The Allies take the offensive as the tide of war turns against the Axis in the Mediterranean, and in Europe. The fury of war in the air takes a heavy toll on attacker and defender alike, but the undermanned and outgunned Luftwaffe is defiant in the face of certain defeat.
From the first to the last, nations frantically seek to give their fighter pilots the winning edge in planes, engines, guns, and tactics in combat by day, and by night. The Germans shock the Allies when they win the race for committing jet and rocket fighters to battle, a race won too late.
Now equipped with long-range fighters, American aces wage a war deep in the heart of the Third Reich while escorting heavy bombers to distant targets. Goring sees P-51s over Europe, and admits that the war is lost.
Marine valor paves the way for the aerial assault on Japan. During the relentless march westward, the rivalry heats up between top aces Dick Bong and Tom McGuire, and Admiral Yamamoto is the victim of aerial assassination.
The final aerial battles between Soviet and German fighter pilots occur. Russian aircraft now equal those flown by the Luftwaffe, whose pilots face incursion from the east, as well as the west. The top Russian ace, Ivan Kozhedub, reaches 62 kills, while the top German ace, Erich Hartmann, is credited with 352.
After the Great Marianas Turkey shoot, Japanese airpower declines as American fighter pilots in the Pacific reach the zenith of their deadly profession. The final fighter pilot kill of the war is over Japan.
In this final episode, victors of aerial duels in the skies of every theater of war reach inside memories etched in steel for the skills and relentless purpose that elevated them to the ranks of the great aces.