Even at the time, the idea was kind of crazy. Untold numbers of heavy bombers, flying in massive formations without any kind of fighter escort, would fly to heavily-defended targets inside Nazi Germany to drop a 6,000-pound bomb load and come home – all during broad daylight.
If that sounds like an incredibly dangerous mission to you, you’re correct. “Masters of the Air,” a new limited series from Executive Producers Tom Hanks and Steven Speilberg, will debut on January 26, 2024, on Apple TV+ and will show viewers just how devastating air combat over Nazi Germany really was.
Masters of the Air — Official Teaser | Apple TV+
The Harsh Realities of B-17 Bomber Crews
A B-17 Flying Fortress crew had a 50-50 chance of coming home alive during a bombing mission. The average age of a bomber crew was just 25 years old, and they were expected to fly over a target 25 times before they could go home.
Needless to say, there were a lot of airmen (and aircraft) that never made it to 25 missions. The chance of surviving 25 missions was just 25%. The United States built 12,731 B-17 bombers before and during World War II, and 4,735 of them were lost to accidents and the enemy before all was said and done, a loss rate of more than 37%.
“Masters of the Air” – The Glimpse into History
“Masters of the Air” is an Air Force companion to the acclaimed HBO series “Band of Brothers” and its Marine Corps counterpart, “The Pacific.” The only reason it will premiere on Apple TV+ instead of HBO is the cost of bringing the reality of the air war over Europe to life on the small screen.
Just like “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” “Masters of the Air” is also drawn from real-world historical documentation. Historian Donald L. Miller’s book “Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany” was originally published in 2007 but is still among the top-rated and most purchased World War II history books. Its painstaking research and treatment of characters made it the perfect choice for an adaptation to television.
The show, like the book, focuses on the 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy), a B-17 Bomber unit flying out of its home airfield at RAF Thorpe Abbotts in rural England. The 100th suffered an astonishingly high casualty rate, high even among World War II bombers, that earned it the nickname “The Bloody Hundredth.”
In the 22 months the 100th Bomb Group spent fighting Hitler’s Luftwaffe and striking Nazi-occupied Europe, the unit would lose 732 airmen and 177 aircraft, leaving only four of its original 38 pilots to complete their 25-mission tours – a 10% survival rate. When all was said and done, the 8th Air Force would suffer 26,000 killed in action, more than the entire U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.
Learn more about the 100th Bomb Group in the book “Masters of the Air” before catching the new show. The first two episodes of “Masters of the Air” will debut on January 26, 2024, on Apple TV+. New episodes will appear every Friday through March 15.
Read About Other Profiles in Courage
If you enjoyed learning about B-17 Bomber Crews of World War II, we invite you to read about other profiles in courage on our blog. You will also find military book reviews, veterans’ service reflections, famous military units and more on the TogetherWeServed.com blog. If you are a veteran, find your military buddies, view historic boot camp photos, build a printable military service plaque, and more on TogetherWeServed.com today.
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Just found my father’s diary from WW II. He was radio operator on B-17 named “Eight Ball” Assigned to the 303 Bomb Group, 359th Bomb Squadron (Hells Angels) Anyone familiar with this ?