 The character of Dutch Imil is more difficult to pigeonhole, and like many fictional characters with real-life counterparts, apparently a composite.While Thyng was superficially similar to Imil in combat experience, and the tone of Salter's recollections in "Gods of Tin" and "Burning the Days" indicates at least an ambivalence of feeling toward Thyng, Salter flew many of his missions with the wing commander and clearly respected him.Moreover, Thyng was a small man physically (Salter says he "looked like a fading jockey"), and not given to bombast.