“Masters of the Air” a new 9-episode miniseries about the Eight Army Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group by executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, is scheduled to for a two-episode debut on Jan. 26 on Apple TV +.

Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, “Masters of the Air” follows American pilots of the Eighth Army Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, also known as the Bloody Hundredth, during WWII. These bomber crews repeatedly flew at 25,000 feet in frigid temperatures-in broad daylight-against Hitler’s vaunted Luftwaffe, often without fighter escort, to strike vital targets in the heart of Germany.

The series will continue with one episode per week through March 15. The series is the third in a trilogy of WWII programs produced by Spielberg and Hanks following the acclaimed “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific”.

Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, “Masters of the Air” follows American pilots of the Eighth Army Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, also known as the Bloody Hundredth, during WWII. These bomber crews repeatedly flew at 25,000 feet in frigid temperatures-in broad daylight-against Hitler’s vaunted Luftwaffe, often without fighter escort, to strike vital targets in the heart of Germany.

The three years (1942-1945 ) of death-defying bombing runs by the Eight Army Air Force’s Flying Fortresses over German cities like Berlin, Dresden, and Hanover were, for much of the war, the only battles Allied forces waged inside the territorial borders of Nazi Germany. The Apple TV + series portrays “the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich…some were shot down and captured, some were wounded or killed, and some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.”

The Group’s 306 wartime missions have been called the “singular event in the history of warfare,” and the Spielberg/Hanks series tells the story of the men who helped lead Allied forces to victory. However, their effort came with a heavy toll, and 757 men were killed or listed as missing in action during the Allied campaign. The odds of a B-17 crewman surviving the 25 missions required to complete a war-time tour were only one in four.

Until introduction of the P-51 Mustang in 1944 to the air war in Europe, the B-17s impressive flight range capabilities meant daylight bombing runs over Germany would have to be done without fighter escort, leaving inexperienced bomber crews to fend for themselves against the more seasoned German pilots of the Luftwaffe. The Eighth’s effort to pry Europe from the claws of the Third Reich - one that included unleashing 697,000 tons of bombs - proved to be overwhelming costly. By the end of the war, over 47,000 of the 115,000 U.S. Army Air Force casualties were from the Eighth…and the Bloody Hundredth suffered more than their share, earning their reputation the hard way.

John “Lucky” Luckadoo, a B-17 pilot with the “Century Bombers” as the 100th was known, stated that “When we were preparing to go overseas our commanding officer called us together and said, “look at the man on either side of you. Only one of you will be coming back. You’re all going to be killed and you might as well accept it.” That was the mindset we were supposed to take into combat, that our chances of coming back were so minimal that we should accept our fate and just do the best that we could – for as long as we could. The sheer terror that we confronted was so devastating that it left a mark on us for life.” It is worth noting for perspective that the Eighth Army Air Force alone suffered more casualties in the air war in Europe than the entire U.S. Marine Corps suffered in all of their Pacific island campaigns.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum has an impressive WWII display that includes large and small scale models of aircraft showcased in the new series. The Museum’s online archives contain a wealth of information about the Air War in Europe and the units featured in the “Masters of the Air” series. The Museum’s Gift Shop also carries items for purchase that will be seen on the show, including s the book “Bomber Boys,” which highlights and helps preserve in stunning pictures the bomber jackets worn by the brave bomber aircrews of the Army Air Forces.

A description of the book’s content is below: 

The stories of those who wore the highly decorated “bomber jackets” in the US Army Air Corps during WWII continues to fascinate, educate, and entertain to this day. Worn as unique identifiers and to create an atmosphere of "esprit de corps" amongst the crew, these jackets offer a visual diary that reflected the hedonistic mindset of these extremely young airmen, pride in their part in fighting the enemy, and the social mores of the time. The high resolution photographs, featuring jackets from all WWII theaters and from museums and private collections across the USA, offer a glimpse into this seldom seem genre of military folk art. Supplemented with contemporary portraits, research, and never-heard-before wartime accounts, additional chapters examine their influence on fashion design worldwide, how to care for them as artifacts, and a section on collecting and appraisals. The book is rounded out with a professionally created index. The large coffee table sized book is arguably the definitive source ever produced on this subject.