Top 10 Things Masters of the Air Left Out

“Parts Six, Seven”
We already know the show does not shy away from blood, bullets and heroism. But following in the footsteps of “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” it also has moments of levity and even a bit of romance. While attending a conference for allied Nations, the recently promoted Captain Crosby met Subaltern A.M. Wesgate, a junior female officer for the British Forces, with whom he starts a physical yet secretive, almost James Bond-like relationship. Show creators confirmed that she is inspired by real life soldier Landra Wingate, who is mentioned in Crosby’s memoir. Her role in the war is as much a mystery in real life as it is in the show, with some going as far as saying she was actually Princess Elizabeth.

Entire Series.
Fans of “Band of Brothers” all agree that the personal stories, told by the actual members of Easy Company during the start and end of every episode, gave the show an extra emotional push for audiences. “The Pacific” did away with them, and “Masters” follows its lead. And while some see this as a drawback, “Masters of the Air” author Donald Miller has stated that the reasoning for this is simple. The people whose stories are being told were still alive during the production of “Band of Brothers,” but later shows did not have that luck, having to base their stories on memoirs, first hand accounts and interviews included in their source material.

Entire Series
Due to the nature of their war theaters, both “Band of Brothers” and “Masters of the Air” were able to take us on side stories with some of our protagonists, and tackle other elements of the war without having them front and center. “Brothers” did this with the concentration camp arc in its 9th episode “Why We Fight.” “Masters of the Air” book author, Donald Miller, has stated that he would’ve liked the show to have mentioned the Swiss Camps, a rarely talked about part of the war. Despite their neutrality, says Miller, many Swiss officials had ties to the Nazis and would often haul captured airmen to high mountain camps. However, with 9 hours already in the production plan, creators were unable to include it.

“Part Three”
Almost all bomber crew accounts include the infamous ball turret, a machine gun set up inside a crystal ball hanging from the bottom of the planes. It’s generally thought of as the most dangerous position of the plane with a very low probability of survival for the gunner. In an effort to highlight this risk, the creative team changed the details around the death of Sgt. William Hinton. In the show, Hinton is unable to be rescued from this ball turret and goes down with the damaged plane. In reality, while he was killed in action, he was already out of the turret but was unable to bail out. Oh, and his nickname was not Babyface, we guess they just needed one more emotional hit point.

“Part Eight”
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of black airmen that flew and fought during World War II. Their inclusion in “Masters of the Air” came as a surprise for many, as they did fly a few missions with the 100th Bomb Group, but their stories are not intertwined. The book does discuss racial tensions at the time. However, some critics have stated that their use in the show is almost superficial. They argue it could instead have led to a story of the airmen not going deep enough into their role and obstacles during the war, both on the home and fighting fronts.

“Parts Six, Seven, Eight”
A big part of the second half of the series takes place in the POW camp Stalag Luft III. At one point our main protagonists end up here and so begins an homage to the Great Escape (a moment that is referenced within the context of the show), with Buck and Bucky leading the men in planning an eventual escape. In her review of the episodes, Air Force Historian and POW Expert and consultant to the show Marilyn Walton outlined some of the creative liberties taken in representing the camp. These include the placement of the makeshift radio used by prisoners, the use of curtains instead of shutters, and even the signage outside the camp, with a sign reading “Halt! Kontrolle!”

Entire Series
In a show already filled with World War II lore and stories, some contextual elements need to be left out to streamline the story. “Masters of the Air” makes it a point to show some of the animosity and back and forth between the British and American flying forces, including a fist fight with Austin Butler’s “Buck” Cleven, discussing the morality or effectiveness of each of their approaches to bombing. Now, while the 100th specialized in strategic daytime bombings on military and industrial targets, the RAF conducted, for the most part, night time bombings of populated areas, mainly in retaliation for the German Blitz campaign that almost decimated London. A point that is surprisingly missing from the show’s motivations and overall story arc.

“Part One”
While laying out the groundwork for the carnage to come, characters discuss the use and importance of the latest in military technology at the time, second only to the atom bomb, the Norden Bombsight. This equipment was so precise and important that crews were directed to discard it or destroy it if they should ever find themselves in a tough spot. Well, everything sounded well and good in the sales brochure, but the actual combat use of the sight was fraught with problems related to cold temperatures, fog, and, thanks to its incredible complexity and moving parts, a lot of human error, all of which were in ample supply up there at 30,000 feet with the enemy engaging all around.

“Part Three”
During the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission, the 100th suffered some of the heaviest losses of the war up to that point. One of the toughest ones for the audience is that of Lt. Biddick played by Barry Keoghan. In the show, after taking heavy fire, the crew of the bomber managed to bail out, however, Biddick remained on board to help his wounded co-pilot by landing the damaged aircraft and getting help. He fought the plane all the way down, crashing into a forest. In reality, crew reports from the time state that "...in holding the plane steady he was caught by the fire in the cockpit and went down with the ship." A far more gruesome outcome than what was shown, but no less heroic.

Entire Series
We have our heroes and our mission, but do we grasp the importance of the whole thing? Some say no. Critics make a point that the show’s sole focus on the almost nonsensical difficulty and meat grinder nature of the missions strays away from the actual context and reasoning behind the existence of the Bloody 100th. Doug Birkey, of Air and Space Forces Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, maintains that the main reason for the raids was to avoid the attrition suffered during World War I, securing air dominance and dealing important and heavy blows to the German offensive. And while the early missions following this strategy seemed foolish and reckless, this early sacrifice by members of the group would pay dividends as the war moved along.

What was your favorite moment from the show? How does it compare to its predecessors? Set your sights on the comments below and fire away!