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No.4369

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SWASTIKA SQUADRON EBRUARY 1940 AND THE “PHONEY WAR” HAS ALL OF EUROPE ON TENTERHOOKS. FLYING OFFICER HUGH TEMPLETON, LEADING A PATROL OF THREE ROYAL AIR FORCE BRISTOL BLENHEIM MK IV LIGHT BOMBERS OVER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL, IS AS JUMPY AS THE NEXT MAN. THE NEXT MAN IS HIS OBSERVER, PILOT OFFICER DAN TROTTER AND HE HAS SPOTTED A SUBMARINE ON THE SURFACE. BUT IS IT FRIEND OR FOE?

F

IF THEY’VE SEEN US STAND BY FOR THE FASTEST CRASH-DIVE IN HISTORY, SKIPPER!

SHE MIGHT BE ONE OF OUR OWN SUBS, DAN. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.

STORY NORMAN ADAMS ART KEITH PAGE COVER KEITH PAGE

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4 AFTER ANOTHER LOOK DAN, WHO WAS ALSO NAVIGATOR AND BOMB AIMER, LOWERED HIS BINOCULARS WITH A SIGH OF RELIEF. HUGH HAD AVERTED A POTENTIAL TRAGEDY. SPOT ON, SKIPPER. SHE IS ONE OF THE OLD L-CLASS SUBS.

I’LL WARN THE OTHERS.

HUGH CALLED UP THE OTHER PILOTS BUT HIS WARNING WAS CUT SHORT WHEN THE SLIPSTREAM FROM PILOT OFFICER DEREK CROUCH’S AIRCRAFT ROCKED HIS PLANE. IN HIS GUN TURRET HUGH’S WIRELESS OPERATOR/GUNNER, FLIGHT SERGEANT SAM “SPARKS” STOKES, COULD HARDLY BELIEVE HIS EYES.

TALLY-HO!

CRIKEY! THE SILLY CLOT THINKS IT’S A JERRY!

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5 LUCKILY, DEREK’S MARKSMANSHIP WASN’T GREAT AND HIS BULLETS CHURNED THE SEA WIDE OF THE TARGET. THE SUBMARINE WAS STILL IN GRAVE DANGER, THOUGH, AS HIS NAVIGATOR/BOMB-AIMER, PILOT OFFICER FRED BOOTH, ADJUSTED HIS BOMB SIGHT. BELOW, THE SUB’S FIRST LIEUTENANT BARKED AN ORDER TO HIS SIGNALMAN.

WARN OFF THAT BLITHERING IDIOT, YEOMAN! HE’S TRYING TO SINK ONE OF HIS MAJESTY’S SUBMARINES!

IN THE NICK OF TIME DEREK SAW THE WINKING ALDIS LAMP AND SNATCHED HIS THUMB OFF THE TRIGGER. FRED DID THE SAME WITH THE BOMB RELEASE BUTTON. BLIMEY, SIR! IT’S ONE OF OURS. THEY’RE FLYING THE WHITE ENSIGN.

BANG GOES MY PROMOTION!

AYE, AYE, SIR!

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6 DEREK’S PLANE SHEERED OFF, LEAVING IN ITS SLIPSTREAM A FURIOUS FIRST LIEUTENANT ON THE BRIDGE OF THE SUBMARINE.

GET THAT PILOT’S NUMBER!

THE HAIR-CREAM BOYS ARE GOING TO GET IT IN THE NECK FOR THIS.

ON THEIR RETURNING TO BASE AT ARCHER’S FIELD IN RURAL ENGLAND, HUGH AND PILOT OFFICER FRANK HARDCASTLE, WHO WAS FLYING THE THIRD BLENHEIM, TURNED THEIR WRATH ON DEREK. YOU’RE A GLORY-HUNTER, CHUM, YOU SHOULD BE FLYING A MAHOGANY SPITFIRE NOT A BLENHEIM.

HUGH’S RIGHT. YOU’D BE SAFER IN A DESK JOB.

IT LOOKED LIKED A U-BOAT. ANYONE CAN MAKE A MISTAKE.

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7 THE DEBRIEFING BY THE STATION ADJUTANT, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT BRUCE BARTON, WHO HAD FLOWN IN THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS, WAS AN UNCOMFORTABLE EXPERIENCE. THE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER AND WORLD WAR ONE VETERAN DID NOT MINCE HIS WORDS. WHAT A DICEY DO! WHAT A SHAMBLES! THE NAVY IS HOPPING MAD.

SORRY, SPY. I JUMPED THE GUN.

BARTON PRODUCED TWO CARDS SHOWING SILHOUETTES OF SUBS — ONE AN L-CLASS, THE SECOND A GERMAN TYPE VII.

WHEN THE ADJUTANT THEN TOLD THEM THEY TO REPORT TO THE C.O., THE PILOTS EXPECTED THE WORST. SO IT LOOKS AS IF I’M TO SPEND THE WAR FLYING A DESK.

PIN THESE ON YOUR WALL, DEREK, AND DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN. I WON’T.

YOU MIGHT NOT BE THE ONLY ONE, CHUM.

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8 FORTUNATELY THEIR FEARS WERE UNFOUNDED. WING COMMANDER BOB BANNISTER, WHO HAD FLOWN GIANT HANDLEY-PAGE BOMBERS IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR, REVEALED THAT VOLUNTEERS WERE WANTED FOR A TOP-SECRET MISSION. DETAILS WERE VERY SKETCHY.

SOUNDS VERY HUSH-HUSH, SIR.

IT IS, HUGH. EVEN I DON’T HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE FINAL DESTINATION.

THE WING COMMANDER WAS ABLE TO GIVE SOME INFO. THOSE SELECTED WOULD WEAR CIVILIAN CLOTHES FOR THE ENTIRE MISSION AND IDENTITY DISCS WOULD BE REPLACED WITH FALSE PASSPORTS.

WILL WE FLY WITH OUR OWN AIRCREWS, SIR?

ALL RANKS WILL BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOLUNTEER. MEANWHILE, NOT A CHEEP TO ANYONE, IS THAT CLEAR?

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9 ALL THREE VOLUNTEERED WITHOUT HESITATION. BANNISTER DISMISSED HUGH AND FRANK BUT HELD DEREK BACK. HE TOLD THE PILOT THAT H.Q. WANTED A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE CHANNEL INCIDENT, BUT HE HAD DECIDED TO PUT THE FLIER’S NAME FORWARD FOR THE SECRET MISSION. THAT’LL SLOW THINGS DOWN AND, WITH A LITTLE LUCK, THINGS WILL HAVE BLOWN OVER

BY THE TIME YOU RETURN. DON’T LET ME DOWN.

I WON’T, SIR.

AFTER THE YOUNG PILOT WAS DISMISSED, BARTON ENTERED AND FOUND BANNISTER LOOKING WISTFUL. CROUCH IS A BIT OF A HOT-HEAD IN SEARCH OF GLORY. A LOT LIKE ME AS A YOUNG FLIER IF I’M HONEST.

I’D WONDERED WHY YOU HADN’T GROUNDED HIM.

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10 BANNISTER RECALLED HIS FIRST NIGHT RAID AS OBSERVER AND NAVIGATOR IN 1917. THE INTENDED TARGET WAS A FACTORY IN GERMAN-HELD TERRITORY IN BELGIUM.

BOMBS AWAY!

BY JOVE! THOSE EGGS WILL GIVE THE HUNS A HEADACHE. THERE MIGHT EVEN BE A GONG IN IT FOR ME.

THERE WAS NO PRAISE FOR THE CREW WHEN SUMMONED BY THEIR COMMANDING OFFICER AFTER THE RAID, THOUGH. THEY HAD DROPPED THEIR BOMBS MILES OFF TARGET ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF A FRENCH VILLAGE. LUCKILY, NO ONE WAS HURT. IT WAS YOUR JOB TO CHECK THE TARGET, BANNISTER. BECAUSE IT WAS YOUR FIRST RAID I WON’T GROUND YOU, BUT YOU MUST BRUSH UP YOUR MAPREADING — AND NOT GO GONG-HUNTING.

I UNDERSTAND, SIR. I’LL TOE THE LINE.

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A bunch of RAF men

fighting in planes with swastikas? Traitors, surely, flying German kites?

Well, no. they were a group of Blenheim crews for whom a ferry flight turned into a fight for survival in planes carrying the sign of the crooked cross.

9 770262 262188

04

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