World War II war movies

Largest conflict in history of human kind and for many people the only war in history that could be justified. Two countries set to develop on a military basis - Germany and Japan - were overcrowded with limited sources of natural resources, so they both started to expand their territories to gain what Germans called Lebensraum (space to live). Japan have invaded China and then Malaya, Germany by the political or military annexation have absorbed the Austria, Czechoslovakia and later, together with Russia, have invaded Poland.

Poland have signed treaty with France and United Kingdom which imposed both those countries to intervene if Poland was invaded. France was reluctant to take any actions, but United Kingdom kept their obligation and declared war on Germany. For few months both sides were limited their activities to small skirmishes between warplanes. In 1940 Germans have invaded France breaking through the Ardennes, forcing French to surrender and pushing British expeditional forces to retreat.

After taking the France Hitler looked forward to making invasion on Great Britain, but first Germans had to gain the air superiority, which started the battle of Britain - duel between RAF and Luftwaffe. Germans lost that battle and had to give up the idea of invading the Britain. Instead they have concentrated, together with their new ally, Italy, on gaining the access to Middle East oil by pushing through North Africa. British stopped them before they could get to Egypt and for next 2 years both sides were concentrating most of their efforts around Mediterranean Sea.

Germans broke the treaty with Russia and their armoured divisions pushed toward east in order to gain natural resources of Soviet Union. But Russians used the tactics of "burned ground", which means before retreating they destroyed everything that could be useful to the advancing forces - food, fuel, materials. Creating the eastern front put extra strain on German army, especially when Russians started to build up their defence. If anything, the Russians had extensive number of people that could be conscripted to army and resources to make weapon for them.

Meanwhile Japan have attacked American warships in Pearl Harbor hoping to eliminate threat made by American Pacific Fleet to their further expansion. They have almost succeeded, but during the attack American aircraft carriers were absent in the harbour, which let them keep fighting the enemy while back in America new fleet and army were formed to attack Japan. Japanese were hoping that America will be open to negotiate peace treaty, which would allow them to keep the terrain they have invaded, but instead United States were preparing to totally annihilate the Japan army.

USA also had to join the Allied forces in Europe since German U-boats have sink numerous American ships on Atlantic. First they helped British finally beat German and Italian forces in North Africa, then they made landing on Sicily and continental Italy. Meanwhile the preparations to open the western front, that would release the pressure put on Soviet Union, moved into last phase. Allied forces made the landing in Normandy completely surprising Germans. Quick push toward east forced Germans to retreat and prepare to defend their homeland. British tried to speed up the push towards Berlin by Operation Market-Garden, but after it’s failure Allied forces were preparing for long struggle to beat Germans.

In Pacific Japanese navy resources were running very low and they were unable to stop Americans from regaining the islands one by one. The aircraft carriers Japanese have lost during the Battle of Midway left their fleet vulnerable to attacks of American navy airforce. Heavy fights over Philipines and later islands closer to Japan (like Tarawa, Okinawa) were causing Americans great loses, but they kept going.

Russians on east, after the landing of Allies in Normandy, have pushed Germans back, British and American on the west were planning next push that would lead them into the Germany, when something extraordinary happened - Germans believed to be heavily beaten and unable to prepare good defence made the offensive, again through Ardennes, towards west. They were trying to regain possession of Antwerp and by that stop the Allies from bringing more resources from England. Due to heroism of Allied soldiers they were stopped and until the end of the war Germans were constantly on defence.

The war in Europe ended after Russians have occupied Berlin and Hitler most probably committed suicide. In Pacific the situation looked different - Japanese were prepared to fight to the last man if their home islands would be invaded, so Americans decided to drop the atomic bombs to force Japanese government to surrender. Both German and Japanese have committed numerous war crimes during the World War II (concentration camps, massacres of civilians, massacres of prisoners of war) that was proved after the war, which makes this conflict almost an allegory of fight between good and evil.

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Battle of Nanking
9 December 1937

After the Manchurian Incident used as a pretext to invade China Japan army begun the offensive towards the major Chinese cities. They reached the capital city of Nanking in December 1937 and making us...

Invasion of Poland
1 September 1939

German invasion of Poland that started the World War 2 in Europe. After the annexation of Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia Hitler was looking to take over the Poland, but it wasn’t as easy as w...

Battle of Westerplatte
1 September 1939

On the day Germans have invaded Poland their battleship Schleswig-Holstein, that officially was on a courtesy visit in Gdansk, started to bombard the small Polish military outpost of Westerplatte. Wha...

Alfa Tau! 1942

Tension raises in Italian Navy submarine base when the loses are getting higher. Filmed during the war on board of active submarine.

Flying Tigers 1942

American volunteers of the Flying Tigers squadron fight the Japanese airforce over China.

Wake Island 1942

Based on true events - at the beginning of World War 2 on Pacific Japanese fleet attacks small outpost on Wake Island, where US Marines prepare few surprises for the invaders.

Tigers in the Snow (1981)

Early strategy game about one of the key battles of World War 2, Battle of the Bulge, the famous last offensive of Germany that took place in December 1944.

Silent Service (1985)

First ever real submarine simulator, Silent Service, built the very basic rules of the genre that were in use for next 20 years.

Ace of Aces (1986)

British multi-purpose fighters de Havilland Mosquito in missions over occupied Europe - from bombing vital train to attacking V-1 rockets.