The 10 best war documentaries on Netflix for history buffs
- - The 10 best war documentaries on Netflix for history buffs
Will HarrisAugust 18, 2025 at 12:00 AM
courtesy netflix (3)
Wars documented, from feudal Japan to WWII to contemporary Ukraine
It may be impossible to put any war into its full context, or to truly appreciate the cost, the purpose, or the meaning of it. All a war documentary can do is try to offer some sense of perspective. If there are lessons to be learned from armed conflict, the best war documentaries will find them.
Netflix has its fair share of great war docs in its library, covering everything from the distant past of feudal Japan to the all-too-urgent battles still being fought today. Here are Entertainment Weekly’s picks for the 10 best war documentaries on Netflix.
01 of 10
Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan (2021)
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'Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan'
The word “samurai” is thrown around a lot in popular culture, but this six-part series gets down to the brass tacks of what it actually means. Covering the era of feudal Japan from 1551 to 1616, the series features a mixture of authors, historians, and other academics who offer commentary on the stories unfolding on the screen, including dramatic reenactments.
Mind you, even though you obviously know you’re watching reenactments, you should prepare yourself for a decent amount of blood and gore. (The age of samurai was not, it must be said, an age of subtlety.)
Where to watch Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan: Netflix
Director: Stephen Scott
02 of 10
Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis (2021)
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'Camp Confidential: America's Secret Nazis'
Exploring a rarely discussed side of World War II history, this semi-animated documentary short unpacks a covert military location known only as P.O. Box 1142, home to some of Hitler’s top Nazi scientists, including Wernher von Braun. The particularly unique aspect of this POW camp: the guards were Jewish soldiers, many of whom were European refugees.
To say this was a case of strange bedfellows is an understatement, but the short also considers how the U.S. ignored the acts of these war criminals in order to use their knowledge to America’s benefit.
Where to watch Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis: Netflix
Directors: Mor Loushy, Daniel Sivan
03 of 10
Five Came Back (2017)
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'Five Came Back'
Based on a bestselling book by former EW writer Mark Harris, Five Came Back reveals just how intertwined Hollywood was with the Second World War. The series follows five of the biggest filmmakers of their time — John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens — who went to the front lines to chronicle the war effort.
What’s essential is not the footage itself, but the artistic choices that framed, shaped, and interpreted it — and, behind the scenes, how those choices could butt against the objectives of the U.S. government. The three-part series excels not just as a historical document but as a record the filmmakers themselves, who were irrevocably changed by the experience.
Where to watch Five Came Back: Netflix
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Laurent Bouzereau
04 of 10
Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (2019)
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'Greatest Events of WWII in Colour'
The title tells you everything you about this 10-part series. In examining some of the most important events of the Second World War — including the Blitzkrieg, the Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, D-Day, and Hiroshima — this U.K.-produced documentary employs colorized archival footage, in addition to interviews and narration.
Similar to Peter Jackson’s WWI doc They Shall Not Grow Old (2018), this series uses colorization techniques to make old stories feel new and urgent. As educational devices go, it’s a pretty good one.
Where to watch Greatest Events of WWII in Colour: Netflix
Directors: Nicky Bolster, Kasia Uschinka, Joshua Whitehead, Katie Boxer, Ailsa Fereday, Sam Taplin
05 of 10
The Last Days (1998)
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'The Last Days'
Some events, perhaps especially those that are morally incomprehensible, need to be wrestled with on a human level. Case in point, James Moll’s The Last Days, which zeroes in on a handful of Hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust in the last year of World War II, when Nazi Germany occupied Hungary and began mass deportation to concentration camps.
The film is a harrowing experience, but the intimacy it finds with its five subjects works wonders. Where there might only be despair over the past, we instead see shades of hope in the lives these survivors have led since.
Where to watch The Last Days: Netflix
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: James Moll
06 of 10
Medal of Honor (2018)
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'Medal of Honor'
Since President Abraham Lincoln created the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor, fewer than 4,000 Americans have received it. This docuseries examines eight recipients, including individuals who fought in Italy, Germany, and France during World War II; along the 38th parallel in the Korean War; in Laos during the deadliest year of the Vietnam War; and in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan.
Featuring interviews with family members, historians, and servicemen alongside recreations of events and archival footage, it’s a powerful look at these soldiers and the bravery they showed.
Where to watch Medal of Honor: Netflix
Directors: James Moll, James Madigan, Robert Legato, Darrin Prescott, Gregg Smrz
07 of 10
Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020–2022)
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'Rise of Empires: Ottoman'
There’s no period of history that can’t be made more intense by adding narration by Charles Dance. That was presumably the thought process behind this Turkish production, which deftly scratches two very different itches at once. We get both war epic and history lesson; the dramatizations of Mehmed the Conqueror’s conquest of Constantinople and, later, his clash against Vlad the Impaler are staged with vivid, bloody ferocity.
The series also has an eye for detail, with the historians' voices guiding us through the complicated (and, in many cases, largely unknown) timeline of events. Between its drama and stark violence, this history docuseries is never boring.
Where to watch Rise of Empires: Ottoman: Netflix
Director: Emre Sahin
08 of 10
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)
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'Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror'
The Turning Point series of documentaries consists of only a few entries, but they're formidable ones. While The Bomb and the Cold War is a strong contendor, 9/11 and the War on Terror may be the series' most powerful effort to date.
Featuring interviews with individuals from several White House administrations, as well as veterans of the U.S. military and CIA, not to mention members of the Taliban and the Afghanistan National Army, this five-part documentary provides as many perspectives on the 9/11 attacks as possible, all of them harrowing.
Where to watch Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror: Netflix
Director: Brian Knappenberger
09 of 10
The White Helmets (2016)
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'The White Helmets'
Proof positive that a documentary doesn’t need to be lengthy to pack a punch, this Netflix original short follows a trio of volunteer rescue workers in Aleppo, Syria, and Turkey as they do everything in their power to assist civilians caught up in the conflict. There’s no voiceover narration explaining the circumstances — what we see onscreen speaks for itself.
Both tragedy and heroism are captured with a rare sense of immediacy as the Syrian Civil Defence responds to attack after attack by Bashar al-Assad’s regime, its Russian allies, and ISIS.
Where to watch The White Helmets: Netflix
Director: Orlando von Einsiedel
10 of 10
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (2015)
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'Winter on Fire'
Although Winter on Fire follows the 2013-2014 Maidan Uprising in Kyiv, it’s hard to imagine a more timely documentary, as it provides substantial historical context for current events.
It’s a devastating look at what happened when the anticipated EU-Ukraine trade agreement was suddenly dismissed in favor of a new arrangement with Russia, resulting in a protest by the pro-Europe citizens that quickly escalated in a way that shocked much of the world. It’s a war that’s still being waged, and it’s inspiring to see people standing up to fight.
Where to watch Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom: Netflix
Director: Evgeny Afineevsky
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