Reaching for the Skies: Dresden...London...Vietnam...Tokyo..their names alone are dramatic testimony to the awesome power of the bomber. These aircraft came to dominate military strategy during World War II, and still played a critical role in the cold war. Even today, one side finds new ways for the bomber to do its jobs, as the other side seeks ways to stop it. From the activity on board to the devastation below, reaching for the skies looks at the bombers, the pilots who fly them, and the struggle between nations to maintain the ultimate combination of weaponry and technology...a chilling reminder of the ability aviation has given to society to annihilate itself. The film begins with the Boeing B-52, and its effect on the populace of Vietnam. Thereafter, the Heinkel 111, and the bombing of Guernica. This marks the maturity of the Bomber as an instrument of war and of terror. In a similar measure, the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka is reviewed, with interviews of pilots. After this, the next great bomber examined is the Avro Lancaster and its campaign at night over the Third Reich. Then, the Boeing B-17 and daylight bombing over the Reich. The final bomber examined is the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and its career over Japan where it gained the name of Bni-Ju, the fire dragon. To complete the film, and thus the maturity of the Bomber as a tool of war, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the first and so far last use of Nuclear Weapons in international warfare.

Starring:

Robert Vaughn

Genre:

Documentary