The second programme in a 12-part series on the history of aviation.
Narrated by Anthony Quayle The Aeroplane Goes to War Shortly after man first achieved powered flight, his new invention was harnessed for battle. The First World War was to be a catalyst for the development of the aeroplane. It added a whole new dimension to warfare - air power.
It also gave birth to a new generation of heroes, the fighter aces. Men like Baron Manfred von Richthofen, Mick Mannock and Rene Fonck. The First World War taught the military the necessity of air power and for the next 30 years the major powers developed the aeroplane into a sophisticated killing machine. By 1939, the lessons of the First World War were about to be re-learnt, for Britain in particular. The aeroplane was to fight perhaps the most important battle of the war - the Battle of Britain.
Film editor MIKE DUXBURY
Series producer IVAN KENDALL Executive producer JOHN GAU Producer CHRIS POWELL BBC Pebble Mill
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