SPOILER ALERT!!!!
Was he killed or missing at the end of the film? The last we see of his older brother is at a dinner table with candles in place of missing pilots. A rather eerie scene I must say. In any event, I didn't see him at the table in that scene...
He's probably dead, the candles are one for each missing/killed man.
It's a direct contrast to the laughing young men seen earlier and a reminder of the German cost of the battle.
Trust me. I know what I'm doing.
It sure is quite a contrast. I just looked at the scene again on Youtube. It looks like half of Falke's squadron were casualties...
shareFalke's brother was killed, but even more than that, the German fighter pilots were not given leave during the battle. They were flying every day without relief. No wonder they were fatigued.
shareSo were the RAF pilots...
This last scene showing the remains of Falke's squadron is rather somber. It's a far cry from the beginning of the movie when they were at the bar having drinks and feeling invincible...
Which was entirely the point of that last scene. Quite poignant. The film did at least endeavor to show the German pilots as human beings not just leering Nazis as in the past.
Trust me. I know what I'm doing.
It does do that well. I think that last scene was also designed to show just how overconfident the Luftwaffe was heading into that battle. The look on Falke's face at the end not only shows the strain of the loss of his comrades and his brother, but also shows defeat.