Heller is a master at indicating character through a brief description of physical characteristics and personality quirks. Major _______ de Coverley is "a splendid, awe-inspiring, grave old man with a massive leonine head and an angry shock of wild white hair" raging like a blizzard around his "stern, patriarchal face." He is a man of few words, accomplishing most of his tasks without having to speak, which may be a good thing because his spoken words are less than impressive. His tasks appear to be few. As squadron executive officer, de Coverley procures rental apartments in occupied cities — separate for officers and enlisted — so the men will have places to stay when on leave. He also provides the base with Italian laborers, apparently by shady means. Other than that, he pitches horseshoes and likes to arrive in a city just before the occupying Allied force so that he can ride in a jeep at the front of the conquering army. The Major's patriarchal manner evokes respect to the point that the troops seem intimidated by him. No one knows the Major's first name because no one has had the courage to ask. The Germans would like to learn more about this older officer who seems to spearhead every Allied occupation of a city; so would the C.I.D. Neither learns much.
In Rome, the Major has arranged for luxurious quarters for the men, featuring spacious rooms in a new white stone building; this foreshadows important events later in the novel. Entering Rome with the triumphal Allied procession on June 4, 1944, de Coverley receives his only injury when a "seedy, cackling, intoxicated old man," reminiscent of Satan himself, strikes the Major in the eye with a flower.
