The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1945-07-12

den near the enc Oh Cne I1elQ, not
far from the plane itself. She
could see the pilot and his OBJ
server clearly as they looked
around wonderingly.
Suddenly the pilot gunned his
motor and swung the plane
around so that it was pointed di-
rectly at Laura and moved toward
her. She drew back Instructive
ly, although she knew she could
not be seen in the thicket where
she was hiding.
She could hear no sound from
the hilltop now, for the airplane's
motor drowned out all other
sounds. But suddenly the switch
was cut and the engine stopped
turning oyer.
Laura saw the Nazi pilot push
back the hood of his cockpit and
crane his head to look at the big
American plane at the other end
of the field. She looked, too, and
was pleased at what she saw. AL
though the plane was full of men,
not one could be seen. She felt
sure that Blaiston and Chance
were in the cockpit, but they
were crouching down out of sight.
The pilot turned to his observ-
er. mo one in the plane" he
said. mo one here at all, guess.
Listen to that shooting from up
on the hill. Our men have trap
ped them all up there. Let's get
out and have a look"
The two men climbed from the
plane. Laura found herself rails
;, ing her gun to her shoulder and
aiming in their direction. They
stepped in front of their plane,
as if to 60 to the big ambulance
, plane ana look it over.
But at that moment the other
German plane, in the air above,
. gunned its motor three times.
The two Nazis on the ground look
ed up, and the pilot waved his
, arm in a wide circle, motioning
t his fellow-pilot to come on down
to the field.
= The other plane circled at once
for it's landing.
''Now, We'll have even more to
handle" Laura muttered to her
self. "And what about the hill
top-how are they getting along
there?"
Jerry, even in the midst of bat
tie, had heard and seen the two
German fighter planes. The Ger
mans coming up from the defile
had moved more and more rapid
ly, as they encountered no opposi'
ton. But by the time they ar
rived at the crest, the Frenchmer
and Jerry were ready, placed If
carefully planned positions be-
hind clumps of trees and rocks
Their leader had ordered then
to resist strongly for at least fiji
teen minutes.
1 "Give ground slowly" he hac
said. Back gradually toward
the side where we can slip over
the precipice, and get away dowr
the hidden path. I will be the
last one. With a few well-placec
grenades and some machine-gur
fire at the same time, can make
them think there are still several
men defending the crest. Ano
they have to come single file tc
the drop-off."
The action had gone just as
planned. At least twenty Ger
mans had fallen in the first rair
of fire opened up by the hidden
! Frenchmen. Then they had tax
= en- cover and fought more care
fully.
Jerry had been elated, feeling
sure that the Germans would be
held off easily until the ambu-
lance plane got away. But then
he had heard and seen the Ger
man fighters.
What was going on at the field?
Would the take-off of the ambu-
lance plane be stopped-or de-
layed until these attacking Ger
mans could break through and
get to the field?
With the Frenchmen, Jerry kept
un steady fire, saving his gre
nades for the occasional rushes in
force by the Germans. Gradually,
with the others, he had moved
from rock to rock, always going
toward the little path that led to
the drop-off to the precipice path.
give got to get down to the
field,' he said. II may be need
ed more there than here now.
Coming in at the other end of the
field with tommy gun and a