BIGGLES GOES TO WAR

by Captain W. E. Johns

X. COMBAT! (Pages 112 – 125)

At 5.00 am, the three airmen leave the hotel and travel to their aerodrome. Smyth and Carter are waiting for them. A new shelter for the aircraft and stores has been constructed with fir branches covering it. Biggles, Algy and Ginger take off over Bethstein’s house and fly north-east in case he is watching. At twenty thousand feet they wait for any aircraft coming from Lovitzna. In due course, they see a big, three-engined machine and dive down behind it. There is a rear gunner, oblivious to their presence and Biggles fires shots over his head. Biggles points downwards. The Lovitznian plane tries to turn for home but Algy fires across its path. When the pilot continues to ignore indications to land, Biggles shots at the machine itself and points downwards. The Lovitznian pilot nods his agreement. “If, after that, you try any funny tricks, my lad, you’re for the high jump,” Biggles mutters savagely to himself (but only in the book version, this line is missing from the Modern Boy version). The pilot is forced to go down and land and the two enemy airmen are captured. “Do you speak English?” asked Biggles, curtly. The men shook their heads; it was obvious that they did not. (In the Modern Boy version this line is “it was obvious that they did not understand”). (Biggles pointed to the lane through the trees. ‘March!’ he said - is the illustration on page 121). Ludwig arrives and Biggles impresses upon him the necessity for secrecy in holding the airmen. Biggles agrees to meet Ludwig at 6.00 pm that evening. In the Lovitznian aircraft they find propaganda leaflets and a marked map. Biggles pilots the Lovitznian bomber with Ginger besides him and Algy manning the rear guns. As they are about to take off on their mission to bomb the bridge, “Biggles looked at Ginger, one hand on the throttle. “Well, here we go for the fireworks,” he said. The engines roared, and the machine sped across the aerodrome”.