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S1 E2 Under Distant Skies

War

12+

47m

12 Sept 2011

The 1920s and 30s were uncertain times for the RAF as well as all other armed services. With peace came cuts in spending on new aircraft development.

Season 1, 7 Episodes

Season 1 (7 Episodes)

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies - Useless for the Purposes of War

Useless for the Purposes of War,

The series begins before WWI when military commanders struggled to understand what uses aviation might have. The Wright Brothers had been the first to fly a powered aircraft in controlled flight in 1903, but even by 1914 aircraft were still underpowered.

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies - Under Distant Skies

Under Distant Skies,

The 1920s and 30s were uncertain times for the RAF as well as all other armed services. With peace came cuts in spending on new aircraft development.

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies - A Vicious Sting

A Vicious Sting,

By the end of the war the RAF had aircraft that could escort bombers to targets deep inside Germany and back. With the Gloster Meteor, the RAF had also entered the ‘Jet Age’. Aircraft like the Hawker Hunter and F-86 Sabre took the RAF supersonic.

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies - Strike Hard, Strike Sure

Strike Hard, Strike Sure,

By the end of the First World War the RAF had bombers that could fly to Berlin and back. For the first time in a thousand years British civilians found themselves under direct attack - by Zeppelin airships and Gotha bombers.

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies - By Air, By Sea

By Air, By Sea,

The RAF’s maritime role is often overlooked. Between the wars the RAF operated elegant flying boats to patrol the far flung corners of the Empire.

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies - Supplies from the Skies

Supplies from the Skies,

After the war, RAF transports helped keep Berliners alive during the Soviet blockade of the city in 1948/49. As well as flying round-the-clock operations into the airport, Sunderland flying boats delivered supplies by landing on Lake Havel near the city.

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies - The Sky's the Limit

The Sky's the Limit,

In this programme we bring the RAF story into the modern era. Another aircraft to have extended the RAF’s capabilities is the C130 Hercules. This aircraft has proved its capabilities in countless environments from resupply, to dropping paratroopers.

Details

RAF: The Royal Air Force: Battle for the Skies

War

12+

1 Season

47m

Using hours of totally unique and previously unavailable and lost archive film, exclusive air-to-air sequences and dozens of interviews with veterans, Battle For The Skies now covers everything.

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