Masters of the Air 2023
- Thread starter JamesH85
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I have enjoyed this series but found it below my expectations but again i'm looking for another BoB. However will say really liked the latest episode as it was more character focused. Even though BoB had lots of characters they were in every episode and had distinct personalities which this has lacked, Buck was just.....cool and focused, not much of a character or insight but the latest episode certainly got me feeling for the cast on display.
There is abit more British in episode 6, still not up there with band of brothers but I enjoyed the episode. I still feel a little let down by character development though which makes it harder as the episodes go on
Wish we have more British perspective and producers creating a war series
Wish we have more British perspective and producers creating a war series
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I find the "its missing the RAF" style comments a little odd as the reverse - a British TV company making a British TV show about RAF Bomber command - would also put very little in about the USAAF because thats not what the show is about.
So I don't think it's about this show "leaving us out", I think its about a TV show specifically telling the story of the US 100th from their perspective, so of course it won't mention the RAF much and I don't think thats a slight against us, its just their story not ours.
So I don't think it's about this show "leaving us out", I think its about a TV show specifically telling the story of the US 100th from their perspective, so of course it won't mention the RAF much and I don't think thats a slight against us, its just their story not ours.
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I get that but the way the British are portrayed as weak and the stupid argument in the bar between the Americans and the British ended it for me. Maybe I'll watch some more but it's nothing on BoB or The Pacific so far.
Every single British character etc has been ******* embarrassing, also its like every Us person in the show forget it wasn't their country being bombed to pieces every single night.
Exactly my point! We were balls deep in Europe fighting for 3 years before they even got involved, also if it wasn't for the Battle of Britain things would have been a lot different. I can imagine the ignorant Americans watching the show will look at us like idiots even more now lol.
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Soldato
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I see they managed to get more digs in at the Brits in the latest episode. Disappointing.
does anyone know how close they have stuck to real events so far?
does anyone know how close they have stuck to real events so far?
Thinking of it...they didn't even put in context where in the war the US were?...no dates, or any fighting happening before they arrived. Have they even shown or referenced our planes and bombers apart from telling them to do night runs?
Found last night's episode frankly a bit boring. Virtually no aviation action at all. I mean I know BoB had a couple of quieter episodes but it still presented a coherent story.
Didn't really get the whole Oxford seminar thing. Way of making a lower budget episode I guess.
Looks like the next two episodes are being set up to emulate "The Great Escape" with the two main protaganists now in a POW camp.
Would the Germans really have walked Allied airmen past the scene of a bombing raid where distraught civilians were pulling their dead and injured loved ones out of the rubble?
Everything was set up with the interrogation scene with Major Egan and the "nice" German for a bit of Gestapo nail pulling and blowtorch work, but it all turned into a bluff as next time we see him, it's being loaded into a POW train to the camp.
And I somehow doubt the Nazis would have run a train loaded with Jews en route to the concentration camps through the same rail yard where Allied POW's were present. Just too much risk of the circumstances getting out should one of them manage to escape.
And a bit of railway pedantry - the shot of the train en route to Oxford was using British Railways Mark One stock, which only started to be introduced in 1951, not 1943.
Looks like the next two episodes are being set up to emulate "The Great Escape" with the two main protaganists now in a POW camp.
Would the Germans really have walked Allied airmen past the scene of a bombing raid where distraught civilians were pulling their dead and injured loved ones out of the rubble?
Everything was set up with the interrogation scene with Major Egan and the "nice" German for a bit of Gestapo nail pulling and blowtorch work, but it all turned into a bluff as next time we see him, it's being loaded into a POW train to the camp.
And I somehow doubt the Nazis would have run a train loaded with Jews en route to the concentration camps through the same rail yard where Allied POW's were present. Just too much risk of the circumstances getting out should one of them manage to escape.
And a bit of railway pedantry - the shot of the train en route to Oxford was using British Railways Mark One stock, which only started to be introduced in 1951, not 1943.
Soldato
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its from the point of view of the US - they probably felt that way about RAF, watch Battle of Britain or A Bridge too far if you want to see brits being awesome
also this guy above - its a true story about actual people, they went to Stalag Luft III in real life - its not about emulating anything
the lack of action meant we actually got to see the people a bit more closely and their thoughts and feelings etc, which others in this thread were just saying was desperately needed
the only bit im aware of thats sort of shoehorned in is :
also this guy above - its a true story about actual people, they went to Stalag Luft III in real life - its not about emulating anything
the lack of action meant we actually got to see the people a bit more closely and their thoughts and feelings etc, which others in this thread were just saying was desperately needed
the only bit im aware of thats sort of shoehorned in is :
the bit with the german public and soldier killing the pilots actually happened but not to John Egan
en.wikipedia.org
the interview part is also supposedly highly accurate (perhaps not to the actual Egan interview but to others) - they even knew what posters they had on the wall in their airfield accommodation apparently
Jewish people were reportedly seen on trains by captured pilots, as they used the rail systems for both
Rüsselsheim massacre - Wikipedia
the interview part is also supposedly highly accurate (perhaps not to the actual Egan interview but to others) - they even knew what posters they had on the wall in their airfield accommodation apparently
Jewish people were reportedly seen on trains by captured pilots, as they used the rail systems for both
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I don't think the criticism is so much about not mentioning the contributions of the RAF; as you say, this is a story about the experience of an American bomber group, so I really don't mind that Brits aren't mentioned much. This is their story. But it does seem that nearly every British character is there simply as comic relief, or to reinforce some snooty stereotype. The RAF pilots sniggering in the pub and getting beaten up, the lecturer making the snide remark about the constitution just so the character could comment on British oppression, and the officer making the "Over sexed, overpaid and over here" remarks. I am absolutely sure there was animosity between a lot of British/American serviceman in England at the time, but these interactions feel like they are forced for the benefit of the modern gung-ho American audience to line up a snappy retort for the characters, and perhaps do a little disservice to the memory of British servicemen, although I'm sure that's not the intention.
To be fair, this isn't something unique to MotA; even BoB had a couple of moments like this too though. The Cockney with the Luger, the British tank commander who was worried about vandalism (although I think that's based on a true anecdote
) and the Red Devils ("I never thought I'd be so happy to see a bloody Yank! [sic]"). They just feel like "Here is an interaction with a British character so we are are going to lay on some stereotypes to make that clear". I dunno, just feels a bit forced sometimes.Now you could just say that it's because I'm English and it's just slightly bruising to my national pride. But even if you ignore that, these interactions just feel a bit cringeworthy and don't add much to the story in my view. And it's not just the British; as I said "For you, zee war is over!" actually made me wince when he said it. Just felt a bit cliché, that's all. It doesn't really spoil my enjoyment overall though.
Check out The Operations Room on YouTube. Fantastic channel if you're into military history and he's done a couple of videos breaking down the Schweinfurt raids.
I think this is the raid shown in MotA:
Second raid:
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I don't get the flack, (pun intended) I think it's great. We have no decent war stuff out atm and I'm happy to watch this.
Need not compare everything to the best show ever or you'll be disappointed.
The RAF have always got the tail end of the stick for being the easiest part of the services but this shows how terrible going up in a plane and having a very low chance of returning. Must have been awful.
Need not compare everything to the best show ever or you'll be disappointed.
The RAF have always got the tail end of the stick for being the easiest part of the services but this shows how terrible going up in a plane and having a very low chance of returning. Must have been awful.
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all of its pretty boring, once America got involved it seems
no doubt better than being on a front line somewhere getting pounded by artillery without the option of coming home.
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Soldato
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