For some reason, there has been a rash of war movies released in the past few months.

I have always had a keen interest in the history of warfare, especially World War II, since my late father, Harley Biggs, served in the Army in the European theater.

I have seen some of these recent movies and not seen others. We rarely recommend war movies in the Tulsa Beacon, not because they are interesting or informative, but because they are inevitably violent and many contain terrible language.

Anyway, here are some recent war movies.

1917 – This a great movie that was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture. It is the story of two British soldiers in Occupied France during World War I.  Their mission, which is based on a true story, is to slip through German line to warn 1,600 fellow soldiers of a trap.

This is a realistic movie. It shows a startling picture of what life was like in the trenches during World War I. In some ways, that war was worse than World War II – not in its scope, but in its damage to lives. And this movie displays the courage that so many young soldiers had and how devotion to country played a vital role in victory.

Midway – After Japan executed the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December, 1941, America faced the prospect of fighting a world war on two fronts – in Europe and the Pacific.

Japan wanted control of Midway Island so it could use it as a future base to launch an invasion of Hawaii or perhaps even the West Coast of the United States. When the Philippines fell, America desperately needed a base to advance toward Japan. And that was Midway.

I don’t know if this movie was entirely accurate but it was entertaining and it celebrated America.

The Last Full Measure – I have not seen this film. This tells the story of William Pitsenbarger, who was given The Medal of Honor on December 8, 2000 – 34 years after he gave up his life after rescuing several fellow soldiers who had been ambushed near Cam My in Vietnam.

I was too young to serve in Vietnam but I can remember the level of mistreatment of our returning servicemen and women. The soldiers who witnessed Pitsenbarger’s heroism fought for decades to get him the recognition he truly deserved and this movie tells that story.

A Hidden Life – What was it l life like in Austria in the 1930s when Hitler and Germany conquered Europe? For most people, you put your head down and did what the German soldiers told you to do. 

Franz Jagerstatter was different. The village where he lived, St. Radegund, pretty much embraced Hitler’s message. But Franz, a devout Catholic, was deeply troubled by Hitler and his tactics and his maniacal insistence on absolute loyalty. His bishop told Franz that he must be loyal to “The Fatherland.”

Early in the war, he had a farmer’s exemption but when he was eventually drafted in 1943, he reported to duty but refused to pledge his loyalty.

He paid a heavy price for his virtue.

Jojo Rabbit – This is a wartime comedy that was also up for an Academy Award.

Jojo is the nickname attached to a shy young German boy whose hero is Adolph Hitler. He longs to be Hitler’s best friend. That isn’t going to happen, so Jojo invents an imaginary friend who just happens to be Hitler.

Then, Jojo unfortunately makes a real-life friend who happens to be Jewish and that is a real problem. I haven’t seen this strange movie but at least it’s not a sequel.

Dunkirk – This movie came out in 2017.

In May of 1940, Hitler and Germany marching into France and their assault trapped 330,000 of Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk.

British and French troops had to be evacuated across the English Channel to Britain. If they were all captured or killed, Britain might have lost the war.  Every available ship in Britain – military or civilian – set sail to rescue those soldiers.

Hacksaw Ridge – This movie was released in 2016 and I just recently saw it on TV. Mel Gibson was the director and it is a bloody movie.

This is the true story of Private First Class Desmond T. Doss. Doss won the Congressional Medal of Honor despite refusing to carry a gun during World War II. A Seventh Day Adventist, he was almost court martialed. He joined the medical corps and during the Battle of Okinawa, he saved the lives of 75 fellow soldiers.

This is an incredible story of a young Christian that God miraculously spared in the heat of battle. He was devoted to his country and loyal to his Heavenly Father.

It’s a great movie but it also is very bloody and not suitable for young people.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Watching an authentic war movie is one way to find out our history.