‘Masters of the Air’ Recap: ‘Part Eight’

3/8/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Josiah Cross as Lieutenant Richard D. Macon in ‘Part Eight’ of ‘Masters of the Air’. (Photo Courtes of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Eight of ‘Masters of the Air’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

There are a great many misconceptions about war that we keep alive in the 21st Century, many of which were born from the mythos of the Second World War. For the progress the Allies made in defeating Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Genocide Machine, was so swift and so decisive that we more or less equate victory in war now… with forces beyond our control. As though good always wins in the world when the cause is just and true, and that sheer will and want can win a war and well, that’s simply not the case and those are concepts that simply need to go away. For war is hell, and a great many suffer because of it, and also because… it takes more than a can-do attitude and belief in a higher anything to win a war.

It takes bravery, endless bravery, since the odds being faced by those, we consider to be heroes will be stacked against them, and it also requires great sacrifice. But above all… it takes a village of sorts. A perfect war machine all working in unison, where no one part is greater than the whole and that is why this week’s episode of Masters of the Air on Apple TV+ is of note. Because the eighth chapter in this fascinating look at the battle in the skies that took place during World War II, expressed that exact point. That the sum of the whole is what brought so much success to the war effort, and it expressed that reality by showing us… a different side to D-Day and the days following one of the most important moments in the course of the war.

Such as how… a great deal of planning went into Operation: Overlord, to ensure air superiority and much of that was handled by Captain Crosby. Who went without sleep and without rest for days on end, to make sure that every single sortie and every single route was carefully planned. To ensure that these boys came home on the Day of Days, and well… he suffered mightily for his efforts. To the point where he was physically ordered to stand down and sleep before the invasion began and obeyed that order because his body could no longer function. But for his efforts, and the efforts of the Air Force… things went well on this day. For the Luftwaffe were so critically devastated that they didn’t get a bird in the sky, and the boys of the Bloody Hundredth came home on this day, after win after win, all of which contributed to the success of that grand undertaking.

Branden Cook and Austin Butler as Lieutenant Alexander Jefferson and Major Gale Cleven in ‘Part Eight’ of ‘Masters of the Air’. (Photo Courtes of Apple.)

However, this episode is also of note, because it featured a group of pilots that popular media does not spotlight enough. Specifically, the Tuskeegee Airmen. A group composed of African Americans that did their part as well. For their units, flew it all, saw it all, and did some serious damage in the process, and of course… sacrificed as well. Because as part of the full court press the Allies placed upon the Axis Powers, these intrepid pilots risked everything to ensure success, and were ready and willing to live behind enemy lines for a time if needed. Which served as a perfect reminder of how it takes everyone to win and of how… not every corner of the war was noble. Since this unit was segregated from the rest of the Air Force because of the color of their skin, despite fighting for the right cause and the right side, and truly, we need more stories about these brave and talented pilots.

Thankfully, we’ll get a little more of that in this journey. Since it did take the time to focus on three pilots from this unit, that found themselves at the very same Stalag as Majors Egan and Cleven. Giving rise for a new opportunity for unity and strength in numbers. Simply because it was obvious that the steady collapse of the Nazi regime, would bring about difficult days for the airmen trapped in this godforsaken place. For the SS was now in charge of it and would do whatever was needed to keep the men around for leverage in a desperate time of need. Which prompted everyone to come together to train, and plan. Plan for the trouble that was extremely near at the end of this tale. For in the closing moments, we came to learn that the Russians were marching through Germany and that would bring about change.

But what matters more here, is the overall message of this tale. Of how it took everyone involved to win this war, and how it took a unified vision to push men forward. Not just good vibes of the will of a deity that not all believe in, and that makes this an important tale. For it really is busting old tropes by showing us this, and by showing us the fight that came after Normandy and the fight for survival that POWs had to take part in as well, and of course… it did the Tuskeegee Airmen proud, and now that we’ve reached the end of this important story, we can now look ahead to the Series Finale of this powerful journey through the skies of the Second World War. Where it would seem, we will be immersed in a grand exploration of what the final desperate days of the Third Reich looked like, courtesy of a unified front against Hitler’s demented vision for the world. Until next time.

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