Masters of the Air
Summary
Spoiler Warning : This article contains spoilers for Masters of the Air .
In the Apple TV+ show , Masters of the Air , a in particular grievous weapon get it on as " pom-pom " is utilized by the Nazis to devastating effect in many of the warfare drama ’s most intense tussle scenery . AlthoughMasters of the Airisn’t quite as good asBand of Brothers , the show excels in limn the ferociousness of warfare while also flesh out its characters . While aboard the Flying Fortress , the 100th Bomb Group is depicted fighting arduously against the restless forces of the Nazis during World War II , and chiefly among their relied - upon tactics is the anti - aircraft weapon called flak .
One of the best thing about the war drama ishowMasters of the Airhandles its twistsas well as its attention to item regarding the command , weapons , and technology that both American and national socialist German forces apply during the Second World War . Throughout the violence and tense action constantly on show , one of the best things aboutMasters of the Airis the real camaraderie between the airmen that endears them to audiences amid the dogfights and explosions . Nevertheless , Masters of the Air ’s power to tissue its dramatic event with tense action at law featuring flak makes for compelling TV .
Due to its genre , Masters of the Air has parallels to many other war dramatic event , including Quentin Tarantino ’s iconic 2009 film , Inglourious Basterds .
Flak Is A Specific Type Of Anti-Aircraft Gun (& Where The Name Comes From)
Flak comes from the German word, Fliegerabwehrkanone, which roughly translates to “flier ward-off cannon.”
Although " ack-ack gun " is used in English as a generalized condition to account anti - aircraft warfare , it was once specifically use to the devastating canon - like artillery examine in the show . Known in Germany as Fliegerabwehrkanone , flak was mass - grow and used by the Nazis to strategically shoot down the aircraft of American and Allied Forces from the ground during World War II . WhileMasters of the Airdepicts the artillery as a near - unstoppable force of nature that basically renders any form of impedance against it useless , it was n’t without its middling share of flaws .
One of flak ’s greatest flaws stems from the fact that no radar technology was usable during WWII to ensure the Nazis would have complete and full accuracy when shooting at their targets . One Nazi would divert his attending to aiming and positioning antiaircraft at an incoming aim , and another would essentially be his eyes and ear telling him when to aggress . As sinewy as flak was , its elemental function was to force the allies into unload their bomb sooner or from higher altitudes , which would result in far less truth . Although largely an effective diversion puppet , rather than a destructive one , flak was still very lethal .
Flak Was The Biggest Danger To The Eighth Air Force - Here’s Why
Flak accounted for over half of the American aircraft shot down over Germany.
As describe inMasters of the Air , the Eighth Air Force consisted of many daytime bombers , which meant the overpowering majority of their combat occurred when it was easier for the Nazis to shoot them down . As such , 5,380 American aircraft were shot down by flack , which contributed to over half the U.S. military ’s aircraft buckle under to the ability of flak . ConsideringMasters of the Airdoesn’t shy away from the more gruesome depictions of war , pile of scenes demonstrate the destructive mightiness of the weapons while also showcasing its primary ability as a diversion shaft .
During World War II , the Nazis would fire off as many flak rounds as potential at the overhead aircraft asit was an effective way to make unsuspicious airmen recede constitution , veer off from the established route , and become more vulnerable to surprise fire . to boot , flak was fantastically effective at disabling larger aircraft like B-17s and B-24s , which would often leave in the Allied Forces abandoning their aircraft and becomingprisoners of state of war , as shown inMasters of the Air . One of the best things aboutMasters of the Airis how the show handles the dogfights and , more significantly , the characters ' reaction to them .
Is Masters Of The Air’s Depiction Of Flak Accurate?
The depiction of Flak is accurate in Masters of the Air despite not being as brutal.
Although the reality of flak was far more devastating and unrelenting than what any TV show can depict , Masters of the Air ’s depiction of blast is very exact and faithful to the real - life experience . One thing that the show does incredibly well is depict the pure infernal region that anti - aircraft flak put the Eighth Air Force through . Similar to its purpose in veridical biography , the smoke left behind from flak would not only impair the soldiers ' visual sensation , but it would also contribute to many of them get melody sickness - like symptoms due to exposure to the smoke .
However , one affair that is different inMasters of the Air ’s line drawing of flak is the Allies ' initial reactions to it . During World War II , attack was n’t taken as severely at first because the Allies viewed it as treacherous . However , once they acquire about how efficient it was as a weapon and a divagation tactic , they restructured their campaign to account for it in gentle wind struggle . Masters of the Airdepicts it as a deadly force of nature from the commencement , which makes for more engaging telecasting . With four installment ofMasters of the Airremaining , viewers might see more of blast ’s baneful power .
Cast
