Have you noticed the increase in "RaRa" war movies just before the US (dragging Australia with them) goes into another or escalates a war. It is almost conditioning us to accept that "defence" workers are going to be pushed into offensive action for a political agenda and are going to die along with heaps of innocent civilians. They have lovely names for them, "Peace keeping" "War on terror" etc. Crap, it's WAR. Usually that has nothing to do with us (Australia) and is a total disaster for the local population. After spending 8 years in the "Countermine" and EOD supporting UN sponsored cleanup I realised there is no justification for war unless we are defending incursions on our boarders.

As a history teacher, a serious obstacle to be dealt with is the prevalence of an imagined historical past (and I'm just as likely to fall prey as anyone else) shaped almost entirely by popular culture, particularly movies. Mention cavemen (rather then "early humans" ), knights, Vikings, pirates, or witches and the image that pops into most minds are Hollywood confections. For me, the fascination of history is learning the reality of a given period, its mores and expectations and, most importantly, the ideas that drove the times.

Two of the most egregious war movies, both mentioned in the article and both winners of a History Channel award for realism (?!) are 'The Patriot' (that attributes atrocities lifted straight from the behavior of the Wehrmacht and SS to British redcoats) and that laughable movie about a US submarine capturing the German U boat codes. Having said that, almost every World War Two movie ever made by Hollywood is a fantasist cop-out, with a dishonorable mention going to 'The Dirty Dozen' and 'Kelly's Heroes'. And who can forget John Wayne's patritoic take on the Vietnam quagmire, 'The Green Berets' (that was so ridiculously ill-researched it ends with Wayne and a Vietnamese orphan gazing stoically across the sea into a fittingly cinematic sunset, in complete disregard of its awkward geographic impossibilty - the sea lies east of Vietnam.).

Two thumbs up for 'Fury' which, apart from the last half hour or so, presents something approaching an accurate depiction of the true horrors of combat and almost makes up for Brad Pitt's stint in Tarantino's travesty, 'Inglourious Basterds'.

A terrific article! I've seen many of those war movies and pretty much don't know what's real and what isn't (and when it's fake, if it matters to the larger arc or context of the historical truth). Sometimes I'm moved to go research the facts for a half hour or so, just to see how accurate the film was. I suppose you history experts have an edge there, and can be rightfully critical of what's on the screen. Oh well, maybe in my next life ; ).

Hollywood has no qualms about rewriting history and wrapping it in the stars and stripes. I hate Hollywood with a passion.