Dogfights: The Complete Series Megaset

Have not heard about the gift.

It is one of the most fascinating documentary series I've ever seen. It originated on The History Channel in the early 2000's. Beautifully produced and directed, "Dogfights" ( WW 1 pilots' slang term for air battles ) recreates air-to-air combat engagements using photos, vintage film footage, CGI scenes, as well as interviews with combat pilots who flew these missions in a number of cases. Another feature is expert commentary by current US military pilots as air tactics are analyzed from both world wars, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East wars of 1967 and 1973.Aerial combat interviews shown are with pilots from the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps from WW II to Vietnam; British aviators, Japanese pilots and German fliers from the Second World War; and Israeli Air Force fighter pilots who were active in the 1960's and '70's. Fortunately, many of the WW II military pilot veterans were alive and able to give interviews when the series was produced. Highlights of this excellent series are interviews and CGI combat recreations of the USAF ace Robin Olds' aerial engagements ( General Olds was/is a WW II and a Vietnam air ace) and the US Navy's Willie Driscoll from the Vietnam air war. There is also an illuminating look at how air power was instrumental in the sinking of the German battleship BISMARCK by the British Royal Navy in 1941 in the Atlantic Ocean during WW II. Another interesting facet of the documentaries is an examination of Japanese Kamikaze aircraft actions in 1944-45 during the Second World War. This series is a must for military history and aviation buffs.

I watched these so many times when I was younger and I love to have all of them now

Love Planes and history of them

I enjoyed the Dogfights dvd box set immensley. It arrived sealed and in mint condition and the speed with which it was dispatched was impressive.This documentary analyses some of the most spectacular aerial dogfights on record from the skies above the Western Front during WW1, the skies over Europe and the Pacific theatres during WW2 and the more recent conflicts including Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and the First Gulf War.The narration is concise and comprehensive and introduces the battle explaining how each 'dogfight' unfolded using state of the art CGI, interviews with the actual pilots involved, analysis of the aircraft and the tactics of the time. All this is also joined by film footage of the time and a step by step explanation of what happened and why without unduly 'milking' the event.An excellent series delivered in an excellent manner. My only complaints(if any) is that the discs for season 2 are of the American variety and can only be viewed on TV via a PC. Additionally the show was designed around a TV audience with commercial breaks in mind so that every 15 minutes there is a 2 minute recap on what has happened so far as if viewers have just returned from a commercial break and need some brief revision. This can be slightly annoying but as long as viewers understand this it doesn't pose a major problem. Other than that however I thought this was an excellent purchase.

Interesting to watch, but in letterbox format with black bars on all sides of the screen. On top of that, no closed captions or subtitles, and on top of THAT they are not shown in any sort of chronological order.It is largely shown in animation, like something you would see on a video game, with short snapshots of real footage, which is actually more of a plus because it allows for better illustration of how the battles took place, i.e., what went down with each fight.It also has narration from the actual pilots who were in the conflicts, which is great since it allows you to hear first-hand accounts of what happened.If you can live with all the production negatives, which really did surprise me, then it's great to watch.

I watched vol.1 of the 8 DVDs (vol.1&2). I'm glad I bought it.What makes a good fighter plane and the experience of a pilot who became an ace will give you the wisdom to survive in combat. It's also a great way to learn about aerial combat tactics.

Love these videos. I had no idea what pilots when through as they held war fights in the air. I have seen them all because a friend had them. I thought my grandson would like to see these since he is in the Airforce. Bought it for a Christmas present 2021.

A great CGI air combat collection; a perfect addition to my aviation history library. Hopefully there will be a successor series using more advanced graphics technology.

I bought this video as a gift for my son. He loved it.

Great video renderings of dog fights, jets, engined WWII etc. Great coverage on the sinking of the Bismark. If you like fact based war series this (although a bit dry) is a great fountain of info and entertainment.Worth every cent will watch numerous times.

"Dogfights" are possibly the most impressive document on air warfare I ever saw. From the very first episode I was absolutely impressed with the quality of reconstructions, the care accorded to details and the passionate tone of narration. From World War I to the air fights over Kosovo in 1999, all episodes are extremely interesting and the fights described very well chosen. Many of those true stories are more incredible that some of the episodes seen in action movies! Also, authors made the remarkable effort to interview almost all the pilots who REALLY fought in those engagements, to preserve their testimony as long as they are still alive! For obvious reasons they couldn't do it for pilots of World War I, but even then they found some old records of WWI veterans taken in the 40s! To hear the testimony of people who actually faced German Fokkers in 1918 over France is a unique thing. Those interviews, excellent graphics explaining all the moves and CGI images showing the reconstruction of actual fights make those series an absolutely unique document!I loved every single minute of every single episode but my absolute favorites are:Season 1, episode 1: Mig Alley (Korean War)Season 1, episode 2: Air Ambush - Operation "Bolo" (Vietnam War)Season 1, episode 3: Flying Tigers - is there any need to say more?Season 1, episode 5: Hell over Hanoi (Vietnam War)Season 1, episode 8: Death of Japanese navy (Battle of Leyte) - with the accent put this time more on the naval fightSeason 1, episode 10: Long Odds - the TRUE story of a dogfight between a single SBD Dauntless bomber and three successive Zero fighters (Battle of Coral Sea)Season 1, episode 11: Dogfights of the Middle East (Six Days War, Yom Kippur War)Season 2, episode 1: Kamikaze! In my opinion the second best in the whole series - three jaw dropping and absolutely TRUE stories; the one about the lonely fight of destroyer USS "Laffey" against a swarm of kamikazes on 15 April 1945 is especially poignant!Season 2, episode 2: Luftwaffe's Deadliest Mission: the BEST and the most INCREDIBLE but TRUE story in the whole series! I do not want to provide spoilers, but if you really want to know what this is about, you can check on the web "Sonderkommando Elbe" - or you can simply watch this episode and enjoy the surprise...Season 2, episode 5: Gun kills of Vietnam - canon fights in missile era - three incredible fights including one in which outdated WWII era turbo propelled planes faced MiG-17s...Season 2, episode 8: No room for error - low altitude dog fights (WW II, Korean War, Vietnam War)Season 2, episode 9: Night Fighters - less known planes on sometimes surprising missions - inluding a raid by two (yes, only two!) F6 Hellcats (night versions) against a large Japanese air and naval base...Season 2, episode 10: The bloodiest day (Vietnam War)Season 2, episode 16: Death of the Luftwaffe - the gigantic air battle (about 3000 fighters involved in all of which about 1000 Germans and about 2000 allied) over Belgium and Netherlands during the Operation "Bodenplatte", 1 January 1945...Season 2, episode 18: Dogfights of the future - an episode longer than previous ones, showing some very surprising technologies, which are already under development...Now, those series have also some limitations. The CGI images are really not on the "Star Wars" quality - but the stories are so passionate, that it doesn't matter any more after a couple of minutes. There are some (very limited) factual errors but you really need to know your WWII airplanes to notice them.The major point which can disturb European viewers is that those series are almost totally American oriented and they mostly describe achievements of American pilots. The only few exceptions are accorded to the Israelis (two episodes), the Germans (two episodes), the Japanese (the Kamikaze episode) and the British (the "Hunt for Bismarck" episode). Also, those series are not only American but also very patriotic. I for one have no problem with that as I genuinely like the Americans and I believe that in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Gulf War they always fought for the right cause. Also I know that my country (Poland) owes them a lot (the defeat of both the III Reich and Soviet Union). But if you do not like the Yankees or if you are rather left winged, you can get very upset very fast and that beginning already in the episode one in which Americans take on Soviet pilots piloting Chinese MiG-15s in Korea...To conclude, I consider those series as one of the best purchases I ever made shopping for documents on DVD! They are a treasure and a must for anybody interested in aviation and/or in military history!

One of the best series to understand dogfighting of aircraft!!!!!!