I, on the other hand, put myself in his shoes: An enlisted man forced to divulge a technical shortcoming that he knows will mean the deaths of dozens of his fellow airmen. 
but for an entirely different reason,
It’s been so long I don’t recall the character in the book.
David Schwimmer?
I second your opinion. Excellent series (although I’ve only watched it once) and a very good book.
Any comments on Von Ryan’s Express? Never saw the movie, but I’ve read the book twice.
I liked the movie. It’s not as strong as some of the other war movies of the era but I liked the thrills of the stolen train and then trying to pass themselves off as Germans. Also some good special effects as well.
What I came in to mention, among others.
Gallipoli
Saving Private Ryan
The Execution of Private Slovik
Breaker Morant
Zulu!
Hamburger Hill
The Pianist
You know what’s a terrible war movie? Victory. I know it’s an excuse plot to have a bunch of soccer players play against the Nazis but the “finale” made absolutely no sense. The Nazi Guards at the ending made less of an effort preventing the prison break than the US Capitol police during the insurrection.
I get your explanation of Deluise’s character in the movie. In the book, however, the sergeant is big, dumb lifer who’s only too happy to provide the general with the information he needs. He seems oblivious to the fact that his actions are sentencing American servicemen to death (or maybe he just doesn’t understand what’s going on at all).
I thought of mentioning Von Ryan’s Express too. I saw the movie when it came out and still enjoy watching it today. The whole business of hijacking a train and riding it to Switzerland continues to appeal to me. 
I also love when Trevor Howard tells the POWs “We’ll form up again and have another crack at Gerry!”
Frank Sinatra was in another war movie that came out about the same time, None but the Brave. It’s notable because it has a black US Marine, which is historically accurate for that stage of the Pacific war. I also like it when the Japanese commander tells Sinatra his wife is “rovrier than the [cherry] brossoms.”
I saw this movie a few weeks ago on TCM. It’s based on the reports by war correspondent Ernie Pyle and has been included in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry:
Also in the NFR is Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series:
None but the Brave made me think of this movie, which deals with a black Marine’s experiences in the Pacific. After the June 1944 Battle of Saipan, USMC General Alexander Vandegrift said “The ‘Negro Marines’ are no longer on trial. They are Marines, period.”
Ah. Basis of the meme, Show me a man who keeps his head when all about him are losing theirs and I’ll show you a man who doesn’t understand the severity of the situation.
It’s been years since I read the book (and last saw the movie), but I think there’s another discrepancy between the two: In the movie, the Air Force gets the pilot’s wife on the radio to try and stop him, and he switches her off to proceed with the attack. I don’t think that happens in the book at all. Instead, the President (presumably Kennedy) orders the pilot to return to base, and he replies (to the best of my recollection) “I have been ordered not to do precisely what you’re telling me to do.”
BTW, anyone who’s seen Dr Strangelove should read the book it’s allegedly based on, Red Alert. The movie is Kubrick unleashed.
Lifeboat (1944) – Survivors of a torpedoed ship share a lifeboat with the German U-boat commander who sank them.
Went the Day Well? (1943) – Graham Greene story of German soldiers having a bad day pretending to be Brits so they can take over a strategically located small town.
The Steel Helmet (1951) – Korean War – sorry, I mean “police action” - story of tough sergeant bonding with Korean orphan boy “Short Round” (a nickname later ripped off by Spielberg).
Attack (1956) – WWII infantry Captain Eddie Albert is unfit for command, making Lt. Jack Palance mighty po’ed when there are consequences.
The Hidden Fortress (1958) – Prototype for Star Wars set in feudal Japan.
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) – War is the backdrop for the Baron’s fantastic adventures brilliantly brought to the screen by the wonders of Mystimation.
The Password is Courage (1962) – Lower budget The Great Escape starring Dirk Bogarde as the (real-life) Sgt. Maj. Charles Coward.
War Hunt (1962) – In Korea, Pvt. Robert Redford (his first credited feature role) deals with psycho Pvt. John Saxon.
Chimes at Midnight (1965) – Not really a war film, but the Battle of Shrewsbury is arguably the greatest Medieval battle sequence ever filmed.
The Last Valley (1971) – Bleak 30 Years War story of mercenaries taking over a town.
The Vultures (1984) – Kelly’s Heroes knock-off starring Jean-Paul Belmondo set in 1943 Tunisia. Memorable mostly for the scene in which a foreign legionnaire unwisely urinates on an exposed power cable.
Looks like most have been mentioned.
I rewatched Gallipoli a couple months ago. It’s still a good movie but now I can’t get over the blaring 80s synth soundtrack.
12 O’Clock High manages to be a great war movie without showing much combat.
Another great one is Battleground. It may be the first movie to concentrate on a small platoon in a big battle and show how little they knew about what was happening around them. People back home knew more about the battle than the individual soldier fighting.
If we’re going to list Lifeboat and The Password Is Courage, we have to add Saboteur and The Wooden Horse:
A good movie set in Nazi Germany is The Seventh Cross:
Went the Day Well? reminds me of The Eagle Has Landed. The latter has Donald Pleasence as Heinrich Himmler. 
Unfortunately, it also has a stupid love subplot with Donald Sutherland and Jenny Agutter. 
There’s also a fifty-star US flag in Larry Hagman’s office.
I’m not a big fan of remaking movies but if ever there was one that could be well remade, it’s “The Eagle Has Landed.”
Chefguy made me remember a phenomenally great movie The Lighthorsemen. Anyone who liked Breaker Morant or Gallipoli should watch it.
IIRC, that is in the book. The problem with being older than my coworkers is now when on a Zoom meeting and we here a squeal and I say, “I think their phone is melting.” I get puzzled looks like, “Whuh?”
Now my curiosity is piqued. I’ll see if I can find a copy somewhere when the lockdowns here are over.
Which one? Fail Safe or The Lighthorsemen? If the latter, try here.
I’m teaching my son contemporary history like life in the 70s & 80s, all about 9/11, The Beatles, etc. Fail Safe was one of the movies I chose to teach him about the Cold War - not real history of course but rather Russo-American relations and the psychology of having weapons you never wanted to use. He was duly impressed. From the remake.
Came back here to mention this. Another case of read the book, haven’t seen the movie. (I do that a lot…)
An old friend of mine was one of the kids in that movie, though I couldn’t tell you which one as he was rather young at the time. (I met him thirty years later.)