THE RESCUE FLIGHT

by Captain W. E. Johns

XIII. DISASTER (Pages 160 – 173)

Major Raymond comes to the aerodrome at eight in the morning to see Biggles and his team. Raymond has a ‘sticky’ job for someone. “In fact, it’s so sticky that I hardly like to ask anybody to do it, much less order him – not that there is any question of ordering. It’s essentially a job for a volunteer”. The information Raymond reveals is highly sensitive. In the German held village of Belville-sur-Somme there is a spy stationed in the hollow wall of the church tower. From his vantage point he is able to tell the British via a transmitter connected to an underground telegraph, details of the enemy’s position. He went silent yesterday because he needs a new part for his transmitter. He was able to send word via a homing pigeon. The spy is the village padre – a priest – Father Dupont. They need a fluent German speaker to take the part to him. Thirty volunteers as he speaks German like a native. Thirty says he could fly to aerodrome C which is only a few miles behind Belville-sur-Somme and use an old macintosh to cover his uniform whilst he walks there. Rip could stay with the plane and fly him home. Thirty makes preparation for departure that night. “I ought to be doing this job, you know,” Biggles told him, with a worried frown. “You’d probably do the flying part better than I shall, but what you’d gain by that you’d lose by not being able to speak German sufficiently well to pass for a native,” returned Thirty. Thirty and Rip take off and cross the Lines. In the distance they see lightning as a thunderstorm is taking place. Ten miles from aerodrome C, the rain starts to lash Thirty’s face but he is determined to go on with the mission. Thirty crash lands in the field due to the storm and hits a scarecrow, which he initially thinks is a man. “The wind became a thousand shrieking demons clutching at them, slashing the rain into their faces, making it difficult for them to keep their feet”. Thirty fires his Very pistol into the main petrol tank and burns the plane, confident it won’t be seen in the terrible storm. Unfortunately he does this before he takes his macintosh out, with which he intended to cover his uniform. Instead, he takes the peasant’s old blue blouse off the scarecrow to wear. “It was, of course, saturated, but he was already so wet that it made little difference”. Thirty has the important package to deliver in his pocket and shakes hands with Rip. “Thick and thin” they say to each other. Rip watches Thirty disappear into the darkness.