10 Great World War II Movies You've Probably Never Seen

Scandinavian involvement in World War II is often forgotten in comparison to that of the major players in Europe, but each of Denmark, Norway and Sweden played their part in the conflict, with the former two subjects to Nazi occupation for almost its entirety.

The Norwegian Resistance is best known for its sabotage operations against the Vemork heavy water plant, which thwarted German efforts to develop a nuclear bomb. Predominantly trained in sabotage in the UK after escaping into Sweden, thousands of men sought to undermine the unwanted rule of Reichskommissar Josef Terboven and the Norwegian fascist puppet Vidkun Quisling, whose name has become synonymous with treachery even outside of Norway.

Given Norway’s relatively small film industry and the lack of interest in Norwegian wartime exploits outside of the country, few efforts had been made to document them until the development of Max Manus: Man Of War. Going so far as to fly a Nazi flag over the Storting building in downtown Oslo for filming, the production geared the narrative of the country’s struggle through one of its national heroes.

Max Manus is a flawed film in places and some have accused it of taking liberties with history, but its coverage of an important struggle of the War and Aksel Hennie's performance in particular are not to be overlooked. Norway has many fascinating stories to tell, but this is likely to be the biggest one that graces the big screen.