This short film takes viewers on a whirlwind tour of the history of air combat, from World War I through the Vietnam War. It was produced by General Dynamics sometime prior to 1990 and re-released by Lockheed Martin in the mid-nineties. As a promotional short for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the film reviews the development of aerial combat to place the F-16 in historical context. Informational narration is supplemented with snippets from interviews of top fighter aces. The aces focus on the characteristics that make great fighter pilots and great fighter aircraft. The interviewees include World War I ace W.C. "Bill" Lambert; World War II aces Douglas Bader, Stanford Tuck, Adolf Galland, Erich Hartmann, Gabby Gabreski, Tex Hill, and Svein Heglund; Korean War ace Ralph Parr; and Vietnam War ace Steve Ritchie. The film includes historical footage and stills, along with opening and closing segments briefly featuring the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The Bloody Hundredth
2024
7.2/10

Why We Fight: Prelude to War
1942
6.5/10

The Soviet Story
2008
7.4/10

They Shall Not Grow Old
2018
7.8/10

2000 Meters to Andriivka
2025
7.9/10

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
2019
6.9/10

Korengal
2014
6.6/10

Red Army
2015
7.3/10

9/11: Inside the President's War Room
2021
6.9/10

The Battle of San Pietro
1945
6.1/10

The Battle of Midway
1942
5.9/10

Father Soldier Son
2020
6.5/10

Ronaldo
2015
7.0/10

We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company
2001
7.4/10

For Sama
2019
8.3/10

WWII From Space
2012
7.4/10

Audrey
2020
7.1/10

Restrepo
2010
7.2/10

The Age of Stupid
2009
6.6/10

The War on Democracy
2007
7.5/10
The Air Force Story
2006
0/10