Dogfights is an American military aviation themed television series depicting historical re-enactments of air-to-air combat that took place in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as smaller conflicts such as the Gulf War and the Six-Day War. The program consists of former fighter pilots sharing their stories of actual dogfights in which they took part, combined with computer-generated imagery (CGI) to give the viewer a better perspective of what it is like to engage in aerial combat.

Historical documentary format The show has simulated not only air combat, but also surface sea combat, as in the case of Taffy 3's stand against the Japanese Center Force, and the Royal Navy's pursuit and destruction of the , which included the Bismarck being hit by torpedo bombers. These episodes have been cited as a source for several English Wikipedia articles, such as the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Simulated models include views from the cockpit, pilots visible through canopies, and battle damage. Orders of battle, comparisons of aircraft, and dissections of particular maneuvers are also presented. Jet and prop powered aircraft and ships from various eras from the First World War to the late 20th century are featured. The series often presents interviews of pilots and experts, so far mostly Americans or their allies such as a survivor of (as was a German survivor of Bismarck), though the first episode of the second season showed interviews with Japanese and German pilots.

Creation of the series The series was created after the airing of a one-time special called Dogfights: The Greatest Air Battles in September 2005. That program's combination of realistic-looking CGI dogfights, interviews, period documentary footage, and voice-over narration proved so successful, that the History Channel requested the production of an entire TV series, which became Dogfights."Interview with Radical 3D about Visual Effects for Dogfights", NewTek.com, June 1, 2006 The original special continues to air occasionally and has been recently updated to reflect the current series logo.

Overview

In each episode, true historical dogfights of a certain battle or war are played out. Pilots from the actual fights are brought in to re-tell their accounts of the battles. Along with the battle, there are occasional scenes that describe the pilot's living conditions or events that have happened outside the battle. Each battle is told by the pilot and a special narrator. CGI effects are used, providing a realistic simulation. The show also describes the aircraft, showing diagrams on screen and taking some time to describe the advantages and disadvantages of each plane. It also describes and illustrates the air maneuvers and tactics used by the pilots. Usually, the battles are told by pilots of the winning side of each war or battle. Occasionally, there are other variants brought into a battle besides the planes. For example, a pilot may recount their experience destroying ship fleets, bombing enemy air fields, or dealing with Anti Aircraft fire from the ground, but the process is interrupted by enemy planes. After each battle, the show usually features a short biography about the pilots and the conflicts they were involved in, and then the credits roll.

Episode list

Pilot episode +No.TitleOriginal airdatePilot episode"The Greatest Air Battles"09/16/05US Army Air Service SPAD S.XIII piloted by Eddie Rickenbacker vs. Luftstreitkräfte Fokker D.VIIs and LVG C.VIs on September 25, 1918; US Army Air Force P-51 Mustang piloted by Bud Anderson vs. Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109s on May 27, 1944; US Air Force F-86 Sabre piloted by Frederick "Boots" Blesse vs. North Korean MiG-15s on October 2, 1952; US Navy F-4 Phantom II piloted by Duke Cunningham; and Willy "Irish" Driscoll vs. North Vietnamese MiG-17s (piloted by the elusive Colonel Toon) and MiG-21s on May 10, 1972.

Season one +No.TitleOriginal airdate01"MiG Alley"11/03/06US Air Force aces Robbie Risner and Ralph Parr fly the F-86 Sabre vs. the MiG-15 in the Korean War.02"Air Ambush"11/10/06US Army Air Force Flying ace Robin Olds pilots the P-38 Lightning vs. the Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109 in 1944. Also, Air Force F-4 Phantoms trick MiG-21s into a dogfight by disguising themselves as F-105 Thunderchiefs, natural prey of the North Vietnamese MiG-21s, in Operation Bolo on January 2, 1967.03"Flying Tigers"11/17/06Flying Tigers squadron; Leading Tiger aces Tex Hill and John R. Alison's P-40 Tomahawk vs. the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service's Ki-27 Nate, Ki-21 Sallys and Ki-43 Oscar.04"Guadalcanal"11/24/06Guadalcanal campaign aces; Captain John Lucian Smith and Medal of Honor recipients Jefferson J. DeBlanc and James E. Swett pilot the Grumman F4F Wildcat vs. the Mitsubishi Zeros, Mitsubishi F1M Petes, Aichi D3A Vals, and Nakajima Ki-43 Oscars.05"Hell Over Hanoi"12/01/06American pilots Fred Olmsted and Dan Cherry, and ace Steve Ritchie in USAF F-4 Phantoms fight North Vietnamese MiG-21s.06"The Zero Killer"12/08/06Robert Duncan, Hamilton McWhorter, and Alexander Vraciu fly the improved US Navy fighter Grumman F6F Hellcat in battles against Japanese Mitsubishi Zeroes and Nakajima A6M2-N Rufes.07"The Last Gunfighter"12/15/06US Navy pilots Paul Speer, Phil Wood, and Lieutenant Commander Richard Schaffert in the F-8 Crusader vs. North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-17s and MiG-21s.08"Death of the Japanese Navy"12/29/06The Leyte Gulf attack on Taffy 3, and the counterattack of destroyers, destroyer escorts, and escort carriers - namely the USS Johnston and USS Samuel B. Roberts - against an armored main battle force predominantly consisting of heavy cruisers and fast battleships in the Battle off Samar on October 25, 1944. Despite lacking suitable armament except for torpedoes, destroyers with carrier air support inflicted enough damage and confusion to send the Japanese force back without it accomplishing its primary goal. The episode also covers Operation Ten-Go, the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific campaign of World War II, and the sinking of the on April 7, 1945.09"Hunt for the Bismarck"01/05/07 is sunk and HMS Prince of Wales damaged on May 24, 1941, in the Battle of Denmark Strait by the German battleship Bismarck and the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. A hunt begins for the damaged German battleship by Force H, led by Admiral John Tovey. Swordfish biplanes from the carrier HMS Ark Royal of the British Fleet Air Arm attack the Bismarck, and the battleships HMS King George V, HMS Rodney, cruisers HMS Norfolk, HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Sheffield send it to the sea floor on May 27.10" Long Odds"01/12/07This episode showcases survival stories of bomber pilots battling fighter aircraft. US Navy pilot Stanley 'Swede' Vejtasa in a SBD Dauntless vs. the A6M Zero in the Battle of the Coral Sea; the US Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress 'Old 666' piloted by Jay Zeamer vs. A6M Zeroes & a Ki-46 "Dinah"; and Leo K. Thorsness in an F-105 Thunderchief vs. the North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-17 in the Vietnam War.11"Dogfights of the Middle East"01/19/07Israeli Air Force Mirage III vs. the Egyptian Air Force MiG-17 & MiG-19 during the Six-Day War; defection of Munir Redfa with an Iraqi Air Force MiG-21 in 1966; and Israeli Air Force F-15 Eagle vs. Syrian Air Force MiG-21 over Lebanon in 1979.

Season two