Masters of the Air

Hello?

It's just me, Kenny.

Major? Colonel Harding's looking for you.

Yeah.

You okay, Major?

We're all gonna miss Major Cleven, sir.

Weather report.

Supposed to clear up.

Good.

Want a ride, Major?

Nah. I'll be all right.

You sure, sir?

Don't worry, Kenny. I don't even feel it.

See ya in the morning.

Bremen was the toughest mission of the war for me.

It was the heaviest flak I'd ever experienced.

A shell fragment the size of a football crashed through the nose of our fort,

nearly decapitating me and Douglass.

Our left wing caught fire and we lost all electrical power,

but somehow Ev Blakely got us back to England.

I also saw Major Cleven's plane take a direct hit and go down.

From the day I joined the 100th, Buck Cleven was our leader.

We thought he was invincible.

If Gale Cleven couldn't make it, who could?

Can we help you?

Yeah. You can start by getting the hell out of our racks.

And where's my locker, huh?

- Sorry, sir. I was told your airplane-- - Well, it didn't.

Get your gear and step outside, gentlemen.

I'll find you a new hut.

Hey, you didn't ship my locker already, did ya?

No, sir. It's still in the orderly hut.

I need a drink.

That's a good idea.

Come on.

Now, Dougie...

what the hell you got in your locker you're so worried about?

I got more fucking rubbers than I can count.

And I sure as hell don't need my mom to count them, huh?

Don't worry, I'll talk to her.

Holy shit, it's Blakely's crew.

Jesus, we thought you bought it.

They reported four chutes out of your ship.

I guess someone can't count. No one bailed.

Via and Yevich are in the hospital.

We lost Saunders.

Where'd you land?

Some RAF field outside Ludham.

- It was a hell of a hairy belly landing. - You can say that again.

Two engines shot, whole fuselage full of holes.

Some mechanic counted them.

- How much was it, 1,200? - 1,200.

Stabilizer was totally shredded. Couldn't get the wheels down.

Don't worry, the brakes still worked. Till we hit the runway.

It was a goddamn miracle that this man, Everett Blakely, landed her at all.

No, the miracle was Croz's bearing. One degree off and we're in the drink.

- Pure luck. - Yeah, you do it too often

for it to be luck.

Then he managed to navigate us right smack into the only tree for miles, so...

Bull's-eye. The guy's a natural. The only tree in East Anglia,

- he hits it. - Biggest field you've ever--

- Harry Crosby... - Straight in.

...greatest navigator in the 8th Air Force, right over there, ladies.

All right, who's drinking? I'm buying. Crank is too.

- I am? - Yes, he is. Come on.

- If you say so. - Beautiful.

All right, man.

- Bubbles... how are you, buddy? - Is it really you, Croz?

Jesus, why the hell didn't you call?

RAF base didn't have a telephone.

- Lucky they had a truck. - Can't believe this.

You know, I wrote Jean.

You did-- You-- Sorry, you what?

I wrote your wife a letter. We all thought you--

- But you didn't send it, did you? - No, no.

Thank God.

Couldn't think of anything nice to say, so...

You know, a few times I thought I was dead too, to tell you the truth.

Yeah, well, you made it back.

Just in time too. They're starting to shake things up at operations.

What, group navigator?

I'm on the chopping block. Carter too.

They're gonna replace us just as soon as they can find the guys to replace us with.

They won't.

- Here you go, Croz. - Thanks, Knifehead.

- All right, Bubs. - One for you?

- Hey, hey. To the 100th! - The 100th!

There we go.

- I've never heard that before. Never. - Really?

Croz, Harding wants to see you.

Hey, it's Egan. What's he doing back early?

Guess they made their decision.

- Fill her up, Mike? - Sure thing.

No use wondering, gentlemen.

You can all do the math as to why I came back early.

Jesus. Another mission.

We're flying every day now?

230830, Brady. 30725, give it to Cruikshank.

- Major? - Clift! Do we have 230758?

One important thing. I didn't actually, I couldn't understand what was--

Sorry, sir, but engineering aren't gonna be able to get

those two ships you asked about ready by wheels up.

Can we get a picture of the MPI?

Well, did you get the bombload details to ordnance yet?

It's all squared away. They have everything they need.

- Hey, Croz. - Got one.

So, we start with a duty officer.

Homer. Crosby's just been promoted to group navigator.

- Welcome to the monkey house, Captain. - Thank you.

Spence will have navigation field orders for you.

Captain, you take it down to S-2.

Tell the clerk what you need.

Goddamn it.

Sorry.

Get a cloth, will ya?

Jesus. That's fine.

Keep up, Croz.

- No harm done. - Thank you.

So this is your office.

You get your own jeep. It's a perk of the job.

Anything else you need, you ask Tripp. Right?

Good luck, Croz.

Major?

You sure I'm the right man for this?

No.

So, flight 40-6-2, that puts her in combat radius.

Sergeant, I need you.

Your primary target is Münster.

Your aiming point and mean point of impact is the railroad marshaling yards.

The target is just east of the city center.

City center?

Be quiet. Listen up.

So, accuracy on this mission is paramount.

Intelligence reports that most of the housing

in the adjacent neighborhoods are railroad workers.

So, if they're hit,

then we'll be hitting the men who keep the German railroads running.

Lights. Colonel?

Thank you, Red.

95th is leading with us in the low, and the 390th in the high.

Good news is it's a short flight. Münster is pretty damn close.

Bad news is we can only muster 17 ships,

a few of which weren't even ours two days ago.

Only 17 ships?

That's the mission, boys:

Disrupt industrial transportation in the Ruhr valley.

Understood?

Yes, sir.

Good. Major Egan will be command pilot in Brady's fort.

We just flew two missions in two days.

Aren't they supposed to rotate the squadrons?

Let one have a mission off?

Who else they got?

It's not right. It's Sunday.

Yeah, and tomorrow is Monday.

You saw how close that cathedral is to the MPI.

We're hitting it right when everyone's coming out of mass.

And?

There'll be a lot of people in that cathedral.

Or in their houses.

And not just railroad workers either.

They're all part of it.

We've never had a target this close to a city--

Jesus Christ, Crank.

It's a war.

Here to drop bombs.

On women and kids?

Well, this won't end till we hit 'em where it hurts.

Better now before every fucking guy we've ever shared a bunk with

is either dead or MIA.

None of the people we're gonna bomb today shot down Buck.

You flying today or not?

Yeah.

"Yes, sir."

Yes, sir.

You look like shit.

Feel like it. Gimme that.

Go to bed, why don't you?

Well, I wanted to make sure all the navigators have what they need.

Well, I'd prefer unconditional surrender from the Krauts, but this'll do.

Congrats on the promotion.

Don't go thinking I'm sore about it.

Still think you're the best navigator.

You seem to be alone in that opinion.

Well, wish me luck in She's Gonna.

She's Gonna?

Wouldn't you like to know.

Hey, hey! Stop the truck!

- You okay, Bucky? - Yeah, you guys go on ahead.

Catch up in a jeep.

Jack!

- We gotta trade jackets. - What?

Come on. Give me your jacket.

You serious?

They say when we get her back?

Not yet.

What's the name of the plane they're putting us in?

Royal Flush.

Royal Flush.

"Aw-R-Go"? What the hell does that mean?