WARBIRDS OF WORLD WAR II

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SUMMARY:
Profiles of the key war planes that ruled the skies of World War II, starting with the B-17 ãFlying Fortressä, the P-47 Thunderbolts and the P-51 Mustangs, to the mighty B-29 ãSuperfortressä. Witness the P-38 ãLightningä and the P-40 ãWarhawkä in early battles and watch the B-24 ãLiberatorsä as they pulverize the Reich. Also the surprise performance of the Mitsubitshi A6M Zero, the Messerschmitt, the Hawker Hurricane, Griffon Supermarine Spitfire, Grumman Hellcat, the Corsair and the B-25 Mitchell.

DIRECTED BY: Lanny Lee
PRODUCED BY: Norm Anderson
DOCUMENTARY, 3 DVD, 9 x 1 hr, 2002

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Color / B&W
• Interactive Menu
• Chapter Selection

DETAILED SYNOPSIS:
Domination of the air during WWII was a critical element to ultimate victory. From the Battle of Britain to the daring daylight bombing raids over Europe, this is the story of the men and machines that faced off everyday in a deadly struggle for freedom. With insightful comments from those who were there, this series is a fascinating look back at the unbelievable bravery and heroics of the airmen who helped bring final victory to Europe.

Episode 1:
B-17 Flying Fortress
Beloved by pilots and crews for its durability and high altitude performance, the B-17 Flying Fortress was the dominant heavy bomber in the early years of World War II. This program looks back at the development and history of the B-17. Through experiences of the pilots and crews who were there, it recounts the battles that raged in the skies over Europe as the German interceptors faced off with the B-17 gunners in a life or death struggle.

Episode 2:
B-24 Liberator
The B-24 Liberator was meant to be the bomber that would finally break the back of the Germans. Watch as you are hurled back in time, right into the devastating air battles of World War II. Told through eyewitness accounts of B-24 crews, this program examines the role the B-24 played in pulverizing the German war machine from the air.

Episode 3:
P-47
A big, bare-knuckled brawler of a fighter, the P-47 combined rugged durability with devastating firepower. Built to be the ultimate high altitude fighter of the war, the Thunderbolt helped drive the Luftwaffe from the skies of Europe. The P-47 also proved to be a lethal fighter-bomber, destroying tens of thousands of trucks, tanks and trains.

Episode 4:
P-51 Mustang
The P-51 Mustang rose from the obscurity to become the greatest long-range fighter in aviation history. Able to outfly even the best of the Axis aircraft, the Mustang flashed none of its war-winning potential. We trace the P-51âs development from its origins through its re-emergence as the dominant aerial weapon of World War II.

Episode 5:
Fighters Of The RAF
Follow us as Churchillâs famous ãFewä relate their incredible experiences during some of the greatest air campaigns of World War II. From the Battle of Britain, to the siege of Malta and the flaming fighter-bomber cauldron over Normandy, the brave men of the RAF helped turn the tide against the Luftwaffe and paved the way for ultimate victory.

Episode 6:
Defenders Of The Reich
The success of the German army in the first half of World War II was due in large part to German supremacy in the air. The Luftwaffe, working closely with German army units on the ground, seemed on the verge of world domination. However, with Americaâs entrance into the war, the battle for the skies over Europe was on. Even with Germany throwing advance warplanes such as the Me 262 jet a t the Allied planes, the Luftwaffe was falling apart at the seams. Relive the harrowing accounts of these battles as told by both German and American pilots.

Episode 7:
Attack Air
Forged in the fires of World War Iâs brutal trench warfare, attack aviation emerged as the one hope to break the gruesome stalemate on the ground. In World War II, attack aviation reached its zenith of success as both the Axis and Allies refined it to a deadly art. Fly with our veterans as they dodge trees, flak and fighters during their zero-altitude missions against enemy ground targets.

Episode 8:
B-29
It was the largest plane of its era. Sleek, fast, revolutionary, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress embodied the latest technology and the newest engines. Its wings held more fuel than a railroad tank car. Its engines burned hundreds of gallons of oil per mission. And inside its pressurized fuselage, it carried the latest avionics, the most advanced radar systems, and a unique targeting computer system for its defensive gun turrets. A technical marvel that had no peer in the air or even on Axis drawing boards, it was the warâs most awesome bomber.

Episode 9:
P-38
It was futuristic, exotic looking and as sleek as they came in the late 1930âs. Fast and deceptively agile, it left a trail of destruction in its wake and helped conquer the skies in both Europe and the Pacific during WWII. They called it a fighter, but for those unfamiliar with its power, it looked too big for that role. From tip to tip, its wingspan stretched 52 feet and its twin booms were each 37 feet long. Yet for all its abundant size, in the right hands, the Lockheed P-38 Lightningâs lethal combinations of speed, agility, firepower and durability devastated its opponents.

Extra Features
Allied Airmen POWs
Find out what it was like to be a POW in Germany during World War II. First person accounts, rare photos and archival footage are woven together to tell the story of these brave young men. From their disastrous final missions to their joyful liberation, see how life was like for those who were locked up behind the wire deep in enemy territory.

Fighter Tactics 101
Follow the evolution of air combat tactics during World War II through the experiences of the pilots who flew the nimble and deadly fighter aircraft. See how aircraft performance dictated tactics and determined who would live and who would die in the skies over Europe.


DISC ONE:
B-17 Flying Fortress - B-24 Liberator - EXTRA: Allied Airmen POW's

DISC TWO:
P-47 - P-51 Mustang - EXTRA: Fighter Tactics 101

DISC THREE:
RAF - Defenders of the Reich - EXTRA: Attack Air

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