Started at 8AM Eastern! One of my favorite History Channel offerings.

I LOVE what they're doing, with the following criticisms:

I've had enough WWII US navy dogfights. These folks seem to think the entire war took place in the Pacific, with Navy pilots. Considering Dick Bong got 40 kills with P-38s, I think it's a bit lopsided. And they have yet to do a WWII European theater dogfight. The 56th FG should have plenty of stories - Bob Johnson's famous Fw-190 encounter is certainly worthy.

WWI is being completely ignored. Hell, the dogfight was BORN then!

Enemy aces' stories should be tols as well. Hartmann, Rall, Sakai...

How about some WWII British action? The Battle of Britain alone should serve up quite a few decent subjects for the show.

And, given the name of the show, what in the WORLD are episodes on the sinking of the Bismark and the Yamato doing on this show?!?!?!? :freak: Yes, airplanes were involved in both events, but the show is called "dogfights," not "bombing large impossible-to-miss ships" :rolleyes:

Oh, and, my stomach has had quite enough of the "zoom past and shake the camera like it was really on a helicopter" shots. It was cute once or twice, but I'm getting really sick of it being use so continually.

All that aside (:)), I've been loving it.

...they have yet to do a WWII European theater dogfight...
They had at least one, involving an ME109.

...WWI is being completely ignored. Hell, the dogfight was BORN then!...
Wasn't there was one, about Richthofen and the Albatross? Maybe that was a different show.

There's a Modern Marvels tonight, about "Secret Luftwaffe Aircraft of WWII".

Just my luck I find this thread a day late, it figures.

^^Don't worry, they'll do it again and show the same shows over and over again.

Speaking of WWI: I agree entirely. That is probably the most overlooked 20th century war of them all.

It's strange that the War Between the States is given more coverage in documentaries when there is so much live action film footage of WWI. :confused:

It was a more confusing war in many respects. It was much more ambiguous in its entangling treaties that resulted in a mess in Europe that Wilson happily piled onto (at the encouragement of industrial barons who made a lot of money). Our "coming to Europe's rescue" also helped lay the groundwork for Lenin and Hitler's respective rises to power.

But, for me, the ambiguity of the war is, dramatically and historically, one of its great appeals. What is more tragic than senseless warfare and the needless sacrifice of millions?

Well, there is Flyboys [now out on DVD!] It's WWI filmed like a star wars battle. Wow, cgi is kewl.

Well, there is Flyboys [now out on DVD!] It's WWI filmed like a star wars battle. Wow, cgi is kewl.

I plan on seeing it despite the nits to pick.

I've always appreciated the care and talent in the authentic recreation of air battles in Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels.

I LOVE what they're doing, with the following criticisms:

I've had enough WWII US navy dogfights. These folks seem to think the entire war took place in the Pacific, with Navy pilots. Considering Dick Bong got 40 kills with P-38s, I think it's a bit lopsided. And they have yet to do a WWII European theater dogfight. The 56th FG should have plenty of stories - Bob Johnson's famous Fw-190 encounter is certainly worthy.

WWI is being completely ignored. Hell, the dogfight was BORN then!

Enemy aces' stories should be tols as well. Hartmann, Rall, Sakai...

How about some WWII British action? The Battle of Britain alone should serve up quite a few decent subjects for the show.

And, given the name of the show, what in the WORLD are episodes on the sinking of the Bismark and the Yamato doing on this show?!?!?!? :freak: Yes, airplanes were involved in both events, but the show is called "dogfights," not "bombing large impossible-to-miss ships" :rolleyes:

Oh, and, my stomach has had quite enough of the "zoom past and shake the camera like it was really on a helicopter" shots. It was cute once or twice, but I'm getting really sick of it being use so continually.

All that aside (:)), I've been loving it.

John,
I can't remember if it was in an episode of "Dogfights" proper, or in a precursor show, but they have done at least one European WWII dogfight - between an P-51 and an Me-190 (I think).

Funny that you say the show needs more WWII British combat, yet in the next line you rip them for doing a show on the Bismarck attack. :tongue: They've done some shows on bombers, too - maybe "Air Combat" would have been a better name...but "Dogfights" is catchier.

They've also done one WWI dogfight, I think it was in the first episode. I hope they show more...armed kites are cool (think Bismarck here...).

I liked the one where the B-17 crew held off something like 20 attacking Zeros in a pitched battle that lasted over an hour till the Zeos ran out of fuel.

John,
I can't remember if it was in an episode of "Dogfights" proper, or in a precursor show, but they have done at least one European WWII dogfight - between an P-51 and an Me-190 (I think).

That was in the "pilot" episode, yes, before they decided to make it a series. It's the only one so far. Yet how many Pacific episodes featuring the USN have there been? At least three.

Funny that you say the show needs more WWII British combat, yet in the next line you rip them for doing a show on the Bismarck attack.

Which wasn't a dogfight! I don't call a buncha torpedo planes trying to sink a battleship a dogfight.

They've also done one WWI dogfight, I think it was in the first episode.

Well, that's one. I'd like to see another one before they trot out the US Navy again. (which we're getting again this week with "The Death of the Japanese Navy" - a story about bombers and ships, not dogfights).

There's a mini-marathon of three episodes on Sunday, 2/25 @ 8 p.m.

John, are you watching? Europe. 2 P-38s. 1 P-51. 50 Me. 109s. :freak:

What? When? Last night's was listed as a rerun of the Robin Olds episode! :(

It was...but he flew a P-38 in Europe during WWII. I hadn't seen it before.

John, are you watching? Europe. 2 P-38s. 1 P-51. 50 Me. 109s. :freak:

The P-38 dogfight was more of a Dogfights within a Dogfights episode. They were chronicling Robin Olds and his famous Vietnam air engagement but took a nice sidebar step to one of his WWII air combats.


Max Bryant