BIGGLES IN THE ORIENT
Book First Published in April 1945 - 180 pages
(The printing plates were set up for November 1944 but
there was a delay in printing due to wartime paper shortages. They never changed the plates, so the book
had the incorrect date in it when printed)
I believe this Biggles book was never serialised elsewhere. If anybody knows differently then please E-MAIL ME
The first edition dust wrapper showing the original price of 6
shillings
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter or
see the general story summary below
Biggles and his squadron are sent
on a top secret mission to Calcutta. The Japanese have a new secret weapon and
they are using it against British aircraft operating between India and China.
Nobody knows what it is, so Biggles and his squadron have been sent to find
out. Various British planes have been mysteriously crashing and the pilots
killed. They do not appear to have been attacked and the pilots never make any
attempt to radio for help or bail out. Is it some sort of secret ray gun or
sabotage that is causing this? Biggles has to risk his life by exposing himself
to the weapon in order to try to find out what is happening. On one patrol, a
Hurricane aeroplane being flown by Thomas Moorven, crashes for no apparent
reason, killing the pilot. Biggles parachutes out to go and examine the
wreckage of the plane in the middle of the jungle and finds himself in a
confrontation with two Japanese soldiers. Biggles has arranged to be picked up
by a seaplane in a nearby river and the seaplane is escorted out by a Hurricane
flown by Angus Mackail. Angus mysteriously crashes into the river and Biggles
pulls him out of the sunken plane. This is the event depicted on the dust cover
of the book. Angus is in a coma after the crash and cannot explain what has
happened. Biggles continues his enquiries with pilots dying left, right and
centre until he eventually hits upon the ingenious secret weapon that the
Japanese are using against them. Confronting one Japanese agent, the agent
commits suicide by 'hara-kiri' in front of them. However, this leads to the man
behind the whole thing, a Japanese businessman called Larapindi. Biggles sets a
trap and then raids Larapindi's warehouse in an effort to catch him. Larapindi
escapes and reaches an aeroplane but Biggles gets to a Spitfire and is able to
shoot him down and kill him.
Click here to see the story illustrations from this book
Biggles in the Orient
Publication Details - published by Hodder and Stoughton
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail