Top 30 brilliant and the best World War 2 movies of all time

Publish date: 2024-05-06

One of the most commemorative events in history is the Second World War. It was the most extensive and deadliest war in history that dragged on for six bloody years. Millions of lives were lost, leaving behind a selected few to tell of the horrendous atrocities. One way generations get to know of the World War II events is through re-enacted WW 2 films. Check out the top 30 best World War 2 moves of all time.

Do you want to go back in history to understand what went down during the Second World War? Do so by watching Second World War films. What is considered the best World War II movie? We would be lying if we said there is one in specific because they are many. Here are the top 30 best World War 2 movies up to date. Feel free to select any through this collection of the greatest WW2 movies.

Top 30 best World War 2 movies

When we think of movie lists, we immediately think of something good showcased in the film. However, that is not the case in these World War 2 movies. All these World War II movies depict the tragedy and horrendous acts during the Second World War. How many movies are there about the world war? They are countless. Nonetheless, here are the best WWII movies that are worth your time.

1. Dunkirk

The movie directed by Christopher Nolan is based on the concept of the 1940 evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops from the French shores of Dunkirk.

2. Black Book

The 2006 drama thriller reveals the chilling plans the Nazis had to invade Britain.

3. Son of Saul

The drama tries to capture the horrors of the genocide perpetrated against Jews. In the film, a prisoner in Auschwitz saves a young boy from the crematorium following various atrocities.

4. Stalingrad

Stalingrad is one of the best World War 2 documentaries that demonstrate the brutality of WWII. It explains the Germans’ advance into the Soviet Union and the turning tide of war in favor of the Allies.

5. Days of Glory

Days of Glory is one of the top World War 2 movies that looks at the war from 1943 to 1945. Then, volunteer Arabs were fighting the Nazis to liberate France, their motherland.

6. Paratroop Command

This movie contains a realism that sets the movie back in World War II. It is a story of a soldier named Charlie who suffered a scope with his fellow paratroop unit after accidentally shooting and killing one of his fellow U.S soldiers.

7. The Dam Busters

This film happens to be the most famous World War II movie led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson. It shows how the British attacked German dams, killing thousands of Germans.

8. Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain is one of the good WW2 movies explaining how the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and the Fleet Air Arm defended the United Kingdom against the Nazi German Air force during World War II.

9. Inglorious Basterds

The movie highlights the plight of some American soldiers who are being shipped to a military prison due to various infractions but are on the way attacked by Germans.

10. A Walk in the Sun

Director Lewis Milestone highlights the ordeal in WW II, specifically during the Italian campaign against the Germans in this film.

11. Letters from Iwo Jima

Clint Eastwood directed the 2006 film. It explores the battle between Iwo Jima of the United States and Imperial Japan.

12. Hell in the Pacific

Two servicemen, Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda of the Japanese army and an American pilot Lee Marvin, get stranded on an isolated Pacific Ocean island. They begin to face similar challenges and eventually end up cooperating to survive.

13. Saving Private Ryan

The epic American film is set during the invasion of Normandy. Following World War II, U.S. soldiers go behind the enemy line to retrieve a paratrooper whose brother got killed on the battlefield.

14. Bridge on the River Kwai

The film focuses on allied POWs in a Japanese camp, ordered to build a bridge to facilitate the Burma-Siam railway.

15. Army of Shadows

The drama film follows a group of resistance fighters who moved between safe houses, evading capture and execution.

16. The Thin Red Line

The film concentrates on Terrence Malick who has returned from a 20-year hiatus and is reflecting on the horrors of WW II.

17. To Be or Not to Be

The American comedy film shows an acting troupe getting entangled with Polish soldiers tracking down a German spy.

18. The Great Escape

The 1963 American film narrates the ordeal and plight of allied prisoners, including their plans to escape from the German camp.

19. Downfall

The German film is set during the Battle of Berlin. It showcases the final days of Adolf Hitler.

20. Cross of Iron

The film shows a clash between the recipient of the iron cross, Capt. Rolf Steiner of the German military with Capt. Hauptmann Stransky as they lead their soldiers to battle.

21. Hangmen Also Die

The film is based on the 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the ruthless German leader.

22. From Here to Eternity

The drama film is set in Hawaii and concentrates on the life of a private soldier who is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit’s team. It showcases the personal drama side during the Second World War.

23. Night and Fog

Thus movie narrates the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and the final solutions of a hellish world of dehumanization and death.

24. Dirty Dozen

The 1967 war film is based on training a team of soldiers to parachute across enemy lines and assassinate German soldiers.

25. Come and See

The World War II drama takes place on the borders of Belarus in 1943. The plot is of a Belarusian boy who witnesses the horrors the Nazis did.

26. Darkest Hour

The film focuses on Britain’s deliberation over whether to enter the war or call a truce with Hitler and the Nazis.

27. Schindler’s List

The classic film features businessman Oskar Schindler who joins the Nazi party to make a fortune. Nonetheless, he is not as ruthless and goes above and beyond to protect his Jewish workers from the Nazis.

28. Shoah

The 1985 French film directed by Claude Lanzmann depicts survivors, witnesses, and ex-Nazis recounting the Nazi genocide that left six million Jews dead.

29. Went the Day Well

The British film tells the story of a British village that welcomed a platoon of German soldiers who proceed to hold their village captive.

30. The Cranes Are Flying

The Soviet film depicts the cruelty of WWII in Russia, including the damage done to peoples’ lives.

If you are looking for World War 2 films based on true stories to watch, this is the list you need. These top 30 best World War 2 movies explain various WW2 events as they occurred and the aftermath. Feel free to watch any of them.

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