Nicknamed "Vati", or Papa, his Squadron was put on alert during the arrival of Colonial ships over Earth and he tangled with a flight of Vipers. During a few 'awkward' intercepts with Colonial fighters he was able to develop an opinion of the newcomers and issue a few directives to his pilots that allowed them to fly 'with' the better performing Vipers and earn the early grudging respect of Colonial pilots for their Luftwaffe opposite numbers.