of content about the crew, an additional air attack on the sub that’s deleted in the other 2 versions, etc! Even some of the German translations in the dialogue are different than the other shorter versions. Das Boot is the “ saving Private Ryan “ of WW2 submarine movies 🍿 movie 🎥!! Enjoy

[@nightshade4186]

lol don't compare it with Private Ryan as Ryan is unrealistic as hell after the first 20 mins.

[@blasterofmuppets4754]

The book is also extremely good.

[@joelopez3954]

Yes, Lothar’s original 35mm photos in that book are amazing! 👍

[@hankblaster]

THANX! I didn't know that!

[@gillbates999]

To each his own...I did not care for the long version. As so often, best to stick with the original. I'll say the same for Apocalypse Now and most "director's cuts", as well as the countless "remastered" (=ruined) music recordings.

[@rogersmith6067]

Die Brücke and Europa Europa are true cinematic gems, Der Hauptmann I find quite decent. The other two didn't bring me to my knees, but still I've learned few things about german history, so no regrets there. Thanks for the list 👍🙂

[@itsyaboipaulychips4498]

Der Hauptman is a wild movie. It’s so dark that it eventually becomes comical. Couldn’t imagine trying to survive during the final days of the reich

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

Well... It wasn't easy. My grandpa made it. Left the show in March '45 in Hungary, together with 2 pals. They made it, by marchin' only at night. And by day, they dug themself into the old leaves in the woods. They avoided any German patrols and were later captured by the French. Escaped them and made it home, in summer.

[@tomate_muller]

​@@melchiorvonsternberg844that's awesome

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

@@tomate_muller Well... If you don't learn to correctly assess situations early in life, then you can easily die because of this inability. This is extremely closely linked to such banal things as driving a car. And this momentum weighs three times as much in an armed conflict. I should probably mention that my other grandfather also managed to get through the war relatively healthy. However, the hardships left both of them scarred for the rest of their lives. Neither of them lived past 63. I was even very lucky as a child to still know two great-grandparents. And this great-grandfather (born 1883) had of course also fought in the First World War. Seems like that and good instinct is a special ability in my family. I myself didn't serve with a weapon, but my little brother did. And if he hadn't had these skills, he probably would have been shot dead by an American during a military exercise with live ammunition in Canada...

[@tomate_muller]

@@melchiorvonsternberg844 we lost total contact with our german family after ww2. Your words are full of wisdom. Have a nice day.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

The same, Herr Müller...@@tomate_muller

[@hardcorehardo]

My father has shown me the bridge. He was born in 53 and saw it as a young boy, who's father was in the Wehrmacht himself. Truly a heartbreaking movie.

[@tomitiustritus6672]

One moment i noticed the movie was depicting many details that were basically unseen in war movies of that time. How exit wounds from a high caliber rifle look like. That standing behind a Panzerfaust when it's fired burns you and so on. And that moment i realized this wasn't cool special effects people having fun, but that, the movie being from the 50s, it was firdt hand knowledge. This makes the movie so much more eerie. This makes scenes like the older, tired retreating soldiers, how they talk to the kids and half assedly try to stop them but really can't care anymore, so much more powerful. The disgust for war just drips out of this movie. A must watch.

[@hardcorehardo]

@@tomitiustritus6672 Yeah, you're right. It's that kind of unsettling special effects, you don't find it to be cool like in Tarantino films.

[@skillz7119]

Two of my all time favorites that are virtually unknown in the US are "Unknown soldier" made in Finland (extremely graphic film of their war against the soviets) and "Never look away" A German art/romance/war film set partially in ww2. Deeply touching film, will absolutely leave a mark. Far better than anything hollywood has put out in the last 20 years.

[@louise_rose]

There are three versions of Unknown Soldier, made thirty years apart for each by different directors; they're all based on the eponymous classic novel by Väinö Linna (printed in 1954), who had lived through the Finnish-Russian conflicts during WW2 himself. All three are highly acclaimed films, individual and worth watching and lasting around three hours each in their original cuts (which are the ones to seek out, and try to get them subtitled, not dubbed - so you can hear the expressive language and voices!). The first version, directed by Edvin Laine in 1955, is in black and white and carefully incorporates some authentic stock/reporting footage of the war, so some of the explosions and offensive rushes are real. The film has a feeling a bit like the Iliad, a war epic which shows off the Finnish soldiers as common-men heroes but also with realistic depth, humour and a sense of the tragedy and shortcomings of war, and without overly demonizing the Russians. This version is shown on Finnish tv every year on December 6, National Day. When it was first shown in Russia, at a festival in the 1990s, it earned a standing ovation from the Russian audience, appreciative of its honest and powerful depiction of the war.; it is also much loved in neighbouring Sweden. Rauni Mollberg's 1985 version is much dirtier and rougher, a grittier movie, influenced by Vietnam war movies and by "Das Boot", of course in colour., also very good - this is the one Skillz was referring to, I'm sure. The latest version from 2017 - I haven't seen it myself but my mother and brother saw it in the theatre and loved it, it also got great reviews here in Sweden. So all three versions are very much worth seeing - and yes, do read the novel, it's a classic! :) (Note, the war in the film is the Continuation War of 1941-44, not the 1939-March 1940 Winter War.

[@F_Bardamu]

Thank you for these useful recommendations. Your content is always informative. No click-baiting or overblowing. Props to you.

[@SlapShotRegatta22]

Not sure if you didn't include it because it's a miniseries and technically not a movie, but "Generation War" is absolutely amazing. One of the best WWII depictions ever.

[@222rich]

the best full stop.

[@theoderich1168]

As a kid (somewhere between 1969 and 1971) the first two war movies I saw were: "The One That Got Away" and "Die Brücke". I've been interested in WWII since. Having seen "Die Brücke" you know all you need to know about war....BTW: All of the boys became famous and very renouned actors in Germany later, the acting in this movie is impressive.

[@Eyyoh755]

"Die Brücke (The Bridge)" is a must to watch!

[@rightlyso8507]

The History Channel once ran a two-hour segment on the life of Sophie Scholl. I remember I'd seen it at the same time as I'd caught "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days". The two dove-tailed perfectly with an indepth study on how Scholl's Gestapo prosecutor was trying to have it that she could betray her ideals and save herself, and her brother, from the guillotine. Of course, it was awesome.

[@derin111]

“Easily challenge some of Hollywood’s greatest war movies.” WTF ? 🤣 They are FAR better than the ‘fairytales’ that Hollywood produces!

[@flashnfantasy]

"08/15" from 1954 directed by Paul May, with Joachim Fuchsberger and Mario Adorf in his first role. It is the story of young soldiers deluded and sacrificed by old men in rank and power. It has three parts - before the capitulation, the capitulation, and after the capitulation, how the young men deal with grief and recognition.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Good mention. Worth a review for sure.

[@mbr5742]

There is actually a fourth book in the 08/15 series (Written by WW2 officer Hans Hellmut Kirst), the 08/15 Heute from 1965. That shows the 1960s west german army. Sadly never done as a movie The three movies are good but the books are a bit better.

[@hartmuthornstein3268]

08/15 was the name of an old German machine gun in WW1 When they try to develop a new and better one the soldiers say it’s only 08/15 there is nothing new and better Today in Germany people say fore something that was simple nothing new and boring Oh it’s only 08/15🥱😉

[@billgreen576]

Look around you and see that is still the situation today. I cite Afghanistan and Ukraine as two examples.

[@stirbjoernwesterhever6223]

@@JohnnyJohnsonHistory 08/15 in der Kaserne (in the barracks), 08/15 im Krieg (in the war) and 08/15 bis zum bitteren Ende (til the bitter end). The books had been very influencial and were banned from liberies in Bundeswehr barracks after building the Bundeswehr in 1955. The films couldn't reach the books, but esp. the first one was very good. It showed the drill technics and buerocracy of the Wehrmacht.

[@geisto5327]

Outstanding start. ALARM!! Das Boot is probably the reason I never wanted to become a submariner. Unsere Mutter, unsere Vater is great mini series too if you haven't covered it.

[@joe-ob3se]

Is great Bundespropaganda.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

That, you shoul explain a bit more in detail... Are you only a barkin' dog, or can you bite?@@joe-ob3se

[@TheDoh60]

'Generation War' in three parts is fantastic

[@Astronomiespechtler]

came here to say this. 'Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter' in german. Absolute recommendation!

[@SlapShotRegatta22]

1000% One of the greatest WWII depictions ever produced. Totally underrated.

[@lopamudraray4571]

Thanka for the list. Thank to youtubers i have watched some mentioned in yoir list. Few are left.

[@JacobStein1960]

Regarding child soldiers, my 3rd great father joined the New Jersey State Militia in the spring of 1776. He was 15. He served with distinction until the end of the war, eventually going on to become the Inspector of Custom in New York City and dying at age 84.

[@johnkeviljr9625]

Excellent video. I’ve recently discovered European made WWII movies. Some of them are fantastic. Beats the crap out of Hollywood any day. The Bombardment; The Forgotten Battle and The Pilot are just a few.

[@robertbishop5357]

Sophie Scholl was such a brave and fearless woman. She wasn't afraid to speak the truth because of her faith in Christ. May her memory live on for all.

[@ridethecurve55]

And that judge, Roland Frieslaar. He met his end in a rather poetic way. During one of his show trials, a bombing raid had alerted the court to adjourn and take cover down in the bomb shelters. After everyone in the courtroom had fled underground, Frieslaar inexplicably came back up to the courtroom to retrieve some important papers just as the bombs came down upon him, killing him. There were no tears shed for Roland Frieslaar!

[@mikeforester3963]

She and her brother today would be considered ... right wing conspiracy theorists and "delegitimators of the state".

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

@@ridethecurve55 The name of that bastard was Freisler...

[@sandsbola]

​@@ridethecurve55Freisler was his name.

[@louise_rose]

Sophie impressed even the executioners with her courage and dignity in the face of death. Very good film, yes, excellently staged and acted.

[@emiliodesalvo7024]

There is also the 08/15 trilogy, based on the books by Hans Helmut Kirst which are worth watching.

[@nm7358]

"Kinder, Mütter Und Ein General" is also very good, with a very young Maximillian Schell and an even younger (yet still insane) Klaus Kinski as a Wehrmacht Lieutenant.

[@РаненВойник]

Agreed!!! All the movies mentioned are really good..

[@stirbjoernwesterhever6223]

The author of the 08/15 trilogy (Hans Helmut Kirst), which is mentioned in the comments also wrote the novel: Fabrik der Offiziere (factory of officers) which was made into a 4 part miniseries from which a cinema version was cut from. All parts are very good: the novel, the mini series and the movie, all excellent. In 1944 a murder happend at a military school for young officers and the despite the desparate situation at all fronts Oberleutnant Krafft is not to stop to identify the murderer.

[@duglife2230]

Anybody know where I can find Die Brucke with English subtitles? I found it on KZbin, but without them.

[@alexandreutiyama547]

About Der Hauptmann, from what I know (might be false) Herold was a NCO that got separated from his unit when he decided to cosplay as a Captain (he was not a deserter), and unlike the movie, he initially used his Captain charade to stitch together an unit from other lost soldiers to continue figthing the Allies not to evade military police (he was a war criminal for sure, but not a coward), he actually went to the prisioner camp (where he conducted his first mass killing) to force-recruit deserters housed there. It was not about survival it was about continuing the war effort in his own twisted way. If he were a coward, he would have tried to flee home or surrender, certainly not commit war crimes in the span of two weeks.

[@TheFirefox]

I think the movie was less focused on historical accuracy and more as an allegory of the madness of crowds, power, and influence. While tying into the final days of the 3rd reich.

[@ichich4677]

There is a movie from 1959 called "Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben?" (Do you want to live forever, dog's?) It's also a great movie.

[@stirbjoernwesterhever6223]

Yes, one of the best films on the eastern front.

[@mbr5742]

In the same spirit to 08/15 is "Hunde wollt ihr ewig leben" about Stalingrad

[@josynaemikohler6572]

The worst part of the Bridge is, that they pretty much only fight and die by mistake. Their teacher convinces the commanding officers to not actually send them into combat, so they place them at the bridge of no significance to "guard" it. Some MPs shoot however their NCO, since he forgot his papers as a deserter, so they do not know, that they are only supposed to be at the bridge to essentially wait for sappers, to blow the whole thing up.

[@franciscocastro7916]

Thanks for the spoiler!

[@dandylion188]

You're supposed to give a spoiler alert first

[@alanbeaumont4848]

Not quite right, so you can watch it anyway.

[@Tyber_gsk]

Thank you so much for this info. Will watch all of those asap. Regards

[@MrDarrylR]

"Lore" (2012) may be of interest to fans of "Woman in Berlin" and art-house. It depicts the hunger and desperation of German refugees in occupied Western Germany, with the title character being a older teen charged with keeping her 4 younger siblings from starving. Probably a bit slow for most tastes, and it certainly doesn't rank with Johnny's top-5 or this overlooked-5 list, but worthwhile for those interested in the early occupation.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Thanks for adding this one. It's well worth watching.

[@specialse]

Der Untergang was for me the highlight , Bruno Ganz portrayal of Hitler is quite amazing . fastest two hours and thiry six minutes in my life...ive watched it more than once .

[@mbr5742]

There are two movies named "Die Brücke". Yours is the 1959 version but there is also a 2008 remake

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Good to point that out. Sadly the newer one isn't as a good.

[@HeinzGuderian_]

Seen them all. Highly recommend them.

[@Frank_Nemo]

0.01 Das Boot - the UK BBC2 TV version (in German with subs) was done in episodes that added up to about 5 hours! The film version edited this down to about 1hr 30 mins and tried to make it more of an action film and failed really miserably. Get the full 5 hour version if you can.

[@TRUTH-4U-NOW]

Operation Crossbow (not on this list) is one of my favorites. Spy thriller, classic acting, famous actors and actress. Plot: British spies try to sabotage a V2 rocket silo.

[@TRUTH-4U-NOW]

I purchased `The Bridge´ many years ago. It was pretty good. (would have been better in color). The ending is interesting as the boy soldiers defend their bridge against a US Airborne unit and did a really good job. Of coarse the paratroopers captured the bridge, but only after calling in armored tank support. I recommend this movie.

[@zamiadams4343]

Thank you so much, a few here that i hadn't heard of.

[@ChemoNero63]

thanks i have them all lined up to watch soon

[@MeddlWurm]

Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt is even a mention worth it.

[@AB-fp2dq]

Thanks a lot for your good information 👍

[@AB-fp2dq]

The name of the movie is divided we fall. Can you please upload this movie for me. I have been trying to download it but have not been successful. I saw it about 25 years ago

[@christophersnyder1532]

Though I like the battleship Yamato, I think that there should be an updated feature of the Bismarck, or Tirpitz, the technology today suggests it would be much more easier to make. Take care, and all the best.

[@bernadetteoneill7014]

Is Europa Europa a full movie or mini-series? 🎬 Where can we see a full movie of this? Thanks. 😊

[@andrewcharles459]

"Der Hauptmann" takes a lot of liberties with the history (just for example, Willi Herold was not a deserter), yet remains a brilliant film. The way it breaks the fourth wall at the end is inspired.

[@jean6872]

I'm afraid you are misinformed. Willi Herold was indeed a deserter as the film shows and a search of several online searches say the same. I found no account of him not being a deserter. Perhaps if you could give a reference for your source it might help.

[@andrewcharles459]

@@jean6872 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWK7gHqLmqqfe9E

[@Powelly6]

@@jean6872agreed, I’m not sure what these people are talking about.

[@eddenoy321]

There are many great German films about the war. The one 3 pt. miniseries that I remember best is Generation War. A real masterpiece of German film making.

[@bobapbob5812]

NULL ACHT FUENFZEHN. A series of three films about Gunner Asch. First in the Kaserne as the war approaches, then on the Eastern Front last back in Germany against the Americans. Hard to find but I have all three in VHS.

[@Fred_L.]

Vierbein? Vierbein?

[@bobapbob5812]

@@Fred_L. doch

[@nethanlock5008]

I absolutely loved the captain! I've seen it twice and loved it.

[@dritzzdarkwood4727]

Stalingrad(1993 prod.) Great film!

[@mikeforester3963]

Actually it's pretty crappy if you know enough about conduct, discipline and tactics of the German army as well as what happened in the cauldron from veteran accounts.

[@2serveand2protect]

ONE LAST THING IF I MAY ! ...there is one (very beautiful!) movie that You missed, though! It's titled "NAPOLA" (English title): "Before The Fall"by Dennis Gansel with Max Riemelt and Tom Schilling. VERY MUCH worth seeing! PLUS - there is another (little known) movie, although it was a Danish/German (and probably U.K.'s - can't recall!) - production - a movie titled: "LAND OF MINE" (or LAND OF MINES" - not even sure, given both names can be applied!). It's about children drafted into the Wehrmacht in the last months or weeks of war and taken POW's - and then FORCED (basically) AT GUNPOINT TO CLEAR MINEFIELDS that the same Wehrmacht laid down all along the Dutch and then Danish shorelines (MILLIONS OF THEM!). Whatch yourselves this movie, friends! - "LAND OF MINE" It iss an absolute "PUNCH IN THE STOMACH".

[@Xx-pg9do]

El Puente no es solo la mejor película alemana, es la mejor película de cualquier nación sobre la Ii guerra mundial. Obra de arte insuperable

[@harryabrams4993]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6iwmZytftahjMk ¡Ay, Carmela! (1990) Dirigido por Carlos Saura . Película inolvidable sobre la Guerra Civil de España 1936-1938 . Hi Everyone. NOT a German WW2 movie, but still very worthwhile, as the Spanish Civil War was very much a prelude to WW2, and Spain particularly was a proving ground of Germany's Blitzkrieg technology. English sutitles are generally available.

[@Some_Guy6]

The German Band of Brothers series is also good = Unsere mutter, unsere vater. Also the movie called = Nebel im August (Fog in Augustus) It's about a boy in a bad place where the Germans do the T4 program.

[@ulrichschmidt5559]

Two more suggestions: "Unter Bauern" (="Among Farmers"), 2009 --- A movie about a farmer family in a small village, who hides a Jewish family for two years. "Soweit die Füße tragen" (="As far as the feet will carry"), 2001 (a re-make of a 1958 TV series) --- The story of a German soldier who gets captured at Stalingrad 1942/43, then spends a few years in a Gulag in Siberia, finally escapes and tries to walk back home to Germany. It gets a bit "sentimental" towards the end, when he finally arrives in his hometown on Christmas Eve 1952 and sees his wife and his now grown-up daughter again for the first time in 9 years, but the rest of the movie is fascinating. As is the 1955 book and the 1958 TV series. The story is based on what Cornelius Rost, the man who allegedly lived through all this himself, told the book author in an interview in 1955. But it has become clear now, that Rost's story cannot be completely true... For example, it can be proven that Rost returned from the Soviet Union in 1947, probably as part of an ordinary PoW release, and not in 1952. But nevertheless, the story hit the feelings of the time, because there had been over 3 million PoWs in Soviet captivity, and many people were still waiting for the return of their husband, son, father, etc. The last PoWs were finally released in 1955, after Chancellor Adenauer visited Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow. 1.3 million PoWs never returned home...

[@telramud]

If you like WW2 movies, from German cinema I think these are the best choices: Das Boot; Ich war neunzehn; Die Brücke; Hunde wollt ihr ewig Leben; Unruhige Nacht; Stalingrad; Der Untergang; Europa Europa; Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt; Fabrik der Offiziere; Kinder, Mutter und ein General; Die letzte Brücke; 08/15; Der Arzt von Stalingrad; Der Transport.

[@anthonycrumb5753]

Another good one is "Fields of Mines" about young German soldiers many of no more than teenagers who were forced to clear mine fields in Denmark after the war. Apparently it is based on a true story, I don't know if it is German or not but it's deffinetly worth a watch.

[@TheFirefox]

The English title is actually “Land of Mine”. It was a Danish-German co-production. I agree it was a good film, telling a story from the end of WW2 that I didn’t even know about.

[@tcretella1]

Thank you, now I know the movie that affected me tremendously, Der Hauptman

[@jancox8208]

This film is named Alone in Berlin, starring Emma Thomson.

[@PeterMayer]

My mother was thirteen when the war started and nineteen when it ended And she lived in Berlin and survived.

[@j3975]

Der Untergang is great too, as are all the ones you listed.

[@philostheodosius3281]

As a German I saw all these movies! I would add to the list: 1.) Schindlers Liste 2.) Der Pianist 3.) Jeder stirbt für sich alleine 4.) Napola - Elite für den Führer 5.) Das Leben ist schön 6.) Persischstunden

[@worldoftanksaveragaplayer]

Schindlers Liste ist ein deutscher Film??

[@richardsierra4870]

Number 1, 2 and 6 excelent movies

[@Thomas-ne4iy]

I met world war II veterans and the capstone was meeting a former Soviet lieutenant who was formerly a partisan.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

But I had more interesting encounters. A night fighter pilot. A weather flyer. An SS major from the Army Weapons Office who personally lectured to Hitler, a former agent of the German counterintelligence. The sister-in-law of a German general who was in the resistance against the Nazis... But the jewel in the crown was an old lady from Riga (born in 1896 ) who had been through all that crap in the East. WWI, Russian Civil War and of course WWII. These were all fantastic sources, alongside all the "ordinary" people I met, who had been through the war. Also some who had to witness heavy air raids. Not to mention my own family...

[@gieselats]

Very good selection. I totally agree. Keep up the good work. Maybe add „Stalingrad“ of Vilsmaier. Or „die weiße Rose“. „Komm geh und sieh“ also recommended.

[@LaurentiusSiemer]

The movie 'Komm und seh' in former West-Germany a.k.a. 'Komm und geh' in East-Germany is a Russian movie. So it shouldn't be part of that list. It is still highly recommended.

[@infantrycaptain9224]

Fantastic selection. I would like to recommend an American movie. Cross of Iron (1977)

[@2serveand2protect]

PS. ...the "evil man" shown here ...the guy in "judge robes" shown at around 04:30 being ...?... FREISLER if I remember correctly?...I haven't seen the movie! (BTW! - wasn't he present also at the "Wannsee Conference" with Heydrich, Eichmann and all the other "big-shots") ??...

[@elixir4487]

00:01: One of my most favored movie quotes ♥

[@Spacegoat92]

Should set that as your wake up alarm. LoL

[@elixir4487]

@@Spacegoat92 I defintely will if I´m ever interested in getting an heart attack xD

[@Spacegoat92]

@@elixir4487 It would certainly get you out of bed quickly! Along with anyone else in the vicinity.

[@santaclaus0815]

I highly recommend "The Tin Drum" from 1979 based on the novel of the same name by Günter Grass. It's not purely a WW2 movie but big parts of the story take place during that period of time (in Germany of course, other parts in Poland). The novel / movie covers a time period from pre WW1 until after WW2.

[@asylum9644]

I thought this movie was horrible... and downright stupid.

[@santaclaus0815]

@@asylum9644 The Tin Drum is the film adaptation of the eponymous novel by Günter Grass. It is the first of four German films that have won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to other film awards, he also received the Palme d'Or in Cannes.

[@santaclaus0815]

@@asylum9644 awards 1979: - Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival for Best Picture - German Film Award: Best Feature Film (Golden Bowl) - Jupiter (category: Best Film) 1980: - Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film - Bodil Award in the Best European Film category - Golden canvas - National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film - Nominated for the César in the category Best Foreign Language Film 1982 Japanese Academy Award: Best Foreign Film

[@RodBatten]

Die Brücke was remade in 2008, I haven't watched it yet but general commentary seems to indicate that it doesn't stand up to the original.

[@mvunit3]

I started watching it, and about 3min. in, a U.S. "Navy" plane (in the blue paint scheme, with guns behind the props which I can't identify) dives in to shoot 2 kids, as 1 is obviously riding a bike. I bailed after that :p. Seemed more _melodramatic_ and contrived than the starker original.

[@tanseygreen]

Downfall is absolutely brilliant

[@weepingcamel1]

Europa europa is heartbreaking, and The Sisters (i know it's a dutch movie) deserves a mention

[@fieldkitchen]

Excellent suggestions,well done.

[@anthonyanderson2405]

All excellent films, I would also add Aimee & Jaeger and Phoenix.

[@richardsierra4870]

Where i can watch this europa europa, still nothing in netflix,

[@StratBurst92]

Europa Europa is an excellent movie.

[@Sycokay]

"Movies with historical background" is probably the only known genre of German movies...

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

The Star of Africa, Des Teufels General... And if we want to add a movie based on a true story, I would add "The one that got away". Although it is a British film, it reflects the true events very well. And to be honest... A film about a German prisoner in the hands of the British, played by a German, is hard to beat in terms of authenticity. It takes Tommies for that, to film. Sorry... All movies, have an Luftwaffe background.

[@bogusmogus9551]

Great film. Shame the guy he played Franz von Werra was killed in an aircraft failure. He should've just sat out the war in Mexico.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

I think we have to say something fundamental about German heroism here. German heroes, as a rule, fall and do not return from war. That's why they are heroes! This is already reflected in the early German (long before there was only the Holy Roman Empire) heroic song, the Nibelungenlied. The hero in this epic, named Siegfried (the name translates as "victorious peace"), becomes invulnerable after being bathed in the blood of a dragon he had previously defeated. And unnoticed during the bath, a linden leaf falls on a spot on his back. As a result, he becomes vulnerable at this point and finally, through betrayal and this weak point, ultimately killed in the back. German heroes fall in battle! And those who return always carry with them the unspoken inner guilt of having survived. I knew both of my grandfathers. They had been smart enough to survive the war. But their health was ruined in the long run as a result of the hardships and exertions of this unspeakable war. Neither of them lived to be older than 63...@@bogusmogus9551

[@davidbellinger9490]

"A Time to Love and a Time to Die" 1958 US-movie - based on the Book "Zeit zu leben und Zeit zu sterben" by Erich Maria Remarque. Great book and a good movie.

[@kapilsharmaWorld_uncensored]

Also try a Russian movie based on the tiger tank named White Tiger.

[@jean6872]

*Europa* (1991) and not to be confused with Europa Europa (1990) - Drawn to the material by a childhood love of train sets, and by the realisation that the railway track resembles a strip of celluloid, Lars von Trier boxed himself into an expressionistic corner with this hyper-stylised thriller set aboard a German train in 1945. For all its visual razzle-dazzle, this tale of a trainee conductor contending with Nazi terrorists and a collaborationist boss is an oppressively claustrophobic ride. Positively not to be missed.

[@maitres-chez-nous5609]

Europa - The Last Battle is a must see for anyone interested in a less biased view of WWII. What we are taught is a cartoonish at best

[@GrizrazRex]

Stalingrad 1993 belongs on this list.

[@NormAppleton]

That's a very good list.

[@jacksonreilly3441]

I wish someone would make a film on the life of Hans Ulrich Rudel, heroic Stuka pilot who earned Germany's highest decoration for valour, the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds just before the war ended. This was the only one ever awarded. He was loyal to the Reich so no one would likely have the nerve to make a movie about him.

[@mikeforester3963]

They don't even touch Ernst Jünger in terms of WW I, but go out of their way to paint Remarque's book title on a war-flick just in order to claim "anti war" status. No German producer will ever try to look at that period through the eyes and texts of Jünger. God forbid producing a drama about the fate of the "Gustlow" or the self sacrifice of the Kurland-soldiers etc. Because that would evoke feelings of national identification, and we can't have that.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

Well... Beside the fact, that he destroyed a Bolshevic tank corps alone, he was an evil Nazi asshole, till the end. Such guys, don't deserve a gloryfication. And therefore, there will be no movie...

[@jacksonreilly3441]

@@mikeforester3963 Another subject I would like to see filmed is the career of Oberst (later Generalmajor) Otto Ernst Remer, the officer of Regiment "Grossdeutschland" who foiled the Stauffenberg "Comedy of Errors" on July 20,1944.

[@joelopez3954]

Oh God yes! I read his autobiography and it’s incredible. The horrific injuries he incurred during combat and then, RETURNED to active service reminds me of Saburo Sakai. A Japanese Zero ace who lost an eye, and was badly injured during an attack on an American dive bomber! Just think of the dive bombing scenes they could CGI the crap out of! Attacking Soviet armor in such a slow, vulnerable bomber with a huge, 37mm cannon slung under his wings took true bravery, and guts! Let’s keep our fingers crossed 🤞🏻

[@alanbeaumont4848]

@@mikeforester3963 Germany isn't proud of what the Nazis demanded of their nation and they should know.

[@martinzaehringer1697]

Sophie Scholl was sobering because she and her brother (and a third, if I remember correctly) are moved through a system in which no one person is the judge, jury and executioner. They broke the law, so they're arrested, but the arresting officers are only doing their jobs. The jailers are only doing their jobs. Etc., etc. No one (with perhaps the exception of the judge) hates them.

[@14rnr]

I have four of these on DVD

[@DonRicoKing]

Europa, Europa caused a huge scandal in Germany. German film critics gave the the film bad reviews, but the the foreign critics gave the movie unanimously positive critics.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

I liked it much!

[@dilly2408]

You forgot about Napola ! A brilliant fact-movie !

[@TraderRobin]

COME ON, PEOPLE.....98,000 views, but only 1800 LIKES???

[@williamtenney8997]

Real talk tho the captain is a banger of a film for real.

[@josephpercente8377]

Strange fact I think it was the 3rd officer dubbed his own voice in the English version of Das boot.

[@HerrKaleu777]

Even stranger to hear Arnold Schwarzenegger being dubbed in German and when watching in original audio, he speaks English with the heavy Austrian accent :D...

[@Tr00p4]

Don't forgett The short Series 0815

[@SfW-BUFUBenBella]

Have you seen Stalingrad by Joseph Vilsmaier?

[@garrisonnichols807]

The Soviet Red Army was disgusting on how they treated civilians in multiple countries they " liberated" Just look at what they're doing in Ukraine.

[@Dgubvo]

Every country they have been they have been rejected by civilians

[@ahmedakhan1]

Ever heard of My Lai? More than 600 Vietnamese women and children were murdered by American soldiers in the village of My Lai in 1968? Was any soldier punished for this worst war crime since the end of second world war? No as the American people rallied in support of "their boys!" Incidentally, in Ukraine war crimes are being committed by both sides. The Ukrainians are no angels!

[@fraudebs8786]

I've seen The Captain. Sure is a wild movie.

[@Zelectrocutica]

Stalingrad movie is straight up horrifying.

[@pimpslapization]

Europa Europa is the BEST on this list.

[@rolfwalterspiegler6423]

Also remarkable Movie: Aus Einem Deutschen Leben" - Spielfilm von 1977 mit Götz George, Regie: Theodor Kotulla

[@robertbishop5357]

Where can you rent these movies?

[@rightlyso8507]

I'm certain that they can be downloaded on one of those sites on which these things are available. I'd just seen a 1942 Japanese film released to glorify the Pearl Harbor attack.

[@louise_rose]

Stauffenberg (2004, with Sebastian Koch in the lead role), about the July 20 plot against Hitler, is a really good film, excellently played, set and staged, and it feels much more authentic than the Tom Cruise film on the same topic. I would also recommend Margarethe von Trotta's The Women of Rosenstrasse (2003), about an often-overlooked incident in early 1943 when a bunch of Berlin Jews and "mischlinge" (half-/quarter-Jews) who were married to ethnically German women were rounded up and jailed pending deportation to the east (Poland). Many of the women took up camp in the street , outside the prison, and openly and publicly demanded the release of their husbands. The film operates on two time planes, the events of early 1943 and a modern time plane sixty years later when a woman from a New York Jewish family begins uncovering the story (pushed under the rug in her own family) and travels to Berlin to find out more and try to look for the woman who once saved her infant mother. Excellent film, beautifully shot and edited with many scenes that are both dramatic and poetic at the same time (the scene where Lena, the German woman, visits her parents' country house to meet her father, an aging nobleman and soldier - somewhat naive about the Nazis - and her brother, who has escaped from the hell of Stalingrad, coming with the Jewish girl she has taken care of to try to enlist their help, is sheer beauty in its carefully paced rhythm, dialogue, gestures and camera flow) - and the deft transitions between the two time planes, sixty years apart, work without a hitch.

[@davidbradley3227]

You should do a vid on top Japanese ww2 movies. A google search reveals there’s a number of them to my surprise

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

I have a list here actually: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXyyYZehnMZjpZY

[@richardscanlan3419]

All excellent,but I really liked :A Woman in Berlin" - the interplay between the Russian officer and the German woman really works. Top notch stuff.