Awesome moments in Masters of the Air.
Per Wiki policy, spoilers are unmarked.
Part Two
- In contrast to their disastrous first mission, the 100th successfully strikes their target in Norway.
- When Curtis's plane is damaged, he's not able to maintain speed to keep with the formation. Knowing that Curtis's crew is doomed if they are left behind, the rest of the 100th reduce speed to protect him, despite the danger this puts the rest of the Group in. Then Crosby works on the fly to calculate a new set of courses to allow the 100th to throw off their German pursuers, drop down into cloud cover, and then make for the safety of the Scottish coast.
- Once they are within sight of Scotland, Curtis loses another engine, and the plane barely makes it over the cliff face before crash landing in a family's yard, narrowly avoiding their house. Everybody Lives!
Part Three
- Crosby's Character Development continues, and the navigator who was helplessly airsick and disoriented in the first episode is now confidently plotting their course to a base on a continent he's never been to in a shot-up Fort, and defending his work against his crewmates, anxious about the possibility of getting lost over the African desert.Blakely: Fork in the road here, Croz. We could do with the answer to that riddle.Crosby: The answer to the riddle’s 184. Keep your eyes peeled.
- Buck successfully bringing his plane down safely after running out of fuel, despite the severe damage they took throughout the mission.
Part Five
- After becoming the Sole Survivor of the Munster raid, Royal Flush is attacked by more enemy fighters. Since there is no point in maintaining formation flight anymore, Rosenthal turns his plane toward the fighters and positions it so his gunners have perfect shots at the fighters. In a damaged bomber he dogfights enemy fighters and wins.
- There is a slow-motion shot where Rosenthal looks out the cockpit window at a passing German fighter. The pilot is looking back at him, with a look of fear on his face as his plane is riddled with bullets from Royal Flush's belly gunner.
Part Six
- After being shot down, Bucky tenaciously refuses to give up, hiding in the German countryside and stealing food while evading capture. When he is cornered and rounded up, he begins making plans with the first American airmen he encounters for their escape. When the group is attacked by an angry lynch mob before they can escape, Bucky once again escapes after being mistaken for dead before being captured again. He resists interrogation and is finally sent to a POW camp, Stalag III, where he is greeted by Buck Cleven.
- Bucky is being interrogated by a polite German officer who tries to appeal to him by acting sympathetic to his recent hardships, and asks if he can confirm some information about Buck Cleven, who was shot down recently. When Bucky doesn't cooperate, the officer threatens, in the same polite tone, to hand him over to the Gestapo to have him executed as a spy. Bucky grins at him and refuses to cooperate, only offering the required Name, Rank, and Serial Number, effectively calling the interrogator's bluff.
Part Seven
- The camp commandant, Major Simoleit, informs the POW leadership that he has been instructed to make a complete inventory of all Jewish prisoners in the camp. Colonel Clark politely makes it clear he will not cooperate with that effort.Clark: There are only Americans in Stalag Luft III, Major Simoleit. Only Americans.
Part Eight
- After Richard D. Macon gets shot down during Operation Dragoon and made a prisoner of war, he is brought to a German Intelligence Officer for interrogation. Said officer tries to manipulate him into giving information by discussing America's treatment of African-Americans like him and Macon responds with the following:German Officer: Why do you fight for a country who treats you like that?
Macon: Do you know any other country that’s better? I know what my country’s shortcomings are. And I know it’s trying hard to become what it says it’s supposed to be. And when I get back, I’m gonna help them do that a lot faster.
Part Nine
- A bomber crew is in a panic because they're wheels-up in five minutes, but they haven't gotten their parachutes yet because the equipment room has been locked up. Crosby leads them to the equipment room, kicks the door open, and gives them their parachutes. He then goes to the Officer's Mess Hall to find the man who was supposed to keep the room unlocked until all of the crews had picked up their gear leisurely enjoying his meal and lauighing with some other officers before Crosby confronts him on his gross negligence:Crosby: I guess you’ve never flown over Germany without a parachute, huh? Huh?Clouter: Well, I don’t know, Crosby. Have you?Crosby: Now, from here on out, you’re gonna keep that equipment hut opened and manned until wheels up plus 30 minutes. Yes, Major?Clouter Yes, Major!
- The fight between three escaped prisoners and three Hitler Youth soldiers, with no weapons around besides some empty guns, a bayonet, and some digging tools, has some tough moments for both sides.
- The POWs finally fighting back against their German captors in Stalag VII-A when the American forces begin to approach the camp. Once they're in control, Bucky takes an American flag and raises it up the camp's flagpole to replace the Nazi one, to the cheers of everyone present.
- When the American Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the attacking force arrives in the camp following the end of the battle, he is met by the Commander in charge of the Pow Camp. The German Commander initially tries to shake hands as equals, but the American Lt Col refuses to give him that satisfaction and simply looks at him in contempt. He gets the message and instead salutes him before informing the Lt Col of his intent to surrender. He simply responds with, "Dismissed", cowing the German commander into submission with just a look and one word to the cheers of both the Pows and the American troops.
