Discussion: Best WWII Movies

Today I'm going to nominate some of my favorite WWII movies for a discussion on the best films of World War Two. My list is not definitive by any means, and many have to do with the European theater, so I hope many readers will add more to the list and that we can create a list of must-see flicks.

1. Twelve O'Clock High: Gregory Peck stars as a bomb group commander charged with creating discipline in a struggling group.

2. The Great Escape: Based on a true story, this movie stars Steve McQueen. It tells the story of a carefully orchestrated break-out from a German prison camp and its tragic aftermath. Suspenseful throughout, with moments of humor, the movie also highlights McQueen jumping to freedom over the Swiss border on his motorcycle.

3. Bridge over the River Kwai: My WWII vet teacher showed us this in high school, and I've loved it ever since. Prisoners are charged with building a bridge for the Japanese, and then decide to blow it up.

4. Tora, Tora, Tora. The attack on Pearl Harbor.

5. A Bridge Too Far. Film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan's book about the failed Arnhem campaign. Lavishly done.

6. Saints and Soldiers. Little-known, low-budget film about a small group of soldiers who get trapped behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge. Outstanding.

7. Band of Brothers. HBO mini-series that gets you inside the heads of a group of men from training through the end of the war.

8. Saving Private Ryan. The plot is a little weak, but the visual effects make up for it.

9. Schindler's List. This film, about a German businessman who plays the Germans and protects his Jewish workers, is a masterpiece.

10. The Longest Day. Another film version of a Cornelius Ryan book, this classic tells the story of D-Day from the points-of-view of the participants.

Okay, there are ten to get us going. Let the nominations begin. Or you can agree with some I've already mentioned.

Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal DVD: From Brooklyn to Berlin: A Review

I just finished watching the DVD entitled 'Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal: From Brooklyn to Berlin' about the 100th Bomb Group's beloved command pilot. The film, produced by the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, is a one-hour interview with Mr. Rosenthal in 2005, less than two years before he flew his final mission this year.

Rosie was one of the great heroes of the war. He was selfless, flying three tours of duty over Europe. He was courageous, shot down twice, wounded twice, and once ending up in a Russian hospital. He was a man who led by his own quiet demeanor of honesty, integrity and duty, and the men of the 100th Bomb Group loved him.

Gil Cohen's painting of Rosie and his Riveters. The crew was the only 100th Crew to return from Munster.

In his final letter to me back in 2001, he said, in part: "I have received more than my share of recognition. There were so many aviators who served in the Air Corps, who have been overlooked and whose stories deserve to be told". He then directed me to Jerome Jacobson, a 15th BG lead navigator who ended up being an important contact for my book, Untold Valor.

The DVD about Rosie is available for only $15.00, including postage, from the Jewish-American Hall of Fame at the following address:

Jewish-American Hall of Fame

5189 Jeffdale Ave.

Woodland Hills, CA 91364

The director, Mr. Mel Wacks, is in charge of the endeavor for the non-profit organization. This is a superb DVD in all regards, one you will treasure.

For more on Rose from the Hall of Fame, go to:

http://www.amuseum.org/jahf/virtour/page37.html and http://www.amuseum.org/jahf/virtour/page37.html

The photo below shows the DVD along with the final letter I received from Rosie.

Another Hero Passes--Edward Herman---Rescued Concentration Camp Survivors

Ed Herman, left, and Robert Hilliard, Right, saved thousands of displaced persons in Germany at the end of World War Two. Ed passed away yesterday.

I just received the sad news that E. Edward Herman, who with Bob Hilliard helped change US policy towards concentration camp survivors in US-occupied Germany, has passed away.
Ed and Bob's story is told in my book "Untold Valor" as well as in Bob Hilliard's excellent book, 'Surviving the Americans', and in an acclaimed video entitled 'Miracle at St. Ottilien'.

Ed and Bob were Army Air Corps enlisted men in Germany. Bob had been wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and had been transferred into the Air Corps, where he held a job as a reporter for an air base newspaper. Bob was assigned to cover a concert staged by concentration camp survivors shortly after war's end. The concert was held at a former monastery named St. Ottilien, part of which had been converted into a hospital for the Holocaust survivors. At the concert, Bob noticed that most of the people at St. Ottilien still wore their striped concentration camp uniforms, and that nearly all were emaciated and sickly.

He noted that the freed concentration camp survivors, now called Displaced Persons, had no place to go, in most cases. Many were from Jewish ghettos that had been literally wiped off the face of the earth by Nazi pograms. These 'free' people now were kept in camps. Because of the danger of typhus and other communicable diseases, the American armed forces had strung barbed wire around many of the displaced persons camps to prevent the DPs from getting out and infecting the general population. Many DPs were still dying of malnutrition, disease, and neglect. Several had been shot while trying to sneak out of the camps to find food.

Bob returned to the American base and told his good friend, E. Edward Herman. Though he and Ed were privates, they decided they had to do something. And they did. By the time they were done, they had managed to get President Harry Truman to change US policy towards liberated concentration camp survivors. Truman sent a top deputy named Earl Harrison to Germany to investigate the situation firsthand. His report lambasted the treatment of the DPs. President Truman wrote to Eisenhower, saying, in part:

"As matters now stand, we appear to be treating the Jews as the Nazis treated them, except that we do not exterminate them. They are in concentration camps in large numbers under our military guard instead of S.S. troops. One is led to wonder if the German people, seeing this, are not supposing we are following, or at least condoning, Nazi policy."

Both Bob and Ed were threatened with courts-martial for bringing the plight of the DPs to light. They stood fast and did the right thing.

It has been my honor to know these two great Americans for a number of years. Both were of great help to me when I was researching their story. It is a story known to only a small segment of historians, but one which deserves a much wider audience. For this reason, only two weeks ago, I nominated Ed and Bob for induction into the Jewish-American Hall of Fame.

Ed was a wonderful friend and a great man. He lived many exciting events in his life, and was one of the original catalysts behind supplying the new state of Isreal with arms and other material after its creation.

The world is poorer today because he is not in it. However, thousands of Jews and other concentraton camp displaced persons lived because of his efforts and those of his friend Bob Hilliard.

Here is a list of books and a video about these two great men:

Surviving the Americans: The Continuing Struggle of the Jews after Liberation, by Robert Hilliard. Written by the man who was there and helped save the Displaced Persons, this is the best book on the subject. I note Amazon has used copies from under two dollars.

http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Americans-Continued-Struggle-Liberation/dp/1888363320/ref=sr_1_9/105-7816715-3986865?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192572096&sr=8-9

Displaced: Miracle at St. Ottilien, a Film by John Michalczyk, available at this site: http://www2.bc.edu/~michalcj/displaced.html

A review of this fine film:

Displaced: Miracle at St. Ottilien (2002; 47 minutes) is a documentary based on the true experiences of US Army privates Edward Herman and Robert Hilliard, who were stationed in Germany at the close of World War II. They discovered the horrendous treatment of displaced Jews in St. Ottilien, a camp run by the US military. In an effort to alleviate the suffering, the two GIs stole food from their own mess hall and smuggled it into the camp. Then the two soldiers started a letter writing campaign which caught the attention of President Harry Truman, who ordered an investigation which led to the end to the abuse. The film is based on a memoir written by Mr. Hilliard. The world premiere, attended by Mr. Hilliard and survivors of St. Ottilien, was held at the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in November 2002. A New England premiere was held at Boston College in February 2003 and was attended by Mr. Hilliard. It was recently featured at the Toronto and Boston Jewish Film Festivals.

Untold Valor, my own book, has an extensive chapter about Bob and Ed, and relies on first-person interviews with both, as well as with survivors of the death camps and their children.

More Info on Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal

100th Bomb Group pilot Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal flew over fifty missions over Europe in World War Two. Earlier this year, Rosenthal flew his final mission. Rosie was a great man in the Air Corps and a great asset to humanity in general.

I knew Rosie only slightly. When I tried to get his story in an interview, he demured, telling me he'd had way more than his share of publicity and directing me to another fine Jewish aviator, navigator Jerome Jacobson. I think Rosie got tired of and embarrassed by the attention he garnered, but the bottom line is that his story is so compelling that it is well worth repeating here.

I heard today from Mr. Mel Wacks, the director of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame. Mel wrote me to let me know that there is a new DVD about the life of Rosie Rosenthal. It is available from the Jewish-American Hall of Fame at the f0llowing address, for the nominal fee of fifteen dollars: Jewish-American hall of Fame, 5189 Jeffdale Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91364.

I plan to order a copy this week, and I highly recommend it to all readers. A few of my friends saw it at the 100th BG reunion last month, and said it was outstanding.

What follows is a little background on Robert Rosenthal.

Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal (1917-2007)

The day after Pearl Harbor was attacked, Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal enlisted in the U.S. Army. In August 1943, he joined the 418th Squadron of the "Bloody" 100th Bombardment Group, stationed in England. Thirteen B-17s took off for a bombing mission over Munster … but only one returned - aptly named "Rosie's Riveters" - full of holes and flying on two engines. But in spite of the intercom being out, the oxygen system shot-up and a large ragged hole in the skin of the right wing, they had successfully dropped their bombs over the target.

In March, 1944 Rosie's Riveters completed its 25th mission, which completed their military service. But Rosie reenlisted, saying "I had to do what I could for as long as I was able." This was in spite of the fact that 15 missions was the average life of a bomber crew. Later, Rosenthal was made head of the 350th Squadron after the CO was shot down. Intelligence Officer Marvin Bowman found Rosenthal "one of the great figures of the Air Force; a shy, modest, and patriotic gentleman of truly amazing courage and achievement."

When Rosenthal's plane went down over Germany in September, he broke his arm and nose - but luckily was rescued by the Free French, to whom he had dropped supplies only a few weeks before. As soon as his arm had healed, Rosie returned to his original (418th) Squadron, and was chosen to lead a mission to Berlin on February 3, 1945. Even after a direct flak hit put an engine on fire, his blazing Fortress still managed to drop its bombs on the targeted Erkner factory before Rosenthal gave the signal to "Abandon ship." The rest of the crew parachuted and after B-17 had descended to about 1,000 feet, Rosenthal was the last to leave with the ground dangerously close … just before the ship exploded. Fortunately, he was found by Russians, who embraced him and took him to a hospital. This was his 52nd mission; there was to be just one more. Rosie flew his last mission after VE-Day … to free prisoners from concentration camps.
Rosenthal was one of the most decorated pilots in the Eighth Air Force. He received 16 decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against the enemy," the Silver Star (with cluster) for "gallantry in action," the Distinguished Flying Cross (with cluster) for "heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight," the Air Medal (with seven clusters), the Purple Heart (with cluster), plus the British Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Croix de Guerre.
Shortly after V-E Day, Rosenthal was back in Germany as an assistant to the United States Prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials where, among other things, he interrogated Nazi leader Hermann Goering.

Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal is shown (above right) with aviation artist Gil Cohen with the oil original of Cohen's painting showing Rosie and his crew before a 1943 mission. Shown are (left to right): Waist Gunner S/Sgt. Loren Darling, Pilot 1st Lt. Robert Rosenthal, Radio Operator T/Sgt. Michael Boccuzzi, and Waist Gunner S/Sgt. James Mack.

Chicken Run--The Ultimate WWII Stalag Spoof

In a future entry, I'm going to deal with the Great Escape. I've been a student of the actual escape and a fan of the movie it inspired for many years. However, I got to thinking today about the outstanding spoof, Chicken Run, that was produced about six years ago by the same folks who brought us Wallace and Grommett. This claymation movie is about a chicken farm and the attempts of its ill-treated inmates to escape, but it is, in effect, a spoof on every WWII escape film ever made, especially The Great Escape.

Our hero tunnels in the secret tunnel in Chicken Run. Note the spoon he is using as a shovel.

The premise finds us at the egg farm of the Tweedys. The compound housing the somewhat dim-witted chickens resembles a Luftwaffe Stalag, right down to the barracks, search lights, guard dogs and barbed wire. The inmates accept their fate--all except one plucky hen, who tries to form an escape committee. She has no help from the commander of the camp, a British rooster who is a veteran of World War One who carries a swagger stick and is stuck in the past. However, things change when an American flyboy lands in their midst----the victim of a circus cannonball act gone awry. The hens are all atwitter about this new American, much to the consternation of the Brit. The American, voiced by Mel Gibson, is impressed into the escape attempts of the camp, with hilarious results.

Steve McQueen makes 'the jump' into neutral territory in the climatic scene of 'The Great Escape'.Our hero makes his own jump in Chicken Run.

If you are a fan of WWII escape films such as The Great Escape, Von Ryan's Express, or Hart's War, you will see countless visual and spoken references in 'Chicken Run'. My guess is a lot of WWII aviation students have completely missed this film, thinking it was for kids. It's not. This is parody at its best.

You can get it from Amazon for as little as three bucks for the 2001 version and six bucks for the more recent version with extras. Click here to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Run-Phil-Daniels/dp/B0002V7OLU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-0080273-1490215?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1188167337&sr=8-2

Buzzing the Field---Forbidden but Fun

Flying so low that the belly of your aircraft clipped the grass or scratched the runway was a big no-no in the U.S. Army Air Corps, but that didn't stop pilots from doing it. It was customary to do so after finishing 25 missions. This low-level stunt was known as "buzzing the field".


A B-17 buzzes the field in this photo from the war years.
Have you ever wondered what it would like like from the vantage-point of the pilot buzzzing the field? This shot was taken from an P-38 aerial recon plane as the pilot swooped down towards the hangar at center. Note the crouching man on the ground in the middle of the concrete.

The most famous field-buzzing ever is found in the 1962 film "The War Lover", based on the novel of the same name by John Hersey. My late friend Gus Mencow swore to me that Hersey visited the base at the 390th and was intrigued by Gus's pilot, James Geary. Gus believed that Hersey modeled the war-loving pilot in the book after Geary.


In any case, Steve McQueen played the role of Captain Buzz Rickson (an apt first name, eh?) and Robert Wagner played his co-pilot. The Columbia film company searched high and low and found three flyable B-17s, which they purchased and fixed up for the filming.

Stunt pilot John Crewdson, who'd already done tricky stunt flying for the British show 633 Squadron, agreed to help with the flying in the film. Crewdson had gotten his start as a glider pilot in the British Army, also spending time in the RAF. Crewdson flew the huge B-17 solo across the field, only a few feet above the ground, as shown in the photo below.
Crewdson went on to be the stunt flyer in James Bond movies in the sixties, and was killed in 1982 while filming a helicopter stunt for another film.



Stunt pilot John Crewdson buzzes the British field at Bovington for the 1961 movie 'The War Lover' . Crewdson reportedly flew the airplane solo for the sequence.

For more on 'The War Lover', go to this link: http://www.aerovintage.com/warlover.htm