Eastern War Movies

[euramer]

I am not generally a supporter of Russia or Russian films, but I recommend the 3 war films hereafter:

The Bomber (2012)
During World War II, a soviet aircraft crashes on Nazi-occupied territory. But the pilot Grivtsov and his beloved radio operator Katya miraculously survive. Another survivor is flight navigator Linko, who ejected from the plane. Each of them has to find his way and perform military tasks, return to his own forces and simply to stay alive.

Battle for Sevastopol (2015)
A story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the most successful female sniper in history and her travel to the US.

T-34 (2019)
Inspired by a real history, the film narrates the life of Nikolai Ivushkin, a tank commander who gets captured by the Germans. Three years later, he begins to plan his ultimate escape, alongside his newly recruited tank crew.

The invasion of Ukraine is not forgotten, and I know a few people who have lived there, but it is also part of their history.

[Tassadar]

I can recommend a few good Polish series an movies from back when we had the unfortunate occasion to be under the Eastern Block sphere of influence. Most black and white, as they were from 50's and 60's.

Four Tank-Men and a Dog (Czterej pancerni i pies) - 1966-1970 - a really good TV series based on a local bestseller, that describes the story of what the title suggests. Has some historical distortions typical of the Soviet-influenced cinema of the time, but is otherwise quite interesting, with some lighter moments, drama and decent action.

How I Unleashed World War II (Jak rozpętałem drugą wojnę światową) - 1970 - a comedy trilogy about a Polish soldier who accidentally crosses the Polish-German border in 1939 and is deeply convinced his actions led to outbreak of WWII. He then travels multiple fronts in an attempt to redeem himself, which of course never goes as planned due to further misunderstandings.

Where's the General... (Gdzie jest generał...) - 1964 - another comedy series. A soldier thought to bring bad luck for his team leaves his fellow men and finds himself in an old castle... just as the same place is being selected for a temporary headquarters for an important German general.