Warbirds of WWII Air War Over Europe

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 for freedom.

B-24 LIBERATOR

Never loved like the B-17, the B-24 Liberator was meant to be the bomber that would finally break the back of the Germans. Watch in horror 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.

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 supremecy in the air. the Luftwaffe, working closely with German army units on the ground, seemed on the verge of world domination. However, with America's entrrance into the war, the battle for the skies over Europe was on. Even with Germany throwing advance warplanes such as the ME 262 jet at the Allied planes, the Lufftwaffe was falling apart at the seams. Relive the harrowing accounts of these battles as told by both German and American pilots.

3 hours
Color and B&W