US Masters of the Air author and TV series producer visit Bury St Edmunds

Around 100 people met US author Donald L. Miller, PhD, whose book Masters of the Air inspired the Apple TV+ series of the same name, when he visited Bury St Edmunds earlier this week. He was joined by Kirk Saduski, producer of the popular TV series.

Dr Miller and Mr Saduski met members of the public and signed copies of the book and the TV series DVDs at a special event on Sunday, 6th October in The Court Room at Bury St Edmunds Guildhall.

They were officially welcomed to Bury St Edmunds by Town Mayor Cllr Diane Hind who presented them with a print of The Abbey Gate by local artist Tom Crittenden.

Other special guests included Colonel Glenn Cameron, Commander of the 48th Mission Support Group at RAF Lakenheath with his wife Colonel Jill Cameron, Colonel Ryan Garlow, Commander, 100th Air Refuelling Wing, RAF Mildenhall and Colonel Thomas Hutton, Commander 100th Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall.

Volunteers from Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides, Bury St Edmunds Guildhall and Rougham Control Tower Aviation Museum were also in attendance.

Dr Miller and Mr Saduski visited Bury St Edmunds as part of a three-night ‘Masters of the Air: The Mighty Eighth over the Skies of Europe’ tour organised by The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, which brings American visitors to the town four times a year. Using the town as a base for sightseeing, their tour included a visit to the WWII Royal Observer Corps Operations Room at Bury St Edmunds Guildhall and a guided ‘Masters of The Air’ tour of the town with the Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides, which has been undertaken by some 500 people this year to date.

Kirk Saduski said: "The John Appleby Rose Garden has become one of my favorite spots in England. There are numerous beautiful and serene places throughout the UK, but the the Garden’s dedication to the 8th Air Force is such a lovely illustration of the “special relationship,” and what Brits and Yanks accomplished together.

"The best part of the visit was meeting everyone at the Guildhall event. I wish we could’ve squeezed in more time together."

Based on Dr Miller’s book, Masters of the Air tells the true story of the bomber boys of the American Eighth Air Force, known as the Mighty Eighth. During World War II, the East of England became home to over 350,000 US Army Air Forces (USAAF) personnel, dubbed the ‘Friendly Invasion’.

Dr Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History Emeritus at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and one of the outstanding historians of World War II, along with other topics in American history. His books on World War II include The Story of World War II, D-Days in the Pacific, and Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. Masters of the Air, named ‘outstanding book of the year’ by World War II magazine, was the primary source for Apple TV’s mini-series, for which he served as chief historical consultant.

Mr Saduski has been an executive and producer at Playtone for 23 years. Among other projects, he’s worked on Band of Brothers, John Adams, David McCullough: Painting With Words, The Pacific, He Has Seen War, Game Change and the most recent, Masters of the Air. Mr Saduski was also a Co-Executive Producer on CNN’s Decades series as well as the network’s The Movies. He is a Presidential Counselor at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans and a narrative consultant at the National Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Listen to the official Making Masters of The Air Podcast, co-hosted by Playtone’s Kirk Saduski and Donald L Miller, author of the book Masters of the Air, at The National WWII Museum website.

For more information about Bury St Edmunds Masters of The Air connections, where to stay and other things to see and do visit www.burystedmundsandbeyond.co.uk/masters-of-the-air.

You've been to Bury St Edmunds a few times now. What do you like about Bury?

Kirk Saduski:  One of the things I like most about Bury St Edmunds is how smoothly tradition mixes with the contemporary. It’s easy to imagine the 14th Century while enjoying the convenience and comfort of the the 21st.

And you have two Waterstones!

What's your favourite spot in Bury St Edmunds?

Kirk: The John Appleby Rose Garden has become one of my favorite spots in England. There are numerous beautiful and serene places throughout the UK, but the the Garden’s dedication to the 8th Air Force is such a lovely illustration of the “special relationship,” and what Brits and Yanks accomplished together.

What effect has working on Masters of The Air had on you personally?

Kirk: When you help create something, you only hope that it touches someone, somewhere. Seeing up close, the impact that Masters of the Air has had on so many, is extraordinarily gratifying.

What was your favourite aspect of your visit this time?

Kirk: As much as I loved the Rose Garden and staying at The Angel once again, by far the best part of the visit, was meeting everyone at the Guildhall event. I wish we could’ve squeezed in more time together.