#SOURCE: A Wing and a Prayer by Harry Crosby

[thatsrightice]

Before the war, Harry Crosby had started school for his master’s degree in literature at the University of Iowa. He was regarded as a very smart guy, “borderline genius” by some of the others he served with and yet infuriatingly humble.

On one particular training mission with the Just-a-Snappin’ crew, the weather was good and Crosby knew where they were at every second of the fight, so he pretended to be a tour guide of sorts.

"Navigator to crew, if you look out the right window you can see The Wash."

“Waist, here. What's The Wash?"

I told him. "It's that huge inlet on the coast." In a few minutes I hit the button again. "Now if you look on the port side you can see Robin Hood's hometown, Nottingham. That's Sherwood Forest right by it."

A string of Rogers.

And later on in that same flight…

I tried to keep the crew entertained. I pointed out some places with funny English names, like "Ribble" and "Barrow-in-Furness." I showed them Balmoral Castle, Gretna Green, and Newcastle.

The best part is, only Crosby was allowed to do such a thing during the flight. Blakely would get rather miffed if anyone else tried to initiate any funny business over open-mic.

[kiinghanalister]

Masters of the Air vs real life counterparts (source: A wing and A prayer by Harry H. Crosby)

[turtleofdamascus]

My character design of Lt. Harry Crosby as portrayed by @anthonyboyle in #MastersoftheAir in @appletv . 

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FERAL ABOUT ANTHONY BOYLE. Made this during figure drawing class

Made something inspired by my fave character/real historical figure in MOTA. This guy’s anxiety/overthinking is so relatable. I can’t believe real human beings flew in those massive machines and managed to survive  the war.  Even surreal to just even see the image of all the planes in the air. Crazy human beings navigated wo all the technology we have today 

Harry Crosby was an B-17 Flying Fortress navigator. He was an officer in the US Army Air Forces in WWII and flew 32 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. His memoir “A Wing and a Prayer” is source material for MOTA.

[thatsrightice]

THE LEGEND OF BRADY’S CREW AND THEIR CRASH WAGON

The crash landing we see John Brady’s crew conduct in Part 1 of Masters of the Air was not their first. On Christmas Eve of 1942, Brady’s crew took off on a training mission but crash landed in the snowy mountains of Evanston, Wyoming due to inclement weather and a lack of gas. No one was injured thanks to Brady’s skillful flying (and Harry Crosby’s Scottish descent, according to the young woman who found them).

Afterward, the crew received a brand new B-17F, serial number 42-30071. Though officially titled “SKIPPER”, the Fort had immediately been given a name: “BRADY’S CRASH WAGON” in homage to the legend of their training accident.

Their second crash landing, the one we see in the show, actually occurred at an Air Depot in Warton on the east coast due to the landing gear being frozen. Their belly-landing damaged their aircraft so they were forced to take a train to Diss and then a truck to Thorpe Abbotts.

42-30071 “BRADY’S CRASH WAGON” would be repaired and sent to the 96th Bomb Group. It was irreparably damaged in another belly-landing on April 18, 1944 and scrapped.

[thatsrightice]

Floyd “Bucky” Mason was from Texas, the pilot of a replacement crew in the 100th. He was well-liked and highly respected as a command pilot.

On July 28, 1944, Bucky Mason set out with the low squadron on a mission over Merseberg, Germany on his last mission.

Everyone on base lined the runways, waiting anxiously for their return. As Crosby waited for his friend to return, two of the aircraft ran into each other on the runway. The explosion killed nineteen men boys right in front of him and everyone else.

[thatsrightice]

There were 140 total Pilots, Copilots, Navigators, and Bombardiers in the “Original” 100th crews.

After Münster, there were only THREE left on flying status:

Pilot Everett Blakely

Bombardier James Douglass*

Navigator Harry Crosby