‘Hollywood comes to Fraserburgh’: North east town plays starring role in TV series ‘Masters of the Air’

Fraserburgh has played a starring role in the new Apple TV series ‘Masters of the Air’.

Premiering on January 26, the second episode of the major Steven Spielberg-Tom Hanks production took a visit to the Aberdeenshire town in spectacular style.

The north east coast emerges at around 38 minutes in, where an emergency landing of a U.S. Airforce aircraft of the 100th Bomb Group take place.

The historical moment took place after the ‘Bloody Hundredth’ made their way back to British land after bombing Norway on July 24, 1943.

Although the coast looks real, it is in fact recreated by computer-generated imagery.

History behind Fraserburgh’s Masters of the Air episode

Based on the non-fiction book by Donald L. Miller, Masters of the Air tells the true story of an American bomber squadron in Word War II who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep.

It follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group – the ‘Bloody Hundredth’ – as they conduct bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and the sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air.

The star-studded series features actors including Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan and Austin Butler.

RAF Peterhead Heritage Society took to social media to explain the importance of these scenes – describing the episode as “Hollywood coming to Fraserburgh”.

The group explained: “On 24 July 1943, 60 plus B17s took off from Thorpe Abbott, near Diss in Norfolk, to bomb the submarine pens in Trondheim, Norway, during a daylight raid.

“Encountering heavy, accurate flak over the target it was bombed and the 100th BG made it way home.

“However, the B17 ‘Wild Cargo’ 42-30064 took some hits, eventually dropped out of formation and made an emergency landing… at Fraserburgh.

“This is where history seems to diverge as a number of researchers indicate that is was the B17 ‘Muggs’ 42-30184 landed at Fraserburgh. More research required but lets go with ‘Wild Cargo’.”

The group continued to say how important it is to realise the role north east airfields played during the war.

They said: “Throughout the period 1941 to 1945, Fraserburgh, Peterhead, and Dyce, all had aircraft recover to them in various states of damage and destruction. The current figure for Peterhead alone stands just over 100. If you take that the average crew of a bomber is 7, that an awful lot of personnel.

“Needless to say, Masters of the Air and the Fraserburgh return goes to tell a long forgotten story of the north east.”

Masters of the Air new episode release date

Masters of the Air first two episodes were released on Friday, January 26.

The remaining seven episodes will air every Friday until the season finale on March 15, 2024.