Masters of the Air
The first images for Apple TV+’s upcoming World War II drama, “Masters of the Air,” were released on October 5, 2023. The announcement stated that the nine-episode limited series would have its global premiere on Friday, January 26, 2024. The action-packed drama “Masters of the Air,” which reunites the award-winning team of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman—who previously produced “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific”—tells the true story of an American bomber group during World War II. Two episodes of the series debuted on Apple TV+, and as of March 15, 2024, a new episode is released every Friday.
With an impressive ensemble cast that includes Academy Award nominees Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Barry Keoghan, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, and Ncuti Gatwa, the series is executive produced by Spielberg, Hanks, and Goetzman.
In 2020, Goetzman produced “Greyhound,” a movie that Apple TV+ distributed and starred Tom Hanks as a destroyer commander in the US Navy during World War II who was escorting a convoy across the Atlantic.
Masters of the Air: a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force
“‘Masters of the Air’ is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II,” said executive producer Gary Goetzman in an Apple TV+ press release. “Tom and Steven have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our author Don Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare.’ We’re thrilled that Apple TV+ has given us the opportunity to combine the efforts of so many talented people, on-screen and behind the camera, to tell this important story.”
“Masters of the Air,” which is based on the same-titled book by Donald L. Miller and was written by John Orloff, follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group, also known as the “Bloody Hundredth,” as they engage in dangerous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and deal with the extreme cold, oxygen shortage, and sheer terror of combat at 25,000 feet in the air. The central theme of “Masters of the Air” is the psychological and emotional cost these young men endured while helping to bring an end to the tragedy of Hitler’s Third Reich. Some were wounded or killed, while others were shot down and captured. And a few were lucky enough to return home. Whatever each person’s achievement, a cost was imposed on them all.
The 100th Bomb Group
“Masters of the Air” highlighted the intense aerial combat of the war. More than 26,000 soldiers of the “Mighty Eighth” Air Force lost their lives during the bombing campaign, which is around 30% higher than the total number of Marines who died during World War II, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
“Masters of the Air” is a true cinematic masterpiece, vast in scope and scale, and it depicts a unique and significant period in world history. Its locations range from the picturesque fields and villages of southeast England to the harsh restrictions of a German prisoner-of-war camp.
The 100th Bomb Group lives on today as the 100th Air Refueling Wing, a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker unit at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. The unit still sports the iconic ‘Square D’ badge first used on B-17 Flying Fortress bombers during World War II.
This article features promotional images of the show released by Apple.