Product Description

History's most thrilling aerial battles can now be experienced as never before--from inside the cockpit. Legendary aircraft like the F8 Crusader the F6F Hellcat the P40 Tomahawk and more are brought back to life as DOGFIGHTS takes viewers straight into the heat of the aerial action.The original pilots themselves narrate these battles illuminating the capabilities and histories of these magnificent aircraft the enemies they faced and the realities of life as a fighter pilot. Filled with astounding state-of-the-art CGI technology all eleven episodes of the first season of DOGFIGHTS revitalize some of the most thrilling and captivating life-or-death battles ever fought.Witness some of the most celebrated dogfights in modern history as the pilots strap back in and recall their memories of these historic engagements from Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal North Korea to the Solomon Islands and Vietnam to the Middle East.Runtime: 517 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 733961769951 Manufacturer No: AAE-76995

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14925 in DVD
• Brand: A&E HOME ENT.
• Released on: 2007-04-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 517 minutes

Features

• History's most thrilling aerial battles can now be experienced as never before--from inside the cockpit. Legendary aircraft like the F8 Crusader, the F6F Hellcat, the P40 Tomahawk, and more are brought back to life as DOGFIGHTS takes viewers straight into the heat of the aerial action. The original pilots themselves narrate these battles, illuminating the capabilities and histories of these

Amazon.com
Detailed digital re-creations of aerial combat are the obvious highlight of Dogfights, but the greatest value of this popular History Channel series lies in its assembly of priceless interviews with veteran pilots who fought in history's most dangerous dogfights and lived to tell the tale. As an oral and visual history that will enthrall viewers of all ages, the series pays tribute to these men and their remarkable skill, and their vivid recollections ensure that this series will be discussed and studied for many years to come. Filling four DVDs, these 11 first-season episodes run about 43 minutes in length, with each episode focusing on specific dogfights where "you're in the pilot's seat" for a breathtaking study of how these potentially deadly aerial encounters began, developed, and concluded. From the biplanes of World War I to the F-15 Eagles of the U.S. and Israeli Air Forces, the series re-creates legendary dogfights with computer-generated aircraft so authentically detailed (including accurate paint-schemes and military markings) that you can even see the rivets in their fuselages. With CGI pilots nestled in their cockpits, these airplanes look and move like the real thing, and while other details such as aircraft debris, flames, explosions, and crashes are rendered in video-game quality resolution (i.e., not state-of-the-art but sufficiently impressive) the aerial activity also includes gun-tracers, rockets, and missiles that are instantly convincing. As you learn about strategic maneuvers like the "Thatch Weave" and "Rolling Scissors," the only thing missing is the G-forces you'd feel if you were actually flying the planes.

With highlights too numerous to mention individually, each episode follows a precise and logical structure, thrusting the viewer into the chaos of combat, then supplementing the visual excitement with detailed schematics and comparison charts of aircraft on both sides of battle. Each chart examines the characteristic strengths and weaknesses of the aircraft involved (from structural integrity to weapons systems, maximum speed, climbing rates, etc.), and archival footage of the actual aircraft in action is accompanied by background history and pilot testimonials. Although most of the action is taken from Pacific theater combat of World War II, dogfights from the Vietnam War (as in "The Last Gunfighter," a tribute to the F8 Crusader) and the Middle East are also included. Among the most thrilling episodes are "Long Odds" (focusing on the heroic endurance of WWII Navy Ace "Swede" Vejtasa and Medal of Honor winner Jay Zeamer) and "Hunt for the Bismarck," a riveting study of aerial supremacy over Germany's legendary battleship. As a bonus feature on disc 1, the feature-length pilot episode "Dogfights: Greatest Air Battles" was produced a year before the 2006 premiere of Dogfights and offers a more generalized history of aerial combat and flying-ace heroes. Also included is "Dogfights: The Planes," a featurette compilation of individual aircraft profiles culled from the series proper. Unfortunately, Dogfights is presented in "plain" widescreen (i.e., not enhanced for widescreen TVs), and subtitles and closed captioning are not included. These are the only drawbacks in a four-disc set that's an absolute must-have for military buffs, future "Top Gun" candidates and anyone interested in the history of aerial combat. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Great Program, Better Price Available
The History Channel's "Dogfights" series is a huge step forward for air combat documentaries. Rarely can gun camera footage capture what actually happened in a dogfight. Instead you just see the final couple seconds before the target explodes. The "Dogfights" episodes overcome this limitation by adding in computer-generated reenactments of the air battles that make you feel like you are there watching it all unfold right in front of you. You come away with a much better appreciation of the tactics. For archival footage fans, don't worry--there is still plenty of that in these programs. But because they also have the vivid computer imagery, the episodes don't have to rely on showing the same stock footage over and over and over. I especially appreciated this for the jet era battles, where there is generally a short supply of good footage. In particular, I thought the "Mig Alley" episode was a tremendous improvement over previous pre-CGI documentaries about the air war in Korea. And in that episode, the reenactment of Robby Risner's epic mission is the most incredible air battle story I have ever seen.

The whole series is amazing. It is absolutely essential viewing for anyone interested in air combat. That said, let me also offer three minor warnings:

1. Air battles in Europe during World War 2 get surprisingly little coverage in Season 1--only a episode of "Greatest Air Battles" bonus episode and a flashback in the "Air Ambush" episode about Robin Olds. Likewise, World War I air combat is not covered except at the beginning of the "Greatest Air Battles" episode.

2. There is a glitch on the "Greatest Air Battles" episode. When I hit 'play all' or 'introduction' for that episode, it starts with Rickenbacker's mission. It seems like the logical starting point, but that isn't actually the start of the episode. There is a lot of interesting material before that, but you have to manually rewind in order to get the real beginning of the episode.

3. When last I checked, you could get "Dogfights" for much less money from Deep Discount.

Finally, if you want to learn more about the dogfights of World War 2, I strongly recommend VICTORY ROLL by William Wolf. This massive book (460+ pages with over 600 photos) is the most comprehensive history of all the US aces from World War 2 that I have ever encountered.

Great show, but I'll wait for anamorphic widescreen.
I love this show but I talked with one of the guys who made the series and he said that (except for the pilot) the series was recorded in high definition widescreen format, so the fact that it's only been released in 4x3 widescreen format (i.e. black bars at the top, bottom and sides when viewed on a widescreen TV) is a huge letdown for me. I'll wait and hope that it gets re-released now that The History Channel knows what a popular show they have on their hands. If not there's always the hope that they'll get their act together for series 2.

I desperately want to buy this series, but there's absolutely no way that I'll buy it unless it's at least in anamorphic widescreen. In a year and a half no TV show is going to broadcast in low definition anymore so the poor quality of non-anamorphic transfers is going to be very apparent to everyone.

Let me put it very bluntly - any widescreen show made in the last year that's put on DVD in non-anamorphic format is an outright swindle. The folks at The History Channel should know better than to serve their customers so shabbily.

[Edit]
Having now seen episodes from the second season in high definition on History Channel HD I can say that the difference in quality is HUGE. This series should have the anamorphic treatment it deserves. As it is, in non-anamorphic letterboxed format, viewers are seeing only half the definition of an anamorphic transfer, and that's only about half the definition of a HD transfer. Anamorphic would be acceptable, non-anamorphic is definitely not. I just hope History Channel HD starts showing the first season in high definition, so that at least we'll see the episodes in their original format.

An absolute-must own set for any military or aviation buff
I have seen each of these episodes and TiVo'd them since this show's debut. This has to be one of the best-ever military aviation programs to hit the airwaves. The stories are riveting, most told from first-hand accounts using interviews with some of the original aces or their fellow squadron members. There are recounts told from several military conflict eras... WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Six Days War and more. The beautifully-done CGI graphics are better than any video game created... they are exhilirating. The usage of interactive maps, graphs and diagrams make it all much easier to comprehend - you really understand the strategy and tactics involved for all of the battles. The SOUND is unbelievable, the narration not overdone and even the music score is extremely good for a cable show - use surround and turn it up LOUD... wow. The whole show is woven into a tapestry of inside information, education and wholesome solid entertainment. It's so good, you almost forget you are watching a history program. I have all of these on DVD recorded from my TiVo, but this is so good and rewatchable, I will most likely purchase this set. I highly recommend this to any aviation fan or miltary buff, even the casual ones (such as myself) - or even for those slightly curious about the subject. Even gamers will enjoy this series as the reenactments feel like playing a high-end video game or combat flight simulator. My 10 year-old son watches these with me, glued to the tv and never gets fidgety or bored... that should tell you a lot. I am so happy these have been released in such a nice set... thanks, A&E and History Channel. Major kudos!