Apple TV+‘s Masters of the Air dramatizes the real-life stories of the men of the 100th Bomb Group, or “Bloody Hundredth,” a World War II Air Force unit famous for suffering massive casualties while bombing key German targets. The electrifying series takes viewers into the cockpits, weapons bays, and gun turrets of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses flown by these soldiers and reveals just how terrifying the experience was. Intrepid pilots like Major Gale “Buck” Cleven (Austin Butler), Major John “Bucky” Egan (Callum Turner), and Lt. Curtis Biddick (Barry Keoghan) had to fly into aerial minefields full of flak, take on rival Nazi fighters, and overcome the everyday dangers of aviation to not only carry out their vital missions, but get as many of their boys home safe as possible. Masters of the Air Episode 3, “Part Three,” ends with Buck and Bucky reunited in Northern Africa after a harrowing mission bombing Regensburg, but their friend Biddick’s fate is in doubt. Did Barry Keoghan’s Lt. Curtis Biddick pull off yet another death-defying miracle in Masters of the Air Episode 3? Or did Biddick die during the Regensburg mission?
**Spoilers for Masters of the Air Episode 3 “Part Three,” now streaming on Apple TV+**
Masters of the Air wastes no time bringing the bloody, cruel reality of war to its characters or audience. In just the first two episodes, we see how quickly a routine flight can turn nightmarish. Still, the boys of the 100th, specifically Buck, Bucky, and their fast friend Curtis Biddick, manage to prove their heroism again and again. By the time Masters of the Air Episode 3 “Part Three” opens, the trio isn’t cowed by the news that their next mission will mark the deepest the USA has pushed into mainland Europe during the war, they’re excited. After all, they’re going to be part of the “largest air armada ever assembled in the history of mankind.”
The 100th’s goal? They are part of the first task force targeting the Messerschmitt 109 engine assembly plant in Regensburg, Germany. (Off-topic, but Regensburg is actually an enchanting little city. Lovely architecture that somehow mostly survived the American bombing campaigns. Highly recommend a visit.) Two other task forces will go after ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt. To confuse the Germans, the first task force — the Hundredth’s — will not circle back over Western Europe to England, but fly south to Northern Africa.
The mission is supposed to be “a three punch combo.” The idea is the Nazis can only devote the Luftwaffe to defending one of the three targets, giving the Americans the opening to devastate German production on the ground. The problem is the other two punches never come. The 100th finds themselves overwhelmed by the Nazis without any help from the proverbial calvary that was supposed to swoop in to offer them support and cover.
Things quickly go south, with planes exploding in the sky, soldiers finding themselves trapped on the ground in Nazi-occupied Belgium, and the entire mission thrown into doubt. In the middle of the heat, Biddick’s plane is hit. His co-pilot warns him that the plane’s going down. Biddick, for his part, holds on just long enough for most of the crew to bail themselves out to an uncertain fate on the ground. However the last we see of Biddick is flying a burning plane into a field, only for the whole fort to explode.
So did Biddick die? Was he able to pull off another miraculous survival? Well, Masters of the Air plays coy in Episode 3, but we know exactly what happened to the real Lt. Curtis Biddick thanks to history… Spoilers! (For History)
Because Masters of the Air is based on a true story, you can google the name of any of the main characters and find out exactly what happened to them in real life. If you’re nervous about the fate of Barry Keoghan’s character Lt. Curtis Biddick, well then you might need to sit down.
Lt. Curtis Rundle Biddick’s official profile on the American Air Museum’s official website provides a full biography for the military hero. Biddick was born in Livingston, Wisconsin, on April 20, 1915 and studied Animal Science at the University of California, Davis. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in January 1942, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By Spring 1943, he was assigned to the 100th.
According to the American Air Museum, “On August 17, 1943, Biddick’s B-17 42-5860 “Escape Kit'” took part in a mission to Regensburg. The 100th Bomb Group was assigned to ‘coffin corner,’ so called for its vulnerable position at the rear of the formation. Approximately 40 miles north of Regensburg, Biddick’s plane suffered an oxygen fire caused by 20mm damage to the nose and fuselage, trapping those on the flight deck. Four of the crew were killed in action, including Lt. Biddick.”
Meaning…yeah, Lt. Curtis Biddick died during the Regensburg mission in real life and he’s probably not returning on Masters of the Air.
If you’re curious about the true story behind Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, you can also read the two primary sources for the drama: Donald L. Miller’s 2007 nonfiction book, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, and Harry H. Crosby’s 1993 memoir, A Wing and a Prayer: The “Bloody 100th” Bomb Group of the US Eighth Air Force in Action Over Europe in World War II.