Masters of the Air | Apple TV+ (WWII miniseries from Spielberg, Hanks)

[Kraig]

The final episode was perhaps the best one for me both on the dramatic as well on the emotional side. Rosie's discovery of a forced labor camp packs a punch ( but not as brutal as BoB's discovery of an actual concentration camp), the 100th final "bomb" run to deliver supplies to their former enemies, prisoners being forced marched from place to place until they are finally rescued.

The supplies were being delivered to the Dutch in Nazi occupied Netherlands (UK and US ally) invaded by Germany.

Robert Rosenthal's walk around the camp is probably what influenced his decision to join the prosecution team at the Nuremberg Trials after the war.

 

[Skywalker]

Well, I'd call that sticking the landing.

Despite a slow start and a shaky run-up to the finale, I think overall I really enjoyed this show. I still wish they'd gotten ten episodes, because the pacing in Parts Seven and Eight was a bit too fast for my liking. Still, at least they gave Part Ten plenty of room to breathe, and it resolved all of the story arcs pretty satisfyingly.

Obviously this doesn't match Band of Brothers, but I never expected it to and I think that's an almost impossible standard, but I do think I like it more than The Pacific. I understand that The Pacific was trying to convey the sheer horror that those marines went through; my problem with it was more that I just didn't find myself caring about any of the characters. Masters and Brothers--particularly the latter--have multiple characters who I liked and was rooting for, which is pretty important for a dramatic series.

That being said, I'll be happy to rewatch all of three of these together over the years. I just hope they at least do one more series focusing on the Navy to "complete the set." In a perfect world we'd be getting a new show focusing on a different unit/aspect of the war every five or six years, but sadly I am not a billionaire with money to burn.

 

[FreezeC77]

^It's always seemed like a no-brainer to do something involving the USS Enterprise. Most decorated ship of WW2, the name being so historic and re-used and of course extending to Star Trek.

Enterprise lost craft at Pearl Harbor (both during the Japanese attack as they had scout planes in the area, and then later lost attack craft who were shot down by US forces who thought they were Japanese planes)

It was involved in some of the most pivotal battles of the war and took some significant damage at times as well. I think at one point almost every US carrier was out of action (or destroyed) except Enterprise who still was being repaired while at sea because it was all they had.

 

[Kraig]

^It's always seemed like a no-brainer to do something involving the USS Enterprise. Most decorated ship of WW2, the name being so historic and re-used and of course extending to Star Trek.

Enterprise lost craft at Pearl Harbor (both during the Japanese attack as they had scout planes in the area, and then later lost attack craft who were shot down by US forces who thought they were Japanese planes)

It was involved in some of the most pivotal battles of the war and took some significant damage at times as well. I think at one point almost every US carrier was out of action (or destroyed) except Enterprise who still was being repaired while at sea because it was all they had.

The US Pacific carriers that served for all of WWII were the USS Saratoga (CV3) and USS Enterprise (CV6). They were joined by 14 completed Essex class carriers from December 1942 through the end of the war. None of the Essex class carriers were ever sunk during the war.

 

[marillion]

My dad served in the Navy during WWII and was present at some of the big battle toward the end of the war like Iwo Jima. He served on a relatively nondescript vessel called an LST (566). I have two scrapbooks full of photos he and others took. I would love to see a series about the Navy. It would be interesting to see if they focused on the South Pacific or Atlantic campaigns.

 

[Kraig]

My dad served in the Navy during WWII and was present at some of the big battle toward the end of the war like Iwo Jima. He served on a relatively nondescript vessel called an LST (566). I have two scrapbooks full of photos he and others took. I would love to see a series about the Navy. It would be interesting to see if they focused on the South Pacific or Atlantic campaigns.

My father was stationed on the Midway Islands from September 1944 through May 1946. He was a Carpenter's Mate in the Construction Battalion. They were gearing up for invasion of Japan in August 1945 (and they would have been first to land) when the unconditional surrender was announced. It was after I joined the Navy that my dad could open up and talk about his service, because I could speak the Navy 'lingo' and we could each share our experiences in the service.

 

[marillion]

My dad never really talked about the war. And by the time I was old enough to be curious about what it was really like, he passed away suddenly while I was in college. He didn't even collect the various medals. A couple of years after he passed away, I wrote my congressman to see if he could help me track them down, which he did. He also had a flag flown over the capital in honor of my dad. That Christmas, I presented the medals and the flag to my mom.