Is Anyone From The 100th Bomb Group Still Alive Today?

The Apple series Masters of the Air offers a harrowing insight into the bravery of a group of men who served valiantly during WW2. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the series tells the true story of a group of soldiers called the 100th Bomb Group, fighting against German soldiers in a bomber named “The Flying Fortress”. It serves as a companion series to their previous works Band of Brothers and The Pacific, both of which also offered insight into famous events during the war.

The series is based on the book, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller and gives viewers a tragic view of World War II from up in the air and the harrowing ordeals of the bomb group. Masters of the Air has been called a captivating and emotional series with in-depth and accurate recreations of the group’s battles in the sky.

There Are 4 Surviving 100th Bomb Group Members As Of February 2024

As of February 2024, there are 4 members of the 100th Bomb Group still alive today. John Luckadoo, known as “Lucky”, joined the U.S. Army at nineteen and served as a pilot; he served in both the 350th and 351st Bomb Squadrons and flew 25 combat missions before he finished his service in 1944 at 22. He later married, had a daughter, and worked with war correspondent Kevin Maurer on a book; the book, appropriately titled Damn Lucky, offers a full and detailed insight into his time with the 100th Bomb Group and the tragedies that everybody faced during the war.

James R. Rasmussen joined the group in December 1944, at the age of 20, and served as a navigator in the 349th Squadron, flying 33 missions. He guided the bomber to its targets, against bad weather and German fighter planes. Rasmussen went on to fly relief missions to the Netherlands, dropping food supplies to the public; after the war, he married, had a family, and now, he regularly gives talks to schools about his war experiences (via MPR News).

Henry Cervantes, known as “Hank”, was one of only a few Mexican-American pilots in the group. He completed 26 missions as part of the 349th Squadron and survived a suicidal attack from a German ME-109G on April 7, 1945. Following his discharge, Cervantes became a program coordinator and civil servant, determined to create new opportunities for Latino people; he later released an autobiography, titled Piloto: Migrant Worker to Jet Pilot, that detailed his life before, during and after the war.

Robert Wolff enlisted for duty in 1942, when he was only 18 years old, training as an aviation cadet; he served as a member of the 418th Bombardment Squadron that flew 7 missions before they were shot down over France on September 16, 1943. Wolff served as a Prisoner of War for 19 months in the Stalag Luft III camp before being freed in April 1945. After the war, Wolff returned to California where he married his long-term fiancé; he later received the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his war services (via The 100th Bomb Group Foundation).

Are The 100th Bomb Group’s Surviving Veterans Depicted In Masters of the Air?

Masters of the Air depicts the trials and tribulations of the 100th Bomb Group members during the war. There were 35 crews in the group, totaling 350 men. Many prominent members are depicted throughout the show, but with such a large group, it would have been impossible to include every member in the series. Luckadoo, Rasmussen, Cervantes, and Wolff are not among the cast and character list of Masters of the Air.

While they don’t appear in the series, the 4 surviving veterans made a special appearance at the Los Angeles premiere of Masters of the Air. They attended the premiere alongside Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and the cast of the series, and they received a standing ovation from the audience. In an interview, Luckadoo spoke about viewing Masters of the Air and his reflections on his own experiences at war compared to its depictions in the series (via Radio Times).

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What Happened To Masters Of The Air’s Main Characters

By the end of the war, the 100th Bomb Group lost 229 planes, 923 pilots were taken as prisoners of war and 757 were declared dead or MIA. The losses suffered earned the group the nickname, “The Bloody Hundredth.” The cast of Masters of the Air depicts real pilots whose lives faced different outcomes after their gruesome experiences during the war.

Lt. Curtis Biddick, played by Barry Keoghan, was among four pilots killed in a plane fire in Regensburg in 1943. Gale Cleven (Austin Butler) continued to serve in the army after the war, serving in Korea and Vietnam before retiring in 1955; he later earned degrees from Harvard and George Washington University and died in 2006. John Egan (Callum Turner) married and had two daughters before he died of a heart attack in 1961. Major Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle) served as the lead navigator in the Bomb Group and flew 32 combat missions during his time with the Air Force. Returning to America after the war, he worked at Boston University, as a faculty person until 1984. Crosby died in 2010 at 91; his autobiography, A Wing and a Prayer, later served as source material for the producers when creating and developing Masters of the Air.

Source: Radio Times, MPR News, The 100th Bomb Group Foundation

Masters of the Air

Release Date

January 26, 2024

Cast

Austin Butler , Callum Turner , Barry Keoghan , Nikolai Kinski , Stephen Campbell Moore , Sawyer Spielberg , Isabel May , Anthony Boyle

Seasons

1

Writers

John Shiban , John Orloff

Directors

Cary Joji Fukunaga , Dee Rees , Anna Boden , Ryan Fleck , Timothy Van Patten

Where To Watch

Apple TV+