Masters of the Air – Part Nine

By February 1945, the warfront was much different as the Germans were being attacked by Americans/British on one side and Russia on the other. Rosenthal (Nate Mann) is on another mission during that time and the 100th is flying uncontested in the air as the Luftwaffe has been taken out. But during this one particular mission, Rosie’s plane is hit and a large portion of the oxygen tanks are compromised. As his aircraft continues to take hits from below and the men on board are injured, he orders his men to evacuate after he attempts to get the plane close enough to the Oder River. If they can parachute and land close to the river, there is a chance that they will be picked up by the Russian troops rather than German ones.

The last one to parachute, Rosenthal lands exactly where he had hoped by the Oder, but severely injures his arm upon landing. Not sure of who he will encounter, Rosenthal finds a spot to hide and tries to pull his gun from his jacket to protect himself. Luckily, Russian troops find Rosie when he does everything to explain that he is American. Believing him, the troops take him to safety as they continue to push the Germans back on the battlefront.

Worried about not hearing from Rosie, Crosby (Anthony Boyle) is a nervous wreck at Thorpe Abbotts. But he has deeper issues to handle, especially when other men begin to play tricks. When one officer decides to lock the equipment hut for the other men who are in need of parachutes for the next mission, Crosby springs into action to open the hut. Afterwards, he seeks out the officer that played the prank and provides a verbal and physical warning that he won’t soon forget. Tensions are high, especially with the war drawing closer to the end.

At Stalag Luft III, Buck (Austin Butler), Bucky (Callum Turner) and all the other men are ordered to prepare to march at night. With the Allies closing in, the German officers want to hold onto their only bargaining chips. With the new orders, Buck knows that the Russians are getting closer and now they will be heading deeper into Germany. But the journey is fraught with treacherous weather and many of the men are freezing. Even the German officers stumble along the path to their next destination: Muskau. But unlike them, American soldiers do their best to help the officers get back on their feet and keep moving.

During their walk, the POWs (prisoners of war) are ordered off the road for German soldiers. While the officers hail their leader, the battered men and children are less inclined to follow suit. One of the officers notes that older men and young children have now taken up joining the soldiers in their fight….meaning the great hope for Germans is lost. Arriving at Muskau, the men warm up and spend the night before they are packed onto a train the next morning. But the next destination sparks fear in Lieutenant Solomon (Adam Silver) when he sees they have arrived in Nuremberg….the heart of Germany. Wading through the rubble of a once prominent city, the POWs ultimately arrive at Stalag XIII. There, Buck runs into an old friend from home: George Niethammer (Josh Dylan).

In Poland on the road to Ponzan, Rosenthal is being escorted by Russian troops so that they make get him on a plane to Moscow and hopefully back to Thorpe Abbotts. While surrounded by many civilians on the road and a wagon with a missing wheel up ahead, the caravan stops for a few moments. Rosenthal asks to get out to stretch his legs and wanders into Zabikowo, a concentration camp. There, Rosenthal sees first-hand the true atrocities of the war. With the bodies of dead Jews litter the ground and the smell of burning from the Germans torching their shameful work, Rosenthal manages to keep it together to venture into a room that once imprisoned innocent people. As the wheel is fixed, one of the soldiers comes to find Rosenthal and explains that they have found many places just like this one in their fight.

Finally arriving to the air base, Rosenthal waits for the plane and decides to strike up a conversation with an elder Jewish man (Leon Silver). With the help of a young female (Patrycja Dynowska),  he learns that the man’s family is dead and that he himself was ordered to bury the bodies by the Germans. Rather than return to the village, the man has decided to head to Palestine instead. Rosie tells him “Go with God” in his language, but it is clear that the man believes God has forgotten him.

By April 2, 1945, the men at Stalag XIII are ordered to prepare for another night march. This time, they will be heading to Stalag VIII in Moosburg. While on the road, planes behind to fly overhead and the American soldiers immediately begin to quietly cheer while having to take cover from the fire overhead. Once the plane clears, Bucky is furious as now their men are trying to kill them. Buck manages to talk him down and explains that he is in on a plan to escape. With Buck, Bucky, George, and Bill (Ben Dilloway), they will make a break when there is a chance. The opportunity comes as the men are marching through another city on their way to Moosburg. Unfortunately, only three of the men manage to make a run for it as Bucky is left behind. George, Bill, and Buck flee and make their way across the German countryside.

During their escape, Buck, George, and Bill come across German soldiers coming down the road. Seeing the downtrodden faces of the men, they realize that this is a retreat…further confirmed when a white horse splattered with blood also comes up to them. They need to find someone that can help them. But when they are ambushed by young German soldiers, George is killed before they can disarm the rest of the men. Buck manages to procure the gun from one of the soldiers as he pleads for his life, ordering them to go. When the soldiers run off, him and Bill realize that their guns had no bullets left. Finally upon reaching a town in the Bavarian countryside, Buck and Bill run into American soldiers and are rescued while Bucky and the other POWs arrive in Moosburg.

Upon Rosenthal’s return to Thorpe Abbotts, he tells Crosby all about his journey back to the base. Crosby shares that his wife Jean is pregnant with their first child, but he is worried that the war has changed him and not for the better. After his stop in Zabikowo, Rosenthal advises Crosby that they had no choice but to fight. Later, Crosby and Rosenthal arrive to greet Buck as he deboards a plane back at base. When they bring him to his footlocker that has remained at base this whole time, they ask him for his help in a mission to deliver food to the hungry German people, which he accepts.

At Moosburg, tensions are high amongst the officers. Soon, Bucky sees that an American plane is flying overhead and the German officers begin to shoot at it. Bucky and the men see their chance. With the help of Jefferson (Branden Cook), him and Bucky get to work finding an American flag amongst the men so that they can take down the Nazi flag and let the airmen know there are Americans here. The POWs also begin to revolt, starting to fight back against the officers and overtake the camp. Finally, Bucky climbs up to the flagpole and releases the Nazi flag….throwing it down to the men to shred it apart. Hoisting the American flag, the men below cheer. As the troops finally arrive at Moosburg, the German officers surrender….the men are finally free.

On a mercy mission Buck, Crosby, and Rosie go to deliver food to the Dutch towns….who are more than happy to accept the food. Upon their return, Buck gets on the radio to the tower and realizes that Bucky is on the other end. When all the men return to Thorpe Abbotts, they reunite with Bucky.

It isn’t until Churchill delivers his speech over the radio that the men learn that the war is finally over. While they will need to pack up, that night is a night of music and celebration. The Officers Club is teeming with drinks and smiles. At the radio tower, Buck and Bucky share a drink from Bucky’s flask to celebrate. In the following days, Thorpe Abbotts is packed up and the men prepare to vacate. As the planes ascend in the air, many villagers watch them leave….finally heading home.