Band of Brothers (2001)Band of Brothers is one of the most popular World War II television series of all time. It was a co-production by the famous director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks. The series follows the Easy Company of the 506th&nbsp;Regiment of the&nbsp;101st&nbsp;Airborne Division&nbsp;beginning with their training in 1942 until the end of the Second World War. The Easy Company had an important role during D-Day and took part in the Battle of Carentan,&nbsp;Operation Market Garden&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Battle of the Bulge.The series has ten 60-minutes episodes, each giving a realistic overview of the final phase of the Second World War. The series was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards and won six. It also received a Golden Globe for ‘best Mini-series or Television film’.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zDBUooZQzgA" start="0"></iframe></div>Saving Private Ryan (1998)One of the most famous Second World War films in recent history, Saving Private Ryan has become an instant classic since its release in 1998. Produced by Steven Spielberg, it was the first film to portrayed the&nbsp;D-Day&nbsp;events in a realistic way. Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) is on a mission to find private Ryan (Matt Damon) because of the death of Ryans’ two brothers, which meant he was allowed to return to the U.S. Yet, Captain Miller faces the problem that Ryan, who was part of the&nbsp;101st&nbsp;Airborne Division&nbsp;paratroopers, was dropped somewhere in&nbsp;France. The movie recounts his heroic journey to find Ryan before it is too late.The movie was well received. It became the inspiration for the Band of Brothers tv-series. The movie won five Academy Awards, two BAFTA awards, two Golden Globes, and many more international awards.&nbsp;<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S1Qj_AVu2pA" start="0"></iframe></div>The Pacific (2010)The Pacific can be viewed as a sequel to Band of Brothers, but the story takes place in the Pacific theater of the war in Asia. The story is based on the memoires of Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie, two American marines who took part in the war against the Japanese Empire. During the course of the film, the 1st&nbsp;Marine Division fights in several battles, such as Guadalcanal, Okinawa and Cape Gloucester.The Pacific is very different from Band of Brothers and focuses more on individual stories of the people who fought in the war. Like Band of Brothers, the film was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The series won seven Primetime Emmy Awards and was also nominated for a Golden Globe.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o8CWsSFYpNY" start="0"></iframe></div>Downfall (2004)World War II movies are often told from the perspective of the Allied Forces, but in Downfall viewers experience the end of the Second World War from the German perspective during the final&nbsp;Battle of Berlin. Downfall takes place in Hitler’s bunker, where he resided during the final days of Nazi Germany as the Soviet Red Army encircled Berlin. Traudl Junge, the main character, becomes the last private secretary for Adolf Hitler and also moves to the bunker.During the film it becomes clear how loyal people, even children, remained to Hitler and his ideology during the final days. The movie was nominated for an Oscar in ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2dzKgq4zl4E" start="0"></iframe></div>Dunkirk (2017)Released in 2017, Dunkirk has already become a classic World War II film. This film, directed by Christopher Nolan, tells the story of the Dunkirk evacuation (part of Operation Dynamo) during the Second World War. The British-American-French-Dutch co-production raised the most money out of any other film in the World War II genre.The story is told from three points of view: the Dunkirk beach with the infantry, the evacuation by the Navy across the English Channel, and in the air from the perspective of several RAF pilots. Most actors were not well known, except for the singer Harry Styles. The film won several awards including a BAFTA and three Academy Awards.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-eMt3SrfFU" start="0"></iframe></div>The Longest Day (1962)The longest day is based on the book ‘’The longest Day, June 6, 1944: D-day’’ written by Cornelius Ryan in 1959. The movie is an overview on the first 24 hours after the&nbsp;D-Day landings&nbsp;in Normandy and the story is told from the American, British, French, and German perspectives.The three hour black and white movie depicts the Germans preparing for a possible Allied invasion, the landing of the American and British paratroopers in France, the arrival of the French troops in Ouistreham, and many other events that took place during&nbsp;D-Day. The movie won three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe. Before the release of Schindler’s List, it was the most expensive black and white film ever made.&nbsp;<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RW5t1V4xm3M" start="0"></iframe></div>A Bridge Too Far (1977)In 1974, Cornelius Ryan published another book about&nbsp;Operation Market Garden, which he became most famous for. Richard Attenborough adapted the book into a film in 1977. The film tells the story of the failure of Operation Market Garden, a military operation led by the British Army to take nine bridges that could have opened a way into Germany for the Allied forces. The story builds to a climax to that battle for the&nbsp;last bridge in Arnhem, which the Allies failed to capture. Although the critics were divided on the movie, it is seen today as a classic in the World War II genre.&nbsp;<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AWL184ZcSxA" start="0"></iframe></div> Interested in visiting some of the iconic locations seen in these films? Check out&nbsp;Europe Remembers&nbsp;for more information about museums, destinations and trips, or follow us on&nbsp;Facebook,&nbsp;Instagram&nbsp;or&nbsp;Twitter.Europe Remembers is a campaign of the LRE Foundation to commemorate and celebrate 80 years of freedom in 2023-2025.

7 World War II Classics that you must see…

Il contributo della Nuova Zelanda&nbsp;Su una popolazione di 1,6 milioni di abitanti, circa 140.000 neozelandesi presero parte alle Seconda guerra mondiale. Di questi, 6.000 servirono nella Royal Air Force. Circa 16.000 di coloro che si arruolarono per prestare servizio erano Maori.Porokoru Patapu Pohe, noto anche come John Pohe o Lucky Johnny, fu uno dei primi piloti Maori della Royal New Zealand Air Force e fu il primo pilota Maori pienamente qualificato a lasciare la Nuova Zelanda per combattere nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Lucky Johnny entra nell'aeronautica militare&nbsp;Pohe nacque a Wanganui e crebbe vicino a Taipahe, a circa 200 km a nord di Wellington, nella fattoria di famiglia. Trascorse due anni nelle riserve dell'esercito come parte del reggimento Manawatu Mountain Rifles prima di entrare nell'aviazione. Nel settembre 1940 iniziò l'addestramento alla Ground Training School di Levin, a circa 80 chilometri a nord di Wellington. Completò l'addestramento nel gennaio del 1941, diplomandosi presso la base aerea di Woodbourne a Blenheim.&nbsp;Più tardi, nello stesso anno, dopo aver seguito un addestramento di alcuni mesi in Inghilterra, Pohe entrò a far parte dello Squadrone 51 della Royal Air Force. Durante la sua permanenza nella RAF compì 22 missioni, tra cui i bombardamenti di obiettivi nemici in Francia, Germania e Italia.&nbsp;Nel settembre 1943 il suo aereo fu colpito durante un bombardamento su Hannover, in Germania. Lucky Johnny riuscì a volare fino alla Manica prima di schiantarsi in acqua ed esser fatto prigioniero dalle forze tedesche.Fu portato inizialmente nel campo di transito di Dulag, prima di essere trasferito allo Stalag Luft VI e infine allo Stalag Luft III di Sagan.&nbsp;La "Grande fuga"&nbsp;Lo Stalag Luft III è stato un campo di prigionia nazista per prigionieri dell'aviazione alleata in quella che oggi è Żagań, in Polonia. È noto soprattutto per una fuga dei prigionieri, conosciuta colloquialmente come la "Grande Fuga".&nbsp;La notte del 24 marzo 1944, 220 prigionieri tentarono di fuggire dal campo attraverso un tunnel che avevano scavato loro stessi. Soprannominato "Harry", il tunnel per la fuga risultò troppo corto e i prigionieri sbucarono alla vista delle guardie.&nbsp;Solo 76 uomini riuscirono a fuggire dal campo, la maggior parte dei quali fu però ricatturata. Alla fine, solo tre prigionieri riuscirono a scappare e mettersi in salvo.&nbsp;Su ordine di Hitler, 50 dei prigionieri ricatturati furono giustiziati, tra cui Pohe. Lucky Johnny fu cremato ed è sepolto nel cimitero della vecchia guarnigione di Poznan, in Polonia.&nbsp;Evacuazione del campo&nbsp;Nel gennaio 1945 Stalag Luft III fu evacuato e tutti i prigionieri furono trasferiti allo Stalag VII-A in Baviera, Germania. I prigionieri furono finalmente liberati quando la 14ª Divisione corazzata statunitense liberò il campo nell'aprile 1945.&nbsp;Articolo scritto da Mhairi Gador-Whyte, Australia&nbsp;Per ulteriori informazioni su musei, destinazioni e viaggi, visita Europe Remembers o seguici su Facebook, Instagram o Twitter.   &nbsp;Europe Remembers è una campagna della Fondazione LRE che commemora e celebra gli 80 anni dalla liberazione dell’Europa nel 2023-2025. Fonti:§&nbsp; Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph. “Porokoru Patapu Pohe.” Accessed March 19, 2019.  <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C18989">http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C18989</a>&nbsp;§&nbsp; Brickhill, Paul. The Great Escape. Greenwich: Fawcett Publications, 1950.&nbsp;§&nbsp; Carrol, Tim. The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III: The Full Story of How 76 Allied Officers Carried Out World War II’s Most Remarkable Mass Escape. New York: Gallery Books, 2005.&nbsp;§&nbsp; Lankford, Jim. January 20, 2015. “The 14th Armored Division and the Liberation of Stalag VIIA.” National Museum of the United States Army. Accessed March 19, 2019. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://armyhistory.org/the-14th-armored-division-and-the-liberation-of-stalag-viia/">https://armyhistory.org/the-14th-armored-division-and-the-liberation-of-stalag-viia/</a>.&nbsp;§&nbsp; New Zealand History. Updated August 5, 2014. “Maori and the Second World War.” Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Accessed March 19, 2019. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/maori-in-second-world-war">https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/maori-in-second-world-war</a>.&nbsp;§&nbsp; New Zealand History. Updated August 5, 2014. “Prisoners of War.” Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Accessed March 19, 2019. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/second-world-war/prisoners-of-war">https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/second-world-war/prisoners-of-war</a>.&nbsp;§&nbsp; New Zealand History. Updated August 5, 2014. “New Zealand and the Second World War.” Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Accessed March 19, 2019. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/new-zealand-and-the-second-world-war-overview">https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/new-zealand-and-the-second-world-war-overview</a>.&nbsp;§&nbsp; Royal New Zealand Air Force. “The RNZAF in World War II:1939-41 Empire Defence.” Accessed March 19, 2019. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history/wwii.htm">http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history/wwii.htm</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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7 World War II Classics that you must see…

Lucky Johnny: il pilota maori della Grande Fuga