MASTERS OF THE AIR (PARTS 3,4,5,6) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | REACTION
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- Опубликовано: 19 май 2024
- Enjoy my reaction as I watch "Masters of the Air (Parts 3-6)" for the first time!
You can check out this specific full-length reaction on Patreon here:
Parts 3-4: bit.ly/3Tz8XB5
Parts 5-6: bit.ly/3TRajIO
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//📖 C H A P T E R S
00:00 - Intro
01:51 - Part 3
16:34 - Part 4
31:27 - Part 5
42:49 - Part 6 
Развлечения
Going to tell a very uncanny story here. Probably long, so bear with me here.
The day after you posted the last video you did for this series, I went and did an internet hookup for a guy. I work for a large telco / internet company. I get there and the guy is very, very old. Answers the door, has to use a walker to get around. I ask him where he'd like his modem installed. I get to work on the job. As I'm heading out to my truck to grab a part, I pass their dining room table. I notice there is a LOT of old military stuff on the table. A display case with had to be at least 8-10 medals. Also some birthday stuff. After I get everything done and start helping them get their phones connected to the wifi, I mention the medals and whatnot on the table. I say thank you to him for the service he provided for us. The wife then asks me, 'So, have you heard of the TV show 'Masters Of The Air'? I was kind of surprised as I literally just watched your reaction vid the night before. I said, 'Yeah, I literally just "kind of" watched the first two episodes last night.' (knowing they likely wouldn't know or understand what a 'reaction video' was, I didn't explain it that way) She then points over at her husband and says, 'He just got back not long ago from Hollywood. He was a navigator on one of those B-17's. He's one of the last 4 remaining members of the 100th bomber group still alive. They flew him and the other 3 members out for an event for the show. And he also just had his 100th birthday.' I was absolutely floored! The fact that I just watched the video. Then, one of them not only lives in Minnesota, but only two cities over from me. Absolutely surreal. If I could have, I would have sat there the rest of the day talking to him.
Tell me that isn't a hell of a story.
My god… That’s incredible. I would have had to ask and sit and talk. Just for a little bit! The stories he probably still has in his head even at his age. Those are things the modern generations can just never truly understand (myself included).
That's one helluva story!
@@JCYanksDevs24 "Those are things the modern generations can just never truly understand"
Kind of funny you say that, that's almost exactly what I said to him. Every time I watch something historical like that. I try and think of what it would really be like being at those points in time. Obviously, you can't really fully ever understand. So, while I was watching Cassies first vid while they're getting shot up and watching other planes go down around them, I was trying to think imagine how terrifying it would be being there. Mr. Rasmussen got pretty quiet. Seemed like he probably had an instantaneous flash back to it. I left it alone after that.
Oh...and they told me he didn't just fight in WWII...he went to Korea later and served in the war there as well. Talk about doing your duty.
To the OP, I know I shouldn't give my opinion since you didn't ask for it, but in this case, I feel it is imperative. You should go back on the weekend (soon) on the pretense that you are checking up on your work as a favor to them, then break it to the wife that you really came by to speak with her husband for just 5 or 10 minutes. Then, if she sees that your intentions are on the up and up, sit down with him and see if he is willing to chat a bit about his service. You may never get the chance if you don't act soon and I don't think you should have any regrets later for missing a truly, once in a lifetime opportunity. Maybe its a bit selfish, but if you share such a story with others as you grow old, it may not seem that way after a while. Just an idea.
Wow, go back when you can and do that, sit with him and talk, ask him everything that comes to mind and write it down. You won't regret it, and he will love it. He does it every night when he closes his eyes anyway. You don't have long as he is already 100, so do it! When I was a young man I got a job as a night watchman, I was the youngest one ever. Almost everyone else was a WW2 veteran, all from different countries and services. You wouldn't believe the stories I heard, from life in the German U-boats to being a tail gunner in Lancaster's, from being a cook and gunner on HMS Illustrious to being the powder monkey with the Belgium Underground. Even jumping into Arnhem when the Para's went A Bridge too Far. I heard it all, the good and the bad, my Belgium friend even taught me how to blow up a Panzer. Fortunately I've never had to do that, he did, when he was only 16. So do it mate, even if the only people you tell are your children, do it. Keep his stories alive!
The B-17 pretty much flew missions at the limit of their altitude which was 30,000 feet. Unfortunately both the large caliber antiaircraft guns and the German fighters could also reach that height.
Came here to say that exact thing haha
And it is really hard on the crew to fly at 30,000 feet in an unpressurized aircraft. Oxygen masks and heated suits were only a partial solution
Also, the Germans had radar, so flying higher doesn't mean they won't be seen.
Didn’t realize a naturally aspirated prop could fly that high, but checked online: 36,600ft
The B-17 engines were not naturally aspirated. They were turbocharged. With a fuel load, ammo, guns and bombs the B-17 would top out around 30,000.@@jsbrads1
The Luftwaffe interrogators were very different than the SS. They did not resort to torture to get information. They recieved the pilots information through spies living in America. Many of the Luftwaffe interrogation methods were actually adopted by the CIA to get people to divulge information. One American pilot who was interrogated by the Luftwaffe said during the interrogation, they handed him a folder with a piece of paper inside. When he opened it, the pilot turned white with shock-because inside the folder was his high school report card. They made it seem liked they knew everything already.
Other than that, Biddick was KIA during the Schweinfurt-Regensburg raid. His death in real life was way worse than in the miniseries.
Buck Cleven also actually said “what took you so long” when he first saw John Egan again.
The trick was to start a casual conversation, little things, the interrogation would sprinkle in the things they knew - 'we heard this pilot got in trouble after a night on the town' sort of thing. Their casual knowledge would (in theory, and frequently) draw the POW into making conversation that provided more small details, and then these details were combined, giving both insights useful for strategic intelligence and more material for future interrogations. It was very, very successful and demonstrates that smart interrogation is infinitely more useful than torture (but it takes two things time and smarts - torture is the fast, thug methodology).
Evans’s interrogator was Hanns-Joachim Scharff, who was something of a pioneer in taking this friendly approach to interrogation. Many of his predecessors and contemporaries actually WERE more ruthless and heavy-handed, and that’s why hinting they might have to be turned over to the Gestapo was so effective - tactic. In fact he was the Germans’ most successful interrogator. So much so the US Air Force and even the CIA consulted with him after the War.
Apparently he actually was as nice a guy in real life as the persona he presented to his subjects (he was not at all a “party” officer; he was actually drafted). After Gabriesky was captured the two became very close friends (Gabby was one of a handful of POWs Scharff could NOT get to divulge any useful intelligence).
@@cyberdan42There is a great in-period movie called "Resisting enemy interrogation" on youtube, produced by the army that plays out an example of this.
@@Ambaryerno - The interrogator in Ep.6 was Ulrich Haussmann, who was a real interrogator who later defected to the Americans.
They actually had a castle where they took some of the POWs. The would dine and wine them. Be friendly. Let the POWs loosen up. Information would be leaked without knowing it. The interrogators would look for clues as to how the POWs reacted or didn't react. In one case, the interrogator even asked an airman if he wanted to fly one of the latest German fighters and he said that he would. He was told that they amount of fuel was low so that he couldn't escape and that the plane had no ammo. He had to return to base which he did. When he returned he was very excited and commenting on some of the good things that he saw on the plane and somethings that he didn't like. This gave the interrogator and incredible amount of information on the weaknesses and advantages of the American fighters.
The infiltratror wrote using the european date format, he sang the anthem a little too proudly, like he wanted to show off he knew it, and lastly and most importantly, he used a German lighter. That's why they asked for a "light". As the final confirmation
It seemed to me that he understood that they asked for a light in German because he was German. He was protesting as soon as he realized his error and they blew his brains out.
U.S. military personnel also used DD/MM/YY. Still do.
@@StuartKoehl More often than not it's YYYYMMDD, or DD MON YY. Almost never DD/MM/YY.
It was the way he wrote the 1 specifically. Germans do an almost upside down v and looks like a 7 to Americans.
He also got a word wrong in the anthem.
Remember, there are no stupid questions, if you dont ask you don't know. Asking questions makes you smarter. Love the Channel👍
So true. I'm an army vet that did two tours in Afghanistan. And there is a ton of stuff that I don't even know or understand. There's no shame in it... Especially for a Canadian civilian!
15:30 yup, that's how it goes. I joined up at age 17, in combat by age 19. Most guys in my unit were 19 that first tour. A year in combat, doing some of the most dangerous stuff on the battlefield. People died all the time. While I was in Iraq, losses were up to 15 per week. Far lower casualty rates than WW2, but still felt like a lot. And then you come home, and do it all over again, for another year..... There were weeks we'd lose 3-5 guys in quick succession. There is a reason war messes with people's heads. It's brutal, and everyone has to learn how to live with it (or not) in their own way. But those were some of the best years of my life, strange as that may sound, and this show does capture what it's like, and for that I love this series. It has it's flaws, but it captures many of the very real psychological aspects really well. I went back for more after my first tour, and I many times since debated doing more still. It can't explain it easily, but once you get over the fear, push it out of your mind, and learn how to do your job well, you get a sense of purpose in what you do nothing else even comes close to matching. You feel that what you're doing matters, and you crave that feeling in daily life.
Pacific, Band of Brothers, Fury, Masters of the Air, We Were Soldiers, Blackhawk Down, and more are some of the best war movies/series ever made in how they capture real life aspects.
"Pacific, Band of Brothers, Fury, Masters of the Air, We Were Soldiers, Blackhawk Down, and more are some of the best war movies/series ever made in how they capture real life aspects."
can i ask buddy, have you seen generation kill? and if so what did you think of it?
@@NeilLewis77 yes, Generation Kill is another. it captures a different side of things as well. it's not as exciting as the others, but very realistic and accurate for OIF/OEF vets experiences. But it doesn't cover the later shift to urban warfare. But each series captures a different, but very real side of war.
Generation kill is not as rewatchable though, for me, as the others.
@@SoloRenegade
Thanks bud, I agree that generation Kill isnt as rewatchable.
its not as entertaining as the other shows.
but part of me thinks Gen Kill isnt as likeable, rewatchable or as entertaining as those other shows because it seems so realistic.
it doesnt make heros of any of its charachters.
Its just a harsh bleak look at grunts in Iraq.
with that in mind, is there any part of you that thinks maybe some of these shows fetishize soldies too much? makes them all out as heros. but in reality they are alot more like the guys in Gen Kill?
the point im making and the question im trying to ask is..... do you think its right that we keep teaching young men that its heroic to sign up and go fight people in other countries?
whenever i meet military guys, they always seem like the guys from Gen Kill, they never come across like Dick Winters or Eugene Sledge or Buck Cleven.
I love Band of Brothers and alot of war shows and movies, but deep down i know thaqt these types of shows encourage young men to sign up.and in reality we dont want to encourage young men to sign up for war.
we want to teach young men to be anti war.
I know thats alot but its a complex subject.
I love war movies but hate how they make young men think its grand and noble to pick up a gun and invade another country. its not.
does that make sense?
@@NeilLewis77 "but part of me thinks Gen Kill isnt as likeable, rewatchable or as entertaining as those other shows because it seems so realistic.
it doesnt make heros of any of its charachters.
Its just a harsh bleak look at grunts in Iraq."
absolutely
"with that in mind, is there any part of you that thinks maybe some of these shows fetishize soldies too much? makes them all out as heros. but in reality they are alot more like the guys in Gen Kill?"
yes, most soldiers are all the same overall. but a select few truly are just like the heroes they are made out to be. A rare few truly did embody everything others aspire to be. They were collected, charismatic, professional, worked hard, and accomplished things worthy of praise or that were straight up heroic.
"do you think its right that we keep teaching young men that its heroic to sign up and go fight people in other countries? "
borderline loaded question. Yes, it's important to be willing to fight for what you believe in, to defend your family, your nation, values like freedom, etc. But we should be slow to war and quick to avoid it. but sometimes you can't avoid it. We should not stir up trouble nor start endless wars and not fight needlessly. We should not fight for corrupt ideals either. But functional successful modern society, whether in war, in community, in family, etc, is/was built on the concepts of sacrifice.
"whenever i meet military guys, they always seem like the guys from Gen Kill, they never come across like Dick Winters or Eugene Sledge or Buck Cleven."
becasue very few are. and they were different in combat than when you meet them today. Also, society has changed and we don't value basic behaviors and manners, stoic masculinity, and such like we used to.
"I love Band of Brothers and alot of war shows and movies, but deep down i know thaqt these types of shows encourage young men to sign up.and in reality we dont want to encourage young men to sign up for war. "
that does happen, but that is NOT the goal. it is about remembering, understanding, and appreciating the sacrifices of these men and others for us. You focus on those who survived. but you need to be thinking instead about all those who didn't. And understand what the consequences are for those who did survive.
"we want to teach young men to be anti war. "
sort of. They need to be willing to fight, ready to fight, able to fight, capable, dangerous, and then choose not to becasue they don't need to . But usually, you don't get to choose, your enemies choose for you, like in Ukraine. Ukraine didn't want war, but they got one regardless. If you're not willing and able to fight, you'll become someone else's slave. Better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war. A warrior that seeks to avoid war, is a wise and respectable citizen. A gardener that preaches pacifism and thinks having a military is evil and pointless, is a cancer on society. Evil people think utopia is the best place to pillage, as they can't/wont fight back.
"I know thats alot but its a complex subject.
I love war movies but hate how they make young men think its grand and noble to pick up a gun and invade another country. its not. "
you've been making good observations overall, but this is just ignorant as hell.
They didn't invade germany for fun, they did it to save people. We invaded france to SAVE IT! They declared war on us. We didn't start it, but we damned well finished it!
Part 5: Rosenthal was probably one of the most talented bomber pilots in the world. He flew that plane like it was a fighter.
And I love how he proved that on its own, a B17 really can become an offensive air to air gun platform against multiple opponents, in the right hands, its my favorite way to handle the same plane,
my favorite plane really, in my favorite WW2 FPS game, because ive had at least, vectoring and speed deception, line ups experience with a separate extra person gunning to complete the effect,
and it really does work, ill bet B25 can do even better in a similar role too because its lighter,
smaller, meant to do more and yet has even more heavy armament for guns, sweet!
Try Jay Zeamer as well.
@@adamscott7354 - Well, Rosie did hint to the audience that he trained gunners before finally getting deployed to England. Unlike most bomber pilots, Robert Rosenthal clocked in thousands of flight hours before he ever saw combat. He was both naturally-talented and extremely well-trained, and proved that you should never underestimate the rookie.
"JOHN EAGAN! YOUR 2:00!"
Must be an amazing feeling finding out finally that your best friend is still alive
Fun fact: The German interrogator shown here, Lt. Ulrich Haussmann, eventually fled with an American prisoner near the end of the war. They made it to allied forced and kept in touch after the war. Haussmann then moved to the US in the Seattle area.
The infiltrator was given away by many things (like the Luftwaffe interrogator, the Resistance interviews were cunning and precise, and failure meant horrific death). The question like what is London like (most aircrew would not know they rarely got enough leave to see London, but the Nazi's routinely prepped their infiltrators on London) - the writing of the date (an American M/D/Y but a European defaults to D/M/Y) - the anthem, (a lot of Americans don't perfectly know the later verses but a lot of infiltrators know it perfectly). Getting any one thing out of place likely is not lethal, but if you make multiple errors and you flag yourself as an infiltrator, which means death, it is not a situation that allows mistakes.
Also the infiltrator had a European lighter, an American would have had a zippo.
@@dytjes958Not just a European lighter, but an AUSTRIAN one, at that.
The date format was a huge red flag, day/month/year even in modern times a good majority of American's don't even know that's a thing
@@scottf2558US Military Memoranda have been dated in DD MMMM YYYY to this day. It may be typed-in, or rubber-stamped on. All these airmen would have seen that format in posted memos on their bulletin boards.
@@dytjes958 no one sees the lighter untill after the belgian has already pulled his gun to kill the infiltrator.
I’m here for the ending
“John Egan! You’re two o clock!
What took you so long?”
Cue Man Tears 😢💪
The trick to the goblins question is the double negative. You ask what the other one would tell you to do, you can rely on the answer to be wrong, so you do the opposite.
One of my grandpas was a waist gunner on a b17 during ww2… thankfully he survived! He never talked about it- and content like this gives a good idea of why he couldn’t bring himself to remember and talk about it. Heroes, all.
Waist gunner was, statistically, the most dangerous position on a B-17, with 20% of all crewmen becoming casualties. Conversely, and counter-intuitively, the safest position was the ball turret, with only 5% casualties. Because of the German propensity for head-on attacks, pilot and co-pilot were the next most dangerous positions.
My little dog’s name is Bucky. By the end when you were screaming “Bucky!” he was getting very excited!
Seeing Buck again is easily one of the best TV moments I've ever seen. Honestly, I wasn't as into this show as much as I'd hoped I would be, but that scene hit me like a ton of bricks. Great stuff.
Thanks for reacting to this. I first read Crosby's book when it came out in 1990. My parents gave it to me for Christmas because I was absolutely mad for WW2 aviation stories. I was 9 years old.
I grew up reading his book. Through his writing, I knew him, Egan, Cleven, Crank, and others for a long time, and I found this series incredibly fulfilling and difficult at the same time. It has its ups and downs from an accuracy perspective.
But, your reaction helps me remember why this series, despite some of its flaws, is so important, like the others too. It's because most people don't know this history. They don't know what literally thousands of men died doing. We all have a vague sense of what they died for, but we've forgotten or never knew what they actually did. What they experienced. What they must have felt. Likewise, for those who survived, the scars they carried for the rest of their lives. I hope we don't ever have to feel those same wounds, but I think in today's society it's pretty clear how much sacrifice we have simply forgotten.
The solution to the 4:30 Goblin problem.
Ask one of them which way the other goblin would tell you to go, and go the other way.
If you ask the one that tells the truth, he'll give the liars answer, which would be wrong. So you go the other way.
If you ask the one that only lies, he'll lie and tell you the opposite of what the truth teller would say, which would also be incorrect. So you go the other way.
Illustrated
ruclips.net/video/grOpvXBmTx8/видео.html
My uncle was captured in June 1942 at Tobruk, he was held in a camp in Italy and then in September 1943 he was moved to Stalag IV-B in Mühlberg on the 23 April 1945 the camp was liberated by the Soviet army and finally after 3 years he returned home. He told me of stories from these camps that sounded unbelievable, for the first time through this series I actually get to see the Stalag conditions just as he described it to me.
My dad was a copilot on a B17 in the 8th Air Force. He didn't get overseas until mid-to-late 1944 and by then the job was a little different than shown here. That's because in 1943 the bombers were still flying without fighter escorts, due to the fighters having shorter ranges than bombers. By 1944 they were adding extra fuel tanks to fighters, called "drop tanks" because they'd be dropped after use (apparently most of them were made of laminated paper).. This allowed fighters to escort the bombers all the way to the target with enough fuel to dogfight if necessary, so enemy fighters had a much harder time getting at the bombers.
One thing my dad told me was that if a fighter did get into the formation they'd be shot at by up to half a dozen different gunners, and if the fighter was shot down all of those gunners would report a kill - so the victory count was greatly inflated because they were recording half a dozen "kills" on the same plane.
Apparently they ALREADY HAD the drop tanks in 1943. But they were left sitting at the depot because the Bomber Mafia were so determined to prove "the bomber will always get through" that the brass directly blocked their delivery to the fighter squadrons.
It's frankly criminal how many men died because of political infighting that didn't have to.
@@Ambaryerno
another shocking tragedy is the marketing myth and behaviour of the Norden company that made the bomb sights.
Some airmen lost their lives trying to protect the bomb sights secrets from the germans.
But in reality the germans already had thier hands on the Norden bomb sight and rightly judged that it wasnt as accurate as their own. It had its good points but also too many flaws.
In fact it wasnt as accurate as some other american designs. But the Norden company convined the army that the other bomb sight manufactures werent as good and that they may have german spies working for them.
The Norden company pumped out myth after myth about their so called miracle bombsight, all while growing filthy rich and costing the lives of both american airmen and german civilians.
yet another tale of corporate greed, but one that doesnt get told enough.
to this day, military forces dont do enough research into what companies they are getting into bed with and who they are handing out contracts to.
@@Ambaryerno that's sort of true, but P-47s even with drop tanks still didn't have close to the range of P38s or P51s. P47s were the main escorts in the 8th air force in 1943. P38s were around, but they had been prioritized for both the pacific and the mediterranean theaters of combat because of how far the planes would have to fly from their bases. Likewise, the P-51 wasn't fully developed by that point.
Bomber Mafia doesn't get everything right. Not everything was a conspiracy. A lot of war strategizing is a trade-off. P-38s made a huge difference after black week when the USAAF realized they just couldn't bomb Germany without longrange escorts anymore, but there were good reasons to have them allocated elsewhere prior to that point.
@@juvandy The P-38's use in the Pacific rather than Europe had nothing to do with range. The type had numerous teething problems that made it ineffective. Among them:
* The turbochargers for the Allison engines had poor reliability, which directly impacted performance. This was less of a factor in the Pacifc both because combat was occurring at lower altitudes (20,000ft as opposed to 30,000+) and because of the warmer local environment.
* Cockpit heating was incredibly poor. Most fighters of the day heated their cockpit using waste heat from the engine itself (one problem with early Fw-190s is that the engine ran TOO hot, overheating the cockpit). However, the P-38's engines being so far from the cockpit made this ineffective, directly affecting pilot performance (frostbite, etc.). The electrically-heated flight suits were uncomfortable and often faulty, and many pilots actually received electrical burns. The Pacific was both a warmer environment, along with the lower altitudes, mitigating this issue.
* Early P-38s had extremely heavy controls, greatly reducing its maneuverability. This wasn't as much of an issue against the Japanese, where the P-38's raw performance surpassed aircraft like the Zero, but was a considerable weakness against German fighters, which were much closer.
There were other issues as well, but these are three of the big ones (another was a training issue with handling fuel mixture and engine RPMs that were corrected by Lindbergh). Most of these were worked out with the P-38J, including updated turbochargers, better cockpit heating, and boosted controls, however by then the Merlin-equipped P-51Bs had arrived, and had already established themselves as the main long-range escort in Europe.
As for the P-47, that was true of the earlier models, however the "bubble top" P-47Ds had sufficient range with drop tanks to do the job. Also, the P-47N had LONGER range than even the Mustang (P-51s actually performed quite poorly as long-range escorts in the PTO).
@@NeilLewis77 Less that the German sights were superior, just that they found the Norden wasn't any better.
Part of the problem is the Norden was tested in the desert in the American Southwest, which is a rather stable climate without a lot of variation in weather.
However, Northwest European weather was unpredictable, seldom ideal, and you also had to contend with the Jet Stream, which was poorly understood at the time. Strong winds at altitude could significantly affect where the bombs hit when they actually reached the ground, and the Norden was incapable of compensating for this (to be fair, NO sights available at the time could properly compensate for the effects of wind on bomb trajectory). This is exacerbated by wind direction shifting at different altitude layers.
Just for the record, the Memphis Belle, a B-17, was supposed to be the first bomber to successfully fly 25 bombing missions. However, it was a B-24 named Hot Stuff that was the first bomber to make 25 missions and return home, not the Memphis Belle. Hot Stuff flew her final and 25th mission in February of 1943, which was over three months earlier than the Memphis Belle completed her 25 missions. In fact, it is believed that Memphis Belle was the third to complete 25 successful missions. Hot Stuff was being flown home to the US since she had completed her tour of service. On the return journey, Hot Stuff hit severe weather conditions and crashed in Iceland.
Memphis Belle was the first bomber to complete its tour with its original crew. There were other bombers that did 25 with a composite crew, and individual airmen who did 25 with different crews.
Without giving anything away, Egan is not the character who receives the “why we fight” arc and experience. Who receives it was foreshadowed in Ep.6, it just is not Egan.
it was worth seeing your reaction when Buck and Buck are reunited in the POW camp. I knew that would lift your spirits after watching so much of the horror they went through.
And that's why the B 17 was called the flying fortress
Cassie will be the most pissed off Canadian we've ever seen when she finds out that the LeMay mentioned in Episode 3 is the same one from Thirteen Days 😅😅
I think she knows. It should be noted that LeMay personally led the Regensburg mission and the decision to take off had much to do with reaching North Africa in daylight.
the reason their faces and heads are all bloody is from the flak. Flak is just steel shrapnel. They're basically flying through clouds of it.
With Bucky going down with no real story or conclusion, that’s how it was for so many crews over there. They went down and the crews that made it back had no idea if they were dead or alive. The show creators wanted the viewer to feel that sense of not knowing.
Spoiler right off the bat, as top comment. Just sayin.
@@billbliss1518 Well, she watched in this video till part 6
@@billbliss1518 typically one actually watches the episode before watching a reaction and reading comments…
Cassie, your reactions are priceless.
Cassie: "Ok, question, maybe a stupid question. Why don't they just fly super high, and drop their bombs and then fly back?"
Ok, this is not as stupid a question as you might think. There are a few reasons why this was not a good idea. The first being, the plane was not pressurized. Above 15,000 feet altitude, oxygen would be required in order for the crew to breathe. Additionally, with the plane not being pressurized, the crew was exposed to the elements, and things like windburn, frostbite and hypoxia could still occur. The second being, fuel consumption. A plane is not like a jet. Generally, the higher the altitude of a jet, the longer its service range would be and often, the faster its cruising speed would be. In a plane, the higher you go, the slower you go. And the anti-aircraft guns can still hit you, but you've made it easier in the sense that you're a slower target. Fighter planes can still fly at those altitudes, as well. And then there is the last one. The higher the altitude, the less success you can expect when dropping bombs. When I was a teenager, my dad took me to the Dayton Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum. The were showcasing a B-25 Liberator, which, other than the tail section being different and being a little bigger, featured an almost identical bombing aperture. There were no laser-guided Paveway smart bombs, no wire guided munitions, or computer assisted targeting in those times. Bombing was made using a targeting aperture looking down, and there was a windage/elevation calculation made to try to get the bombs on target. Also, the higher you go, the more likely cloud coverage becomes a problem. If your view is obscured, you may find yourself having to abort the mission, meaning there was loss of human resources, as well as capital resources in the event of a bombing run being aborted. On clear days, it was not uncommon for the bombers to fly higher, though. And make no mistake, a fleet of bombers WILL BE SEEN. And mind you, the bombs will be traveling at almost the same speed as the bomber they were dropped from. That's physics in action. Bombardiers were often the smartest people on board the plane in terms of mathematic skill.
Just think, Cassie, you made what I would only characterize as the largest leap from feel good romcoms to not so good feeling movies like the Patriot, to horrifyingly real tales concerning the worst of humanity like Schindler's list and now Masters of the Air... you've grown on me. I can really appreciate when I see a person, especially a woman, subject herself to these lessons of history as bravely as you are doing. I grew up listening to tales of WWII from my grandfather, who was trying to talk me out of enlistment into military service. When I saw all these things, I was a bit more prepared for it than I think you were. Some of what I learned back then is why I insist on only stained or frosted glass lampshades in my house, among other things. It's hard to explain the significance of that without wanting to puke. I'm in possession of pictures taken during the end of WW2 that show the results of the concentration camps, and what was uncovered after Germany was defeated, and Japan unconditionally surrendered to the US. I'm not sure most people could handle that, and I assure you, what you've seen, even in Schindler's list is about as close as I hope you ever come to seeing it for real. Stay strong, though.
Great reaction Cassie like always, Rosie Rosenthal did dogfights while stationed in the United States. He used skills learned there in his actions. during that mission. It was only his third mission on his way becoming a legendary pilot. He had to describe it to Curtis LeMay the big boss. And Joseph "Bubbles" Payne didn't actually die on this mission as he wasnt actually on this mission. but i can see why they did adapt it storywise. As he did die on another later mission which was really a ridiculous decision by a later commander of the 100th. And btw to solve the riddle, you must ask one goblin (it doesn’t matter which one) which door the other goblin would say leads to Valhalla. Both goblins will indicate the same door, which will be the door that doesn’t lead to Valhalla, so you know to pick the other one.
The were a few give aways of the infiltrator. Firstly how he wrote the date rest of the world way not american way. Now military did sometimes write it that way as well but he also wrote his 1's and 9's the german way.
Secondly the anthem he messed up some of the lyrics , he also sang all of it which not everyone would know like quinn they ended up humming, thirdly the way he sang it was like the german way he had been taught loud and proud.
We didnt get some of his answers to other questions but its possible he answered the london one as it was part of their infiltration research to learn about large places
And the final confirmation for the resistance was the guys lighter. It was an austrian made lighter/brand when nigh on every american would have had a zippo. Keep up the good work.
Curtis LeMay is arguably one of the best commanders in America's history. He flew dangerous missions when he didn't really have to. Post war he designed how the United States Air Force was going to be configured. He pushed congress and the manufacturers to buy and produce the best equipment. Not only that his intervention got the M16 rifle into American service for both the Air Force and the Army when bureaucracy in the military and political arena refused to even look at it.
Yes he flew missions whilst being Ultra cleared. This means he knew the allies were reading Enigma, supposing he had to bale out in enemy territory. Curtis LeMay was a brainless idiot. His Ultra clearance was removed, but then so was Theodore Roosevelt removed.
@@erictull2089 he flew missions over Germany when missions over Germany were very dangerous. I am doubtful that squadron or group or even airwing commanders were briefed about enigma. I have never seen any documentation that he flew in B29's over Japan but I am sure that he would have done the honorable thing if he did get shot down. Heck, most US flyers shot down over Japan were tortured and killed out of hand anyway. I fear that your mission, assigned by Stalin for all you western lefties after the war, is a failure. Btw, that mission was to denigrate the RAF and especially Bomber Command and Bomber Harris and the US bomber campaign because except for a stolen B29 Stalin had no way to attack the west. The British lefties somewhat won in their country but you didn't win over here.
@@mikect500 Sure, Curtis LeMay was a military expert from a technical point of view, but a clueless politician. If he had been in charge, mankind would have already been through a nuclear holocaust. Same for Viet Nam: Djihad/Krieg means commitment, and LeMay was never among the half-hearted. So far, so good. But North Vietnam held the decisive key in its hands: the reunion of the Viet nation. Against such a political asset, military might is powerless. So he had the role, he had in politics: the Devil's advocat. //
Except from interdiction missions, all strategic bombing missions since WW1 have been failures. Look up the comprehensive analysis in "Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in War" (by Robert A. Pape, 1996)
@@fars8229 the only reason that the allies didn't win in Vietnam is that the American democrats and British labor party wanted the communists to win. Let us not forget that North and South Korea and Vietnam were separated in the first place because the American and UK lefties let Uncle Joe outsmart them at the table. And you forget that when the North conquered the South they murdered and labor camped millions of people. As to bombing campaigns and the vilification of them that was mostly the British scrotumless lefties who started those thoughts because after WWII the Soviets knew how effective those campaigns were but they had no bombers or nukes so they got the lefties in the west to say "bombers are bad". The Germans built 1300 Me262's but because of the bombing campaigns they not only couldn't build more but the ones that got built weren't as good as they could be because of production problems caused by the bombing. The Germans could have had better missles and not just the V stuff but the 8th AF and RAF basically wiped Peenemünde off the map. The Germans only built 495 Tiger II tanks because the Henschel plant got flattened.
Oh we are in for some tears!!!! I was like a bloody baby watching episode 4
A relative of my wife was in one of the first B17 crews to complete their 25 mission quota. They made a movie about them I think.
I knew that you'd be SO happy that even though Bucky and other others were going into a POW camp, that that would be where you would see that Buck was alive too!😊🎉 I adore Austin Butler btw. I really liked 'Rosie', what an awesome guy he is. Brave men and women back then. The final episode Cassie will be tough in somecways but....will fill your heart too. I was in tears during the finale. ❤
Look for the Memphis Belle it’s about the first B-17 to complete 25 missions and got a ticket to go home
i love how you got so happy when you saw Buck
(4:20) There were already flying to the limits of their plane. Regarding the flak, no, they can't go any higher, the Germans would have simply adjusted the range of their guns. And ships with mechanical failure would have most likely returned to whatever base they could if not their home base.
If allowed to fly individually, planes could avoid flak by changing altitude and course, because flak is aimed by predicting WHERE the target will be in the time it takes the shell to reach the altitude at which the plane is flying. So, the fire control solution needs to accurately determine the plane's ground speed, height, and course. Radar could provide all of those, but there was always a lag with the electro-mechanical computers they were using. However, varying speed, height and course would cause the formation to open up, making it more vulnerable to fighters. And, during the bomb run from the IP to the bomb release point, the planes had to fly a steady course, maintain a constant speed, and hold its altitude, or the bombs would scatter.
The English girl ... maybe SOE ... espionage. Bletchley Park girls were Royal Navy. Commando was only men. But SOE got Commando training, but more dangerous missions!
53:29: Seeing Rosie reading of mice and men made my day
You know, your reaction and response to a b 17 battle is entirely accurate
my uncle was a ball turret gunner
The show did a good with the stories. These guys had become colonels and general when I was a kid. Their stories at times seemed beyond fantastic at times. As a kid I read all the books about the Air War that I could, but until this show I never realized I had been looking at pictures of Harry Crosby for 50 years! Oh my dad ... he was a crew chief on a B-52. Don't be too hard on Lemay ... He did fly the Schweinfurt Mission with his boys!
I bet this gives Cassie and most of us the same feeling as we got from watching other well-produced war films, such as Band of Brothers, that these stories are not fiction. They are based on real people, from their first-hand accounts (from interviews for the original book) showing real events and real experiences that each of these individuals went through and felt -- all in the effort that every one of them did their part to take down Hitler's war machine. WWII-Europe was much of '39-'45, and even fewer years that the US was heavily into it, starting mainly with these early bombing campaigns (mostly '43-'45) and even the heaviest and final push following the Normandy Allied Landing to total defeat of the Nazis with a complete push back to Berlin (June '44 - to ending it May '45) -- each individual played their smaller part of the war (whether on the front fighting positions to support positions) but so effective and necessary EVERY SINGLE one of them, at any point in the war was necessary for the other parts of the eventual victory. What a Great Generation they were! We shall all be so grateful the likes of the Nazis on one side of the world and The tyrant thugs of Japan on the other side of the world don't rule us today. These films do ALL of our Allied forces the honor and recognition they deserve -- so that we may never forget what was so necessary that they succeed, and sacrifice, so that they could achieve. God help us if they had failed. God bless them.
I left a comment but seemed to have disappeared. There's an interview with Rosie Rosenthal here on RUclips, he died in 2007 and I think it was done only a couple of years before his death. It is definitely worth watching.
SHH don't spoil it
In answer to the going super high idea. One, it takes more power and more fuel to climb than to cruise so more fuel would be needed. Two, the higher you go, the thinner the air is. This means the there is less lift, less oxygen for the engines and gets even colder. All aircraft have a ceiling where the power output of the engines isn't enough to hold them there, likewise the thinner air means that the stalling speed reduces and the control surfaces have less bite. That makes flying harder and flying in formation a nightmare. They frequently went as high as they could with the above in mind, on warmer days they could get higher still, but it wasn't high enough that A. They couldn't be seen and B. They couldn't be reached. Likewise at those sorts of heights you are likely to start contrails making your position even easier to be seen.
The good news is many, many pilots made it home through Freedom Pass in the Pyrenees in Spain. Resistance and Partisans would help pilots and soldiers find their way home. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
The B-17 planes can go up to avoid the flak guns, but please understand that the bombers were not fighter planes, Cassie. The bombers were very big, not as agile and fast as the fighter planes. If they bomb at higher altitude, they will lose bombing accuracy and have higher possibility that the bombs would not hit anywhere near the target (that's the reason some of the B-17s flew at lower altitude). If they go up and down as you suggested, there will be a possibility they may miss their target and they have to redo the mission or fly around again, which add more unnecessary danger to themselves.
Re: Flak. And Germans had radar and could adjust the altitude at which Flak exploded. Crews just had to endure it. Flak is what got my dad shot down after bombing Munich on 16 Nov 44. He survived the bailout and was at Stalagluft IV then I til the end of the war. He had turned 19 on Oct 22nd.
What gave him away was the way he wrote a date, europeans write it in a different format than Americans
He also understood that they asked for a light in German since he was German. He was protesting as he realized his error when they shot him.
What those guys went through up there is truly horrifying.
"Stalags" were POW camps in Germany during WW2 and stands for "Stammlager" - this means that entire squads of beaten Allied forces were imprisoned and later divided into force labour groups.
NO SUCH THING AS STUPID QUESTIONS, this a learning experience for everyone and I happily tell that to visitors at the museum I volunteer at getting to talk to folks about the B-17 and WWII bombers.
@4:05, to fly higher meant the bombers would not be able to hit their targets accurately and bombs would fall on civilians while missing the important factories. The B-17s and B-24s were already designed to bomb from 20-30,000 ft to avoid anti-aircraft fire and fighters however the same AA and fighters were still capable but it still gave some level of protection.
@5:36, the LeMay you saw in 13 days was a water down version of the real man in life. Curtis Lemay was the Bomber general of Bomber Generals. He oversaw the early raids on Germany and was later picked to head the bombing campaign against Japan. In 6 months his changes in tactics, strategy, and policies saw the complete destruction and as he put it "Erasure" of the Japanese (note: not factories, or targets, he was going after the Japanese themselves). What the USA had tried to do for 14 months he accomplished in 6 months bringing Japan to her knees even before the use of the atomic bombs. After WWII he headed the US Strategic Air Command in charge of all Nuclear bombers and nuclear attack forces of the USAF. He implemented plans to retaliate against Soviet Russia on multiple targets in less than 30 minutes.
@13:53, No when airmen bailed out there was no way of communicating to the units in England. There was no survival training for down airmen, they were simply told to do their best to get help from the resistance or avoid capture by the Nazis.
@15:35 the mortality rate of Airmen was high. Believe it or not more airmen in the 8th Air Force in England were lost in combat than all the US Marine Corps did in the whole of the Pacific in WWII.
@18:40, theories around point to how Bob wrote the date with the month, day, and year format that's more common to European writing than in North America.
I've been waiting for your end of Episode 6 reaction and you never disappoint
Stalag Luft III, you've reacted to another event there.
yeah she'll realize it in the next episode
I think the B-17s had a max ceiling of about 28,000 ft with a full bomb load. To fly higher, they either would’ve needed more lift which would be generated by larger wings, or more thrust which would be generated by more engine power. The higher you fly, the thinner the air becomes, which makes it harder for the plane to generate lift, and also the reason they wear oxygen masks above 10,000 ft, since these old planes didn’t have pressurized cabins.
Basically, they were flying as high and as fast as they could. But German flak guns and fighter interceptors could match it for the most part.
And that's how it is for most of your squadron mates, you're just gone. Very few people actually see it.
It’s really hard to portray the Air Force for TV, but they did a good job overall. If you read the book, there are some really heartbreaking stories and stories of heroism and camaraderie. They often made pacts and stuck together in their “fort” no matter what. There are multiple examples of guys being able to escape and live but choosing to stay and die with their guys. The survival rate of these guys was just brutally awful. Every time they went up, there was a good chance they weren’t landing alive.
I love this show and great reaction, Cassie. ❤
The German infiltrator wrote the date on the top of his paper. He did it in the German style: day/month/year.
Answer to your question: the bomber crews were in unpressurized aircraft exposed to the air. At the altitudes they were currently flying at, the B-17 crews were already suffering from frequent bouts of frostbite and severe cold. If they had gone any higher, they literally would have frozen to death.
What gave Bob away as a spy was he wrote the date in the European fashion, and he missed a word in the National Anthem
But American military personnel used DD/MM/YY (and still do). And if not knowing the words to the Star Spangled Banner could get you shot, a lot of American flyers weren't going to come home.
No, "Bob" was caught because he knew it too well (Most Americans are mostly familiar with the first verse and often skip or contract some words and also some of the second verse...but not many know any verse after that. German Infiltrators were taught the entire anthem until word perfect. And "Bob" sang too proudly- most Americans would not almost shout it (German like) because of (a) being a bit embarrassed (Anthems are generally sung in a group) and (b) the risk of it being overheard and the Germans being informed. The final straw was that he used a German made lighter. US pilots were issued with Zippo brand lighters, which looks different. (Note the gun was not drawn until the lighter was used).
Thanks for the 4 episode drop! Wow the series takes you through the whole range of emotions. Great reaction PiB 🍿 Looking forward to the next posts!
Thanks for introducing me to this show.
As grim as it looked, American POWs had only a 3%chance if dying in a German attack POW camp. The death rate in a Japanese POW camp, about 27%. German POWs sent to the US live a pretty comfortable imprisonment. The US followed the rules of the Geneva Convention which states the the living conditions of POWs will not to less than the soldiers. Many German POWs returned to the US and Canada after the war because of this.
As the war progressed, even though American and British POWs were getting the same ration as German civilians, meaning they were suffering from chronic malnutrition. Soviet POWs were treated much worse, and had a much higher mortality rate. And, just to make their day complete, upon being liberated, most of the survivors were immediately shunted off to the GULAG--if they were lucky.
@@StuartKoehl Yeah. That's why I was careful to say AMERICAN POWs. The Germans were pretty brutal to the Russians.
@@McPh1741 - Exactly…. the Stalag-Lufts were pretty much a joke, until the evacuation marches. The finale literally shows that the Stalags were nothing compared to the concentration camps.
Stalag is a prisoner of war camp ran by the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe.
Also the Luftwaffe were professional soldiers who(usually) followed the rules of war and gave better treatment to prisoners. It was the SS and the Gestopo who were the true Nazi believers and sadists( a lot of if the professional German soldiers hated them too)
A Stalag is a prisoner of war camp run by the Heer (ground forces) for privates and non-commissioned officers. For officers there were Oflags.
Stalag Luft were run by the Luftwaffe for airmen of all ranks.
Marlag were run by the Kriegsmarine for sailors of all ranks.
There is a documentary about the 100th I believe its on apple as well. It gives a more detailed and in depth account of the 100th. Some of the accounts in the series were changed so the documentary has more of the facts. There are a couple of historians in it that knew these men, they also have a channel on youtube where they gave their take on the series. I do recommend you and others watch it and perhaps even watch those historian's channel.
seeing your reactions is what makes this, thankyou , - I knew Ken Lemmons - the ground mechanic - you probably now know now his character is played by Jude Laws son :) - i had several vet friends in the 100th Bomb Group - American Can Do ! - I'm so proud of them
The Regensburg raid was infamous among U.S. airmen
In the classic sci-fi movie "The Thing From Another World"(1951) there is a reference to the raid. When one of the airmen in the movie initially is confronted by the alien monster, he is so frightened that another airman says, " I haven't seen him this scared since Regensburg". Most people now a days wouldn't understand the reference, but an audience sitting in a movie theater in 1951 would likely include any number of WW2 U.S. Army Air Corps veterans who would know exactly what that meant.
The thing about bailing out is you can't open your parachute too early. A parachute opened at 25,000 feet will take a nearly a half hour to reach the ground. At that altitude the jumper will go hypoxic and pass out. Therefore, you want to get down under at least 15,000 feet before opening the parachute.
You ask a goblin what the other goblin would say is the right path then take the opposite path. If it's the truthfully goblin that you asked, he will truthfully tell you the false answer from the liar goblin and if it's the liar goblin you asked, he will falsify the truthful answer of the honest goblin. So, either way you get told the wrong path then know to take the other one.
Apropos of nothing, Bel Powley (the actress that plays Sub'l't'rn Westgate) is also in a mini-series called "A Small Light" about the lady who helped hide Anna Frank's family. It's really good, and she's great in both. Those haunting blue eyes are perfect for tragedy.
cassie since you like Austin butler you wont believe how good he is in ELVIS
I admit, I teared up when they finally showed Buck at the end. "What took ya so long?". 😭😭
4:00 it takes them a long time to climb to altitude, and even at their max altitude, they can still be seen from the ground, and intercepted by fighters. Flying higher increases range, but requires things like oxygen.
To answer some of her and others question's; I know it's long but trust me.
The flak was not around the whole area, just around the priority places such as highly strategic or specific areas like factories etc. The big problem was not altitude over majority of German territory it was German fighters patrolling there skies at high altitudes literally looking for enemy bombers. Fighters were the small speedy planes with high powered machine guns that could catch up and come out of no where in fleets that could target you like a sitting duck. The longer and farther you fly in German occupied skies the higher risk and chances of you getting caught. In the series they were flying big heavy bombers that were a lot slower than fighters. That was the main problem about being so far into German territory. Also at that time the Germans were the most advanced in technology but thanks to winning the war and some other factors since that has significantly changed. To hit the target you would need to get through the flak which were placed in very key areas and flak is very accurate still at very high altitudes. The problem is how to hit the targets accurately because this was before the time of some modern technology where you can program and preset missile's and bombs to hit specific targets without seeing it. If you watch carefully in the show there is a highly trained designated bomb target release man in every bomber. he's measuring and calculating the the distance from the target and dept of the target and the speed there going to accurately hit the target. Because of those factors you would need to slow down and fly at lower slower altitudes to be effective. You half to drop the bombs early to let it fall and let the momentum carry it just far enough forward to hit the target, it wasn't just a straight drop. what I'm trying to say is that at a high altitude hitting a narrow looking bridge or a specific building travelling at a high speed isn't very easy while trying to limit civilian casualties which is a lot of the time almost impossible because of the darn strategic locations. Also while being shot at and your plane is shaking and on fire or your cold and you know your planes about to fall apart makes it that much more challenging. They had to see the target clearly like in the show they emphasize that in several occasions. I hope that answers some of your questions. If you have other question feel free to GO SEARCH IT UP!!! because my fingers hurt.
The planes have a limit to how high they can fly. Lack of oxygen for the engines causing them to seize up, lack of air pressure for the crew, lack of air itself to achieve lift on the wings. There's probably more.
Truly enjoying your reaction to this amazing series❤
Hi Cassie, I'm buzzin' to continue watching with you your journey through this amazing series and it's a huge bonus that you've put up on here 4 episodes back to back. I've finished watching this awesome show and am excited to see your reactions to the remaining episodes. War in the air is so my thing, I love it, it's fascinating and so exciting/entertaining to watch. I'm made up that you're seeing war from this perspective and this is just barely the tip of the iceberg in the back catalogue of that sub genre of war. This is such an intriguing story of the 100th bomb group of the US Army Air force during World War 2.
During the War, Aircrew could be listed as KIA (Killed in Actions) If their plane was seen to explode with no parachutes exiting. Missing in Action was if the plane went down, but was not seen to crash and explode, if Chutes were observed or if the plane simply vanished from sight, and did not return to Friendly territory. It may be months or even a year or two before news was received and, in a tragically high number of cases, the Missing were Never found, or finally found years or decades later. Some MIA from WW2 are still being found, as recently as 2023. They were generally reclassified as KIA, Actually as " Missing, Believed Dead" after the normal legally required 7 years AFAIR.
WW2 prop planes were limited to 30 - 35,000 ft. German anti-aircraft guns could reach 40, 000'. It wasn't until post war jets that higher altitudes became attainable.
Modern jetliners cruise around 30,000' - 35,000', occasionally higher.
The Infiltrator wrote the date the European way, not the American way.
He also had a german lighter.
*Part 3*
The B-17 had a service ceiling of 36,000ft. As altitude increases air pressure decreases, which results in less power from the engines and an associated loss of performance. Piston engines used superchargers (or in the case of the P-38, P-47, and the B-17 itself, turbochargers) to boost engine power at altitude, but there were limits to how much that could make up. Additionally, the B-17 wasn't pressurized, meaning the crew was exposed to the low-pressure air, requiring oxygen masks (which were uncomfortable to wear for extended periods). Also, it's REALLY FLIPPIN' COLD up there. Those heavy jackets aren't just to look cool.
The Goblin Problem is an OLD riddle, also famously used in Labyrinth. The solution is to ask one of the Goblins (or Knights, depending on the version) whether the other would tell you if a given path was the correct one, and you do the opposite. If the Goblin you're addressing tells the truth that means the other one always lies, so you know you can't take the path he tells you is safe. However, if you're addressing the liar, then HE would be lying if he says the other one would confirm the path is correct, and you'd still know not to take that path.
As bad as the crews hitting Regensburg were hurt, the Schweinfurt group got plastered even WORSE.
"Babyface" is a composite character used to demonstrate the danger of the ball turret. While it was the best protected part of the bomber, if the turret with the hatch not lined up properly you weren't getting out. The ball gunner on the real Alice From Dallas WAS killed on the Regensburg raid, however it wasn't because he was stuck in the turret. The tail gunner (who was also killed) got hung up on the aircraft's stabilizer while bailing out, and the ball gunner was trying to free him when the aircraft exploded.
They actually DOWNPLAYED Biddick's heroism in his final moments. He wasn't trying to save his copilot when his plane went down. He was actually trying to prevent his bomber from crashing into AN ENTIRE VILLAGE.
One word pretty much sums up military planning in warfare: SNAFU.
The B-17 was LEGENDARY for its ability to take damage and keep flying. It could have engines and even substantial parts of its wings shot out and stay in the air (one famous incident a B-17 was nearly cut in half when it was rammed by a 109, and still made it home). By contrast, the B-24 was faster and could carry a heavier bomb load, but couldn't take anything near the punishment of the B-17 (for instance its wings were so narrow and fragile crews called her the "Flying Prostitute," because it flew without visible means of support).
Stalag = POW camp.
*Part 4*
You have to pay attention to the interrogation scene, but if you know what to look for "Bob" clearly gives himself away as a spy:
1. While the other two crewmen are lackadaisical about the national anthem, "Bob" sings with patriotic gusto.
2. Bailey comments that he doesn't have enough leave to visit London, yet somehow "Bob" has been there.
3. "Bob" writes the date DD/MM/YYYY. That's European-style dating. American write the date as MM/DD/YYYY.
4. American pilots usually carried Zippo lighters. "Bob's" lighter was and AUSTRIAN type.
The "network" wasn't just rescuing down pilots. They were actively fighting the Germans occupying Belgium and France, including acts of sabotage against the Wehrmacht.
"Flak happy" is basically not far off from having a death wish. Air crews tended to be quite fatalistic because of their high mortality rates. The average life expectancy of a combat pilot during WWII was measured in WEEKS.
Polish ex-patriots like the husband of Bucky's hookup volunteered for the RAF in large numbers, including the legendary 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain.
*Part 5*
Munster was the mission that earned the 100th Bomb Group its famous nickname "The Bloody Hundredth." The 100th Bomb Group is still in existence today, now known as the 100th Air Refueling Wing. They're the only remaining air group in the US Air Force that is still permitted to carry their WWII-era tail badge of the "Square D."
Thus begins the legend of Robert Rosenthal, one of the highest-decorated pilots in the 8th Air Force. Alone and surrounded by German fighters, he decides to DOGFIGHT them in an aircraft not built for maneuvering.
The aircraft that aborted because of mechanical failure would attempt to return to base if they could. Some of them could make it back, but depending on their condition they might have to ditch or bail out.
*Part 6*
The murder of downed American airmen at Russelsheim did indeed happen, however not to Egan. It was a B-24 crew the following year (1944). However, there were many incidents of lynchings of downed American flyers. The Nazis not only looked the other way, but they actually ENCOURAGED it through propaganda, dubbing them "Terror Flyers" to deny them the status of enemy combatants, and place them outside the protection of the Geneva Convention.
Egan's interrogator is Hanns Joachim Scharff, who was known as perhaps the BEST interrogator the Germans had. He was able to prize a considerable amount of information from his subjects, yet never once had to resort to violence. In fact he was SO good that the CIA actually consulted him after the War for developing their own interrogation methods. He didn't voluntarily join the Luftwaffe, but was drafted when he was stuck in Germany when the War began (Scharff lived in South Africa, and in fact was married to a South African Englishwoman, the daughter of WWI Royal Flying Corps ace Claude Stokes. His wife saved him from being sent to the Russian Front by getting him transferred to an interpreter unit in the West the day before he was to depart). One reason Scharff was so successful was because he treated his prisoners VERY well, giving them considerable liberties while at the same time playing on their fears of being turned over to the Gestapo, while at the same time ingratiating himself as their best ally. Among the Allied airmen he interrogated was famed American ace "Gabby" Gabrieski, with whom he struck up a genuine friendship that lasted the remainder of their lives (Gabrieski is also one of the few prisoners who Scharff failed to extract any useful intelligence out of). Scharff immigrated to the United States after the War, and in addition to consulting on his interrogation techniques with the CIA and Air Force, became a creator of mosaic artwork before passing away in 1992.
There's some controversy over the culpability of different branches of the German military in Nazi atrocities perpetrated during the War. It's popularly accepted that the Luftwaffe treated their prisoners very well, however they WERE also part of the German war machine, and Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, was about as much of a Nazi as you could get (and he was the architect of the Final Solution).
As I understand, to this day no one is actually sure who "Westgate" actually was. Whatever Crosby knew about her, he was incredibly vague about the details, and may not have even known himself.
Stalag Luft III is one of the most famous Prisoner of War camps of WWII. If you've ever seen The Great Escape, it's THAT camp.
Excellent post!
I remember saying something about 'Hogan's Heroes' when visiting my grandparents. My grandfather who fought in the Pacific said, "Do you think that is what it was like in a POW camp?" Just the way he asked the question told me that I didn't have a clue ...the man could teach you more about life in one word than most people in a year.
(Very interesting reading about the cast of Hogan's Heroes. Most of the actors playing in German roles were Jews. Some fled Germany just ahead of the nazi's. Robert Clary (Corporal LeBeau) survived Buchenwald and lost his entire family at Auschwitz.)
Egan’s interrogator was Ulrich Haussmann, who actually existed and defected to the Americans towards the end of WWII. Stop pretending he is supposed to be someone else.
2 things gave Bob away as an infiltrator...
1. When singing the Star Spangled Banner, he said "JUST so proudly we hailed," when it's actually: "WHAT so proudly we hailed"
2. When he pulled out a lighter, it was a German lighter, not an American Zippo lighter.
"What Took You So Long???" What a moment!
Regarding the 100th going it alone on the Regensburg Schweinfurt Raid. They sent the 100th on alone because if they decided to make the 100th wait along with the other formations, the100th would have been flying to Africa in the dark whwould have led to more losses.
As far as the treatment of the POWs the German soldiers, as signatories of the Geneva Convention couldn't treat the POWs like they did the Holocaust victims, because mistreatment of the prisoners would have been considered a War Crime. That said, they treated Russian POWs differently from the Western POWs. And the Germans treated their POWs much better than the Japanese did to their POWs. The only movie I can think of regarding the Japanese treatment of POWs is probably Bridge on the River Kwai.
(There are probably others, but they escape me at the moment)
But US POWs were being slowly starved. My Dad's barracks of 20 had a daily ration of one small loaf of "Russbrot" and a few rotten veggies. Russbrot, yes developed for Russian prisoners, was half sawdust. When liberated in late April 45, the POWs in Stalagluft I found an entire warehouse of unopened Red Cross packages!
@@jimandaudBut still, they were treated better than if they had been Japanese POWs.
@@cs3473 Indeed. Japanese were brutal as the Pacific showed. See "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" or "King Rat." two decent movies.
@@jimandaudI'd forgotten about those two movies! Thank You!
The answer to the goblin riddle is in Labyrinth with Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie.
Baby Face's death reminds me of a Canadian airman who was awarded the Victoria Cross Andrew Mynarski. The upper gunner in a Lancaster was bailing out and saw his friend trapped in the rear turret. Andrew crawled through burning hydraulic fluid to free Pat Brophy with the axe. Pat begged Andrew to get out. Finally with his clothes on fire he saluted the Lieutenant and bailed. Witnesses said he looked like "Roman Candle". Pat Brophy survived to tell the tale. The Lancaster at Canadian Warplane Heritage 1 of 2 surviving is dedicated to Andrew Mynarski.
The people who don't understand aviation can never understand airial warfare and THINK aviation is low "action".
Every airplane has a maximum height it can fly.
The quality of the show drops off a cliff from episode 7 onwards. Until 6 it's great
Some of the historians who knew the surviving men of the 100 said this is a good 6 episode series and one good fictional episode. They had a similar opinion that after the 6th things went astray. There was so much on Rosie they could have explored and shown.
I still enjoyed it
@@arakuss1 - Virtually everything in the Stalag was fake. While, what happened to Rosie was real (aside from the humanitarian mission).
@@ChienaAvtzon That is true. Rosie's part is true. The flag scene was another soldier and the Stalag in the end episode was not attacked it just surrendered. I also believe Buck or Bucky I forget which one headed home early and them all flying away together did not happen.
@@arakuss1 - From what I understand, Cleven left England not long after escaping the evacuation March. While, Egan was repatriated straight to the USA after the liberation of Moosburg. Crosby and Rosenthal were at Thorpe Abbots on VE-Day. Which is what led to the discontent between the two basic storylines. One was mostly fictional and boring, the other was virtually all true and underutilized.
The British escape referred to in this part of the show is depicted in the classic British film "The Great Escape". Well worth a watch, Cassie.
She already did…one of her best videos…
I never seen this movie before should I watch it
@@Jaedan-FSU hell yeah!!!! great movie!
thats part 7 dawg
@@forbin1185 it was so good and interesting 😎😎
I knew that final scene would make her feel better. She needed it. Great review Cassie!
To set the record straight about POWs in Germany during World War 2, as long as the camps were run by the regular Army or Luftwaffe, all the prisoners were accorded rights according to the earlier versions of the Hague Conventions and Geneva Convention. That included medical repatriation for POWs too sick to remain in a camp. A neutral country, usually Switzerland, served as the mediator for POW rights. After April 1945, when the end of the war was all but inevitable, German Army camp commandants often refused to turn over the POWs to the SS. These men came from the Prussian military tradition of honorable conduct in war, even towards the defeated. Some were even anti-Nazis.
For additional research, you can read Colditz, the account of main British POWs during World War 2. This was a special camp for notorious escapers. The Germans treated them well even though they had a reputation for trying to escape.
See all the damage the B-17s could take & still fly? That is the kind of aircraft Boeing used to make.
We are with You Cassie!, it's hard to watch because we know that this actually happened and they all sacrificed so much for us all..only 2 more episodes to go.🇬🇧🇺🇲
Stalag luft 3 is the scene of the great escape.
Cassie, as per your fly really high question, these were the days when pressurized cabins were in their infancy. The crew also didnt have heated cabins so they froze at height. They were high enough to require oxygen on board to breathe. Im sure others can chime in if I missed anything. Oh also ... they didnt have the accuracy of weapons today. They had a hard time hitting targets back then with the lower level of technology
More or less yes, B-17's for sure were not pressurized but yeah in early dev overall and quite rare outside of experimentation. Another factor is air density and engine power, considering something like a B-29 was a huge step up in engine performance and also included a pressurized fuselage. But it had a lot of early teething problems, was developed much later and in smaller production runs. Essentially it just wasn't viable to put 1000's of bombers at 40k at that time, so flak and fighter escorts, while overrunning by sheer numbers it was.
49:53 it CAN throw you off. My entire unit tried to avoid going on leave mid-tour for that reason, but they forced us to. It's jarring, where you're in the groove you don't stop, so long as you remain in the groove. It's amazing how often this exact talk comes up in war. the Psychologists never get it, they never understand. Some of us are actually good at war, despite how bad it is. And even though we well know the risks, we do not like being interrupted. The psychologists often seemed more afraid than we were. But they never faced it personally either, so how would they know/understand.
There are very clever clues in that infiltrator scene that motivated what the resistance guys did
That’s why it took you long to upload it, you filmed 4 episodes in one. I really am looking forward for your reactions to this series
Cassie,
Add to your list The Miracle On Morgan's Creek (Betty Hutton) and Born Yesterday (Judy Holliday), you'll want to see all of their films after that, guaranteed!
Regarding why they don't "fly higher" to avoid the flak. First, every plane has a ceiling, which is the maximum altitude it can fly. The heavier the plane and bomb load is, the lower the ceiling, because the air gets thinner with altitude, meaning less lift. Second, the flak is explosive shells with fuses set to go off at whatever altitude the gunners choose. They determine the altitude of the bombers and set the fuses to go off at that altitude. So even if they could fly higher, the anti-aircraft gunners would just set their shells to explode at that higher altitude. As for the spy they executed, he said he was American, but he wrote the date in the European format. American = August 6 1943, European = 6 August 1943.
Bucky's cute blonde lover in 4th episode is played by great Polish actress. She's been getting some exposure recently and will appear in the upcoming new Al Pacino and Michael Keaton film). One of her films which I think you could appreciate is "Cold War", directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, Oscar nominated masterpiece, a true epic romance. A real heartbreaker on one hand, but on the other rare beauty.