The “bulge” refers to the wedge that the Germans drove into the Allied lines.Īfter their invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Allies moved across northern France into Belgium during the summer but lost momentum in the autumn. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from Winston Churchill’s optimistic description in May 1940 of the resistance that he mistakenly supposed was being offered to the Germans’ breakthrough in that area just before the Anglo-French collapse the Germans were in fact overwhelmingly successful. The summary below from Encyclopedia Britannica best summarizes what happened that gave the allied forces the advantage to prevent the Third Reich from moving forwardīattle of the Bulge, also called Battle of the Ardennes, (December 16, 1944–January 16, 1945), the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II-an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory. A combination of factors led 6 Allies to stop the maneuver and begin the counter to bring the war to an end. Though the campaign lasted through January, this was a major turning point for the war as it was the last offensive strike from Nazi Germany. And if you haven’t, hopefully they give you some small measure of understanding for what those who have fought have been through.Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge of World War II. (We did not, however, count Star Wars – go cry into your Wookiee dolls, nerds.) If you’ve ever been on the frontlines yourself, these movies will resonate. As a result, this list runs the gamut, from depictions of very real conflicts, including both World Wars, Vietnam and the so-called ‘War on Terror’, to fictional battles occurring on faraway planets. In considering the greatest war films ever made, we paid special attention to those movies that view combat from multiple angles.

Why do we fight? What happens when it’s over? And ultimately, is it ever worth it?

They ask the important questions about the nature of war itself. But the best war movies go deeper than mere cinematic bravado.

Military conflict is at the centre of some of the greatest films ever made, and no wonder – few other man-made nightmares serve as such natural backdrops for suspense, horror and heroism. War is hell, but hell makes for great drama.

German tanks battle of the bulge