The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1945-07-19
Ns.&As.Na.0 ~ 0ATORG4
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hind, jerry said. And think
there's a turret there. Go back
and seet"
Laura crawled back and found
a little seat with a turret contain
ing a double machine gun. She
reported her find to Jerry.
"Good" he said. you'd bet
ter take up yotr post back there.
Best place for looking for planes,
anyway. Can you figure out
how to handle the gun?''
II think So" Laura said, and
went to take up her new position.
Then, looking up through the
plexiglass turret top, she saw
three German planes above them
and to the east. She called to
Jerry at once, and he zoomed the
plane up a bit so he could get a
look at them. They were three
German Messerschmitts like his
own and they were heading north
some miles to the east.
$50 they sent three of 'em up
for U.S." he muttered.
But the three planes did not
come at them. Instead they veer-
ed slightly and circled above the
American plane and its follower.
If they were just three fighters
on a routine flight, Jerry decided,
they might not have heard any
thing about an American ambu-
lance plane and a stolen German
Messerschmitt.
After all, they don't know an
American pilot is flying this
plane" he argued with himself.
''When they see German plane
in this neck of the woods, it will
never occur to them to think it is
not flown by a German. Maybe
they'll figure that I'm escorting
this captured American transport
somewhere. They've probably
trying like the very devil to get
me on the radio and ask me what's
what. And wondering why they
can't get any answer. Well, we'll
just keep our fingers crossed"
In few minutes Laura called
to say that the three planes had
formed their V again and resum-
ed their course to the north.
Jerry told Laura to keep her
eyes on them as long as she could,
and then concentrated a bit on
some navigating, to try to locate
his position. He was pleased to
learn, after checking a few land
marks on the map he found in the
plane, that they were not far from
the coast.
For five minutes they flew
steadily ahead and nothing hap
pened. Then Laura called out
loudly.
'Those three planes" she cried
''They disappeared, but now they
are coming back! Heading straight
for us and coming like wind!"
"Oh-oh!" Jerry muttered. '"They
decided to ask their base by radio
about this strange sight, and then
they were told what it meant
They're really coming to get us
now"
He spoke to Blaiston briefly on
the radio.
1T can't be too long before
we'll meet our own fighters" he
said, $50 you just keep going.
I'll hold these babies off as long
as I can"
Jerry held his course until he
felt that the three pursuing Ger
man planes were about to pounce
on him. Then he suddenly point
ed his planes nose at the sky and
climbed, forcing the engine to
pull with all its strength. Up
there a few hundred feet was a
cloud. And behind that cloud
was the sun.
He was on top of it, in the clear
sunlight, in a few seconds. Be-
low him, the three German planes
were swinging upward, too, but
not so steeply as he had. Appar-
emily they were going after him
first, planning to attack the am
bulance plane when he was dis
posed of.
He turned the craft over in a
wing-over and pointed it's nose
down at the little cloud again.
If he had calculated right, the
last of the Germans would be
right under that cloud when he
came plunging out of it. Well,
he'd know in a matter of seconds!
The planes speed was terrific
as he tore through the wispy
cloud and out of it again below.
Beneath him was the last of the
German planes.
The pilot suddenly saw Jerry
and frantically swerved to the
left RIFT larry had cal10ht him