Empires of Industry War Planes of World War II

Overview

World War II turned the American aviation industry into a huge, high-tech giant. The war spurred the production of more than 300,000 warplanes, among them some of the greatest planes of all time: the C-47 transport (the "Goony Bird"); the rugged B-17 Flying Fortress; the B-24 Liberator, mass-produced by Ford on the world's longest assembly line; the P-51 Mustang, the greatest prop-driven fighter; and the scrappy Grumman "Iron Works" output - Wildcats and Hellcats that leapt from the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers to maul the Japanese air force. This program includes modern footage of restored aircraft and history footage from factory floor to mile-high dogfights, capturing the urgency and adrenaline of World War II.