Katia Waldheim

Birthday: January 7

Age: 15 years old

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Katia is a petite and charming girl with light brown hair styled in a ponytail, matching her light brown eyes.

She is remarkably straightforward, often speaking her mind without hesitation. Because she was raised with the democratic education of West Germany, she frequently voices opinions that clash with East Germany’s system, especially her hopes for reconciliation between the two states. Her outspoken nature regularly puts her squadron and commander, Theodor Eberbach, in precarious positions.

As a result, she is often reprimanded and corrected by the political officer Gretel Jeckeln.

Katia was originally a pilot in the West German military. She joined a unit dispatched to East Germany in search of a specific person, but the mission ended in disaster when the entire force was annihilated. Stranded and alone on the battlefield, she was rescued by Theodor. Realizing that infiltrating the East German military would best serve her personal mission, she voluntarily applied to defect to East Germany and join the 666th Squadron, a request that was eventually granted.

Initially, most squadron members viewed her with cold suspicion. However, her standing gradually shifted. During Operation Neptune, she persuaded the VFA-103 and Huckebein, Western units, to move in and rescue the embattled 666th Squadron. This success, among others, slowly earned her the respect of her comrades.

Katia’s true identity is that of the only daughter of the late Lieutenant General Alfred Stralhavitz. Once a celebrated war hero, the general was purged for opposing East Germany’s regime. Much later, when the Stasi seized control of the squadron’s base, Katia succeeded in escaping together with Theodor. She found shelter with the anti-government resistance under the protection of Heim, the Inspector of Education for the Western General Army.

With Irisdina Bernhard captured, the resistance movement lacked a symbolic figurehead to rally around, causing Heim to hesitate calling for an uprising. Katia then revealed her real name, her lineage, and her readiness to become the face of the revolution, an act of resolve that finally convinced him to act.

From that point, her symbolic importance kept her away from direct combat and separated from the squadron. As a result, when she learned that Lise Hohenstein had been executed—and that Theodor had been forced to carry out the sentence—she rushed to Berg Base, but arrived too late. Standing before Lise’s body, she openly wept and furiously condemned the resistance leaders, accusing Zuzi and others of sacrificing Lise to tighten discipline, a method she saw as no different from the Stasi’s own brutality.

During the final conflict, Katia operated with a separate detachment of the resistance. They seized a broadcast station, where she delivered a live address revealing her origins, her ideals, and the abnormality of a nation dominated by the Stasi. She called upon the people of East Germany to rise up. Her speech resonated, and citizens gathered at the Berlin Wall, their collective action proving decisive.

Three months after the revolution, the Stasi had been dismantled and official talks were underway for the reunification of East and West Germany. Katia participated as a member of that representative delegation. In the final scene, she is seen sitting on a train alongside Theodor.

Though her political outbursts create friction, Katia’s raw talent as a TSF pilot is undeniable. She possesses an extraordinary gift for tactical surface fighter operation. During her defection, she completed a full type conversion from an F-4 to a MiG-21 in just three hours, a process that normally takes a full day. Within just two months of switching machines, her combat maneuvering was already on par with the exceptionally skilled Sylvia Kschessinska, a testament to her incredible potential and diligent work ethic.