“One flight,” Franz shouted at Pirchan’s back. “Really?” Pirchan asked. Franz nodded.* Franz told Pirchan he could take White 3 up for one combat mission with JV-44. But Franz had one condition. “You go up, circle a few times, and land,” he told Pirchan. “I’ll sign your logbook so it will count as a combat mission.” The young Austrian could not stop nodding. Franz knew that the skies were safer than usual. The American heavies had stopped bombing Germany two days prior.
