On May 17th. 1943 the Royal Air Force carried out one of the most remarkable bombing raids ever undertaken by a handful of skilled aircrew prepared to risk their lives attacking a seemingly impossible target.
From the early race to build gliders to the D-Day invasion at Normandy and Nazi Germany's final surrender, "Silent Wings - The American Glider Pilots of WWII" narrated by Hal Holbrook, reveals the critical role gliders played in World War II offensives. Through rare archival footage and photographs, the film places the audience right at the center of the action in the dangerous world of the American glider pilot. During WWII, 6000 young Americans volunteered to fly large unarmed cargo gliders into battle. For these glider pilots every mission was do-or-die. It was their task to repeatedly risk their lives landing the men and tools of war deep within enemy-held territory, often in complete darkness. Thousands of lives were saved and battles won because of their efforts. In fact, one pilot interviewed said - the 'G' in their emblem didn't stand for glider; it stood for 'guts.' Features include: - Virtual walk-through tour of the Silent Wings Museum in Lubbock, Texas
A rare insight into the military career and personal life of Germany's most famous Second World War commander, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Told from the perspective of his son Manfred, it tells what happens when a career soldier runs afoul of a dictator. Highly decorated and one of Hitler's favourite commanders in the early years of World War II, the 'Desert Fox' was something of an enigma. Never a member of the Nazi party, Rommel detested the blending of politics and war. He would quickly discover that both were always in play in Hitler's Germany. Greg Kinnear narrates.
It’s a mission like no other – flying unarmed helicopters into the teeth of battle to save the lives of the wounded in war. From the legendary pioneers of Army MEDEVAC in Korea and Vietnam to the front-line “Dustoff” missions in the deserts of the Middle East, "When I Have Your Wounded" carries viewers through a harrowing, heroic, life-saving revolution in battlefield medicine, a revolution forged by the unhesitating, uncompromising dedication of soldiers who put their own lives on the line so that others may live. Join today’s heroes of Dustoff as they rescue wounded from the front lines in Afghanistan and meet yesterday’s pioneers as they recount the birth and tests of the U.S. Army’s most noble mission…"When I Have Your Wounded: The DUSTOFF Legacy."
The Blitz saw over 40,000 civilians killed and more than a million houses destroyed in London when the German's conducted mass air attacks. Eighty years on, we look at the build-up to the raids and detailed footage of the destruction that followed. With interviews from those who lived through it and stories of sadness and bravery, at a time when Britain held strong and swore not to surrender.
Chronicles the building and dedication of the first-ever United States Navy monument in Normandy, France. Dozens of interviews with Navy D-Day veterans are included. New England region Emmy Awards for writing and photography. Airing on American Public Television. —Tim Gray
This is the story of Navy squadron VF-17, the amazing Jolly Rogers. Flying their beloved "Hogs," the F4U-1 Corsair, they cleared the skies of 154 Japanese planes in 76 days of combat over the Solomon Islands. While never losing a bomber to enemy attack, Fighting 17 destroyed the heart of Japanese fighter command over Bougainville and Rabaul paving the way for the Allied advance in the Pacific. As related by the squadron's skipper, Tom Blackburn, and four of his men, the events of 1943-44 are enhanced by splendid film footage, personal photographs, and the memories of those who were there. This is the true story, the excitement, the agony, humor and sadness of a legendary tour of duty that will never be forgotten as long as pilots take to the air in combat.
World War II, the island of Borneo, seven American downed airmen face an epic battle for survival in a dense jungle. Natives wielding blowpipes and spears are said to be headhunters along with Japanese soldiers hunting them down. To their rescue comes a British major hellbent on taking the war into his own hands. Together they will attempt one of the most audacious escapes of the war.
In Warriors of Honor: The Faith and Legacy of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, documentary filmmaker Brian Barkley chronicles the role that religion played for the two military leaders, while also presenting an in-depth look at the Civil War. During battles, Lee often asked for God's guidance and used his faith to help him make military decisions. Jackson, a deacon at his church, accepted his death from a war injury as God's will.
Dave Evans was a renowned prosthetist, humanitarian and peace activist. A double amputee himself, he dedicated his post-military career to transforming lives shattered by these seemingly never-ending, interchangeable wars. From Syrian refugees in a prosthetics clinic in Amman, Jordan, to the fallout of war in places like Iraq, Dave chose a life of service to others.
A patriot risked his death to assassinate a Japanese staff officer, hiding the secret information of the Japanese army's military operations in Shanghai in the "Centennial Tai Sui", and the Zhang family father and daughter secretly sent the "Hundred Years Tai Sui" to Shanghai. When they arrived in Shanghai, the father and daughter of the Zhang family died mysteriously, and Qin Taisui, an apprentice in the theater class, was inadvertently involved in this murder case, and the "Hundred Years Taisui" fell into the hands of Shanghai gangster Zhuo Yifan and was auctioned at a high price. At the same time, Qin Taisui, who wanted to clear his grievances, began to investigate the truth of the matter, joined forces with the patriotic anti-Japanese secret organization, and fought fiercely with the Japanese secret agencies to recapture the secret military intelligence, and finally walked towards the bright road through the baptism of blood and fire.
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of German-occupied France (and later western Europe) and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.