Posted on Mar 20, 2019
Which WWII in Europe movie should I show 8th graders?
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First post on the site:
During the unit I teach on World War 2, I show my students some movies on WW2. While I teach South Carolina history to 8th graders, and therefore only focus on the impact of WW2 on the state and vice versa, I try to show some of the war to the students. I show them 5 movies, one on the war at sea in the Pacific (Midway), on land in the Pacific (Hacksaw Ridge, edited), at sea in Europe (U-571), on land in Europe (formerly The Longest Day), and on the Holocaust (Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place).
As black and white films rarely interest them (I forced them to watch Sergeant York for WWI), and The Longest Day is more of several stories than one for them to follow, I'm considering changing it out. It has to fit inside of 3 hours.
Ideas?
The Longest Day
Pros-multiple viewpoints, enemy viewpoints, historically accurate (to the highest degree available), important date in history.
Cons-loooong, multiple stories to follow.
To Hell and Back
Pros-actor plays himself, story of a sharecropper (important in SC history), short, good "hard work" values
Cons-doesnt show a "big picture" or WW2, squad-level view
Patton
Pros-overview of African, Italian, and western Europe theaters
Cons-long
So, Patton, To Hell and Back, or The Longest Day?
During the unit I teach on World War 2, I show my students some movies on WW2. While I teach South Carolina history to 8th graders, and therefore only focus on the impact of WW2 on the state and vice versa, I try to show some of the war to the students. I show them 5 movies, one on the war at sea in the Pacific (Midway), on land in the Pacific (Hacksaw Ridge, edited), at sea in Europe (U-571), on land in Europe (formerly The Longest Day), and on the Holocaust (Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place).
As black and white films rarely interest them (I forced them to watch Sergeant York for WWI), and The Longest Day is more of several stories than one for them to follow, I'm considering changing it out. It has to fit inside of 3 hours.
Ideas?
The Longest Day
Pros-multiple viewpoints, enemy viewpoints, historically accurate (to the highest degree available), important date in history.
Cons-loooong, multiple stories to follow.
To Hell and Back
Pros-actor plays himself, story of a sharecropper (important in SC history), short, good "hard work" values
Cons-doesnt show a "big picture" or WW2, squad-level view
Patton
Pros-overview of African, Italian, and western Europe theaters
Cons-long
So, Patton, To Hell and Back, or The Longest Day?
American History
Military History
Teaching
Movies
WWII World War Two
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 25
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Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and advice!
I've not seen A Bridge too Far or The Big Red One, so I'll be watching those as well as the others mentioned. Band of Brothers could be good for some students, but I can't imagine the flack I'd get for showing it, unedited, to other students.
I like the idea of showing the war from the other side. But I might tweak it a little. Since I'm showing 4 movies (Pacific-Army, Pacific-Navy, Europe-Navy, Europe-Army), I may switch out my Europe-Navy movie, U-571, for Das Boot.
I will have already taught the material for WWII, the movies are the "we're-almost-to-Spring-Break-but-your-brain-is-shot-so-here-are-some-movies" teaching. Before they get to the movies, they do have to answer questions and research veterans' experiences.
Since it's South Carolina History, I've already taught on the Doolittle Raiders (who trained at Columbia) and Tuskegee Airmen (who trained at Waterboro, SC), as well as MCRD Parris Island, Ft. Jackson, and Charleston Navy Yard as required by our standards. (Hadn't thought about In Harm's Way instead of Midway, being my Pacific-Navy movie). Victory at Sea would also be good, but long for 3 hours.
I'm hesitant to show Saving Private Ryan. Though it fits in place of The Longest Day....many agree that Tom Hank's Captain Miller is based on Major Thomas Howie (The Major of St. Lo), who is from the small South Carolina town I teach in. I've already spent a day on just MAJ Howie, including clips from Saving Private Ryan and his family members coming in to talk to the class. Earlier in the year, a play was put on in our Opera House about MAJ Howie (extra-credit opportunity); I don't want them to get too used to his story of service and sacrifice, but to still be in awe.
Thanks again to everyone!
SFC (Join to see) LTC Jason Mackay SSG Carlos Madden CSM Richard StCyr CPT Lawrence Cable MSG Frank Kapaun Maj John Bell LTC Kevin B. PO2 Rev. Frederick C. Mullis, AFI, CFM LTC (Join to see) LTJG Richard Bruce 1SG (Join to see) SGT (Join to see) Sgt (Join to see)
I've not seen A Bridge too Far or The Big Red One, so I'll be watching those as well as the others mentioned. Band of Brothers could be good for some students, but I can't imagine the flack I'd get for showing it, unedited, to other students.
I like the idea of showing the war from the other side. But I might tweak it a little. Since I'm showing 4 movies (Pacific-Army, Pacific-Navy, Europe-Navy, Europe-Army), I may switch out my Europe-Navy movie, U-571, for Das Boot.
I will have already taught the material for WWII, the movies are the "we're-almost-to-Spring-Break-but-your-brain-is-shot-so-here-are-some-movies" teaching. Before they get to the movies, they do have to answer questions and research veterans' experiences.
Since it's South Carolina History, I've already taught on the Doolittle Raiders (who trained at Columbia) and Tuskegee Airmen (who trained at Waterboro, SC), as well as MCRD Parris Island, Ft. Jackson, and Charleston Navy Yard as required by our standards. (Hadn't thought about In Harm's Way instead of Midway, being my Pacific-Navy movie). Victory at Sea would also be good, but long for 3 hours.
I'm hesitant to show Saving Private Ryan. Though it fits in place of The Longest Day....many agree that Tom Hank's Captain Miller is based on Major Thomas Howie (The Major of St. Lo), who is from the small South Carolina town I teach in. I've already spent a day on just MAJ Howie, including clips from Saving Private Ryan and his family members coming in to talk to the class. Earlier in the year, a play was put on in our Opera House about MAJ Howie (extra-credit opportunity); I don't want them to get too used to his story of service and sacrifice, but to still be in awe.
Thanks again to everyone!
SFC (Join to see) LTC Jason Mackay SSG Carlos Madden CSM Richard StCyr CPT Lawrence Cable MSG Frank Kapaun Maj John Bell LTC Kevin B. PO2 Rev. Frederick C. Mullis, AFI, CFM LTC (Join to see) LTJG Richard Bruce 1SG (Join to see) SGT (Join to see) Sgt (Join to see)
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COL Jon Lopey
In Harm's Way is a great movie based on factual events. I also like Guadalcanal Diary due to fact it was the first major offensive of WW II and we saved Australia as a result of that battle. German U-Boats sustained about a 75% casualty rate and Das Boot is a good movie but I think there are others that are better. Tuskegee Airmen is a great movie because it illustrates the contributions that our brothers and sisters of color made during WW II, despite some degree of discrimination that plagued them in the service and afterwards. Truman desegregated the military in 1948, which helped and led to a fully integrated military and I think, the Civil Rights Movement was actually started and accelerated by the military and its members; however, some units landed in Korea in 1950 and afterwards still segregated. COL L
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COL Jon Lopey
Saving Private Ryan is a good movie and it shows the brutality of war. Perhaps you can show portions of it and/or the sanitized version. The movie was based on an actual rescue of a 101st Airborne Soldier (506th PIR) whose brothers were KIA (one was MIA and thought to be killed but survived a Japanese POW camp if my memory serves me correctly). The paratrooper was found by a chaplain and returned home due to the death of his other brothers. It does illustrate sacrifices made by families during the war. I lost an uncle during WW II in the Philippines and it had a profound impact on my family. COL L
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CSM John Mead
I always thought that Bad of Brothers was a sure thing. Of course, you'd ned to edit for content, i.e., bits of the Normandy jump through the push to Carentan, followed by bits of The Bulge, the Concentration Camp liberation, and then on to the Eagles Nest. Doing so, gives the students a perspective of the horrors of war, the suffering of persecuted people, and a glimpse of the good to come at the end of the war. That would take a little time for editing, but a much better presentation.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
COL Jon Lopey - Sir, is 'In Harm's Way" based on Factual Events, other than Pearl Harbor? While the Naval battle could have been based on a number of encounters in the sea battles around Guadalcanal, I have never thought of it as historical.
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I would try to buy the used Band of Brothers DVD set or new for under $40 online and maybe show parts of the episode. I think this would be better than just a movie that could not be as realistic as this one. Here is more of the same scene that I was mentioning earlier without the ROTC comments in the video.
These episodes are about 50 minutes long so it'd be perfect and not be too boring for the class. Just my opinion
https://youtu.be/aCo6Dh08ayQ
These episodes are about 50 minutes long so it'd be perfect and not be too boring for the class. Just my opinion
https://youtu.be/aCo6Dh08ayQ
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I would go with A Bridge too Far. It's impossible to find one movie that covers WW2 because it was so immense, covered so many theaters, and there were so many perspectives from different countries. Most of the ones we think of only focus on fighting Germany in Europe and the entire Pacific, Africa, Naval, Italy, and Japan and Indochina scope is excluded.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
CSM John Mead - And Chinese. The Russians and Chinese probably took the worst of it.
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CSM John Mead
CPT Lawrence Cable - You're right, sir, the Japanese truly put the Chinese to the test. The Nanking massacre not withstanding.
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COL Jon Lopey
All: Some great historic points. The Soviet Union and other nations suffered incredible loss during WW II. I read that Poland lost about 17% of their population and sadly, most casualties were non-military men, women, and children. I read the story about the Rape of Nanking and a couple hundred thousand innocents and Chinese soldiers were lost in that blood bath. I have read historical estimates that our Civil War casualties may have been higher than 650K and closer to 750,000! I believe the total casualties in WW II (KIA, WIA, and MIA) topped about a million. Again, some great points! THANK YOU! COL L
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CSM John Mead
COL Jon Lopey I think that I read that we had over 75,000 MIA from WWII. Mostly fliers in the Pacific.
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