7 War Movies That Are Based On True Stories

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Khuraijam Roger Singh
Oct 10, 2024

Black Hawk Down (2001)

A Ridley Scott film is based on the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, a sizable contingent of heavily armed Somalis assault an elite unit of US soldiers assigned to capture the top lieutenants of a warlord operating out of Somalia.

Schindler’s List (1993)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved over 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

A Mel Gibson-directed movie recounts the amazing tale of World War II doctor Desmond Doss, who saved 75 soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa by refusing to carry a weapon.

The Great Escape (1963)

Based on a real mass escape from a German POW camp during World War II, a classic war film follows a group of Allied soldiers as they plan a daring breakout.

American Sniper (2014)

Based on the biography of Chris Kyle, the story traces Kyle's rise to become a lethal marksman in the American military, having killed 255 people during duty in Iraq, 160 of which the Department of Defense officially confirmed.

We Were Soldiers (2002)

Based on the book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young (1992) by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore, the film depicts the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam, one of the first major engagements between U.S. forces and North Vietnamese soldiers.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film follows Captain John Miller and his squad as they search for Private James Ryan, the last surviving brother of four soldiers

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