Mission Limits
In the movie Col. Cathcart keeps raising the number of missions needed for pilots, bombadiers and others to rotate out. Was that in Cathcart's authority to do that?
shareIn reality, not.
In the book, there is a big tug-of-wars between two generals who both tried to have all squadrons under their command, with the colonels of every squadrons try to praise both and get some advancement.
And ex-PFC Wintergreen in the middle.
Col.Cathcart makes lists of "feathers in his cap" and "black eyes" - and most time what's good for general Dreedle was bad for Gen. Peckem or viceversa.
Add that Col.Cathcart get into one catch-22 by himself: as he raised the number of mission too many times, if he relented his policy most pilots may rotate home at the same time.
So the squadron would require too many new crews and gave explanations for that.
Another "black eye" in his list.
It' s a long story: in the film all that Headquarters quarrels were cut down to one single general and the "more mission" thing dropped on col.Cathcart shoulders alone.