The Greatest Air Battle PART 9 OF 10

Duration: 10:39 minutes Upload Time: 2007-11-04 06:22:33 User: TheHistoryChannelTv :::: Favorites :::: Top Videos of Day

Description: 'Dog fighting' was not widely practiced until the First World War. In this gripping documentary, we return to the bloody skies above Europe, tracing the violent birth of mid-air combat. For most people, the futility and tragedy of the Great War is symbolised by the muddy trench network that criss-crossed France and Belgium from late 1914 onwards. However, the airborne dog fights of the First World War introduced a new kind of hero who hovered above the barbed wire and carnage - the 'lone warrior' of the air. We examine the dramatic aviation antics of Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen -- the 'Red Baron'. The German air squadron leader and flying ace was the most successful pilot of World War One; he is credited with eighty confirmed air combat victories. We reveal how the Baron downed his first two planes with a shotgun from the seat of his aircraft. We look at von Richthofen's contemporaries, on the German and Allied sides of the war. We reveal that when the deadliest warriors reached a total of five 'kills' in the sky, they were awarded the new title of 'Ace'. The dramatic first episode of our series paves the way for a comprehensive examination of the history of dogfighting. After almost a century, the character of aerial combat is essentially no different from the style practiced by von Richthofen. However, at 1,500 miles per hour, today's pilots travel more than ten times as fast as the flying aces of World War One. Impressive computer animations, interviews with the aviation aces themselves, and authentic historical footage, combine to present viewers with an incredibly vivid picture of modern airborne gladiatorial combat. We evoke the dangers and excitement inherent in playing 'the world's most dangerous game'.