Dave Dawson with the Commandos

  Produced by Greg Weeks, Roger L. Holda, Mary Meehan andthe Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttps://www.pgdp.net

  DAVE DAWSON WITH THE COMMANDOS

  _by_ R. SIDNEY BOWEN

  _Author of:_ "DAVE DAWSON AT DUNKIRK" "DAVE DAWSON WITH THE R. A. F." "DAVE DAWSON IN LIBYA" "DAVE DAWSON ON CONVOY PATROL" "DAVE DAWSON, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT" "DAVE DAWSON AT SINGAPORE" "DAVE DAWSON WITH THE PACIFIC FLEET" "DAVE DAWSON WITH THE AIR CORPS"

  THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY

  AKRON, OHIO NEW YORK

  COPYRIGHT, 1942, BY CROWN PUBLISHERS PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  [Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I STRANGE ORDERS 11

  II NIGHT ATTACK 22

  III EASTWARD TO WAR 34

  IV NEXT STOP, ENGLAND! 46

  V DEAD MAN'S WINGS 57

  VI NAZI WRATH 71

  VII MORE ORDERS 80

  VIII SUDDEN CHAOS 90

  IX ORDERS FOR EAGLES 106

  X VICTORY WINGS 119

  XI SILENT WINGS 131

  XII INVISIBLE DEATH 144

  XIII FALLING DOOM 156

  XIV SATAN'S CALLING CARD 168

  XV VULTURE NEST 181

  XVI EAGLES' COURAGE 195

  XVII STEEL NERVES 209

  XVIII THE GODS LAUGH 223

  XIX COMMANDOS NEVER QUIT! 233

  CHAPTER ONE

  _Strange Orders_

  The waiter came over to the table and smiled politely.

  "Is there anything else I can get you two gentlemen?" he asked.

  Dave Dawson looked up from his empty plate and shook his heademphatically.

  "No thanks," he said. "I'm close to the bursting point right now.Anything more and I'd need a second stomach to hold it. You can bringthe check, please."

  "Very good, sir," the waiter said, and started over to the cashier'snook.

  "I say, just a minute!" Freddy Farmer stopped him. "I'm not quite filledyet. I'll have another piece of that pie, please. And you might bring meanother pot of tea. With cream."

  The waiter blinked and stared, but caught himself quickly.

  "Yes, sir, at once," he said, and hurried away.

  Dave groaned and made a little gesture with his hand.

  "There's a name for guys like you, pal," he said. "But it isn't politeto say it in public. For the love of mike, Freddy! What have you beendoing, tossing it under the table when I wasn't looking? Man! You'vepacked away enough chow to feed a regiment."

  "I was as hungry as a regiment when we came in," the English-born airace said placidly. "You've no objections, have you?"

  "Not a one," Dawson grinned. "Go ahead and kill yourself. But when youfeel the explosion coming on, let me know. I'll want to be leaving in ahurry."

  "Have no fear," Freddy Farmer assured him. "There will be no explosion.Good grief! Can't a hungry chap eat without you staring constantly?After these last five weeks I feel as though I'll never get enough foodinto me. You Americans certainly do a thing for fair, when you have a goat it."

  "Meaning what?" Dave echoed absently as he stared across the hoteldining room at two rather tough-looking, yet well dressed civiliansseated at a table. "What are you talking about this time?"

  "Why, about what I said," Freddy replied. "These last five weeks! Orhave you forgotten already? If so, I'll refresh your memory. For thelast five weeks we have been attending one of your Commando trainingschools, or rather, I should say, Ranger training schools. We completedthe course only yesterday, and here we are on leave awaiting orders. Weboth took English Commando training last year in England. But it wascertainly nothing like the training we've just completed here in theStates. You Americans really--I say! Are you listening to me?"

  "Huh?" Dave grunted, and looked at him. "Were you saying something,pal?"

  Freddy pressed his lips tight and blew air through his nose.

  "How you ever became a commissioned officer, with such manners, I'llnever understand!" he snorted. "Of course I was saying something! Butdon't let me bore you further. I can see something frightfully importantis on your mind. You do have a mind, don't you? Well, what is it? I'llbe patient, and listen."

  "Oh, skip it," Dave grinned. "Sorry from the bottom of my heart,sweetheart. Go ahead. Put the record on again."

  "Like Shakespeare, I never chew my cabbage twice!" Freddy snapped. "No,never mind. I insist upon knowing the reason for that puzzled look onthat homely face of yours. Out with it, my lad."

  "Just a couple of fellows eating on the other side of the room," Davesaid. "I've caught them eying us quite a bit. Came in just after we did.No! Don't look right now, dope! It's not polite."

  Freddy checked his turning head and flushed slightly.

  "Rubbish!" he mumbled. "But what's wrong with two people looking at us?Frankly, I think we look rather pukka in our U. S. Army Air Forceuniforms, and wings, and all that sort of thing. Or perhaps I present aninteresting contrast to your sloppy appearance."

  "Boy! You must have strained a brain cell on that!" Dave growled. "Okay!So people look at us. But there are about twenty other officers in thisdining room. And these two guys--Well, if I were going to rob a bank, ormaybe kidnap somebody, I think I might be tempted to make a deal withthose two. Okay! Take a sneak look now."

  Freddy twisted around and made as though to brush something off his leftshoulder with his right hand. He took a quick look across the diningroom and then turned back to Dave.

  "Phew! They are a nasty-looking pair, aren't they!" he breathed. "Butmaybe they're house detectives, or something. I've always read in yourAmerican detective books that hotel detectives are generallyhorrible-looking creatures."

  "Say, maybe you've got something there, pal!" Dave said with a laugh."_That's_ what they've been doing!"

  "Eh?" the English youth echoed. "What have they been doing?"

  "Counting the knives and forks and spoons, as the waiter put them infront of you!" Dave shot at him. "I bet you a buck they search youbefore you leave."

  "Well, they'd certainly--!" Freddy gasped before he caught himself."Blast your ears, Dave! You made me fall right into that one. Right youare! My turn will come, my good fellow. Seriously speaking, though, havethey really been giving us more than usual notice?"

  "I'd call it that," Dave said with a shrug. "But maybe my imagination'sgoing a little bit haywire tonight. No, not that, exactly. I mean,waiting for orders makes me think all kinds of things. Darn it all, thepicture just isn't complete, if you get what I mean."

  Freddy Farmer shook his head and looked very grave.

  "I'm afraid I don't, old chap," he said. "Something bothering you thatI don't know anything about?"

  "Nope," Dawson said. "Nothing that you don't know about. It's the set-upwe're in now. Five weeks ago we volunteered to take the Commandotraining course. Colonel Welsh, Chief of all U. S. Intelligence, thoughtit would be a goo
d idea if we took it. So we did. So we completedtraining yesterday. So we came down here to New York on leave untilorders should arrive. But we had to say where we'd be stopping. Okay. Sofar, so good. But how long do we stay here? What happens next? Whatorders are we going to receive? And when? And how will they come to us?See what I mean? It's all hanging in the air. Nothing definite. Heck! Wemight be at a movie when a phone call came through from Colonel Welsh orsomebody, and we wouldn't be here. I mean, it strikes me that we shouldhave been told to report to somebody every day to see if our orders wereready. But--"

  Dave let the rest slide, and gestured helplessly. Freddy nodded slowly,and pursed his lips.

  "You're quite right, Dave," he murmured, and frowned. "It does seem abit queer, when you come to think of it. I--Good grief! Do you suppose,Dave?"

  Dawson looked at him with one eyebrow cocked.

  "Do I suppose what?" he asked.

  At that moment the waiter arrived with Freddy's second slice of pie andhis pot of tea. The English youth waited until he had made his retreat.

  "Do you suppose we failed horribly at the Commando school," he said,"and--and this is just a gentle way of letting us down? I mean, sort ofgive us a bit of leave here in New York to buck up our spirits, and thenpost us back to some air squadron?"

  Dave didn't say anything for a moment. He thought back over the lastfive weeks of vigorous training that either made or broke a man.

  "I don't mean to boast," he said slowly, "but if we didn't pass out ofthat training school with pretty fair marks, then there can't be morethan a dozen or so who did. But now you've hit upon the thought that'sbeen bothering me."

  "Make that a bit clearer," Freddy said. "I don't quite follow you. Whatthought?"

  "The Commando business," Dave replied with a little gesture. "We tookthe training because Colonel Welsh thought it would be a good idea. Doesthat mean we're Commandos from now on? _Are_ we waiting for Commandoorders? Or are we waiting for further orders from Colonel Welsh?"

  "Good grief, yes!" the English youth gasped, and smiled faintly. "Factis, though, I've been so jammed full of Commando tactics these last fiveweeks, that it didn't even occur to me that we might not continue alongthat line. Quite, Dave! Ten to one the Commando business is all behindus, and we're simply waiting for Colonel Welsh to dig us up another AirIntelligence assignment. But somehow--"

  Freddy Farmer let the rest hang in mid-air, and gave a little half shakeof his head.

  "Somehow you hope not, Freddy?" Dave asked softly. "That what you mean,pal?"

  Freddy grinned and nodded slightly.

  "Frankly, yes," he said. "I enjoyed every minute of that Commandoschool. I fancy I'd like the chance to put into actual practice a bit ofwhat I learned. Quite! It would be a bit satisfying to take a knife awayfrom some Nazi blighter and toss him over my shoulder, the way theytaught us."

  "You can say that again!" Dave chuckled. "I received a lot of lumpslearning that bit of self-defense. I sure would like to try it out on aNazi tramp. And no rubber knife, either, like the instructor used. But,heck! I guess we're just hollering down the rain barrel, pal. Commandoand Yank Ranger units are being formed in England, not here. That'swhere the finishing touches are put on. After all, we're a couple ofpilots, not infantrymen. No, I guess Colonel Welsh figured it might be agood idea to round out our combat education a bit. So he suggested thatwe take the course."

  "Probably," Freddy agreed with an unhappy sigh. "Just a bit of schoolingto keep us out of trouble while he decided what job to set us at next.Oh well, I enjoyed the schooling--thoroughly!"

  "It was fun, and how," Dave grunted. "But I sure hate to have all thesetough muscles I built up go to waste. Doggone you, Freddy! Seeing youshovel that extra slab of pie into your face has made me hungry again! Iguess I'll join you, at that. But without the tea!"

  Dave turned to signal the waiter, and it was then that he saw the man inperson heading his way. The waiter carried a white envelope in one hand,and he was taking the shortest route across the dining room. In hisother hand he carried the dinner check. In true waiter style, hepresented the check first. Dave glanced at the score and whistled underhis breath. The hotel they had picked slip-out-of-the-hat style was notexactly favorable to a Captain's pay. However, he felt a little betterwhen he realized that three fourths of the check was Freddy Farmer'sobligation.

  "Pardon," murmured the waiter. "Are you Captains Dawson and Farmer?"

  "That's right," Dave told him. "I'm Captain Dawson. So that makes himCaptain Farmer."

  "A gentleman just gave this to the head waiter, sir," the man said, andheld out the envelope. "He said it was to be given to either CaptainDawson or Captain Farmer."

  "Thanks," Dave said, and took the envelope.

  It was plain white and contained Freddy's name and rank, and his own, onthe outside. There was nothing else written on the front side. Heglanced at Freddy and then turned it over to pry up the gummed flap. Hesaw that two ink lines had been drawn across the sealed portion. In thatway it was possible to tell if the letter had been opened. He peered atthe two ink lines and knew that the letter had not been unsealed.

  "What do you suppose?" Freddy murmured.

  "Could be from the management asking us to leave because you eat toomuch," Dave grunted, and wedged a finger under the corner of the flap."But my guess is that it's what we've been waiting for: word fromColonel Welsh. He has a habit of doing things this way, you know. Butpardon me! It's addressed to us both. Do you want to open it, my littleman?"

  "Stop your silly chatter, and open the blasted thing!" the English youthsnapped. "I'm on pins and needles."

  "Give me time!" Dave growled, and struggled with the flap. "The darnthing seems nailed down as well as gummed. Okay. Here goes for thenews."

  He got the flap torn open and pulled out what was inside. It was asingle sheet of fool's cap paper, and the words on it were neatly typed.He read the two paragraphs that made up the letter, and his scowldeepened with each new word. Freddy, watching him, twisted and squirmedin his chair with suspense. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer.

  "Here!" he snapped. "Pass it over, if you don't know how to read!"

  "Take a read," Dave said softly, as his scowl remained. "Take a _good_read, and then _you_ tell me, pal!"