Dogfights and Aerial Warfare

The untold story of the American 8th Air Force's bloody battle to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the months leading up to D-Day.

During WWI, bombs were delivered from giant airships designed by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Inspired by hot air balloons, these massive structures managed to fly long and far and still be lighter than air.

This special puts viewers in the cockpit to recreate four famous air battles, using computer graphics, animation, firsthand accounts, and archival footage to make these thrilling and dangerous dogfights come to life.

Flying at extreme altitudes and near supersonic speeds, the jet pilots of the Korean War gave the U.S. its edge. Meet the aces of "MiG Alley," the last of a special breed.

US 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 pit American aces against Russian-built MiG-15 fighters.

Colonel Robin Olds sets an intricate trap for the North Vietnamese MiG-21s by instructing his squadron, the Wolfpack, disguise their lethal F-4 Phantoms as vulnerable bombers. The result is the most elaborate air sting of the war.

Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, a courageous band of American mercenaries dare to challenge the overwhelming might of the Japanese Air Force.

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.

American F4 Phantom pilots Fred Olmsted and Dan Cherry take on the famed MiG-21, the most feared threat in the sky. Steve Ritchie becomes a dog-fighting legend as an Air Force Ace.

Archival footage and computer graphics recreate the air battles between the Japanese Zero and the F6F Hellcat.

In one of the longest, gut-wrenching dogfights on record, Lt. Commander Richard Schaffert takes on a lethal MiG-17 and the best enemy pilot he's ever faced.

In one of the most lopsided naval battles in history, a Japanese fleet led by Yamato, the biggest battle ship in the world, faces a small U.S. task unit of tin can destroyers.

The German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship on earth, breaks out into the North Atlantic. The British unleash every weapon in their arsenal to hunt down this Nazi terror.

Medal of Honor winner Jay Zeamer and his crew pit their B-17 bomber against 17 Japanese fighters in a battle for survival. Air Force Lt. Col. Leo Thorsness' F-105 Thunderchief takes on a flight of skilled MiG-17s over Vietnam.

The small Israeli Air Force delivers a knock-out punch to the Egyptians in the 1967 Six Day War.