‘One day [Göring] came … to Armee-Flugpark 5 at Montmédy and asked whether he could try the rotary engine of a Fokker. There was no opposition. Why should an observer not be allowed to try running the engine of an aeroplane that has been parked? Göring had the engine explained to him, let it run for a while, [then] had the brake-blocks [chocks] pulled from in front of the wheels, gave it the gas and flew off in the … brand-new Fokker machine, which was the gem of the Armee-Flugpark. Everyone looked into the sky in horror as the aeroplane circled overhead. The pilot came roaring down and in his mind’s eye every person there could see the Fokker taking a dip [in a nearby pond]. The first attempted landing had to be aborted, the second approach was too long, but the third was perfect. [After viewing this display] the Flugpark commander was really irritated and his adjutant, Hauptmann Hans von Kloesterlein, who had given [Göring] permission, received a strong reprimand.’²³

Göring walked from the scene of his misdeed unscathed and without a care about the condition of the aeroplane, the consequences to the officer who allowed him to ‘try the engine’ or the risk to his own life by flying an unfamiliar aircraft. He seemed to have no fear and, as seen on other occasions, concentrated on whatever interested him. At that moment he focused on flying because, as he commented later: ‘I seem to come alive when I am up in the air and looking down on the earth. I feel like a little god.’²⁴

Following a post-World War II interview with Göring, U.S. Army psychologist Dr. Gustave M. Gilbert saw such behaviour in another light:

‘In examining his feelings about danger, Göring admitted that he just never believed that any harm could really befall him. His fantasy life, it seems, conveniently carried over to real life to protect him from the anxiety of dangerous realities. The insensitive extrovert could thus satisfy his drive for physical stimulation and excitement while acting out his fantasies as a fearless hero who scorned danger. Whatever the reasons, the early signs of aggressive leadership qualities were unmistakable.’²⁵

Loerzer was not very busy at FFA 60 and travelled easily to Montmédy to visit his friend. Hence, on the afternoon of Friday, 17 September, they were allowed to flight test a Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft LVG B.I (serial number B 294/14).²⁶ It was like old times, with Loerzer in the pilot’s seat behind Göring, who was in the observer’s front seat. Their flight was uneventful, but it was good to be in the air again. On succeeding days the two men maintained their flying proficiency in other – albeit older – B-type machines, but that slow period must have made them wonder why they had gone off for further training and when they would return to combat.

Göring got lucky on Saturday, 23 September, when he received his first ‘official’ assignment as a pilot.²⁷ He was directed to use an Albatros B.I (serial number B 106/15) to fly an important staff officer, Hauptmann Helmuth Wilberg, from Montmédy to an airfield near Metz, where he would inspect Flieger-Abteilung (A) 203, one of six new twoseater units²⁸ dedicated to aerial reconnaissance and wireless telegraphy-supported artillery spotting. The German flying corps was beginning a reorganisation and these units were established as part of that process.