War Documentary Films

A chronicle of a French city under the occupation. Director Marcel Ophuls combined interviews and archival film footage to explore the reality of the French occupation in one small industrial city, Clermont-Ferrand. He spoke with resistance fighters, collaborators, spies, farmers, government officials, writers, artists and veterans. The result is a shattering portrait of how ordinary [...]

Creating epic documentaries about war is nothing new for Ken Burns, nor is the subject of the Second World War, which never ceases to be a popular subject of films and TV shows. Yet with The War, Burns has definitely succeeded in breaking new ground, exploring in depth the effect of the war on common [...]

More than 30 years after its initial broadcast, THE WORLD AT WAR remains the definitive visual history of World War II. Narrated by Academy Award winner Laurence Olivier and digitally re-mastered for DVD, this is epic history at its absolute best. Unsurpassed in depth and scope, its 26 hour-long programs feature an extraordinary collection of [...]

Through the eyes of the soldiers, civilians and political leaders, Apocalypse details how the “horrible yet familiar” war led to the deaths of 50 million men and women across the world – with as many civilian victims as there were military ones. The creators of the series have incorporated the most recent historical research into [...]

The Lancaster at War is a vivid account of the aircraft that became the mainstay of Britain’s Bomber Command in the struggle to defeat Nazi Germany. Described as the outstanding heavy bomber of World War II, the Avro Lancaster played a major role in the long and savage bombing campaign to cripple Hitler’s Third Reich. [...]

With the use of amazing, unseen, global archival footage from pre-war Germany to the end of the war in Africa and the atomic bomb.  Included in the series is documentary footage by Hollywood directors William Wyler, George Stevens and John Ford, including some of Ford’s Oscar-winning coverage of the Battle of Midway where he was [...]

In the 1980s determined researchers began scouring the world for color film shot during World War II, and the result of their quest is spectacular. Seeing the war through the ubiquitous black-and-white footage has always made the experience somewhat distant, but in clear, crisp color, the enormity of the war and its horrors is startling [...]

This story exposes significant historical events that been largely neglected or completely forgotten by today’s contemporary society. It tells the tale of the World War 2 Beaufighter Aircraft – known by the Japanese as Whispering Death, a fast heavily armed and almost indestructible aircraft, and its indefatigable Australian crews. Together they helped tip the balance [...]

How did Adolf Hitler manage to survive more than 40 assassination attempts–some by his own generals? Using captured SS documents and eyewitness interviews, this documentary series reveals the secrets of the elite bodyguards who swore loyalty oaths to the Führer himself. It explains how Hitler cultivated rivalries among his security services to ensure his safety, [...]

An award-winning documentary filled with never-before-seen images, THE COLOR OF WAR is a spectacle of color, sights, sounds, and memories. At its core, World War II was a black-and-white struggle between good and evil. But the everyday scenes of carnage, human resistance, and guttural warfare were much more complex. A striking assemblage of color footage [...]

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Blitz, this remarkable program gives new insight into what it was like to live through the devastation and psychological torment of wartime Britain. We witness the destructive power of bombs and rockets on peoples’ homes and lives both close-up and in slow motion. This series also details scientific [...]

Iwo Jima was arguably the toughest battle the Marines had ever faced. The courage and sacrifice of the men who fought to secure the eight square miles of stinking sulfur rock and volcanic ash will never be forgotten. Step back in time with the sailors, soldiers and airmen who were there and relive one of [...]

This is a massive and extremely well integrated series of documentaries that exhaustively depicts, explains, and examines the nature of the Soviet society at the time of the great patriotic struggle (as they called it) against the Nazi forces that invaded Russia during World War Two. It finds its beginnings in the post-revolutionary struggles of [...]

How could a political party as fundamentally evil and overtly racist as the Nazis come to power? This remains one of the most enigmatic questions of the last century. Acclaimed historian Laurence Rees examines what led a cultured nation at the heart of Europe to commit the atrocities it did. In so doing, he exposes [...]

More than any previous documentary about the Holocaust, Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State reveals the inner workings of the Nazi implementation of Hitler’s infamous “final solution.” Drawing on the latest academic discoveries, this remarkable BBC series presents a wide-ranging, meticulously researched biography of the titular “killing factory” and its evolution into a highly efficient location [...]

Joseph Stalin – the supreme leader of the Soviet Union – was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions. Yet he also had some unlikely relationships during the Second World War. Not just with leaders of the great democracies like Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, but also with Hitler and the Nazis. For the [...]

In 1940, Nazi air strikes had Britain on her knees. The RAF was desperate for planes and their supply of US aircraft, sent on ship convoys, had been sunk in the icy Atlantic by relentless German U-boats. In response, a remarkable decision was made to fly the planes across the unforgiving ocean. Because of US [...]

As the rest of Europe fell to the Nazis, only the convoys of ships bringing vital supplies from North America kept Britain from surrendering. This four-part series follows the story of that Atlantic war, charting the turning tide of the campaign as U-boats and supply ships played a deadly game of cat-and-mouse on the ocean’s [...]

Triumph of the Will is one of the most important films ever made. Not because it documents evil–more watchable examples are being made today. And not as a historical example of blind propaganda–those (much shorter) movies are merely laughable now. No, Riefenstahl’s masterpiece–and it is a masterpiece, politics aside–combines the strengths of documentary and propaganda [...]

The Good Soldier follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier. “An astounding film ‘The Good Soldier’ should be mandatory viewing for every President and member of Congress who [...]

From Pearl Harbor, the frozen battlefields of Korea, sweltering jungles of Vietnam, and to the blistering sands of Iraq, veterans tell their fascinating stories in frank and very insightful interviews. History Starts Now Productions has provided an excellent and comprehensive resource.          

This dramatised documentary recounts how, during the most decisive phase of the Battle of the Britain, a single squadron of 34 Polish fighter pilots wreaked havoc on the Luftwaffe, in the process helping to change the course of history and overturning RAF prejudices. From 303 Squadron’s bitter struggle for acceptance when they first arrived in [...]

Kokoda was a savage military campaign fought without mercy between foes who seriously underestimated each other a desperate campaign to keep Papua New Guinea from falling to the Japanese during the darkest days of World War II. Based on the bestselling book Kokoda by Paul Ham and filmed in Australia, Japan and along the Kokoda [...]

Voices from Hitler’s Army utilizes interviews with many veterans from the German war machine during WWII.   Archival footage of battles augment the harrowing personal stories shared by the former soldiers.   Buy Voices From Hitler’s Army – CLICK HERE                

In June 1942, less than a year after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army invaded the remote Alaskan island of Attu, in preparation for a larger advance into Canada and the lower 48 states. Although thousands of soldiers died in the ensuing battle, the American public was not informed of the attack in fear that widespread [...]

Australians at War is a documentary series that shows the impact of war on Australians. It looks at Australian military history from the Boer War to East Timor. The series draws on a wide range of archive film and stills as well as interviews with those who took part in the various conflicts, and includes [...]

After D-Day in 1944, the end of Hitler’s Third Reich was in sight. Not willing to give up his plans of conquest, Hitler concieved of a bold new offensive to strike the Allies through the Ardennes Forest, dividing the American and British forces and to capture the critical port city of Antwerp.      

Fire and Ice tells the story of the Winter War, the Soviet Union’s invasion of Finland in November, 1939. The Soviets were convinced they could win the war in a matter of days. No one expected that tiny Finland could resist the highly mechanized Red Army, the largest military force in the world. And no [...]

Seventy years on, brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor take viewers through the key moments of the Battle of Britain, when ‘the few’ of the RAF faced the might of the Nazi Luftwaffe. As they fly historic planes, meet the veterans, explore the tactics and technology, Colin and Ewan discover the importance of the Battle and [...]

Long after the Battle of Britain, the aircrews of RAF Bomber Command risked their lives night after night during the Second World War. Bomber Crew is a four-part series that tells the stories of the airmen of Bomber Command. Building on the hugely popular and critically acclaimed Spitfire Ace series, Bomber Crew features first-hand testimony [...]

The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German occupied Europe. Initially drawn from within the British Army from soldiers who volunteered for special service, the Commandos’ ranks would eventually be [...]

The Second World War left tens of millions dead and millions more injured, homeless or stateless. It redrew the political map of the world and ushered in changes that still reverberate today. This monumental collection of 10 documentaries from the BBC examines every aspect of World War II, elucidating the most crucial moments and examining [...]

Never has a generation been so completely taken over by a totalitarian state as was the case in Hitler’s Third Reich: at the age of 10 children joined the “Jungvolk” movement, at 14 they joined the Hitler Youth, and at 18 they joined the party, the “Wehrmacht”, the SA, or the SS. This 5-part documentary [...]

The only people to see the war like this were the ones who lived it. Until now… Seventy years in the making. Three thousand hours of color footage no one knew existed. The first documentary to show World War II from the perspective of both sides in full, immersive HD color, the world premiere HISTORY [...]

20th Century Battlefields is a documentary series presented by Peter and Dan Snow. The father and son team take a look at some of the world’s most bloodiest battles that happened during the 20th century.          

20th Century Battlefields is a documentary series presented by Peter and Dan Snow. The father and son team take a look at some of the world’s most bloodiest battles that happened during the 20th century.          

Get a new perspective on the terrible crescendo of WWII’s European Theater and learn what saved the world from Axis domination. Settles longstanding controversies and definitively solves historical puzzles. Utilizes cutting-edge technology from diverse fields of research. A definitive analysis of the Battle of the Bulge Winter 1944.   Buy Battlefield Detectives: Battle Of The [...]

The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. It took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943. The battle is considered by many historians to be [...]

Operation Market Garden was considered the biggest alliance loss. Battlefield Detectives uncover the answer as to whether the plan had been generally flawed from the start, or if it had been an extremly close victory.        

This is the story of Australia and New Zealand at war as never seen before. For the first time, only original colour footage is used to paint a vividly detailed picture of these closely allied nations, from the build up to World War Two to the end of the Vietnam Conflict. All the colour is [...]

Britain at War In Colour features footage that has never, or rarely, been seen and that gives it a really fresh and interesting visual appeal.Being in colour also gives the cataclysmic events of 1939-1945, usually relegated to official black-and-white archives, a more modern and life-like feel.      

Produced by CBC’s award-winning Documentary Production team, The Liberation of Holland features a visually stunning mix of painstaking re-enactments and rich archival footage, including rare colour footage from World War II. It gives voice to the men and women – soldiers, nurses and Dutch civilians – who lived through these historic events. And with the [...]

HMS Ark Royal (pennant number 91) was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served in the Second World War. Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design differed from [...]

The heroic tales of World War II are legendary, but Operation Crossbow is a little-known story that deserves to join the hall of fame: how the Allies used 3D photos to thwart the Nazis’ weapons of mass destruction before they could obliterate Britain. This film brings together the heroic Spitfire pilots who took the photographs [...]

SOE – The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. This History Channel documentary, “Churchill’s Spy School” is about the men and women who risked their lives behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied France. Their training included cryptography, espionage, counter-surveillance, sabotage, demolition, silent killing (Defendu) and living from the land. [...]

In Their Footsteps is a 10-part series about Australian families rising to the challenges, enduring the deprivations and dealing with the lasting scars of war. In Their Footsteps will shine a bright new light on Australia’s wartime history, bridging the past to the present for a modern generation of viewers.           [...]

From writer, producer, director Richard Schickel and executive producer Steven Spielberg comes a remarkable film that takes a special look at the first war to be truly reported and recorded by one of the more unsung heroes of World War II: the combat photographer. Through the unflinching eye of their camera’s lenses, these courageous soldiers [...]

During World War II, a remarkable band of female pilots fought against all odds for the right to aid the war effort. These trailblazers were part of the Air Transport Auxiliary, a thousand-strong organization that delivered aircraft to the front line RAF during Britain’s darkest hours. Every day, responsibility fell on their shoulders to get [...]

Hell In The Pacific is an acclaimed four part documentary that offers an unforgettable insight into the appalling events that changed the face of World War II. Documenting the history of Japanese involvement in World War II, Episode One Inferno opens with the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbour. Purgatory, the second instalment [...]

The personal stories of the soldiers who fought in World War II, brought back to life in reconstructions with real bombs and ammunition.        

The Britisches Freikorps unit of the Waffen SS served alongside the Nazis on the Eastern Front. Its members wore the death’s head insignia and took German rank. They helped defend Berlin even as Hitler retreated to his bunker. But each and every member was recruited from British, Canadian, Australian and South African soldiers who volunteered [...]

A tale of a veteran German Tank driver from the Second world war, taken from his auto-biography. He tells his story in flashbacks from his home in Britain as an old man. A matter-of-fact account of his youth before the war and his trials during his time as a soldier primarily on the Russian front. [...]

Brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor follow up their documentary The Battle of Britain with a film exploring Bomber Command, a rarely-told story from the Second World War. The film focuses primarily on the men who fought and died in the skies above occupied Europe, with numerous examples of individual heroism and extraordinary collective spirit, and [...]