Masters of the Air executive producer Gary Goetzman explains why the Tuskegee Airmen are so important despite their limited role in the miniseries. Also produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, who previously produced Band of Brothers and The Pacific, their new miniseries follows the 100th Bombardment Group which completed missions in German-occupied Europe during World War II. In relatively minor roles, Masters of the Air episode 8 also introduced the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American pilots who served in the United States Air Force.

In an interview with The Wrap, Goetzman discussed why the Tuskegee Airmen are so important despite their limited role in Masters of the Air. The show’s executive producer says “they were a fantastic unit” that should not “be underrated on any level.” Just like the main characters in the miniseries, the Tuskegee Airmen were also masters of the air and deserved to be included in the show, according to Goetzman. Read his full comments below:

Anytime we can speak about Tuskegee airmen, we should. They were a fantastic unit and not to be underrated on any level. We did find that they were in the same camp as our lead characters were during the war. So that was something that we could not let go. It was all about us trying to figure how to include them in this. It is called “Masters of the Air” and they are masters of the air, so it was it was really an opportunity to bring in some of those men and, hopefully, inspire people to learn more about them. This is always the purpose of our shows. The stories are so rich, and there’s so many of them that if we can just inspire people to learn more about them, I think that that would be a job complete.

The Tuskegee Airmen’s Importance Explained

Since the United States military was still segregated during World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen trained at an airfield in Alabama that was specifically designated for African American aviators. However, despite the discrimination, prejudice, and obstacles they faced, the Tuskegee Airmen broke racial barriers by becoming the first African American pilots in the United States Air Force. They proved to be skilled and courageous pilots by flying fighter planes and bomber escorts over Europe, where they proved to be crucial to the eventual Allied victory.

Despite their importance, the Tuskegee Airmen only play a minor role in Masters of the Air. They aren’t introduced until the penultimate episode 8 during Operation Dragoon, when the Tuskegee Airmen’s 99th Fighter Squadron is shot down while attacking German positions at the Côte d’Azur, and Second Lieutenants Richard Macon (Josiah Cross), Robert Daniels (Ncuti Gatwa), and Alexander Jefferson (Branden Cook) are taken prisoner. Though the Tuskegee Airmen only play a limited role in Masters of the Air, this shouldn’t underscore their importance.