January 1918: Franz Becker, a high-scoring, decorated ace, rejoins his fighter squadron in Flanders. He has been fighting since October 1914, and is suffering badly from the strain of war. Imperial Germany is almost finished, strangled by the Allied blockade, its people starving.
Full synopsis
January, 1918: Franz Becker, a high-scoring, decorated ace, rejoins his fighter squadron in Flanders. He has been fightingsince October 1914, and is suffering badly from the strain of war. Imperial Germany is almost finished, strangled by theAllied blockade, its people starving. The country is running out of men and resources, but there is one last chance to winthe war: Russia has made peace and the Americans have yet to arrive.
Franz and his fellow pilots know they have to fight on, no matter how outnumbered they are, otherwise the enemy willbe in Germany. The Spring takes a heavy toll of the top aces, and Franz knows that it will soon be his turn to go to theGreat Army. His close friend Karl von Leussow is at home in Brandenburg, on convalescent leave after being shot downand badly wounded the summer before. Franz misses him desperately, but believes Karl to be safe. He can only hopethat they will meet again, “after the war”...whenever that may be.
Spring turns to Summer and every German offensive fails, with terrible casualties. The Allied aircraft are ever morenumerous, the new pilots are barely out of school, and most die within a couple of weeks. The ranks of the Great Armycontinue to grow. How many more men will die before peace is made?
