Masters of the Air: Is Barry Keoghan’s Curt dead?

Masters of the Air Episode 3 tracks the 100th’s enormous, ambitious bombing run through Germany all the way to Africa, and it leaves one big question: is Curt Biddick (Barry Keoghan) dead?

It’s been a mixed bag for the Bloody Hundredth since touching down in Thorpe Abbotts. Their first mission to Bremen was a total disaster, with 30 men downed and killed in a blaze of fiery failure and not a single bomb dropped on Nazi Germany. Their second flight to Norway was a marked improvement, not only hitting their target but managing to make it home.

Masters of the Air Episode 3 ups the stakes, assembling the “largest air armada in the history of mankind” for a three-pronged assault on critical German infrastructure. “If we succeed, we knock German production offline for months. There’s no telling how many lives we could save,” their colonel explains.

Between thick “soup” and a barrage of enemy fighters, Curt ends up in a pretty sticky (and bloody) situation as they fly over Belgium – but did he survive?

Did Barry Keoghan’s Curt die in Masters of the Air?

Apple TV+

Yes, Curtis Biddick died in Masters of the Air Episode 3, meaning it’s most likely the last we’ll see of Barry Keoghan’s character.

His plane is already in iffy shape, but his fate is sealed when they’re battered by enemy gunfire, rendering the aircraft near-flyable. His co-pilot Dickie is left on the brink of death after taking the brunt of the bullets, so Curt orders his men to bail out – but he stays on board, vowing to land the plane safely and save Dickie’s life, believing he won’t survive the parachute jump.

He manages to keep the plane level so everyone else can get out, before spotting a nearby field. “Come on, Curt… fly like an angel, huh,” he says as he starts to bring it down, but the plane can’t maintain its altitude. It crashes through the trees, before stalling and nose-diving. “Oh god,” he says, before the plane hits the ground and explodes instantly.

This lines up with the account of the mission on Biddick’s page on the 100th Bomb Group Foundation’s website, although the series made some notable changes. “Over the target, the aircraft was attacked by a large number of enemy fighters. Cannon shells and machine gun fire tore through the ship, killing some crew and leaving large holes in the nose and fuselage, and starting a large fire in the oxygen storage compartment,” it recounts.

“Lt. Snyder exited the burning plane through one of these holes, reached back and retrieved his parachute, and put it on while standing on the wing. When he jumped, he hit the stabilizer which killed him.

“The aircraft crashed after Lt Biddick made an effort to miss a small village directly in the impact area. Several of the crew were injured, and were treated medically before being turned over to Nazi authorities. There were four dead, which were recovered and buried in the cemetery at Pulfringen. These were moved after the war, all to the US. Lt Biddick is buried in a group burial with two other airmen at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Missouri.”

Masters of the Air Episodes 1-3 are streaming on Apple TV+, which you can sign up for here. You can also check out our other coverage below:

Review | Premiere recap | Episode 3 recap |  Release schedule: Dates & episodes | Cast and real-life characters | Is it a Band of Brothers sequel? | Soundtrack & songs

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