The Greatest War Movies Ever Made, According to a Retired General

The film 'Gettysburg' illustrates how the dynamic personalities of commanders, such as General Lee's cognitive dissonance and adamant decision-making, can critically influence battle outcomes. Lee's belief that his army's will could overcome the Union's material advantage, coupled with constant changes to his campaign plan, ultimately led to disaster for the South.

General Hertling cites 'Gettysburg' as an excellent portrayal of how personalities interact, causing friction or leading to victory/defeat. He specifically mentions Lee's cognitive dissonance and constant plan changes during the Gettysburg campaign.

Operation Market Garden, depicted in 'A Bridge Too Far,' serves as a cautionary tale about over-optimism in campaign planning. Despite strong tactical leadership, a flawed strategic plan that failed to mitigate risks led to strategic failure, highlighting the burden placed on soldiers when the overarching vision is unsound.

General Hertling explains that 'A Bridge Too Far' shows how Montgomery's plan for Operation Market Garden suffered from over-optimism and a failure to mitigate risk, leading to strategic failure despite tactical sacrifices.

Documentaries like 'Restrepo' realistically portray the raw humanity, trust, and tactical mastery of small units in combat. However, they also expose the profound disconnect when exceptional tactical actions are undermined by an unclear or flawed strategic purpose, leading to ultimate failure despite individual heroism.

General Hertling notes 'Restrepo's' realistic depiction of small unit adaptation, peer leadership, and constant combat, but emphasizes the 'so what?' question when a bad strategy makes tactical actions ineffective, leading to failure.

'Zero Dark Thirty' highlights the indispensable role of intelligence-based operations in contemporary military campaigns. It demonstrates the relentless focus, institutional endurance, and complex fusion of intelligence agencies with military forces required to achieve critical objectives, a dynamic unseen in previous wars.

General Hertling praises 'Zero Dark Thirty' for showing how the US military uses intelligence-based operations, the relentless focus of CIA agents like Maya, and the extremely close relationship between intelligence agencies and military forces, which he experienced in Iraq.

'Courage Under Fire' uniquely explores the devastating impact of fratricide (friendly fire) and the subjective nature of battlefield narratives. It portrays how different perspectives, egos, and the inherent confusion of combat can lead to accidental deaths and moral injuries, further complicated by political pressures to control the narrative.

General Hertling chose 'Courage Under Fire' because it haunts him, reflecting real-life fratricide incidents he witnessed. He highlights the difficulty of situational awareness in tanks, the multiple perspectives of the battlefield, and the political desire to control the narrative around such incidents, referencing the Pat Tillman case.

Films like 'Blackhawk Down' and 'We Were Soldiers' showcase unbelievable courage and commitment when tactical plans unravel in chaotic environments. They demonstrate how highly competent, well-trained soldiers, led by masterful unit leadership, can adapt to unexpected, degraded conditions and extract forces from crisis.

General Hertling combines 'Blackhawk Down' and 'We Were Soldiers' for their shared lessons on tactical execution coming 'unglued' due to unexpected fire and degraded conditions. He praises the 'unbelievable courage and commitment' and 'masterful' unit leadership in adapting to chaos.

'12 O'Clock High' is presented as the gold standard for leadership teaching, illustrating that true caring for soldiers sometimes means being a 'prick' to instill discipline and high standards. This rigorous approach, though initially unpopular, ultimately ensures unit cohesion and saves lives on the battlefield.

General Hertling uses '12 O'Clock High' in MBA classes to teach leadership. He describes Gregory Peck's character as a 'hard-nosed commander' who appears as a 'prick' but whose high standards and driven training ultimately make the unit combat effective and save lives.

'Ike: Countdown to D-Day' exemplifies the immense challenges of strategic leadership, particularly in building multinational coalitions. Eisenhower's role required strategic influence, tough decision-making, and the singular burden of responsibility for a massive, complex operation, including preparing for failure.

General Hertling praises Tom Selleck's portrayal of Eisenhower, highlighting his calm strategic leadership in pulling together a coalition (British, French, Poles) and making tough decisions. He emphasizes Eisenhower's mission to 'Enter to the continent of Europe and defeat the Nazi war machine' and his preparation of two letters, one taking fault if D-Day failed.

The 'Band of Brothers' series offers an exhaustive curriculum on leadership, covering every facet from communication and character to discipline, caring for soldiers, managing fear, and navigating ethical dilemmas. Each episode provides distinct examples of effective and ineffective leadership in a combat environment.

General Hertling states 'Band of Brothers' is number two on his list because 'every single leadership lesson that you need to teach' can be found in its episodes, from communication and toxic leadership to training, standards, discipline, and managing fear and anxiety.

'Saving Private Ryan' stands as the pinnacle of war movies for its unparalleled combat realism and its exploration of the diverse human experiences within a combat squad. It culminates in the profound message to 'Earn this,' underscoring the immense sacrifice of soldiers and the moral imperative for those who survive to live lives worthy of that sacrifice.

General Hertling calls the first 22 minutes of 'Saving Private Ryan' the 'best representation on film of any combat sequence I've seen,' noting its realism and the experiences of young men. He highlights Captain Miller's 'Earn this' message to Private Ryan and his personal connection to a 104-year-old D-Day veteran who said the film was 'worse than what they portrayed.'