I've been thinking that the whole time.
My reasons are that it's too early in the series and the person he's based off of didn't die until 2006.
I havn't seen part 6 yet though.
Masters of the Air
- Thread starter B1GDeal
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I've been thinking that the whole time.
My reasons are that it's too early in the series and the person he's based off of didn't die until 2006.
I havn't seen part 6 yet though.
Ahhh, ya, I didn't look it up, but I assumed, so I'm okay with that spoiler.
Ahhh, ya, I didn't look it up, but I assumed, so I'm okay with that spoiler.
Anything that's based off of something in real life I'm always on Wikipedia checking to see what actually happened and what is artistic license.
Same, but I wait until it's over. But again, this one I had already made the assumption.
I'd give it a solid B+, but doesn't compare to BoB or the Pacific...with BoB being the best of the bunch.
My rankings:
Band of Brothers: A+
The Pacific: A-
Masters of the Air: B+ (mostly for the aerial scenes)
This episode was finally diving into the characters more and it made for the best episode of the season, even though there wasn’t a single bombing mission shown. It is a shame that it took until the back half of the series to finally get this.
BoB- A++
Pacific C
MoA D so far.
We’re what, 6 episodes in, and the entire group we started with are done flying. I guess we follow them in camps for the rest of the war? Just odd how they played this out- and a quick read shows how unsuccessful this group was. The air combat scenes are cool, and illustrate the utter disaster it was.
I was curious what the tomato meter said. (I agree BoB should get an A++)
BoB = A (96)
Band of Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes
This series, originally broadcast on HBO, tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Based on interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, this 10-part series chronicles the experiences of these young men...
Pacific = B+ (89)
The Pacific | Rotten Tomatoes
Based on the accounts of Marines in World War II, this 10-part miniseries follows the intertwined journeys of three U.S. Marines in the Pacific Theater -- Pfcs. Robert Leckie and Eugene B. Sledge and Sgt. John Basilone -- from their first battle against Japan on Guadalcanal, across the sands of...
MoA = D+ (68)
Masters of the Air | Rotten Tomatoes
During World War II, airmen risk their lives with the 100th Bomb Group, a brotherhood forged by courage, loss and triumph.
Two episodes in (and had not read these comments in case of spoilers) but the wife and I agree with the people here saying it is suffering from lack of character building.
Visually it is stunning, well written, and well produced but it is missing heart and passion because you just get thrown in to things with zero character development. It causes the characters to come off wooden, even though the acting is good, and you to be a bit confused with not really knowing who you like or dislike etc. and they all seem the same. Was thinking after first episode they HAD to have been getting ready for a ton of flashbacks…
Visually it is stunning, well written, and well produced but it is missing heart and passion because you just get thrown in to things with zero character development. It causes the characters to come off wooden, even though the acting is good, and you to be a bit confused with not really knowing who you like or dislike etc. and they all seem the same. Was thinking after first episode they HAD to have been getting ready for a ton of flashbacks…
That's the area BoB did such a great job with. Great casting and character development. You actually cared when a character died or cheered when one returned from the hospital.
100 percent. All the more puzzling a move. I literally expected 1-2 episodes on flight school and character building.
I guess the difficulty is the casualty rate is so freakin high. Also Rosie, who is a replacement, has a story to tell.
One of the most decorated pilots in the war.
Btw
The kid who dies in Dunkirk plays the pilot Curtis Biddick from New York. Also is slated to be the next Joker in the new Batman movies. Was in the prison at the end of the last movie.
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What did you guys think of the female roommate (subaltern)? At first I was meh but was hoping for a hookup at the end. I wonder if she worked in war plans or a high up position.
Brah, he's married.
Seriously, though. Great episode. Maybe Rotten Tomatoes should have suspended reviews until all 9 episodes are released so we can look at this holistically.
The actress was the lead in one small light a series on Netflix about one of the women who helped hide the Frank family during the Holocaust.
I was curious what the tomato meter said. (I agree BoB should get an A++)
BoB = A (96)
Band of Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes
This series, originally broadcast on HBO, tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Based on interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, this 10-part series chronicles the experiences of these young men...www.rottentomatoes.com
Pacific = B+ (89)
The Pacific | Rotten Tomatoes
Based on the accounts of Marines in World War II, this 10-part miniseries follows the intertwined journeys of three U.S. Marines in the Pacific Theater -- Pfcs. Robert Leckie and Eugene B. Sledge and Sgt. John Basilone -- from their first battle against Japan on Guadalcanal, across the sands of...
MoA = D+ (68)
Masters of the Air | Rotten Tomatoes
During World War II, airmen risk their lives with the 100th Bomb Group, a brotherhood forged by courage, loss and triumph.
I like this series a lot more than I liked Pacific. I think I quit on Pacific like 5 or 6 episodes in.
Just a little info on the events of Episode 6 and what was going on, especially with Bucky.
The German Luftwaffe held a lot of respect for the Allied airmen, and vice versa, particularly the RAF and the US Army Air Corps fliers. This was probably a carry over from WWI and the fliers who flew on both sides during that war. There was a lot of chivalry exhibited during that war as each side kind of thought of their adversaries as Knights of the Air.
Consequently, Allied airmen were somewhat revered by the German military and were highly respected. If an Allied airman was shot down, it was the German Luftwaffe's responsibility who was supposed to administer to their caretaking. Allied airmen when captured would be sent to Luftwaffe POW camps and "taken care of". However, due to the fortunes of war, the losing side often found themselves incapable of providing the necessities for their captives proper care, being food, medicine, medical care, etc..., kind of like what happened to the Union POWs during the Civil War at southern POW camps like Andersonville, GA. It was not what was depicted in Hogan's Heroes. In fact, it was feared that these Allied POW's might become bargaining chips if Germany would seek a brokered peace settlement. It was also feared that Hitler may order the executions of these POW's if a settlement wasn't reached.
As depicted in Episode 6, Allied airmen shot down later in the war after many German cities had been decimated by fire bombing raids found themselves in harm's way if captured by German civilians or local police departments. Many Allied airmen POWs were summarily executed by local mobs unless the Luftwaffe was able to intervene beforehand.
In the upcoming episodes, this mini-series will delve deeper into the plight of the Allied POW's.
Given all of that, I found this interview on You Tube with an American 100th Bomb Group co-pilot tonight that kind of explains some of the missing details of these airmen's training and responsibilities. This co-pilot, John Clark, explains some of the training they went through and what was expected of them in their combat missions and their experiences. It is very informative. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The German Luftwaffe held a lot of respect for the Allied airmen, and vice versa, particularly the RAF and the US Army Air Corps fliers. This was probably a carry over from WWI and the fliers who flew on both sides during that war. There was a lot of chivalry exhibited during that war as each side kind of thought of their adversaries as Knights of the Air.
Consequently, Allied airmen were somewhat revered by the German military and were highly respected. If an Allied airman was shot down, it was the German Luftwaffe's responsibility who was supposed to administer to their caretaking. Allied airmen when captured would be sent to Luftwaffe POW camps and "taken care of". However, due to the fortunes of war, the losing side often found themselves incapable of providing the necessities for their captives proper care, being food, medicine, medical care, etc..., kind of like what happened to the Union POWs during the Civil War at southern POW camps like Andersonville, GA. It was not what was depicted in Hogan's Heroes. In fact, it was feared that these Allied POW's might become bargaining chips if Germany would seek a brokered peace settlement. It was also feared that Hitler may order the executions of these POW's if a settlement wasn't reached.
As depicted in Episode 6, Allied airmen shot down later in the war after many German cities had been decimated by fire bombing raids found themselves in harm's way if captured by German civilians or local police departments. Many Allied airmen POWs were summarily executed by local mobs unless the Luftwaffe was able to intervene beforehand.
In the upcoming episodes, this mini-series will delve deeper into the plight of the Allied POW's.
Given all of that, I found this interview on You Tube with an American 100th Bomb Group co-pilot tonight that kind of explains some of the missing details of these airmen's training and responsibilities. This co-pilot, John Clark, explains some of the training they went through and what was expected of them in their combat missions and their experiences. It is very informative. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
My wife bought me the DVD set for BOB years back and the last episode was all interviews...probably the one I rewatch the most. Really adds to the series.
I liked the Pacific...liked BOB more but it's pretty good in it's own right IMO.
I came across this 40 minute clip summarizing Episode 7 by a history professor who seems to be very well versed on this subject. It looks like he has done similar summaries on the first 6 episodes but I have not viewed them yet.
Anyway, I think this is a very good explanation of the settings shown in this episode, especially the POW camp. The actual photo he shows of Bucky after having been imprisoned for months and months kind of shows the strain these POWs faced. The large escape of British POWs mentioned in this episode is the actual story of what inspired the movie The Great Escape, which I imagine some/most of you have seen. This episode also explains what is happening with Rosenthal's re-upping his flying service after he had completed his 25 missions and had the right to return to the states. He was quite a man, who I believe ended up flying 45 missions before the war ended.
As his commanding officer explains in this episode to Rosenthal during that meeting, the 8th AF's overall mission had changed around January 1, 1944 when General Jimmy Doolittle took over the 8th AF. Eisenhower wanted the Allies to have complete control in the air over the Normandy beaches before the D-Day landings took place. So, instead of just hitting critical industrial and infrastructure targets, their new mission was to draw out the Luftwaffe into large aerial combat operations where the new P-51 Mustangs could engage the German fighters in large numbers and decimate their ranks. That is one of the reasons Berlin became one of their primary targets, knowing Hitler would want to defend Berlin with all available resources. Consequently, the German fighter bases were pulled back into Germany and out of the French and Belgium areas. There is a quote attributed to Herman Goering stating, "I knew the jig was up when we started seeing P-51s over Berlin."
Besides providing cover for the bombing missions, Doolittle also instructed the fighters to go down on the deck on their return flights to England to strafe German aerodromes and destroy planes on the ground. The Germans, like the Japanese in the Pacific Theater, didn't have a 25 mission type of limit and could opt out of combat, but rather, they had a 'fight till they died' directive. Consequently the Germans' newer pilots lacked the same amount of training the American pilots were getting and their ranks became more and more decimated as the war dragged on. Add to that the bombing missions aimed at destroying the German refineries and fuel production capabilities and there often just wasn't a necessary supply of fuel for these new pilots to get enough training missions flown before they were thrust into combat. It snowballed on them the longer the war ran.
Well, enough of my spiel. Here is the clip summarizing Episode 7 for those who might be interested.
Anyway, I think this is a very good explanation of the settings shown in this episode, especially the POW camp. The actual photo he shows of Bucky after having been imprisoned for months and months kind of shows the strain these POWs faced. The large escape of British POWs mentioned in this episode is the actual story of what inspired the movie The Great Escape, which I imagine some/most of you have seen. This episode also explains what is happening with Rosenthal's re-upping his flying service after he had completed his 25 missions and had the right to return to the states. He was quite a man, who I believe ended up flying 45 missions before the war ended.
As his commanding officer explains in this episode to Rosenthal during that meeting, the 8th AF's overall mission had changed around January 1, 1944 when General Jimmy Doolittle took over the 8th AF. Eisenhower wanted the Allies to have complete control in the air over the Normandy beaches before the D-Day landings took place. So, instead of just hitting critical industrial and infrastructure targets, their new mission was to draw out the Luftwaffe into large aerial combat operations where the new P-51 Mustangs could engage the German fighters in large numbers and decimate their ranks. That is one of the reasons Berlin became one of their primary targets, knowing Hitler would want to defend Berlin with all available resources. Consequently, the German fighter bases were pulled back into Germany and out of the French and Belgium areas. There is a quote attributed to Herman Goering stating, "I knew the jig was up when we started seeing P-51s over Berlin."
Besides providing cover for the bombing missions, Doolittle also instructed the fighters to go down on the deck on their return flights to England to strafe German aerodromes and destroy planes on the ground. The Germans, like the Japanese in the Pacific Theater, didn't have a 25 mission type of limit and could opt out of combat, but rather, they had a 'fight till they died' directive. Consequently the Germans' newer pilots lacked the same amount of training the American pilots were getting and their ranks became more and more decimated as the war dragged on. Add to that the bombing missions aimed at destroying the German refineries and fuel production capabilities and there often just wasn't a necessary supply of fuel for these new pilots to get enough training missions flown before they were thrust into combat. It snowballed on them the longer the war ran.
Well, enough of my spiel. Here is the clip summarizing Episode 7 for those who might be interested.
Ep7 reminded me of the 1963 movie The Great Escape with Steve McQueen. EDIT: Just read the above post. WOW!
As I watched BoB I thought that I wouldn't want to do that. Then I watched The Pacific and thought I would have rather been in the Airborne in Europe than fight in Peleliu. Now I am watching these scenes from Masters of the Air where these guys are just dead ducks up in the bombers thinking, "Maybe the Pacific fight wouldn't have been so bad.
My grandfather was in the Pacific theater. The stories he told...gulp. I think I'd rather have just gotten plucked out of the air with the 101st.As I watched BoB I thought that I wouldn't want to do that. Then I watched The Pacific and thought I would have rather been in the Airborne in Europe than fight in Peleliu. Now I am watching these scenes from Masters of the Air where these guys are just dead ducks up in the bombers thinking, "Maybe the Pacific fight wouldn't have been so bad.
I was actually just listening to some information on that event. Biggest takeway is that no Americans escaped in the great escape (which is I think something that they changed in that movie.) That having been said several Americans were involved in the work for the escape but what happened was not long before the escape itself the Germans moved the Americans into a different POW camp.
Yeah, the 8th AF lost over 26,000 men, which is more than the USMC lost in WWII. If you ever get to see the 8th AF's museum in Savannah, GA, it is quite a moving sight to see all of the memorials they had there for each group, with the names of all of those that were lost. It's not as big as the Vietnam War wall but it does give you pause to see how many there were.As I watched BoB I thought that I wouldn't want to do that. Then I watched The Pacific and thought I would have rather been in the Airborne in Europe than fight in Peleliu. Now I am watching these scenes from Masters of the Air where these guys are just dead ducks up in the bombers thinking, "Maybe the Pacific fight wouldn't have been so bad.
Weird. I'm stick on episode 1 still. Just cant get into it. Not that it's bad, but Band of Brothers was just so good that everything else feels like a pretender.
Well, I just finished watching Episode 9 tonight, and IMO, this mini series takes no backseat to either BoB or The Pacific. On comparison, BoB may get an A+, but The Pacific and Masters of the Air both get a solid A grade. I think this will be agreeable by most when considered over the test of time. MotA probably suffers from recency bias when competing with 2 great miniseries which occurred over 20 and 15 years ago after their respective release dates and the feeling ingrained in their viewing audiences from that time as compared to now. It is probably the same kind of bias when comparing the professional athletic stars of today compared to their counterparts from 20+ years ago.
MotA followed the book, almost to a tee, chapter-to-chapter, just like the first 2 series. The advantage which those 2 series held was that a lot of the actual characters were still alive at their release dates, unlike MotA, and they had actual supplemental interviews of the actual characters involved to help promote their respective stories. I think to combat that (no pun intended), Apple TV also released tonight an hour long documentary narrated by Tom Hanks about the 100th BG and the 8th Air Force, and it is well worth the viewing. The 8th AF suffered far more casualties than either of those 2 stories and should demand our respect, just like those who sacrificed in the first 2 mini series. In that documentary tonight, a lot of interviews were also released from those who fought with the 100th, and hopefully those interviews will be appreciated as much as those from the characters of the first 2 mini series.
Just one more thing I realized tonight is that the original Main Title Theme from both The Pacific and MotA was composed by the same person, Blake Neely. (I think it was the horn section which drew my attention to this similarity.) Anyway, I love both of them and believe that each will contribute to their respective identities/branding.
For comparison, Michael Kamen for BoB:
MotA followed the book, almost to a tee, chapter-to-chapter, just like the first 2 series. The advantage which those 2 series held was that a lot of the actual characters were still alive at their release dates, unlike MotA, and they had actual supplemental interviews of the actual characters involved to help promote their respective stories. I think to combat that (no pun intended), Apple TV also released tonight an hour long documentary narrated by Tom Hanks about the 100th BG and the 8th Air Force, and it is well worth the viewing. The 8th AF suffered far more casualties than either of those 2 stories and should demand our respect, just like those who sacrificed in the first 2 mini series. In that documentary tonight, a lot of interviews were also released from those who fought with the 100th, and hopefully those interviews will be appreciated as much as those from the characters of the first 2 mini series.
Just one more thing I realized tonight is that the original Main Title Theme from both The Pacific and MotA was composed by the same person, Blake Neely. (I think it was the horn section which drew my attention to this similarity.) Anyway, I love both of them and believe that each will contribute to their respective identities/branding.
For comparison, Michael Kamen for BoB:
I currently put them:
1. BoB
2. MotA
3. Pacific
All are good, but different. That said, they did a better job telling the stories in BoB and those interviews with the actual people just puts BoB on a different level.
1. BoB
2. MotA
3. Pacific
All are good, but different. That said, they did a better job telling the stories in BoB and those interviews with the actual people just puts BoB on a different level.
Before I watch the final episode tonight, it occurred to me that the Italian front really gets the short end of the stick when it comes to movies and mini-series about World War 2.
I assume that's because the Italian front sort of became a stalemate and war of attrition so it doesn't make for a very good story, but at the same time I often wonder how many people even know we had an Italian front?
I assume that's because the Italian front sort of became a stalemate and war of attrition so it doesn't make for a very good story, but at the same time I often wonder how many people even know we had an Italian front?
Just watched finale. Great finale. I really liked the actor that played Crosby when he played a Jewish American who crosses to Canada to fight for UK in HBO alternate history miniseries adapted from Philip Roth novel "Plot Against America." Irish actor. Apparently the guy he played in Masters of the Air was enrolled at Iowa when the war broke out and left school to enlist.
Finale might have been my favorite episode.
As someone else said, an episode that referred to their training to establish the main characters would have been interesting. I would have liked some stats/figures at the end of the show to really drive home their casualty rates.
This. Just finished it up, great series. I loved the episode where their target was southern Germany, didn’t have enough fuel to return to England, so flew to Algeria.
Again, it was cool seeing the episode where they were attacking Regensburg. We were there in 2019 and it was almost untouched from the bombings.
He’s in another Apple series, Manhunt, that just started. He plays John Wilkes Booth. Pretty good show so far.
A full circle moment between BoB and MoA is episode 2 of BoB and the Winters team taking out the German 88s which were both flak and anti-tank weapons. Definitely a candidate for top 10 WW2 weapons.
