Masters of the Air: Did Buck die?

Masters of the Air features a key character called Buck, so does this brave fighter pilot die in the series, or did he survive WWII?

Masters of the Air – a WWII drama that’s based on a true story – is now streaming on Apple TV+. In the first episode, Buck’s inaugural mission with the 100th was a disaster. Men were killed in spades, burned alive, and blown to bits as their planes were torn apart by enemy gunfire and flak, and they didn’t drop a single “damn bomb.”

Encouraged by the results from the bombing run on Regensburg and Schweinfurt, the “largest and costliest” mission to date, the top brass give the go-ahead for another flight to Bremen in a bid to hit the U-boat pens.

Meanwhile, Bucky is off on a weekend pass to London, but he cuts his trip short after hearing the news about Buck – so, is he dead? Spoilers for the rest of the series to follow…

Did Buck die in Masters of the Air?

No, Buck isn’t dead. However, his plane was downed in Masters of the Air Episode 4, and he returns at the end of Episode 6.

As detailed on Cleven’s profile on the 100th Bomb Group Foundation’s website, Buck and his men were forced to bail after enemy fire caused “considerable” damage. “I left the ship at about two thousand feet landing approximately five to ten miles northeast of Osnabruck surrounded by irate farmers,” he recounted.

He was taken to a Luftwaffe station alongside Bernard DeMarco (Adam Long). This kicked off a long journey, traveling through Munster, Essen, Dusseldorf, Cologne, and eventually arriving at Frankfurt. They were held in solitary confinement on the outskirts of the city before they were dumped onto freight cars heading to Stalag Luft III in Żagań, a prisoner-of-war camp.

At the end of Episode 6, Bucky finally arrives at the same camp after being dragged through Germany. He sees other men from the 100th, before Buck shouts out: “John Egan, your 2 o’clock… what took you so long?”

Amazingly, Buck and Bucky’s reunion is almost exactly as it happened in real life. The 100th Bomb Group Foundation’s website reads: “Upon John’s shoot down over Munster (led the mission to avenge his friend Gale Cleven being shot down two days earlier) and arrival at Stalag Luft III, the first thing Cleven said to Egan was, ‘What the hell took you so long?’ and he replied, ‘That’s what I get for being sentimental!’”

What happened to Gale “Buck” Cleven after the war?

Buck married his childhood sweetheart straight after the war, fought in two more major conflicts, and earned both an MBA and PhD.

At the end of the Masters of the Air finale, we find out what happened to each of the main characters. Over images of the real-life Gale Cleven, we learn that: “Buck remained in the Air Force and served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He retired a full colonel.

“Cleven earned both an MBA from Havard and a PhD from Georgetown University. Buck married Marjorie Spencer within a month of returning to the United States after the war. John Egan was his best man.

“Marge died unexpectedly in 1953. She had been married to Gale for eight years. Her photograph was still on his mantle 53 years later, when he passed at the age of 87.”

Who plays Buck in the WWII series?

Buck is played by Austin Butler in Masters of the Air.

Born in Anaheim, California, in 1992, Butler was a child star who appeared in shows like Zoey 101 and Life Unexpected. He then made a memorable appearance as Tex Watson in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, before becoming a household name as Elvis in Baz Luhrman’s acclaimed biopic.

That performance earned him an Academy Award nomination, as well as a BAFTA and Golden Globe in 2023. While 2024 has started strong for Austin Butler, thanks to Dune: Part II, and Masters of the Air.

Masters of the Air is now available in its entirety on Apple TV+, which you can sign up for here. While for more shows new to streaming head here.

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