I have previously rambled about my appreciation for the WWII miniseries, Band of Brothersand The Pacific. These two docudramas, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, really capture the essence of what combat life was like in both the European and Pacific theatres. I was excited to learn that there was a third series in the works that would showcase another aspect of the war, this time from the perspective of those who fought in the air. It was announced almost a decade ago and is expected to be released relatively soon. This new series, like the previous two, is based on a book. Donald Miller’s Masters of the Air is the source material for the series that will share the same name.
Having read the books that inspired Band of Brothers and The Pacific, I decided I wanted to read Masters of the Air before the series debuts. As expected, it’s a good read. I’m almost halfway through and it is both an inspiring and challenging read. The book tells the story of the 8th Air Force, from its inception to the end of the war. It describes the only bomber war in history, and the men who flew the missions. The deadliest force in the war was the Eighth Air Force, in terms of the rate of casualties. It was much more likely that a flyer would be killed in the line of duty than any ground troops in any theatre. The 8th Air Force accounted for nearly half of US Army losses and numbered more casualties than the entirety of the US Marines forces. It also might be fair to say it was also the deadliest in terms of deaths caused by the battles themselves.
The book is full of stories of the hard lessons the Army learned as they discovered how best to use this new technology to its greatest effect. It’s also full of stories of heroism and bravery as men went into battle again and again. Only one in four would live to see 25 completed missions (30 after 1944), thereby completing their tour and earning the right to go home to a safer duty station, like selling war bonds. Life for airmen was very different than that of men on the front lines. While they had better food and lodging, the experience of flying on the long bomber missions, defending against fighter attacks, and surviving flak bursts meant that their life was a dramatic swing from somewhat normal to absolute terror over and over again. The book details how the Army learned that the bomber war was so taxing on the emotional health of the flyers that they created a series of rest homes to which airmen were sent midway through a tour in order to get healthy and keep up the fight.
These stories are the kinds of things it is helpful to hear and remember, even if, and perhaps especially because they are difficult to read. We are always surround by brave men and women, to be sure. Honoring their stories and learning from them is a helpful exercise in remembering how we matter to each other, and that some things are more important than the little things that seem to want to divide us. I don’t mean to glamorize war – the evil and death that surround war are a very real spiritual challenge. We’ve also learned that there are times when war is a necessary evil in order to achieve peace. I think WWII continues to capture our imagination and our respect because the moral lines were a lot clearer than they have typically been since.
I am aware that the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum is just up the road in Pooler, Georgia. I’ve never been, but I’m going to make the trip this fall. In fact, I’m going to put together an outing to visit the museum and eat lunch for the parish. If you have an interest in coming along, let me know. You’ll see details in our announcements in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, it will help me gauge interest if you shoot me an email and let me know you’d be interested in such a trip.
As Miller says in the book, “there were two sets of victims in the European bomber war: those who were bombed, and the men who bombed them.” It’s a truth we might say about all soldiers and all wars, and it’s why I read books like his. It’s worth remembering such realities and the people behind the history. Hopefully it inspires our present and helps us shape our hope for the future.
Tom
High Flight
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds--and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlight silence. Hovering there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace where never lark, or eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Magee joined the Canadian Air Force in order to enter the war in 1940. He wasn’t in the 8th Airforce, but was a WWII pilot. He wrote the poem High Flight shortly before his death in a midair collision in 1941. His father, an Episcopal priest, shared the poem in his parish, and it quickly became famous.
Photo Credits: Masters of the Air book cover via Amazon.com; B-17 tail section, by Jud McCranie, shared via Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
