Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen Flik 77J “Flying Hoes” Personnel File
Name: Liska Hrdy
Rank: Leutnant
Decoration/Call Sign: Crossed parasols

The inspectorate general is, again, of the opinion that “Liska” is not Lt. Hrdy’s actual given name, and it is furthermore of the opinion that her surname is unlikely to be authentic either. This is because the former means ‘fox’ and the latter ‘proud’ in Czech, thus it could be read as “proud fox” by the one Czech-fluent member of the interview staff. The use of pseudonyms may be popular in Vienna brothels for obvious reasons, and noms-de-guerre have been used since time immemorial, but they do so complicate proper recordkeeping.

Lt. Hrdy is a study in contrasts. Outwardly, in the manner of her dress, she is by far the most ladylike of Flik 77J, favoring parasols, fashionable hats, and well-cobbled boots. In fact, the interviewer was rather surprised to find that she sewed all the garments herself, and that they have been extensively modified with luxuries like pockets. For that is the contrast in question: Lt. Hrdy is an inveterate tinkerer and inventor, always dabbling with a hundred inventions at once. She described, in exhausting detail, a pistol-caliber carbine disguised as a parasol to the interviewer, as an example. While a competent mechanic, she seems to spend more time tinkering with the planes’ other systems. Capt. Waschbaer credits her with improvements to the aircraft synchronization gear, the design and construction of the small bombs Flik 77J drops on the alpine front, and the like.

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