Netflix has become an essential hub for film fans everywhere. From Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma to Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, the streamer has offered subscribers some of the most acclaimed and celebrated movies in recent memory.
With a new masterpiece to watch every week, there’s never a dull moment.
However, some of the productions can be considered, well… bleak. And this is the case for the platform’s latest war movie, which concerns the lives of Copenhagen men, women and children as they become entangled in a Second World War bombing mission.
It’s saddening to learn The Bombardment is based on a true story, so let’s embark on a brief history lesson…
The true story behind The Bombardment
The events depicted in The Bombardment took place in 1945, although the occupation of Denmark’s capital Copenhagen dates to five years before.
In April 1940, the Danish military surrendered to Germany aware their little nation stood little chance. The Nazis moved in swiftly and made Denmark’s capital an operations centre.
However, Ole Lippmann and other members of the Danish resistance liaised with the British, who planned to bomb Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus.
In response, the Nazis used members of the Danish resistance as human shields on the building’s roof, leading the Royal Air Force to target the building from the sides.
The RAF began Operation Carthage on March 21st 1945 but one of the fighters was damaged and crash-landed near Catholic school the Institut Jeanne d’Arc.
Mistakenly, two aircraft that were part of the second wave believed the crash to be their target, and bombs were dropped on the school.
How many died in the bombing?
The Cinemaholic notes 86 children and 16 adults lost their lives in the bombing, 35 adults were also injured. The site now houses apartments but a monument serves as a reminder of the tragedy.
Of course, artistic licence was taken with the movie with regard to characters but it’s important to acknowledge the bombing took place in real life.
Essential war movies on Netflix
If you liked The Bombardment, you may want to see these other gems from the broader war genre:
- ‘71
- 1917
- Black Hawk Down
- Dunkirk
- Jarhead
- The Kill Team
- Red Tails
- The War Below
The Bombardment is now streaming on Netflix.
