Dedication conflicts with hypocrisy as the squadron enters December 1944. On the one hand, we have Nately who insists on flying more missions so that he won't have to leave the woman he plans to marry. His devotion is terminal. At the port of La Spezia, the Germans reportedly plan to sink a disabled Italian cruiser at the entrance of the harbor so that the Allies will be unable to use the port when they take over the city. The squadron's mission is to sink the cruiser as it is towed toward the entrance. The bombing raid is a success; every flight hits the cruiser. The flak, however, is tremendous. Taking evasive action, Dobbs zigs when he should have zagged, hitting Nately's plane. Both men and their crews, six in each plane, are killed.
By now, nothing that Milo does should surprise anyone. The syndicate has been selling fuel and ball bearings to the Germans for a very nice profit and to balance the power between the two sides in the war. The war is a good investment; the longer it lasts, the better for M & M Enterprises. Milo's popularity on the base, though, is at a low. His prices at the mess halls are so exorbitant that the men must give him all their pay just to eat. Some of the men are beginning to talk. When a rawboned major from Minnesota challenges Milo to produce the share that each man supposedly has in the syndicate, Milo virtuously scribbles "A Share" on a scrap of paper and hands it over. To further enhance his record, Milo approaches Colonel Cathcart and requests combat duty. When Cathcart asks him why he wants to take the risk, Milo reeks with insincerity:
Milo answered in a demure voice with his face lowered meekly. "I want to do my duty, sir. The country is at war, and I want to fight to defend it like the rest of the fellows."
