"WWII naval movies?" Topic

Ok what will inspire me as I prepare my little fleet to turnthe tide in the pacific? Midway? Tora x 3? From Here to Eternity? Run Silent RunDeep? special credit for lesser known classics!

John Wayne "In Harm's Way" or "They Were Expendable" or "Operation Pacific"

Ed v. H-F

"They were expendable"

imdb.com/title/tt0038160

also:"In Harm's Way"

YouTube link

Dangit Ed!! You beat me to it!

Operation Petticoat!

Wake Island

Oh, I forgot a real good one:

Away All Boats!

Ed

You guys have already picked the obvious choices. But how about these 2 coast watcher-related flicks:

The Wackiest Ship in the Army
Father Goose

The Deep Six.
Some movie with Charles Laughton, Robert Taylor, and Brian Donleavy where an old 4-piper takes on a Jap BB. Great models.

Hmm. The Laughton-Donleavy title must be "Stand by for Action" which sounds interesting.

They don't get any better than "The Cruel Sea", even though it's in the wrong ocean.

I usually laugh out loud at wargamers who propose movies on their favorite battles, but Taffy 3 would make a fantastic movie.

I have Stand by for Action and it's not a bad film.

Anyway here's a small list of some other WWII Naval War films-

Sink the Bismarck
Pursuit of the Graf Spee
Under Ten Flags(about the German Raider Atlantis)
The Grand Fleet(aka Imperial Navy)
I Bombed Pearl Harbor
Yamato

The last 3 are Japanese War Films.

Captain Gideon

Again wrong ocean, but what about the Humphrey Bogart movie about the merchant marine? There is a great duel between his merchantman and a HE-115 floatplane.

The recent Japanese movie MEN OF YAMATO tops them all for the Pacific. Brilliantly done. Saving private Ryan on water!
They built a full size replica alongside a wharf so they could film it.
When you see that final American air attack coming in……YIKES!

TORA TORA comes pretty close on best Pacific movie.

The recent PEARL HARBOUR is a hilarious scream if you know the real history. Great for watching with some wargames friends over a few beers. Last time we watched it even my wife couldn't believe that Hollywood could produce such a heroic hero! He trains the US Fighter pilots, helps win the Battle of Britain, goes missing, escapes, gets back to the USA, helps drive the Japanese off at Pearl Harbour, transfers to bombers (!!!!!!!!!!) takes part in the Doolittle raid, fights Japanese Infantry off with a pistol and then carries the body of his friend home from China to the USA in a wooden coffin….apparently before it could even decompose and stink the aircraft out on the home flight!
I think the screen writer had one hand between his legs while writing that one.

HEre's a brief list I've come up with:

Task Force
Torpedo Run
Wing and A Prayer
Destination Tokyo
Beach Red
Hell In The Pacific
None But The Brave
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Sands of Iwo Jima
Guadalcanal Diary

Hope these help.

wrong ocean, but

"in which we serve"

I would have to say:
Tora Tora Tora
Caine Mutiny
Mr. Roberts
In Harms Way
Father Goose not really a naval film but funny

Also not in the Pacific but great film
Enemy Below

David

"Sailor of the King" is a good picture, with Michael Rennie and Jeffrey Hunter. It is set in the Pacific, but the antagonists are German rather than Japanese (it's a story about a commerce raider in the Great War transplanted by the film makers into WWII).

Two movies not mentioned:

The Wings of Eagles- About the Naval Officer that survives a plane crash and ends up developing the "Jeep" carrier.

The Sea Chase- About a German merchant captain that tries to get his ship back to Germany from near Austrailia.

Set in the Atlantic but a superb film, is "Western Approaches". Made in colour in 1944, mixing contemporary "real" footage with film, using only the real people, ie. no actors.

A Coast Guard/wrong ocean flick, is Onionhead with Andy Griffith. Actually a good pre war/start of war story.

also.. coastal command is a goodun

Sink the Bismarck is required watching. A lot of the other ones mentioned are excellent as well.

Wrong ocean again, but Battle of the River Plate stars Anthony Quayle, and some of the original ships!!!!

Corvette K225
The Enemy Below
and of course, Das Boot

All good sub-escort movies.

The Gallant Hours is more of a command movie than a naval flick, but it's good. Jimmy Cagney as Halsey in the SW Pacific.

"Again wrong ocean, but what about the Humphrey Bogart movie about the merchant marine?"

Passage to Marseilles. Great part at the end with Lewis guns vs. the Heinkel.

In which we Serve is my fav WW2 Naval film. Ok its Uk based not American and its based on Louis Mountbattens ship the HMS Kelly which was built where i live in Hebburn.

Battle of the River Plate. Some the actual ships involved were in it!!!

Fans of "In Which We Serve" should like "Gift Horse" – an often overlooked classic based loosely around HMS Campbeltown. Okay, it isn't set in the Pacific but it does have some Americans in it.

Not in the Pacific, but "Western Approaches" is outstanding, as was "San Demetrio, London".

Let's not forget Sink the Bismarck and Torpedo Run

Whiskey Galore based on true story of ship running aground in western isles laden with whiskey

I wish they would make a movie about the The Battle off Samar on Oct. 24th, 1944 during the Battles of Leyte Gulf. Incredible acts of courage and self sacrifice.

My addition to the movie list – "Morituri" with Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner

Although my favorites are..
Sink the Bismarck
The Enemy Below
The Cruel Sea
The Battle of the River Plate
Sailor of the King
Midway
Tora Tora Tora
Victory at Sea (Documentary)

The Gallant Hours – It's all about command.