Dogfights

In this two hour special relive the most important air combat battles of 20th century.

Follow the fifth generation aircraft in a hypothetical combat featuring F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning II and the seldom meantioned B-1R bomb truck. Military experts discuss the conflict aided by computer animation.

A behind-the-scenes featurette providing a compilation of individual aircraft profiles culled from the series that looks at the various American planes and jets that achieved air superiority over every battlefield they fought.

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Air Force fighter pilots risk their lives flying sleek F-86 Sabres above “Mig Alley” – the most dangerous piece of sky in the Korean War. The high-speed twists and turns of history’s first jet dogfights pit American aces Robbie Risner and…

Legendary fighter pilot, Colonel Robin Olds, sets an intricate trap for the North Vietnamese MiG-21’s. His squadron, the Wolfpack, disguises its lethal F-4 Phantoms as vulnerable bombers. The MIGs scream in to challenge the Americans. The…

Plot Outline Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, a courageous, rag-tag band of American mercenaries dare to challenge the overwhelming might of the Japanese Air Force. The legendary “Flying Tigers” slash through the skies of China, and help…

August 1942… the Solomon Islands. Heroic, die-hard American pilots of the tiny Cactus Air Force match skills and instincts against top Japanese aces as they battle in the skies above Guadalcanal. Legendary Marine Capt John Smith and Medal…

The skies over Vietnam. They fight in a supersonic world, where split second decisions determine if they live - or die. American F4 Phantom pilots Fred Olmsted and Dan Cherry take on the famed MiG-21 - the most feared threat in the sky.…

1943...the skies over the Pacific. The infamous Japanese Zero is decimating American aircraft. No allied plane can match Japan's deadliest fighter plane manned by killed Imperial Navy veterans. The American Navy rushes to deploy a new…

The U.S. Navy's top fighter, the F8 Crusader flown by skilled fighter jocks Paul Speer and Phil Wood, tackles the fierce North Vietnamese MiG over the killing skies of Vietnam. Re-live one of the longest, gut-wrenching dogfights on record…

1944...the Pacific. It is one of the most amazing, lopsided naval battles in history: A mighty Japanese fleet let by the Yamato, the biggest battleship in the world - versus Taffy 3, a small U.S. task unit of tin can destroyers and baby…

Showcases survival stories of bomber pilots battling fighter aircraft. US Navy SBD Dauntless vs. Mitsubishi Zero; US Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress vs. Mitsubishi Zeroes & Ki-46 Dinah; US Air Force F-105 Thunderchief vs. North…

Israeli Air Force Mirage III vs. Egyptian Air Force MiG-17 & MiG-19; defection of an Iraqi Air Force MiG-21; Israeli Air Force F-15 Eagle vs. Syrian Air Force MiG-21.

The HMS Hood is sunk, in retaliation Swordfish planes of the British Fleet Air Arm attack the main German battleship Bismarck with devastating results .

From World War One to Vietnam this program traces the evolution of the tactics and weapons used in aerial combat with archival footage, computer simulations and explanations by the pilots themselves.

Towards the end of World War II, Japan sent volunteer pilots on suicide attacks against American naval targets. Kamikaze attacks covered include those against the escort carrier USS St. Lo on October 25, 1944, and the destroyer USS Laffey…

In the skies over North Korea, F-86 Sabres battle MiG-15s. American pilots such as James Jabara, Ralph "Hoot" Gibson, and Ralph Parr are in pursuit of a previously unknown achievement — the title of jet ace.

The rugged P-47 Thunderbolt, or "jug" as it was known, was the largest single-seat fighter plane of World War II. The episode portrays aerial battles fought by Robert S. Johnson, George Sutcliffe, and Ken Dalhberg against Focke-Wulf…

The era of missiles had arrived, and electronic warfare was coming of age. But when technology failed, pilots were forced to fight the old-fashioned way — with guns. Clinton Johnson and Charles Hartman down a MiG-17 with propeller-driven…

Pilots of the Israeli Air Force. The episode covers combat missions flown by Ran Ronen and by "ace of aces" Giora Epstein. Ronen used the French-built Mirage III to engage Hawker Hunters. Epstein flew a Mirage against Egyptian Sukhoi…

Dogfighting was invented by the fighter pilots of World War I. Ernst Udet's Albatros D.III vs. Georges Guynemer's SPAD VII; Werner Voss, flying a Fokker triplane, battles six S.E.5a pilots, including James McCudden, Arthur Rhys Davids,…

On April 7, 1945, pilots of the German Sonderkommando Elbe ram their own aircraft into incoming American bombers.

It's where a pilot can ill afford to make a mistake...but where dogfights are inexorably drawn. Down on the deck-at treetop level-the margin for error is zero.

The history of dogfighting in darkness is covered. Radar equipped F6F Hellcats shoot down A6M2 Rufes, and P-61 Black Widows score kills in World War II. The F3D Skyknight downs a faster MiG-15 in the Korean War. USAF F-15 Eagles and F-117…

May 10, 1972, was the bloodiest day of air combat during the Vietnam War. American F-4 Phantoms, A-6 Intruders, and A-7 Corsairs fought against North Vietnamese MiG-21s and MiG-19s. The episode includes battles fought by Bob Lodge and…

In the European and Pacific theaters of World War II, the P-51 Mustang became one of the conflict's most successful and recognizable aircraft. The episode includes interviews with Mustang pilots Donald S. Bryan, Robert Scamara, and…

An EF-111 Raven is attacked by an Iraqi Mirage F-1 jet and American fighter pilots pit F-15 Eagles against Iraqi MiG-25s and advanced MiG-29s as part of Operation Desert Storm. American aviators James Denton, Brent Brandon, Larry Pitts,…

The Tuskegee Airmen were African-American pilots of the 332d Fighter Group. They distinguished themselves as one of the most successful fighter groups of World War II, despite the bigotry and prejudice they faced from their own…

Recalling Vietnam War battles involving F-4 Phantoms from the USS Midway. This episode portrays dogfights fought by J.C. Smith, Henry "Bart" Bartholomay, Pat Arwood, Mike "Taco" Bell, Ronald "Mugs" McKeown, and John C. "Jack" Ensch.

Travel back to three conflicts, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. See that for a fighter pilot, speed is your friend. And if the circumstances are right, speed kills. Your in the cockpit of a F4-U Corsair, a DH.98 Mosquito and a F-4 Phantom as you…

The Luftwaffe's last great offensive, called Operation Bodenplatte, occurred on January 1, 1945. Bob Brulle, Sanford K. Moats, Alden Rigby, and Richard Creamer were American pilots of the 352d Fighter Group whose airbase, known as Y-29,…

Secret weapons of World War II, including German Me 163 Komet rocket powered fighter planes, Japanese kaiten suicide submarines, and the American remote controlled airplanes of Operation Aphrodite.

Experience five future combat scenarios featuring modern 4.5 and 5th generation designs. First 4 F-22 Raptors engage Mikoyan MiG-29s, Sukhoi Su-30s and Dassault Rafales with the B-1R missile truck. The next scenario involves a group of…