# 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:** 3
**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, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/41 "2014-04-22T23:43:52Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > 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. At his age shouldn’t that be the flying saber tooth tigers? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/42 "2014-04-23T00:12:01Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Or the siege of Leningrad? This is the first thing I thought of. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/43 "2014-04-23T00:14:47Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > 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.) If they landed here with the intention of doing ANY damage, I’m not surprised they were hung. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/44 "2014-04-23T00:27:48Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > 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. There was a two part German mini-series on the Wilhelm Gustloff produced in 2007 called simply [Die Gustloff](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Gustloff). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/45 "2014-04-23T00:36:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Or the siege of Leningrad? [Leningrad aka Attack On Leningrad.](http://www.amazon.com/Attack-Leningrad-Mira-Sorvino/dp/B005DKS1TE/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1398213342&sr=1-1&keywords=attack+on+leningrad) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/46 "2014-04-23T00:41:48Z")
Trailer for [Attack on Leningrad](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5iHJDnJcX8) [2009] - Gabriel Byrne and Mira Sorvino grimace their way through nasty Nazis and nastier Ruskies. No, I never saw it either. ---
**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 23, 2014, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/47 "2014-04-23T01:03:57Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > 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!) I did think of the Thin Red Line but that was only partially a war movie and partially I don’t know what the fuck. ---
**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 23, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/48 "2014-04-23T01:26:31Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > 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!) _From Here to Eternity_ ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/49 "2014-04-23T01:37:03Z")
Nothing on the Allied Submarine campaign in the Pacific and Indian Oceans? ---
**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 23, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/50 "2014-04-23T01:43:14Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Nothing on the Allied Submarine campaign in the Pacific and Indian Oceans? Run Silent Run Deep Destination Tokyo Operation Petticoat (still counts :D) Operation Pacific 1941 (it did have a sub) ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/51 "2014-04-23T01:51:26Z")
Ach, Loach beat me to all the US submarine movies. I feel like the Japanese Navy hasn’t really had much screen time considering their importance in the Pacific War. There’s been a few great movies from the perspective of the Japanese Army, but I can’t really think of the navy being in any other than as the antagonists in various American films. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/52 "2014-04-23T02:12:39Z")
> [@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. > [@Loach](#): > > 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. I would really like to see a recreation of a very deadly, interesting and weird battle that took place in Manila as part of the bigger one, at a baseball stadium. The 5th and 12th Cavalry regiments of the United States army had to deal with a lot of deadly stuff coming from left field. And a very foul line. [http://battleofmanila.org/Smith\_XV/htm/xv\_03.htm](http://battleofmanila.org/Smith_XV/htm/xv_03.htm) “We slugged out with them, with no cover.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4wmGMbJ8yVw/hqdefault.jpg "Fighting in Rizal Memorial Baseball Field") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wmGMbJ8yVw) “No game today” ---
**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 23, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/53 "2014-04-23T02:28:18Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Ach, Loach beat me to all the US submarine movies. > > I feel like the Japanese Navy hasn’t really had much screen time considering their importance in the Pacific War. There’s been a few great movies from the perspective of the Japanese Army, but I can’t really think of the navy being in any other than as the antagonists in various American films. There was a 2005 Japanese movie, [_Yamato_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_%28film%29) about the (as you might guess) battleship _Yamato_’s final mission. I’ve only seen it in bits and pieces—first becoming aware of it when I saw a music video someone had made, using clips of the film, and [“Unicron’s Theme.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfcmin_p7xs&t=0m06s) Which, in respect to the _Yamato_-class, seemed quite appropriate. Also, it’s post-war, but the story of [Japanese Surrendered Personnel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Surrendered_Personnel) who were pressed into combat service _with_ the Allies, securing the various colonial holdings in asia, might be interesting—apparently, one Japanese Major was recommended for the [DSO](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Service_Order) by the end of '45! ---
**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 23, 2014, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/54 "2014-04-23T06:47:56Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > I feel like the Japanese Navy hasn’t really had much screen time considering their importance in the Pacific War. There’s been a few great movies from the perspective of the Japanese Army, but I can’t really think of the navy being in any other than as the antagonists in various American films. There’s _Tora! Tora! Tora!_. This 1970 movie about the Pearl Harbor attack attempted to show both sides equally. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/55 "2014-04-23T08:19:48Z")
[Pavlov’s House](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlov%27s_House). I see from Wiki that a movie was made of these events somewhat recently. Still, I think this story could be the next Saving Private Ryan if done right. ---
**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 23, 2014, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/56 "2014-04-23T09:52:18Z")
I’d like one with Adolf Hitler as the central character from the Munich beer halls up to his death. The closest one just covered pre-ww2 starring Robert Carlyle (The Rise of Evil, 2003.) ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/57 "2014-04-23T12:24:35Z")
I’m not aware of anything significant on the Malayan Campaign (or the Fall of Singapore). > [@the\_diego](#): > > I’d like one with Adolf Hitler as the central character from the Munich beer halls up to his death. The closest one just covered pre-ww2 starring Robert Carlyle (The Rise of Evil, 2003.) _Downfall_ covers his last days pretty well (seriously, it’s a great film). ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/58 "2014-04-23T18:34:09Z")
[The Battles of Narvik](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Narvik) (1940) ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/59 "2014-04-23T19:01:02Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > _Downfall_ covers his last days pretty well (seriously, it’s a great film). I finally saw it recently. I hadn’t wanted to because I love _Wings of Desire_ so much, and didn’t want to see sweet, gentle Bruno Ganz play Hitler. Which he did, brilliantly. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701/60 "2014-04-23T23:50:35Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I finally saw it recently. I hadn’t wanted to because I love _Wings of Desire_ so much, and didn’t want to see sweet, gentle Bruno Ganz play Hitler. Which he did, brilliantly. I honestly think he should have received an Oscar for his performance as Hitler, but sadly it doesn’t seem to work like that. The sadder thing is when you say “You should see Downfall”, so many people say “Isn’t that the film with Hitler ranting about his Xbox Live account being banned?” :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-battles-events-of-wwii-not-given-cinematic-tv-treatment/686701.md?page=4)