List of World War II films

Restrictions

Fictional feature films specifically pertaining to the Holocaust appear in the List of Holocaust films#Narrative films.

Common topics

Many aspects of this conflict have repeatedly been the subject of drama. These common subjects will not be linked when they appear in the film descriptions below:

Films made during the War of Ethiopia and the Sino-Japanese War

Before the Second World War explicitly began with the German then Soviet invasions of Poland in 1939, Germany had already absorbed Austria in the Anschluß of 1938, then the Czechoslovakian lands of Bohemia and Moravia. Meanwhile, Italy, Germany and the Soviet Union were involved in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and Italy had conquered Ethiopia (1935-1936) and Albania (1939). China had been fighting against Japan since 1937 in a war called the Second Sino-Japanese War, until Japan attacked the USA, the British Empire and the Dutch East Indies in December 1941.

Films made during the Second World War

Note:  Soviet films are in Russian and originate in the  Russian SFSR, unless otherwise noted.

Dramatised documentaries

A dramatised documentary is a documentary film which includes dramatised scenes using actors in costume.
This format is distinct from a docudrama, which is a fully dramatised fact-based fictional work in a documentary style.

Spanish Civil War

In the Spanish Civil War, the Nationalists (the rebel side) are supported by Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany, and a small number of international rightist volunteers. The Republicans (government side) are supported by Stalin's Soviet Union and a large number of leftist volunteers, the International Brigades.

The Nationalists under Francisco Franco win.

During World War II, Franco remains neutral – so Gibraltar is never overrun – but nevertheless he sends the Blue Division to fight for Germany on the Eastern Front.

For films about the Blue Division, see the List of World War II films since 1950.