History Professor Breaks Down "Masters of the Air" - Part Eight

[@ChuckG92]

I was lucky enough to meet Col. Jefferson at Thunder over Michigan some years ago. A very nice man and lucid storyteller.

[@garrettcampau8086]

When I was young like maybe 7, I got to see some of the Tuskegee airmen at thunder over Michigan like back in 2004. I barely remember it but its there haha

[@f1matt]

Thanks again for another fascinating look at this wonderful series. It may be flawed, but i am thankful it exists and does exactly what it intended. Getting people to remember and discuss the sacrifices so many made at that time. Lest we forget.

[@jessehamm3573]

A friend of me and my father's, Norm Lambert, was the chief historian for the Columbus, Ohio chapter for the Tuskegee Airmen, which was subsequently disbanded sometime in the early 2000's. We had the opportunity to meet, converse and receive autographs. Notwithstanding numerous recounting of their exploits in combat, some had also discussed experiences at being Prisoners of War, which included emphasis upon the bitter irony of how their Luftwaffe captors treated them with respect and dignity, unlike their white American counterparts.

[@mcmoose64]

I endorse your comments on visiting war cemeteries. On a holiday in Thailand , i visited the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, the final resting place of victims of the Thai-Burma Railway. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life . Tears were streaming freely down my face as i walked the row after row of headstones reading the inscriptions. I was with my elderly father at the time . He stopped at one headstone and recognised name , it was the grave of one of his older brother's friends , and he remembered him from his childhood in rural Australia . This really brought home the fact that each stone represented a real person , not just an abstract number. Lest we forget.

[@tracymiller1149]

I wish they'd have done a lot more with D-Day rather than showing Crosby working round the clock for a few days, then a few minutes of Rosenthal describing the day Crosby slept through. This series really could've used a few more episodes, and maybe less of Crosby's affair with the spy.

[@TailspinMedia]

i'm so glad i found this channel, your commentary has been so awesome.

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you!

[@nicholasmodzinski2528]

I really wish they have made more episodes. I dont know how they are gonna wrap this up next episode. So many story lines to finish. But as always thank you for your breakdown!!

[@ryanhamstra49]

100%….. episode 8 felt super rushed. Would have loved an entire episode just dedicated to the Tuskegee men. Or have them introduced sooner. Although we do already have a ton of story lines. But I had the same complaint about the book. Listening to it I had a hard time keeping track of who it was talking about

[@roelrobles91]

Really like your history takes on the MoTA episodes. Since the series is over now a really great video you could make is a video of what happened to all the crew after the war. The finale did some but not all. I'd love to know what happened to the other pilots from POW like Crank, DeMarco, Hambone, the Col etc and also crew that was featured like Kenny and other crew that survived.

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you.

[@BobMakesNoise]

My new default has been watching MOTA on Friday, letting it all marinate, and then coming to this channel. A+

[@aaronblaylock2092]

I had the honor of meeting General Benjamine O Davis at an airshow many years ago. I still have his and some of the other Tuskigee airmen's autographs on my poster I kept from that airshow. So great to meet some of my childhood heroes!

[@iceman590444]

You have to start referring to yourself as Dr.. You earned it!

[@priestsonaplane2236]

Lol wow get up off your knees and put your dick away

[@inigo_bpc]

I respect people who are humble enough to not do something like that.

[@carnthecorby]

They needed 12 episodes minimum to accurately portray everything they are trying to show here. No bombing on D-Day etc. This needed to be shown. Rosie's getting little screen time and his ark is being rushed. We got one battle with him showing what his mettle is. Winters got a few. Everything up to this point felt reasonable but this episode felt rushed with too many storylines going on just for the conclusion to the war next episode. It really needed 12 episodes.

[@dons1932]

Goodness me this episode was all over the place. I've loved it up till now - the team have done such a fabulous job and lived up to the hype. The rewatchability of prior eps is right up there with Band. Though, you can definitely see where they haven't been able to spend money, where the Covid / writing strikes and low priority parts have sneaked their way in. Thankfully only during trivial matters prior. Unfortunately, however, from start to finish - it was this whole episode in its entirety. The storyboard / script / direction / sound feels like it was touched by about 50 people, and probably was. The entire episode needed to be about D-Day, the largest air armada ever assembled, and instead it was glossed over while Croz slept. I'm sure budget cuts, again, allowed them only 9 eps in total but they really needed to beg, bore or steal a complete 10, to give this D-Day episode the time it deserved. It absolutely didn't even feel like it belongs in this series, like you were watching another show, made by a completely different production crew. You can barely even make out the dialogue of the fighter pilots in their cabins, the sound production is so janky. It all just felt so cheap. Egan's arc was what made episode 5 - and by far the best episode in the series, 6, hit so hard when he was downed and then taken as a POW. It felt very underwhelming that we'd only just met the Tuskagee pilots 5 minutes earlier, before they're right there alongside Egan. Nothing at stake and nothing for us to invest in them, which couldn't be further from the truth or the justice they deserved to have their story brought to light. I was really expecting at the very least, a Croz narration to give a little background on their unit and exploits. We really did get the absolute bare minimum, and now I understand why, I think it was Orloff back in episode 1, that they were literally still working on the series even as it had started. I have a feeling something tells me that these final 2 eps will abruptly wrap things up in a way that will be unsatisfying and unbefitting of the stellar series that it has, up to this point so far, been. By far my biggest gripe was the absolutely poor casting and direction of the German interrogator of the P51 pilots. It bordered on satire, to an almost comedic level. Compared once again to how heavy hitting Egan's interrogation (and the perfectly cast actor) opposing him.

[@icypictures]

Agreed. Definitely could tell had a different director.

[@edwardwhite4015]

I totally agree. I was disappointed in episodes 7 & 8. Sandra was turned into just a sex object and then almost completely dropped. I couldn't believe that that only about 5 minutes covered both Black Thursday and D-Day. The more I saw of Crosby the more is disliked him, he turned into a moody "Sad Sack." Now I wish someone would make movie that actually tells the story of Black Thursday.

[@RobertPaterson]

Yes Like "Rome" ran out of $ and had to compress - sad really

[@nickmitsialis]

@@edwardwhite4015 Well RE: "Black Thursday", I was told that there were only 4 100 BG bombers on the mission and they suffered no losses, so it's an anticlimax; The REAL traumatic mission was the one to Munster; as for D Day, the Allies met almost NO air to air opposition; it was a series of missions in support the Allied Armies or attacks against rails, bridges, marshaling yards etc, that had little opposition except for flak.

[@jameslin3458]

This episode show this series needs to be so so so much longer I love this show it just need more episodes to show and go deeper.

[@marybethschreiter7009]

Totally agree 👍

[@AndreasHugh]

Agreed, Rosie and Croz are definitely my favorite characters. I've attended Thunder of Michigan quite a few times in the past and even took a ride in the Yankee Museum's very own B-17. Flying over Willow Run was amazing.

[@Dune571]

An Operation Torch...Nike hoodie!? That's awesome!

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Drop tanks not properly coming off was a not uncommon problem even post ww2. I believe it was James Jabara in the Korean War who had only one tank come off, forcing him to fight MIGs with some hefty speed issues. Terrifying.

[@tharrigan5661]

Thank you for your outstanding explanation of all these episodes. I have enjoyed this series immensely and your analysis and perspective on each episode has been a great contributor to my appreciation of this series.

[@johnhayes1641]

I can't believe there is only one more episode. Thanks for all the background. Definitely must-watch for anyone who is following the series.

[@chibbyranjo]

I know the episodes no longer really centre around Buck and Bucky, but I still can’t get past how much of a throwback to the golden age of cinema that Austin Butler is. They couldn’t have found someone who looks the part any more.

[@johnevans4867]

Thanks!

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you!

[@Sku11Leader]

I visited the cemetery at Epinal. I got the impression that they don't get many visitors as well because the administrator personally took us around and gave us some of the backstories of the men and women in his care.

[@nbvolks]

I think the other reason for the lack of more time being dedicated to D-Day, beyond what you already mentioned, is that for many of the airmen there wasn't much to see. It was overcast for the majority of the day. Cinematically, viewers probably have that expectation of seeing the vast expanse of ships and a widespread active battle scene across the beaches, but that view was mostly unavailable from the air. My grandfather, who flew on a bombing mission to Caen on D-day and would have had an ideal view from the ball turret, used to say that the most asked question he would get was about that mission. His response was always a variation of what he wrote in his memoirs; "Well, we were up at 20,000 feet, and the cloud cover below us was pretty heavy, but there were openings in the clouds, though not very big ones, so our view of what it looked like on the channel was not very good. But, up in the air, I can say there were more planes there than I had ever seen. Bombers and fighters were all over the place, and I must say, we never saw an enemy fighter."

[@Warszawski_Modernizm]

Once again, greetings from Warsaw, Poland. Buck and his fellas made a bit of an over-estimate, Sagan is 245 miles in straight line from Vistula river, not 450 :)

[@lowellwhite1603]

The Luftwaffe did make an appearance over the Normandy beaches on D-Day although it was a pitiful one. Colonel Josef “Pips” Priller, commander of JG 26 and his wingman strafed the British and Canadian beaches. That night, German bombers bombed the fleet and beaches with minimal effect.

[@evancrum6811]

Great scene in Longest Day....however to most USAAF pilots there weren't any and they controlled the skies.

[@Diggy246]

Hello, love your commentary on this series, despite my having quite a love-hate relationship with it. That said, I wanted to see your Pacific videos again but they're not available in your channel, where can see them again?

[@mattfulmer4243]

Yes. I was wondering about what happened to JF's videos on The Pacific also.

[@mooskanate]

I agree with your assessment. I, too, have a love-hate relationship with it right from the start for many reasons.

[@tippersteffi1]

Not a WW II but a WW I cemetery, I had the opportunity to spend a day at the US, French and German Cemeteries at Verdun France. I had the entire place to myself….very eerie at times, but also very solemn.

[@Ulyssestnt]

Have you noticed they printed peoples adresses more readily in 1940s newspapers,even included directions sometimes. Its not strange Captain Windgate's war record might still be under wraps(the girls who worked at Bletchley Park f.ex kept silent until the 80s in some cases)

[@geekstradamus1548]

As late as the 90’s Soldiers were instructed to spray paint their full name and SSN on their duffel bags - which would, at some point, find themselves riding a baggage pickup carousel. And my father deployed to Vietnam with his name and address listed in the paper - a free advertisement for anyone looking to break into a house.

[@davidk7324]

Went through my mind too. @geekstradamus1548 I left my duffle bag with stenciled name and SSN sitting on my bunk at the Nellingen Kaserne in 1980 as I was headed to Fort Dix to ETS. It's probably sitting on a back shelf of an Army Surplus store in Winslow Arizona.

[@geekstradamus1548]

@@davidk7324 lol could be!

[@joshh8245]

Just got your book Dispatches of D-Day. Excited to read that but I’m still not quite done with A Wing and A Prayer yet. Haha.

[@Zippezip]

I think that Spielberg, Hanks etc. have missed a huge opportunity here. They could have made Masters of the Air, A Wing and a Prayer, and Luck of the Draw into a three-season series. Just saying...

[@thedude1316]

It cost too much money to make.

[@branden3785]

@@thedude1316 I know this is unrealistic, but I wish there was some sort of national trust that would fund or subsidize these type of media productions.

[@jasonford7826]

This episode, while good, was all over the place (Italy, Abbotts, Paris, London, Stalag) and left out a lot. This could’ve been another 2-3 episodes…No bombing leading up to D-Day? And the time jumps from DDay to fall of ‘44….did the 100th do nothing during that time?

[@wnose]

Jared, would love your thoughts on SAS Rogue Heroes. What part of it is really true?

[@Concetta20]

Oo, yeah! I’d like to see that, too.

[@garyevans4524]

As a boy these were my heroes and still my heroes today I’m 68yrs old love this series

[@robertneal4244]

During a strafing run, you cannot bail out. You will hit the ground before your chute has a chance to slow your impact speed (forward and down).

[@tommyanderson-filmmaker3976]

Did you notice that when Rosie was talking to Crosby in his bunk his collar and shoulder rank was 1st LT and not Maj? They must have shot it earlier on the shooting schedule.

[@Bfleischman07]

My thought was based on what supplies were available at the time. Could have been promoted but not received new equipment based on timing, location, etc.

[@tommyanderson-filmmaker3976]

@@Bfleischman07 Except in the last episode he was a captain. Someone wasn't paying attention to continuity of scene. It happens a lot.

[@dberaupilot]

If the show was going to include the Tuskegee Airmen in the episode, they could've at least tried to get the facts right.... The mission depicted actually involved the entire group (332nd FG) in real life, not just 4 aircraft. Shelby Westbrook was never shot down during the war and lived until 2016, It's like someone saw the Albert Blithe error in Band of Brothers and said, "HOLD MY BEER"...Two pilots were actually killed on this mission and aren't even mentioned (Joseph Gordon and Langdon Johnson) in the episode...Ricard Macon wasn't flying "Topper III" when he was shot down, that aircraft made it through the war and was assigned to Ed Toppins, one of three Tuskegee pilots with 4 aerial kills during the war. In August of 44, they still flew primarily P-51Bs which couldn't carry HVARs, on the real mission they attacked the targets with their wing guns only. The 332nd had already flown missions further than Toulon so the whole "we can't make it" nonsense during the briefing scene was just dumb unneeded drama. The blatant nonsense in this episode made "Red Tails" look like a documentary, at least that movie made the right call of using fictionalized characters "inspired by real events". This show has been hobbled by weak writing and odd story choices throughout and Episode 8 was the tipping point. Its a shame cause after over 10 years in development, it should've and could've been something truly special.

[@edschermerhorn5415]

Absolutely agree the cemeteries will stir you !

[@apanapandottir205]

Im a huge Doctor Who fan and I was not prepared to see Ncuti Gatwa pop up in this episode.

[@RobertPaterson]

Thank you Jared it is now my habit to go to your channel on Saturdays right after I watch the weekly MOTA

[@Concetta20]

That’s so cool that the base was in Foggia! That’s my grandfathers home region. He was from Bovino. If I ever get to visit I’ll have to check that out.

[@elliottjames8020]

Under the name quoted "Wingate"/"Westgate" in the SOE. I've bene through all the female agents personnel files in the National Archieves at Kew. The files for MI-6 (The Secret Intelligence Service) are, I believe still sealed.

[@oldfrend]

almost certainly a fake name she gave him if she was with SOE or mi-6.

[@ryanking1595]

I don't think adding in the Tuskegee Airman was needed. It made the episode, and the series, just bounce around and watered everything down. Should have just stuck with the 100th and covered their missions on and around D-Day.

[@hilamadventures4060]

While I agree with your take on the episode, the series as a whole at times bounces around. Wingate (her real name) as a spy in Paris we needed to see this? But you can't tell the story about the B-17 Combat Bomber over 50,000 American servicemen lost their lives, without telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Over 300 escort missions flown lost about 25-30 bombers.. the never lost a Bomber is fable. There is a scene in this episode where the captured fighter pilots are shown respect from captured Pow's because of who they are..mainly because it's a camp for captured downed Airmen . highly doubt that kind thing would have taken place at a Us. Army solider POW Camp.

[@ryanking1595]

@@hilamadventures4060 I agree, you can’t ignore the Tuskegee airmen in the grand scheme of the air war, but this was supposed to be about the 100th bomb group and it’s crews. I felt they did the Tuskegee Airmen a disservice by simply lumping them into the show like they did. Instead of mini-series they should turn these kinds of things into a real show that lasts a year or something haha

[@roberthohl2349]

The Tuskegee Airmen and all the fighter groups who flew P-51 were vital to the air war in securing air superiority over Germany. You don't know your history

[@ryanking1595]

@@roberthohl2349 Fighter’s were integral to air supremacy in WW2…you don’t say? Holy smokes! Can’t believe I’ve missed that my entire life of studying WW2! This was a show about the bombers, not the fighters. I’d be more than stoked if they did a series about the fighter groups, another series about the medium and attack bombers in the pacific, the submarine service, and all of the other amazing aspects of the war.

[@thenoobyblock1208]

@@roberthohl2349 I think you're completely missing his point. It was unfair to both the 100th and the Tuskegee airmen to try and unnecessarily complicate a story, and thus fail to do it justice, by introducing what were supposed to be 'main characters' in the last two episodes.

[@christopheryoder8292]

I visited some in Italy as a kid. It is indeed a profound experience.

[@laurameakin]

I’d say cost would be a major factor in not showing the D-Day landings also when taken in context with either saving private Ryan or band of brothers you have a chronological record of the day so to speak without masters of the air covering it. They possibly felt it’s also repeating the narrative as covered in those projects. Band, pacific and masters are the trilogy so they really shouldn’t overlap too much. I think the idea is once all shows are done story can be viewed chronologically from the land, sea and air.

[@naavatski]

Love these videos!! :)

[@adambulmash6880]

Please do a break down of the Tuskegee Airmen movie if you have a chance. Great movie about fascinating history.

[@bangboats3557]

Might seem nitpicky but I don't think the Tuskegee P-40s had shark mouth markings? I agree with some of the other comments, they are starting to compress stories and timelines to get into the remaining episodes, that details are being omitted or worse still admitted to get a general idea of real events, a "flavour of the events" rather than specifics. I finished Crosby's book last week or so, am currently reading Ian L. Hawkins "The Muster Raid: Before and after" (exactly the same book as "The Munster raid: bloody skies over Germany") don't know why the title changed. With these events being 80 years ago, each day we lose another veteran and I'm collecting as many books like these with actual accounts in them, because soon, these writings will be the only memories we have.

[@kljaberg848]

After Episode 5 the following episodes felt rushed. Putting all this history into 9 episodes doesn't do it justice. Can you imagine Band of Brothers jammed into such a short series?

[@richardarmstrong6513]

Another wonderful video. Thank you. I've learned so much from you.

[@priestsonaplane2236]

The Tuskegee airmen subplot just felt REALLY forced

[@ryanhamstra49]

Agreed. I wish they could have either introduced them earlier or spent a full episode on them. I like the subplot but it feels like the wrote 1-7, started on 8 and realized “oh yeah, we need these characters to meet at the end…. Quick, send them on a mission where they all get shot down!!”

[@vdubs1112]

It was truly disappointing honestly. They should have either been introduced in an early episode and had their story told alongside the 100th, or not at all. Dropping them in at the end of the series with almost no narrative or character development comes across like they were just checking a box, and honestly feels insulting to the memory and historical significance of those men and what they accomplished. The scene where the downed black airman tearfully defends America as "trying its best" to the German interrogator feels so ridiculously contrived, when the viewer hasn't been shown ANY of the pain and adversity those men had endured up to that point because of their skin color. Just awful writing, continuity and pacing. It reminded me of the last few episodes of Game of Thrones.

[@citizenbobx]

The dialog had me cringing, too. I'm not sure what group of guys in the middle of doing that job were going to have conversations like some of the ones they wrote for the actors here.

[@priestsonaplane2236]

@@vdubs1112 you absolutely nailed it. It was very contrived and borderline insulting to the Tuskegee airman. They’re a great story but the only thing they had in common with the 100th was they flew Allied American planes over Europe i ww2 and that’s it. There’s no record of them ever interacting

[@TheSocratesian]

It felt like woke pandering and did a great disservice to the 332nd, everyone who fought with the 8th Air Force as well as the audience. Whoever was in charge of the content for episodes 7 and 8 should be slapped in the mouth. They were both hot garbage.

[@Bass_Playa_Two_Point.O]

My friend's father was a pilot officer in the 350th Bombardment Squadron of the Bloody 100th, who was shot down on his first mission over Ruhland on September 11th, 1944, spending 8 months as a POW . Later, as a Captain, he was the first American pilot shot down by a SAM over N. Vietnam spending seven and a half years under NV captivity. He was one of only two POWs during both WWII and the Vietnam War, both of whom, are coincidentally buried in the same cemetery in Melbourne FL. He has been credited with inventing the Tap Code, used in the Hanoi Hilton, and subsequently taught to this day and retired as a full Colonel in 1976

[@williampage622]

By 6 June 1944 the B 17s should be G models.

[@travis_thompson]

The show runners didn't want to spend extra money making G models so we will see bare metal F's in the last episode.

[@sambarone981]

Episode 8 was a little harder for me to follow. Really appreciate your insights into this one Jared.

[@caboosenom3rson]

The fact that Hanks and spielberg somehow made more than one accidental death of a character that survived the war is odd

[@jannarkiewicz633]

See you after my binge Jared. Back in Manila testing my gear to the the Manila American Cemetery on StreetView. It is a lot of processing time to process/extract the files, multiple TB of upload and raw person time walking the cemetery with a camera. Those TB are not as easy to upload in the U.S. with my Silicon Valley fiber Internet. I can't have GPS cut out mid-video... I'm looking forward to 8 weeks of Jared!!!!

[@samuel10125]

What are the chance of you covering the show Shōgun?

[@evancrum6811]

Would be great

[@edschermerhorn5415]

I felt the “minimizing” of D-Day was to not “take the spotlight” off of the ground troops that was shown in Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers

[@Seafariireland]

Lots of interesting action this week!

[@emiliosanudoortiz]

On D-Day Oberstleutnant Josef 'Pips' Priller and his wingman Unteroffizier Hienz Wodarcyck of JG 26 strafed the Sword beach at Normandy. I can understand that the Allied airmen did not notice them, but at least two Luftwaffe planes flew that day.

[@jamesdunlap251]

Appreciate your insights!

[@acerock013]

i go really hot and cold on MotA. We spent so much time on crews that invariably get shot down and wounded or killed but never really get a sense of who they are. Then we get a really close micro view of a select few right when they are in their most stagnant phases of their arcs. And then there are the gratuitous war porn and propaganda moments that never sit right with me. On the other hand it has some of the best production value and authentic re-creations of flying over Europe in 1943-1945. You can see that everyone is bought in and trying their best, but in the end i am not entirely sure of what the narrative themes are for each arc. This is where focusing in on a single character like Rosie would have been better for the narrative. We all love and adore the Tuskegee Airmen, what they accomplished and what they overcame and how well they performed in combat, but their inclusion here feels exploitive at best. If we are supposed to have an understanding about how unique and important the Tuskegee Airmen were, we deserved to spend more time building up to these pivotal moments. Instead, we get a few short changed moments with people we barely get to know and whose dynamics we never get a real sense of. I cannot think of a narratively based reason as to why they are left out until Episode 8 when we could have gotten to meet them early on and see their journey from the states to Europe just like with the Bloody 100th. What should have been an anthology series of sorts with different theaters of different flyers we instead get sitcom writing with an A plot and B plot and the Tuskegee Airmen deserve more than to be a B Plot. overall, a frustrating series that had me enthralled like in episodes 3 and 6 and episodes that had me nearly turning off the TV like 5, 7 and 8 while episodes 1 and 2 were just fair to middling for me.

[@james-faulkner]

"Burning the candle at both ends."

[@andrewdeen1]

the guy who plays col Harding is the low key star of this show. that dude is so funny.

[@buddystewart2020]

Anyone have any idea when this will be shown somewhere other than Apple TV?

[@MzQTMcHotness]

Will you be attending the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings? It’s being billed as the last celebration to include surviving veterans of WW2. I’m working in the office with the lead planning officer for the entire event, which includes several other events not directly involved in D-Day, but involving French liberation.

[@NessaBear90]

You're working in the office? Do y'all need any extra help? It would just be a bit of a dream of mine.

[@MzQTMcHotness]

@@NessaBear90 I’m working with the lead from USAREUR-AF for the entire ceremonies program, currently, SETAF-AF is the lead element for operations on the day. If you are Army, I can push your name to SETAF-AF for possible assignment on the day. Otherwise, the French National Cemeteries element is hiring temporary help for the day as well. Festivities are 2-9 June this year.

[@FPSMao]

Interesting that you went to France in 2019. Were you there for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings? If so, you may have met my grandfather. His name is Russell Kaye and he was a gunner with Canada's 12th Field Regiment and landed on Juno beach. He turned 100 this year.

[@thomasroutson3046]

Thank you!

[@rockyprivratsky5692]

I agree with what others have said. The series had great build up to episode 5, but has been full of almost a soap opera of hot air being deflated. I for one came to watch a series about Masters of the AIR, and have been very disappointed with the lack of AIR battles to help obtain the context of the 100th’s scope during the war. Don’t get me wrong, you need the base story telling here to gain context, but in comparison to band of brothers, I have rarely felt immersion into the “foxholes” as I did with the previous two miniseries (BoB and the Pacific.) I wish they’d copied the BoB by using WWII interviews to help us all know how our real life veterans remembered their part. Additionally, as a very small critique, I wonder why even open with a black screen lettering “Part 1 to 9” is necessary without an episode title. The BoB had episode titles for reference. Thank goodness for this channel. A lot of that missing context and content is filled in here. Thank you for recapping all that’s happening per episode and giving us all historical context with your research and knowledge.

[@Vultor]

You have to remember as far as interviews go, Band of Brothers was released 23 years ago. I don't even think many if any of those men are still alive. The same would be of these men.

[@bac6253]

Interviews would have been nice, but I wonder how many of those veterans of the 100th BG are still alive to grant them.

[@justinschrank4806]

I agree last few episodes haven't been as good. But the Inherent problem with the air battles is that they are all essentially identical. Where as BOB battles were entirely different. I can see why they didn't want the show to be repetitive, but it could have used a couple more.

[@nealmccoy5727]

Episode 8 was all over the place, and the amount of storylines just aren't feasible for what seems to be an unacceptably short run time. I am sorry, but this series reached its peak in episode 5, and it has been slowly downhill since. So much potential wasted.

[@ytuser0449]

It did kinda feel like the whole episode was just an extended trailer, there were so many storylines that everything was superficial.

[@asdf9890]

I hear ya, but I’m still sticking with it myself.

[@johnye4433]

I think the POW story was too much of a filler, most people were wanting more fighting

[@NickMJDD]

Think we’re seeing why this show was in production hell for years and had a weird release. They filmed a crapload of stuff and had no idea how to put it together

[@carnthecorby]

They needed 12 episodes minimum to accurately portray everything they are trying to show here. No bombing on D-Day etc. This needed to be shown. Rosie's getting little screen time and his ark is being rushed. We got one battle with him showing what his mettle is. Winters got a few. Everything up to this point felt reasonable but this episode felt rushed with too many storylines going on just for the conclusion to the war next episode. It really needed 12 episodes.

[@RichardPetre-j1c]

One must have to think that after this series, someone will come forward and say Landra Wingate was my mother, my grandmother, my aunt. One wonders whether the series producers or writers tried to contact her. From what Crosby wrote, she had a very sensitive position and may well have worked in an intelligence capacity. However, she was not an SOE agent who operated in France. So much has been written about the SOE--and especially about its operations in France and its women agents in France--that we would have to know that Wingate served in the SOE. There are plaques in the UK showing the name of every woman the SOE sent to France. Also, the National Archives in the UK have the personnel files for everyone who served in the SOE. I am sure that the actual files are not online, though those writing books have obtained access to some of the files. But you can actually do an online search to see what SOE files the Archives have--there are five persons named Wingate, and no one remotely appears to be Landra Wingate. Also, it would have been highly unusual if she had used a cover name. Coming across someone who knew her would have raised many questions had she used a different name. And there was no need-- her cover was she was an officer in the ATS. Finally, her last scene is crazy. She is dressed to kill and would have turned the heads of the German officers across the street at the cafe--again, the last thing any SOE agent would want. There were reservations about the SOE sending to France Noor Inayat Khan, one of which was her striking looks--"one seen, never forgotten."

[@DCS_World_Japan]

The P-51 strafing scenes bugged me. Mustangs weren't equipped to carry HVAR rockets at that point in the war, and why were they strafing without using the rockets? The one rocket employment scene has two rockets rippled with high accuracy, when in reality they would have been salvoed due to lower accuracy.

[@waynec3563]

And the 332nd weren't equipped with P-51Ds at that stage either. I am told by a P-51 historian that the P-51D-25 with rocket stubs did not arrive until April 1945. The HVAR seemed to be guided in that scene.

[@darson100]

I have to say I agree 100% here, the strafing scene was a bit of a mess. The thing that stood out to me was why on earth they were engaging AAA emplacements so far out as to make a hit almost impossible. Also, those HVAR rockets seem to act more like an AGM-114 Hellfire than an unguided rocket.

[@rockyprivratsky5692]

Did you also notice the “Flying Tiger” painted on the P-40 at Ramitelli? I doubt that the Tuskegee Airmen would have done that. I wonder is that’s historically accurate?

[@TACTICALwaffle2]

⁠​⁠@@rockyprivratsky5692perhaps one of the pilots flew with the flying tigers before joining the Tuskegee airmen?

[@dons1932]

@@darson100 Not being a huge aviation buff, but knowing my WWII history enough, I came straight here to question the same thing. I thought to myself, why on earth do those rockets look guided in the mid 40s? Surely that tech wasn't around in fighters at current time.

[@WillHaynes83]

The squadron commander howling over the radio when Westbrook was shot down must have been added for dramatic effect. A good officer would not yell like that over comms.

[@dongquixote7138]

Macon going into gnat's ass precision about fuel consumption, range, and drag coefficient was pretty cheesy in my opinion.

[@dylanhill1640]

How did the German intelligence officers get the backgrounds on the Tuskegee Airmen and other pilots?

[@barryobee1544]

Good point…never explained!

[@laurameakin]

A lot of Germans before the war were in America some educated in universities or colleges hence why their accents were so good some had jobs. And of course after the war there’s operation paperclip. I’ll leave you to look that up for yourself and make your own opinion if you are unaware of what that is.

[@dons1932]

German heritaged spies, operating back home in the USA. The exposure of Croz's girlfriend as some sort of resistance / OSS / spy herself is a nod to this very theme.

[@SgtMjr]

The Luftwaffe intel unit was very well informed. Little details gleaned from prisoners and all the sources the Germans could access built up a hefty file on allied POWs and their units, A/C and bases as well as their backgrounds. POWs were astonished by how much they knew. The basis of current prisoner interrogation is from this very Luftwaffe unit and it's methods.

[@truthtriumphant]

I read somewhere that many German spies were sent to the U.S. in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Also, the Germans recruited traitorous Americans to spy for them unfortunately.

[@dennismason3740]

The Allies prepared for D-Day to take place on the 5th of June and weather put it off for a day. Very few soldiers and sailors and airmen slept on the nights of the 4th and the 5th.

[@LMLent]

I’ve enjoyed all your episodes in this series. One thing I find a little bothersome is some of the clips you show from the series are reversed from the originals. I know it’s minor, but necessary?

[@thegreatdominion949]

I realize they want to give an idea of the size of the invasion fleet in the D-Day scene, but the altitude the bombers are seen flying over the beachhead is not realistic. They would have had to maintain a minimum altitude well above 10,000 feet to avoid being in the path of high angle naval gunfire going inland from battleships and cruisers offshore. Needless to say, they would also be extremely vulnerable to German AA fire at the altitude depicted.

[@davidk7324]

Well done, Professor. The makers of MotA are nearing a "goldilocks" accomplishment with one part to go. It is amazing given the scope of this undertaking -- a necessarily different and effective treatment relative to that of the two previous Landmark Hanks/Spielberg series collaborations. These series, despite the occasional quibble, will be vital for all future generations interested in the American story. We need a USN Pacific series (threads on a destroyer, carrier, and sub) to complete the story of the US experience in the Second World War.

[@olibeau7955]

The part about him passing out when he moved abruptly because of his broken neck made me physically cringe. I can't imagine how painful that must have been.

[@davemac1197]

27:32 - Britain certainly has a very different civil rights history than the United States, but I couldn't explain it better than Reginald D Hunter, an American comedian you probably haven't heard of in the States because he came to the UK as a student and (still overstaying his student visa?) never went home - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZiZdId8rLSUosU The show is a news/comedy quiz show making fun of the news headlines called Have I Got News For You, and you might recognise the guest presenter for this episode is actor Dominic West. My favourite story from Reg is about the time he was appearing in a comedy club and was in the audience watching the other acts before his turn on stage, when a little old lady came up to him and asks "excuse me, are you that American comedian?", and in his southern (Louisiana) accent he replied "yes ma'am, I am". Then she asks "so you must know Tommy Cooper then?", Reg says "well, I know he dead..." (British comedy legend Cooper passed in 1984). The old lady then says "I'm sorry, but as an English person I really must correct your English, I think you mean 'he died'." Reg says "sure, first he died, and now he dead."

[@jameswg13]

Well Thorpe abbot's was mainly restored by the efforts of one of the kids that was on the base at the time as well as efforts of a few others. So I am not surprised Thorpe abbot's Is in a lot better shape.

[@vkolo3388]

A good vid, "100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum Virtual Tour" is worth seeing over at RAF Mildenhall KZbin Channel

[@darksidemachining]

Superb video. @25:17 Regarding Lt Macon: upon seeing the scene of him going through the fuel consumption and distance calculations off the top of his head, it was easy to assume the writers put that in as a made up plot device. It was extremely satisfying and informative that you described his actual background in mathematics. It was a shame the director did not spend a few seconds of film by having one of Macon’s friends lay an arm across his shoulders as they walked away from the briefing and say, “Whew son… that mathematics degree can sure come in handy.”

[@atb2674]

Shame they didn’t focus on two storylines from ep. 1-the bloody hundredth and the Tuskegee Airmen. If we followed both their tours up until Jefferson and co. joins Buck Clevens and co. in the POW camp It would’ve been more impactful.

[@Concetta20]

Or have another spin off just following the Tuskegee Airmen, same cast, and then overlap with MotA.

[@vrdrew63]

I really appreciate these videos, and greatly respect the research into the historical background behind some of the scenes in MOTA. That said, I've been more than a little disappointed by Masters of The Air. It doesn't really work as a coherent STORY the way that Band of Brothers or The Pacific did. It seems to me that the producers and writers wanted to pack everything they possibly could into the story, without regard to how it would impact the overall story arc. Did we really need the story about British female SOE agents operating in occupied France? That they existed, as a matter of historical record, seems incontrovertible. But was one of them really the girlfriend of a USAAF group navigation officer? Likewise the inclusion of the Tuskeegee Airmen. Again, historically accurate. But it doesn't really mesh into the story of the Bloody 100th. Why didn't the producers and writers focus on the real achievement of the US Army Airforces in Europe between January and June 1944: The destruction of the Luftwaffe? The impact of appointing General Doolittle, and his decision to let his fighters range far ahead of the bomber formations, essentially put the Luftwaffe into a death spiral from which they never could recover.

[@ericharmon7163]

Short answer, yes, Crosby dated a female SOE agent. So it is historical fact. They use his book as part of the story line, so that’s why it’s in there. My problem is feeling the need to jam the Tuskegee story into it. If there were more episodes, fine, but it just seems jammed in. There are already several movies about them. They should have stuck to the 100th. They should have focused on Rosenthal after the two Bucks go shot down.

[@brandonross4742]

I felt like everything up to this episode was going great, and then this episode was all over the place. Not as good as prior episodes. Still enjoy the series, but lacking a bit compared to BOB and The Pacific.

[@davemac1197]

17:50 - "not a single Luftwaffe fighter in the air" - I believe there was a token presence from the Luftwaffe, but a common joke among German soldiers was: if you look up into the sky and see a silver plane - it's American, if you see a black plane - it's the RAF, and if you see no plane at all - it's the Luftwaffe! I thought the visual rendition of the invasion was very realistic at this point - a lot more ships than Saving Private Ryan. 24:00 - The Normandy invasion prompted the move of the 2.SS-Panzer-Division 'Das Reich' from the South of France to Normandy, which the French resistance slowed down by draining the axle oil from every rail flat car they could find in the region, so the cars seized up a few miles into their movement. The movement had to be continued by road march and continued resistance attacks resulted in the massacre of an entire village at Oradour-sur-Glane in retaliation. After the 'Das Reich' reached Normandy, operation DRAGOON/ANVIL landed in the South of France... 38:42 - Captain Wingate was the first female officer to pass SAS selection and among her many daring exploits she used to regularly drink Paddy Mayne under the table. Okay, I made that up. She probably worked in Intelligence. I think you guys are getting far too excited... 38:44 - "Dr Who with an American accent" - to quote Damian Lewis: "it's called 'acting'."

[@Warszawski_Modernizm]

On D-day in Normandy Luftwaffe had only TWO operational planes available close to the beaches. I read about it in "The Longest Day"

[@davemac1197]

@@Warszawski_Modernizm- I wouldn't rely on newspaper journalist Cornelius Ryan. Most of the errors in A Bridge Too Far (1974) I know are errors of omission, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were more Luftwaffe aircraft in the air, so I was very careful with my language, but it is fair to say they didn't have much impact on the landings, if any. Since you raised it, I've just done a quick search on the new-fangled interweb and found an interesting article straight away on the dday-overlord website titled 'German Air Forces on D-Day - Interventions by the Luftwaffe on June 6th 1944'. [Quote] 'The squadrons deployed in Normandy on June 6, 1944 On 6 June 1944, the I/JG 2, I/JG 26, III/JG 26 and Stab squadrons were the only German Air Forces present on the spot. The I/JG 2 Richthofen squadron took off its 19 FW 190 aircraft towards the Normandy coast, armed for the occasion with rocket launchers. Lieutenant Fischer of the III/JG2 claimed a successful shot on a Victory class allied vessel. I/SKG 10 was engaged on the night of June 5 to 6, 1944 and the flasher chart displays four destroyed Lancaster bombers. The SKG 10 squadron claimed its first Lancaster at 05:01 on June 6 in the area of Isigny-sur-Mer. IV/JG 3 squadron took off all of its aircraft in Normandy. These units were specialized in the fight against Allied bombers. Three Henkel 177 from the KG 30 squadron took off from Bordeaux, France, for a night bombing mission (the objective being the beachhead) but all three aircraft were shot down by allied Mosquito (operating for the benefit of the air fighters) before the start of their operation. For the day of June 6th, the claims of SKG 10 and JG 2 squadrons come to an end around 9pm reaching 23 claims. The reinforcements would arrive in number the following days: 200 additional fighters in the 36 hours following the D-Day and 100 others before the 10th of June. The most publicized intervention An intervention by two German planes was particularly mediated by Cornelius Ryan’s book “The Longest Day”, led by Geschwaderkommodore Joseph Priller of the JG 26 squadron. Priller and his winger, Heinz Wodarczyk, were the only ones in the JG 26 to strafe the Allied beaches during the landing operations, namely Sword and Juno Beach. They were the first to be in contact with the landed troops. The other aircraft of the squadron, based in the north of France, were on mission in Germany against Allied bombing. The two Luftwaffe pilots were convinced that they would not come back, but they returned base safe and sound. At the time of their passage, there was no anti-aircraft artillery already landed and ready to fire. Their passage was at low altitude and they were not worried by the Allied fighters which flew at a higher altitude.' [End quote] - So, if you do a bit of digging you can find a more accurate picture of events on D-Day, I find it's always more complex than presented in a single book (or Hollywood film adaptation).

[@edwardwhite4015]

Love your comments about the background of this episode and the viewers certainly needed it because the episode is all over the place. An entire episode should have been devoted to the Tuskegee airmen. I think this is the worst episode of not just 'Masters of the Air' but also of "Band of Brothers' and 'The Pacific." I couldn't believe that only about 5 minutes were devoted to Black Thursday and D-Day in episodes 7 & 8. I hope that Hanks and Spielberg will add scenes actually covering Back Thursday and D-Day for a Blu-Ray edition.

[@laurameakin]

I feel like we’ve missed a huge opportunity with westgate & even Quinn was it last week when they came home from Nazi occupied Europe with help from the resistance that would have been a superb story to see but we didn’t see it. This is where the show has let itself down an extra episode to give us those stories would have been great an extra episode to fill in more about the redtails again much needed. What’s not really needed is buck and Bucky in the camp doing essentially nothing. They’re absolutely gonna short change Rosie in final episode and it could’ve been a 10ep run with cutting out some of the camp stuff and giving us more redtails, Quinn, westgate (the only female character).

[@Patrick-xv6qv]

I agree with most of your comment excpet the Westgate aka Wingate. As Jared said and as Crosby mentioned in his book, there is very little known about what she did in the war. They showed her being in France and working with the Resistance not because they were factual events that we are aware of, but because it was to show speculation of what Crosby thought she may have done. This show is based as close to the actual historical facts and if they started making up stuff about Westgate just to show her more then it becomes a much less historically factual shoe. Not every show or movie has to have a strong female character

[@stephaniehendricks3537]

I think the series could have had 10 episodes. But and this is my opinion apple's first miniseries event and was probably a test run for them. Covid probably did make them cram things in these last episodes which probably could have been episode 10. Maybe Apple will try again with another miniseries event and try to not have them cram things.

[@dons1932]

@@stephaniehendricks3537Thankfully it has faithfully remained in generally the No1 position for weeks on Apple, even with all the other great stuff out at the moment. So hopefully its success will greenlight more, similar projects in future.

[@mypl510]

I think the Tuskegee part has been over played in media, and honestly, I would have rather seen another group covered, like the 56th with Gabreski and Zemke.

[@Shawn-id7gc]

I remember the allied bombing and naval bombardment was not very successful. Missing much of their targets on D Day Idk about this as much but bombing was also criticized for killing too many French citizens (yes I get the times) and actually caused many logistical problems. Just adding for context.

[@samuel10125]

Caen is a good example.

[@richardvernon317]

Bad weather had a lot to do with it. Both Bomber Harris and Spatz were against using massed strategic bombers as tactical weapons as they were not that accurate.

[@dongquixote7138]

The book "Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory" discusses both of those. On the subject of bombers, they were expected to be able to eliminate obstacles even as small as razor wire fences. They didn't have that capability to begin with, and even less so when their bombing runs were made perpendicular to the beach. The 8th and 9th Air Forces (9th being fighters and medium bombers) also did little to no training for their D-Day missions themselves, as their commanders didn't want to pull those resources from front line missions in the months leading up to the invasion. The 9th Air Force in particular could have benefitted from such training, as their job included what passed as close air support. The naval bombardment began only something like 45 minutes prior to the landings, which is nothing compared to the days-long shelling some islands in the Pacific got before invasion. From the book: Naval gunfire from destroyers proved to be the only reliable part of the Joint Fire Plan since the Army Air Force's strategic bombers missed the target area and the tactical air force was too poorly trained in close air support to assist. Destroyers were an integral part of the battle for the beach. According to one eyewitness account: "Two destroyers moved in incredibly close, so close we could almost yell to their crews, so close Germans were hitting them with rifle bullets. They fired broadsides directly at us, it seemed, and while their shells were just above our heads, plus the thunderclaps of their 5-inch guns, it was almost as terrifying as the German artillery. Their gunfire was amazingly accurate." Spotters on the destroyer identified targets. Smoke and fire impeded their efforts, but they knocked out 88 mm gun positions, machine gun positions, and pillboxes. Some naval shore fire control parties established radio contact with destroyers and effectively directed fire against enemy strongpoints. The cumulative effect of naval gunfire eventually gave the infantry the break they needed. This was one of the few times in the annals of naval warfare in which ships took direct action in firefights. Had a heavy naval bombardment preceded the landing -- even one as short as three hours, the length of the bombardment at Tarawa -- Americans would have suffered fewer casualties.

[@apanapandottir205]

I don't remember what documentary it is from but I remember seeing an interview with an african american serviceman that had served I think in the pacific and he tells the story of how he upon his return to america was beaten and called the n-word by a police officer for sitting in the wrong place.

[@theraven6836]

Re Windgate, I believe you mentioned that she was Scottish. Do you have any idea why she’s portrayed speaking in Received Pronunciation?

[@JClark2600]

I try to rate the series around similar WW2 shows, still to this day Band of Brothers over takes this one by a mile. I just don't see the same tactical choices the BoB made and was there any evidence the 'Red tails' were at Luft III

[@sbishop6450]

I can’t help but feel that this should have been two episodes. Nothing was deep enough for me. There could’ve been a lot more about the red tails and their history up to the point the three airman were captured. Also the role of all the airforces in the D day landing. Felt a bit short changed. Still it was a well executed bit of filmography and enjoyable. 🇬🇧

[@okcomputer0101]

Not enough time on D-Day. “Day of Days” was a haunting account and remains one of my favorite moments on television. I hope this show doesn't gloss over Tuskeegee Airmen. I’m expecting a Navy story to be in the plans. I know many Hispanic men and women who served along with many Asian men and women, and black men and women during the wars in Europe and the Pacific. It is frustrating to have their stories as less than footnotes in the entire Spielberg & Hanks series. YOUR work here is a service to this country! 🫡 thank you!

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Does Sandra have any direct family? You mentioned she was married after the war. I presume she has since passed on but maybe children or grandchildren would be able to better state what she did in the war?

[@leighdog5866]

i think we have had to many episodes wasted on other topics & stories that we already have a great deal of over the years . we have been crying out for decent bomber group content for decades , i think its a opportunity missed so far 🙁

[@colincampbell817]

Sadly the series is failing for me. It is rapidly becoming a wandering story where no one subject/person gets a decent level of coverage. Initially it was focussed and built up the narrative with some key characters. Now it is a mish mash of characters and the time line is jumping around which is not allowing the watcher to really grasp the significance of some of the events. Too big a subject and trying to fit too to much in too little space/time.

[@protroll9144]

A lot of mini series use this writing tactic of trying to cram everything into the last few episodes to wrap things up. Pacing is the key to a successful mini series. “Band of Brothers”could have been 9 episodes with the perfect pacing it was given.

[@captaintoyota3171]

.OMG I thought there where only 8 episodes.... i was on edge of seat then "next on...." im so pumped. Look this show needs to be twice as long i agree its crowded and jumps around. BUT THIS IS history. Yeah they modify some stuff but for most part its historical facts combined to tell the story of pilots in ww2. Sp yeah i give it a break, sadly in entertainment we are lucky this was made AT ALL. Rumoured 500million $$ cost we should be greatful we get to see maybe a glimpse of what our grandfathers saw