National Geographic - War Heroes Of The Skies (2013) Part 6 Red Tails

War Heroes Of The Skies.

Through the eyes of the heroes, experience realistic mid-air combat and see revealing interviews with the last surviving WWII veterans in War Heroes Of The Skies. From the WWII aircrew officer who doused a fire on the wing of his aircraft while 20,000 ft in the sky, to the phantom fighter pilot who took out four MiGs over Vietnam in the most celebrated dog fight of the modern era. Presented by Lord Ashcroft, these are all stories of superhuman endurance, selfless courage and heroism beyond the call of duty. Using vintage aircraft such as Spitfires fighters and Lancaster bombers, aerial stunt teams and state-of-the-art camera technology, the series brings to life the exploits of the world's greatest military air heroes. The series features realistic mid-air combat sequences, revealing interviews with the last surviving veterans, rare archive footage and cutting-edge CGI to transport viewers back in time to experience the reality of air combat. aka Heroes Of The Skies.

Part 6: Red Tails

They were young, gifted and black but the US Army refused them key positions. That is until intense pressure from activist groups pushed President Franklin D. Roosevelt to initiate an African-American fighter pilot training program in Tuskegee, Alabama. Top secret and fiercely opposed by top military brass, the African-American pilots, dubbed the Red Tails, were forced to fly second-rate planes far from the action. But in June 1944, they leapt to the front lines of World War II. Suddenly they were given Mustang P-51 fighter planes and charged to protect Allied bombers on a mission to destroy Nazi Germany. Now fighting two wars – one in the skies against the Nazis and the other against racism back at home in the US – the Red Tails were determined to prove to the world that they had the right stuff. Ordered to adopt life-threatening tactics to knock out German radar stations and go head-to-head with the enemies' technologically advanced fighter jets, the Red Tails never caved in. This programme documents how their success helped secure the Nazi’s defeat and changed the course of American history.

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