FYI Gang: some of the voice over was done during the writer’s strike, and whoever wrote it got it wrong. Lemmon’s rank is correct on his uniform and in the scripts. same reason it says “389th” instead of 305th in Bucky’s first battle scene. i was not allowed to work on the show for most of 2023. But a similar thing happened in band with the wrong date on episode 9. correct in script, incorrect in show. remember *thousands* of people worked on this. mistakes happen. we tried our best. hope it doesn’t ruin the show for you.

@TheCarninator

5 ай бұрын

Not that it's something that takes away from the work put in at all, but is the text during the first mission something Apple would be able to fix (if willing)?

@Chipotleadvisory

5 ай бұрын

It doesn’t ruin the show it was just a little distracting when watching the episode for the first time

@illogicerr3769

5 ай бұрын

As much as I am a stickler for details, that one flew right bye me. Some things are so good one is willing to let some details go.

@johnorloff3738

5 ай бұрын

@@TheCarninatornope. HBO never fixed the wrong date in 9 or the Blithe stuff. Once a show is finished… it’s finished as far as they are concerned.

@pvtjohntowle4081

5 ай бұрын

Yeah Albert Blythe never dies in WW2 continues to serve in Korea and died in 1967

I love Colonel Chick, he's such a Howard/Tony Stark, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes kind of character

@ReelHistory

4 ай бұрын

Perfectly said!

Something I noticed during my rewatch is that we see William Quinn on the drums

I had a little look back at the early chapters of Harry Crosby's book after watching this episode a couple of times and I see that John Orloff seems to have combined a couple of missions into one in this adaptation. Namely the practice mission to the Orkneys (where Crosby replaced Bubbles on Blakely's crew, and they flew with Egan as Command Pilot) and the actual Trondheim mission where Harding was in the co-pilot seat. While slightly inaccurate in it's depiction of the Trondheim raid, it's a nice efficient bit of adaptation I feel.

@johnorloff3738

5 ай бұрын

thanks!

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

Well said, thank you.

I'm really enjoying this series. My paternal Grandfather was a tail gunner on B-24's and B-26's in the Pacific, my paternal Grand-Uncle was aerial photography on B-25's in Europe, and my Maternal grandfather was a crew chief on B-17's at Gibraltar both during and after the war. Strong connection to this series.

Funny story from my father. He was a B-24 navigator flying missions over Italy. One night at a bar a flyer stained his butt with an ink blot and some of the guys lifted him up and blotted the ceiling with his ink stained butt. I’m sure that was a great stress release doing that.

Perhaps the only reaction channel where the host researches the subject matter before watching the show.

@ReelHistory

5 ай бұрын

We try our absolute best!

I miss the interviews as well but I’m holding out hope they’re all in the last episode.

@tr4480

5 ай бұрын

There is always the chance that when the series is completed, they will edit in dialogue or interviews from veterans, sort of a directors cut, when they put it out on DVD

Thank you for pointing out the Women’s Land Army at the beginning! I’m so glad this show has them in the background of the airfield. Blink and you’ll miss her in episode 1 of BoB, but that two second clip launched my research for reenacting them. The WLA was so important for Britain and they got so little credit. Not only did they get paid less than male counterparts, but they were also paid less than the ATS, WVS, and WRNS. There were even rules about Land Girls being allowed into NAAFIs. All muck and no medals when you’re a Land Girl. It’s about time they’ve gotten some recognition!

@CzechImp

3 ай бұрын

I totally agree. Do you know the 1998 film ? I remember that as being a good film. There was also a BBC TV series called from 2009-2011. I never saw it, and it has poor reviews. The only thing I would say about the girls working in this scene of Masters is that they would not be cutting hay in July!

I'm genuinely surprised by the show getting then Cpl. Lemons rank insignia wrong. It may be a minor unnoticed detail to many viewers but to anyone with an interest, or experience, in military history it's just befuddling. They clearly state he was a Corporal (E-4) yet he is depicted in the show wearing the rank of Master Sergeant (E-8). That is not a good look for the show being unable to catch it during production. I'm hoping this is a one-off error.

@johnorloff3738

5 ай бұрын

some of the voice over was done during the writers strike, and whoever wrote it got it wrong. his rank is correct on his uniform and in the scripts. same reason it says “389th” instead of 305th in Bucky’s first battle scene. i was not allowed to work on it at that time. same thing happened in band with the wrong date on episode 9. remember *thousands* of people worked on this. mistakes happen.

@jameswg13

5 ай бұрын

Also he wasn't 19 in 1943. I think they were narrating from one of the books and just didn't marry it up properly

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

@@johnorloff3738 Thank you for explaining these rare errors. Your participation in these serious discussions of your incredible work, and that of your colleagues, is greatly appreciated.

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

@@johnorloff3738 Will we find out how the young boy lost his hand? I'm betting on a farm accident, but we'll see.

@Chipotleadvisory

5 ай бұрын

That was distracting to me as well when I was watching the show.

Prof you might enjoy books written by Laurie Woods DFC. Had the privilege of meeting him once. He goes a lot into his own perspective as a RAAF pilot in Bomber Command but also wrote about his RAAF Squadron then did another book based off perspectives of colleagues from Bomber Commander who were RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, SAAF etc.

My grandfather Leroy was a bombardier in a B-17F with "The Bloody Hundreth" flying out of East Anglia in 1943, although he never came back. (At least that's what we told our grandma). Has anyone noticed how good Stevie Nicks is in her 1982 live performances of "Gypsy"? Oops ...wrong comment section here.

Great analysis as always Jared. I wanted to say that I view the Masters of the Air series as more of a summary of what happened to the 100th Bomb Group as opposed to 100% factual down to specific crew makeup on specific missions. I do not think this series will be as detailed down to those types of specifics as Band of Brothers may have been. I watched the first two episodes and I am happy with the series so far.

Norwich was my home city, it certainly got bombed a bit during the war and they still occasionally find bombs. The Baedeker Raids (named after the Baedeker tourist guide) in 1942 were the heaviest to hit the city. Google Norwich bomb map, it was done to keep record of where the bombs fell especially to help with post-war rebuilding.

I thought the RAF pilots were made cartoonishly rude in this episode. I'm sure there were conflicts between RAF and USAAF in the war, but it was such a clumsy bit of forced exposition. Just casually making fun of how many people they were losing? It's hard to credit that much lack of tact from the british.

@OllieTheFirst

4 ай бұрын

It’s to make the British look bad and the Americans look good as they are here to save them and are better in every way

@goodshipkaraboudjan

4 ай бұрын

RAF Bomber Command even had a higher casualty rate. Didn't appreciate the depiction of them and I'm not a Brit. Band Of Brothers and The Pacific all had an episode that had to make the Allies look bad to make the US boys look better because that's what American audiences love.

@vaudevillian7

4 ай бұрын

Completely agree, the worst part of this series so far

One of my favourite channels. How you don't have a million subscriers is a mystery ro me.

@ReelHistory

5 ай бұрын

🤷 no idea either...maybe someday. But thank you

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

@@ReelHistory Huge events such as the MotA release are a fantastic opportunity to expand your reach. Even remotely dedicated history buffs will be searching for reviews/analyses. An extremely well done geology channel (Idaho--Shawn Willsey) I follow religiously went from 20k subs to nearly 90k in ~2. months because of his in depth, professional coverage of the Iceland volcanic eruptions. Apples/oranges comparison, but the moral of the story is to make hay while the sun is shining.

@terrypanama8004

3 ай бұрын

The world isn’t full of smart people. That’s the reason.

@ReelHistory

3 ай бұрын

@@terrypanama8004, we try our best to reverse that bit by bit!

Postwar analysis placed the overall accuracy of daylight precision attacks with the Norden at about the same level as radar bombing efforts. The 8th Air Force put 31.8% of its bombs within 300 meters (1,000 ft) from an average altitude of 6,400 meters (21,000 ft), the 15th Air Force averaged 30.78% from 6,200 meters (20,500 ft), and the 20th Air Force against Japan averaged 31% from 5,000 meters (16,500 ft).[46] Many factors have been put forth to explain the Norden's poor real-world performance. Over Europe, the cloud cover was a common explanation, although performance did not improve even in favorable conditions. Over Japan, bomber crews soon discovered strong winds at high altitudes, the so-called jet streams, but the Norden bombsight worked only for wind speeds with minimal wind shear. Additionally, the bombing altitude over Japan reached up to 9,100 meters (30,000 ft), but most of the testing had been done well below 6,100 meters (20,000 ft). This extra altitude compounded factors that could previously be ignored; the shape of and even the paint on the bomb changed its aerodynamic properties and, at that time, nobody knew how to calculate the trajectory of bombs that reached supersonic speeds during their fall.[28]

Liked the observation about Scotland - "their hostility was terrific". That's authentic, and also the reason Scots are over represented in the SAS and Ronald Spiers was born there (technically not 'born' but assembled from spare girders). The scene in the pub with the RAF pilots felt a bit cringe, as someone has already pointed out - it's a disappointing thing with all these American dramas set in England. But, traditionally a lot of work problems get discussed in the pub over a pint of bitter, so that's authentic. The "subtle" reference to the Women's Land Army is welcome because it's subtle. I usually get frustrated by a lot of TV dramas being unsubtle in telegraphing to their audience what they should be thinking or feeling. That always strikes me as controlling. Dispersal of aircraft on airfields was taken a step further by the Luftwaffe, who not only built dummy airfields adjacent to the real ones to misdirect Allied bombers into attacking the wrong target, but also built the airfield ground facilities in a similar architectural style to the local farms and villages called 'Heimatstil', and grouped them in a way that made them look like civilian settlements.

I think some of the series short comings are due to its 10 year making, getting a new studio to fund it, and filming stopping several times due to covid. I think the first episode should've gone over all the 10 positions in the planes and jobs, etc. Given there's 9 episodes instead of the normal 10 it seems like they should've had a training,plane, backstory episode. Also, no vets or WW2 footage or Tom Hanks' narration about current going on in the war was a huge oversight. I know almost all those vets have passed on, but there's dozens of interviews from vets about these very things. Seems like they easily could've cut some of those in. I love this series, but those oversights seem puzzling.

My father was a B-17 radio operator in the 614th. His bomber jacket had the map sewn in as his liner. Germany on one side, France on the other. No longer have the jacket (story for another day), but still have the map.

I just watched episode 3 and as the grandson of a woman who fought in the Belgian resistance in Flanders, I'm furious at the fact they made speak French. French in Flanders is the language of the elite, who both during WWI and WWII put the Dutch speaking common folk into harms way to make sure the rich kids were safe, far from all dangers. It's one of the main reasons why Belgium is so divided today. My grandmother saw her uncles get killed in WWI because of it, and during WWII her father and two brothers were executed after the French speaking elite in Flanders ratted them out to the Germans they were partying with. It's one of the reasons Belgium is divided today.

Really love your breakdowns! How in depth you go, the personal writings of the Airmen and the historical facts you add really make your uploads valuable.

My Dad used to go to estate auctions at farms in the Shenandoah Valley to get cheap used farm equipment (among other things) in the early 90s. One of his biggest life regrets was at one of these auctions this old, just-passed farmer had an actual, honest-to-goodness Norden Bombsight sitting in his barn. I would have loved to have had it, but Dad had already spent too much money on 'project' cars to restore and thought Mom would be furious with him, so he let it go :(

Band of Bombers!

I was surprised to hear the ball turret was the safest position

@keithwolstenholme4238

5 ай бұрын

Most fighter attacks were from above. Flack would definitely be a problem.

Excellent review!

Great show

I haven't even watched this whole episode yet. I just saw the blooper at the beginning and got a pretty good laugh out of that. LOL.

I am surprised there aren’t interviews used. I was at the 8th Air Force museum in Pooler, Ga in the summer of 2013 and there were interviews occurring there with members of the 8th. I asked a docent about it and they informed me it was for a new band of brothers series by HBO that was going to be called ‘The Mighty 8th’. He said it was based on the book ‘Masters of the Air’, which I then bought and read expecting it to come out ‘soon’. Definitely was wrong about the ‘soon’ part. Even if the docent was incorrect on who was producing the interviews, no question interviews were occurring. I wonder if purchasing the rights to them didn’t occur/were overlooked by Apple. Missed treasure trove.

@justin36004

3 ай бұрын

Perhaps they used those interviews for the documentary that they released after the final episode.

Thanks Jared for all the tidbits. I like how you intertwine the story lines with the flyer happenings.

The norden bomb sights was not actually a close guarded secret the germans had one almist immediately and they didnt care for it bc it was not very good.. so.thing like 16% of bombs went within 1000 ft of the target at the begining

Good job

Great analysis as always, thanks. Loving this series so far. I’m just sitting back and enjoying it without being too critical. I’ll leave that to the experts.

The norden bomb site was shit, that's why the Americans reverted to area bombing ,trying to say the British were not thinking of civilians, look what the Americans done to Tokyo

*Blue Skys* is Commander Datas favorite song.

Thanks Jared. "Expedited their affinity" -- LOL. Post war analysis found that the Norden didn't live up to its potential. Outsize confidence in the practical accuracy of the Norden may have contributed to overconfidence in daylight bombing capabilities early on. Overestimating the defensive effectiveness of B-17 airframes and armament didn't help much either. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. -Randall Jarrell

thats been one of my biggest knocks of this series, no interviews from the pilots. It would have been appropriate to tie it in with the show.

Awesome description 💔❤️‍🩹👌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I'm wondering to what extent the number of airmen that did additional missions is because it's what they know and they know that they'll have trouble reintegrating back home. I knew personally many guys who wanted to go back to Iraq and Afghanistan, not necessarily because they were thought to be heroes, but they felt more comfortable with their crews and surroundings than back home. From the civilian perspective they are heroes but seems more related to trauma than guts.

I'm really loving the show so far, so many characters I'm already fond of. Crosby is just great. Something I'm curious about is the names of the planes, they are often quite funny! Who got to name the planes? And if a plane went down in battle or become too damaged to repair, would the name be recycled for the next plane that group flew?

My father was born outside of Trondheim just months before this raid. I was unaware that the USAF flew missions over Norway - for some reason I was far more aware of the RAF presence in the skies over Norway. From Wikipedia: "In July 1943 an American bombing raid was conducted against the German base at Trondheim. Workshops in the area were destroyed, there was large material damage including on civilian targets, and the German reports were that they were set back three months in their construction plans"

I'm not watching your reviews until I watch the series. Ha!!!! See you in April!!!!

I would prefer more WW2, less bar hopping. But that’s a minor criticism. I know they did that… but let’s see some operational planning.

They are saving the interviews for the end of tje series. They have a full dedicated show for it.

@zswede

5 ай бұрын

then they botched the delivery of the interviews. should be like BOB

@larrymbelmont57

4 ай бұрын

@@zswede BoB isn't a formula, or a template. The MotA veteran interviews will, as mentioned above, effectively comprise a 10th "episode." The absence of snippets of veteran interviews for stage-setting and expository "prefaces" doesn't constitute "botching" at all. To end this particular series with 60-90 minutes of them may pack a greater emotional impact. There is something to be said in storytelling to provide a "coda." (BoB did have an excellent coda in its final episode, in which we learned what happened to each man in Easy Company after V-J Day.) In the wake of MoTA's nine episodes depicting the abject brutality of the air war over Europe, I can imagine that showing the men who actually survived that unforgiving realm of combat - and that are thankfully still with us in the twilight of that generation's passing into history - will have greater impact. There are no foxholes in the sky, as the saying goes, and to see those that survived despite such low odds of survivability owing to the sheer amount of time spent in the air, vulnerable to flak and enemy fighters (as well as the "routine" hardships inherent in going into battle in a freezing cold metal tube with little protection), will, I expect, be more inspiring, more bittersweet, and more heart-wrenching.

I've heard that episode ten is interviews. Sort of like the "eleventh" episode of BOB.

They were called Baedeker raids on Norwich, Exeter, Bath, Canterbury, etc., named after the famous German tourist guide, in revenge for RAF raids on their German equivalent cities.

ha, guessing no fake-smoking on set during covid. thnx for pointing it out, just now realizing the place seems too clean/clear for that lol

Always love your reviews. My only complaint.. it ain’t longer!

@ReelHistory

5 ай бұрын

Skirting copyright on these episodes is a challenge. I've seen other channels that provide no historical context whatsoever get away with showing half the show. While we keep getting hit for showing reversed slowed down clips.... I'll never understand youtube.

@barebp

5 ай бұрын

@@ReelHistorymore than understandable and I also figured so. KZread….. 🙄Thank you regardless for excellent content! 🫡

Why is Corporal Ken Lemmons wearing Master Sergeant stripes?

@johnorloff3738

5 ай бұрын

because he was a master sgt.

22:05 I looked at Google Maps, I can't unsee it.

@drderfod

4 ай бұрын

Do you know the name of one of the “testicular lakes”? I can’t seem to find it

@Bigrago1

4 ай бұрын

@@drderfod Trondheim Fjord

@drderfod

4 ай бұрын

@@Bigrago1 thank you very much

One thing I cant help notice while watching this is that we talk about what an ordeal these pilots went through and how they would come back from a bombing run and then either have a party or some other social event. Im not saying what they had to do was easy but compared to what the invantry had to endure where you certainly werent sent away on 5 day leaves because you saw too much violence. You were tossed into the meat grinder until it spit you out or until you spit them out. It's astonishing at seeing such a wide descrepancy in seeing how different branches of the military treated their "grunts".

Hi Jared, thank you for your awesome content. I was wondering if you could elaborate a bit more on why the ball-turret actually is a relatively safe position on these planes.

@ReelHistory

5 ай бұрын

Here you go! www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/safest-place-german-flak-ww2/

@eitnoorda

5 ай бұрын

@@ReelHistory Awesome, tnx!

Yeah WW2 guys getting to be scarce, but I've seen a couple of interviews with Vets looking at episode 1 so some are around, would have been good to have that input. The opening interviews in BOB was part of the series charm. Gave it relevance. I'm glad to see the groundcrews featured, usually it's just the glory boys of the crew that get featured but ground crews were vital. And they got the re-arming right, the crews worked through the night, in movies like "Memphis Belle" they showed the crews arming and fuelling on the morning of the mission but thats not how it was done. I believe they used 4 x real B-17s in this and while the aerial is (very good) CGI it's great to have the real things too. The bombing campaign was a strategic doctrine born in the 1930s and tested over Europe in the 40s - as with any new doctrine in warfare, the success or failure was paid for by young men's lives. Overall I'm happy with the series. Episode 3 airs here tonight (Friday 2nd feb). Great review.

I'm enjoying the series so far despite the flight physics and some other errors on the aviation side making me twitch a little.

Hello again

The thing is 8th Air Force personnel were older when the arrives in England. My Dad was 21 when signed up, By the time he got to the 381st June 1943 he was 22. Others were maybe younger, but most were older, so 60 year 70 year of they are in their 80 to 100. My dad dies at 74 in 1994. I run into more Navy WWII vests because lied about their age from 16 to 18 when they joined.

The American planes which had those automatic bomb sights, bombing the Fokker factory in Amsterdam from high altitude, didn't hit it at all. Only houses were hit. The devices supposed to be good, but reality could be different. I believe the British had better fortune flying at lower heights without them.

@goodshipkaraboudjan

4 ай бұрын

The RAF also relied more heavily on radar bombing later in the war.

@vaudevillian7

4 ай бұрын

@@goodshipkaraboudjanso did the 8th, more than half of all raids were conducted with H2X radar (adapted from British H2S)

Dudes wife’s name was Fonda Lemmons?

Integration sounds like a POW thing. What we called it in the Army was an After Action Review or AAR

This was Eighty years ago. Probably only a few of them left

I remember Goering said that if a single enemy bomb hit Berlin you could call him Meier lol

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

"If one reaches the Ruhr, my name is not Goering. You may call me Meyer.” In May 1940, he became "Meyer" and by August the RAF had bombed Berlin.

The hard stands made perfect sense if the German's decided to strafe or bomb the airfields. At Pearl Harbour though the planes were lined up in the middle of the runways and hardtops for security, so Japanese saboteurs couldn't blow them up or damage them, even though no state of war was present between the USA and Japan at that time. In Britain there would be less risk of that as war had broken out and the airbases were heavily secured so if it hadn't been for the Luftwaffe attacks they could of lined up the bombers to be repaired and in some cases that might of made it easier for the ground crews.

I’ve been told that there is a special episode that features the real veterans after the final series episode, i hope it is true.

You could say the mess hall race had a…. positive cyclelogical affect 🚴‍♂️

@Concetta20

3 ай бұрын

Oooooooh

Another great episode, Professor! Your mention of Canterbury, England brings up an interesting point. The Allies had broken the Enigma code earlier in the way. Intelligence knew of the upcoming German air raid on Canterbury, which had no military or strategic significance to the Allied war effort. In fact, many children from London had been relocated to Canterbury as a safety measure. Many civilians were killed, especially around the 1st of June 1942. The raid on Dresden, Germany, near the end of the war in February of 1945, was a direct reprisal by RAF Bomber Command and the USArmy Air Force because of the raid on Canterbury. The resulting fire storm in Dresden killed thousands of people, many refugees fleeing combat zones both in the eastern and western parts of Germany. Kurt Vonnegut’s book”Slaughterhouse Five”, is loosely based his experiences there after being captured during The Battle Of The Bulge.

What is it with Spielberg and Hanks that at every opportunity they have to make the British out to be both foppish and at best incompetent, and at worst cowards. They did it in BoB with the tanker at Neunen in an entirely made up event, and they did it here. The RAF had switched to night ops because their daytime raids earlier in the war had resulted in casualty rates that were always high, and sometimes 100%. They could easily have done the night v day reveal without being so fucking disrespectful. And looking ahead to episode 3, that opens with a piece of utter, utter bullshit: ‘the greatest air armada in the history of the world’, with 600 aircraft. Sure, if you ignore the THOUSAND BOMBER RAIDS the RAF had been mounting for a year and a half. It is to Spielberg’s and Hanks’ ongoing discredit that they think that in order to pay rightful tribute to the brave Americans they remember, they have to piss on the memories of the equally brave men of the British Commonwealth, including the fifty five thousand Bomber Command dead.

@gibson617ajg

4 ай бұрын

I hate to tell you this but Spielberg and Hanks's next project is a re-make of the Battle Of Britain - where the Eagle Squadron (led by Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck) defeats the Luftwaffe whilst the Brits (and pilots from 14 other countries) sit around and drink tea. Also on Apple TV...... The Darn It Busters.... "Hank Spellberg is considered to be the finest pilot in the US air force. Sent to cripple Nazi Germany's industrial output he leads a Squadron of B17's down the Ruhr valley at treetop height. Slung under each bomber is a brand new weapon - a basketball filled with explosive, which is spun backwards to bounce over torpedo nets etc, etc, etc.......

@OllieTheFirst

4 ай бұрын

It’s getting jarring now. Not sure why they do it, especially since if being historically accurate they will have to change to night raids later as the brits say I told you so

@paulandsueroberts4121

4 ай бұрын

Very well said and spot on.We managed to get to episode 2 before the insults started,I’m suprised it took so long!Hollywood seems to take a delight in insulting the Brits.

@gibson617ajg

4 ай бұрын

@@paulandsueroberts4121 It started a long time ago. I am an avid fan of films about the Second World War - the first time I noticed it was in A Bridge Too Far when Robert Redford's character (Julian Cook, an American officer) castigated a British tank commander for refusing to advance without infantry support down a narrow, ditch-lined road (which is suicide if enemy troops are nearby, which was the case - the 2nd SS no less!) "What are you going to do? Sit here and drink tea?" Spielberg also had a dig in Saving Private Ryan where Ted Danson's character called Montgomery "overrated" in a conversation with Miller (who was played, of course, by Tom Hanks) I remember being on Holiday in San Antonio (Texas, not Ibiza) and going in a bar for a beer with my mates. A few locals heard us talking and started chatting to us - they thought we were Australian. We corrected them. "English actually" "Wow, you guys are cold-blooded killers aren't you" "Eh?" We had a chat with them. Turns out that they'd recently watched a new Mel Gibson film - The Patriot - in which the nasty English lock men, women and children in a barn and set it on fire. I didn't know anything about this film -Gibson seems to have a beer, sorry, 'bee' in his bonnet where the English are concerned and it didn't appeal to me. They obviously thought it was was historically accurate. It was - in a way except that it was the Nazis, in France, in 1944, who did this in Oradour-sur- Glane. We visited the site of the Alamo and were pleased to see a Union flag hanging up in the Mission, amongst the other flags representing the nations of men who fought there. I hope that this will not be taken down if Spielberg ever visits.

@cgjoe64

4 ай бұрын

It’s a common belief in America, that WW2 was mainly a German/Japanese American conflict. How few Americans are aware that D Day was largely a British and Commonwealth operation?

Pick your poison the ball turret was very unlikely to have a chance at bailing out.

@skipperwarp9

5 ай бұрын

They had the lowest losses proportionally surprisingly compared to the rest of the crew. However like you said, you can’t bail out, no parachute, and you’re stuck in that tiny ball.

Great Video… @16:40 (Norden bombsite) The enemy realized the effectiveness of the Norden bombsite and wanted to get hold of one at all costs. If a bomber was definitely going down in enemy territory, it was to be hammered to bits and then thrown out of the aircraft so that it at least would not be recovered by the enemy with the bomber.

@tr4480

5 ай бұрын

Seems there was also reference to using some sort of thermite grenade that, in the event of a crash landing, it would be attached to the norden bomsight, and essentially burning it out.

@King-Kazma

5 ай бұрын

The Germans (and British) had equally effective bomb sights, and much of the tech of the Norden was known to the Germans before the war, thanks to espionage efforts. Post war analysis showed that the real world achieved accuracy was identical to the British, who were bombing at night with their own bombsight. The daytime campaign never achieved the promised precision strikes and ultimately transitioned to area bombing tactics. The claimed high levels of precision and the secrecy surrounding the Norden were driven by the company itself. It was never evaluated properly, and criticism of the tech was effectively quashed by the ‘top secret’ nature. Tragically, hundreds of men likely died through choosing to destroy the bombsight rather than bailing out immediately.

I'm not so sure about that bomb sight. After all after the war the allies concluded from German data and their own observations that in total they missed a lot. Even with their day time bombing. And with regards to it being a big secret. The Germans had pretty good intel on the thing while it was still in development. The real reason Germany never developed their own was more due to them not haveing a bomber to put it in. Overall I hope at the end of the show they are bold enough to comment on what impact strategic bombing itself had (not all tha much when compared to what resources and workhours you needed to put into it). But also at what it could do. Now with D-Day approaching and Doolittle takeing command in the show we might see how they shifted focus. Useng the bombers to destroy the Luftwaffe by sending the Mustangs after the airfields (to shoot them down landing and during refuleing) and targeting transport infrastructure rather than factories.

Episode 4, and have decided that this is now worse than The Pacific. The magic they used to create Band of Brothers is gone. Without any connection to the characters, I have zero investment when they go down. I understand this is the best Hollywood can do in today's age of untalented writers, with their inability to write an ensemble cast structured series, but I thought this was the same team from the other productions.

@ReelHistory

4 ай бұрын

Not sure if we are actually watching the same series.

@neodecker

4 ай бұрын

@@ReelHistory I'm starting to think you are financially invested in this trash. If that's the best rebuttal to my argument ,you may want to return your degrees.

@andrewc6602

4 ай бұрын

​@neodecker what are you trying to accomplish here?

@ReelHistory

4 ай бұрын

We like the show. Sorry if you don't. Nobody is making you watch any of this.

The portrayal of the RAF crews is comical and nothing like reality.

@Concetta20

3 ай бұрын

To be fair, the officers were recruited from the “upper classes” the Oxford and Cambridge guys etc., so maybe their snobbery is plausible …

@goodshipkaraboudjan

3 ай бұрын

@@Concetta20 not true at all for RAF Bomber Command, most Officers were on short commissions and the vast majority weren't university educated.

Now that I've seen 3 episodes of 'Masters of the Air' I don't feel like it rises to the quality of 'BoB' but it's way better the 'The Pacific'. Its nothing to do with the authenticity but more to do with the story telling.

I've really missed the interviews with the real men at the beginning as well.

Did they ever bomb where the flak guns were?

@Nghilifa

5 ай бұрын

Probably not with heavy bombers like the B-17. Seems like a job more suited for either medium bombers or fighters.

Navigator always looks like he's guessing.

@OldMusicFan83

5 ай бұрын

My father in law was a B52 navigator in Vietnam. From talking to him, I think sometimes they doubt their calculations-especially when everything is riding on their skills

Here's a question, are the oxygen masks right? They look British to me, not the American style im familiar with?

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

My understanding is that some USAAF equipment had not arrived early in the 100th's deployment and British equipment was utilized. I think the characters mention this in MotA.

@petersellgren9452

5 ай бұрын

The oxygen masks are A10 masks. Standard issue for summer of 1943. They did not fit as well as later versions. The masks also had a problem with ice forming from exhaling. This was also partly solved in the later versions. We may see the later versions like the A14 masks in future episodes. From what I have seen so far, is great care in the small details. I have been studying the B-17 Flying Fortress for decades. I flown have the B-17G “Yankee Lady” on several occasions. Great aircraft. I think the most important part of the story is the crews and what they had to do and how they handled the tasks at hand. I have had the honor to speak to many veterans, a few from the 100th BG, it is amazing what they endured. Modern flying can be challenging with weather, icing, turbulence, thunderstorms, fog, winds and mechanical issues. Now, add on a lot of people shooting at you to kill you, unpressurized, no heat, no navigation aids, and very, very cold. Wow! I have been flying for over 47 years. It is amazing what they did day after day. If you meet a 8th AF Veteran, thank them for their dedication and devotion.

@petersellgren9452

5 ай бұрын

Hello again, I did some research on WWII oxygen equipment to double check what type of masks were used during filming of the first three episodes. The masks are reproductions of the A9 mask, Not A10 masks as I stated last night. I hope that answers your questions.

"Turret position was actually the safest" Anyone got the stats per position on plane?

@derrickj45

5 ай бұрын

Google

@OldMusicFan83

5 ай бұрын

There are videos on KZread that break down the stats.

@stevepirie8130

4 ай бұрын

I think the tail gunner had the worst position casualty wise.

Fighter pilots make movies....Bomber crews make history

Was the Norden bombsight actually effective?

@derrickj45

5 ай бұрын

50-50 at best because of the extreme altitudes above 10,000ft

@philiparonson8315

5 ай бұрын

In modern thinking it was not very good. It was ok when testing over Texas or Kansas, with clear weather, flat terrain, and not under fire. In Europe, with awful cloud cover, poor weather, and enemy interference it was not very accurate. While not as infamous, it suffered from the same complex that plagued the Mark 14 torpedo in the Pacific: a tool absolutely central to the philosophy/ideology of political/military leadership did not show results. At first, the blame was placed upon the fighting men, later changes in tools and tactics helped make the idea survive. For the torpedo it was the Navy finally fixing it, for daylight bombing it was the full-time fighter escort where lower losses made the strategy more cost-effective. Both these changes took longer than one would think. The torpedo took two years to fix (the Navy refused to test it!). Drop tanks for fighters were known about for years before the war started, but were not considered useful for ‘pursuit’ aircraft.

@King-Kazma

5 ай бұрын

To add to this, the daytime campaign effectively abandoned precision tactics and moved to area bombing.

@goodshipkaraboudjan

4 ай бұрын

To an extent but manual computers were scrapped mostly by the RAF in favour of radar bombing later in the war but the USAAF stuck it out but changed doctrine to area bombing relying on the Norden.

I always love to see interactions between American and British servicemen. Especially when it's the RAF and the USAAF.

@greybirdo

5 ай бұрын

I always *hate* seeing them when they’re poorly done jingoistic American bullshit that makes out all Brits to be incompetent Hooray Henrys who can’t tell their arse from the Queen Mary, and who are suitably put in their place by a ‘murican. This scene in ep 2 and the Neunen tank scene from BoB both belong in the bin.

Only thing I didn’t like is when the plane crashed and the camera panned to the crash the houses where still modern 🙃

The Norden was really nothing special regarding accuracy. Studies by the Germans and the British found that that their own bombsights were at least as accurate, and, in the field, more usable than the over complex Nordan which was often easily disrupted by turbulance. Post war analysis has supported this, and showed that the Norden's reputation was basically made up by the company to drive sales and raise the price. It was an interesting technical device, but actually using it in wartime conditions was difficult and did not deliver the expected results. The oft quoted 'dropping a bomb into a pickle barrel from 30000ft' was just not possible, and would not be possible by any bombsight until the development of laser guidance. RAF and American bombers had similar accuracy results. Generally getting 30% of your bombs within 300ft of the target was considered a good result. The point about the Norden secrecy was also inaccurate. The Germans obtained the plans to the Norden sight in 1938, and concluded after testing it offered no advantages over their own sights. They described it as 'over engineered', which you will appreciate is quite a damning point coming from the Germans. The American rules about the secrecy were simply the result of them buying into the company's marketing and did not reflect reality at all. This Norden historic myth has been around since WW2 and has been debunked many many times. At this stage it is almost on the same level as Operation Sealion for public view inaccuracy. Just go to KZread and look up 'Norden bombsight myth' and you will see many videos debunking the claims. Given that it is a well known and recognised historic myth, it is disappointing that it was included in the show, and equally disappointing to have been included in this video. I enjoy your videos, but in this case I'm afraid you needed more reseach.

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

I agree that post hoc political and effectiveness analyses were not kind to the Norden. It will be interesting to see how this might be addressed later in the series.

@paulcassidy2802

5 ай бұрын

@@davidk7324 I suspect it won't really be addressed or corrected. The reason I say that, is that the comments in the show were spoken by the narrator, not the characters directly. If it had been spoken by the characters, you could well argue that they were just saying what the view at the time was. However, the narrator is speaking from the perspective of the future, since he also referenced the Manhattan Project. Therefore, I suspect the Norden myth will not be addressed or corrected. However, I would be happy to be shown to be wrong.

@vaudevillian7

4 ай бұрын

@@paulcassidy2802they also did a bit of sleight of hand in ep 5 with the Munster raid - with one complaining the aiming point was too close to the cathedral - the aiming point WAS the cathedral, specifically the steps. At noon. On Sunday. I’m a bit uncomfortable with that ‘grey washing’

@paulcassidy2802

4 ай бұрын

@@vaudevillian7 I agree. I think this show has a very different approach compared to Band of Brothers. Whilst there were certainly inaccuracies in BoB, I think they were generally mistakes, and not the result of coming from a specific viewpoint with the intention to deceive. The allies absolutely did things in the war, that we would today consider morally difficult. However, in history it's important to understand that the views of the day do not necessarily reflect on the views of today. Even at the time the views were mixed. Many accepted the realities that bombing accuracy was simply not good enough to avoid civilian casualties. Others had very specific problems with the strategies. Others felt the Germans deserved anything they got. Indeed, history records for the Munster raid specifically, say that different aircrews reacted very differently. Some were angry, some happy with the target. I'm sure history will judge some of our actions harshly as well. :)

@vaudevillian7

4 ай бұрын

@@paulcassidy2802completely agree, it would have been an opportunity to have a great bit of drama having the crews raise their concerns with some refusing to fly - as well as Egan’s real support of just bombing civilians that we did see briefly. As well as a greater acknowledgment that precision bombing wasn’t quite as easy as hoped…

I often found it hard to understand what the characters were saying. They spoke a little fast, and it had a muffled quality about it, and was also sometimes embedded and other ambient noises.

@ReelHistory

5 ай бұрын

We watch these shows with subtitles so not as to miss any subtleties. That also allows us to identify characters better!

@Krommer1000

5 ай бұрын

@@ReelHistory Same. Subtitles are pretty much a given with most shows now days for me.

@drunkenjedi1889

5 ай бұрын

It’s crazy how shows these days are way over audio produced that it defens the voice work. I just use subs on everything these days

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

This was my experience. On WW2TV someone recommended re-watching on a subtitled computer monitor with headphones so I tried it. Night and day difference. So sad since I have nice TVs with reasonably good sound systems. This is a shame. I guess younger generations are happy to consume these offerings on an iPhone and ear buds. My gold standard is the sound of the Omaha Beach scenes in SPR.

Just to point out, the Pacific didn't have veteran interviews at the beginning.

@andrewwallace4821

5 ай бұрын

Slight point of contention here. There actually are veteran interviews, but they were an option on the original DVDs whenever you played the episode, and not broadcast on TV with the initial broadcast. They weren't vet interviews of the actual characters like Band, but they were applicable to the episodes.

@inigo_bpc

5 ай бұрын

@@andrewwallace4821 they're not in the digiral copy of the series I got on iTunes either. Shame they were excluded.

@awesomedayz3465

5 ай бұрын

​@@andrewwallace4821one or two were actual characters.

@03Man11

5 ай бұрын

If I recall correctly, Sidney Phillips was interviewed at the beginning of the episodes for The Pacific

@awesomedayz3465

5 ай бұрын

@@03Man11 Bergie too.

Interrogation or debriefing?

@ReelHistory

5 ай бұрын

It was a debriefing....which they called interrogation

2200 replacement aircraft means that 19,800 crew were lost, Oh my word.

@King-Kazma

5 ай бұрын

Probably includes fighters as well, but expected losses were still huge.

My big questions about this episode are about the accuracy of the bombs dropped on the sub pens at Trondheim, and the fact that I cannot find any record of a German bombing attack on Norwich in 1943. Does anyone know if there is any record that there was a German bombing raid on Norwich as shown in the show? Jared clearly has access to some source I am unaware of...does anyone know what it is? And I have to be honest....the whole spiel about the Norden bomb sight in the show is pretty muc just repeating US propaganda about the Norden...and that is not OK unless they honestly deal with the issue of how imprecise precision bombing was AND the civilian casualties that came along with all those bombs that missed their targets at some point later on in the show.

@johnorloff3738

5 ай бұрын

Buck is guessing where they’re bombing, only guessing. the area was bombed quite a bit during ‘43.

@iKvetch558

5 ай бұрын

@@johnorloff3738 I do know that Germany continued to bomb long long after the Blitz of 1940...I am more hoping somebody can give me a source that has the details.👍

181st

Aw come on Prof. The Nordon sight was practically useless, it was a propaganda piece, even the swearing to secrecy was a farce,you guys had waaaaay better and more advanced tech than that mechanical snake oil

So far I find the series barely above The Pacific, but way below Generation Kill, and even farther below Bad of Brothers. The two episodes seem choppy, and the crews seem to just blend together. In GK you knew the different Marines in each Humvee, and in BoB though the companies tended to blend together, you knew each soldier from introductions made in the first two episodes.

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

I will withhold judgement until all the parts are released. I have viewed the first two parts 3 times which I find personally necessary (and enjoyable) as there is so much to absorb. Re: BoB. Easy Co. spent more time in training than in combat, so character development could occupy the entire Taccoa episode 1. Also, most of the main characters survived albeit several with catastrophic wounds. I suspect this will not be true of MotA. It seems to me that the narrative style and structure needs to be different for each theater and now the ground vs. the air. I'm all in.

@johncrutchfield1222

5 ай бұрын

@@davidk7324 Same here. I'll wait until I've seen the whole series before rendering any judgment. I've also watched both episodes so far 3x. I don't think it's fair to make any judgments yet. And yes, I agree that each series has to address the kind of war differently. An air war "feels" very different than D-Day or Bastogne or Peleliu. I've loving the series. There are sooo many stories that could be told from this war. How 'bout a series on tank crews? The North Africa campaign? The Italy campaign? I'd watch them all.

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

@@johncrutchfield1222 We're in agreement. I'd love to see a Spielberg/Hanks produced series on the US Navy in the Pacific---the sea and air aspects with the amphibious assaults addressed only for framing. Story lines set on a submarine, a destroyer, and an aircraft carrier. Stories of the US Navy's horrific sacrifice in the PTO deserve their skilled hands.

@audiosurfarchive

4 ай бұрын

I need to watch it still, but seeing as Gen Kill is 99th percentile and one of the GOATs.. as well the reappraisal of The Pacific over time, I'm sure it's still enjoyable and great on a bigger picture. Compare it's earnestness to 99% of all other network TV.

The Norden bomb sight failed to live up to it's publicity, in the USA, flying in clear air at 10,000 feet on an undefended bombing range it was indeed a decently accurate bomb site of it's time. Flying at 20,000 feet in European weather conditions against a radar guided air defence system it was not. The USAAF ended up with only the lead bombers in a bomb group carrying Norden bombsights operated by a bomb aimer. The rest of the aircraft had what was referred to as a togglier, he basically dropped his bombs when he saw the lead bomber drop his. Precision bombing it was not, it was carpet bombing. Please note, I'm a Brit, I'm not claiming RAF Bomber Command was any more accurate, it wasn't, precision bombing in WWII was only ever achieved by a small number of elite squadrons in good conditions.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that there was animosity between British and American pilots. This is utter rubbish. Both sides respected each other even though the tactics were very different . Also British pilots were not snobbish they couldn't afford to be. Also the jibes about America being late for the war were never said during the war itself. From what I have been told Amercian soldiers were rarely brash, they were mostly very polite and generous. But most of all they were very home sick. These jibes were circulated after the war was over the to fact that the US seemed to get rich out of the war. Where other allies countries went into depression and were still on rationing until the early 1950s.

@macree01

5 ай бұрын

I see it as relating to the Great Depression. The US was hit the hardest by the depression in the early 30s. To the point that my grandfather could recall thinking that it might be the end of the country. Like an semi apocalyptic event where everyone was sent back to the dark ages living in Hoovervilles. My understanding is that while the Great Depression was world wide it was not equal in severity in every place. Great Britain may have been on rations into the early 50s but they simply hadn’t reached the economic lows of the US in the early 30s. There was more for them to lose during and in the aftermath of the war. The US at the start of the war had literally no where to go but up considering the circumstances. That’s how it goes, lowers lows but higher highs.

@audiosurfarchive

4 ай бұрын

It's a tired trope, but it's there for the jingoistic peanut gallery; easy source of dichotomy and later inter-service/national harmony.

@goodshipkaraboudjan

4 ай бұрын

@@macree01 Germany was heavily hit by the Great Depression. A certain Austrian painter took advantage of it.

I have watched all three episodes and find this series a elongated and boring version of 12 o'clock High. However, if this series educates young people about the sacrifices Americans made in WWII, good.

while i have no reason to believe this, i feel like the show is taking a lot of liberties with each of the individual experiences of the various people we are following. i get a very historical drama vibe rather than a recreation fo what these men went through.

@ReelHistory

4 ай бұрын

You'd be surprised how dramatic the lives of these men were. Check out some of the books referenced.

@acerock013

4 ай бұрын

i definitely believe it...i just wish the show gave me enough room and space to know these people as people so that when we do lose them or we see them go through trauma i am not constantly asking myself "which one is this?" or "what was his name again?" There is one character who i really felt it when you see what happens to him becasue they spent time characterizing and humanizing him and it wasn't a lot of time, it was just enough to remember his accent and where he was from. i wish they give me more of that with the rest of the cast becasue i know they want me to feel it, the loss and the impact when bad things happen...but i feel like i am just watching a fictionalized account of a period of history rather than authentic retellings of what occurred. @@ReelHistory

Been waiting for this! Love your channel! Much admiration from a mexican historian

Finding the first two parts of this series hugely disappointing. Sterile and I have absolutely no buy in with the characters. The interaction with the RAF airmen was cringeworthy and hackneyed. I loved the Pacific and Band of Brothers is an all time classic, but this series is really missing the mark. So glad America won the war all by itself as usual and as always.

@davidk7324

5 ай бұрын

Yeah, I have Brit KZread comment section friends on several history channels who are bent about this, even though they describe the RAF pilots as "posh." A "here we go again" sentiment which I appreciate. SPR: "Monty's overrated . . . ;" BoB: I can't see it, and if I can't see it I can't shoot it!” Perhaps we will see portrayed a greater sense of appreciation for the Brits and their sacrifices as the series unfolds. At the end of part 2, Cleven does tell Egan that the Brits "were right" about the suicidal nature of daylight attacks. It would be great to see the Brits and Yanks share a drink in a future scene.

@johncrutchfield1222

5 ай бұрын

@@davidk7324 "My orders are no unnecessary destruction of property" (eye roll). I much prefer the episode "Crossroads" in BoB when the 101st helps the Red Devils.

Love your work mate, respectful criticism/ request.., can you do these without spoiling whst happens, these make a fantastic companion show but I’d rather not know who makes it through or not before they show it. I’m aware it’s history but, it’s a part of history id say few would really know exactly. Just from your two episodes I know the outcome from 3 people already. I’d rather not have to choose one or the other. Thanks. Love your entire channel.

Episodes 1 and 2 failed on all levels in my opinion. Lack of character development, tension, rushed battle sequences, less than stellar dialogue. But then came episode 3. Holy shit! Episode 3 achieves everything the first 2 could not and I am definitely all in now! HOWEVER, why the hell are the episodes so damn short? This one's run time with the recap, into with cheesy music and next episode's preview was like 40-42 minutes! 🥵

I'm really, really hoping Episode 3 is better than the first two. Hugely disappointing so far....

Is it just me or does the cgi look kinda awful especially in the bombing scene