Episodes
1. The First Dogfighters
December 31, 2009
45 min
Ever imagine what it would be like to participate in the most historic air battles of all time? Imagine no more. DOGFIGHTS puts you in the cockpit to re-create famous air-to-air engagements. Computer graphics, animation, firsthand accounts, and archival footage make these thrilling and dangerous dogfights all too real. Travel back to the dawn of air combat, WWI, when dogfighting was at its purest. Experience a time when, with open cockpits and unaided targeting, aces literally saw the whites of their foes' eyes. In canvas-and-wire biplanes, these dashing warriors engaged in classic duels, inventing tactics as they flew. In THE FIRST DOGFIGHTERS, cinch your goggles and fly with the first great aces of WWI. Witness as Ernst Udet goes one-on-one with Georges Guynemer. See how Werner Voss faced down an entire squadron of British aces.
2. Red Baron and the Wings of Death
December 31, 2009
45 min
The legendary World War I flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen, managed 80 kills over WWI Europe. Watch this pioneer of the dogfight as he meets his greatest challenge- a warplane seemingly designed for the express purpose of bringing him down. April 1917: the most feared pilot of World War I is at the controls of the best fighter plane of the day. A 24-year-old legend at the top of his game, Manfred von Richthofen is up against a new generation of enemy aircraft designed to break the supremacy of the German Albatros, the Sopwith Triplane. It will demand all of the Red Baron's considerable skill just to survive.
3. Airships in WW1
December 31, 2009
45 min
From bombing runs to the high-flying spy balloons that soared out of the reach of enemy planes and guns, see how airships, dirigibles and zeppelins affected World War I.
4. Mystery U-Boat of WWI
December 31, 2009
45 min
A veteran of the brutal naval battles of World War I, the German submarine UB-107 was discovered on the floor of the North Sea in 1985. An important find itself, it harbored a surprise that would force experts to re-examine the records of the epic conflict. Join John Chatterton and the DEEP SEA DETECTIVES as they descend 100 feet into cold and murky waters to explore this remarkable site. Entwined in the remains of the submarine is the wreck of the British steamship Malvina, which was supposedly sunk a week after the UB-107, and thirty miles away! Historians and divers help piece together the clues left behind by these ghosts of World War I.
