This section is a list of outstanding war or military documentaries recommended by Olive-Drab.com for your educational use or entertainment. This list includes far ranging studies of world conflicts with hours of film as well as detailed explorations of single topics. This page is just a small fraction of what is available -- search Amazon.com to find many more titles.
World at War, the definitive visual history of World War II.
9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul]. 9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France. 9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured. Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.
Military/War Documentaries
Recommended Military Documentary Videos
Battle History of the United States Military
. The History Channel has compiled official government documents, extensive combat footage and commentary by historians and decorated veterans, to present the full spectrum of the history of America s five major military branches Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard. 12 hr and 46 minutes running time, 5 DVD set. (2005)
Century of Warfare
. History Channel epic, landmark TV series of all aspects of war in the 20th Century based on historical footage with commentary on the political, economic, and social context. 999 minutes, 26 50-minute episodes on 7 DVDs, boxed set. (2003). Also sold as individual DVDs.
Ears, Open. Eyeballs, Click. (2005) This vivid documentary chronicles twelve weeks of USMC basic training, showing the real life experiences of Platoon 1141 at MCRD San Diego. The film presents an unfiltered, fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the chaos and pain of boot camp, allowing you can enter this secret world and see for yourself what it takes to become a Marine.
F14 TOMCAT Cockpit Gulf War Video
. For aircraft fans, 75 minutes of raw action footage from the cockpit of an F14 Tomcat, photographed during the Gulf War. Includes taxiing and taking off on a mission over the Gulf, barrel rolls, inflight refueling from a KC 135 & KA6 Intruder, extreme low level flight over desert and mountains, touch and go carrier landings and live audio including some pilot input during the flight.
US Army WW II Military Propaganda Movies
. Includes four classic films used in WW II to mobilize the home front and alert citizens about the dangers of loose talk. Spencer Tracy narrates one and all are fascinating. 59 minutes DVD with these four titles: "It Can't Last" (1944), "Safeguarding Military Information" (1941), "Ring of Steel" (1941), and "Our Enemy: the Japanese" (1943).
Victory at Sea
. A&E Home Video presents the classic original 26-episode TV series telling the story of the naval history of World War II. Produced by National Broadcasting Company and the United States Navy, the show won many major awards and the orchestral score by Richard Rodgers became a popular album. It remains the most wide ranging documentary of its kind while the narration by Peter Graves reminds you of how America understood World War II in its immediate aftermath. 4 DVD boxed set.
Warships: Pearl Harbor to Midway
. Covers the period after Pearl Harbor when the burden of survival and victory fell to the crews of the aircraft carriers USS Yorktown, USS Lexington, USS Ranger, USS Hornet, and USS Enterprise. Features on rare U.S. Navy films and newsreels, digitally remastered and restored, showing the critical months of the naval war in the Pacific, including John Ford's famed "Battle of Midway" in full color. 110 minutes DVD. (2006)
World at War
. The definitive visual history of World War II compiled from Allied, German and Japanese film archives. Produced in the early 1970s. 26 original episodes plus over 12 hours of bonus material including 3 hours of new material in this edition. 11 DVD boxed set.
If you don't find what you want in the Olive-Drab.com list of military documentaries you can search Amazon.com for any military book or video, new or used, or any other Amazon item. The total number of books in existence is about 65 million, and Amazon's amazing inventory includes a lot of them along with thousands of movies. Amazon.com also now includes CDs with military manuals or other government publications plus their site links to third party sellers with used copies of out of print volumes. Give Amazon.com a try, no matter what you are looking for -- you will rarely be disappointed.
to find many more titles.
