The Best Frontline Reporting Documentaries

War & Military - 77 free documentaries about frontline reporting.

Start with Mosul (39 min, FRONTLINE PBS), then Returning From the Iraq War With PTSD - The Soldier’s Heart (55 min, FRONTLINE PBS). All 77 documentaries here are free to watch from their makers' official uploads. To read deeper, the top-rated book on frontline reporting is War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges.

• Mosul (39 min, FRONTLINE PBS)
• Returning From the Iraq War With PTSD - The Soldier’s Heart (55 min, FRONTLINE PBS)
• Virgin Soldiers (48 min, Real Stories)
• New military service rules - Young Germans facing a tough decision (29 min, DW Documentary)
• The Hidden Empire: An Investigation Into US Military Dominance (71 min, Real Stories)
• Soldiers Supply Run From Camp Bastion In Afghanistan Almost Ends In Disaster (45 min, Wonder)
• US ARMY - Inside the Most Powerful Army in Human History (54 min, ENDEVR)
• Austerlitz: The Battle That Made Napoleon A Military Legend | History Of Warfare (55 min, Timeline - World History Documentaries)
• US Marines Reveal The Brutal Reality of Fighting In Iraq | War Film (104 min, Wonder)
• STRAPPED INTO A SINKING HELICOPTER (with U.S. Marines) - Smarter Every Day 201 (11 min, Smarter Every Day)
• The Hunt For The Lost Battlefields Of The Western Front | Lost Battlefields (70 min, Timeline - World History Documentaries)
• Training UK's Teenage Cadets for Combat: Rule Britannia (Part 1) (22 min, VICE)
• MEFLOQUINE: Is the US Army poisoning its own Soldiers with Malaria Drugs? (58 min, ENDEVR)
• Military Truck Is Struck By Mine In Top Secret Mission (45 min, Wonder)
• Myanmar’s Lost Years: Untold Stories Since The 2021 Military Coup | Myanmar: The Lost 5 Years (47 min, CNA Insider)
• Surviving Iraq and Afghanistan's Most Brutal Battlefields (104 min, Real Stories)
• Training UK's Teenage Cadets for Combat: Rule Britannia (Part 2) (21 min, VICE)
• Military Team Journey Through Active Warzone| Road Warriors The Extra Mile S1 EP3 (44 min, Wonder)
• America's Most Illegal Military Base (24 min, Wendover Productions)
• The US' Overseas Military Base Strategy (14 min, Wendover Productions)
• Combat Action in Afghanistan: Commando Training & Battlefield Stories (47 min, Wonder)
• Mercenaries From China, Nepal Fight For Russia: Soldiers Of Fortune In Ukraine War | Undercover Asia (46 min, CNA Insider)
• Dangerous Cities: Rio - Inside Brazil’s Urban Battlefield (53 min, Free Documentary)
• How 14 Elite Soldiers Survived Against 200 Taliban Fighters (132 min, Real Stories)
• Commando: On The Front Line (50 min, Real Stories)
• People's Liberation Army: Inside the largest Military in the World! (47 min, ENDEVR)
• World's Toughest Soldiers - Primed for Battle (23 min, Free Documentary)
• Hannibal: The Greatest Military General In History | Hannibal Part 1 (48 min, Odyssey)
• Nature Takes Over an Abandoned Military Island | After We've Gone (19 min, BBC Studios)
• Animal Special Forces | Episode 4: Special Gear (49 min, Free Documentary - Nature)
• How Elite Soldiers Train For Battle | Peacekeepers (45 min, Wonder)
• Commandos Survive Days Without Sleep In Extreme Military Training | Commandos S1 EP2 (45 min, Wonder)
• From Boot Camp To Kabul: The Soldiers Fighting The Taliban | Commando: On The Front Line (46 min, Wonder)
• Battlefield – Great Battles of WWII | Ep. 4: Pearl Harbour & The Fall of Singapore | FD History (100 min, Free Documentary - History)
• Why Wounded Soldiers Visit Lourdes | Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler (55 min, PBS)
• Commando: On The Front Line (46 min, Real Stories)
• Commando: On The Front Line (47 min, Real Stories)
• How Do We Combat Our Dependency On Liquid Fuel? | Ever Wondered (22 min, Spark)
• Exclusive Footage Inside The RAF's Helicopter Operations | Peacekeepers (46 min, Wonder)
• Soldiers Supply Afghanistan Via Dangerous Taliban Highway (44 min, Wonder)
• Inside US Army: From Civilians to Warriors (48 min, ENDEVR)
• Why Is The US Army Recruiting 80,000 New Soldiers From High Schools? (61 min, Real Stories)
• The World's Most Corrupt Industry? Arms Dealers & The Military (94 min, Real Stories)
• The Unseen Wounds of War (52 min, Real Stories)
• Commando: On The Front Line (47 min, Real Stories)
• Commando: On The Front Line (46 min, Real Stories)
• Commando: On The Front Line (47 min, Real Stories)
• The Incredible Combat Tactics Of Aquatic Animals | Animal Special Forces (49 min, Real Wild)
• Inside The High-Octane Training Of Military Aircrew (51 min, Wonder)
• Military Commandos Learn To Attack Enemy Strongholds (42 min, Wonder)
• Young Commando Collapses After Extreme Military Training | Commandos S1 EP1 (46 min, Wonder)
• The $10 Billion Dollar Military Tech Behind Your Take-Out (50 min, Wonder)
• Soldiers Attempt To Remove Deadly Mines In War-Torn Bosnia | Peacekeepers (46 min, Wonder)
• Young Military Troop Fight In Dangerous Attack Mission | Boys Of H Company (104 min, Wonder)
• Combating Fishing Intruders Off Sabah, Malaysia | The Last Defenders (47 min, CNA Insider)
• Secret Mission: Former Child Soldier's Risks His Life To Save His Son (89 min, Real Stories)
• Why The RAF Air Tankers Are Perfect For Aerial Refuelling | The Military Tech Show (44 min, Spark)
• Is This The World's Most Advanced Pilot Helmet? | The Military Tech Show (43 min, Spark)
• The Elite Special Forces Training That Challenges Navy SEALs (48 min, Wonder)
• Military FINDS Uncovered 🪖⚙️Filthy Fortunes (22 min, Discovery)
• From War Zones to Wealthy Streets: Inside the Minds of Deadly Men (44 min, Real Stories)
• The Test Dummies Used To Train Combat Medics For Surgery | The Military Tech Show (44 min, Spark)
• Exclusive Access To China's Most Secret Military Training Camp | Beijing Special Combat Brigade (48 min, Wonder)
• Soldier Breaks Down After Intense Military Training | Commando: On The Front Line (47 min, Wonder)
• Extreme Military Training Pushes Soldiers To Their Limits (50 min, Wonder)
• Inside The US Military’s Secret Cold War Sky Weapons (49 min, Timeline - World History Documentaries)
• The Evolution Of Military Combat Bombers | History Of The RAF (95 min, Spark)
• Soldiers of God (34 min, VPRO Documentary)
• Soldiers of the Forest (37 min, VPRO Documentary)
• Taking On The World's Most Brutal Military Training (131 min, Wonder)
• The Child Soldier's New Job | Pentagon Outsourcing War Trauma (58 min, Moconomy)
• Why Did 16-Year-Old German Soldiers Execute 150 Allied Prisoners? (45 min, Wonder)
• Horrific War Criminals Caught By The US And UK's Deadliest Soldiers (50 min, Wonder)
• Can 3 Civilians Outlast Special Forces in a 50-Hour Survival Game? (43 min, Wonder)
• FRONTLINE/World | Covering Conflict Zones Symposium (41 min, PBS)
• Soldier's Stories At Life's End: A Living Legacy (43 min, G Media)
• The Wounds of Tskinvali - Georgean War Crimes (28 min, Aleksey I. Buluy)

Top-Rated Books About Frontline Reporting

1. War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges - View on Amazon
2. Dispatches by Michael Herr (4.2/5) - View on Amazon
3. War by Sebastian Junger - View on Amazon
4. The Forever War by Dexter Filkins - View on Amazon