MASTERS OF THE AIR (PARTS 7-9) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | REACTION

[@RonaldCanfield-m2r]

Never stop being YOU, Cassie (giving in to your emotions); it's one of the many things that makes your channel special.

[@SJSpode114]

Totally agree. You’re so precious Cassie…

[@Vipre-]

You were making perfect sense at the end. You also got it. So many are calling the show trash over stupid nitpicks that make no difference to anything rather than connecting with the characters and what they went through. Giving us the audience almost a century removed a glimpse of their experience was the point, not whether a scene depicted the correct number of bombs being dropped during a specific mission.

[@mikect500]

You should watch "Memphis Belle". It was the first B17 to get to 25 missions. During the war an official documentary about the plane and crew was made. The movie was in 1990.

[@mypl510]

The first B-17 to get to 25 Mission was Hell's Angels, but that didn't play to well, so the Belle was chosen for the documentary. The first bomber to hit 25 was a B-24 Liberator named Hot Stuff that sadly crashed on its way back home to do the bond tour.

[@iamjbob]

The problem with the movie Memphis Belle is that it's not true to life. The movie was highly Dramatized. The Memphis Belle had a fairly un eventfully final mission.

[@mikect500]

@@iamjbob yes, I read the Pilots book a few years ago. It was still good and let us not forget, until the P38's and P47's got to Europe the bombers were going it alone and nobody was getting those 25 missions. In fact the average was 9.

[@mikect500]

@@mypl510 Memphis Belle was the first to do all its missions against the varsity, the Luftwaffe over Germany. Those other bombers did some or most over Africa or the Med or the Pacific. The aircraft "Hell's Angels" did 25 missions but not with the intact crew.

[@iamjbob]

@@mikect500 I think it was Esp8 when the commander was talking to Rosie he mentioned the strategy had changed. That was when James Doolittle took over command of the 8th AF. he did change tactics to destroying the Luftwaffe. he stopped the daylight bombing over Germany until all fighters P-47s and P-38s were modified for Drop tanks, with this modification all 3 fighters could fly into Germany and engage the Luftwaffe but even at that only the P-51s had range that could cover the entire country of Germany.

[@mitchtaylor661]

My father was a pilot in WWII with the Army Aircorp followed by the Air Force. He was in for 30 years all together. When he came home from WWII my mother could not sleep in the same bed as him due to violent nightmares for over a year. She would be in another room crying until he woke and then would help put him back together. As a little boy when I would start to ask him about his service mom would get me away from him. As I approached my teen years I asked my mother why something so many years ago still gave him night mares. Her response was "think of broken planes falling from the sky". I did not understand that statement till this series. I often wonder why he still loved to fly after he retired. We lost him to Alzheimer's 15 years ago. While that is a horrible disease, it allowed him to finally tell some of his stories without the emotional issues that came with them before.

[@geeebuttersnap2433]

While I’m thankful for his service, I am sorry for your loss and his suffering.

[@AnastasiaArtDiscovery]

I say the same. Your father is among the heroes.

[@r.e.tucker3223]

"Why do we do this to each other?" Cassie, never change.

[@r.e.tucker3223]

My wife and I love your channel.

[@r.e.tucker3223]

"I just really really really hope we don't do this again." We love you, Cassie, and wish the same.

[@r.e.tucker3223]

Never apologize for being real. We love ya.

[@filipohman7277]

Never Again USA VS GERMANY WE ARE BROTHERS OF ARMS NOWADAYS!!!👍👍👍 LIKE FINLAND ALLIES AGAINST DICTATOR RUSSIA PUTIN

[@caldwellkelley3084]

Rosie crashed in 1944 and broke his arm. When he made the jump during the Berlin Mission he rebroke the arm. That why all the pain!

[@axr7149]

My admiration for Rosie Rosenthal grew considerably after this series, not only for what he did during the war, but also after it. He is one man who deserves a biopic treatment IMO.

[@RJKookie]

You’re not alone. I saw the same comments on YT and IG Nate Mann fan accounts. There’s a ton of interest for a Rosie biopic - but with Nate Mann - bc he embodied Rosie so well that I could never see anyone else portraying him. Rosie’s story is too incredible to pass up.

[@hawkeyegeorge]

He was a complete bad ass.

[@jsbrads1]

We kind of got the biopic… here.

[@HammerJammer81]

They are labelled "The Greatest Generation" for a reason. So much owed to so few.

[@martinsv9183]

Sadly they defeated the wrong enemy. As Patton said.

[@Matty_th]

15:49 I love Rosie. Basically, the way things turned out, he emerged as the Dick Winters of the hundredth bomb group.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

Rosie Rosenthal is proof that you should never underestimate the replacements, or predict who would become the legendary war hero.

[@ronaldleigh1933]

MAYBE Rosie should have had the Medal of Honour - Truly Amazing American Can -Do Hero

[@ChienaAvtzon]

@@ronaldleigh1933 - Rosie Rosenthal never viewed himself as a famous war hero, despite being one of the most highly decorated aviators of WWII. Similar to his portrayal in the show, he was a rather unassuming guy. Also, during WWII, Jews were not awarded the Medal of Honor. (The three Jewish servicemen who were awarded it, it was done posthumously.) There was still a great deal of antisemitism in the US Armed Forces, and USA at large. It was the dedication of Jewish-American servicemen and women during WWII, and how they volunteered for dangerous missions and positions, that knocked the antisemitism out of American society…. until around 2010.

[@alfredstimoli2590]

Cassie, I don't know if you picked up on the prison escape and the execution of 50 POWs referred to the Great Escape. Stalag Luft III was the camp of the Great Escape. The camp was so large prisoners were segregated by country. That's why in real life no Americans were involved in the Great Escape because that occurred in the British compound.

[@forbin1185]

There were some Americans involved in the digging. The Americans were segregated to their own section of the compound weeks before The Great Escape. there is a video here on KZbin where they excavate one of the tunnels two brits and an American that worked on them where brought to Poland to check it out. they even find one of the tunnel lids. Really cool to watch..its called "The Real Great Escape - Codename Tom, Dick & Harry"

[@stuartgarfatth1448]

@@forbin1185 You are COMPLETELY WRONG!.

[@adamscott7354]

This was a really raw one Cass, I hope a lot of people see this because its such a genuine personal, emotional testament of heartfelt gratitude to those who served, sacrificed for all of us and continue to serve like your newfound friend's Husbands' deployment to South Korea for a whole year! No doubt she will need your friendship and strength to help through that trying time to count on.

[@jacoblonsbury9839]

Unfortunately you-know-who has been censoring my comments again, and all I said was that film isn't a very effective medium at assuring war never happens again. It's very sad.

[@JCYanksDevs24]

The problem with showing D-Day from the air perspective is there wouldn’t be much to show. By then, they pretty much fully controlled the air. There were no German planes fighting them in the sky. So it wouldn’t have made for great TV from the Air Force perspective.

[@moviewryter1985]

Yes, and it took thousands of missions to reach that point of destroying the Luftwaffe. Amazing how everyone's efforts from so many different areas of the war came together for the final end to it.

[@acdragonrider]

@@moviewryter1985 Yeah which is why seeing Crosby's side is cool.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

@@acdragonrider - True…. but originally, besides showing Crosby mapping the routes, there was an entire plot about Rosie and who his co-pilot was that day. Apparently, the 100th unintentionally had their worst pilot trained to use the new radar machine that would be on the lead plane. Meaning, Rosie was forced to fly with a guy who crashed seven B-17s. Combine that with Crosby sleeping through the entire invasion, and it sounds like it could have been one heck of a hilarious episode.

[@paulloomis1013]

You can tell your a true maple leaf Canadian when you blurted out he needs a"toque" ! While assigned in Germany as a U.S. Army aviator, I once traveled to Wright-Abbot field in England. At that time it was still set up as it was during the war. It was all dedicated to the Bloody 100th. I was in Normandy supporting the 50Th anniversary of D-day, and witnessed all the ceremonies. On the 5th of June original 101 guys, and some 82 jumped into St, Mere Eglise. they were in their 70's. After landing they formed up, marched off the drop zone. They even had a piper leading the way, I felt humble being there, and hearing of their exploits.

[@mtpugh]

Cassie, there is a documentary that goes along with this series called “The Bloody Hundredth.” It has a lot of interviews with the actual guys depicted in “Masters Of The Air.” I think you would enjoy it.

[@joshmackaben4537]

My grandfather John W. Mackaben was a B-17 pilot in WWII.. He flew at least one mission alongside Memphis Bell... He had flack stuck in his leg to the day he died. I lived with him one summer in Wisconsin. He told me a few stories but I was just a boy then, he kept them fairly innocent but he did say it was Hell and it was basically random luck when making it back. Watching friends and just fellow countrymen go down in a split second was so unreal and counting for shutes took a toll. Always Honor those who gave us our freedom. Surviving war is a life No one will be able to understand but the others who served as well. One thing he said that I remember well... As always, when you can, No Way Out! ✌️ Peace and Health to All!

[@RonaldCanfield-m2r]

My great uncle was one of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He managed to make it through the carnage and lived to be 100, but would never talk about his experience... a sad reminder of the tragedy of war and how it can remain within one's psyche for the rest of their life. On a better note, my cousin has a P-51 Mustang that he flies in air shows. It was his dad's (my uncle), who was born during WW2. If anyone out there attends an air show keep an eye out for Speedball Alice.

[@tirasbell4740]

3 things: Crosby doesn’t actually say that he and “Sandra” whom he knew as Landra in his book, slept together so the show took some creative liberties on that. Crosby also met with a woman named “Dot” whom he knew from college, He and Landra “broke up “ as Landra told him she had met another man, who was not married. Crosby ended up writing to Jean about meeting Dot a few times and not Landra. Jean was understanding. the reason the brass upped the tour of duty requirements from 25 to 30 was because of a serious shortage of crews. Rosie went on to fly 52 missions.

[@Ambaryerno]

In fact they didn't even know what Westgate actually did.

[@frosty3693]

The mission number was also increased because of falling casualty rates and was later moved up to 35 missions. The using of the bombers as 'bait' to bring up the fighters so to shoot them down was also done in the Pacific. Bombers were repeatedly sent to Rabaul for the same reason.

[@Ambaryerno]

@@frosty3693 The bomber crews hated that the fighter squadrons were no longer sticking close to them when Doolittle first shifted the strategy on how the escorts were utilized, disparagingly calling them "Glory Boys" because they thought the fighters were more interested in racking up kills than protecting them. However, once their loss rates began to fall and they stopped seeing German fighters altogether, they realized what was ACTUALLY happening by allowing the fighters to roam freely in search of targets.

[@tirasbell4740]

@@frosty3693 true I find it important to mention that this was only for the 8th, other air forces that flew medium range bombers like The B-25 and 26 were required to fly even more missions.

[@BigAl53750]

There’s an old movie called; Reach For The Sky, about an English pilot, who not only flew in the Battle of Britain, but commanded a squadron of Canadians! Here’s the deal; he had no legs! Look it up, it’s an amazing story. The movie is in black and white and it’s a bit corny in places, but it’s a true tale and I think you’ll enjoy it. The pilot’s name was Douglas Bader, if you want to look it up.

[@TheGnolla]

One of the reasons he did so well was that he could withstand more Gs because he had no legs for the blood to rush down into. He lost one of his artificial legs when he was captured. The germans allowed the RAF to drop a replacement leg in a parachute.

[@brucechmiel7964]

The Original StarFox

[@monitor1862]

I've got the book the movie is based on. It's a really good read. Douglas Bader was tough as nails.

[@Maverick25ish]

Yeah i wish they would remake that movie, he had to really fight to earn his wings again, command thought he couldnt fly or dogfight with no legs because he couldnt use his ankle muscle and joints to use the rudder, but he used his hips and could indeed use his rudder well with his prosthetic legs :)

[@arkadyfolkner]

Cassie, you have an amazing heart, and you show respect and great empathy towards those who fought for our country during WWII. My late granddad was an aircraft engine mechanic in the 9th Air Force during world war II, his group was mostly twin engine attack bombers like the A-20 Havoc and the A-26 Invader but I remember him telling me about the anxiety and worry waiting for their craft to make it back home after a mission. The 'Many Thanks Yanks' actually did happen :D One of those who survived the 'Hunger Winter' in the Netherlands that Operation Chowhound and Operation Manna (the RAF counterpart) flew supplies in relief of was a malnourished teenage future Hollywood Legend named Audrey Kathleen Ruston - better known later as actress Audrey Hepburn.

[@JCYanksDevs24]

The show was good overall and I’m glad it got to share the stories of these men from the books the show was based on. My only complaint was it needed more episodes to properly develop the characters. It’s hard to cover four guys and their stories in only nine episodes. Easily could’ve been 2-3 more episodes.

[@thatperformer3879]

I agree completely. But in my opinion, even with the lack of episodes, the show has one of the greatest endings I've ever seen in television. So many good shows don't stick the landing, but I think Masters of the Air knocked the finale out of the ballpark. Its probably my favorite episode.

[@jeri3808]

Cassie, military members over seas can take leave. I was stationed at Osan Air Base, Korea in 1986 for a year and went home on leave at 6months, for 30 days. ❤

[@BradySmith-c7x]

Thanks so much Cassie for your reactions to "Masters of The Air" series. Great job as usual. I so love your movie reactions. So glad I found Popcorn In Bed last year. I look forward to every new episode. God bless, Brady Smith

[@richardmeyer1007]

The scene where the Dutch girl holds an orange is everything. You can’t see her joy, but it’s there.

[@michaelspehar695]

For an excellent film covering the 8th Air Force leadership, watch "Twelve O'Clock High." starring Gregory Peck and Dean Jagger. This film was shown to cadets for many years. A great film and it avoids excessive gore. You will really enjoy it.

[@JarrettGaza]

I applaud your closing statements and emotions on masters of the air. You’re right about this being a different kind of war as opposed to band of Brothers. I saw it as an incredible standalone series from someone who was in the Air Force for six years from 1966 through 1972. Once again, Spielberg and Hanks did an incredible job as did you on your reactions.

[@alimanski7941]

Cassie, your reaction uncovers the kind of person you are - in the best possible way. You are obviously a very empathetic person, and it's a breath of fresh air on the internet.

[@ryanb-ol2pf]

I really respect your outro talking about how you liked the show because you want to hear the stories, and how you have respect for people in the Military. Its not easy being in a Military family, but having a family member in an active war zone is something else... I send you and your family much love and respect

[@iamjbob]

There are 2 good movies about the Tuskegee Airmen. 1995 "the Tuskegee Airmen" and 2012 "Red Tails" (they painted the tails of their p-51's Red) Both are well worth watching they were one of the best fighter groups in the European Theater.

[@CaesiusX]

*_The Bloody Hundredth_* is a direct folow up to this series narrated by *Tom Hanks* and featuring *Steven Spielberg.* It is on Apple TV+ too.

[@caldwellkelley3084]

Even if she doesn't review it I hope she watches it just for the moments with Rosie.

[@CaesiusX]

@@caldwellkelley3084 Agreed. I should've said as much myself. Thanks! 🙋🏼‍♂️

[@ryan62011]

Cassie, you asked why do we do this to each other, that is a question for modern wars, the men that fought this war, didn't fight for money, or oil, or because the government said so, theses men were from the greatest generation there was, they fought because they would not bow to Tryanny, they fought so that we may live, and they died to uphold the very freedoms that we hold so dear, they gave the ultimate sacrifice so the world may see that as long as there are men willing to stand up to tyranny then the darkness will never extinguish the light, unfortunatly freedom isn't free it demands the ultimate sacrifice, which these brave men were willing to pay so that we may live in freedom. What these men did should never be forgotten.

[@RichardEricThompson]

There is an older series from the British perspective of a fighter squadron during the Battle of Britain. A Piece of Cake, produced by the BBC. It's good.

[@Soupie62]

For a movie that is just about D-day, look for "The Longest Day" (1962).

[@Alpine_oaks]

31:46 actually a Russian soldier first gave him a kiss , socialist kiss usually the lips but also on the cheek,and hug while saying “amerikanskiy! amerikanskiy!” Happily before taking him behind the lines where he met three Soviet generals , sat with them and ate meatballs and more food! They were extremely welcoming

[@george150799]

He made a comment that the P51-Mustang as being 'the best fighter of the war', well, that's because the yanks switched the engine to a Rolls Royce Merlin engine. So, effectively a US version of a spitfire.

[@Maverick25ish]

Yeah that was a bold statement considering what the RAF had already done lol america again taking all the praises from British engineering

[@videogenics86]

Just imagine what it was like on the home front. Knowing that you could hear any day your brother, father, son or husband had been killed.

[@troynewsome3710]

Young lady you have such a tender heart. When evil rears it's ugly head, brave men and women are willing to protect the defenseless.

[@bearcatXF]

The people being bombed were "evil"? The children blown apart were "evil"?

[@manuelvillacana9284]

This video is an hour-long. I love it when Cassie get into a series and do 3 episodes in 1 video that tells me that anything is possible.❤

[@rafaucett]

Great reaction and commentary, Cassie. Thank you for watching this series and sharing it with us.

[@TheWadetube]

This was a true account. Fiction today is formulaic , bloody and usually without redemption for the bad guy. Sometimes the bad guy turned around and did something good. There are stories of a German fighter ace who, instead of shooting down an injured b29 or B17 he flew along side as a wingman until the injured pilot made it out of Germany and years later they met as old men and shared their tales of heroism. Oh, and Darth Vader Killed the Emperor to save his son. So seeing a movie that is like a documentary is refreshing because you don't know what will happen, it doesn't follow a formula and I know your years are real because Mine are too. When the girl gets the air drop with food in it and pulls out a bright orange. Niagra Falls baby. Oh well, at least I got to see it with you, your empathy seems to match my own and that feels good.

[@davidkeller6156]

There were famous actors who joined the war effort. Jimmy Stewart was a bomber pilot and commander of the 703d Bombardment Squadron. He joined the reserves and held command positions until he retired in 1968 as a Brigadier General. He actually flew along on a combat mission in a B-52 over Vietnam. Clark Gable was a Major with the 351st Bomb group, and served from 1942 to 1947. Gable being a very valuable asset to the studio they positioned him to make films. He did go on five official com at missions and his plane was shot up badly and he was almost killed. The studio pressured the Army Air Force to take him out of combat, which they did, but he still continued to fly combat mission “unofficially”. The British actor David Niven, left Hollywood and returned to England to rejoin the army, besides making films for the war effort he participated in the invasion of Normandy and advanced to the rank of Lt. Colonel. Henry Fonda joined the Navy and served on destroyers in the Pacific. One of the ships he was on was sunk. There were others who participated in the war before they became famous.

[@Ambaryerno]

**Part 7** One of my disappointments of the series is that we didn't get to see the Big Week raids at the end of February, 1944. The Big Week was the first time the P-51 Mustang was used in the bomber escort role. Unlike in the past, they were able to escort the bombers all the way into Germany, coming as a complete shock to the Luftwaffe, and marked a turning point in the Air War (Herman Göering, head of the Luftwaffe, is reported to have said before the Nuremberg Trials “When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up.”). Although the raids suffered heavy losses, the Allies could replace them. The Luftwaffe's losses were even WORSE, and more importantly, once they were gone there was nothing the Germans could do to get them back. There were several reasons the tour length got increased: First, the Allied invasion of Europe was fast approaching, and they needed every hand available to ensure air superiority for D-Day. More men in the air means more targets can be hit and with more aircraft. Second, and what the crews didn't realize, was that the chances of completing their tours were actually increasing. The arrival of the Mustang and P-47D-25-RE model of the Thunderbolt meant the bombers were no longer facing swarms of Luftwaffe fighters unprotected, and loss rates were decreasing. So more guys were going home, depleting the core of experienced aircrews. The tours were in part extended as a result. Although many of the perpetrators of the Great Escape were indeed executed under the orders of a furious Hitler, it was not so publicly disclosed, nor was it done all at once. Rather they were taken out in small groups to be shot over a period of weeks. The bombers by this stage of the War were bait to lure the Luftwaffe into a fight where Allied fighters could destroy them. Additionally, the actual escort strategy itself changed: Rather than the fighters remaining with the bombers, they were instead released to range out ahead. The fighter squadrons were on pure "Search and Destroy." At first the bomber crews hated this because it presented the illusion they were being left on their own while the "Glory Boys" went off in search of kills. But soon they latched on the realization that the strategy was WORKING, and making their jobs considerably easier. The fighters would hunt the German interceptors down and attack them before they could even make contact with the bomber streams. They would attack airfields to hit the Luftwaffe on the ground, or while landing or taking off (especially the case with the Me-262 jet fighters which were just beginning to enter combat in 1944, as they were exceptionally vulnerable slow and at low altitude. In fact, it forced ENTIRE SQUADRONS of German fighters to be taken off the front lines to defend the fields). They destroyed supply convoys, depots, fuel dumps, anything and everything that could be used to supply the Luftwaffe and enable them to fight. Within only a few months, the Allies had achieved full air superiority over Europe. The Luftwaffe couldn't fight, run, OR hide. The Experten were being ground into dust, and the new pilots coming in to replace them often barely had enough flight training to get into the air, much less engage in combat. The Germans simply lacked enough fuel to train replacement pilots, and roving squadrons of Allied fighters and fighter-bombers could pounce on the training facilities at a moment's notice, whereas American aircrews could be trained in the US, well beyond the reach of German counter attacks. The raw industrial power of the United States was now in full swing, as well. By the end of the War the US built nearly 16,000 P-47, 15,000 P-51, 12,000 each F6F and F4U, and 10,000 P-38 fighters. Of the bombers? They built 12,000 B-17s and *18,000* B-24s. Ford's plant at Willow Run (the War Effort in the US was all-hands on deck. Ford, General Motors, Goodyear, and many, MANY others that were not in the aviation industry themselves were pressed into service churning out fighters, bombers, engines, and other vital equipment under license) was at one point turning out a completed B-24 Liberator EVERY HOUR. Meanwhile, the quality of the average Allied airman was increasing over his German counterpart. Those men who went home after completing their tour of duty? They weren't done with the War. Instead, they trained the next group of pilots coming up, meaning that all of those new pilots and crew had been trained by men with actual combat experience, something the Germans (and the Japanese) couldn't, because their pilots remained in combat until they were dead or simply no longer able to fly. It was the beginning of the end for the Third Reich, and NOTHING at that point was going to stop it. And just in case you're wondering, yes the general who gave the order to use the bombers as bait is THAT General Doolittle. **Part 8** You could do an entire series about the 332nd Fighter Group and their contributions to the War effort. The movie you're thinking about is Red Tails, by George Lucas. While it's not BAD, it's not particularly GOOD, either, and there's a LOT of historical and technical errors. No one actually knows who Westgate was, or what her actual role in the War was. The parts about her being involved with the French Resistance are pure speculation. However, Allied Intelligence and Special Forces did indeed have many women on the ground, some of whom worked with the various Resistance movements. A GREAT movie about the Normandy Invasion is The Longest Day. A MASSIVE epic, starring....just about EVERYONE. Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Richard Todd, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, and so many, many more. Some of the cast had even ACTUALLY BEEN THERE (Richard Todd, who participated in the glider assault on Pegasus Bridge, ended up playing his own commanding officer in the same action, and even gives an order to "himself.") The reception to the Tuskegee men in the camps was...complicated. Many of the American POWs did indeed have intense racial prejudice towards Blacks (it was the 1940s, after all, and segregation was very much fully enforced in the US, which is why you didn't have Black pilots in the same squadrons or air groups as whites). However, a lot of the bomber crews especially had great respect for them and welcomed them with open arms, because the 332nd earned a legendary reputation for their efficacy as bomber escorts, and many of the POWs had themselves been escorted by the 332nd. Although it's a myth that they never lost a bomber under their charge, they nonetheless had one of the lowest loss rates of ANY Allied escort fighter group. And as Cleven pointed out: It would be incredibly unlikely that a Black man would be a German spy. **Part 9** One of the problems with this show is that they had one fewer episode than Band of Brothers or The Pacific, so they had to pack a lot of material into an hour's less runtime. Just because they're uncontested in the air doesn't mean they're not still under attack from the ground. Flak is still incredibly dangerous. The Russians and Germans REALLY didn't like each other, and there was no quarter being given. It's glossed over earlier in the series, but Rosenthal was Jewish. The Mustang pilot thought they were strafing a German infantry or supply column. They didn't know those were POWs. There are reports that some of the American POWs liberated or rescued by the Russians never actually got sent home, but were instead taken back to the Soviet Union and incarcerated there. The battle at the POW camp never happened. Even the youngest surviving WWII veterans are in their 90s. The last survivor of the sinking of USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor died just about 2 weeks ago at the age of 102.

[@predatorjunglehunter7332]

I agree with you so much! it was a big mistake to leave out the Big Week events, I hated how the series went from: _"we need to destroy the Luftwaffe ASAP, the bombers are going to be used as bait"_ to _"well, seems like the Luftwaffe it's magically gone, we are the masters of the air"_ without even caring to show us any scene, a flashback, or at least a commetary explaining how all of that was acomplished, they did the same with other previous important battles as well, like the Bremen raid when Cleven's plane got shot down offscreen as well as the infamous Black Monday which also happened offscreen and we only got to see the fate of the surviving crews after it. In my opinion this series should have had at least 11 episodes, and definitely more air battle scenes, with those 2 additional episodes, placed between ep. 7 and ep. 8, the series could have explored the events of the big week and the history and feats of the tuskegee men in deeper detail; sadly, both HBO and Apple TV were too stingy with the budget for this series, and the writers and directors lacked creativity and sagacity to make the best out of the material and resources they had at hand. This series had good moments, but overally it felt like a rushed product, aiming very high but getting stuck halfway

[@Ambaryerno]

@@predatorjunglehunter7332 The problem was COVID led to production delays and budget overruns. However, I disagree about expanding the Tuskegee Airmen. That should have been an entire series of their own to truly explore their significance. As it was, they only appeared in the show because Daniels, Macon, and Jefferson figured into Cleven and Egan's story. The show would have been much better served by not focusing so much on the POW camp (including outright fabricated events like the battle at the POW camp) and adding one of the fighter groups instead. Especially the 56th FG, which would have brought in Gabrieski.

[@MI519]

Pretty outstanding show overall and I enjoyed it immensely. If you know the history of the air war over Europe, then it's easy to enjoy and understand this series. This is not Band of Brothers and wasn't trying to be. It was a very different theater of war, but the missions were no less dangerous or deadly, and as you came to understand, the air forces suffered immense casualties. if you want a better understanding of the story behind the series, there is a one-hour documentary about the 100th Bomb Group, called the Bloody 100th, narrated by Tom Hanks, that accompanies this series. You will even get to see actual interviews with Col. Rosenthal before his passing. It's well worth checking out. Glad you enjoyed the series. Don't listen to negative Nancy's.

[@leejamison2608]

I always watch and just love your reviews of the three series of WW2 documentaries. Your heartfelt and genuine

[@cjlew7460]

Cassie, you made complete sense. Don't ever change. It should be hard, we should never get use to war. It takes a special person to volunteer to serve your country, it takes a very special person be be a service spouse.

[@bobthompson2013]

That final episode was classic!

[@Eggrollofdoom]

I played as an extra in this episode. We didn't get paid but they did feed us with catering.

[@BigAl53750]

POW camps were harsh, but they were TAME compared to the Death Camps. The RAF did their bombing at night and they had to do 30 missions per ‘Tour’. A famous RAF Bomber pilot was a young man called Guy Gibson, who was a Wing Commander at the age of 24 and completed 170 missions before he was killed at the age of 26. You should look up his story, which seems incredible.

[@canoli62]

I recommend that you follow this series up with the old movie 12 O'Clock High. Same subject, but old fashioned writing and cinematography. It is a very good movie. Most importantly, the air combat scenes in the movie are genuine. They are actual footage taken from the actual flights in the war. A spectacular piece of history.

[@AnastasiaArtDiscovery]

I love this show, I could watch your reactions to it over and over again. All I wanted to do towards the end there was give pot Cassie a big hug. 🥺

[@martinhodgson2303]

Bless you Cassie, such a respectful, thoughtful and emotional reaction, it is what makes your channel so special. You made perfect sense and not sure I understand the criticism either. An excellent series, well written, well acted and well put together, and not afraid to show the horror and waste that is war. I started with your channel with Band of Brothers. Good to watch this one along with you!

[@cjdavis2684]

This is how war is. it isn't clean, it isn't just firing back and forth, this is the face of war. which is why we should always remember it, the Event's that cause it, and do what we can to prevent it. Also this maybe the end of the European war in WWII. but remember the Pacific war with Japan was still going. and there were numerous horrible things that happened in that war as well...

[@michaelvalenzuela2528]

2014 Unbroken is a good war film also based on a true story.

[@danspragens4935]

To answer your question about bombing with small planes, while the B-17 and B-24 were used for strategic bombing (hitting factories, rail yards, and such), fighters like the P-51, P-40, & P-47 often did double duty as ground attack aircraft, either in direct support of ground forces or against targets like the radar stations in episode 8.

[@Ambaryerno]

That's actually how the P-51 began its service; the P-51A had poor high-altitude performance due to its lack of a turbocharger, or a 2-speed supercharger for the Allison engine. So they were mostly used in the ground attack and close air support role in Africa and the Pacific.

[@McPh1741]

"Stalag 17" (1953) would be a good movie to watch. Starring William Holden ( from Bridge on the River Kwai), it's about a group of American POWs who are unaware they have a German spy amongst them thwarting their escape attempts. Through his behavior in captivity, William Holden is thought to be the spy and makes it his mission to find the real one. If you are interested in a movie about the largest POW rescue in history, then watch "The Great Raid" (2005). It stars James Franco, and Joseph Fiennes. It flies under the radar, but is a good movie and very accurate.

[@monitor1862]

There's another B-17 movie you might be interested in. It's called Twelve o'clock High. Made in 1949, the novel it was based on was coauthored by two men who served with the eighth air force and one served in with 100th bomb group.

[@666johnco]

The show was not like Band of Brothers really because the Bloody Hundredth suffered 77% casualties from its origional aircrew. This in just 4 months of the worst period of the air war. When they say 13 planes are lost thats 10 men per plane so 130 dead or in POW camps. So the 60 bombers lost on the first Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission meant 600 men gone, plus casualries on planes that made it back. The 2nd attack on Schweinfurt lost 77 bombers. Easy Company had some hard battles with heavy losses but they never came as close to being wiped out as the 100th which accounted for a constantly rolling cast.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

No other bomber group was wiped out the way the 100th was, either. Rosie’s Riveters is the only crew, in the entire war, to ever become sole survivors.

[@666johnco]

@@ChienaAvtzon There is a Hank's narrated documentary 'The bloody Hundredth' which Cassie should watch. It points out the worst losses everness of the 100th. Its like the documentary for band of brothers and includes interviews done years ago. Looking at number of missions needing to be flown btw I have just seen a video on KZbin that calls Robert Rosenthal who kept going to 52 the true Master of the Air as far as 100 Group was concerned. No one flew more B-17 missions, They had to skip the first occasion on which he was shot down, post D-Day he landed the damaged plane in allied held France but hit a ditch breaking his arm. As soon as he was healed enough he was out of a desk job and back in the air. He broke the same arm when he landed when he bailed out just beyond the Oder.

[@666johnco]

After watching a video from the Imperial War Museum about the 100th I can report that Tom Hanks fibs when he says that the 100th suffered the highest casualties of any Allied Air Group in WW2. The 91st Bombardment group lost more men. Though they had arrived in the UK nearly a year earlier so did many more operations. Also of course they would have needed more episodes and there would have been the Memphis Belle issue. Do you persist with the films lie about the last mission being deeply dangerous raid on a target in Germany, or show the truth, a short ranged attack on a target in France, with P-47 escorts there and back so a crew would complete their tour.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

@@666johnco - The 100th lost its men in single blows. When they lost, they lost big time. That is why they earned the nickname the “Bloody Hundredth”. Maybe do actual research, instead of listening to some BS KZbin channel. That channel you watched is full of garbage. “Masters of the Air” is not about the 8th Air Force, it is solely about the 100th Bomb Group. While, the Bombing of Berlin was Rosie Rosenthal’s final combat mission. The Memphis Belle was in a different group. It also was not the first crew to finish its 25-mission tour. Hollywood just liked the name of their plane, so hyped them up as propaganda.

[@666johnco]

@@ChienaAvtzon Typical youtube comment. just randomly decide to insult people, if you look up the Imperial War Museum you'll find its not some BS KZbin channel but a top military history organization of the UK. Yes the 100th took some incredibly hard blows but Tom Hanks saying they suffered the highest losses in WW2 is wrong, that was still the 91st as any research will show you. Again though 91st in the air war for 10 months longer. Also as a side note the record for most planes lost on a mission by a group was 25 B-24's shot down from the 445th group in an attack on Kassel in September 1944.

[@mikect500]

Actually German POW camps treated the American, British, French and other allied POWs not to bad. For the most part the gave them the red cross packages and funny thing, by mid 1944 the allied soldiers in POW camps were eating better than the German guards and had cigarettes. If you remember James Garner traded chocolate and cigarettes to the guards for things. Almost all the allied soldiers made it home from German camps. In Japanese camps it was very different. Maybe 30% of allied POWs made it home from the camps. Bridge Over the River Kwai shows the conditions of those camps.

[@jjmaker]

people are crazy to criticize this series, it was very well done and stories that need to be told so we don't have to repeat that part of history.

[@frenchfan3368]

Yes, I agree. No, "Masters of the Air" was not perfect but it was very good indeed. People who constantly say the series was "boring" sound like a kid who needs to be entertained constantly. Sorry, but that is not real life. The series was not made just so we could be entertained; it was made to show us the realities of the U. S. Eighth Force and its many challenges.

[@jacoblonsbury9839]

What makes you think that mass media like this will make people less willing to go to war? Chickenhawk politicians and cultural figures love evoking the memory of the dead of WW2 to justify invading and occupying nations around the globe, to "protect what our forefathers fought for." You're right that this should never have to happen again, but there is no form of media that can achieve that.

[@dirks4093]

Exactly. This is why these movies should be cherished and shown in high school history classes. As for the quality of the series: I ask myself, do I want to buy the blu-ray box set and keep it on my shelf with other favorites, like a good book, able to pull it off the shelf and watch it again in a few years? And I can say yes, I'd like to have this one to keep.. It will be right there with Band of Brothers and others. Proud of /a tribute to our generation before us.

[@Joe67343]

For me the show was just average as it just wasn't presented in a way that got me invested in the characters. It also jumped around and maybe tried to cram in too much in just 9 episodes.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

@@frenchfan3368 - Life might be boring, but the first three episodes of “Masters of the Air” were poorly edited and redundant. There was no need for that much setup. Especially, since the it turned out to be a waste of screen-time for nameless characters that die. The middle of the miniseries, when Rosie debuts, is excellent though.

[@bryanhornby10]

Cassie is by far the greatest reator on KZbin by far . I hope she watches the Memphis Belle

[@coyotej4895]

One of my Great grandfathers on my Dads side had three kids before he died as part of an artillery unit on the Western front near Bellwood. His two oldest served in WW2. One listed as MIA in 43, as commander of a Submarine that did not return from a patrol. The other son was an engineering Officer abord a ship sunk in 41 and he spent the war in a POW camp. The other child, a daughter died in a car crash as a result of bombing near her car killing 3 of the four in the car. The youngest, a girl was given over to the state and was working in a factory that got bombed. So in my German side of the family only one lived past 1945. On the other side My grandfathers fought in both theaters. One was a Commercial Fishermen in Alaska and used his boat to ferry troops and supplies and to sweep Japanese mines from shipping lanes. One fought with the resistance in Yugoslavia, and one flew B 17s out England. Of the 15 grandkids that I can count from both my biologic and adopted family 5 have served in the US military. The common thread of that helped them to serve without regret was pride in themselves because of their morals and ethics held to highest standard by Family. As well as the support emotionally given before during and after by Family. Point being, Family must take pride in their country and encourage that in the youth as well as strict ethical and moral values. That is why in the American Military we teach our solders to be Humen shields for the civilians and the enemy teaches their solders to use civilians AS Humen shields. The fault lying Soly on the leaders who have given up Morals and Ethics for power and money. FACT!

[@ACsPianoCorner]

I really enjoyed this series. It focuses on the story rather than purposing trying to shock the audience or glamorise war. IMO, it was very well written and delivered. The documentary that goes alongside this was also great background. I’d suggest giving that a watch to.

[@mattconner6416]

So tragic about Buck's Marge... 😢 He died in 2006 in Sheridan, Wyoming. Her picture was still on his mantle.

[@HikingPNW]

My great uncle was in a mechanized infantry unit in ww2 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He grew old enough to see the Band of Brothers so I asked him what he thought about it. I remember him telling me he "liked the show but they were all too clean shaven". He went on to say how they didn't worry about shaving their beards but just focused on staying warm and having dry socks.

[@duanetelesha]

Communications such as letters were handled thru the internatiionsl Red Cross.

[@YN97WA]

I don't think it's fair to compare B of B, The Pacific, or Masters of the Air. As you said, they are different experiences from different perspectives of the war. I've studied WW II for years, and I thoroughly enjoyed this series for its historical value. I know some creative liberties were taken, but for the most part, it was pretty accurate. The price paid by our greatest generation was staggering and should never be forgotten. They saved the world from tyranny at a tremendous cost and should always be honored for that. I really enjoyed your reactions to this series, young lady. Your empathy and admiration for those men was apparent. I must admit that I got emotional, too, throughout this entire series. The little Dutch girl pulling the orange out of the bag really hit me in the feels. That and "MANY THANKS YANKS" in the tulip fields, which you can see if you react to the documentary "The Bloody Hundredth." I really hope you do.

[@johnf-americanreacts1287]

Cassie, you might be interested to know that the Canadian army played a pivotal role in liberating the Netherlands and with the effort to feed them since they were under famine like conditions.

[@place_there9104]

D-Day featured very little action by the Luftwaffe. In fact, as shown so ably in the film, "The Longest Day," the sole Luftwaffe action on June 6th was a sortie by two FW-190 fighters strafing one of the beaches. I remember asking my father what he did during D-Day. He said, "Nothing, the (bomber) squadron had the day off." He was a gunner on board a B17 then, and his squadron only saw action on June 7th. They accidentally bombed the English Channel and walked their bombs up onto the beach, hitting Allied troops. Someone accidentally started dropping their bombs early into the water, and the rest of the group panicked thinking the order had been given to release so they started dropping theirs too. US dog tags included a notation for religious affiliation. P for Proteststant, C for Catholic, J for Jewish, etc.. Jewish American prisoners of war were separated from other POW's by the SS with many sent to Mauthhausen concentration camp and worked for death on the "Stairs of Death," in the rock quarry at the camp. Check out the "The Best Years of Our Lives" made in 1946 for what happened to returning veterans and what they dealt with after World War II. Not many people watch this Best Picture Oscar winner anymore. Yeah, agree with you that a lot of these stories were severely truncated and could have extended out to another episode or two.

[@ChuckS117]

Roosevelt, Stalin, Coca Cola were his real worlds!

[@John-Ginger]

He fractured the same arm and was rescued by suspicious Soviet soldiers who thought he was a German until Rosenthal shouted: 'Americanski! Coca-Cola! Lucky Strike! Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin!

[@garybradford8332]

Having now watched his along with Band of Brothers, and The Pacific, you have a greater appreciation for the ultimate sacrifices that were made than most Americans do. "Red Tails" is an excellent movie as is "Hart's War" which is a story about two black P51 pilots facing racism in an American POW barrack. I met a Tuskegee airman at an air show eight years ago and let him know how much I appreciated his service. I think most WWII veterans would be appalled at the rise of antisemitism and threats to democracy our country is now facing. All the lessons learned from 80 years ago now seem to have been forgotten. But, great series and your reaction was beautiful. Thanks.

[@RonaldCanfield-m2r]

The movie "Memphis Belle" (1990) is another true story about a B-17 crew trying to make the magic 25 bombing missions. Definitely worth watching.

[@squint04]

Cassie, Buck and Bucky were held in a "Luft Stalag NOT a Concentration camp HUGE difference! The camp Commander (a career Air force officer) was later executed by the NAZI's for the "Great Escape" occurring! He (as a fellow military officer) could not look in the face of the Allied officers, when he told them of the escapees being murdered by the NAZI's! As for fleeing the camp ahead of the Russians, that was a smart move!! Stalin kept several thousand allied POWs as "bargaining Chips" with the allies, they were never seen again! My main complaint with this series (It was fantastic) was that the last few episodes seemed rushed!! That and no mention that when Gen Jimmy Doolittle took over the 8th AF and changed tactics losses went down! Or the fact that the 4th and (56th FG's flying P47s) bore the brunt of the air war in western Europe were not given their due! Great reaction, Thank You

[@WBookout10]

Glad someone pointed out the differences between a concentration camp and a German POW camp. And yeah, biggest problem with the series was trying to cover too much with too little time. They had more material to cover than both BoB and The Pacific, and only used 9 episodes instead of 10 to make matters worse. I think this has been beaten to death as well, but the use of B-17F models throughout the entire series instead of including G models was a let down. Overall it was a good series, but it’s unfortunate that Apple TV’s budget constraint were what they were.

[@squint04]

@@WBookout10 Well said! Yeah, the exclusion of G models was indeed a let down!

[@glastonbury4304]

Squint04 ...just a small correction, the commander wasn't executed...he was repatriated in 1947 and died aged 82 in Germany...

[@allynvannoy4743]

Please note that airmen prisoners pf war were not placed in concentration camps, but in Stalag Luft camps - POW camps under there Luftwaffe.

[@moviewryter1985]

TIME LINE: Starting around 1939, in certain capacities, then heavier in '42 (after Pearl Harbor, Dec '41), and even heavier still in '43 (the time represented by most of this movie), represents the 3-4 years of U.S heavy involvement in the war in the European and North African theaters (and Pacific theater too), Up until D-Day (June '44). Then the (European) war was 11-months long after the D-Day with the Allied main ground war (June '44- May '45) which was the push from the (Normandy) France beach landing and driving Germany back to Berlin and final defeat. Japan surrendered a few months later (Aug '45) when the ENTIRE World War was then over.

[@Vipre-]

It's wild that it took two and a half years basically to make D-Day happen and less than half that after to finish the war in Europe completely.

[@samson9535]

They gave up all of their tomorrows for your today!

[@dstrong86bluecoffee]

CASSIE -- RED TAILS (2012) movie TUSKEGEE AIRMEN (1995) movie The appearance of the Black American fighter pilots, known as the TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AMERICA IN WW2 STILL HAD SEGREGATION (SEPARATION of white and black people in their jobs, public housing and education), so with the US Air Force trained graduates of WW2, the famous TUSKEGEE AIRMEN (trained in Tuskegee, Alabama) were more than 900 black Americans who flew both fighters and bombers. The Tuskegee pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group had painted RED TAILS on their P-47s and later P-51s THEIR NICKNAME WAS THE "RED TAILS" (Thanks - Dave Strong)

[@frosty3693]

While I am subscrbed, I am not a patreon member so don't get a vote in what to watch, there is a series Cassie and Carly might like to see and enjoy. But it may be one most do not know about. Probably not enough to win a vote to watch. It is like 'Masters of the Air" as it deals with the experiances of real people and shows them at the end like this series. As Cassie related to Rosie there are women in the series she may connect with more. It is mainly a female cast, nurses in WW1. Chic flic? Maybe, but I enjoyed it, as an older guy and a history buff. It is 'ANZAC Girls' a series about a group of Australian and New Zealand nurses who served in WW1. It starts out in the Gallipoli Campaign and covers history that few are familiar. (maybe because they were not great moments for the British Empire and Churchill) The things that happen seem unreal and improbable but they really happened. It's avaliable on DVD but I do not know what restrictions there are to use it on KZbin. But it is worth seeing even if you can't post it.

[@jamesmidgett9512]

I would like to recommend the movie "12 O'clock High " . Gregory Peck gives a great performance in a great depiction of life in a squadron.

[@erickreyes3443]

12:12 the mention of the 50 executed prisoners is a reference to the film the Great Escape

[@ilejovcevski79]

It would perhaps surprise you to know that Rosie was shot down twice during the war, and twice he returned to active duty... talking about real life being stranger then fiction!

[@ChienaAvtzon]

Not only that but the Royal Flush only had two engines, when Rosie Rosenthal started performing those evasive maneuvers. There was also a mission where Rosie limped a B-17 (on the route back from Berlin) across the channel on a single engine. He landed at the first airfield he could find, and the final engine died the moment the plane hit the ground. While, Roland Freisler was killed during Rosie’s final combat mission. Talk about poetic justice. He also saw more than one camp, and they were all in the same condition, while in Poland. John Orloff pretty much admitted, he had to tone down much of Robert Rosenthal’s feats, just for it to look believable. That is just how legendary this man’s military career was. All the while being so unassuming, you would never know he was a famous war hero if you met him.

[@swordmonkey6635]

"Air Superiority" meant the Germans had little to no planes to launch that would make a noticeable difference. The flak guns were still around until the closing of the war, but their numbers decreased as territory in France and Germany was taken by the Allies.

[@AndreGerritzen]

Yesterday i saw a video about the german Me262, the first fighter jet. The produced over 1000 of them but only 200 where used in air battles. Only 2 where shot down in fights because they where to fast for the gunners and P-51. They came 6 month to late and not in enough numbers because hitler wants them to be used as "blitz bombers". The only way to get them down was when they have to slow down for landing. With this fighters the luftwaffe would get back the Air Superiority and on 1 September 1944, USAAF General Carl Spaatz expressed the fear that if greater numbers of German jets appeared, they could inflict losses heavy enough to force cancellation of the Allied bombing offensive by daylight. Lucky for us hitler was such an idiot and didn´t listen to the experts (again).

[@BullGator-kd6ge]

@@AndreGerritzen More than two ME-262s were shot down because the Tuskegee Airmen shot down 3 in a single mission. I think somewhere around a hundred were shot down but most weren’t flyable due to unreliable engines and lack of spare parts. The Allies were out-producing German manufacturers so even if the 262 arrived earlier, it wouldn’t have changed the war significantly.

[@AndreGerritzen]

@@BullGator-kd6ge They only could shot them down when they were on approach to land. In this video was a short part of a board camera of an U.S. fighter attacking an Me 262 with the landing gear out maybe 100 feet over ground. The Me 262 was a small jet with small fuel tanks so they only could attack twice and has to land to get refueled. The early jets engines need a lot fuel, so their operational radius was very limited. You are right there was only a number of 100 operational at same time.

[@ReeseMacalma]

Crosby's book, A Wing and A Prayer, is an amazing read. Highly recommend it to anyone who wanted to learn more about the events around the series.

[@razor11301]

Red Tails ...while not the most accurate is an entertaining movie bout the Tuskegee airmen and their journey

[@jamesmoy8665]

Cassie you are a truly beautiful person. Beautiful of both heart and mind. If more people were like you there would be a lot less wars. But while war is a terrible thing sometimes it is necessary in order to stop an even greater evil.

[@markperez7597]

I'll tell you right now ma'am! I'm not a vet so I can't relate to what they have seen. But i am a police officer in El Paso, TX. And I can relate to everything Crosby says. My morals ALWAYS conflict with what is the law and what I'm lawfully suppose to do vs. What I know what is morally right.

[@MrFrikkenfrakken]

What a heartfelt wonderful reaction - great job Cassie.

[@joshuawells835]

For more on the Tuskegee Airmen, I recommend the film Red Tails.

[@Pakal77]

You should watch "Hogan's heroes" serie where the action is in a Stalag, to change your tears of stress into tears of laughter 😉

[@gilbertopinto248]

Yes the movie about the Tuskegee group call Red Tails.

[@mikect500]

Except for using the wrong model B17 for 44 to 45 and the gunners didn't use tracers either this is pretty accurate. Obviously the fighters were for the most part 500 to 1000 yards away from the bombers but I understand that Hollywood has to frame the shots.

[@Dularr]

Really enjoying videos discussing the technical details.

[@mikect500]

​@@Dularr I am a WWII aviation geek, been so since I was a kid. I still build models, lol

[@edm240b9]

The reason they didn’t add the chin turrets was due to lack of production time. I believe the head of production said that they originally wanted to and it would’ve taken around two weeks to add a chin turret to the prop model they used. However, by the time they were shooting for those episodes, production time was running out. Now, whether or not this is true or not is another thing, but at least they were able to address this issue. My overall problem with the miniseries is how much time was condensed and information left out. We barely saw the Black Monday Berlin raid and D-Day, the Tuskegee Airmen story felt rushed, and even though the last episode was good, Episodes 7-8 were pretty lackluster. You can tell COVID also hampered the production team and there are some scenes that did raise my eyebrows.

[@mikect500]

@@edm240b9 I love the chin turrets! Actually I heard that they didn't because their "historians" weren't that great. I also heard that it would have been very expensive to change the cgi. I am not going to nit pik because I enjoyed the show.

[@edm240b9]

@@mikect500 I got that info from Bombers of WWII youtube channel. I believe the head of production did an interview on WW2TV. They might’ve addressed the issue in the interview, but I’m not sure as I haven’t seen it. I believe the historians they had did get a couple of things wrong, most notably the ground rockets that shot down Rosie’s plane. This is because documentation at the time has it written that Rosie’s plane was shot down by ground based rockets, but the German military never fielded any such equipment. If they dug a little deeper, they would’ve found this out.

[@jasonmkc7797]

You made a lot of sense. More than most. Well said.

[@braz128]

For more info on the Tuskegee airmen seen in this series, I'd highly suggest Tuskegee Airmen (an HBO movie from 1995). There is also Red Tails (2012) but I don't think it's as good. For more info on Bombercrews, there's always Memphis Belle, another good option if you can find it is Dambusters (2003 its a tv movie) to gives a perspective on Commonwealth crews during the war during this one raid. Midway is also a really good, historically accurate film. There's a very small part in the film where they mention the Doolittle raid as well.

[@nutherefurlong]

Ignored the previews and any reviews, didn't need them. Thoroughly appreciated the show, thanks for the excuse to revisit it. It was a really good. I wished there was more of it but that's not a bad thing

[@tileux]

Funny story. The american B17 raids always had senior commanders in the planes - colonels and generals. It was a "lead from the front by example" thing. These senior officers - like majors egan and cleven - would fly as additional crew on the B17s, although, unlike majors they would be on one of the safer planes in the middle of the formations. Anyway, the senior US officer at Stalag Luft 3 was a brigadier general - I forget his name. He was onboard a B17 that got hit by flak and its flares caught fire, filling the plane with smoke. The pilot hit the bail out button and the brigadier and a couple of the rear crew bailed out, but then one of the waist gunners found the box of flares and threw them out of the plane. Problem solved. That B17 flew back to england without further incident but missing a couple of crew and a brigadier general. Ive always wondered how that went down at the post flight debrief. Information on prisoners, care packages, and letters were all sent via the International Red Cross out of Switzerland. The swiss ICRC has been an observing power for these purposes for nearly 15o years. The swiss also interred some B17 air crew who landed their damaged planes in switzerland during the schweinfurt regensburg raid. Some of those guys were swapped for germans and had an interesting escorted trip to Spain via berlin and paris, even getting bombed by B17s at a train station. Of the 11,000 allied aircrew who were POWs in Stalag Luft 3 just over 1,000 of them died, including my grandmother's only brother, who was a tail gunner on Lancasters.

[@caldwellkelley3084]

Thanks Tileux. My father was joined the 50's and was in the Air Force for 30 years. I remember listening to stories like these as a kid and they all seemed incredible!

[@matthewpeters8989]

I believe all 3 mini series are great ❤

[@Joe67343]

Not many viewers really for this particular series on the channel, but Cassie's reactions are always entertaining, and often very emotional. She has reacted to a lot of War content on the channel and I suppose will continue to do so.

[@timcoll8859]

You asked about the P51's dropping bombs, and yes, they could use bombs and rockets. When their superiority over anything the Germans had was fully known they started using them in bombing/strafing runs against Luftwaffe air bases, and then against trains and other supply chain targets because the Germans basically couldn't do anything about it.

[@mrp8811]

I just could not be in those planes. Very brave men.

[@davidhutchinson5233]

So grateful for the sacrifice the Allies made, my great Uncles included. All 3 served and one flew bomber missions over Europe. That said, also thankful Germany has and continues to reconcile with its horrible past. Deutschland is now like it was at the dawn of the 20th century. Wonderful universities and medical institutions....a truly great country. Especially now that were 35 years past reunification. But the last thing I will say is the Germans have owned their past. Signs from the 30s in cities around Germany reminding everyone how it was and the responsibility we all have to never let it happen again.

[@sannaolsson9106]

I agree with you about the D-Day thing. They weirdly treated it as such a non event lol. Would've loved to have seen more of it.

[@jsbrads1]

The Tuskegee Airmen were unique because they always showed up on time to escort bombers and always gave it their all to protect the bombers. It didn’t take long before the bomber squadrons were requesting to be escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen.