CHAPTER FOUR
_Next Stop, England!_
Grey skies covered the world from north to south, and from east to west.Standing on the tarmac of the now world famous Botwood field, from whichcountless planes had been flown by unsung air heroes to eagerly awaitingpilots on the other side of the Atlantic, Dave and Freddy tugged theirflying suit collars a bit tighter and looked at each other, bright-eyed.
"Some sight, hey, pal?" Dave grunted, and swept a hand toward the arrayof war planes of all descriptions that lined all four sides of thefield. "It would kind of make Adolf feel sick, if he could get a look atthat bunch."
"He'll hear them, if not see them, soon enough!" Freddy replied withemphasis. "And I hope I'll be in one of them that's right over his head.I say! What beastly weather, though!"
"This?" Dave echoed, and looked at him in surprise. "Why, I should thinkit would make you feel homesick. I've seen plenty of weather just likethis on your tea-drinking island. Holy smoke! Every time the sun comesout in England, you birds don't know what it is that's happened for thefirst couple of minutes. What's the matter, pal? Down in the dumpsbecause you've been hooked for a bit of possible action?"
"No, not a bit of it," Freddy sighed. "Just the usual unhappy feeling.Man! How I'd love to be given a war assignment without having to worryabout you being along to probably mess up the whole business! But Isuppose that's the cross I must bear."
"You'll bear a punch in the nose, if you don't look out!" Dave growled."But, kidding aside, I wonder what comes next? Major Barber dropped uslike hotcakes the minute we arrived in that Army bomber. Told us to goget breakfast, and have a look around. Well, we've been doing that for acouple of hours now. Me, I could do with those further orders he wastalking about."
"Me, too," Freddy said with a nod. "But I fancy he'll get around to itwhen he's good and ready. This isn't the first time we've been kept inthe dark as to what things were all about."
"Nor will it be the last!" Dave grunted. "But I don't blame the Major abit. In this war you can tell a secret to the Sphinx, and first thingyou know it's all over town. But that Major Barber is a good guy. Andplenty! Me for him, any day in the week. I'll wait, if he says so."
"Nice of you," Freddy chuckled. "You blasted well will, and jolly welllike it, too, my fine friend."
"Okay, okay!" Dave growled. "I was only pointing out--Oh, skip it! Whattype bomber would you like to go across in, Freddy? There're all makeshere."
"Any one of them, it doesn't matter," Freddy replied, "just so long asit gets me to England, and soon. I say! Have a look at those twotransports coming in to land! They don't plan to ferry those big thingsacross empty, do they? I don't see any stores of equipment laying aroundhere waiting for transportation across."
Dave didn't reply for a moment. He stared at the two huge Curtiss-builttroop transports that were circling the field and coming around into thelanding wind.
"Those aren't new jobs waiting to be ferried places," he grunted after amoment or two. "They've seen service. They're not right off the factoryassembly line. They're--Well, what do you know!"
Dave breathed the last as one of the two planes touched ground andbraked to a gentle stop. The fuselage doors opened and U. S.Commando-garbed troops started pouring out. The second transport landedand started unloading its cargo of fighting Commandos. There wereforty-five in each plane, complete with equipment, and looking as thoughthey were ready to land on the French side of the English Channel anytime the whistle was blown.
"Which means we're going to have company on the ride across, I guess,"Dave spoke again. "Some of the boys who also passed Major Barber'slittle check test with flying colors. Let's go over and see if any ofthem were in training with us. I think I recognize a couple of them fromhere."
"Right you are," Freddy Farmer murmured. "Let's go over and see."
They hadn't taken more than a dozen steps apiece, however, before aheadquarters orderly came running up to them.
"The Field Commandant wants you to report to his office at once,Captains," the orderly informed them. "It's over there at that corner ofthe field."
"I see it, and thanks," Dave answered for both of them. "On the way,now."
Inside the field office, they found Major Barber seated with ColonelStickney, Commandant of the field. He smiled at them and pointed at acouple of empty chairs.
"Were you beginning to think I had forgotten about you two?" the Majorasked. "Have a chair, and relax. Colonel Stickney, here, will give youyour further orders."
The two youths seated themselves and looked respectfully at the FieldCommandant. Colonel Stickney was the kind of a man who brushedformalities aside and got right down to brass tacks. Maybe that's onereason why he was one of the most able officers in the U. S. Army Airforces.
"You two are taking off at ten o'clock tonight," he said. "You're notgoing across with the ferry bombers or troop transports, however. I'vegot two Lockheed P-Thirty-Eights that are waiting to be delivered inEngland. You'll each take one of them. For the crossing extra gas tankshave been fitted. As you both probably know, we've been ferryingpursuits across, as well as bombers, for several weeks now. They flywithout guns, or ammo, and have extra tanks fitted. You drop the extratanks into the sea when you've used up their fuel. Naturally, you switchthem in first so's to be carrying less weight on the last half of yourtrip."
The Colonel paused and stared down at his fingers for a moment or two.
"You saw those two Commando transports that just sat down?" he asked.Then, without waiting for an answer, "Well, those troops are beingcarried across in the ferry bomber flight that'll take off before youdo. Your P-Thirty-Eights make faster time, of course, so the take-offtimes will be set so that you'll catch up with the flight of ferrybombers a hundred miles or so this side of Ireland. Obviously, it willbe part of your job to escort them along the final lap to Land's End,England."
The Colonel paused again and caught the look the two youths quicklyexchanged. He grinned faintly.
"No, it's not going to be like that in your case," he said bluntly."Your P-Thirty-Eights will be armed to the hilt. I hope you won't haveto use your guns, though!"
Dave looked at him and leaned forward a bit.
"You have reason to believe that we might, sir?" he asked quietly.
The senior officer shrugged and plucked at his lower lip.
"No, I haven't," he said after a long pause. "Anything can happen inthis cockeyed war, however. As I said, those Commando troops you justnow saw climb from those transports are going across to the other sideby air. It will be the first time that ferry bombers have taken troopsacross in any numbers. Tonight's trip may prove to be the beginning oftransporting troops to Europe by air. To date, and contrary to generalbelief, not one single plane that's been ferried from here to the otherside has been lost due to enemy air action. However, as in all things,there has to be a beginning sometime."
Colonel Stickney stopped talking and nodded his head for emphasis.
"The taking of those Commando troops out there to England has been keptas much of a secret as is humanly possible to keep a secret," he said atlength. "Right now, not one of them knows that he's going across bybomber tonight. That doesn't mean a thing, though. The Nazis may bewomen and children killers, but they are no fools. They're every bit assmart as we are, and don't let anybody kid you they aren't. For thatreason there is _no_ reason to believe that they haven't found out aboutthis little thing we're trying tonight. Fact is, I'm assuming that theyhave found out. That's why you two are acting as escort for the ferryships. In short, in case some Occupied France-based Nazi planes comeout to smash up our aerial convoy. If any do, then it will be up to youto see they don't get to first base. You understand?"
Dave nodded, but Freddy Farmer looked puzzled.
"Get to first base, sir?" he echoed. "Where's that base located?"
The other three suppressed their laughter, but they couldn't helpsmiling at Freddy's innocent inquiry.
"An American baseball expressi
on, Farmer," Colonel Stickney explained."I mean, it's up to you two to see that any Nazi raiding planes don'teven get a chance to get close enough for action. Get it, now?"
"Oh, quite, and sorry, sir," Freddy said, and blushed.
"Think nothing of it, Farmer," the other said kindly. "Yank slang is alanguage all its own. Takes time to learn it. And when you have, thenext generation below you is talking an even different jargon. Butthat's the American kid for you. Well, if you've got it all straight,and there are no questions, I guess that's all I have to say. Are thereany questions? You'll be given flight charts and flight signals to useen route later, of course."
"All clear to me, sir," Dave spoke up.
"Quite, sir," Freddy Farmer murmured. "Can't say I hope you get yourwish, though, sir."
"Huh? What's that?" the Field Commandant demanded.
"I mean, that we won't have to use our guns," Freddy replied with asmile. "A bit of Nazi action at the end of the trip would suit me fine.Successful action from our point of view, of course."
"Check, and how!" Dave breathed before he could stop his tongue.
Colonel Stickney tried to give them the hard eye and stern face, butfound it too difficult.
"Knowing of the air records of you two," he grunted, "I'm not surprisedto hear that from you. Just the same, I hope you _don't_ have to useyour guns, either of you. It'll be a mighty big responsibility you'll beflying with tonight, Captains. Don't either of you forget that for asingle instant!"
"Quite, sir," Freddy said evenly, and there was no twinkle in his eyenow.
"Also, check," Dave grunted, and meant it.
The senior officer glanced at his watch and nodded.
"That's all, then," he said. "Captain Jones, the Field Flight Officer,will show you the two planes you're to fly. Better look him up and testhop the two ships to make sure they're in condition for the ocean hop.And in case I don't see either of you again, good luck, both here, andon the other side. I'll be keeping my eye on the communiques."
The two youths thanked him, saluted, and went outside.
"Well, we're going to England," Dave said when they were alone andwalking along the edge of the field. "We know that much for sure,anyway."
"Right you are!" Freddy cried happily, and did a little jig to expresshis feelings further. "Home to dear old England. I can hardly wait...."
"For a pot of that dish water you call tea!" Dave interrupted with alaugh. "Well, there's the Atlantic out there, pal. You can startswimming right now, if you want."
"I don't," Freddy snapped. "The blinking Navy can have the water. I'lltake the air. But I wasn't fooling in there, Dave. I really do hope wemeet up with a couple of Nazi beggars in Messerschmitts."
"And they call the Germans blood-thirsty!" Dave jeered good-naturedly."What a guy! One minute he's singing songs of his dear old homeland,and the next he's saying how he hopes to knock off a brace of Germans onthe way. You want everything, don't you?"
"Very much so!" the English-born ace cracked at him. "Particularly ifit's Nazi pilots and observers. I want all I can get of those dirtyblighters."
"Well, I guess I'm with you there, pal," Dave chuckled. "The fewerGermans I can leave living in this world, the better I'll like it. Well,let's go hunt up this Captain Jones and get a look at those two wingedbabies we've got dates with tonight."