On October 10, 1943, Major Harry H. Crosby reached out to his base in coded language, his heart heavy with the question of his friends’ return “from pass.” The air was thick with loss; his fears were confirmed with chilling brevity: “Yes, all but one.” The US Army Air Forces’ 100th Bombardment Group had faced the unthinkable over the skies of Münster, Germany. Out of 18 aircraft dispatched, 13 forged ahead after five were forced to turn back. In the end, only one plane, a battered symbol of survival, returned to base.
This tragic mission solidified the 100th Bombardment Group’s moniker, the “Bloody Hundredth,” a name that resonated with both respect and a haunting reminder of the high cost of war. The mission was part of a larger campaign that would see the Eighth Air Force, of which the 100th was a part, sustain fatalities greater than the entire Marine Corps during World War II. Indeed, the Eighth was tasked with a new kind of war, one that took to the German skies with an unprecedented ferocity, aiming for the jugular of the Axis war machine.
The 100th’s airmen, like those of their parent division, balanced on the knife-edge of hope and despair. Hattie Hearn, a curator at the Imperial War Museum Duxford’s American Air Museum in England, captured their reality: “They knew they had to go out on another mission, and that it wouldn’t stop until they’re either shot down, wounded or they eventually complete their required missions.” The emotional toll was immense, an everyday struggle against the suspended anticipation of the next deadly sortie.
Their story is now dramatized in “Masters of the Air,” a mini-series continuing the legacy of “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.” It chronicles the 100th from deployment in 1943 to the war’s end in 1945, a harrowing journey brought to life by actors such as Austin Butler and Callum Turner. Through original research and collaboration with veterans’ families, the series pays homage to the bravery and sacrifices of these men.
The crew’s experience during the Münster mission was arguably one of the most gruesome tests of their resolve. According to an eyewitness account, German fighters descended upon the bombers with a ferocity never seen before, and the Luftwaffe’s targeted attacks on the 100th wreaked havoc, leaving only one plane to carry the harrowing tale back home.
Relevant articles:
– The Real History Behind ‘Masters of the Air’ and the 100th Bomb Group