6+ British Movies on Netflix about WWII to Stream {2024}

Looking for the best British movies on Netflix you can stream right now? Your 'favourite' Anglophile has rounded up her favorite British WWII movies on Netflix for you to stream tonight.

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Looking for a great British movie to stream on Netflix tonight?

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know there's nothing I love more than a good historical drama. Fact, fiction, period piece, modern adaptation, I'll take it. I was a history major in college, so I do enjoy a bit of period costume, when I can have it. And I am, of course, the quintessential Anglophile. It won't take you long poking around on the blog to find that out. I almost never watch American TV, but I think I've devoured nearly every British program that I can stream here in the States. Now that we've established my bona fides...

Over the last decade, there has been a slew of British films focusing on some of the greatest events of WWII (Dunkirk was a personal favorite of mine, though it isn't on Netflix, so it wouldn't fit into my list). Unlike Americans, the Brits faced a constant and serious threat of German invasion and occupation, not to mention the very real arial bombardment of southeastern England ("the Blitz") which killed over 40,000 British civilians.

A whole lifetime has passed since World War II, and nearly all who lived through it as adults have passed, including, of course, two of the greatest symbols of British resistance, Georg IV and Winston Churchill. The death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, for many Brits, closed the book on the Greatest Generation, as the wartime darling, Princess Elizabeth, had been a veteran herself.

Ranging from 2014 onward, my list of British WWII movies on Netflix covers a range of events in Great Britain during that time, including actual war activities, occupied island life, social unrest, and of course the lives of the big names of the day. I've included a few award-winning Netflix originals, along with movies that had premiered on the big screen.

Don't have a Netflix subscription yet? Sign up now for unlimited tv shows and movies, with your monthly fee. Alright, let's get down to it! My best British movies about WWII to stream right now on Netflix:

And while you're here, I hope you'll take a look at some of my other British movie and TV show recommendations!

• 10+ British TV Comedies You Need to Watch
• 14+ Binge-Worthy Detective Shows With a Female Lead
• The 20+ Best British Detective Series to Watch Right Now
• 8+ Streaming, British Detective Shows like C.B. Strike
• 12+ Addictive Detective Shows Like Midsomer Murders
• 15+ Romantic British Period Dramas for a Cozy Night
• 11+ Movies Set in Scotland to Watch Before Visiting
• Best Shows on Acorn TV
• Best Shows on BritBox

6+ British Movies on Netflix about WWII to Stream {2024}

Operation Mincemeat (2021)

With an all-star case including several of my favorite actors of all time (Colin Firth, Jason Isaacs, Penelope Wilton, and Matthew Macfadyen), Operation Mincemeat is based on the true story of two British intelligence officers who concocted a seemingly hair-brained scheme to trick the Nazis into thinking the 1943 invasion of Sicily would take place, instead, in Sardinia and Greece.

​If you didn't know it was based on a true story, you'd never believe it. It's interesting, inspiring, heart-felt, and will somehow keep you on the edge of your seat, even if you're quite familiar with WWII history.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

You'll recognize more than a few familiar Downton Abbey faces, namely Lily James, Matthew Goode, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Penelope Wilton, in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Based on a best-selling classic 'book club' novel, the movie, set in 1946, follows a London author learning about how the inhabitants of Guernsey coped under the German occupation of their tiny island during WWII, through her correspondence with them. Those of you familiar with WWII history will know that the German exercised somewhat free rein over Guernsey from June 1940 until they were liberated in 1945.

While many residents, including most children, were evacuated in advance of the German conquest, the remaining residents found their idyllic island heavily fortified, due to its key strategic position between England and France.

​The book, and the film, are quaint, charming, and, of course, romantic. It's an easy watch, unlike some of the others on this list.

The Dig (2021)

Telling the true story of the excavation of Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, against the backdrop of the outbreak of WWII, The Dig stars Cary Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, and Johnny Flynn.

Darkest Hour (2017)

Gary Oldman had an absolute career triumph playing one of the most-played and hardest to nail parts recently, Winston Churchill. Supported by Lily James (she's simply all over this list), Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn, and Joe Armstrong, Darkest Hour follows the early portion of Churchill's time as prime minister, as Britain prepared for a possible, even probable German invasion and occupation. Darkest Hour is moving and inspirational, with the slightly over-the-top, feel-good ending of a classic sports film. Oldman won best actor for his performance, so don't just take my word for it.

The Imitation Game (2014)

My favorite film on our list The Imitation Game, staring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kiera Knightley, along with Alan Leech, Matthew Goode, and Rory Kinnear, is the story of Alan Turning, who successfully decrypted German messages during WWII, saving thousands of Allied lives, only to suffer horrendous fate.

The Imitation Game was the highest-grossing independent film of that year, telling a story that absolutely needed to be told. You'll feel all the inspiration of watching Turing and his team develop modern computing, until mid 20th-century reality comes crashing down around you with horrifying finality.

Living (2022)

The most recent movie on my list, but one whose main events take place somewhat after the main events of WWII, I promise you will not turn off Living with dry eyes.

​Set in 1953 London, Bill Nighy stars as a career bureaucrat facing a terminal diagnosis. Aimee Lou Wood stars as a coworker who tries to help "Mr Williams" find meaning in his last days.

Extra Credit: 
​The Crown (2016)

I had debated including The Crown on my list, as it's objectively not a British movie, but a fairly epic, long-form TV show. But having typed up the intro to this post and with Queen Elizabeth on the brain, I decided it warrants an honorable mention.

​With the show's main events starting up the immediate aftermath of the war, there are constant flashbacks to the immediate pre-war period, including The Abdication, not to mention George VI's wartime leadership. It's a wonderful series, if you somehow haven't seen it, and I'd strongly recommend it to anyone who loves British programs.

Thanks for Stopping by!

I hope I've given you some food for thought, as you look for the best British movies on Netflix to stream tonight! Please post your favorite British movies on Netflix in the comments, to give me some ideas for my next blog post!

While you're here, I hope you'll also take a look at my very, very many recommendations for other British TV shows you may enjoy!

• 10+ British TV Comedies You Need to Watch
• 14+ Binge-Worthy Detective Shows With a Female Lead
• The 20+ Best British Detective Series to Watch Right Now
• 8+ Streaming, British Detective Shows like C.B. Strike
• 12+ Addictive Detective Shows Like Midsomer Murders
• 15+ Romantic British Period Dramas for a Cozy Night
• 11+ Movies Set in Scotland to Watch Before Visiting
• Best Shows on Acorn TV
• Best Shows on BritBox​

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