Chapter 15 "Piltchard and Wren" Summary

Captain Piltchard gives Yossarian a mild rebuke for abandoning the mission. Captain Wren says that even though Bologna was a milk run, everyone was too nervous to finish the job. Colonel Cathcart, therefore, got permission for everyone to go back there tomorrow. To prove to Yossarian that they bear him no ill will, the joint squad operations officers assign him to fly as lead bombardier in the first formation. The next day, Yossarian leads his men through a nightmare of flak and fire. Fighting panic, Yossarian successfully bombs his target. As he shouts evasion orders to pilot McWatt, Yossarian finds himself antagonized by the eerily cheerful navigator Aarfy, who teasingly pretends not to hear Yossarian's repeatedly demands that he leave the nose compartment. A minor brawl erupts between the two men, but Yossarian is unable...