Arte - The Aces War: First Fight for the Skies (2017)

The Great War seen from the sky, alongside the pilots who marked the history of military aviation. An intimate and epic immersion made from astonishing 3D reconstructions.
August 1914, one month after the First World War broke out, Paris was bombarded by enemy planes. An unprecedented event that Parisians observed as a spectacle of a new kind. Had the airplane become a weapon of war? Aviation had begun to take off at the start of the 20th century. But the pace of development picked up with the start of the Great War. The new stars of aviation would become heroes of the war, known as "aces".
Through the destinies of these five outstanding pilots, originating from France, Germany and the British Empire, this docu-drama reveals the story of the greatest flying aces of the First World War. Richthofen, the god; Guynemer, the star; Fonck, the Ace of Aces; Udet, the challenger; and Mannock, the squadron leader. How did these young men become worldwide famous stars, out of the blue?
Through their own stories and insights from historians, director Fabrice Hourlier, as he has done before for many other battles ("Napoleon: The Egyptian Campaign", "Battle For Athens"), retraces in a striking way the crossed destinies of six exceptional pilots. Of different origins and backgrounds, these knights of the sky have become famous throughout the world, in particular thanks to their exploits in the air.
Based on accounts by the protagonists, these two episodes will use immersive 3D reconstructions and dramatized reenactments to understand how these pilots became international stars. Alongside, we will experience the intensity of the greatest aerial battles from 1914 to 1918, including the terrible Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme, which propelled aeronautics into a new era. A unique opportunity to get inside the private world of these men from widely varied backgrounds, but who all had a shared wish to use their flying skills to serve their country.

Directed by Fabrice Hourlier ; An Indigenes Co-Production with ARTE France in Association with TV5 Quebec Canada,Viasat History,Blue Ant Media and HISTOIRE Channel

Part 1: 1914-1916
Winter 1914. The Great War is bogged down in the trenches. For Marshal Joffre, "aviation is no longer just a reconnaissance tool. Its mission now is to destroy enemy aviation". Hundreds of young pilots prepare to defend their homeland and quench their thirst for adventure. But the beginnings are difficult everywhere: the German von Richthofen and the French Guynemer are first considered too weak to fly; Britain's Mannock is one-eyed and has to cheat on visual aptitude tests; the German Udet is so clumsy and scared that he misses his landings. The infernal battle of Verdun in 1916 transforms the hostilities. The control of the sky becomes essential. The aeronautical industry, earlier in its infancy, began to produce planes by the hundreds. "Ace of aces" against "Red Baron", Guynemer and von Richthofen become popular heroes by their victories.

Part 2: 1917-1918
Spring 1917. The battle for the skies experienced a major turning point: the United States entered the war and the Germans changed tactics. It's the end of solo flights and duels that made Guynemer famous. Ernst Udet receives the praises of the Red Baron, who integrates him into his famous squadron: "Richthofen's Circus". Mick Mannock, who at 29 is the oldest, a born leader, attentive to his young teammates whom he covers and protects during combat. When they are on leave, in Paris or Berlin, the heroes of aviation parade and celebrate. But this star system exasperates the soldiers of the trenches, whose stories the press never tell. In September 1917, Guynemer was shot down. His body will never be found. Rene Fonck, who never ceased to avenge him, in turn gained victories and became the new "ace of aces" celebrated by Clemenceau. It was he who led the "airmen's charge" in 1918, above the Somme: a battle that disrupted the German offensive, reconciling French "Poilus", "The Hairy Ones" infantry soldiers with the Allied airmen. Von Richthofen, meanwhile, suffered the same fate as Guynemer. His death upsets German opinion.