4 Years of Thunder

1996

Directed by John Honey

Network USA for the History Channel

Magna Pacific 2005

R4 DVD

Reviewer: Bob Estreich

This magnificent and authoritative 3-DVD set documents the rise of the aeroplane as a fighting machine during World War 1. In this comparatively short period they matured from fragile toys to fast and deadly fighters, and to the reliable heavy bombers that forged the world’s airlines post-War.

There had been some attempts at using flying machines in minor wars around the world, usually for reconnaissance or light bombing, but these were more spontaneous than planned. The French led military development in Europe for a while, and appropriately the first aerial combat of the war was over Rheims when a French aeroplane shot down a German plane – the observer in the French aircraft had taken up a Hotchkiss machine gun with him. Aircraft were still essentially a reconnaissance or artillery spotting tool. The military commanders of the time had no idea of other uses, since aerial tactics and capabilities were still developing. So were the aircraft. They were underpowered, unarmed, slow and had poor handling. Still, flying had captured the Europeans’ imagination and developments came quickly. These developments were accelerated by the War.

In the United States the Wright brothers were well ahead of European aircraft development, but few in Europe were aware of this. A demonstration flight in Paris showed how much more maneuverable the Wright’s aircraft was. Their flights were already longer than any attempted in Europe. One flight, however, caught Europe’s attention. Louis Bleriot crossed the English Channel in 37 minutes in an aircraft of his own design. To those looking ahead, this gave the aircraft an attacking range far greater than anything else available to the military.

The developments of this time are well explained and demonstrated in the documentary, showing how gradually the aircraft improved. The Nieuports gave the Allies an edge over the almost legendary German Fokker, and the SPAD 7 kept that lead. In the race for better technology, the next lead went to the German Albatross. As the combatants fought to overcome each others’ technical superiority the planes evolved to the point that some designs only went out of service towards the beginning of the second World War. Even naval aircraft get a mention.

The documentary shows the aircraft race from both sides, and the final episode introduces the U.S.A. and its contribution. For most of the War the U.S did not have its own combat aircraft and was forced to use French and English models.

Film footage of rebuilt or replica planes is impressive and highlights just how fragile the earliest aircraft were. Many real or replica historic aircraft were filmed from the collection at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome or from air shows. There is a lot of original footage, far more than I have seen in any similar documentary. It shows the pilots, their aircraft, and even their off-duty lifestyles. The quality of the footage varies, of course, due to the variety of sources and their age.

The various episodes also show the rise of the air Ace and detail the history of many of them – Richthofen, Rickenbacker, Mannock and others who brought the aircraft to the public’s attention and showed the human face of the air war.

Chapters:

Flying To War 1909 – 1914

Credits

First European Flight

Curtiss

Grand Adventure

The Fokker Scourge 1915 – 1916

New French Fighter

Battle of Verdun

Fokker E3 Fails

Bloody April

Von Richthofen

Germany Celebrates

Fokker Triplane

Winged Victory

Pursuit Squadron

Spring 1918

Arming Planes

This set when it originally came out sold for around $80 AUS. I got my copy recently for under $16 AUS and I have seen it advertised for prices up to $32. It represents excellent value. A word of warning – the reissue appears to be Australian, and may only be available for Region 4. Check that your player can handle this if you cannot obtain a copy for your region.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.3 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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