WWII: The Air War

S1, E1: The untold story of the American 8th Air Force's bloody battle to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the months leading up to D-Day. Told through the gripping first person accounts of three American airmen and Stars & Stripes reporter Andy Rooney this special showcases breathtaking aerial combat--original color footage never before seen by most Americans--of the B-17s Flying Fortresses P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs on missions such as Regensburg Schweinfurt and Berlin. Never-before-seen 8mm footage of the airmen on the bases the devastation in Germany and the Luftwaffe perspective is also highlighted. Flying 25 000 feet above the earth in oxygen-devoid air and temperatures as low as 50 below zero the 8th Air Force fought a war unlike anything ever before experienced. By the end they would suffer more than 26 000 combat deaths--more than the US Marines lost in all of World War II. Narrated by Emmy® nominated actor Rob Lowe.