Franz’s Flight from Boyhood to Combat

The Master Butchers Singing Club

Franz’s love of aviation carries him from childhood wonder to military service, combat trauma, and an accidental injury at war’s end.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Watching the Jenny Watching the Jenny from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The Airfield’s Pull Flight as revelation Franz watches Pouty Mannheim’s Jenny airplane lift from the ground.

Watching the Jenny from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The Airfield’s Pull Flight as revelation Franz watches Pouty Mannheim’s Jenny airplane lift from the ground.

The Airfield’s Pull Flight as revelation Franz watches Pouty Mannheim’s Jenny airplane lift from the ground. The sight produces an intense bodily excitement he cannot explain. A dream takes hold He collects aviation pictures and studies aircraft. Flying becomes the future he can imagine most clearly.

Eva’s First Flight Eva’s First Flight from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". A Son Carries His Mother Skyward A secret arrangement Franz persuades Pouty to take Eva flying, despite Fidelis’s likely objection.

Eva’s First Flight from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". A Son Carries His Mother Skyward A secret arrangement Franz persuades Pouty to take Eva flying, despite Fidelis’s likely objection.

A Son Carries His Mother Skyward A secret arrangement Franz persuades Pouty to take Eva flying, despite Fidelis’s likely objection. He carries her to the airplane and holds her during the flight. A lasting memory The ride gives Eva joy and gives Franz a defining experience of flight with his mother. It binds aviation to love as well as ambition.

Learning to Fly Learning to Fly from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". Training in the Air Skill replaces grief temporarily Franz works around airplanes and learns to fly from Pouty.

Learning to Fly from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". Training in the Air Skill replaces grief temporarily Franz works around airplanes and learns to fly from Pouty.

Training in the Air Skill replaces grief temporarily Franz works around airplanes and learns to fly from Pouty. Controlled flight gives him peace and a way to imagine surviving loss. A dangerous ideal He romanticizes war as a test of courage and expects to become a fighter pilot. His confidence does not account for the randomness of combat.

Combat and Survival Combat and Survival from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The War Franz Experiences Death from the air Franz is shot down and loses friends in combat.

Combat and Survival from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". The War Franz Experiences Death from the air Franz is shot down and loses friends in combat.

The War Franz Experiences Death from the air Franz is shot down and loses friends in combat. He survives another crash and describes the terror only after returning to Mazarine. A changed mission He becomes a transport pilot, carrying supplies and evacuating wounded men. His work moves away from the heroic combat he once imagined.

The Ground Cable The Ground Cable from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". A Sudden Accident No heroic last battle A plane takes off with a cable still attached. The cable catches Franz across the head as he enters a supply locker.

The Ground Cable from "The Master Butchers Singing Club". A Sudden Accident No heroic last battle A plane takes off with a cable still attached. The cable catches Franz across the head as he enters a supply locker.

A Sudden Accident No heroic last battle A plane takes off with a cable still attached. The cable catches Franz across the head as he enters a supply locker. An uncertain future The impact leaves Franz gravely injured. Mazarine visits him in hospital, facing a life altered by an accident rather than a planned act of courage.

Franz’s childhood in Argus

Shortly before Eva’s death

After Eva’s death

World War II

Near the end of World War II