Episodes
1. George Beurling
January 7, 2013
60 min
Canadian George Beurling broke every rule in the book yet became one of the greatest fighter pilots of World War II. A loner and a social misfit, Beurling’s disdain for protocol branded him an outcast. Regardless, during the Battle of Malta no Allied pilot shot down more enemy planes. Against staggering odds, Beurling’s eagle-eye marksmanship and extraordinary command of his Spitfire helped win a crucial victory against the fascist powers.
2. Douglas Bader
January 14, 2013
60 min
In July 1940, Britain's most celebrated air ace, Douglas Bader, and his ragtag squadron of Canadian fighter pilots, go into battle against Hitler's mighty Luftwaffe. The outcome of the Battle of Britain will determine the future of the free world. But Bader is also fighting his own personal battle. Just eight years earlier a catastrophic accident cost him both his legs.
3. Red Tails
60 min
Red Tails - They were young, gifted, and black but the US Army refused them key positions. Until intense pressure from African-American activist groups pushed President Roosevelt to initiate a Blacks-only fighter pilot training program in Tuskegee, Alabama. What began as a revolutionary experiment gave birth to a potent fighting force that would help take Nazi Germany out of the skies and, in the process, change the course of American history.
4. Robin Olds
January 28, 2013
60 min
In July 1966, North Vietnam's fleet of MiG-21s was hammering the US Air Force, and the embattled men of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing need a hero to whip them into shape. Enter Colonel Robin Olds, a WWII veteran airman, who charges in and commands respect.
5. Wing Walkers
60 min
Like all the Allied bombers of World War II, the crew of the Lancaster ME669 had one of the most dangerous jobs in the Air Force: to dodge deadly enemy fire and drop mega-tonnes of high-powered explosives over Nazi Germany.