The missions
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Oscar winner Alec Guinness stars as
Col. Nicholson, a British officer locked in a battle of wills with his Japanese captor, with William Holden as an escaped American soldier on a mission to blow up the supply bridge Nicholson’s men are constructing as a matter of honor.
The Guns of Navarone (1961) “You slept through The Guns of Navarone?”This recurring joke in the classic Dick Van Dyke Show episode “You’re Under Arrest” is an indication of the high-caliber action in store when a team of commandos (among them Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn) lead an assault on a Nazi-occupied Greek island to destroy the title weaponry.
The Longest Day (1962) Legendary producer Darryl F. Zanuck’s The Longest Day used three credited directors — for the American, British and German segments, respectively — to tell the story of the D-Day landings at Normandy.The international all-star cast includes John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Sean Connery and … Paul Anka?
The Great Escape (1963)To harass their German captors, Allied POWs plot an audacious exit from their stalag. Best known for Steve McQueen’s motorcycle jump over a barbed-wire fence (actually performed by stuntman Bud Ekins).
Battle of the Bulge (1965) A 50-hour clock is ticking for the Germans (led by a tank commander played by Robert Shaw) to mount an all-out operation against the American lines. An intelligence officer (Henry Fonda) must convince superiors of his crackpot hunch that an attack is coming. The film is shown in widescreen Cinerama and directed by Ken Annakin, who codirected The Longest Day (and whose name George Lucas took for the boy who would be Darth Vader!).
The Dirty Dozen (1967) Lee Marvin leads “the most twisted, antisocial bunch of psychopathic deformities” on a suicide mission behind enemy lines to blow up a Nazi chateau.
Where Eagles Dare (1968) “Broadsword calling Danny Boy.” Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood — in a classic pairing — team up to rescue a captured American general being held by the Germans in the Bavarian Alps.
Saving Private Ryan (1998) Matt Damon plays the titular soldier, whose brothers have perished in battle, and whom Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks) and company are charged with bringing home.
The Hurt Locker (2008) Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner stars as Staff Sgt. William James, whose particular set of skills is defusing bombs under enemy fire in Iraq.
Dunkirk (2017) On land, hundreds of thousands of troops are stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk and await annihilation by the advancing Germans. On the sea, an armada of civilian craft races to rescue as many as they can. In the air, British pilots engage German planes headed toward the tiny French port.