Nat Geo Commemorates 75th Anniversary of WWII VE Day with New Documentaries

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Heroes of the Sky (National Geographic)

May 8 marks the 75th anniversary of World War II's Victory in Europe Day, and the National Geographic Channel will commemorate the victory with an evening of programming on Thursday, May 21.

"World War II in Europe: Voices from the Front" will air at 8 p.m. ET, and the two-hour documentary "Heroes of the Sky: The Mighty Eighth Air Force" will follow at 9 p.m. ET. We're premiering a clip from "Heroes of the Sky" that details how P-47 fighter planes just weren't cutting it at the end of 1943.

"Heroes of the Sky: The Mighty Eighth Air Force" uses personal diary entries, letters to loved ones, previous interviews and more than 1,000 hours of rare and never-before-seen intimate footage to tell the story of the brutal air war over Europe.

"World War II in Europe: Voices From the Front" is narrated by ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff, best known for his coverage of the War in Iraq and the foundation he started after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a 2006 IED explosion.

Related: National Geographic Magazine Honors 'The Last Voices of World War II'

The documentary includes interviews with a full range of still-living survivors that includes those who sided both with the Allies and the Axis Powers. Archival footage and photographs are combined with the interviews to portray the moment when the world realized that the war in Europe had come to an end.

Set your DVR now. Both shows will also stream in the National Geographic Channel app after they premiere.

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