Operation Pied Piper

by dgranger | Public

Operation Pied Piper was the code name of the program the British did in World War 2 to get the children out of London and coastal areas and move them into the country during the Battle Of Britain and the Blitzkrieg. Some children had stayed in London. Some operations like this were done in Europe by private individuals to get Jewish refugees out of Axis occupied Europe and Asia. Some children were caught and sent to prison or concentration camps.

These are films ranging from animated musicals, to fantasy, to comedy, to gritty war dramas that deal with this part of WW2: how children lived through that war. I will include both sides of that war. Which one is your favorite? (I will start with the fantasy films showing part of Operation Pied Piper and then move to the more realistic and grittier war dramas.) Follow the Piper here to discuss the topic. Live poll: https://www.imdb.com/poll/QweiHZXe138/

20 titles

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

PG | 143 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

6.9

2. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

G | 117 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

3. Return to Never Land (2002)

G | 72 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

5.8

4. Father Goose (1964)

Approved | 118 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance

7.3

5. Snow Treasure (1968)

G | 95 min | Action, Drama, War

6.6

It was sledding, not ski-ing as the summary states. The novel it is based on is still in print and is based on a true story. In the back of the book, there is a 3 paragraph article titled “Did This Story Really Happen?” The real facts are that on June 28, 1940, one year after World War 2 started and Norway was invaded by the Nazis (I won’t call them Germans), the Norwegian Freighter Bomma docked at Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. And offloaded a cargo of what back then was $9,000,000 dollars worth of gold bullion. When asked how the gold was smuggled out of Nazis controlled Norway, the Captain told the U.S. officials Norwegian children smuggled the gold on their sleds to the freighter right past the Nazis solders. The captain had refused to name the fjord used for the smuggling in order to protect the children in that area should the Nazis ever learn of how this was done and decide to punish the children of the town. Other than what the Captain told officials that day, no other proof exists that this story is real.

6. Miracle at Moreaux (1985 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 58 min | Drama, History, War

6.7

This is also based on a book that is still in print, “Twenty and Ten”.