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Commemorate D-Day with these incredibly World War II movies

Commemorate D-Day with these incredibly World War II movies

From “Saving Private Ryan” to “Life is Beautiful”, these WW2 films are pure masterpieces.

As a cord-cutter since 2010, he’s spent over 15 years covering tech and streaming for sites like TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, and CrackBerry. He also has a soft spot for '80s movies.

Friday, June 6 marks the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the massive Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 that became one of the most defining moments of World War II. Over 150,000 troops stormed the beaches in one of the largest amphibious assaults in history. While most of us can only imagine the scale and courage involved, that day’s sheer magnitude and bravery still resonate more than eight decades later.

As we pause to remember this historic moment, we should also reflect on the broader scope of the war and the countless stories that emerged from it. World War II was the center of the world just as the cinematic art form was coming out of its infancy, so naturally, the big screen turned toward the real-life horrors and heroism of WWII for inspiration. Cinema has long served as a powerful way to honor the past and preserve its memories; perhaps no era in history has been memorialized like World War II

From John Wayne’s bravado to the bravery at the River Kwai to iconic performances from Humphrey Bogart to the harrowing work of Tom Hanks on and off screen, these films offer a window into the gravity, complexity, and enduring legacy of the people and events that shaped our world and maintained our freedom.

Our favorite World War II movies

  • Casablanca

    January 15, 1943

    In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.

    If you’ve never seen it, now is the time! It’s one of the best scripts ever, filled with quotable lines, fantastic supporting performances, and one of the most famous endings in movie history.

  • Story of G.I. Joe

    July 13, 1945

    War correspondent Ernie Pyle joins Company C, 18th Infantry as this American army unit fights its way across North Africa in World War II. He comes to know the soldiers and finds much human interest material for his readers back in the States. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2000.

  • Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

    November 15, 1944

    In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.

  • They Were Expendable

    December 7, 1945

    After a demonstration of new PT boats, Navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. “Rusty” Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

  • Sands of Iwo Jima

    January 1, 1950

    Haunted by personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the reason for Stryker’s rigid form of discipline.

  • Twelve O'Clock High

    December 21, 1949

    In the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a ‘hard luck’ bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets.

  • From Here to Eternity

    August 28, 1953

    In 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit’s team, while his captain’s wife and second in command are falling in love.

  • The Caine Mutiny

    June 24, 1954

    When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardize his ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny.

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai

    October 11, 1957

    The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge’s construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.

  • The Longest Day

    September 25, 1962

    The retelling of June 6, 1944, from the perspectives of the Germans, US, British, Canadians, and the Free French. Marshall Erwin Rommel, touring the defenses being established as part of the Reich’s Atlantic Wall, notes to his officers that when the Allied invasion comes they must be stopped on the beach. “For the Allies as well as the Germans, it will be the longest day”

  • Patton

    January 25, 1970

    “Patton” tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton’s career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton’s numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination.

  • Das Boot

    September 17, 1981

    A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.

  • Schindler's List

    December 15, 1993

    The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

    Perhaps the most devastating movie ever made. Steven Spielberg created an immortal piece of art with this sobering Holocaust story. It rightly swept the 1994 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Director (Spielberg), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes were nominated for their excellent acting work.

    It’s difficult to watch, but you must see this at least once.

  • Life Is Beautiful

    December 20, 1997

    A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.

  • Saving Private Ryan

    July 24, 1998

    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 (Tom Hanks) and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

    This Steven Spielberg masterpiece features a mind-boggling cast of great talent: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Dennis Farina, Ted Danson, Bryan Cranston, Nathan Fillion and Paul Giamatti.

    The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing, and Best Director.

  • The Thin Red Line

    December 23, 1998

    The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.

  • U-571

    April 20, 2000

    In the midst of World War II, the battle under the sea rages and the Nazis have the upper hand as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. However, after a wrecked U-boat sends out an SOS signal, the Allies realise this is their chance to seize the ‘enigma coding machine’.

  • Band of Brothers

    September 9, 2001

    Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s acclaimed book of the same name.

  • Enemy at the Gates

    February 28, 2001

    A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.

  • The Pianist

    September 17, 2002

    The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman’s experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.

  • Letters from Iwo Jima

    December 9, 2006

    The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

  • Inglourious Basterds

    August 2, 2009

    In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.

  • Dunkirk

    July 19, 2017

    The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

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Adam Zeis is the Managing Editor of The Streamable, where he oversees all site content and leads a dynamic team of freelancers. With over 15 years of experience in tech media, Adam has developed a deep expertise in streaming entertainment, technology, and content creation. His passion for the streaming landscape began when he cut the cord in 2010. Since then, he has dedicated his career to exploring and sharing insights on the ever-evolving digital entertainment space.

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