Masters Of The Air - Apple TV
Discussion
For those of us that have read Donald Millers book, I still remember the poor US airman that crashed in Switzerland,interned, escaped (as he was duty bound to do) was recaptured by the Swiss, and stuck in some hell hole prison, with some Russian prisoners-they raped him repeatedly so badly that he nearly died, it was only a British officer visiting the jail that noticed him, and demanded he be released into his custody that saved him.
When he got back to the usaaf he told his superiors what had happened to him,they told him if he didn’t keep his mouth shut he’d spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum…..
When he got back to the usaaf he told his superiors what had happened to him,they told him if he didn’t keep his mouth shut he’d spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum…..
and31 said:
For those of us that have read Donald Millers book, I still remember the poor US airman that crashed in Switzerland,interned, escaped (as he was duty bound to do) was recaptured by the Swiss, and stuck in some hell hole prison, with some Russian prisoners-they raped him repeatedly so badly that he nearly died, it was only a British officer visiting the jail that noticed him, and demanded he be released into his custody that saved him.
When he got back to the usaaf he told his superiors what had happened to him,they told him if he didn’t keep his mouth shut he’d spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum…..
Genuinely shockingWhen he got back to the usaaf he told his superiors what had happened to him,they told him if he didn’t keep his mouth shut he’d spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum…..
Was that the book mentioned in the bios at the end?
Adam. said:
and31 said:
For those of us that have read Donald Millers book, I still remember the poor US airman that crashed in Switzerland,interned, escaped (as he was duty bound to do) was recaptured by the Swiss, and stuck in some hell hole prison, with some Russian prisoners-they raped him repeatedly so badly that he nearly died, it was only a British officer visiting the jail that noticed him, and demanded he be released into his custody that saved him.
When he got back to the usaaf he told his superiors what had happened to him,they told him if he didn’t keep his mouth shut he’d spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum…..
Genuinely shockingWhen he got back to the usaaf he told his superiors what had happened to him,they told him if he didn’t keep his mouth shut he’d spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum…..
Was that the book mentioned in the bios at the end?
The actual details are even more shocking,and something I’ll never forget reading,and shame on the USAAF and the US government for silencing this poor man. Shame on the Swiss too.
75Black said:
Squadrone Rosso said:
Episode 9 was brilliant. First one to hit me emotionally.
Agreed, felt like one of the BoB episodes. Seeing them being liberated, what that must have felt like and the Churchill speech at the end gave me chills.
Of course, for the past 5 and a bit years, the entire British Army, Air Force and Navy had been eating scones and playing croquet, so saying "they won" is only fair.
8Ace said:
I agree, really enjoyed it... up to the point where they're going home and the local kids run to the airbase with happy cries of "they won".
Of course, for the past 5 and a bit years, the entire British Army, Air Force and Navy had been eating scones and playing croquet, so saying "they won" is only fair.
True - but half of the UK and every Reform UK voter seems to think we won the war solo. Cue Land of Hope and Glory ....Of course, for the past 5 and a bit years, the entire British Army, Air Force and Navy had been eating scones and playing croquet, so saying "they won" is only fair.
Disappointing overall and I won’t be in a rush to rewatch it soon.
As someone grew up in East Anglia, they somehow managed to take all of the beauty out of the area in the series. Their insistence that all Brits were anti American doesn’t contrast with documented reality either.
In the end. It’s just like most television/film these days. Trying to cover an underdeveloped script with over the top CGI. They definitely deserved better.
As someone grew up in East Anglia, they somehow managed to take all of the beauty out of the area in the series. Their insistence that all Brits were anti American doesn’t contrast with documented reality either.
In the end. It’s just like most television/film these days. Trying to cover an underdeveloped script with over the top CGI. They definitely deserved better.
Reading about 'Rosie'. He was shot down twice.
First time helped back by the French resistance and the second, as seen in ep9, helped by the Russians.
Just beggars belief doesn't it. The terror and trauma of being shot down over enemy territory then having to avoid soldiers, police etc and depend on strangers risking their own lives in order to get back to the UK only to get back into that flying tincan and do it all over again.
Same for the chaps that spent time in awful conditions as POWs, who underwent god knows what whilst escaping back to the UK to jump back into an aircraft.
This last episode had me on tenterhooks as it made me realise that so many crashed airmen and escaping POWs must have been killed in the heat of battle by friendly forces.
Those guys were made of unbelievable stuff.
First time helped back by the French resistance and the second, as seen in ep9, helped by the Russians.
Just beggars belief doesn't it. The terror and trauma of being shot down over enemy territory then having to avoid soldiers, police etc and depend on strangers risking their own lives in order to get back to the UK only to get back into that flying tincan and do it all over again.
Same for the chaps that spent time in awful conditions as POWs, who underwent god knows what whilst escaping back to the UK to jump back into an aircraft.
This last episode had me on tenterhooks as it made me realise that so many crashed airmen and escaping POWs must have been killed in the heat of battle by friendly forces.
Those guys were made of unbelievable stuff.
Acorn1 said:
Disappointed overall.
Especially the f
k yeah Murica bits, the flag raising at the end had me cringing.
In a few moments an enterprising American produced a United States Flag – from where, perhaps only he knew – and amid thunderous cheers from the prisoners, ran it to the top of the camp flag pole. It was a dramatic moment."[23]Especially the f
k yeah Murica bits, the flag raising at the end had me cringing.
https://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/bilder/14th-o...
croyde said:
Reading about 'Rosie'. He was shot down twice.
First time helped back by the French resistance and the second, as seen in ep9, helped by the Russians.
Just beggars belief doesn't it. The terror and trauma of being shot down over enemy territory then having to avoid soldiers, police etc and depend on strangers risking their own lives in order to get back to the UK only to get back into that flying tincan and do it all over again.
Same for the chaps that spent time in awful conditions as POWs, who underwent god knows what whilst escaping back to the UK to jump back into an aircraft.
This last episode had me on tenterhooks as it made me realise that so many crashed airmen and escaping POWs must have been killed in the heat of battle by friendly forces.
Those guys were made of unbelievable stuff.
I’m surprised he was allowed to fly over occupied Europe again after escaping once. The policy was that returning airmen were not to be allowed to fly in the same theatre again in case the Germans captured and tortured them into giving away who had helped them. The Germans had detailed files on Allied crewmen and would often surprise downed airmen with all sorts of personal information. First time helped back by the French resistance and the second, as seen in ep9, helped by the Russians.
Just beggars belief doesn't it. The terror and trauma of being shot down over enemy territory then having to avoid soldiers, police etc and depend on strangers risking their own lives in order to get back to the UK only to get back into that flying tincan and do it all over again.
Same for the chaps that spent time in awful conditions as POWs, who underwent god knows what whilst escaping back to the UK to jump back into an aircraft.
This last episode had me on tenterhooks as it made me realise that so many crashed airmen and escaping POWs must have been killed in the heat of battle by friendly forces.
Those guys were made of unbelievable stuff.
Chuck Yeager got shot down over France and was helped to escape over the Pyrenees into Spain, before making it back to England. He had to appeal face to face with Eisenhower himself to be allowed to rejoin his unit.
Beati Dogu said:
I’m surprised he was allowed to fly over occupied Europe again after escaping once. The policy was that returning airmen were not to be allowed to fly in the same theatre again in case the Germans captured and tortured them into giving away who had helped them. The Germans had detailed files on Allied crewmen and would often surprise downed airmen with all sorts of personal information.
Chuck Yeager got shot down over France and was helped to escape over the Pyrenees into Spain, before making it back to England. He had to appeal face to face with Eisenhower himself to be allowed to rejoin his unit.
Rosenthal was first shot down on 10 September 1944 on a mission against Nuremburg. His damaged bomber crash landed near in German-occupied France near Reims (which had been liberated on 30 August). He was rescued from the wreckage by Free French and next thing he knew he was waking up in a hospital in Oxford. By the time he returned to flying in December 1944 this area was well behind the frontlines hence the earlier no-return to operations policy was relaxed by this stage of the warChuck Yeager got shot down over France and was helped to escape over the Pyrenees into Spain, before making it back to England. He had to appeal face to face with Eisenhower himself to be allowed to rejoin his unit.
I watched the last one with my wife after a few glasses on Friday. Overall I did really enjoy it, it did definitely improve as it went on, and we just had to ignore the "America...F*ck Yeah!" element as much as we could. And the crap CGI. And the stupid muffled voices you could hardly hear sometimes, because travelling in a railway goods wagon behind a stem locomotive is going to be really quiet isn't it...
The CGI was a constant "FFS" thing for me, they could have made it so good, so believable, and just missed a trick by turning it up to 11 all the time. There was one big aerial melee that was just utterly ridiculous, it was straight out of Return of the Jedi. I feel they really missed a trick with some P51 action too, there's plenty of them available for what could have been some epic footage, but no.
But wow it really did make me think. I guess when you think about it, unlike a fighter pilot ace staying alive or scoring kills, Rosie was probably no better a pilot than any of the others, if you are flying straight and level through flak in a big formation, it's either going to get you, or it isn't. Your aircraft is either going to take a hit to an aileron, or it's going to take out an engine, you're then falling behind and you're a sitting duck. You can see why the lucky mascots etc were held in such high regard. The whole thing was just a terrible game of chance.
And I guess even from a training perspective, what do you train for? A pilot will train for the obvious stuff, engine failure, fire, electrical failure, no flaps, but how do you train for losing 2 engines, your rudder, fuel leaking and your navigator dead? It's just scary to even think about, the whole thing just seems like a pure numbers game of can you get enough crews and aircraft and spares to the front line to keep up with attrition whilst somehow keeping morale up and hitting targets worth the cost in men and aircraft. Just shocking.
One sad thought, for a moment (after a few of the aforementioned glasses) I thought it was a shame they didn't do the quick intro/scene setting from the vets as they did in BoB which made the story more horrific and life like, but of course all the crews, and no doubt the Band of Brothers themselves, are no longer with us.
And an ever sadder thought, even with quality drama like this and the ones that have gone before it, showing the futility and horror of it all, we, as a species, just never bloody learn, and continue to allow the operation of a system where one lunatic at the top, miles away from a rifle butt or a bomb release button, inflicts such utter misery and loss on his fellow humans.
The CGI was a constant "FFS" thing for me, they could have made it so good, so believable, and just missed a trick by turning it up to 11 all the time. There was one big aerial melee that was just utterly ridiculous, it was straight out of Return of the Jedi. I feel they really missed a trick with some P51 action too, there's plenty of them available for what could have been some epic footage, but no.
But wow it really did make me think. I guess when you think about it, unlike a fighter pilot ace staying alive or scoring kills, Rosie was probably no better a pilot than any of the others, if you are flying straight and level through flak in a big formation, it's either going to get you, or it isn't. Your aircraft is either going to take a hit to an aileron, or it's going to take out an engine, you're then falling behind and you're a sitting duck. You can see why the lucky mascots etc were held in such high regard. The whole thing was just a terrible game of chance.
And I guess even from a training perspective, what do you train for? A pilot will train for the obvious stuff, engine failure, fire, electrical failure, no flaps, but how do you train for losing 2 engines, your rudder, fuel leaking and your navigator dead? It's just scary to even think about, the whole thing just seems like a pure numbers game of can you get enough crews and aircraft and spares to the front line to keep up with attrition whilst somehow keeping morale up and hitting targets worth the cost in men and aircraft. Just shocking.
One sad thought, for a moment (after a few of the aforementioned glasses) I thought it was a shame they didn't do the quick intro/scene setting from the vets as they did in BoB which made the story more horrific and life like, but of course all the crews, and no doubt the Band of Brothers themselves, are no longer with us.
And an ever sadder thought, even with quality drama like this and the ones that have gone before it, showing the futility and horror of it all, we, as a species, just never bloody learn, and continue to allow the operation of a system where one lunatic at the top, miles away from a rifle butt or a bomb release button, inflicts such utter misery and loss on his fellow humans.
Hard-Drive said:
One sad thought, for a moment (after a few of the aforementioned glasses) I thought it was a shame they didn't do the quick intro/scene setting from the vets as they did in BoB which made the story more horrific and life like, but of course all the crews, and no doubt the Band of Brothers themselves, are no longer with us.
There are some veteran interviews in the accompanying The Bloody Hundredth documentary, which must have been filmed 15-20 years ago given deaths since.Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff