Masters of the Air – Part Five

In the aftermath of Buck’s (Austin Butler) fort going down, Bucky (Callum Turner) returns to base before the end of his weekend pass. And in true Bucky fashion, he refuses to show any of the men a shred of emotion for such a huge loss. Yet the 100^th feels the loss of Buck in their group, as he was viewed as almost invincible.

As for Crosby (Anthony Boyle), he was considered missing until he was finally able to return to base. The plane he was on performed an emergency to belly-land in a field. Along with Douglass (Elliot Warren) and Blakely (David Shields), the men arrive to find that their bunks have been filled with replacements. As those men are quickly shuffled out to find new accommodations, Douglass asks if his trunk was shipped home. Luckily it was not, as Douglass did not want his mother seeing the stash of rubbers that he kept in there.

In the Officers’ Club Crosby, Douglass, and Blakely are greeted warmly and with drinks. But the welcoming party has thinned out significantly with the losses since the beginning. However, the welcome quickly dies down as men take notice that Bucky has returned. His presence indicating that they will be on a new mission soon. Crosby is then pulled away while in the club to learn that he has now been appointed group navigator for the 100^th.

By the time the men are in briefing, Colonel Harding (James Murray) announces the next mission to take out a railroad marshaling yard at Münster. However, this mission puts many of the men at unease, especially when their target is close to the city center….where civilian casualties are an inevitability with Sunday Mass. Seeing the looks of dismay, Harding assures them that this mission will also take out railroad workers and hinder the Germans greatly. Although the men are upset, Bucky is determined to go through with this mission. Even though the people in Münster had nothing to do with Buck going missing, Bucky does not care. To him, taking down any Germans is fine with him.

On the day of the mission, Crosby hands Bubbles (Louis Greatorex) back his snowglobe…hoping that it will bring good luck in returning him to base after their mission. Bucky is geared up to get on the plane, but not before trading his sheepskin jacket with that of another officer…Buck always hated that jacket. With the men in the air and the mission underway, Crosby is left to sit alone in the mess hall…and wait.

In the air en route to Münster, four of the 17 planes drop out of formation due to prior mechanical errors. But once the flak starts to hit the closer the planes get to the target, the 100^th begins to see real carnage. As hundreds of Germans begin to circle the planes, Bucky’s plane incurs maximum damages. With three of their four engines hit and men badly injured, Bucky’s plane evacuates and they parachute down. Reaching the ground, Bucky has landed himself in Westphalia, Germany.

Up in the air, the remaining forts begin to drop their bombs over the targets. But for the 100^th, the hits keep coming at a relentless pace. Criukshank’s (Matt Gavan) plane goes down, as well as the one Bubbles is on. Eventually, Rosenthal (Nate Mann) and his crew realize that out of the thirteen operable planes….they are the last one still in the air. But the Germans are not done, circling the final plane as they give up a mighty fight.

At base tension is high waiting for the planes to return. Initially, a plane from the 390^th lands as they were unable to return to their base. Harding is advised that no one from the 100^th has made it….until Rosenthal’s plane lands shortly after. No other planes returned from the mission. When Crosby realizes that Bubbles is not among those who landed, he knows he has lost his friend.

After interrogation and incurring devastating losses, the remaining men begin to pack up the trunks of their fallen friends. When Crosby goes to pack up the trunk for Bubbles, he finds a letter that his friend had written for Crosby’s wife when it was believed he was missing. Crosby sits and reads the letter, where Bubbles praises his friend as one of the best. In this moment, Crosby takes a moment to truly mourn the loss of his friend.