WORRALS ON THE WAR-PATH

by Captain W. E. Johns

XVI. THE SPITFIRES GO THROUGH (Pages 160 - 168)

The first Spitfire arrives at 1.00 am. The fifth Spitfire pilots reports seeing an enemy aerodrome away to the west. He spotted the flare path and at first thought it was Worrals aerodrome. As the last Spitfire is due to arrive, our heroes hear what sounds like a formation of enemy bombers approaching. Worrals flashes her torch to bring down the Spitfire as he would be short of fuel. As it is being refuelled a line of parachute flares are dropped, lighting up the whole plateau. The bombers start bombing their makeshift aerodrome with both bombs and incendiaries. The Spitfire has to take off through all the confusion and turmoil. Raoul hasn’t yet returned with Worrals’ uniform so she sends Lucien to hurry him up. Bill is anxious to take off in his machine before it is bombed or it becomes impossible to take off due to bomb craters. Worrals says she and Frecks will be with him in a minute but they can’t leave Raoul. Worrals says goodbye and thanks to Louis as she makes ready to go. Concerned that there is still no sign of Lucien and Raoul, Louis goes to find them. Bill has started his Whitley up but the aerial attack continues with tracer bullets. Bill moves the Whitley but is forced to take off to save the aircraft, leaving Worrals and Frecks behind. Finding Louis, Worrals and Frecks discover the reason why Raoul and Lucien haven’t returned. The dangerous path on the cliff face has been blown away. More flares are dropped by the raiding planes and then German paratroops descend.