Masters of the Air
This article contains spoiler forMasters of the Airepisode 5 .
Summary
ThoughMasters of the Airhas already delved into some of the100th Bomb Group ’s unlucky missionsduring the springiness and summertime of 1943 , episode 5 explores one of the spoiled yet : the Munster Raid . Taking place on October 10 , 1943 , the Munster Raid was a commission take flight by the Eighth Force , including the hundredth Bomb Group . Though it begin out like any other charge , it ended in complete disaster . Each squadron saw significant loss , but the 100th was the worst of them all . Out of 13 planes that traveled all the manner to Munster , only one turn back .
It ’s no surprisal thatMasters of the Airdedicated an instalment to the Munster Raid . It was a mission that stood out , and in some ways , wasa turning full point for the centesimal Bomb Group . ForMasters of the Air’sstory , the Munster Raid seesMajor Harry Crosbypromoted to Group Navigator , which in all likelihood lay aside his life . to boot , Major John Egan is contend with the late fade of his best friend , Gale Cleven , and dives headlong into this next charge , which end in grave waters . And notably , Robert ' Rosie ' Rosenthal stand out as the only archetype to return to Thorpe Abbotts .
original of the Air sequence 4 did something with its main theatrical role that Goetzman , Hanks and Spielberg ’s Band of Brothers never would in 2000 .
The Munster Raid Was Part Of The Eighth Air Force’s “Black Week”
An important contingent that sheds some light on the Munster Raid was that it waspart of the Eighth Air Force ’s " Black Week . “From October 7 to October 14 , 1943 , the Eighth Air Force saw a shocking increment in missions and loss . In exceptional , the homo fly several back-to-back missions over this week that resulted in countless men being killed in action or going MIA . The Munster Raid was the third delegation in as many days , which belike represent a part in why the military mission went so poorly . By October 10th , the Isle of Man of the 100th Bomb Group were exhausted .
Another setback to the Munster Raid was a lack of resource . Because the military mission was the third square mission that the 100th flew on , they were not truly ready to fly it . Rather than sending out the regulation 20 - 21 aircraft that make up a squadron , the 100thonly sent out 17 planes . This was all they had after flying the Bremen mission the daylight before . And on top of that , four of those airplane were forced to return to fundament after face mechanically skillful problems . Therefore , the Munster Raid suffered from significant problems , even before the 100th provide the macadam .
The Munster Raid Was A Very Different Kind Of Mission
The Eighth Air Force ’s exhaustion and losses were not the only reason why the Munster Raid brook out among others . It was also a eccentric of mission that the 100th had never see before . Over the form of the outpouring and summer of 1943 , the 100th were generally ship on missionary work to bomb factories . For object lesson , the Regensburg missionary post get off the men over a German ball - bearing factory . However , Munster was unlike . The Munster Raid ’s target wasclose to the city ’s center and a local cathedral .
For the first time , the 100th would be target citizenry .
The Munster Raid ’s proximity to citizens was acontroversial fact for the men of the 100th . While some workforce plume themselves on having never kill an innocuous person , others were eager to take out the railway actor that allowed Nazi Germany to run . Major John Egan in special was supportive of the charge because it would be a kind of retribution after lose Gale Cleven in the Bremen Mission the day before . Either way , the 100th set out on the Munster Raid and bombs were successfully dropped on the city .
There Were Over 350 German Planes Ready To Face The Americans
In the end , the so - called nail in the coffin for the 100th and the residuum of the Eighth Air Force were the German planer . While it was not rare for German plane to attack the Americans in the thick of a mission , the Munster Raid was different . The Germans hadhundreds of planes prepared to attackthe U.S. Army Air Forces during the Munster Raid , and these bit were plainly overwhelming . The Germans were able-bodied to foot off the Air Forces easily . There were estimated to be roughly 350 German woodworking plane present at the Munster Raid .
The German planes were ultimatelythe downfall of the Munster Raid . Because the 100th were crushed in the establishment , they were the most vulnerable . moreover , the effect of the Germans on the Munster Raid is remember to this day . Rodney Snow of the 95th recalled , “ The enemy fighters were centralize in numbers such as we had not seen on any of my gang ’s 20 premature missions , ” grant to the National World War II Museum . In this way , Masters of the Airsucceeded in showing the many problems and hideous deprivation of the Munster Raid .
Cast
