Dogfights - The Complete Season One (History Channel)

Loved the show, particularly the disemination of tactics, the interviews of the actual pilots and the computer animation all come together to make this programme very watchable even to those not really interested in military aviation.

I love this show but I talked with one of the guys who made the series and he said that (except for the pilot) the series was recorded in high definition widescreen format, so the fact that it's only been released in 4x3 widescreen format (i.e. black bars at the top, bottom and sides when viewed on a widescreen TV) is a huge letdown for me. I'll wait and hope that it gets re-released now that The History Channel knows what a popular show they have on their hands. If not there's always the hope that they'll get their act together for series 2.

I desperately want to buy this series, but there's absolutely no way that I'll buy it unless it's at least in anamorphic widescreen. In a year and a half no TV show is going to broadcast in low definition anymore so the poor quality of non-anamorphic transfers is going to be very apparent to everyone.

Let me put it very bluntly - any widescreen show made in the last year that's put on DVD in non-anamorphic format is an outright swindle. The folks at The History Channel should know better than to serve their customers so shabbily.

[Edit]
Having now seen episodes from the second season in high definition on History Channel HD I can say that the difference in quality is HUGE. This series should have the anamorphic treatment it deserves. As it is, in non-anamorphic letterboxed format, viewers are seeing only half the definition of an anamorphic transfer, and that's only about half the definition of a HD transfer. Anamorphic would be acceptable, non-anamorphic is definitely not. I just hope History Channel HD starts showing the first season in high definition, so that at least we'll see the episodes in their original format.

This is an absolute must own DVD sets. It has all the ingredients of a good story and does not feel like a documentary at all. Even my wife who's not a military buff sat transfixed with me watching DOGFIGHTS. Amazon service was also excellent. Can't wait for Season 2 (if there's a season 2)

The History Channel's DOGFIGHTS is an outstanding action documentary series that masterfully and excitingly puts you in the cockpit to examine the evolution of air warfare. The computer effects are astonishingly "photo realistic" and simply amazing at keeping one riveted to a "documentary." I especially appreciate how each story's historical relevance is revealed and the series is packed with a lot more than just airplane and jet specifications. I have learned a great deal about our Country's major conflicts and the sacrifices of people far better than me. You will be moved by the excellent interviews with the American Heroes that were there and the perspective of their modern pilot/aviator counterparts. I share the quibble of the previous reviewer about the wide screen image not being enhanced for wide screen TVs, but am especially disappointed that no provision for subtitling or closed captioning was made. If only the DVD mastering reflected the care the filmmakers took in this project.

The History Channel's "Dogfights" series is a huge step forward for air combat documentaries. Rarely can gun camera footage capture what actually happened in a dogfight. Instead you just see the final couple seconds before the target explodes. The "Dogfights" episodes overcome this limitation by adding in computer-generated reenactments of the air battles that make you feel like you are there watching it all unfold right in front of you. You come away with a much better appreciation of the tactics. For archival footage fans, don't worry--there is still plenty of that in these programs. But because they also have the vivid computer imagery, the episodes don't have to rely on showing the same stock footage over and over and over. I especially appreciated this for the jet era battles, where there is generally a short supply of good footage. In particular, I thought the "Mig Alley" episode was a tremendous improvement over previous pre-CGI documentaries about the air war in Korea. And in that episode, the reenactment of Robby Risner's epic mission is the most incredible air battle story I have ever seen.

The whole series is amazing. It is absolutely essential viewing for anyone interested in air combat. That said, let me also offer three minor warnings:

1. Air battles in Europe during World War 2 get surprisingly little coverage in Season 1--only a episode of "Greatest Air Battles" bonus episode and a flashback in the "Air Ambush" episode about Robin Olds. Likewise, World War I air combat is not covered except at the beginning of the "Greatest Air Battles" episode.

2. There is a glitch on the "Greatest Air Battles" episode. When I hit 'play all' or 'introduction' for that episode, it starts with Rickenbacker's mission. It seems like the logical starting point, but that isn't actually the start of the episode. There is a lot of interesting material before that, but you have to manually rewind in order to get the real beginning of the episode.

3. When last I checked, you could get "Dogfights" for much less money from Deep Discount.

Finally, if you want to learn more about the dogfights of World War 2, I strongly recommend VICTORY ROLL by William Wolf. This massive book (460+ pages with over 600 photos) is the most comprehensive history of all the US aces from World War 2 that I have ever encountered.