# Major battles/events of WWII NOT given cinematic/TV treatment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701 "2014-04-22T18:26:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/21 "2014-04-22T20:58:35Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I don’t know of any US films about [Operation Dragoon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragoon). The invasion of Southern France in late summer 1944. > > Quite successful. If a few more resources had been devoted to it, they could have trapped and destroyed a good chunk of Army Group G. And that might have lead to fewer problems later in the Vosges Mountains.) [To Hell and Back](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048729/) is Audie Murphey’s story, and he was involved in Operation Dragoon. Not that you’d know from the movie. It is more fighting in generic France. And I think the movie skips the final German western counterattacks (not counteroffensives). ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/22 "2014-04-22T21:17:23Z")
The [China Burma India](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Burma_India_Theater) theater has gotten short shrift from Hollywood. Merrill’s Marauders have gotten a couple of films, but the rest of the theater has been ignored. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/23 "2014-04-22T21:27:41Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > There is Kokoda And that’s about it. The German/British naval conflict off of the South American coast has been ignored. The conflicts between the British and the Vichy France abomination has been largely ignored in favor of a Free France/French Resistance narrative. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/24 "2014-04-22T21:29:34Z")
A lot of the Chinese theater—the [Defense of Sihang Warehouse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Sihang_Warehouse) came to mind immediately, but a refresher reveals that it was technically more properly in the Sino-Japanese War, and actually had two movies made about it, the last in 1976. And, as a matter of fact, [Men Behind the Sun](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Behind_The_Sun) is the closest thing I could think of to feature the Japanese use of chemical or biological weapons. And it mostly focused on development and testing of the latter. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/25 "2014-04-22T21:51:57Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > As mentioned in another thread recently, a biopic of Wendell Fertig seems made for Hollywood and its amazing that one hasn’t been done yet. Supposedly there is one being shopped around. What about [Hans Von Luck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_von_Luck)? I’d love to see a movie (or a miniseries!) made about his wartime experiences. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/26 "2014-04-22T22:04:35Z")
Some dramatic WWII RL incidents (that I can’t give solid links to right now) Can anybody recall seeing movies about them? That Japanese doctor who’d gone to med school in the US, then was killed in the Aleutians (by one account while trying to surrender) The German U-Boat captain who was pulling a boatload of survivors of a ship he’d sunk into the shipping lanes where they’d have a better chance, but was attacked by an Allied plane nonetheless. The African-American working on the Burma Road who’d taken too much crap off the whites, so he went renegade and lived with the head hunters. The German saboteurs who landed in the US and mostly all had no intention of doing any damage, but were hanged anyway. (Actually, we don’t come off looking too good in any of these.) ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/27 "2014-04-22T22:10:42Z")
Even though [this](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hannibal) caused myriad casualties (including what has remained the largest single maritime loss of life in human history) it is poorly documented. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/28 "2014-04-22T22:10:57Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > And that’s about it. > > The German/British naval conflict off of the South American coast has been ignored. > > The conflicts between the British and the Vichy France abomination has been largely ignored in favor of a Free France/French Resistance narrative. _[The Battle of the River Plate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_the_River_Plate_(film))_ looks like it covers the hunt for the _Graf Spee_ pretty thoroughly. And HMNZS Achilles plays itself! ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/29 "2014-04-22T22:13:31Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Some dramatic WWII RL incidents (that I can’t give solid links to right now) Can anybody recall seeing movies about them? > > That Japanese doctor who’d gone to med school in the US, then was killed in the Aleutians (by one account while trying to surrender) > > The German U-Boat captain who was pulling a boatload of survivors of a ship he’d sunk into the shipping lanes where they’d have a better chance, but was attacked by an Allied plane nonetheless. > > The African-American working on the Burma Road who’d taken too much crap off the whites, so he went renegade and lived with the head hunters. > > The German saboteurs who landed in the US and mostly all had no intention of doing any damage, but were hanged anyway. > > (Actually, we don’t come off looking too good in any of these.) There’s a recent miniseries about the U-boat incident - _[The Sinking of the Laconia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sinking_of_the_Laconia)_ I found it pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/30 "2014-04-22T22:13:39Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > The German/British naval conflict off of the South American coast has been ignored. The Powell and Pressburger film [The Battle of the River Plate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_the_River_Plate_%28film%29) is well worth a watch. Edit: Beaten by lisiate 🙂 Three whole minutes… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/31 "2014-04-22T22:29:14Z")
I don’t think there’s ever been a movie about the [Battle of Manila](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_(1945)). Which is somewhat surprising because it was a major battle with plenty of dramatic events and it involved American forces. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/32 "2014-04-22T22:52:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think there’s ever been a movie about the [Battle of Manila](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_(1945)). Which is somewhat surprising because it was a major battle with plenty of dramatic events and it involved American forces. As I mentioned up thread if you listen to Hollywood the Pacific theater was strictly a Marine operation. The Army contribution is largely ignored. This is an example. The Battle of Manilla and much of the Phillipine campaign was U.S. Army. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/33 "2014-04-22T23:04:51Z")
The Flying Tigers in China seems like an obvious choice for a movie but I don’t think they’ve ever gotten even a miniseries. Also, many naval battles of the pacific seem like good action-flick fodder, Leyte Gulf and the Coral Sea in particular. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/34 "2014-04-22T23:08:42Z")
When are they going to make a film about [Juan Pujol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Pujol_Garcia) aka GARBO? It would seem made for Hollywood, although it might be that the reality was just too hard to believe. There have been scripts written, and some attempts to get a film off the ground, but nothing has happened so far. It would have to be done by a director with a dark sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/35 "2014-04-22T23:11:10Z")
Army movies in the Pacific: The Thin Red Line, The Naked and the Dead, Between Heaven and Hell (ha - you hadn’t thought of that one!) ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/36 "2014-04-22T23:15:19Z")
To satisfy one’s carnophilia, how about the battle of Ramree Island in Burma? One thousand Japanese soldiers hunkered down on the beach ready for a British invasion, bombardment by a battleship kills 100 of them and forces them to cross a 16-mile stretch of swamp infested by giant crocodiles, the pursuing British soldiers urge them to surrender but instead are treated to a night of ghastly sounds of men being eaten by crocodiles. The movie can even segui to the present where a Japanese writer publishes a novel about the whole thing (“Dragon of the Mangroves.”) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/37 "2014-04-22T23:19:51Z")
How about the Battle of Hong Kong? Over 2,000 allied soldiers killed, 10,000 captured, 4,000 civilians killed. I’m trying to remember a western film about the Battle for Okinawa, but one’s not coming to me. Have there been any? I know there’s a Japanese movie about it. But that was a huge battle - 12,000 allied deaths, 38,000 wounded, 110,000 Japanese soldiers killed, 40,000 civilians. There was a TV miniseries in Canada about the Dieppe raid, but have any major WWII films covered it? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/38 "2014-04-22T23:27:23Z")
> [@The\_Batman](#): > > The Flying Tigers in China seems like an obvious choice for a movie but I don’t think they’ve ever gotten even a miniseries. > > Also, many naval battles of the pacific seem like good action-flick fodder, Leyte Gulf and the Coral Sea in particular. There was a John Wayne film called “Flying Tigers” from 1942. Also, the TV movie “Baa Baa Blacksheep” followed the career of Greg “Pappy” Boyington, who started WWII with the Flying Tigers in Burma and the movie covers that quite a bit. The TV series ‘Baa Baa Blacksheep’ followed that with extensive stories about the air battles in the South Pacific. John Woo was working on a movie about the Flying Tigers, but that appears to be dead. There’s a TV miniseries in the works that may star Harrison Ford. There was a movie called “Raiders of Leyte Gulf”, and I think the battle was depicted one of the big war movies of the '70’s like “Midway” or “Tora Tora Tora!”. Or maybe I just remember stock footage from Leyte Gulf being used. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/39 "2014-04-22T23:34:41Z")
It must have been stock footage, I think Midway also briefly features the battle of the Coral Sea but the other one is exclusively Pearl Harbor. But it’s good to know about that miniseries, the P-40 warhawks of the Flying Tigers are such an iconic image of WWII. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/40 "2014-04-22T23:42:57Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I’m trying to remember a western film about the Battle for Okinawa, but one’s not coming to me. Have there been any? Not a movie, but **The Pacific** did an episode devoted entirely to Okinawa. It’s probably my favorite episode of the lot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701.md?page=3)