Part Six
Coombe House – Rosenthal
In episode 6 of Masters of the Air, the spirit of the boys is down following the Munster mission. But it is Rosenthal’s crew – who have completed three gruesome missions in as many days – that are the focus. They are sent for a five-day relaxation trip to Coombe House. Rosenthal is himself sceptical of the idea. He wants to go back to the base but Dr Huston, a flight surgeon looking over the men, asks Rosenthal to try and process the events of the past three days. On the second night, Rosenthal, who cannot sleep, encounters Huston in the living room downstairs.
The two men get to talking. They disagree about human nature and the need for a war. Rosenthal exclaims that this relaxation trip has “broken his rhythm.” The next day, while playing cards, one of the crewmen recalls how Rosenthal’s humming gave them hope during the Munster mission.
Germany – Egan
Egan tiptoes around the wilderness in Westphalia, hiding from Germans. However, he runs into a group of children, who, despite his mercy of not killing them, rat him out. Egan runs but is taken into custody by civilians, who then hand him over to the military. He is being transported to a Prisoner of War (PoW) Camp in Frankfurt. However, en route, along with other Americans and guarding German soldiers, he runs into an angry mob. Their neighbourhood has recently been bombed by the RAF and the mob is livid.
They attack the Americans, killing all of them bar Egan, who is lucky to escape a bullet. He regains consciousness the next day as two civilians take the bodies on a cart to bury them in the forest. Egan tries to run but is badly wounded. Exhausted, he falls unconscious on the ground, to be discovered later by German soldiers. He is brought to the Dulan Luft in Frankfurt, where he is processed into commitment. His interrogating officer is quaint. He doesn’t act like a German at all.
He tries to comfort Egan and talks about the Yankees and the World Series. It is a subtle way to manipulate Egan. To provoke him, the officer brings up Cleven’s disappearance. That is followed by the bottom line: since there is no record of Egan on the mission, he is deemed a spy. Egan refuses to indulge in the officer’s plea to identify himself and discuss further American plans. Egan is thrown into jail.
The next morning, Egan is transported with the rest of the captured Americans on a train. While leaving, they see a train of Jews being taken to a concentration camp to be gassed. However, we get a positive ending as Egan and the others are taken to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany. They meet up with other PoWs, most of whom are part of the 100th. Egan’s eyes light up when he sees his old friends, but seeing Cleven by the wayside “takes the buck.”
Balliol College, Oxford – Crossby
Out of the 35 crews that originally left with the 100th for England in 1943, only 3 remain. Only a few months have passed but the number has dwindled significantly. CO Harding and the other superiors are trying to take care of their men. In line with this initiative, Captain Crossby was sent to Balliol College in Oxford to attend a symposium. Many other speakers from the Allies will be there as well. Crossby shares a room with Subaltern Alessandra Westgate, a female officer.
The two instantly begin a friendship and learn about each other’s personal lives. Over drinks, late at night, Crossby talks about Bubbles and how his death was his fault. He feels responsible for the planes going down but Westgate shuts him down. She rightly puts things into perspective by blaming Hitler, alleviating Crossby’s burden.
The duo roam in the city the next day, even going to a party. However, their companionship is shortened when Westage receives an urgent message from the base. In the episode’s epilogue, Crossby remarks how the soldiers pulled themselves back up from setbacks and went into the cockpits and planes again each time.
The Episode Review
The rousing ending to Episode 6 of Masters of the Air is arguably its most cheerful one. It also leads us to a possible shift in dynamics as the show now has to bide its time between the war and the PoWs in Stalag IV. The final scene reminded me of Billy Wilder’s 1953 classic, where the getaway by American soldiers was similarly positioned.
Episode 6 once again tries a different approach and touches upon an important facet of war. Despite how unwelcome it is, the unbearable weight of tragedy is a byproduct. There are men like Rosenthal who want to get back into the action without stopping, and then there are the Crossbys of the world who process it differently.
The dialogue is revealing, especially the part of the episode set in Oxford. Although it is only a surface-level discussion as the makers choose to focus on Westgate and Crossby, it encapsulates the essence of the cultural divide. The business end of Masters of the Air is expected to translate into a more personal expression of the war, potentially making it more intense.
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