Welcome to Masters of the Air, the second world war drama produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which touches down on Apple TV+ on 26 January . This eagerly awaited $200m (£158m), Covid-delayed epic is a spiritual successor to their earlier wartime shows Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010) .
Based on Donald L Miller’s book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany , and written by John Orloff, the series is being billed as Band of Brothers in the skies.
Indeed, just as Band of Brothers followed Easy Company’s exploits across occupied Europe from the Normandy landings in 1944 to the war’s end, so Masters of the Air tracks the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) on risky daytime bombing raids over Germany and other territories under Nazi rule.
“Most of us had never travelled far from home, let alone flown an aeroplane,” says the voiceover at the start. “We came from every corner of the country with a common purpose – to bring the war to Hitler’s doorstep.”
You do not have to be an RAF veteran to raise a sceptical eyebrow at this. “Actually,” one imagines a retired wing commander commenting, “our chaps had been sending milk crates to Hitler’s doorstep for several years before you chaps joined the show ”.
That said, Britain has long saluted the bravery and sacrifice of American men and women who bombed Germany by day while the RAF conducted night raids.
This story is from the January 20, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the January 20, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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