Masters of the Airearns a near-perfect realism grade from a World War II historian. After finding success withBand of Brothers(2001) andThe Pacific(2010), executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks chronicle the battle in the skies during World War II with their latest Apple TV+ miniseries. Based on the book by Donald L. Miller,Masters of the Airfocuses on the 100th Bomb Group, following several key airmen as they take heavy losses while going on bombing runs against Nazi Germany.
In a recent video forInsider, World War II historian John McManus analyzes aerial scenes fromMasters of the Air, finding that the series features a number of elements that are historically accurate.He praises the depiction of the Norden bombsight, for example, a crucial piece of equipment for American airmen, as well as the bombing itselfand the ways in which the show pulls from real historical images and video. Check out select comments from McManus below as well as his impressive score for the show out of 10:
“What he’s looking through there is called the Norden bombsight, and it was said to be the most cutting edge bombsight technology in the world at that point… So any bombardier like you see in the clip would’ve been hunched over that Norden bombsight trying to line up exactly when he was supposed to drop the bomb…
“When they drop the bombs at that point, you’ll notice that the other planes are taking the same cue and they dropped the bombs at almost the same time. And I really like this clip because it really tracks with a lot of the photographic evidence that you see at the time of sticks of bombs going all the way down to the target and then exploding, almost like bubbling up as you see on the ground there. And that was this kind of suffocating effect of the bombs for a major raid like this…
“They hold their fire, and that was the sort of unspoken etiquette of the air war, which wasn’t always adhered to, was that once a guy hit the silk, once he’s out there in a parachute, you did not shoot at him when he was vulnerable. This was seen as almost really a war crime. But believe me, plenty of times that happened either by intention or not. In this case, it’s portrayed that they’re deliberately not shooting at him…
“Overall, I think it’s amazing.I would give it a nine out of 10.”
What Masters Of The Air’s Accuracy Means For Spielberg & Hanks' WW2 Projects
Spielberg & Hanks Have Mastered Depictions Of WW2
Masters of the Airfeatures a strong 85% onRotten Tomatoes, making it Certified Fresh, the same status awarded toBand of Brothers(94%) andThe Pacific(89%). Both of Spielberg and Hanks' other shows were also widely praised for their historical accuracy, with the former depicting the war in Europe and the latter the fight against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater. Both Spielberg and Hanks, then, have succeeded in bringing to life stories from three major areas of World War II.
In addition to its historical accuracy,Masters of the Air’s cast, which includes Austin Butler, Callum Turner, and Anthony Boyle, was also widely praised in reviews.
Masters Of The Air True Story: 8 Biggest Changes & Things It Leaves Out
Masters of the Air successfully covers the 100th Bomb Group’s tragic story over 9 episodes, but there are a few events the show missed or got wrong.
What’s more, Spielberg and Hanks previously collaborated forSaving Private Ryan(1998), which Hanks also starred in. This film is widely considered one of the most accurate war movies ever made, futher speaking to the care and focus on authenticity that the two creatives bring to these World War II projects. ThoughMasters of the Air’s reviewsare the softest of the four titles,its nine out of 10 accuracy affirms that Spielberg and Hanks are now four for four with their explorations of World War II.
Our Take On Masters Of The Air’s Historical Accuracy
More CGI Doesn’t Hold The Apple TV+ Series Back
Masters of the Aircaught more flak from viewers than its predecessors, in large part because of its heavy use of CGI. This never felt particularly fair to me, becausetelling a story with numerous aerial combat sequences was just never going to be pulled off using the same practical methods that were used for projects likeBand of BrothersandThe Pacific.
Even though the show relies more on digital effects to tell its story (with some shots looking less photo-real than others), it’s evident from McManus' analysis that it hasn’t sacrificed historical accuracy and authenticity while doing so. It’s not clear ifMasters of the Airwill be the last World War II miniseries from Spielberg and Hanks, but, if it is, it’s certainly a positive note to go out on.
Masters of the Air
Cast
Masters of the Air is an Apple TV+ original war drama starring Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, and Barry Keoghan. The series follows a group of eleven World War II pilots who fight German fighters in a bomber called “The Flying Fortress.” The miniseries was based on the book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller.
