At the end of March 1916, German forces were still advancing on the Verdun Sector. Even bad weather did not hamper the ground troops, but it did give the air units a needed respite and a chance to reflect on their success. On 28 March Kulenkampff wrote:

‘At the moment, flying is out of the question; it is pouring rain in torrents and through the moist air the thunder booms from Verdun day and night, mostly strong, and today more furious than ever. We already know what that means and which village has been taken; great confidence prevails everywhere.’²⁵

In good weather, Göring went up in the AEG with various observers and gunners, and generally returned with results. On 4 April, he made a three-hour flight with Leutnant Walter Kaehler, a seasoned observer, and Vizefeldwebel Boje and Unteroffizier Röder at the gunners’ stations. They covered a wide area from the Meuse river to the Argonne forest and, when attacked by two French Caudrons and a Nieuport fighter, Boje and Röder drove them off and Kaehler completed his reconnaissance duties.

Göring’s wartime comrades were quick to praise his flying ability, which got them to their assigned locations – or in close for aerial combat – and brought them back to Stenay. Wilhelm Hübener related an account of the Abteilungsführer’s request for volunteers to fly a photo-reconnaissance mission deep into French territory:

‘Everyone groaned when the mission was announced – except Göring. He quickly got up, tapped his observer on the shoulder and the two of them went to their aircraft and took off. When they returned several hours later their aeroplane was riddled with bullet holes, but they had the photographs. Our [Abteilungsführer] said to Göring: “… as an officer you are only a Leutnant, but as a flyer you are a General.”’²⁷