Luftwaffe pilots even joked about Hitler not having even enough prop planes built for them to fly. They claimed to have a foolproof method of identifying aircraft: If the plane was silver, it was American; if dark in color, British; if it could not be seen at all, it was German.
Barbara loved the story about Field Marshal Erhard Milch, Director of Air Armament for the Luftwaffe. He had once been so frustrated by Hitler's lack of knowledge or appreciation for his fliers and their planes, he challenged Der Fuhrer at a conference for not knowing the difference between a fighter and a bomber. Shortly after, Milch was out of a job and lucky he had not been shot for insubordination.
Sparing their lives, the Nazi pilots flew off satisfied they had completed their mission; they had shot down a B-17. The morning sky was peaceful again after an aerial dance of death as the sun broke through the clouds over Barbara and Stephen and their parachutes brought them down over the Carpathian mountains, their mission as yet unaccomplished.