From the Spitfires that won the Battle of Britain, to the U.S. Army Air Corps. Mustangs that escorted the bomber assaults on Germany, this story takes you right over the front lines. It's the most complete film collection of pilots, their planes, and their daring courage that turned the tables on the air power of Germany, Italy, and Japan. From the film archives of England, Germany, Italy, and the United States, these actual air battles of World War II in black and white put you right in the cockpit for 8 dangerous hours.
From the fighter pilots of the Spitfires who won the Battle of Britain and the U.S. Army Corps pilots in their Mustangs that escorted the bomber assaults on Germany’s heartland, to the Lightnings and Corsairs which dominated the Pacific, this program looks at all major United States, British, and Russian combat fighters. These Allied fighters turned the tables on the Axis air power.
Germany, Italy, and Japan developed some of the most advanced and effective fighters of their time. To protect their rapidly moving troops, and later to defend against devastating Allied bombing, the Germans and Japanese deployed superb fighters, such as the ME-109, FW-190, and the Zero for supremacy of the skies. These and many others, including earlier operational jets and rocket fighters, are seen in unique live-action footage. This film was made with the cooperation of Britain’s Imperial War Museum and the United States National Archives.
World War II raised the stakes as the skies over Germany and the South Pacific raged with deadly air combat. Great air battles thundered as the Axis and Allies waged a menacing race of arms. Faster and more lethal planes from the Nazi Focke-Wulf 190 and Messerschmitt 109G to the Allies P47 Thunderbolt and P51 Mustang and Spitfire MK24 protected the around-the-clock bombers. The air battles of the Pacific had been going the Allies way, but the Japanese Kamikazes were the killers that left the U.S. Navy reeling. The final air battles culminated with the first combat jet fighters and the B29 Superfortress and the Atom Bomb. These battles set records of air combat that still stand today.