Clash of Wings is a 15-episode documentary television series which originally aired in 1998 on the Discovery Channel. The hour-long episodes were some of the initial shows of Discovery Network's 1999 launch of the Discovery Wings and later the 2005 launch of the Military Channel. Based on the Clash of Wings (1994) reference book by air historian Walter J. Boyne[1], the programs were produced in 1998 and aired the next year appearing as some of the initial original content in the launch of the new Discovery Wings cable channel (before its name change in 2005 to the Military Channel). The programs were hosted and partially narrated and written by Boyne, (also credited as associate producer) together with director-producer John Honey, and presented by executive producer Phillip Osborn. The effort adapted his encyclopedic work of the same name.[citation needed]
Like many World War IIdocumentaries involving aircraft, the displayed content uses many scenes from gun camera footage and other military films now in the public domain. The series also interspersed color film of surviving combat aircraft types from multiple camera angles and in a variety of operations modes. Unlike many documentaries about the era, the series makes no effort to present on-camera interviews, instead focusing on an overarching narrative appropriate to that episode's specific title. Boyne is not the sole narrator, but uses multiple narrators to describe details while Boyne ties the segments together as host.[citation needed]
Series scope
The first air attack of World War II officially commenced at 04:34 hours on September 1, 1939, when three LuftwaffeJu 87 Stukas attacked railway bridges in Poland. The air war effectively ended at 10:58 hours on August 9, 1945, when a solitary B-29 Superfortress over the Japanese city of Nagasaki dropped the second atomic bomb. The Stukas carried 250kg bombs: the A-bomb dropped by the B-29 was equivalent to 23,000 tons of TNT and couldn't have been lifted by any plane besides the B-29s.
Based on the international bestselling book by Walter Boyne, director of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, the Clash of Wings series covers the air war in every theatre from 1939 to 1945.
List of episodes
The series ran one season, with frequent repeats at other times. It currently[when?] airs from time to time on the Military Channel.[2]
The Mediterranean Theatre: Britain faced Germany and its Italian allies in the battle for supremacy over the Mediterranean and Northern Africa. American airmen later joined the British in their struggle for Europe. Aircraft featured: P-40E, CR.42 Falco, G.50 Frecchia, Fiat G.55, Folgore, Hurricane, Wellington, Swordfish, Ju 87 Stuka, Bf 109, P-38 Lightning, P-39 Airacobra and B-25 Mitchell.[7]
The War in the Pacific Islands: The Pacific War with Japan reached a crucial turning point with the Battles of Guadalcana l and New Guinea. Japanese expansion in the Pacific region was halted for the first time and the tide slowly began to turn. Aircraft featured: Hellcat, Wildcat, Corsair, Zero, G4M Betty, D3A Val, P-40, Dauntless, Avenger, P-38, B-17 and C-47 Skytrain (Dakota).[9]
The Cost of Incompetence
The Allied Dominance in the Pacific: America and the Allied forces set their sites on the home islands of Japan and in doing so liberated much of the Japanese-held Pacific. Japan, however struck back with a terrifying new weapon: the Kamikaze attack. Aircraft featured: Hellcat, B-17, B-24, B-25, P-38, P-47, C-47, F-4 Reporter, P-39, P-40, Corsair, Helldiver, Zero, Avenger and B-29.[10]
Round the Clock Bombing
The Allied Bombing Campaign of Germany: After Britain's somewhat faltered start to the bombing campaign of Germany in 1940 and the entry of the United States into the war the allies quickly developed precision area bombing into a highly effective assault with incredibly devastating results. Aircraft featured: B-17, Wellington, Hampden, Whitley, Stirling, Halifax, Lancaster, Bf 109, Fw 190 and Bf 110.[11]
Air Superiority Lost and Won
Allied Might versus German Technology: The combined day and night bombing of German cities was chiefly responsible for turning the tide of the air war against Germany. Germany's response was a case of too little too late with the development of a highly sophisticated night fighter force and the introduction of Jet and Rocket powered fighters. Aircraft featured: P-38 Lightning, Mosquito, He 219 Owl, Lancaster, P-51 Mustang, Bf 110, Typhoon, Me 262, Arado Ar 234 and Me 163.[12]
The Evolution of the Fighter in World War II: The World War II period saw the development of the fighter aircraft from the biplane through to the introduction of the first jet fighter aircraft. Aircraft featured in this volume include the Mustang, Spitfire, Hurricane, Bf 109, Bf 110, P-40, P-38 and A6M Zero.
The Bombers
The Evolution of the Bomber in World War II: Never before had the bomber been needed and used so effectively than in World War II. Its necessity brought forward its evolution from simple twin-engined medium bombers through to the four engined radar equipped super bombers like the B-29 Superfortress and Lancaster. Aircraft featured in this volume include the Lancaster, Mosquito, Wellington, B-17, B-24, B-25, B-26, He 111, Do 17, Ju 88, Val, Kate and Betty.[14]
Return to the Pacific
Focuses on the role of air support in the allied roll back and advances against the multiple layered Japanese defenses in the Pacific Oceans. Surveys the Pacific War in the Central and Southwest Pacific Ocean theaters, with brief mentions of land combat and major focus on air contributions to reducing Imperial Japanese control of land and sea.
The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and served the Axis in World War II from beginning to end (1939–1945).
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance.
A heavy fighter is a historic category of fighter aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s, designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges than light fighter aircraft. To achieve performance, most heavy fighters were twin-engine, and many had multi-place crews; this was in contrast to light fighters, which were typically single-engine and single-crew aircraft. In Germany, these larger fighters were known as Zerstörer ("destroyer").
The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a Schnellbomber intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing aircraft, the lightly built craft had a twin tail and "shoulder wing". Sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift, it was popular among its crews due to its handling, especially at low altitude, which made the Do 17 harder to hit than other German bombers.
The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") is a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, also used on the Ju 88G and Bf 110G night fighters. It was also the first operational military aircraft to be equipped with ejection seats and the first operational German World War II-era aircraft with tricycle landing gear. Had the Uhu been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect on the strategic night bombing offensive of the Royal Air Force; however, only 294 of all models were built by the end of the war and these saw only limited service. Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow was the leading night fighter ace on the He 219. Modrow was credited with 33 of his 34 night air victories on the type.
The Dornier Do 335Pfeil ("Arrow") is a heavy fighter built by Dornier for Germany during World War II. The Pfeil's performance was predicted to be better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique push-pull configuration and the lower aerodynamic drag of the in-line alignment of the two engines. It was Nazi Germany's fastest piston-engined aircraft of World War II. The Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant that only a handful were delivered before the war ended.
Schräge Musik, which may also be spelled Schraege Musik, was a common name for the fitting of an upward-firing autocannon or machine gun, to an interceptor aircraft, such as a night fighter. The term was introduced by the German Luftwaffe during World War II. "Schräge Musik" was previously a German colloquialism, meaning music that featured an unusual tuning and/or time signature. The standard usage of the adjective schräg is often translated as "slanting" or "oblique", but its slang usage is often translated as "weird" or "strange".
A medium bomber is a military bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized bombloads over medium range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers. Mediums generally carried about two tons of bombs, compared to light bombers that carried one ton, and heavies that carried four or more.
The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II Luftwaffe twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called Schnellbomber that would be too fast for fighters of its era to intercept. It suffered from technical problems during its development and early operational periods but became one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the war. Like a number of other Luftwaffe bombers, it served as a bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, heavy fighter and at the end of the war, as a flying bomb.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1939:
The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed in the early 1930s, and employed by various air forces on both sides during World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry ten passengers. Two were delivered to Swissair and five to Deutsche Luft Hansa. In addition a single civilian Ju 86Z was delivered to Sweden's AB Aerotransport.
Kampfgeschwader 200 was a German Luftwaffe special operations unit during World War II. The unit carried out especially difficult bombing and transport operations and long-distance reconnaissance flights, tested new aircraft designs and operated captured aircraft.
The Battle of Britain was an effort by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) during the summer and autumn of 1940 to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom in preparation for the planned amphibious and airborne forces invasion of Britain by Operation Sea Lion. Neither the German leader Adolf Hitler nor his High Command of the Armed Forces believed it was possible to carry out a successful amphibious assault on Britain until the RAF had been neutralised. Secondary objectives were to destroy aircraft production and ground infrastructure, to attack areas of political significance, and to terrorise the British people into seeking an armistice or surrender.
Wings is an hour-long televised aviation history documentary television series which aired on the Discovery Channel family of networks. It was produced by Phil Osborn.
The Bordkanone 3,7 was a German 3.7 cm (1.46 in) anti-tank/bomber autocannon of World War II and based on the earlier 3.7 cm (1.46 in) 3.7 cm Flak 18 made by Rheinmetall.
The Dornier Do 417 was a twin-engine multirole combat aircraft. Developed in 1942, it resulted from the Luftwaffe's request for a medium bomber, a contest in which Dornier, Junkers, Heinkel, and Blohm & Voss competed. In the end, the Junkers Ju 188 was chosen by the Luftwaffe, and the Do 417 never entered production.
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