Our second article on Industrial Warfare Films focuses on World War I & World War II Warfare Films set from 1913 AD – 1945 AD. Industrial Warfare is generally thought to have begun with the Siege of Sevastopol in 1854 through World War I and ending in 1945 after World War II.
In our previous article outlining the Best Early Industrial Warfare Films, we looked at industrial warfare from 1845 – 1913 before the acceleration of the total war concept. Though the entire Industrial Warfare era involves the rise of nation-states and industrialization of warfare through conscription of large armies, rapid transportation (via railroad and sea) and communications through telegraph, this article will focus on the expansion of the total war military doctrine in World War I and World War II.
World War I (1914 – 1918) was the first modern mechanized industrial war with the introduction of heavy artillery, machine guns, tanks, aerial reconnaissance cameras and chemical weapons. World War II (1939 – 1945) involved technological innovations such as radar, cryptography and penicillin while also advancing the destructive nature of the total war concept with the introduction of the V-2 Rocket and Atomic Bomb.
Both World Wars involved multiple theaters of war shown in film. The primary theater of war depicted in World War I films involved the Western Front which was the setting for films such as All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and 1917 (2019) while Gallipoli (1981) and The Lighthorsemen (1987) were set in the Middle Eastern Front.
World War II was primarily split into the European, Middle East and Pacific theaters of war with various films depicting the battles fought throughout the different fronts of each theater. World War II films set in the European theater covered everything from the invasion of Denmark and Norway (1940) in April 9th (2015) to the Battle of Stalingrad (1942) in Stalingrad (1993) to the Battle of Normandy (D-Day 1944) in Saving Private Ryan (1998). Patton (1970), The Big Red One (1980) and Sahara (1995) were all World War II films set in the North African front of the Middle East theater of war. And various battles of the Pacific theater of war were depicted in film from the Battle of Midway (1942) in Midway (1976) to the Battle of Iwo Jima (1945) in both Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006).
Both World Wars also had their share of historical military figures featured in film from WW1 pilot Baron von Richthofen (The Red Baron) who was featured in The Blue Max (1966), Von Richthofen and Brown (1971) and The Red Baron (2008) to WW2 figures Field Marshel Erwin Rommel in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951), General George S. Patton in Patton (1970) and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in Pearl Harbor (2001).
While this article will cover the Best World War I & World War II Warfare Films, you can also check out additional articles of films from different periods of military history below. We’ll be covering every military warfare film from the Macedonian phalanx in Ancient Warfare to the use of deadly UCAV military drones in Modern Warfare. And for good measure, we’re even going to cover some of the Best Sci-Fi Warfare and Fantasy Warfare films featuring fantasy-based wars and futuristic space battles.
- Best Ancient Warfare Films (3,000 BC – 500 AD)
- Best Medieval Warfare Films (500 AD – 1500 AD)
- Best Early Modern Warfare Films (1500 AD – 1854 AD)
- Best Early Industrial Warfare Films (1854 AD – 1913 AD)
- Best World War I & World War II Warfare Films (1913 AD – 1945 AD)
- Best Modern Warfare Films (1945 AD – Present)
- Best Fantasy Warfare Films
- Best Sci-Fi Warfare Films
What are the Best World War I & World War II Warfare Films? Read on as we look at some of the best and lesser-known industrial warfare films from the last 60 years. This is a special edition of our “Best Of” subgenre list where we will rank the Top 20 World War I & World War II Warfare Films from our War Films with Massive Battle Scenes collection. You can also find these and other historical films in our collections of World War I Films, World War II Films, War Action Films, Epic War Films, Films About Sea Warfare, Films About Tank Warfare, Films Abou Air Warfare and War Thrillers.
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, we’re going to prioritize Films that have Massive Battle Scenes. This is quite a challenge given the extraordinary number of World War I & II films, but we’ll focus our selections on films showing the unique tactics, weapons and vehicles of the time. The grander in scale and chaotic, the better.
Second, we’re not going to use an arbitrary number to determine what constitutes a ‘massive’ battle. We know it when we see it, and so will you. However, we will create a list of films before our Top 20 list that includes World War I & World War II Warfare Era Films that might not show a massive battle but do have examples of later Industrial Warfare including the MP 40, M1 Garand and M2 flamethrower weapons, B-17 Flying Fortress and Mitsubishi Zero aircraft, Sherman M4 and Panzer IV tanks and other military innovations of the era.
Third, we’re also going to prioritize a film by its battle scenes over its plot, acting and so on. We want the best actions films from this warfare period so that means classic war films like Dunkirk (2017) and 1917 (2019) won’t make our Top 20 because they aren’t primarily focused on warfare or don’t feature large scale battles. While Dunkirk is one of the best overall World War II films and does feature large scale set pieces, the battle scenes in the film are minimal. And 1917 is arguably one of the best (if not the best) World War I films, but is also light on large-scale battle sequences.
Fourth, we’re going to be lenient with historical accuracy – especially for films such as Battle of the Bulge (1965), U-571 (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001) and Flyboys (2006). We’re fully aware that these films have historical accuracy issues, but all these films have amazing battle scenes and tactics of the time period.
Fifth, we’re going to try and represent as many of the era’s theaters of war as possible and the innovations used during both wars in the films we list. World War II, especially, had many different theaters of war across Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific with many different fronts and battles. We’ll try to focus on one specific battle that’s best represented in film (and warfare) so our list doesn’t include multiple films about D-Day, the Battle of Stalingrad or the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Sixth, priority will be given to modern war films that replicate warfare with large productions and extras or CGI vs. stock footage. We are aware this will impact quite a few films from the 1960’s & 1970’s, but we feel modern technology can better represent the scale and brutality of World War I and World War II warfare. As an example, though we personally feel Midway (1976) is a much better film, it’s remake Midway (2019), has much more exciting action and warfare sequences and will rank higher on our list.
And seventh, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating. And though we typically focus on films from 1970 to the present, we’re going to move our start date back to 1930 so we can include one of the earliest and classic warfare films of this period, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Note: Our list will mostly be comprised of films made after 1962, but we will list some of the notable warfare films made prior to that year below.
Our complete list of War Films with Massive Battles Scenes features over 210+ films from 1930 – 2023 and covers all periods of war from Ancient Warfare to Modern Warfare. Though we haven’t yet segmented out specific periods of warfare films, you can also check out our World War I Films, World War II Films, War Action Films, Epic War Films, Films About Sea Warfare, Films About Tank Warfare, Films Abou Air Warfare and War Thrillers collections if you don’t see a favorite film of yours on our list. And finally, subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles in this special edition series of warfare films.
We have embedded a compilation video of the Best World War I & World War II Warfare Films and more details on these films can be found in the list below. Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Best World War I & World War II Warfare Films
Films that didn’t have Massive Battle Scenes for our list but did have examples of later Industrial Warfare during WWI & WWII including flamethrowers, fighter planes and bombers, tanks, destroyers and smaller scale skirmishes: From Here to Eternity (1953), The Dam Busters (1955), Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Commandos (1968), Castle Keep (1969), Eagles Over London (1969), Too Late the Hero (1970), Catch-22 (1970), Hornets’ Nest (1970), Johnny Got His Gun (1971), Murphy’s War (1971), Hubal (1973), She Devils of the SS (1973), The Inglorious Bastards (1978), Hanover Street (1979), The Imperial Navy (1981), Das Boot (1981), Attack Force Z (1982), Ace of Aces (1982), Porca Vacca (1982), Fort Saganne (1984), The Razor’s Edge (1984), Colonel Redl (1985), Biggles (1986), Born to Defence (1986), The Misfit Brigade (1987), Farewell to the King (1989), Born to Ride (1991), Legends of the Fall (1994), The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), Marthe (1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), When Trumpets Fade (1998), All The King’s Men (1999), Ambush (1999), The Trench (1999), U-571 (2000), Enemy at the Gates (2001), Captain Corelli’s Madolin (2001), Deathwatch (2002), Names in Marble (2002), El Alamein: The Line of Fire (2002), Saints and Soldiers (2003), A Very Long Engagement (2004), Beyond the Front Line (2004), The Fallen (2004), Straight Into Darkness (2004), Joyeux Noel (2005), The Great Raid (2005), The Last Drop (2006), Kokoda (2006), Days of Glory (2006), Only the Brave (2006), For Those We Love (2007), Defiance (2008), Valkyrie (2009), Miracle at St. Anna (2008), We Are from the Future (2008), Inglourious Basterds (2009), City of Life and Death (2009), Jackboots on Whitehall (2010), Oba: The Last Samurai (2011), Age of Heroes (2011), Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale – Part 1: The Sun Flag (2011), The Flowers of War (2011), There Be Dragons (2011), Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed (2012), Company of Heroes (2013), Walking with the Enemy (2014), The Silent Mountain (2014), Dear Elza! (2014), Warsaw 44 (2014), Saints and Soldiers: The Void (2014), Battle for Sevastopol (2015), April 9th (2015), Bitter Harvest (2017), Journey’s End (2017), Wonder Woman (2017), Winter of the Braves (2018), 303 Squadron (2018), Hurricane (2018), Overlord (2018), Saving Leningrad (2019), Mother at War (2020), Siberian Sniper (2021), The War Below (2021), The Pilot: A Battle for Survival (2021), Narvik (2022), RRR (2022), Wolves of War (2022), Before Dawn (2024) and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024).
Honorable Mentions: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Paths of Glory (1957), The Longest Day (1962), The Blue Max (1966), The Sand Pebbles (1966), The Bridge at Remagen (1969), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Von Richthofen and Brown (1971), Overlord (1975), Aces High (1976), Midway (1976), March or Die (1977), Cross of Iron (1977), The Eagle Has Landed (1977), MacArthur (1977), Force 10 From Navarone (1978), All Quiet on the Western Front (1979), The Big Red One (1980), Gallipoli (1981), Zero (1984), Memphis Belle (1990), Stalingrad (1993), Sahara (1995), Captain Conan (1996), Legionnaire (1998), The Lost Battalion (2001), Dark Blue World (2001), Windtalkers (2002), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Yamato (2005), 1944 The Final Defence (2007), Tobruk (2008), Passchendaele (2008), Admiral (2008), The Red Baron (2008), Beneath Hill 60 (2010), Storming Juno (2010), Fortress of War (2010), War Horse (2011), Black Gold (2011), Red Tails (2012), White Tiger (2012), For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012), 1939 Battle for Westerplatte (2013), Forbidden Ground (2013), Stalingrad (2013), 1944 (2015), The Battleship Island (2017), Dunkirk (2017), Tankers (2018), T-34 (2018), 1917 (2019), The Eight Hundred (2020), Greyhound (2020), Godzilla Minus One (2023) and Sisu (2023).
Rank 20-1:
#20 The Lighthorsemen (1987) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#19 The Eternal Zero (2013) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#18 The Forgotten Battle (2021) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#17 The Lion of the Desert (1981) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#16 Battle of Britain (1969) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#15 The Winter War (1989) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#14 A Bridge Too Far (1977) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#13 Panfilov’s 28 (2016) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#12 Flyboys (2006) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#11 Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#10
Pearl Harbor
Plot: The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan’s devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Year(s): 1941 AD
KBZ’s Take: As with most war films, there’s a certain amount of ‘artistic license’ used for an action-packed recreation of a historical event. And while Pearl Harbor is guilty of quite a few historical inaccuracies, its greater sin is sandwiching a spectacular, 40-minute battle scene around some needless melodrama. However, the film’s battle scene is the primary reason the film has made our list and the Top 10.
The attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the most significant battles of World War II portrayed in film due to its historical relevance to the United States and for drawing the country into the worldwide war. From Here to Eternity (1953) is the best romantic film about the war and Tora! Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) is the most historically accurate depiction of the attack, but no film recreates the scope and scale of the battle better than Pearl Harbor.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#9
Fury
Plot: In the last months of World War II, as the Allies make their final push in the European theatre, a battle-hardened U.S. Army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank called Fury and its five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.
Year(s): 1945 AD
KBZ’s Take: In the near future, we’ll have an article on the best Films about Tank Warfare and Fury will likely be near the top of the list. Though the film doesn’t have the non-stop tank battles of Tankers (2018) and T-34 (2018) it does a masterful job of alternating between exciting battle sequences and the psychological horrors of war.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: In the winter of 1944, the Allied Armies stand ready to invade Germany at the coming of a New Year. To prevent it, Hitler orders an all-out offensive to re-take French territory and capture the major port city of Antwerp.
Year(s): 1944 AD
KBZ’s Take: Another film on our list that has its fair share of historical inaccuracies from the portrayal of weather conditions during the Battle of the Bulge to omitting the turning point of the battle led by allied air power. However, it’s one of the few war films of the 1960’s that recreated actual scenes of battle vs. using stock footage. And these battle scenes are still action-packed and as exciting now as they were almost 60 years ago.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The story of British officer T.E. Lawrence’s mission to aid the Arab tribes in their revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Lawrence becomes a flamboyant, messianic figure in the cause of Arab unity but his psychological instability threatens to undermine his achievements.
Year(s): 1917 AD
KBZ’s Take: Lawrence of Arabia is considered one of the greatest films of all-time for its epic portrayal of T.E. Lawrence and his involvement in the Middle Eastern theater of World War I. The film’s scale and scope are unmatched in cinema and almost make you forget about the film’s exciting battle sequences involving the Battle of Aqaba and attack on the Hejaz railway.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#6
My Way
Plot: In World War II-era Korea, rival runners, one Korean (Jang Dong-gun) and one Japanese (Joe Odagiri), go to war together against the Soviets.
Year(s): 1928 – 1945 AD
KBZ’s Take: My Way is likely one of the least known war films on our Top 20 list, but it is ranked this high for a reason. This is a great film that juxtaposes the rivalry (and eventual respect) between Korean Jun-shik (Jang Dong-gun) and Japanese Tatsuo (Joe Odagiri) at the onset of World War II in Asia. What follows is the journey of the two men through different battles in Mongolia, the Soviet Union and eventually at Normandy during D-Day.
Despite being one of the most expensive Korean war films ever made, the film was seen as a disappointment by critics and viewers. However, though the film has its faults, the battle scenes are action-packed and epic in scope, brutal and graphic and cover lesser-known battles during World War II.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#5
Midway
Plot: The story of the Battle of Midway, and the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome massive odds.
Year(s): 1941 – 1942 AD
KBZ’s Take: The original Midway (1976) uses stock footage for its battle scenes which is a distraction at times. That’s not the case with this Rolan Emmerich-directed update on the Battle of Midway which was one of the major turning points of the World War II.
Emmerich is known for epic war action sequences from Independence Day (1996) to The Patriot (2000) and Midway can be added to (and likely sits atop) that list. This is a spectacle throughout with some of the most exciting aerial and naval war sequences of the entire subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#4
Patton
Plot: Biography of controversial World War II hero General George S. Patton. The film covers his wartime activities and accomplishments, beginning with his entry into the North African campaign and ending with his removal from command after his outspoken criticism of US post-war military strategy.
Year(s): 1943 – 1945 AD
KBZ’s Take: Patton is a film similar to Lawrence of Arabia where the film is, in essence, a fascinating War Biopic of George S. Patton that also contains some incredible battle sequences. And like Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, the film is led by a commanding and charismatic performance by its lead, George C. Scott.
Though the film features military moments from Patton’s achievements in Sicily and at the Battle of the Bulge, it’s the 8-minute Battle of El Guettar sequence that’s epic in scale and one of the best battle sequences of the entire subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman photographed raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. This is the story of three of the six surviving servicemen – John Doc Bradley, Pvt. Rene Gagnon and Pvt. Ira Hayes – who fought in the battle to take Iwo Jima from the Japanese.
Year(s): 1945 AD
KBZ’s Take: We mentioned earlier in this article that we wanted to cover as many different battles as possible for this list. This is the case with Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) which both cover the Battle of Iwo Jima (but from different perspectives of the U.S. and Japanese).
We personally think Letters from Iwo Jima is the better film, but Flags of Our Fathers has more action-packed and epic battle sequences and is the reason why the film is listed here. However, we would strongly suggest watching both films as they act as companion pieces for one of the most notable battles in the Pacific theater of World War II.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
Year(s): 1944 AD
KBZ’s Take: We know many readers are going to stop right here and ask, “How can Saving Private Ryan not be ranked #1 on this list?” and we’ll get into that for the film we have ranked at the top of our list.
For Saving Private Ryan, there’s not much more we can add about a film that’s considered one of the best films about World War II, has arguably the most realistic and graphic portrayal of World War II warfare and is the definitive depiction of the Omaha Beach assault during the Battle of Normandy. It’s a graphic and gut-wrenching film to watch and continually highlights the horror of war.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: War breaks out in Germany in 1914. Paul Bäumer and his classmates quickly enlist in the army to serve their fatherland. No sooner are they drafted than the first images from the battlefield show them the reality of war.
Year(s): 1917 – 1918 AD
KBZ’s Take: We were 99.9% sure Saving Private Ryan was going to be #1 on this list until we watched the 2022 version of All Quiet on the Western Front. We had seen the previous adaptations of the Erich Maria Remarque novel including the 1930 and 1979 films and were expecting more of the same – a good to great World War I film. Needless to say, halfway into the film, we knew it was going to be #1 on our list.
This is the best adaptation of the novel by far and immerses you in the brutal and graphic combat of World War I. This film has it all from the grueling nature of trench warfare to the frightening disbelief of German soldiers as they experience tanks and flamethrowers on the battlefield for the first time. Like Saving Private Ryan, this film thrusts you into the action from the start and is balanced against an emotional narrative involving Paul and his friends as they experience the horror of war firsthand.
We still believe Saving Private Ryan’s Omaha Beach scene is the best overall battle sequence on film, but All Quiet on the Western Front matches the brutality and intensity of Ryan’s beach sequence with multiple battle altercations that will leave you in awe, numb and terrified at the base reality of war.
Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix
