Pilots in pyjamas. Part four, Phantoms and the Thunderchiefs

Fourth and final part of a series investigating the capture of American pilots shot down over North Vietnam. Several American POWs, including Colonel James Risner, are questioned about their time in Vietnam, their political ideals and their past, with the filmmakers ultimately dismissing the Americans as indifferent. A Vietnamese pilot discusses shooting down Phantoms in defence of the nation, and the documentary ends with a montage of North Vietnamese fighters capturing fallen pilots, including future US Senator John McCain. | Content warning: includes brief scenes of dead bodies.

Credits

Cast: Risner, James Robinson (1925-2013); Alvarez, Everett, Jr. (b. 1937); Thorsness, Leo K. (b. 1932); Hubbard, Edward L. (b. 1938); Mullis, Billy; Friedman, Searle; Walter Heynowski (director); Gert Prokop (editor); Gerhard Scheumann (director)

Complete catalog record

Original source: AMDigital Reference: N-507225 | Film format: 16mm Comb B/W pos | Contributors: Billhardt, Thomas; Donth, Horst; Prokop, Gert; Petersen, Peter; Bredemeyer, Reiner; Mittag, Hans-Jürgen; Martsch, Walter; Stoff, Jochen. | Production Company: DEFA. | Reproduction of: GDR (German Democratic Republic), 1969. 16mm Comb B/W pos. | The British Film Institute
Original production: [German Democratic Republic] : DEFA-Studio, 1969.
Physical description: 1 online resource (1 video file (1 hour, 25 minutes, 19 seconds)) : sound, black and white.
Subjects: Air pilots, Military -- United States -- Interviews | Prisoners of war -- Vietnam -- Hanoi -- Interviews | Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Aerial operations, American | Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Prisoners and prisons

Related films

Sources

UCLA Library Catalog · record ↗ — title, year, creator, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record

Record added 2026-11-08 20:56:08