Episode 3 of Masters of the Air focuses on the Regensburg mission, in August 1943. Of the episodes so far, it holds clearest to the history. Some of this is because it focuses only on that one mission. And it is a brutal one.
Regensburg was one of those successful failures. The episode introduces the plan: 3 task forces of bombers are going to simultaneously hit multiple targets in Germany, with the 100th then flying through Europe and the med on to Africa. Only one problem: weather screws up the rendesvous. And, they are ordered to fly anyway, forget the mission aim.
So, instead of 3 task forces all at once, the 100th's is on its own. And we see/feel the consequences.
No spoilers here, but it is worth reflecting on something. As bad as what we are shown is (and was), the other task forces fared even worse. The other target, Schweinfurt, was heavily defended by the time the 2nd and 3rd task forces arrived. In total, the 8th Air Force lost 60 B-17s that day. That's 600 men killed or captured in a single mission. Perhaps the only downside of this episode is that this fact was not stated.
Regensburg was one of those successful failures. The episode introduces the plan: 3 task forces of bombers are going to simultaneously hit multiple targets in Germany, with the 100th then flying through Europe and the med on to Africa. Only one problem: weather screws up the rendesvous. And, they are ordered to fly anyway, forget the mission aim.
So, instead of 3 task forces all at once, the 100th's is on its own. And we see/feel the consequences.
No spoilers here, but it is worth reflecting on something. As bad as what we are shown is (and was), the other task forces fared even worse. The other target, Schweinfurt, was heavily defended by the time the 2nd and 3rd task forces arrived. In total, the 8th Air Force lost 60 B-17s that day. That's 600 men killed or captured in a single mission. Perhaps the only downside of this episode is that this fact was not stated.