10.80; This 1974 documentary is here because it’s the only one you’ll need. The 26 episodes detail everything from the causes of the war, to the war itself and the aftermath, and include many interviews with participants on both sides. Eleven discs with over 22 hours of footage, plus twelve hours of extras! $129 when I began; my historian friend paid $100, I got it for $75. Look at the price now!

9.82; What can I say about this story of British POWs in the Burmese jungle? Seven Oscars, including three of the 'Big Four' (Picture, Actor-Alec Guinness, and Director-David Lean), four BAFTAs and three Golden Globes. Brilliant performances from Guinness, William Holden and Sessue Hayakawa. Among the best movies ever, not just war movies. Do yourself a favor and watch it!

9.48; Lee Marvin and Richard Jaeckel turn 12 GI convicts into a formidable Special Ops team. Best WWII movie not based on a true story, with an all-star cast. Tom Hanks' commentary on this film in SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE is what prompted me to start this quest for the best.

8.92; Powerful story of the dilemma faced by an American judge (Spencer Tracy) at the famous war crimes trials. Also features an all-star cast that includes Burt Lancaster and Werner Klemperer (HOGAN’S HEROES) as defendants, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, and a young William Shatner!

8.67; What is the best way to describe this movie? 'War/Action/Comedy/Caper in Yugoslavia' (WACCY). While most praise goes to the film's 'big four' (Eastwood, Savalas, Rickles and Sutherland), my favorites are Carroll O'Connor (ALL IN THE FAMILY) as the unsuspecting general cheering on these men, and Gavin MacLeod (LOVE BOAT) as the tank crewman who has to put up with Sutherland's Oddball.

8.60; Gregory Peck takes command of a bomber unit suffering from low morale and whips them into fighting shape. Dean Jagger won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar playing Peck's aide. Released in 1949, this film is still used to demonstrate leadership in action. And Fox recently gave it the Special Edition treatment it deserves. Too bad I had bought it already!

8.52; This movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor is almost as accurate as a documentary (unlike that other movie), but with enough action to keep you interested. Recognizable but not 'star' actors help to maintain the documentary feel. Considered a flop in the US, it was a huge success in Japan. Maybe that's because the Japanese characters really speak Japanese!

8.35; It doesn't have the status of RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP, but I still like it. This stars Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens as a US destroyer captain and a German U-Boat commander playing a game of cat-and-mouse across the Atlantic. Note: If Jurgens looks familiar to you, he also played the villain Stromberg in the James Bond flick THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.

8.03; A movie about the Battle of the Bulge, but not as epic in scope as BATTLE OF THE BULGE. It focuses on a squad of the 101st Airborne Division trapped in the besieged city of Bastogne. Another gem written by Robert Pirosh (creator of TVs "COMBAT!"), this stars war movie veteran Van Johnson and features a very young Ricardo Montalban.

7.87; The oldest movie here (released in 1942) stars Jack Benny and Carole Lombard (her last role). A Polish acting troupe matches wits with a German colonel during the occupation. Made while the US was still 'neutral', it is funny while also making political commentary. When researching this list I found that we owned this already as part of the CLASSIC COMEDIES COLLECTION box set.

7.73; This, the standard for all submarine movies, stars Clark Gable as the captain trying to make up for past mistakes and Burt Lancaster as the Executive Officer trying to keep Gable from recklessly endangering the sub and its crew. One of Gable's last films, and one of his best performances.

7.65; The British devise an ingenious device to carry out a daring attack on the dams of the Ruhr River Valley. If this looks familiar to you, this is one of the many movies George Lucas ripped off when he made STAR WARS (Ep IV) -- specifically the Death Star trench scenes.

7.62; The newest movie here (released in 2005) is a very 'up-close and personal' view of war. We follow four survivors of the Malmedy Massacre as they try to get back to Allied lines. While the character Deacon is implicitly a Mormon, this is not a 'Mormon movie'. It is a gripping war movie that shows that in war, things are not always us-versus-them. Find it if you can!

7.58; The underrated James Mason plays General Irwin Rommel, arguably the German's best commander, in this fairly good biopic. Also features a great performance by Luther Adler (ironically, a Jew) as Adolf Hitler. There is a sequel of sorts (THE DESERT RATS starring Richard Burton) in which Mason reprises his role, but it didn't make my cut.

7.53; While John Wayne was just a small part of the all-star cast of THE LONGEST DAY, here he is the big star. Well, he and the PT boats trying to defend the Philippines from the Japanese. Robert Montgomery is great here, too. Most movie buffs agree that this is one of the best WWII films ever made, period.