John Hustonâs War Documentary Film Battle of San Pietro DVDThe Battle of San Pietro (1945) is such a shocking, frank, and powerful war documentary that the US Army refused to show it! Master director John Hustonâs actual footage of one of the most grueling and horrendous battles in all of World War II is nothing short of harrowing. The actual Battle of San Pietro, fought on Italian soil, was of the highest strategic importance for the Allied Forces. Thus the Americans threw hundreds of soldiers against an entrenched, fortified, and well equipped German force. The chaotic, devastating combat that took place, as well as the heroic struggle of the fighting men, will never be forgotten. John Hustonâs The Battle of San Pietro is unquestionably one of the most important and moving documentaries ever made.