BBC - Secrets of World War II Set 1 (1998) Part 14 They Flew for China

You probably know the History, now discover the incredible SECRETS OF WORLD WAR II. Rarely has a war produced such clear cut reasons to fight as World War II. On the one hand were the totalitarian Dictators - Tojo, Hitler and Mussolini. On the other were the great democracies of the Western World which were gradually regaining their feet after the Great War of 1914-18 and the Wall Street Crash. Suddenly, ordinary men and women from all walks of life found themselves thrown into fearsome, nerve-tingling situations worthy of any Hollywood movie. The only difference in this series is that every story is true. Real people emerge as the Heroes of Telemark. Ordinary GIs and US Airforce and Navy personnel suddenly find themselves flying against the Japanese in China, jungle fighting in Burma and being dropped by submarine on enemy coasts at midnight. These untold stories can now be examined in great detail with the benefit of hindsight, newly-discovered archive film, maps and computer graphics which can complete the picture for today's viewer. Each fifty-two minute story covers the background to the main action. It will give the viewer a clear view of the historical context, the strategic objective and the tactical effort made by flyers, sailors and foot-soldiers - often in the most oppressive and life-threatening situations - to win victory from the enemy. This is an inspiring series with a giant canvas including much never before seen colour film. Over 300,000 hours of archive material have been searched for its compilation. Specially orchestrated music and compositions from the great composers all contribute to the excitement and drama of some of the world's greatest stories of bravery under fire. It is the largest series of its kind ever produced and with recently released secret footage will give the viewer a new insight into the great untold war stories of World War II. In many cases, this series gives the true stories for the first time this Century.

Part 14 They Flew for China

Between 1941 and 1943 some of America's most talented fighter pilots flew for Nationalist China against the Japanese. They became known as the 'Flying Tigers' and with the name a legend was born. In July 1941, five months before the United States officially entered the war, a band of American pilots arrived in the Far East to fly against the Japanese in China. Known as the Flying Tigers, their superior flighting skills - and the distinctive shark-teeth markings on the noses of their aircraft - terrified enemy pilots. Discover how a tiny, hell-raising collection of U.S. flyers became one of the war's most successful fighting units… in “They Flew for China.” Climb into the cockpits of their iconic shark-nosed P-40 planes—one of the most familiar images of the war—as the Tigers perform nail-biting missions against the Japanese. The incredible results 1500 Japanese fliers killed; 286 planes destroyed. The Americans lost only 8 men. Who were these brave men who flew planes with shark jaws painted on their cowlings? This is their story - the record of their dangerous dogfights and ferocious air war in the skies over Burma, Thailand, and China

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Episode Two Shown Here