“So much for reinforcements,” Franz said to Schroer as they steadied a mechanic, his arms over their shoulders. JG-77 had flown from the Cape Bon Peninsula, where the Germans and Italians were making their last stand in Africa. They had raced low over the waves to Sicily. A few 109s had been shot down during the crossing, each crash costing two lives, as the pilots bravely stayed with their planes rather than jump and leave their mechanics. Only 40 of JG-77’s 120 planes made it out of Africa.*
