Wings over the Pacific

A 1995 Discovery Channel War Documentary hosted by Stuart Culpepper.

Commando, Flying Tiger, Avenger, Lightning, Zeke, Mitchell, Betty – these are the names that made World War II the most amazing air war ever. Exciting action footage puts you in the cockpit of the military’s greatest fighters – from nimble P-51 Mustangs to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Discover little-known air combat facts. Meet the American and Japanese pilots who waged war over the Pacific. Relive all the pivotal campaigns and aerial battles, from Pearl Harbor and the Coral Sea to Midway and ultimate victory at Iwo Jima. Follow the air campaigns of the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima, and discover how American birds – like the F6F Hellcat – matched up against their Japanese counterparts – like the Ki-100, nicknamed "Tony" by the Allies.The American Avenger dive bomber, P-40 Tomahawk, P-38 Lightning, P-51 Mustang and the B-29 Superfortress bomber are profiled. Learn the tactics American and Japanese pilots used to adjust to ever-evolving aircraft, changing battle strategies and the logistical problems of fighting a war that spanned thousands of miles.

Through archival footage and reenactments, we see their aircraft in action and relive the major aerial campaigns of a battlefield that covered nearly one third of the earth's surface. Rare footage presents military aircraft in wartime missions, dropping bombs and facing enemy wings head-on. See how the war in the Pacific was fought, from Pearl Harbor to the Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, and onward to the ultimate and decisive air attacks on the Japanese home islands.