The quest by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg to bring World War II to television screens began in 2001 with the premiere of the thrilling HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers‚” a story that was followed by the duo’s Marine Corps-centric follow-up “The Pacific” in 2010. The pair’s much-anticipated third installment‚ “Masters of the Air‚” debuts Friday on Apple TV+ and centers on the actions of the U.S. Army Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group‚ also known as the “Bloody 100th.” As with the earlier series‚ “Masters of the Air” presents camaraderie as a primary driving force behind the Allied victory. The cast‚ as a result‚ had to not only work within the historical framework of the Bloody 100th’s actions‚ but also needed to step into the shoes of the larger-than-life pilots and crew members who took to the skies in B-17 bombers — oftentimes without fighter escorts — on some of the most hazardous missions the U.S. military has ever seen. One such figure was that of 1st Lt. Harry Crosby‚ a navigator who began as an airsick and chronically nervous crew member before rising to the rank of major and completing a full 22 months deployed with the 100th.“I just fell in love with Harry Crosby‚” actor Anthony Boyle told Military Times. “I thought he was the most incredible‚ unique‚ bizarre human being that I’ve ever seen on screen. I just thought‚ ‘God‚ I’d love the play him. I would just love to spend a year with this person.’” Crosby‚ who after the war went on to become a prolific writer and the eventual director of the Harvard University Writing Center‚ serves as the loose narrator throughout the series. To prepare for the role‚ Boyle watched available footage of Crosby‚ who passed away in 2010‚ and was able to speak to his surviving family members.“The last few jobs I’ve done have been real people‚” Boyle said. “It’s interesting when there’s a limited amount about them. When I played Crosby‚ there was a book‚ some chatter about him and a video that I could go off.”In the show‚ Crosby develops a close bond with highly decorated pilot Maj. Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal‚ played by Nate Mann. The duo’s sharing of heartwarming support during some of the darkest moments in the 100th’s history is part and parcel for all three of the Spielberg-Hanks WWII series. The bond that truly carries the show‚ however‚ is one between Maj. Gale “Buck” Cleven and Maj. John “Bucky” Egan‚ played by Austin Butler and Callum Turner‚ respectively. The duo’s on-screen chemistry is electric‚ with Butler’s portrayal of the buttoned-up Cleven often tempering the hot-headed‚ somewhat reckless Egan so perfectly depicted by Turner.“We had two weeks of boot camp that started us off that really built camaraderie with about 120 of us‚” Butler told Military Times. “We’ve learned a lot about each other through that process‚ going through the physical aspects of that‚ and also being in the classroom together.” Cleven and Egan‚ who were roommates in flight school‚ were two of the 100th’s most experienced pilots. Both were shot down during separate missions in October 1943‚ however‚ and ultimately spent the rest of the conflict together as prisoners of war at the German POW camp Stalag Luft III. “It was easy with Callum‚ because he’s one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met‚” Butler added. “We became friends really quickly‚ and that helped with Cleven and Egan.” The POW experience for Cleven and Egan‚ which was tensely portrayed on screen‚ would further solidify their lifelong friendship.Egan stayed in and eventually served in the newly-formed U.S. Air Force‚ deploying later in the Korean War. Egan sadly died from a heart attack in 1961. He was just 45. Cleven also remained with the Air Force‚ serving in Korea and Vietnam before retiring as a colonel in 1955. He died in 2006. Speaking with Military Times‚ show producer Gary Goetzman noted the importance of bringing the unbreakable bonds of World War II to the screen eight decades after they were forged. “You have a story‚ and you have these great people you’re representing‚ and you try to give them great representation by your casting‚ by the settings‚ by the words‚ and you try to honor them — [that] is what we really tried to do‚” he said. For Goetzman‚ this particular portion of the Spielberg-Hanks WWII trilogy was all heart. “It’s a big story‚” Goetzman said. “These are the guys who tenderized the mainland in Europe so our troops could land. We didn’t know what we were doing; we were losing the war. We didn’t get over there until 1943‚ which is quite astounding.” “Masters of the Air” premieres Jan. 26 on Apple TV+. Originally published by Military Times‚ our sister publication.

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In the latest series of True Detective‚ True Detective: Night Country‚ a team of researchers go missing in the Alaskan Arctic and are later found frozen together in a horrifying human “corpsicle”. The series contains spooky parallels to real life‚ and sparks some interesting questions around human cryogenics.In an interview with Vanity Fair‚ director and writer Issa López confessed to drawing inspiration from historical events in the new series. These include the mysteries of the Mary Celeste and the Dyatlov Pass incident.What was the Dyatlov Pass incident?On January 27‚ 1959‚ nine experienced hikers died on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl Mountain (which translates to "Death Mountain” in the local Indigenous Mansi language). The team‚ from the Ural Polytechnic Institute in Russia‚ led by 23-year-old Igor Dyatlov‚ embarked on a 14-day expedition in the northern Ural Mountains‚ attempting to reach Gora Oterten Mountain. However‚ they never made it to their destination‚ all perishing on the freezing slopes.A month later‚ rescuers searching for the hikers discovered their tent‚ cut open from the inside with most of their belongings still inside. Footprints in the snow led away from the tent and then disappeared‚ and indicated that they were barefoot‚ wearing only socks‚ or a single boot. The next day‚ February 27‚ the first two bodies were recovered near the remnants of a fire. They were barefoot‚ wearing only underwear‚ and had both suffered burns. One had bitten off his own knuckle.Three more bodies were found scattered between the fire and the tent‚ frozen in poses implying that they were trying to return to camp. The others were discovered almost three months later in a ravine. Two had their eyes missing‚ one had no eyebrows‚ and one had had their tongue ripped out.Soviet authorities at the time established that three of the hikers died due to physical trauma and the other six of hypothermia.Has the Dyatlov Pass incident been solved?The incident has since become infamous‚ and in the intervening years several explanations have been put forward‚ ranging from avalanches to aliens‚ yetis‚ and secret military experiments – and yet the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass incident endures to this day. Why did these very experienced hikers flee their tent so ill-equipped to survive?“An avalanche doesn’t explain a lot of the details I think‚” López told Vanity Fair. “Even if it did‚ I prefer the strange‚ incomplete answer. I think there is a fascination with puzzles that are still missing a couple of pieces‚ and that obsess us‚ and make us angry‚ and make us not stop thinking about them.”While we may never know what truly happened‚ we can shed some light on the whole‚ horrific “corpsicle” situation‚ and answer the question: Can humans survive being frozen like a popsicle? Can humans survive being frozen?“The short answer is no‚” Professor Gary Bryant‚ Associate Dean (Physics) at RMIT University‚ told IFLScience.Despite the stories you might have heard about people being frozen like a “piece of meat out of a deep freeze” and living to tell the tale‚ it is simply “not possible‚ and very probably never will be‚” Bryant explained.The human body – normally maintained at 37°C (98.6°F) – really can’t cope with much temperature change at all. In fact‚ hypothermia begins to occur if the body temperature drops below 35°C (95°F).Although the body has its ways of keeping us alive at very low temperatures (by slowing its metabolic rate)‚ it can’t survive actually being frozen – and it’s all because of ice. Humans cannot survive having any ice in our bodies. And seeing as ice formation and freezing go hand in hand‚ it is quite the roadblock to surviving being frozen.“By the time the internal temperature gets to below 0°C [32°F]‚ the cold itself will have already killed many cells and organs‚ but once ice forms‚ it is basically going to be lethal to most cells‚ and therefore to the human‚” added Bryant.Unfortunately for anyone wanting to create a human popsicle‚ the adult human body is 60 percent water. Water is found in cells throughout the body: the brain and heart are nearly three-quarters water‚ the lungs are 83 percent water‚ and even our bones contain some. At extreme low temperatures‚ the water in these cells can freeze. As the water freezes‚ it expands‚ which can cause the cells to rupture. Lethal to both cell and human.We’re sorry True Detective fans‚ but it seems like no one is getting out of the grotesque “corpsicle” alive – aside from maybe a few tardigrades and possibly the odd worm.