Masters of the Air
This clause contains spoilers for Masters of the Air installment 3 .
Summary
DuringMasters of the Airepisode 3 , the hundredth Bombardment Group goes on a grievous foresighted - haulage mission that fly over Regensburg , Germany and terminate in North Africa , and while the events of the mission may seem spectacular or incredible , the Regensburg deputation did in fact happen in real life . victor of the Airepisode 3 , and the residue of the warfare dramatic event , evidence the true story of the notoriouslyunlucky 100th Bombardment Groupduring World War II . While the first two episodes of the series provided background and setting to the 100th , episode 3 lastly put them in action .
passe-partout of the Airepisode 3 is particularly nerve-racking asthe 100th embarks on their wild mission yet . The beginning of the episode discover that the men are plan to take flight from their stem , Thorpe Abbotts , in England , over Germany where they will drop bombs on foeman factories , then make their landing in North Africa as a flake of a vacation to confuse the Germans . However , outlet arise forthwith when only one mathematical group of planes is sent into the air , when there were presuppose to be two . Buck , Bucky , Curtis , and Harry are all part of this life - changing mission .
overlord of the Air episode 2 brings up the argumentation of dark versus daytime bombing , but the interrogative sentence stay : why did the U.S. bomb during the mean solar day ?
What The Purpose Of The Regensburg Mission Was
The Regensburg mission depict inMasters of the Airisn’t a workplace of fiction created for the series but is a real mission that the men of the 100th Bombardment Group flew on . The mission digest out both in history and in the show because of the desolate losses it resulted in . Before any legal injury fall out , the Regensburg mission wasintended to be a monumental hitting against German forces . In the original plan , as noted byAir and Space Forces Magazine,376B-17 Flying Fortresseswould drop down bombs over Schweinfurt and Regensburg , targeting an aircraft factory and a ball - bearing factory .
The Regensburg plan was layer as well . Of the 376 bombers set to fly , there would be two groups . Both would take off from Thorpe Abbotts , but they would break up off over Germany . One group of 230 plane would continue on to Schweinfurt and return to England , while the other146 bombers would reach Regensburg then travel to Africa . In reality , only that second smaller group cope to take off on clip due to vivid cloud cover in England , and with few numbers , they became vulnerable to German attacks . Though Regensburg was successful , they stand many losses in the unconscious process .
Ultimately , Schweinfurt / Regensburg , if executed as planned , was projected to be a major hit against Germany . By taking out their factories , German resources would be damaged , and as a result , all their production would slow . direct a ball - yield factory was particularly strategic . Though formal - comportment seem like a strange target , the loss of them would be detrimental to the Germans . Ultimately , theRegensburg attack did hurt the Germans , but not nearly as much as the Americans hoped . In hindsight , a slightly different maneuver might have made all the difference in August 1943 .
How Many People Died In Masters Of The Air’s Regensburg Mission
As shown inMasters of the Airepisode 3 , the Regensburg deputation induce many casualties and red ink among the 100th . Men were both killed and forced out their damaged plane , will them unaccounted for and at risk of becoming POWs . Of the 146 planes that were transport on the Regensburg mission,24 were lost . Nine of those 24 bombers belonged to the 100th Bomb Group . While some aviator croak down with their plane , like Lt . Curtis Biddick , others were capable to get by their B-17s before they crashed , such as Sgt . William Quinn , who landed in Belgium .
allot to theAmerican Air Museum , the Regensburg commission resulted in38 demise , nine wounded , 130 POW , 16 escaped , 20 interned , and 40 yield to responsibility . While a smattering of the dead were aboard planes that safely made it to Africa , the majority were killed due to scathe to their planes . Furthermore , all the offend made it to Africa . All in all , these losses were astonishing for the 100th and the other groups that participated in the commission . Not only had men lose their lives , but entire ball of soldier were simply blend in .
Regensburg Mission Casualties
What Happened To Them
38
vote down In Action ( KIA )
9
bruise In Action ( WIA )
130
captive of War ( POW )
16
Evaded / Escaped ( EVD )
20
intern ( INT )
40
Returned To Duty ( RTD )
One notable loss that is clearly depict inMasters of the Airepisode 3 is that of Lieutenant Curtis Biddick . Played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan , Biddick was a real penis of the 100th Bombardment Group who was finally kill in action during the Regensburg mission . While it would be somewhat difficult to say what happened to him in actual life , the series successfully fill in the blank , showing Biddick lose his life history with the intention of saving another . Biddick ’s fortune is tragic , butMasters of the Airdoes the material soldier justice by accentuating his expansive apotheosis .
What Happened After Regensburg
The end end of the Regensburg military mission was to successfully take out German factories . Therefore , in some respects , the mission was a winner . The 100th and accompany planes did drop bombs on Regensburg and destroy a German ball - bearing factory . However , the result losses for American force were so catastrophic , both for the Regensburg mission and the Schweinfurt mission that pass later , that such massivedaylight bombing deep in German territory was put on pausefor five months . The mission that was supposed to easy debilitate Germany wound the Americans in equal measure .
Daylight bombing was primarily drill by the U.S. during World War II and was think to be a speculative method of attack . While visibility was improved for the bombers , the same was true for the foeman .
That say , the Germans were emphatically regard by the Schweinfurt / Regensburg mission . The bombardment of Regensburg was highly destructive , while Schweinfurt was less so , but still effective in harming German forces . Though the Germans take the raid a triumph due to the number of Americans kill and their ability to recoup quickly , the missionary station still frightened them . It showed that the U.S. had posture and bit in its Air Force . In fact , because Schweinfurt / Regensburg fall out on the same day as the RAF ’s Operation Hydra , German force play were deeply shakengoing frontwards .
After Regensburg , penis of the 100th successfully land in North Africa . Although they found safe there , many of their planes were now useless and ineffective to be fly back to England . Unfortunately , the return trip was also unpleasant . accord toAir and Space Forces Magazine , the Regensburg force lost three bombers on its way back to England while they attempted to make an attack in Bordeaux . Therefore , from beginning to end , the Regensburg mission , as depicted inMasters of the Air , was deeply harmful to the 100th and U.S. Army Air Forces .
Cast
