Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen Flik 77J “Flying Hoes” Personnel File
Name: Madame Irma Waschbaer
Rank: Captain

The commanding officer of Flik 77J. The name “Waschbaer” is almost certainly a pseudonym, but rules and regulations regarding the use of assumed names have been suspended by order of his Imperial and Royal highness and the name is therefore presented as written.

Little to nothing is known of her early life, but by the fin de siecle she was already well-known as the proprietress of Das Katzenauge, Catseye, a famous Vienna brothel that was implicated in everything from the Prague Rail Scandal of 1895 to the death of Crown Prince Rudolf in 1889. Forced by the outbreak of war to move the establishment’s business even further underground, she hit on the idea of making her girls into fighter pilots after an incident in 1915 involving a prostitute, her customer, and a Lohner B.VII biplane being shipped from Vienna.

It is also, frustratingly, not known to the inspector general’s office how Mme. Waschbaer was able to procure training, aircraft, ground crews, and other logistical supplies. Formal inquiries have been suppressed at the highest level, with “I have my ways,” being the best answer that this office has yet received.

However grudging this office is about Mme. Waschbaer’s lack of respect for the proper chain of command, and her inability or unwillingness to file paperwork properly or on time, it cannot be denied that her girls represent a highly combat-effective unit, and they are responsible for a significant number of enemy kills over the Alpine front. Therefore, no disciplinary actions are recommended at this time.

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