The Best WWII Movies According to Reenactors / Reel History

[@gavatar73]

I remember my grandad saying that Cross of Iron was the most realistic war film he had ever seen. He was in the British 8th army and fought through Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. He died in the early 1990's so he never saw any of the more recent films that are now lauded for their authenticity. I think it's a great film. I'm very much a fan of films that don't rely on CGI, so Bridge too Far, Tora, Tora, Tora etc

[@rangerjim]

"Best years of our lifes" veterans returning home from war and dealing with wounds, disabilities, depression, etc. Losing loved ones, unable compete in the job market. Its a gut wrenching film of survival. No glory or flag waving for these returning veterans.

[@gravitypronepart2201]

I thought of this, but its technically post war, as is Judgement at Nuremberg and several other good ones.

[@davemac1197]

A Bridge Too Far (1977) is a frequent choice, because it has a misleading reputation for being very accurate, but that relates to the many smaller details, things like uniforms and equipment, and not much of the historical narrative. Having seen the film far too many times since its release in the cinema in 1977, I still find myself impressed with some small detail I hadn't noticed before. I think the best performance was Edward Fox, who actually knew Lt.Gen. Brian Horrocks and absolutely nailed his character. I think Anthony Hopkins was very good as well, although on a visit to the bridge location at Deventer in Holland, General Frost admonished Hopkins (playing him as a Lt.Col.) for running across the street under fire - "you should always walk, briskly, to show your contempt for the enemy's marksmanship and to set an example to your men." Unfortunately, that scene was already in the can and the director had his own ideas on how he wanted British officers to be portrayed in the film. Despite Sean Connery being the best James Bond for many people even older than myself (I grew up during the Roger Moore era), I can never think of him as anything other than an Edinburgh milkman (and many other odd jobs) before eventually getting into acting. In 1990, he recalled - "I took a taxi during a recent Edinburgh Film Festival, the driver was amazed that I could put a name to every street we passed. 'How come?' he asked. 'As a boy I used to deliver milk round here', I said. 'So what do you do now?' That was rather harder to answer." My own pick for the best WW2 film is a difficult one, because I have favourites for different campaigns, and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) is definitely one of them, but I think Battle Of Britain (1969) is probably my top pick, because it was the most important battle of the whole war. My mother was a young girl living in London at the time, and she definitely relates to that one.

[@davidclarke7122]

Glad someone mentioned Bob, it's an often overlooked movie, Also the Cruel Sea which gives a very good depiction of the battle of the Atlantic pre 1942.

[@keithrobertsson2164]

1949's Battleground with Van Johnson. Love the ending Jodie scene.

[@karlzen86]

Many great WWII movies to choose from. Really like movies which depicts from both sides as in "Tora Tora Tora", "Enemy Below" and "A Bridge Too Far" and the axis side as "Letters from Iwo Jima", "Downfall", "Das Boot" and the finnish film "Unknown Soldier"

[@MontyXZ]

Oh, I wanna go there, must be one hell of a weekend. For me, it's Patton, it's the first WW2 mivie I saw as a Kid. The openning, oh man, that speech, after that scene I was ready to enlist, and up to this day I still get pumped up every time.

[@timalexander7758]

I really enjoyed that and appreciate all those people keeping history alive!!

[@awesomedayz3465]

This is extremely well edited. Great job!

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you!

[@gravitypronepart2201]

Here here!

[@kevinfright8195]

Like most, l have watched so many great WW2 Movies, and many are foreign made and subtitles. The best film for me must be ' Downfall '. Not just the detail, but the feeling the film gave me.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

That was really interesting. Always enjoy hearing people's responses to questions like this.

[@ReelHistory]

This was a fun one to make!

[@majorhicksusmc]

Battleground. Like Saving Private Ryan, it too focuses on a squad. But, unlike Saving Private Ryan, it has a more intimate and realistic feel to it, particularly when they reach Bastogne, go into the line, start digging in, only to be told they had to move to another position. Anyone who has served in combat in a rifle company will understand that happens when lines are being adjusted, the real snow (you can see it melting on the actors helmets and gear), and the very limited visibility do to fog - making close combat inevitable. Plus, it’s in black and white which makes it a very stark reality.

[@RavenHawk1988]

Midway (1976) and The Great Escape are some of my favorites.

[@ronbednarczyk2497]

"Battle of Britain" and an obscure one "Katyn" You have all the cool events up there in the Northeast. For something completely different, I recommend the Polish-American Family Festival at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 654 Ferry Rd, Doylestown, PA 18901 on Labor Day weekend and the weekend after.

[@markolson9913]

So hard to chose! I think Thin Red Line and A Hidden Life are some of the most visually impressive. The Great Escape is one of my favorites though! Love this community even more!!

[@samhutchison9582]

Having studied Japanese history and spent time in Japan, my favorite is Letters from Iwo Jima. I also like hearing from the other perspective. We often hear stories of veterans coming back saying that they were not so different from the people they were fighting (though, I don't think this happened as much in the Pacific Theater) and we contrast that with the wider zeitgeist of them being the enemy and lesser than human. I like seeing them humanized and treated not as evil monster or targets to be shot, but as people with their own hopes, fears, histories, and motives. Side note: After being largely away from youtube for the past 6 or so months, it's nice to come back to see new things from this channel.

[@davemac1197]

It's off-topic re WW2, but have you seen Lost In Translation (2003)? I wonder if it resonated with your own experience in Japan. It's one of my favourites in a genre I'm not usually keen on - it's classified as a 'rom-com', but I think it works on a much deeper level.

[@noahellis3672]

I have to agree that Letters From Iwo Jima is one of the best movies, but especially from the Japanese viewpoint. And I think it's also one of Clint Eastwood's best movies as well. But A Bridge Too Far is another Great WW2 movie as well.

[@arronjameshook]

For me, it would be ‘The Way Ahead’ (1944). It stars David Niven and is set from just after Dunkirk into the spring of 1941. The story follows a group of men from being called up, through their training and their first battle in North Africa.

[@mashbury]

Good call 👍

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

Greyhound was amazing. I could have watched 4 straight hours of just the minutiae of battleship warfare and submarine hunting. It was Das Boot from the convoy's perspective. For me, I was a tanker and Fury is my go-to. It's amazing how despite the fact I did that job 60 years after they did it, how similar their lives were and their roles in the Army in general. It really is one of those jobs that has its own subculture and is relatively isolated from other units and doing their own thing.

[@bengtolafsdottir8809]

"The big Red One" came at first into mind, since one character fights in ww1 and ww2. especially when the main character passes that area in ww2 where he fought his last battle in ww1

[@SemperFiGuy]

I loved the "Medal of Honor Dive" you did, Andy.

[@Wildwest89]

Theirs is the Glory is probably the most realistic WWII movie because it was made with the units that fought at Arnhem playing themselves

[@donwild50]

Old movie (1960) centered on the Navy in WWII...very little combat. "The Gallant Hours" starring James Cagney as Admiral Halsey. Starts with his retirement and most of the movie deals with his time (five weeks) of command at Guadalcanal up until the shoot down of Yamamoto. Old movie but full of "NAVY." Good history. Also has my favorite quote "There are no great men. There are only great challenges that ordinary men must overcome." Black and white, really focuses on what war is like as a commander; battles from the command point of view.

[@ScipioAfricanusI]

I agree The Gallant Hours, I would have put above Greyhound. Also, why pick Greyhound for an ASW film when there is The Enemy Below?

[@Gool349]

I recently saw "a walk in the sun"...a movie from the perspective of a Platoon of US soldiers during the landings at Salerno, Italy. A great depiction of small scale unit tactics in a huge battle depicting how little the lowly soldier sees of the overall operation hes a part of. A truly unique perspective on life in the infantry!

[@LoneWolf051]

I reenacted many times here in Sothern California with the California Historical Group with "Fireman Fred". Great guy and very smart!

[@franciswax]

The Thin Red Line - is just so ephemeral and real at the same time... gotta love Terrance Malick!

[@jasonjarvis3594]

I'm sure there's many others and I have a lot of WWII favorites but one of my favorites is probably Hacksaw Ridge. I know there's a lot they left out about Mr. Doss's time but I really liked they were in your face once the battle started with the action and violence and especially when the Japanese did the a Bonzai charge. You can pick up and read a lot over those on Okinawa where they just threw soldiers at the American lines and over ran some.

[@nathanmcghee9355]

I’m going to agree with “A Bridge Too Far”. I read the book in 7th grade & my Dad said we’ve got that movie, and it was the best movie I’d ever seen. My favorite scene is where they refuse the German’s “surrender”. One of those amazing ‘reality is unrealistic’ moments. One of my favorites in WWII fiction is “Kelly’s Heroes”.

[@davemac1197]

I love Kelly's Heroes as well. It was filmed in Yugoslavia, where A Bridge Too Far was nearly made because it had a lot of surplus tanks, but they opted for Holland because of the bridges. The battle of Arnhem is a special interest, I was enthused by reading the book and then seeing the film on first release in the UK in 1977, and have been deep diving the research rabbit hole ever since. The surrender scene is an amalgam of two incidents at the bridge. In the film, Anthony Hopkins had the line "We haven't got the facilities to take you all prisoner", but the real John Frost was on a visit to the set at Deventer bridge and objected to the line, because "I didn't say it." He was asked if it was okay for someone else (the fictional Major Carlyle) to say it instead, and Frost said that would be okay. As you will recall from the book, the real incident involving Frost was when a Sergeant called Stanley Halliwell, taken prisoner by the Germans, was released and sent back under a white flag with a message telling Frost he was completely surrounded and inviting him to surrender. After hearing from Halliwell that the Germans were most disheartened by their own losses, Frost's response was "Tell them to go to hell", which is a line Hopkins says in the film. As a POW, he was expected to return to the German lines with the reply, but he didn't like the idea of relaying Frost's exact words. "It is up to you to make that decision," Frost said. Halliwell had already done so. "If it's all the same with you, Colonel," he told Frost, "I'll stay. Jerry will get the message sooner or later." The other incident occurred on the other side of the bridge ramp, held by 'A' Troop, 1st Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers, under Captain Eric Mackay. They got the German soldier approaching their position waving a not-very white handkerchief tied to a rifle and shouted "Surrender!" Mackay assumed they wanted to surrender, but might have meant the Engineers. His small force in the nearly demolished schoolhouse only had two rooms and the idea of taking all the Germans prisoner struck him as impractical, so Mackay shouted back "Get the hell out of here. We're taking no prisoners." Amid a series of hoots and catcalls, other troopers took up the cry. "Bugger off! Go back and fight it out, you bastard." The German seemed to get the point. As Mackay recalls, he turned around and walked quickly back to his own building, "still waving his dirty hanky." ABTF should have been a 10-hour mini-series. The film butchered the book, and the book omitted a lot of the true story.

[@dukecraig2402]

I walked across the bridge at Nijmegen, every year starting about 16 years before the war, with the exception of during the war of course, there's been a 4 day 100 mile march in Nijmegen, in 1984 when I was stationed in Germany I was on my battalions team that was sent to participate in it. They assembled all the US military teams in a location in Germany to ship us out from, the night before we left they gathered all of us in an auditorium kind of place and showed us the movie A Bridge Too Far (I'd already seen it before that), in the back was a contingent of airborne troops from the 173rd that were stationed in Italy, they were hooting and hollering and banging their folding chairs on the floor during the scenes where the airborne troops were stepping out of the doors during their drops. We got to Nijmegen the day before the march started and they had all of the US team's in tents in a huge field just outside of the city, of course the first thing everyone wanted to do was catch a bus ride down into town so we could walk across the bridge and stand in the spots where some scenes were filmed and get a picture taken of it. The march is 4 days and everyday has a different 25 mile route that begins and ends in the city making a loop shape that after all 4 days looks like a cloverleaf on a map, I can't remember which day it was but one of them was a route that took us over the bridge. The march has been going on since before the war but ever since it's been sort of an unofficial celebration of the city being liberated from the Nazi's, and since it was the 82nd Airborne that liberated it if you were an American soldier you were like a celebrity, I had little kids running up to me wanting my autograph and women giving me bouquets of flowers simply because I was an American soldier, that was something I wasn't prepared for and kind of freaked me out and made me feel bad getting that kind of attention and praise on the backs of the men who did the actual fighting and dying 40 years before I was there.

[@davemac1197]

@@dukecraig2402 - I'm insanely jealous! If you had read some books on the operation - I would recommend 82nd AB historian Phil Nordyke's in-depth works on the division and the individual regiments' combat histories - you would have been already familiar with the many significant locations in the 82nd's AO on your marches in the SE, and SW 'clover leaves'. The NW and NE quadrant marches probably took you around the areas British XXX Corps tried to get to Arnhem, and the NW quadrant was later occupied by the 101st AB in October '44 (Band of Brothers ep 5 'Crossroads' refers). Perhaps a better recommendation would be Nijmegen: US 82nd Airborne & Guards Armoured Division (Battleground Market Garden series) by Tim Saunders - it's a very good 'pocket guide' book to the area and even includes suggested routes for readers planning to visit the battlefield - it might serve as a really good souvenir of your route marches as well as well as being a very good reference on the battle itself. Tim Saunders became a British military historian after a 30 year career in the British Army as an infantry officer (Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, and The Rifles Regiment) - he packs a lot of information, including contemporary maps and photographs, into a small format paperback. I think the whole 'Battleground' series is superb. Thanks very much for your post!

[@hughs500d]

That was awesome. You keep up the great work. I drive a trk. And wait patiently for your next vid. A close friend and I go to the Columbus / Belmont ky civil war reenactment. So much history and the people that do this. Never been to what I’ve just watch. That would be awesome to go to. Thk you for great videos and the history. Sorry for rambling Trk dvr Joe Joe

[@duglife2230]

The Thin Red Line (1998) is probably my favorite. I like how it is not just a war movie, but also a look into raw human experience and emotion, and the many ways which men will try to make sense of the traumatic experience(s) they are put through using things like sense of duty, love, religion, spirituality, or even the beauty of the world we live in. It showcases a unit of men, sure, but also separates them by doing this and by letting us hear their inner monologues. In the end, pretty much none of the main characters get a fairy tale ending, and that's okay because it's how life often works - in and outside of war. While every soldier may have known what they were fighting for on a grand scale during the war, it is easy to forget that each had their own personal struggles they were dealing with that may not necessarily have involved dodging bullets and artillery; any soldier on the line could have been dealing with the grief of a loved one who passed at home, a brother who had died in another theater, a recently received "Dear John" letter, how to financially support their wife and kids during and after the war, and many, many more things that weigh on each of us even in peacetime. The battle scenes are also very well done. I particularly like the scene where they call artillery on the Japanese pillboxes, first using a few shells to get the bearing, and then calling to "Fire for effect!" when they make their adjustments!

[@ReelHistory]

Groups we chatted with: Naval History and Heritage Command: www.history.navy.mil Marine Corps Historical Company: facebook.com/usmchc 7th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders : facebook.com/7thargylls 48th Surgical Hospital: facebook.com/128lhg John W. McCaskill History Alive: facebook.com/johnwmccaskillhistoryalive B. Historical: www.bhistorical.com

[@Fireguy723]

Have participated in the battle of New Oxford a few times. Awesome experience and glad to see you cover Ikes Farm!

[@noahellis3672]

The Bridge at Remagen is one of my favorites as well as The Longest Day. But there are so many movies that have been made in the last 10 years that are also so good.

[@Lonovavir]

Finnish/Soviet/GI reenactor chiming in. The best WW 2 movie if one can be picked is Downfall as it’s a good portrayal of the despair and delusions in Berlin at the end of war. Other films I like are Tali-Ihantala 1944, The Great Raid, Letters from Iwo Jima and Das Boot.

[@tomwolf4716]

When Das Boot first came out in theaters it was in german with english sub titles. The acting just blew me away. When they thought that their boat was sinking the terror of the crew left me stunned. A great movie.

[@scldef2223]

That was a great video! I miss reenacting which I did as a kid as a Civil War soldier. So many great WWII movies out there!

[@StephenLuke]

I became a WWII history buff when I went to the 10th grade, now I know a whole lot about WWII.

[@gravitypronepart2201]

Thats it?!! This was part 1 right? Oh man, I could have watched a bunch more. For the record, my favorite war movie is; "30 Seconds Over Tokyo ". Love Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, and Robert Mitchum in this. I believe it to be very accurate, and also I love the scenes of NAS Alameda. I was stationed there my first tour of duty. By the way, the Hornet is now ported there as a museum. My other favorite has yet to be made. "A Bright and Blinding Sun" hopfully a Spielberg film. 😊 honerable mention; The Story of G.I. Joe.

[@ReelHistory]

I suspect that this is something we will try to do more often!

[@Cap_Olimar]

What a wonderful cast of people, very cool!

[@esdavidson1969]

Sam Fuller's The Big Red One as been my favorite for over 30 years. A phenomenal story and an even more impressive cast!

[@JPSkinner1945]

Just a tidbit: If you have Apple Computer with a super drive DVD player it works for all regions (e.g. region two UK and Europe), in regard, to DVD. Just because to help those who enjoy historical films. Probably my favorites WW2 is the Memphis Belle. And Kelly’s heroes for the semi -comedy. On a side, I did think I was a real tiger king tank Kelly heroes.

[@1rwjwith]

Some great picks. I loved GREYHOUND , unique Naval perspective , convoy duty of a Destroyer. A BRIDGE TOO FAR has the biggest splash though while still having a lot of integrity. Obviously we are talking ones mostly concerning COMBAT because there are so many dealing with big subjects but peripheral to just combat. So keeping it combat centric. Das Boot and Letters From Iwo Jima for enemy perspectives. I will leave it at those 4.

[@ReeseMacalma]

Nice seeing you both in front of the camera for a change!

[@garandguy101]

Another great episode! I would say Battleground is one of my favorites. BTW, where did you get your sunglasses Jared?

[@ReelHistory]

Got the sunglasses from a sutler at D-Day Conneaut! Sorry, don't recall which one.

[@gravitypronepart2201]

Battlground is awsome.

[@davidcbr0wn]

To learn as much as possible for the movie Fury, David Ayer read the book Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II by Belton Y. Cooper and Stephen E. Ambrose Apr 29, 2003 This is a GREAT book where Cooper tells the story of the group he led that repaired the tanks as the Americans fought across Europe and other things like him driving the tank damage reports back to central command in the middle of the night as fast as the Jeep would go with no lights. The description he gives of what his group did to remove the smell of death in the tanks they restored so new crews could fight in them is just one of the accounts that given in this realistic portrayal of what is was to fight in a tank.

[@SemperFiGuy]

Thank goodness we had a Marine representing the Corps during 1942 at Ike's Farm. S/F

[@gravitypronepart2201]

And what is Recon Jack's favorite WWII movie?!

[@SemperFiGuy]

@@gravitypronepart2201 That's an impossible task, as I cannot name only one. So many different films, for so many different reasons. Although, Blake Edwards 1966 comedy "What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?" is up there pretty high on the list.😂

[@gravitypronepart2201]

@@SemperFiGuy long time since I saw that one.

[@SemperFiGuy]

@@gravitypronepart2201 I like seeing it on lists of "Worst WWII Movies," because I like it for all the reasons most people don't enjoy it. Such a classic 60s, goofy movie. I probably enjoy the film simply because it is anything other than a traditional "gung-ho" war movie.

[@leemarohn7496]

The Big Red One has been my favorite WWII movie since the first time I saw it.

[@jbos5107]

Greyhound is a very good movie. Tom Hanks was great. I'm very fond of the older war movies. I watched A Bell for Adano not long ago. A lot of the older movies were made to make us feel better, and some still do that today.

[@dgchristensen771]

My dad was 34th Infantry Division in North Africa and Italy and he always favored 2:. A Walk in the Sun, and The Story of GI Joe.

[@markharnitchek9205]

all good choices ... and a great pick with 12 O' Clock High ... a close second, for me, is Best Years of Our Lives.

[@gdelan1]

I keep hoping one day Hanks & Spielberg will adapt Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, but Greyhound was the reason i signed up for Apple for a month. If i was going to pick my top it would be Das Boot. No other submarine movie made you feel what it would really be like in a uboat, and (at least in the 90s) you could go tour the sub set at the Bavarian movie studio in Munich. Other than theatrical movies, Band of Brothers is still the WW2 gold standard imo.

[@ERNIE555]

Have you done anything on the liberation of Bergen-Belsen…that should be interesting!

[@kkpenney444]

If I'm going with most enjoyable WWII movie (which would eliminate many excellent but more difficult to watch movies) I would go with Battleground. And does Casablanca count?

[@davemac1197]

If Casablanca doesn't count, Allied (2016) might do. It is set in Casablanca, but filming had to be done in Gran Canaria, since the cities in Morocco have changed too much since the war. I understand it was based on a true story related by the aunt of the writer's girlfriend in Texas, but could not be verified in research, so possibly it's a true-ish story still classified!

[@garrisonnichols807]

2016 Hacksaw Ridge about Desmond T Doss is my favorite World War Two movie.

[@teddyduncan1046]

Greyhound is good but the US Navy named destroyers/escorts after people not animals.

[@andreraymond6860]

You realize, I hope that Greyhound is not the name of the ship in the movie?

[@ReelHistory]

@@andreraymond6860, correct. That is its call name in the film.

[@majorhicksusmc]

‘Greyhound’ was its call sign, not call name.

[@teddyduncan1046]

@@andreraymond6860 The radio calls use the name Greyhound. If that was not the name they would have used the name, ex. Perry this is Warspite.

[@joshuasill1141]

@@teddyduncan1046 a quick check on this new fangled thing called the internet will tell you that Greyhound was the code name/call sign of the warship commanded by Tom Hanks' character. Tom Hanks' character commanded the fictional USS Keeling (fictional as in the ship name was never in the naval register) code named "Greyhound" which was a United States Fletcher-class destroyer. The other fictional ships were the British Tribal-class Destroyer HMS James code named "Harry", the Polish Grom-class destroyer ORP Viktor code named "Eagle", and a Canadian Flower-class corvette HMCS Dodge code named "Dicky". Call signs and code names were, and are, very common in radio communications in peace time and in war, and not just for naval vessels. They identify different ships with similar or exact names. They provide an easy identifier for ships that have hard to pronounce names, especially for ships from foreign navies who speak different languages. They are also used to confuse the enemy and to protect the families back home. For example, a warship is steaming the 7 seas under the call sign/code name Seagull. Do you know which ship it is? It could be a sub tender, an MPS ship, a salvage ship, an LPD, an amphibious assault ship, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, or a Ford-class super carrier. If Seagull sank off the coast of wherever for whatever reason no one would know what ship it was so that it can't be used as propaganda (i.e. the Russian ship Moskva sunk off the by Ukraine), and that if lives were lost the Navy can officially tell loved ones back home and not by watching the news that night or via social media. If Seagull is known to be a Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser which of the 18 still in service is it? How would enemy agents know which family members to send fake letters and documents to if they don't know which ship Seagull is?

[@lynnkurumaji2478]

Being a Japanese American I appreciate the movie called "Go for Broke" about the 442nd regiment made up of Japanese Americans, they earned the name the Purple Heart regiment because of all the purple heart medals that were awarded.

[@nickmitsialis]

I enjoyed 'Bridge Too Far' too but...somehow, I felt the 'all star cast' detracted from the story a bit; also, oddly enough, the steady camera work, bright red blood effects and those fireball explosions seems somehow too 'hollywood-ish'(is that even a word?) to the 'new' style of desaturated, greyed out coloration pioneered by SPR and used by many of the following war movies.

[@catherinelw9365]

Thank you! I know many love A Bridge Too Far, but it is too polished and Hollywood for my taste. And I can't help but think that they parsed the script, making sure no one got more lines than the other, making it stilted and unnatural to me.

[@nickmitsialis]

@@catherinelw9365 Perfect--you said it better than me. In my opinion, 'Epic' movies like Bridge Too Far and Longest Day should be turned into cable miniseries and peopled with a bunch of up and coming relative unknowns.

[@dann547]

I'd like to make a case for, "The Great Raid" It dipicts a heroic and daring raid behind Japanese lines to save American POW's by US Army troops. The movie also touches upon the brutality of the Battle of Manila .In addition the movie highlights the seldom mentioned contributions of our Filipino allies during the war. I'd suggest the book" Rampage, MacAurthur, Yamashita and the Battle of Manila."

[@ruthsaunders9507]

The movie didn't work for me but its an amazing story. Ghost Soldiers is a great book. PBS has a wonderful documentary on it too.

[@ScipioAfricanusI]

Tora, Tora, Tora is always the right answer to this question! No one ever mentioned the GREAT Pinewood studio films, i.e.; The Cruel Sea, and Sink the Bismarck. Also, one of my favorites is Dunkirk, both the 1958 and 2017 versions. Fury is not a worhtwhile pick, I feel. Also, why no love for The Enemy Below, Das Boot and Run Silent, Run Deep?

[@gothard5]

The best WW2 movie other than Saving Private Ryan and HBO? Hmm? I would say probably the Pearl Harbor movie, Tora! Tora! Tora! , because it gives a lot of detail of the events leading up to the attack and during the attack from both points of view. PS. I posted this before actually watching the video. I honestly had no idea somebody actually mentioned this film in this video. I didn't know there was a book. I will have to check that out.

[@Chris-lh7wj]

As far as combat goes, I’d say Generation War, it’s a 3 part series from the German point of view, and is really good! Non combat I’d probably go with The Pianist.

[@resisthesucc]

My picks for best WWII films: Realism = Come and See (1985) Story = Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Overall = The Pacific (2010) I know The Pacific is technically a mini-series and not a movie, but the way it portrayed combat and the psychological effect on the US Marines, as well as the harsh environments, makes it my #1 depiction of war in media.

[@JessyWilliamson]

I can’t believe no one said Top Secret!!!!

[@ReelHistory]

Ha ha. Brilliant. Love, Chocolate Mousse

[@curtisanderson1830]

just purchased "The Things our Fathers Saw" by Matthew Rozell. Vols I-III

[@teddyduncan1046]

Could you list the websites that some of the presenters mentioned?

[@ReelHistory]

Done!

[@BoogedyBobby]

von ryans express for sure

[@andrewdrummond3715]

You all need to do a full review of "Overlord." The best WWII movie ever.

[@ReelHistory]

oh boy...we'll get there haha

[@Frankensteins_Highboy]

Any chance you guys are doing the ww2 event in Rockford Illinois? We already have many east coast boys coming

[@ReelHistory]

We don't generally make it that far West. It would be awesome but our schedules don't really allow for it.

[@davidstonerook3868]

One WW II enjoy a lot is the 1951 flim Go For Broke ! the film dramatize the real life story of the 442nd which was composed of Japanese American Soldiers

[@iKvetch558]

It is a really fun question, when you ask it that way...I honestly do not know which one I would choose off the top of my head. But I am gonna have to strongly disagree with a naval historian that says that Greyhound is the "best" WW2 film. Regardless of the small details that the CGI artists for that one might have gotten right, there are too many blatant inaccuracies for that movie to be objectively that good. I could see him saying that Greyhound is his favorite, but I cannot go with him on it being "best" in any sense. I will definitely look forward to how he defends that contention in a longer format. I really need to hear why he would EVER choose Greyhound over Das Boat??? Come to think of it, I would probably say that Das Boat is probably the "best" World War 2 movie overall. It is not my favorite, but I honestly think it is the best. Tora Tora Tora is a close second.

[@davemac1197]

Das *Boot (1981). And I always thought the original six-part TV mini-series format was the best version - not the edited film version. *In the northeast of England, around Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the accent is called 'Geordie' (origin is the Angles, a Germanic tribe from the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany and southern Denmark, hence English being 'Anglo-Saxon'), the English word 'boat' is actually pronounced like 'boot'. It's one of the few words in Geordie I can actually discern without the speaker having to provide their own subtitles!

[@Medusaesque]

Come and See (1985) should be viewed by all. True horror of war.

[@Wildwest89]

Breakout was also good but as far as Hollywood movies Battleground is the best WWII movie

[@ricardoaguirre6126]

I would have said Kelly's Heroes.

[@ReelHistory]

that is a valid answer

[@comedyfox4018]

I figured the doc would have chose Hacksaw Ridge.

[@Jabberstax]

A bridge too far is one of the best WW2 movies.

[@SemperFiGuy]

I just asked Chris if that was a cellphone in his pocket, or was he just excited to see Jared.

[@CKMarines]

I was really excited to see Jared….

[@Jermster_91]

My favorite World War 2 movie would have to be Der Untergang (Downfall). I like how you see the view of Hitler and his bunker and the chaos that is going on above as German soldiers continue to fight against the Soviets. However, the movie A Bridge Too Far has sentimental value because the movie and book is what got me interested in World War 2 history.

[@ReelHistory]

Excellent choices!

[@mashbury]

Mentions “U-571” and stands well back 😂😅🤣

[@philbyrd5561]

can you put some links in for the different people you talked too...

[@ReelHistory]

Good idea! We just did!

[@richardmardis2492]

A Walk in the Sun, Battle Ground.

[@vincentblack5078]

The great escape for me

[@dgchristensen771]

I have a question. How many of these reenactors have actually ever been in a war?

[@ReelHistory]

Atleast 3, including myself - Andy. Not to mention the veteran Infantryman assisting with the grenade toss practice in the background of the intro.

[@dgchristensen771]

I am a Vietnam vet. And my favorite Vietnam movie is The Boys in Company C. There is no historical accuracy, but it completely captures the time.

[@dgchristensen771]

BTW, was watching your Longest Day review. Absolutely love your remarks about John Wayne. I remember watching Audie Murphy cowboy movies as a kid and thinking this is crazy. Then you grow up and know a few things. Now I can't watch a John Wayne war movie. Still tolerate his westerns. And love watching Audie be a hero. Lol A lot of me thinks Wayne became such a hawk due to his own guilt feelings.

[@dgchristensen771]

Bob Hope, another one. Didn't like him, but sure liked the women who came along. I'm sure I'll get bashed for that. 😁

[@stevekohl5351]

Tom Preza looks like he is straight out of Sand Pebbles

[@KarenSFrancis]

Is this event open to the public?

[@ReelHistory]

Yes, the third weekend of every September!

[@mikloowl4899]

To be honest I dont think I would have caught on to the antennae in Fury. My nod given the rules would be DOWNFALL, simply for the amount of research and adherence to historical fact that the movie had. Also, despite the emotional controversy that ensued, displaying the nuance of the Nazi members rather than simply Nazi bad man, evil man black and white approach. I know a lot of people did not sit well with this but we need to approach everything from the multiple perspectives of the belligerents in order to understand their actions and ideals, not just those of the victors of those we side with. Sadly it's not uncommon to be labeled a racist or fascist if you do not toe the line so the incentive to take that approach is pretty low outside of fringe media or groups, certainly not large scale productions or mainstream. And fo course as mentioned I do enjoy a film that stays true to the language of the characters not masked in english with terrible accents to appease an audience who cannot be bothered to read subtitles.

[@davemac1197]

Good points and I also think Downfall (2004) is a very good pick. One of the most interesting (but difficult to read) books I've found in recent years is Sara Moore's The Fourth Reich? The EU - An Emerging German Empire (2016). Difficult, because German politics is a very dry read, but worth the effort because it puts a lot of well-known historical events into a much wider perspective. I also had no idea of the involvement of American investment banks - that was a genuine eye opener! Sara starts in 1870 with Bismarck's unification of the German states into a federal superstate dominated by militaristic Prussia (one of the allied nations that defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815), so you see immediately where this story is going. The First and Second World Wars are reduced to chapters in a much larger narrative, they were military 'adventures' that failed, and we have since seen a post-war return to Bismarck's strategy of unification by stealth treaty through the evolving ECSC, EEC, and EU, towards a United States of Europe. The lesson here is that Germany has always had long term aims, just as we were taught in school that Russia has a long term aim to secure warm-water ports - look at how Sevastopol and the Crimea has come back into the news in the last 10 years - and so Germany also has long-term ambitions. A new nation late to the game of imperialist ambition - because the British, French, Portuguese and Spanish, had already carved up most of the world between them, Germany embarked on a 'winner takes all' strategy to capture the great European powers. It's ironic that the failure of the First World War military adventure resulted in the few colonies Germany had in Africa being redistributed between Britain and France in the 1919 Versailles treaty, as an example of how 'winner takes all' can backfire spectacularly. I think we focus on the Nazis too much, and are too relaxed about the fact they have been long gone. There's still an ever present danger that some politicians are very ambitious, and with the exception of 20th Century throwback Vladimir Putin, economics is the new warfare. Just this week, in the wake of Brexit, we have the surrendered French President proposing a "European Political Community", inviting not just the UK, but a total of 44 European countries (by my count that's just about all of them - there are only 27 in the EU) to form a union of states that may wish to eventually join the EU or opt not to. In my experience, people who are up to no good always make the same basic error of assuming you're even more stupid than they are (just talk to any police officer and they will tell you they have the same experience). The new UK Prime Minister has already indicated that she is not interested. And so it goes on...

[@williamrunge8971]

12 O’clock high.

[@robhyden9641]

The Big Red One

[@SemperFiGuy]

I just pitched my tent. S/F

[@jacobstewart3428]

generation war kicks ass. that and sands of iwo jima.

[@justinschrank4806]

Masters of Air

[@buckgulick3968]

Great channel! Color me subscribed!

[@ReelHistory]

Welcome!

[@lonzo61]

Yeah, I kind of get that, but I was a reenactor in the 1980s who knew a lot of reenactors. And I am sorry, but I still think they don't have the expertise they think they have. They know uniforms and some details about the war, but come on. Yes, some of them are vets, but most of them are collectors of stuff. They are not historians, nor are they technicians, etc. They are, many of them, WW2 nerds. I know, because I was one of them. And I also served in the military, and I have read many books on 20th century military history--particularly WW2. Such people know more than the average movie goer, for sure! But....there are many such people who think they know so much about WW2 and even what it was like being there. But it's baloney that they are experts. Most of them are full of themselves. I know because I was around so many of them. I was full of it myself. We were out in the woods shooting at each other with blanks, wearing authentic uniforms. So effing what? We had a few guys whom I did think had a good perspective on WW2 and combat. We even had a guy who was himself a WW2 vet who used to bring his Browning M1917 .30 cal HMG to events. The guy was in his early to mid 60s!. I don't know how much combat he saw, or whether he saw any. But we did have some regard for his opinion. Upshot is, most of the guys who saw real action in that or any conflict don't want anymore. Some do, as some guys love combat. But most don't. So I was skeptical that this dude even saw combat. I think that he just happened to serve in an event that he took great interest in. I knew a number of such vets who did see action, and they, too, were very interested in the conflict that changed their lives. It seemed, in fact, that nearly every adult male I knew as a boy and teen had served. Anyway, I don't doubt that there are few fellows with expertise, such as the fellow who has the show The Chieftain's Hatch. He was a tank commander and knows his stuff on armor. But as reenactors go, he's the exception.

[@terrysmith9362]

The Cruel Sea is much the best ww2 film ever

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

No Disagreements here. I would add Das Boot.

[@GhostofGomezDawkins]

What's wild, The Cross of Iron still holds up to this day, because Russians are currently using tanks from this movie. Really all three in one, the past, present, and future, but without McDonald's.

[@TR00P]

I nominate Andrew for the Medal of Honor

[@ReelHistory]

Lol, it will probably be downgraded to an AAM

[@davemac1197]

You'll note the grenade didn't actually detonate, so it's another downgrade to a Purple Heart for the bruised ego.

[@j7519]

Battle Ground

[@catherinelw9365]

Downfall would be my choice. Unflinching, neurotic, desperate, pathetic, realistic, delusional... possesses so many dichotomies. All those suicides made me think of the line from Henry V: "Here was a royal fellowship of death".

[@lonzo61]

Why are reenactors being asked about authenticity of war movies? They're reenactors!!!

[@ReelHistory]

Reenactors spend a fair amount of their life studying authenticity standards. Not to mention many of them are veterans

[@miken7750]

African American or Black ????

[@jonathanoviedo1950]

Wind talkers is the greatest world war 2 movie of all time

[@mashbury]

A little American based.. Shall we pop in “The Dambusters” or “Life and Death of Col Blimp” ?

[@davemac1197]

Andy, give 'em a break - they're based in Pennsylvania. I think if they take a road trip outside the state - that's like going 'abroad'... amongst 'the English'! That's why they can't pronounce "Gloucester". It's a foreign language...

[@ReelHistory]

Jared owns both!