The Greatest World War II Movies of All Time Films

The Greatest World War II Movies of All Time

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Perhaps no single event has had a greater impact on the future of filmmaking than World War II. It arrived at the dawn of a new era in glossy, professional mainstream filmmaking, and it affected literally every facet of daily life in North America, Europe and Asia, where most of the world's films were being produced. World War 2 has remained a constant subject of fascination for filmmakers from the 1940s to the present day.

Though "WWII Films" could be classified as a separate genre from the general heading of "War Movies," they take on a lot of different styles, forms and tones. There are authentic WWII recreations, epic takes on the history of the entire period, personal stories about the soldiers, spies, revolutionaries and resistance fighters who fought the war and, naturally, sagas about the civilians of the time whose lives were forever changed by the conflict.

Many of the films on this list - from "Patton" to "Casablanca" to "Saving Private Ryan" - have secured their place among the most iconic films of all time. Rerank your own list to nominate your favorites for this CrowdRanked collection of the best WWII films, and then be sure to vote on your favorites. Also check out this list of the best war movies ever.
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Rank     Name
  1. 1
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    1998
  2. 2
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    1963
  3. 3
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    1970
  4. 4
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    1957
  5. 5
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    1967
  6. 6
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    Down 139
    1993
  7. 7
    Up 297
    Down 106
    1961
  8. 8
    Up 382
    Down 89
    1981
  9. 9
    Up 325
    Down 34
    2001
  10. 10
    Up 392
    Down 56
    1962
  11. 11
    Up 281
    Down 53
    1977
  12. 12
    Up 298
    Down 99
    2001
  13. 13
    Up 257
    Down 66
    1953
  14. 14
    Up 268
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    1968
  15. 15
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    Down 117
    2006
  16. 16
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    Down 109
    1980
  17. 17
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    Down 87
    1970
  18. 18
    Up 148
    Down 26
    1970
  19. 19
    Up 138
    Down 27
    1976
  20. 20
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    1942
  21. 21
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    Down 47
    1949
  22. 22
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    Down 73
    1990
  23. 23
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    1965
  24. 24
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    2009
  25. 25
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    1945
  26. 26
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    1977
  27. 27
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    1958, 1956
  28. 28
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    1955
  29. 29
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    2000
  30. 30
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    1943
  31. 31
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    2002
  32. 32
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    1965
  33. 33
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    1978
  34. 34
    Up 124
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    1954
  35. 35
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    1949
  36. 36
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    1998
  37. 37
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    Down 56
    1951
  38. 38
    Up 111
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    1943
  39. 39
    Up 50
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    1930
  40. 40
    Up 59
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    2005
  41. 41
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    1995
  42. 42
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    Down 65
    2004
  43. 43
    Up 79
    Down 32
    1960
  44. 44
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    1946
  45. 45
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    1954
  46. 46
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    1964
  47. 47
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    Down 28
    1942
  48. 48
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    1968
  49. 49
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    Down 17
    1951
  50. 50
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    1949
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    1. Ali Riggi
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 6/18/2012 10:30 AM
      this thing is all about best world war 2 movies, brother.
    2. Kimi Letbetter
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 5/30/2012 8:36 AM
      yeah, alright, Best World War II Movies.
    3. dukethepcdr
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 5/15/2012 7:53 AM
      Wow what a long list! But then, there have been a ton of movies set in WWII. Some of these were a stretch, even the Indiana Jones ones, although I do love those movies. My favorite of all of them if I had to pick one is The Thin Red Line. It is just so different from your typical war movie.
    4. mindbirdNEADB
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 5/10/2012 9:38 PM
      Adds: Midway. Tora Tora Tora. Two Women. Shoah.
    5. KirkSaw
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 4/13/2012 12:18 PM
      Tora! Tora! Tora!
    6. DarthKarl
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 4/11/2012 4:34 PM
      Bad ranking is bad
    7. MoverMCO
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 4/07/2012 7:34 AM
      Additionally... The Train, The Bunker, Stalingrad, Battle of the Bulge, 12 O'Clock High, but a great list none the less!
    8. 19fallenangels
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 11/09/2011 7:40 PM
      Stalingrad(1996) should be in the top 5. A truly unforgettable film.
    9. waynewhu
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 11/09/2011 5:04 PM
      No space for Battle of The Bulge - shameful ;)
    10. Ashely
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 11/01/2011 9:10 AM
      Loved Saving Private Ryan and Casablanca- but what about the ones that focus less on WWII and more on the people involved back home? http://textbooksandtofu.blogspot.com/
    11. Steve
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 10/25/2011 3:20 PM
      You forgot the best war move of all time "Come and See" (Belarus 1985) about a young boy's experience in WWII on the Eastern Front as a partisan fighting the Germans.
    12. DarthKarl
      The Best World War II Movies of All Time at 9/04/2011 3:40 PM
      2 should be 1 and 8 should be 2, just sayin

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