If you want to know what the war is all about, take a look at some of these best war documentaries on YouTube. It is a lot different than those Hollywood movies, that’s for sure.
War is always a tough topic to talk about. People, countries, and nations have been confronting since the dawn of time and to this day nothing changed. No matter how much we accomplish, or how big of a progress we make, there will always be wars and people who are willing to lead them.
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The history has seen lots of wars, but the biggest one, at least in terms of casualties, was World War II. Because of the magnitude of the war and the fact that it was not so long ago, World War II is covered the most in terms of documentaries accompanied by the Vietnam War. In the recent times, the filmmakers are turning to wars from newer history like Afghanistan War and Iraq War. This is only logical since there is much more material available. In case that you still prefer a variety of history topics and not just wars, check out our list of 11 Best History Documentaries on YouTube.
In order to create our list of best war documentaries on YouTube, we have taken recommendations from the New York Film Academy and Thought Co among others. Then, we checked all the collected titles for their availability on YouTube in full length. Those that met the criteria were ranked according to their IMDb rating. Take a look.
7. Last Days in Vietnam
IMDb rating: 7.6
The documentary chronicles the final weeks of the Vietnam War when North Vietnamese Army was already close to capturing the city of Saigon which had ultimately ended the war. The main focus of Last Days in Vietnam is the evacuation of the citizens and troops of the United States. The documentary includes interviews with notable politicians and members of the government at the time including Henry Kissinger who received a Nobel Peace Prize for his actions to terminate the conflict in Vietnam.
6. In the Year of the Pig
IMDb rating: 7.7
Another documentary that talks about the Vietnam War, focusing on the involvement of the United States in the conflict. What makes this documentary particularly appealing is the fact that the documentary was released in the middle of the Vietnam War. Because it was critical to the presence of the United States in Vietnam, the documentary was considered controversial and wasn’t received well at the time of its release.
5. Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
IMDb rating: 7.7
If you were intrigued by the connection of war and profit, then this is the documentary for you. It talks about the private contractors and consultants of the United States government and their war profiteering in the Iraq War.
4. The Tillman Story
IMDb rating: 7.8
The documentary tells the story of U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman who died in the Afghanistan War. He was a talented football player with a multimillion-dollar contract offer but rejected it so he could serve in the military. The documentary especially focuses on the cover-ups about his death that was caused by a friendly fire.
3. Little Dieter Needs to Fly
IMDb rating: 8.1
This entry on our list of best war documentaries on YouTube uses slightly different approach to talking about the Vietnam War. Directed by Werner Herzog, the documentary revolves around naval pilot Dieter Dengler who served in the war as part of the United States troops. He was captured by the enemy and tortured but managed to escape. Dengler describes his experience in the documentary and recollects the atrocities of the War.
2. No End in Sight
IMDb rating: 8.3
The documentary explores the invasion of Iraq by the United States and offers a more personal input on the matter. It features interviews with people who connected with the invasion in some way including politicians, former soldiers, and journalists. Many of them have a critical opinion about the actions of the United States government and consider an invasion to be a failure.
1. World War II in HD Colour
IMDb rating: 8.8
It isn’t any surprise that we close our list of best war documentaries on YouTube with one about World War II. This is a documentary mini – series that consists out of 13 episodes, but luckily they are all available on YouTube. It covers various subjects and parts of the conflict using original and colorized footage, making it a different experience than most of the World War II documentaries.
