Bury St Edmunds tours to show links to Masters of the Air series

Tour guides will show off the Suffolk attractions linked to a new World War Two series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks following its release.

Masters of the Air, which follows the US Eighth Air Force unit, is linked to many spots in and near Bury St Edmunds.

Filming for the Apple TV show has already taken place in Hemel Hempstead's Old Town in Hertfordshire.

Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides said it wanted to "bring to life" the places that contributed to the war effort.

The 60-minute walk on 13 February and 12 March will see people hear about attractions such as Rougham Control Tower and Aviation Museum, St Edmundsbury Cathedral and The Corn Exchange.

It ends with a half-hour stay at The Guildhall where visitors can see the Royal Observer Corps operation room.

"[It] will bring to life those buildings and places which contributed to the war effort or helped raise the morale of allied servicemen and women during the dark days of World War Two," organisers said.

The upcoming TV show, due to be released on 26 January, is based on Donald L Miller's book Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany.

The Eighth Air Force, known as the "Mighty Eighth", bombed Berlin, Hanover, Leipzig and Dresden, and destroyed enemy targets including rail facilities and oil refineries, while also engaging in air-to-air fighter combat.

Hanks and Spielberg are executive producers on the series, which is being made by the companies behind World War Two dramas Band of Brothers and The Pacific, and features actor Austin Butler.

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