WWI’s Deadliest Pilots: The Heroic and Tragic Fate of WWI Aces | SLICE WHO | FULL DOCUMENTARY

Video Description

Spring 1917. As the United States entered the war, aerial combat reached a turning point. The Germans abandoned solo dogfights in favor of flying in coordinated groups, transforming the skies into massive battlefields where up to 100 aircraft clashed at once. For legendary aces like Georges Guynemer, the age of one-on-one duels was over. Off the battlefield, these daring pilots became larger-than-life figures. In Paris, Berlin, and London, they were celebrated as glamorous heroes, admired by the public but resented by the soldiers in the trenches who faced daily horrors without fanfare. Tragedy struck in September 1917 when Guynemer was shot down. Determined to avenge him, René Fonck rose to prominence, racking up an unparalleled number of victories and earning the title of Ace of Aces. Across enemy lines, Manfred von Richthofen—the feared Red Baron—met a similar fate, devastating German morale. By the war’s end, thousands of pilots had perished, but their relentless pursuit of victory had revolutionized aviation. Pushing both themselves and their machines to the limit, they paved the way for the future of air combat and the aeronautics industry. Documentary: The Ace’s War – Ep2 Direction: Fabrice Hourlier Production: Indigènes Productions, Arte France Curious about everything, an expert in nothing? Accessible anytime, anywhere, SLICE is your weekly dose of short documentaries. A slice of history, science, ecology or architecture, to discover amusing anecdotes, inventions, unusual stories, bizarre, entertaining and instructive. Be smart, have a SLICE! Follow us 👇 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slicedocsfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slicedocs #documentary #freedocumentary #world #travel #doc #celebrities #history #figures #biography #news #pilot #rivals #combat #war #ww1 #WWI #airforce #plane #aircombat #lifeordeath #risk #risky #pioneer #trailblazer #hero #ace