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 Machine Intelligence,
Big Data Analytics,
and IoT in Image Processing
 Scrivener Publishing
100 Cummings Center, Suite 541J
Beverly, MA 01915-6106

Advances in Intelligent and Scientific Computing

Series Editors: Dr. Sujata Dash, Dr. Subhendu Kumar Pani and Dr. Milan Tuba

The series provides in-depth coverage of innovations in artificial life, computational intelligence, evolutionary
computing, machine learning and applications. It is the intention for the volumes in the series to be practically
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managerial implications of the research will be considered.

Submission of book proposals to

Dr. Subhendu Kumar Pani at [email protected]
or [email protected]

Publishers at Scrivener
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Phillip Carmical ([email protected])
 Machine Intelligence,
Big Data Analytics,
and IoT in Image Processing
Practical Applications

Edited by
Ashok Kumar
Chitkara University Institute of Engineering & Technology, Chitkara University,
Punjab, India
Megha Bhushan
School of Computing, DIT University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
José A. Galindo
Department of Computer Languages and Systems, University of Seville, Spain
Lalit Garg
Computer Information Systems, University of Malta, Malta
and
Yu-Chen Hu
Dept. of Computer Science and Information Management, Providence University,
Tai Chung, Taiwan
This edition first published 2023 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
and Scrivener Publishing LLC, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 541J, Beverly, MA 01915, USA
© 2023 Scrivener Publishing LLC
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 978-1-119-86504-9

Cover image: Pixabay.Com

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Set in size of 11pt and Minion Pro by Manila Typesetting Company, Makati, Philippines

Printed in the USA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
 Contents

Preface xv

Part I: Demystifying Smart Healthcare 1

1 Deep Learning Techniques Using Transfer Learning for
Classification of Alzheimer’s Disease 3
Monika Sethi, Sachin Ahuja and Puneet Bawa
1.1 Introduction 4
1.2 Transfer Learning Techniques 6
1.3 AD Classification Using Conventional Training Methods 9
1.4 AD Classification Using Transfer Learning 12
1.5 Conclusion 16
References 16
2 Medical Image Analysis of Lung Cancer CT Scans Using
Deep Learning with Swarm Optimization Techniques 23
Debnath Bhattacharyya, E. Stephen Neal Joshua
and N. Thirupathi Rao
2.1 Introduction 24
2.2 The Major Contributions of the Proposed Model 26
2.3 Related Works 28
2.4 Problem Statement 32
2.5 Proposed Model 33
2.5.1 Swarm Optimization in Lung Cancer Medical
Image Analysis 33
2.5.2 Deep Learning with PSO 34
2.5.3 Proposed CNN Architectures 35
2.6 Dataset Description 37
2.7 Results and Discussions 39
2.7.1 Parameters for Performance Evaluation 39
2.8 Conclusion 47
References 48

v
vi Contents

3 Liver Cancer Classification With Using Gray-Level

Co-Occurrence Matrix Using Deep Learning Techniques 51
Debnath Bhattacharyya, E. Stephen Neal Joshua
and N. Thirupathi Rao
3.1 Introduction 52
3.1.1 Liver Roles in Human Body 53
3.1.2 Liver Diseases 53
3.1.3 Types of Liver Tumors 55
3.1.3.1 Benign Tumors 55
3.1.3.2 Malignant Tumors 57
3.1.4 Characteristics of a Medical Imaging Procedure 58
3.1.5 Problems Related to Liver Cancer Classification 60
3.1.6 Purpose of the Systematic Study 61
3.2 Related Works 62
3.3 Proposed Methodology 66
3.3.1 Gaussian Mixture Model 68
3.3.2 Dataset Description 69
3.3.3 Performance Metrics 70
3.3.3.1 Accuracy Measures 70
3.3.3.2 Key Findings 74
3.3.3.3 Key Issues Addressed 75
3.4 Conclusion 77
References 77
4 Transforming the Technologies for Resilient and Digital
Future During COVID-19 Pandemic 81
Garima Kohli and Kumar Gourav
4.1 Introduction 82
4.2 Digital Technologies Used 84
4.2.1 Artificial Intelligence 85
4.2.2 Internet of Things 85
4.2.3 Telehealth/Telemedicine 87
4.2.4 Cloud Computing 87
4.2.5 Blockchain 88
4.2.6 5G 89
4.3 Challenges in Transforming Digital Technology 90
4.3.1 Increasing Digitalization 91
4.3.2 Work From Home Culture 91
4.3.3 Workplace Monitoring and Techno Stress 91
4.3.4 Online Fraud 92
4.3.5 Accessing Internet 92
 Contents vii

4.3.6 Internet Shutdowns 92

4.3.7 Digital Payments 92
4.3.8 Privacy and Surveillance 93
4.4 Implications for Research 93
4.5 Conclusion 94
References 95

Part II: Plant Pathology 101

5 Plant Pathology Detection Using Deep Learning 103
Sangeeta V., Appala S. Muttipati and Brahmaji Godi
5.1 Introduction 104
5.2 Plant Leaf Disease 105
5.3 Background Knowledge 109
5.4 Architecture of ResNet 512 V2 111
5.4.1 Working of Residual Network 112
5.5 Methodology 113
5.5.1 Image Resizing 113
5.5.2 Data Augmentation 113
5.5.2.1 Types of Data Augmentation 114
5.5.3 Data Normalization 114
5.5.4 Data Splitting 116
5.6 Result Analysis 116
5.6.1 Data Collection 117
5.6.2 Feature Extractions 117
5.6.3 Plant Leaf Disease Detection 117
5.7 Conclusion 119
References 120
6 Smart Irrigation and Cultivation Recommendation System
for Precision Agriculture Driven by IoT 123
N. Marline Joys Kumari, N. Thirupathi Rao
and Debnath Bhattacharyya
6.1 Introduction 124
6.1.1 Background of the Problem 127
6.1.1.1 Need of Water Management 127
6.1.1.2 Importance of Precision Agriculture 127
6.1.1.3 Internet of Things 128
6.1.1.4 Application of IoT in Machine Learning
and Deep Learning 129
6.2 Related Works 131
6.3 Challenges of IoT in Smart Irrigation 133
viii Contents

6.4 Farmers’ Challenges in the Current Situation 135

6.5 Data Collection in Precision Agriculture 136
6.5.1 Algorithm 136
6.5.1.1 Environmental Consideration on Stage
Production of Crop 140
6.5.2 Implementation Measures 141
6.5.2.1 Analysis of Relevant Vectors 141
6.5.2.2 Mean Square Error 141
6.5.2.3 Potential of IoT in Precision Agriculture 141
6.5.3 Architecture of the Proposed Model 143
6.6 Conclusion 147
References 147
7 Machine Learning-Based Hybrid Model for Wheat Yield
Prediction 151
Haneet Kour, Vaishali Pandith, Jatinder Manhas
and Vinod Sharma
7.1 Introduction 152
7.2 Related Work 153
7.3 Materials and Methods 155
7.3.1 Methodology for the Current Work 155
7.3.1.1 Data Collection for Wheat Crop 155
7.3.1.2 Data Pre-Processing 156
7.3.1.3 Implementation of the Proposed
Hybrid Model 157
7.3.2 Techniques Used for Feature Selection 159
7.3.2.1 ReliefF Algorithm 159
7.3.2.2 Genetic Algorithm 161
7.3.3 Implementation of Machine Learning Techniques
for Wheat Yield Prediction 162
7.3.3.1 K-Nearest Neighbor 162
7.3.3.2 Artificial Neural Network 163
7.3.3.3 Logistic Regression 164
7.3.3.4 Naïve Bayes 164
7.3.3.5 Support Vector Machine 165
7.3.3.6 Linear Discriminant Analysis 166
7.4 Experimental Result and Analysis 167
7.5 Conclusion 173
Acknowledgment 173
References 174
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 Contents ix

8 A Status Quo of Machine Learning Algorithms in Smart

Agricultural Systems Employing IoT-Based WSN: Trends,
Challenges and Futuristic Competences 177
Abhishek Bhola, Suraj Srivastava, Ajit Noonia,
Bhisham Sharma and Sushil Kumar Narang
8.1 Introduction 178
8.2 Types of Wireless Sensor for Smart Agriculture 179
8.3 Application of Machine Learning Algorithms
for Smart Decision Making in Smart Agriculture 179
8.4 ML and WSN-Based Techniques for Smart Agriculture 185
8.5 Future Scope in Smart Agriculture 188
8.6 Conclusion 190
References 190

Part III: Smart City and Villages 197

9 Impact of Data Pre-Processing in Information Retrieval
for Data Analytics 199
Huma Naz, Sachin Ahuja, Rahul Nijhawan
and Neelu Jyothi Ahuja
9.1 Introduction 200
9.1.1 Tasks Involved in Data Pre-Processing 200
9.2 Related Work 202
9.3 Experimental Setup and Methodology 205
9.3.1 Methodology 205
9.3.2 Application of Various Data Pre-Processing
Tasks on Datasets 206
9.3.3 Applied Techniques 207
9.3.3.1 Decision Tree 207
9.3.3.2 Naive Bayes 207
9.3.3.3 Artificial Neural Network 208
9.3.4 Proposed Work 208
9.3.4.1 PIMA Diabetes Dataset (PID) 208
9.3.5 Cleveland Heart Disease Dataset 211
9.3.6 Framingham Heart Study 215
9.3.7 Diabetic Dataset 217
9.4 Experimental Result and Discussion 220
9.5 Conclusion and Future Work 222
References 222
x Contents

10 Cloud Computing Security, Risk, and Challenges: A Detailed

Analysis of Preventive Measures and Applications 225
Anurag Sinha, N. K. Singh, Ayushman Srivastava,
Sagorika Sen and Samarth Sinha
10.1 Introduction 226
10.2 Background 228
10.2.1 History of Cloud Computing 228
10.2.1.1 Software-as-a-Service Model 230
10.2.1.2 Infrastructure-as-a-Service Model 230
10.2.1.3 Platform-as-a-Service Model 232
10.2.2 Types of Cloud Computing 232
10.2.3 Cloud Service Model 232
10.2.4 Characteristics of Cloud Computing 234
10.2.5 Advantages of Cloud Computing 234
10.2.6 Challenges in Cloud Computing 235
10.2.7 Cloud Security 236
10.2.7.1 Foundation Security 236
10.2.7.2 SaaS and PaaS Host Security 237
10.2.7.3 Virtual Server Security 237
10.2.7.4 Foundation Security: The Application
Level 238
10.2.7.5 Supplier Data and Its Security 238
10.2.7.6 Need of Security in Cloud 239
10.2.8 Cloud Computing Applications 239
10.3 Literature Review 241
10.4 Cloud Computing Challenges and Its Solution 242
10.4.1 Solution and Practices for Cloud Challenges 246
10.5 Cloud Computing Security Issues
and Its Preventive Measures 248
10.5.1 General Security Threats in Cloud 249
10.5.2 Preventive Measures 254
10.6 Cloud Data Protection and Security
Using Steganography 258
10.6.1 Types of Steganography 259
10.6.2 Data Steganography in Cloud Environment 260
10.6.3 Pixel Value Differencing Method 261
10.7 Related Study 263
10.8 Conclusion 263
References 264
 Contents xi

11 Internet of Drone Things: A New Age Invention 269

Prachi Dahiya
11.1 Introduction 269
11.2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles 271
11.2.1 UAV Features and Working 274
11.2.2 IoDT Architecture 275
11.3 Application Areas 280
11.3.1 Other Application Areas 284
11.4 IoDT Attacks 285
11.4.1 Counter Measures 291
11.5 Fusion of IoDT With Other Technologies 296
11.6 Recent Advancements in IoDT 299
11.7 Conclusion 302
References 303
12 Computer Vision-Oriented Gesture Recognition System
for Real-Time ISL Prediction 305
Mukul Joshi, Gayatri Valluri, Jyoti Rawat and Kriti
12.1 Introduction 305
12.2 Literature Review 307
12.3 System Architecture 309
12.3.1 Model Development Phase 309
12.3.2 Development Environment Phase 311
12.4 Methodology 312
12.4.1 Image Pre-Processing Phase 312
12.4.2 Model Building Phase 313
12.5 Implementation and Results 314
12.5.1 Performance 314
12.5.2 Confusion Matrix 318
12.6 Conclusion and Future Scope 318
References 319
13 Recent Advances in Intelligent Transportation Systems
in India: Analysis, Applications, Challenges, and Future Work 323
Elamurugan Balasundaram, Cailassame Nedunchezhian,
Mathiazhagan Arumugam and Vinoth Asaikannu
13.1 Introduction 324
13.2 A Primer on ITS 325
13.3 The ITS Stages 326
13.4 Functions of ITS 327
13.5 ITS Advantages 328
xii Contents

13.6 ITS Applications 329

13.7 ITS Across the World 331
13.8 India’s Status of ITS 333
13.9 Suggestions for Improving India’s ITS Position 334
13.10 Conclusion 335
References 335
14 Evolutionary Approaches in Navigation Systems for Road
Transportation System 341
Noopur Tyagi, Jaiteg Singh and Saravjeet Singh
14.1 Introduction 342
14.1.1 Navigation System 343
14.1.2 Genetic Algorithm 347
14.1.3 Differential Evolution 348
14.2 Related Studies 349
14.2.1 Related Studies of Evolutionary Algorithms 351
14.3 Navigation Based on Evolutionary Algorithm 352
14.3.1 Operators and Terms Used in Evolutionary
Algorithms 353
14.3.2 Operator and Terms Used in Evolutionary
Algorithm 357
14.4 Meta-Heuristic Algorithms for Navigation 359
14.4.1 Drawbacks of DE 362
14.5 Conclusion 362
References 363
15 IoT-Based Smart Parking System for Indian Smart Cities 369
E. Fantin Irudaya Raj, M. Appadurai,
M. Chithamabara Thanu and E. Francy Irudaya Rani
15.1 Introduction 370
15.2 Indian Smart Cities Mission 371
15.3 Vehicle Parking and Its Requirements in a Smart City
Configuration 373
15.4 Technologies Incorporated in a Vehicle Parking System
in Smart Cities 375
15.5 Sensors for Vehicle Parking System 383
15.5.1 Active Sensors 384
15.5.2 Passive Sensors 386
15.6 IoT-Based Vehicle Parking System for Indian Smart Cities 387
15.6.1 Guidance to the Customers Through Smart
Devices 389
 Contents xiii

15.6.2 Smart Parking Reservation System 391

15.7 Advantages of IoT-Based Vehicle Parking System 392
15.8 Conclusion 392
References 393
16 Security of Smart Home Solution Based on Secure
Piggybacked Key Exchange Mechanism 399
Jatin Arora and Saravjeet Singh
16.1 Introduction 400
16.2 IoT Challenges 404
16.3 IoT Vulnerabilities 405
16.4 Layer-Wise Threats in IoT Architecture 406
16.4.1 Sensing Layer Security Issues 407
16.4.2 Network Layer Security Issues 408
16.4.3 Middleware Layer Security Issues 409
16.4.4 Gateways Security Issues 410
16.4.5 Application Layer Security Issues 411
16.5 Attack Prevention Techniques 411
16.5.1 IoT Authentication 412
16.5.2 Session Establishment 413
16.6 Conclusion 414
References 414
17 Machine Learning Models in Prediction of Strength
Parameters of FRP-Wrapped RC Beams 419
Aman Kumar, Harish Chandra Arora, Nishant Raj Kapoor
and Ashok Kumar
17.1 Introduction 420
17.1.1 Defining Fiber-Reinforced Polymer 421
17.1.2 Types of FRP Composites 422
17.1.2.1 Carbon Fiber–Reinforced Polymer 422
17.1.2.2 Glass Fiber 423
17.1.2.3 Aramid Fiber 424
17.1.2.4 Basalt Fiber 424
17.2 Strengthening of RC Beams With FRP Systems 425
17.2.1 FRP-to-Concrete Bond 426
17.2.2 Flexural Strengthening of Beams With FRP
Composite 427
17.2.3 Shear Strengthening of Beams With FRP
Composite 427
17.3 Machine Learning Models 428
xiv Contents

17.3.1 Prediction of Bond Strength 430

17.3.2 Estimation of Flexural Strength 434
17.3.3 Estimation of Shear Strength 434
17.4 Conclusion 441
References 441
18 Prediction of Indoor Air Quality Using Artificial Intelligence 447
Nishant Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar, Anuj Kumar,
Aman Kumar and Harish Chandra Arora
18.1 Introduction 448
18.2 Indoor Air Quality Parameters 450
18.2.1 Physical Parameters 453
18.2.1.1 Humidity 453
18.2.1.2 Air Changes (Ventilation) 454
18.2.1.3 Air Velocity 454
18.2.1.4 Temperature 454
18.2.2 Particulate Matter 455
18.2.3 Chemical Parameters 456
18.2.3.1 Carbon Dioxide 456
18.2.3.2 Carbon Monoxide 456
18.2.3.3 Nitrogen Dioxide 456
18.2.3.4 Sulphur Dioxide 457
18.2.3.5 Ozone 457
18.2.3.6 Gaseous Ammonia 458
18.2.3.7 Volatile Organic Compounds 458
18.2.4 Biological Parameters 459
18.3 AI in Indoor Air Quality Prediction 459
18.4 Conclusion 464
References 465
Index 471
 Preface

The concepts of machine intelligence, big data analytics and the Internet of
Things (IoT) continue to improve our lives through various cutting-edge
applications such as disease detection in real time, crop yield prediction,
smart parking and so forth. The transformative effects of these technolo-
gies are life-changing because they play an important role in demystifying
smart healthcare, plant pathology, and smart city/village planning, design
and development. This book presents a cross-disciplinary perspective on
the practical applications of machine intelligence, big data analytics and
IoT by compiling cutting-edge research and insights from researchers, aca-
demicians and practitioners worldwide. It identifies and discusses various
advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning,
IoT, image processing, network security, cloud computing and sensors, to
provide effective solutions to the lifestyle challenges faced by humankind.
These practical innovative applications may include navigation systems
for road transportation, IoT- and WSN-based smart agriculture, plant
pathology through deep learning, cancer detection from medical images
and smart home solutions. Moreover, cloud computing has made it possi-
ble to access these real-life applications remotely over the internet. The pri-
mary concern of this book is to equip those new to this field of application,
as well as those with more advanced knowledge related to practical appli-
cation development, exploit the inherent features of machine intelligence,
big data analytics and IoT. For instance, how to harness these advanced
technologies to develop practical applications such as drone-based sur-
veillance, smart transportation, healthcare, smart farming solutions, and
robotics for automation.
This book is a significant addition to the body of knowledge on practical
applications emerging from machine intelligence, big data analytics and
IoT. The chapters deal with specific areas of applications of these technol-
ogies. This deliberate choice of covering a diversity of fields was to empha-
size the applications of these technologies in almost every contemporary
aspect of real life to assist working in different sectors by understanding

xv
xvi Preface

and exploiting the strategic opportunities offered by these technologies. A

summary of the main ideas of the work presented in each of the chapters
follows:

– Chapter 1 is based on the models used to diagnose Alzheimer’s dis-

ease (AD). These models utilize CaffeNet, GoogLeNet, VGGNet-16,
VGGNet-19, DenseNet with varying depths, Inception-V4, AlexNet,
ResNet-18, ResNet-152, or even ensemble transfer-learning, that are
pre-trained on generalized images for AD classification to achieve better
performance as compared to training a model from scratch.
– Chapter 2 describes how to detect cancerous lung nodules from a lung
CT scan image given as input and how to classify the lung cancer along
with its severity. A novel deep learning method is used to detect the loca-
tion of cancerous lung nodules.
– Chapter 3 outlines a classifier used to divide the liver and CT images into
normal and abnormal categories based on the main features in terms of
shape, texture, and feature statistics. It includes four stages: preprocess-
ing, fuzzy clustering, feature extraction and classification. Furthermore,
the grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) method is used to extract
the features.
– Chapter 4 provides some of the major emerging digital technologies
which have transformed the lives of individuals by making their future
dependent upon the resilience of these technologies. It also highlights
some of the major challenges related to these technologies with their
suitable implications.
– Chapter 5 describes a model based on ResNet architecture in deep learn-
ing to help farmers detect plant leaf diseases at an early stage in order to
take precautionary measures against them.
– Chapter 6 discusses an IoT-based smart irrigation system to assist farm-
ers in precision agriculture for increasing crop yield. It uses multiple
sensor metrics to help anticipate conditions for irrigation planning by
predicting soil moisture, temperature, and humidity.
– Chapter 7 presents a hybrid model for wheat crop yield prediction using
machine learning (ML) approaches, namely k-nearest neighbors (KNN),
naïve Bayes, artificial neural network, logistic regression, support vec-
tor machine and linear discriminant analysis. The model works in two
stages: the first stage uses a feature selection strategy to find the best fea-
tures for wheat crops, and the second stage uses ML to estimate crop
yield based on these best features.
 Preface xvii

– Chapter 8 discusses wireless sensor network (WSN)-based tech-

niques used for smart agriculture and applications of ML for smart
decision-making.
– Chapter 9 provides an insight into the applications of data preprocess-
ing techniques and their effects on information retrieval. It covers the
major issues that need to be dealt with before beginning any data analysis
process.
– Chapter 10 focuses on the security for the latest paradigm shift in cloud
and distributed computing. It delineates various risk parameters in the
cloud environment and provides some novel methods to be adopted for
cloud data security.
– Chapter 11 talks about the internet of drone things (IoDT), its appli-
cations in the modern world, research opportunities, and current chal-
lenges to be dealt with. Furthermore, it discusses new age inventions,
security issues, and attacks that frequently occur in the IoDT.
– Chapter 12 presents an artificial intelligence-based gesture recognition
system for the prediction of Indian sign language in real time. It covers
different experiments using two-dimensional convolutional neural net-
work-based classification to convert images into text.
– Chapter 13 sets forth applications, challenges, and future developments
in the field of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in India. It explains
ITS and evaluates their feasibility in India.
– Chapter 14 provides a survey of evolutionary techniques used in nav-
igation to create opportunities for analysts and researchers seeking to
understand the broad pattern of different algorithms used in the naviga-
tion system.
– Chapter 15 examines the IoT-based vehicle parking system in Indian cit-
ies. Additionally, it discusses vehicle parking and its basic requirements,
various technologies incorporated in modern parking systems, different
sensors utilized in parking facilities, and the advantages of IoT-based
vehicle parking systems in detail.
– Chapter 16 discusses a secure data transmission and key exchange for
ensuring the confidentiality of data. Also, a lightweight authentication
mechanism for ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of data shared
over an unsecured network is presented.
– Chapter 17 delineates machine learning models in the prediction of
strength parameters of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) wrapped rein-
forced concrete (RC) beams. It provides a summary of machine learning
models in the estimation of bond strength between FRP and concrete
surface, and shear and flexural strength of FRP wrapped RC beams.
xviii Preface

– Chapter 18 describes existing AI-based studies for forecasting the indoor

air quality of buildings and the future of AI-based indoor air quality fore-
casting. It provides an overview of the important role of machine learning
models in the prediction of indoor pollutant concentrations to develop
warning systems which help to affect the occupant’s health positively.

This book was edited by a team of academicians and experts. It is our

hope that readers will draw several benefits from both the theoretical and
practical aspects covered in the book to enhance their own practice or
research.

The Editors
Dr. Ashok Kumar
Phagwara, India
Dr. Megha Bhushan
Dehradun, India
Dr. José Galindo
Seville, Spain
Dr. Lalit Garg
Valetta, Malta
Dr. Yu-Chen Hu
Tai Chung, Taiwan
January 2023
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Smoothing it out he held it to the light so that all could see. A map
had been roughly drawn in pencil on the paper.
"A map of a three square mile spot of ground exactly seven miles
west of Lille," Colonel Trevor said, and started pointing things out
with his finger. "See this? A hill range. Here is the Lille River that
flows into the Somme farther south. See this sharp bend in the
river? Well, the ground there is thickly wooded, and to the east ...
the southeast, rather ... is quite an expanse of swamp ground. Now,
just a shade east of the edge of that swamp land is a tiny French
village. You can't even find it on a map, but its name is Fleurville.
Somewhere in that area, Dawson, is the secret weapon that Hitler
plans to use against us. The weapon, I am sure, that destroyed
those Lockheed Hudson bombers last Tuesday night."
Dave didn't say anything as the Intelligence officer stopped
speaking. He stared hard at the pencil drawn map in an effort to
stamp every little detail on his mind. Squadron Leader Markham,
however, was not so interested in the map as he was in what
Colonel Trevor had said.
"Why do you say that, Colonel?" he asked. "And where did you get
this map?"
"I traced that map from one you could only see under a
microscope," the other said. "From a map originally drawn almost
pin head size by my brother."
Dave jerked his head up, eyes wide.
"Your brother, sir?" he gasped. "But your brother's dead! You mean
another communication came through just the same? That he'd sent
it on its way before he was captured?"
"No," Colonel Trevor said quietly. "My brother brought it with him.
Remember my not wanting anybody to touch the body? Remember
my saying something about an autopsy? Well, naturally, I did not
plan for any autopsy to be made on my brother. The cause of his
death was clear enough. However, in Intelligence every agent has a
special way of hiding secret messages in the event he is captured.
Some use false fingernails with the message printed underneath too
small for the human eye to read. Others conceal the message under
a false patch of hair glued to their scalp. And so on. There are a
hundred and one different ways of hiding information you've
gathered. However, each man's method is a secret between himself
and the Chief of Intelligence. Therefore I didn't allow your medico to
touch my brother. I wanted to communicate with my Chief first."
Colonel Trevor paused for a moment, squared his jaw a bit, and then
continued.
"My brother did bring back information," he said. "His method of
hiding messages on his person was by means of a hollowed out false
tooth that not more than one dentist in a hundred would detect. In
that hollow tooth was a postage stamp size original of this map, and
some instructions."
"Dope on the secret Nazi weapon, sir?" Dave asked eagerly as the
Intelligence officer paused again.
"Some," was the quiet reply, "but not nearly enough. To be perfectly
truthful, my brother still didn't get complete details. He only learned
that somewhere in this area covered by the map the Nazis have
installed this new weapon, and...."
Colonel Trevor cut himself off short and nodded at Dave.
"Your hunch was a good one, Dawson," he said. "According to my
brother's report, the Nazis have installed the weapon there for the
purpose of experiments and tests. As I said, he did not know what
the weapon is. He was only able to find out that it is to be used
primarily against aircraft."
"Not against troops?" Freddy Farmer spoke up. "Then how do they
expect to beat off an invasion attempt. They...! That's rather silly of
me, isn't it?"
"What, Farmer?" Squadron Leader Markham asked with a puzzled
frown.
"The question, sir," the English youth replied and blushed faintly. "I
suddenly realized that the answer is obvious. This war has proved
that the side that has control of the air is the side that comes out on
top. So, if the Nazis are able to maintain control of the air over
Occupied Europe, all the invasion troops in the world wouldn't of
much use to us."
"Right, Freddy!" Dave said with a grin. "Go to the head of the class,
my boy. Did you learn anything else, Colonel?"
"Sorry, but that's all, Dawson," the Intelligence officer replied. "But it
should help you a little. At least you won't have to waste time
buzzing around over the entire area. Concentrate on the spots
covered by this map. Here, better take my copy along with you.
Well.... Well, good luck, chaps. And God speed back home again."
Colonel Trevor didn't thrust out his hand, or stiffen to attention and
salute the three R.A.F. aces. He did nothing but look at them each in
turn. That was plenty. His eyes said far more than his lips could have
said. Expressed far more than any firm hand shake or slap on the
back.
"Thanks, sir," Dave said for the three of them. "You can depend on
us to bring back the pictures ... or else."
"Never mind the, or else, Dawson," Squadron Leader Markham
grunted. "Just make sure all three of you come back! And, Dawson?"
"Yes, sir?" Dave murmured.
Squadron Leader Markham didn't speak for a few seconds. He stood
staring Dave straight in the eye. Then suddenly he raised a
cautioning finger.
"In case things don't turn out as you hope," he said eventually. "In
case the patrol looks like a complete wash-out, don't get too many
of those hunches of yours, will you? There'll always be a tomorrow
in this blasted war, you know. Don't try to win it in a few hours,
though goodness knows you and Farmer could probably make a
fairly good go at it."
"Don't worry, sir," Dave chuckled and tightened the strap on his
helmet. "I'll watch my step, and try not to lead with my chin. But if I
should get out of line you can count on Barker and Farmer to throw
a halter on me."
"Oh, quite!" Flight Lieutenant Barker echoed. "I don't fancy to step
out of this war for quite some time, if ever. Don't worry, sir, Farmer
and I will keep an eye on this wildman from the States."
"And a good grip with both hands, too, sir!" Freddy added. "But, I've
handled the balmy blighter before, and I can do it again."
"Shucks!" Dave said in mock disappointment. "Then what's the
sense of my going along, if I can't have fun?"
"Personally, I wish there was no sense in any of you going along,"
Squadron Leader Markham said gravely. "However, war's war, and
that's that. I guess it's time for you to be off. The very best, lads!
And happy landings ... on this field!"
The trio hesitated a moment, looked at each other, and then as one
man turned and walked over to their planes. As Dave climbed into
his pit a soothing calm flowed through his body. The calm before the
storm, perhaps. But for the moment the excitement of the occasion,
the tingling, eager anticipation of things to come, and the myriad
little inner fears and doubts, were banished. It was as though he
were climbing into his Mark 5 to take it aloft for a joy hop, or a bit of
gunnery practice on the field's ground target. That soon he would be
leading Freddy Farmer and Barker deep into mystery skies over
occupied Europe was as something as far removed as the sun.
A sense of peace and contentment were his as he settled himself in
the pit, and made a last minute check of everything. But perhaps the
war gods were perfectly willing that he should feel that way for a
spell. They knew it would not last long. They knew what awaited
those three stout hearted aces of the R.A.F. They knew what was
waiting, and what was going to happen. And they clapped their
hands and nudged each other in high glee.
"Well, there'll always be an England," Dave murmured and reached
for the throttle. "So, I'll be seeing you soon!"
Five seconds later three Spitfire Mark 5s thundered out across the
field, cleared, and went zooming up to lose themselves quickly in the
shadowy sky. Back down on the tarmac Squadron Leader Markham
stood like a carved statue, his eyes still turned upward toward the
half night, half dawn sky. He saw nothing but murky shadows, but
the drone of three powerful Rolls-Royce engines was still in his ears.
He listened until the sound faded away in the distance. Then slowly
he clenched both fists and turned to look at Colonel Trevor.
"If they don't come back," he said in a strained voice, "I fancy you
and Group Captain Ball had better catch the first boat for South
Africa!"
"Amen!" the Intelligence officer said softly.
 CHAPTER NINE
Vultures Over Europe

Comfortably settled in the pit of his Mark 5, but with every nerve
and muscle set for instant action, Dave veered slightly more toward
the southeast, and fixed his gaze on the yellow splashed horizon
ahead. The shadows of night were now far behind him. And so were
England, and the Channel. The Nazi defiled ground of Occupied
France was under his wing, and the blinding glare of a new day's
sun was directly ahead.
Employing a trick first used in World War Number One, he closed
one eye and raised a thumb to a point some three inches in front of
the other eye. The ball of his thumb covered the sun and made it
possible for him to see around it. In a way it was like making a total
eclipse of the sun, and the light that splashed out from behind this
thumb was comparable to the solar corona of a total eclipse of the
sun. In short, it made it possible for him to search the sun flooded
sky ahead without staring straight into the blinding rays of the sun.
The action gained him nothing, however. If per chance there were
Jerry planes lurking up there in the sun, he didn't see them. He saw
nothing but golden sky marked by golden clouds. Nothing more. The
heavens seemed to be still asleep. And when he lowered his gaze
and peered at the ground below it struck him as though the earth
were asleep, too. True, he was flying at some twenty one thousand
feet and the ground below looked little more than a crazy quilt of a
million different shades. However, he could detect no signs of
movement. No tongues of flame spurting up toward him. And no
rumbling crunch-crunch of anti-aircraft shells dirtying the clean air
with their explosions and black globs of smoke.
"Maybe they're not interested in small fry like us," he grunted to
himself. "Or maybe those photos Ball studied weren't kidding. Maybe
Jerry has evacuated this neck of the woods."
"And maybe you should stop mumbling to yourself, what?" spoke
Freddy Farmer's voice in his earphones. "Spot anything yet, Dave?"
Dave chuckled and put his lips closer to his flap-mike.
"Me?" he echoed. "When I've got you along? Look, pal, I'm
expecting you to earn your fare for this buggy ride. You're Little
Sharp Eyes, you know. We're counting on you, see? Isn't that right,
Barker?"
"Oh, quite!" Barker's voice replied in the earphones. "After all, if the
chap can see to find his way over here and back at night, then it
should be simple for him with all this light."
"All right, drop it!" Freddy shouted angrily. "Knew blessed well I'd
never hear the last of that. But what could I do but confess to
Markham?"
"Lots of things, my dear fellow!" Dave said sternly. "For one, you
could have learned long ago that we've got discipline in this man's
air force. And for youngsters to take airplanes up at night and try to
do things that grown up pilots wouldn't even...."
"Listen to who's talking!" Freddy snorted. "Why I remember one
time when he...!"
"Save it!" Barker's voice cut in excitedly. "What's that about five
miles to the northeast? Do I see something moving, or is it just
spots in front of my eyes?"
All idea of further horse-play instantly bailed out of Dave Dawson's
mind. He turned his head sharply and peered hard in the direction
indicated. There was nothing to see, however. That is, as far as he
was concerned. Nothing but sun tinted dawn sky, and sun tinted
patches of cloud. For a second, though, he thought he did catch a
glimpse of something moving. Like a group of small dots that
appeared and disappeared in practically the same instant. But when
he blinked hard and took another look, the dots weren't there.
"Thought I saw something, too, Barker," he called into his flap-mike.
"But I guess they must have been spots in front of my peepers. How
about you, Freddy?"
There was no reply from the English youth. Dave turned and glanced
over at Freddy's plane to see his pal staring fixedly toward the
northeast. Several seconds ticked by and still no reply from Freddy
Farmer.
"Hey, Freddy!" Dave called out again. "See anything, pal?"
"Shut up! Just a minute! I don't know, yet!"
A full minute did tick by before the English born R.A.F. ace spoke
again.
"You chaps were wrong!" he shouted. "They're not just spots. Four
Messerschmitts. One-Nine Fighters, I think. Yes, they're One-Nines.
In formation, and heading due west. See them?"
"If you're kidding us!" Dave growled, and stared until his eyes ached
from the strain. "I'll.... Pick up the marbles, pal. I see them, now!"
"So do I!" Barker cried out. "Let's go after the beggars. There are
only four. It should be jolly, eh?"
"It should be, but nix!" Dave snapped into his flap-mike. "They're
way off our course. And we're supposed to be making a rendezvous
with some bombers, you know."
"See?" Barker called out and chuckled. "Remember my saying I'd
make a mess of things? Right you are, sir! Quite right. We hold her
as she goes, eh, old bean?"
"Cut it out!" Dave growled, but he was smiling. "But we'll let the lugs
go. It would be nice, though, if they should come after us. I don't
count much on just faking engine trouble and going down as though
to force land. Jerry knows darn well we make good engines.
However...."
"Looks like you get your wish, Dave!" Freddy Farmer's excited voice
interrupted. "Guess they've sighted us. They're wheeling around in
our direction."
It was true. Dave saw it was true the instant he whipped his eyes
around toward the planes again. The four Messerschmitts had
changed course abruptly and were headed in their direction and
gaining altitude steadily. Dave took one quick look at them and then
turned front and peered ahead and down. A night ground mist was
fast being "melted" away by the dawn sun, and landmarks were
beginning to stand out in clear relief. His heart leaped as he sighted
the Lille River, the hill range, and the spread of swamp ground, and
woods, marked on the map he carried in his pocket.
Dead ahead, and perhaps two minutes by air, was the mysterious
area in Zone K-24. Dead ahead was the sky "graveyard" of ten
Lockheed Hudsons. Dead ahead was the testing ground of Adolf
Hitler's newest weapon of unrestricted warfare. Dead ahead, life and
victory? Or failure, and death?
Those and countless other thoughts whipped and raced through
Dave's brain as he stared hard at the "objective" of their special
patrol. At the same time he automatically slid the safety catch off
the red trigger button on the control stick, and placed one finger
lightly against the trigger lever for the high speed camera attached
to the belly of the plane.
"Hold her steady, fellows," he spoke into his flap-mike. "Carry right
on as though we didn't see them. Let them get altitude, if they
want. We should worry. But the instant they start pumping lead start
the fancy business. Okay?"
"Right you are!" Barker replied.
"Who fakes being hit first?" Freddy Farmer called out. "That's one
thing we forgot to decide."
"I didn't," Dave grunted. "I elected myself. When I go down, start
down after me as though for protection. But don't put yourself in a
jam to help me."
"That depends," Freddy said.
"Depends, nothing!" Dave barked. "Them's orders, Mister! Keep your
own eye on the ball. It's pictures we want, no matter who gets
them. Fake all you want to, but don't get behind the eight-ball so's
you can't take your own pictures. And one more thing."
"Good heavens!" Barker groaned over the radio. "Hasn't everything
been decided?"
"Not this item," Dave replied. "If things get hot, each of us is to hike
for home the instant he's used up all his film. Get that? Never mind
what's happening to the other two! As soon as you've run out your
film, head for home, and in a hurry."
"Cheerful beggar, isn't he!" Barker said. "Right you are, though,
Dawson! Home it is when the photo job's finished. And, here they
come! In a bit of a hurry, too!"
Dave jerked his head around to see the four German Messerschmitt
One-Nines prop-clawing through the air at top speed. The Nazi craft
were a good three thousand feet higher up, and as the seconds
ticked by Dave expected to see the four planes drop noses and come
down in a gun chattering attack.
No such thing happened, however, and a disagreeable empty sort of
feeling came to his stomach. Both hands gripping the stick, and
every nerve tingling for action, he watched the Nazi ships roar right
up to them, but still keeping their superior altitude. Not even when
they were directly above did any of them wing over and come
streaking down. Instead, the flight of four ships banked slightly and
started circling around in the air as though they were riding escort
on a flight of their own bombers.
"Come down, you bums!" Dave grated through clenched teeth.
"Come down and let's get going!"
It was just a waste of breath, however. The Nazi planes stayed right
where they were, neither gaining or losing altitude. The empty
feeling in Dave's stomach started to spread throughout his body. And
he felt the familiar eerie tingle at the back of his neck. In a crazy
sort of way he imagined the Nazi pilots just sitting up there aloft and
laughing at him. Laughing at him while he helplessly awaited the
attack that would make it possible for him to spin down low and get
close up shots of the mystery terrain below.
"Those chaps are the yellowest Luftwaffers I ever met, I swear!"
Barker's voice broke the radio silence. "Altitude, and everything, yet
the beggars don't make a move. What say, Dawson? Shall we climb
up and mix it with the blighters? We're not getting anywhere buzzing
along like this, you know."
Dave didn't answer at once. He took his gaze off the Messerschmitts
overhead and looked down at the ground. The mystery area was
well under his wing, now. As a matter of fact, in a couple of more
minutes the area would be well astern of his tail. If they didn't work
it now to go down for pictures they would be forced to turn back
and reappear over the area. And that wouldn't seem like an accident
to even a Nazi. On the contrary it would be a dead give away that
the three Royal Air Force planes just weren't passing by en route
elsewhere. It would be proof positive that the British lads had simply
over-shot their objective.
"Yet, if we go up after those Jerries," Dave argued with himself, "it
may look kind of funny, too. Or would it? Nuts! Supposing we were
en route to pick up some of our bombers? It wouldn't look too out of
line for us to start a scramble on the way. Heck, no. It.... Nuts!
We've got to do it, whether it looks funny or not."
With a nod for emphasis he swung the stick from side to side to
waggle his wings.
"Tally-ho, fellows!" he bellowed into his flap-mike. "They don't seem
to want company. So they get it. Up and at 'em, and do your stuff!"
The last had hardly flown off Dave's lips before he hauled the
Spitfire's stick back into his stomach and went ripping straight up at
the vertical. The terrific force of the zoom tried to drive him right
down through the floor of the cockpit. The muscles of his chest and
stomach were tied into knots, and for a couple of seconds or so a
sea of rippling grey light clouded over his eyes. It faded away,
however, and he saw the belly of a Messerschmitt One-Nine dead
ahead of his nose.
Instinctively he started to jab his trigger release button, but checked
himself in time.
"Nix!" he muttered angrily. "Pick him off and the other three may
scram. The idea is to get them to tangle with you, and make you
head for the ground. Darn it, though! What a perfect target that
lug's ship makes!"
Dave groaned sadly, and booted right rudder slightly so that the
plane above slid out of his sights. Then he jabbed the trigger button
and sent a two second burst of machine gun and 20-mm. aircraft
cannon shells whanging upward into empty space. As he cut his fire
and started to level off at the top of his zoom, he heard the chatter
of Farmer's and Barker's guns going into action. And the deeper note
of their aircraft cannon. But as he anxiously snapped his gaze at the
four Messerschmitts that were now cutting capers in the air he saw
at once that Freddy and Barker had also purposely missed.
"You guys will never know how lucky you are!" he shouted at the
Nazis. "By rights there should only be one of you up here, now. But,
come on. Give us the old razzle dazzle. Mix it up! We've got work to
do, and we're in a hurry."
"No use!" Barker's voice sang out over the radio. "Look! The
blighters are running away. Four to three, and they won't even take
a chance. Of all the blasted scared rabbits I ever saw! Can't help it,
Dawson! I've got to settle one of the beggars."
Before Dave could open his mouth, Barker's plane spun around like a
top and dropped right down on the tail of one of the Messerschmitts
now all diving full out toward the ground below. The leading edges
of Barker's guns spurted flame and sound. Tracer smoke cut paths
across the air and became lost to view in the fuselage of the
Messerschmitt One-Nine. Less than a split second later the German
plane shot out crazily to the side as though it had glanced off an
invisible guard rail in the heavens. For perhaps fifty feet it slid
through the air, then as though by magic the fuselage broke in two
right in back of the cockpit.
The two halves of the plane started to fall away from each other.
Then smoke and flame belched out of the engine half. In the swirling
black smoke Dave saw the figure of the pilot push up out of the
cockpit and dive over the side. The German was like a bound up
bundle of cloth tumbling down through the air. Then white puffed
upward, was caught by the air, and mushroomed out into a
parachute envelop.
"Hey! Look out, Jerry!"
The wild cry burst impulsively from Dave's lips, but even though the
parachuting Nazi had heard him there was nothing he could have
done. One of the other Messerschmitt pilots, apparently rocketing his
plane earthward in terror, plowed straight into the parachute silk of
his Luftwaffe comrade. The whirling propeller chewed the silk to
shreds, and sliced through the tangle of shroud lines like a knife. By
a miracle the blades missed the Nazi pilot. But that didn't help him
any. His body turned over once in the air, and then fell like a rock
straight down.
"One less, poor guy!" Dave grunted and dropped the nose of his
own plane. "But I guess that's the kind of a chance you take when
you fly with yellow-bellies. Look at them skip for it!"
Dave spat the last out in disgust as the three remaining
Messerschmitts continued racing earthward as fast as their whirling
props could take them. Not a single German had fired a shot.
Freddy, Barker, and he had done all the attacking, and all the
shooting. And now the Nazis were diving downward for dear life.
"A break for us, anyway, fellows!" Dave shouted the thought aloud
into his flap-mike. "It's more or less what we wanted. Stick with
them but don't pick them off too soon. Okay? Got your camera
trigger fingers ready."
"Right-o!" came Barker's voice in the earphones.
"And itching!" Freddy chimed in.
Dave nodded and swept the ground below with his eyes. The
altimeter still showed some fourteen thousand feet of air space
below him, but objects on the ground were becoming clearer by the
minute. With a start of wild excitement he saw that the patch of
woods was more than just that. There was something down under
the branches of the trees. Several "somethings" in fact, though he
could not see clear enough to tell just what.
And as he moved his gaze a bit to the south the swamp ground
seemed to look just a bit strange. He didn't know just why. Perhaps
it was just a crazy hunch, or his imagination playing him tricks. Or
the terrific diving speed of the plane doing things to his eyes. Yet,
nevertheless, the expanse of swamp ground suddenly didn't seem to
look just right.
There was also something about the hill range to the east that
caught his eye. There were three or four blackish smudges on the
western slopes. However, as he stared at them the truth leaped into
his brain, and the icy fingers of fear began to curl around his heart.
"The Lockheed Hudsons!" he whispered hoarsely. "Those smudges
are burnt timber and ground. They probably mark the spots where
the Lockheeds crashed and burned up!"
The possibility that such was the truth caused something to snap in
his brain, and a film of red rage to steal over his eyes. He braced
himself in the seat, and lined up one of the diving Messerschmitts in
his sights.
"One more won't change anything!" he grated. "And it will pay back
a little for those lads!"
As he spoke the last he jabbed the trigger release button and held it
pressed for three long seconds before the sane side of him could
force him to quit it. The three second shower of bullets and aircraft
cannon shells was more than enough. Though history will never be
able to relate it, it is quite possible that the Nazi pilot in Dave's
sights never knew what struck him. One instant he was diving for his
life, and the next he was still diving, but his life was gone.
"Steady, Dave!" Freddy's voice cried out in his earphones. "What's
wrong, old thing? You all right?"
"Much better, now!" Dave snapped back. "Much better. Okay! spread
out, and each head for the objective nearest him. But get down low,
right on top of it before you start working the camera trigger finger.
This is what we came for! Let her rip, fellows!"
Without giving the two remaining Messerschmitts so much as
another snap glance, Dave jumped on rudder and whipped the stick
over a shade and sent the Spitfire Mark 5 skidding crazily far off to
the right. When he was directly over the center of the stretch of
swamp ground, he pulled out onto even keel and throttled back to
the three quarter mark.
Less than five hundred feet of air space separated the underneath
side of his wings from the ground. He clamped the camera trigger
lever tight against the stick, held the plane steady, and stared at the
ground. It was then he saw why the expanse of swamp ground had
sort of changed appearance during his dive earthward. Now he could
tell that it wasn't swamp ground below him. True, perhaps there was
swamp ground underneath, but on top was a covering of perfect
camouflage. A camouflage covering that completely hid the swamp
ground, and which seemed to be suspended above it at a height of
several feet.
"Hangars?" Dave choked out the chance guess. "They've drained
that swamp, and those are underground hangars down there?"
He didn't have the chance to even guess at an answer to that one.
He didn't because at that precise instant came Freddy Farmer's wild
cry of alarm in the earphones.
"Dave! Dave! Up above you! The whole blasted Luftwaffe!"
He jerked back his head, looked upward, and a startled shout burst
from his lips. The sky above him was literally black with Nazi
swastika marked wings. He didn't even try to guess how many
planes there were up there. In fact, he didn't even think of guessing.
His brain for the moment was too stunned to function. His heart was
a cold lump of ice that zoomed upward to clog in his throat. He sat
staring frozen eyed at the horde of Nazi wings that came swooping
down toward him like a blanket of doom.
 CHAPTER TEN
Doomed Wings

"Dave, Dave, snap out of it! We're trapped, but let's give the
beggars a go for their money. Dave! Wake up!"
Freddy Farmer's screams in the earphone seemed to touch a hidden
spring in Dave and release him from his dumbfounded trance. He let
out a wild yell, kicked his Spitfire over on wingtip and went
whanging around and over to where Farmer and Barker were closing
in together. Instinct, and instinct alone had caused him to make the
maneuver. The instinct of life preservation.
Individually not one of them stood a chance against the mass of
Messerschmitt One-Nines, and One-Tens, cutting down through the
air. Individually they would be picked off like helpless clay pigeons.
Together as a fighting trio, a fighting unit, they stood some chance
of meeting with a little success. That all three would break through
that almost solid wall of war wings, and escape back to England,
was something that could not possibly happen, miracles or no
miracles.
Together as a unit, however, two of them might blast a path through
air through which the third could escape. All for one. That was it! All
for one, and that one to get on back to England with the pictures he
had taken. And, please God, those pictures would tell British High
Command at least something of vital importance! Please God, the
efforts of the two who remained behind would not be made in vain!
With that prayer on his lips Dave hurtled his plane across the sky
and dropped in along side Freddy and Barker. It was then, and then
only, he suddenly realized that the swarm of Nazis charging
downward had not fired a single shot. As a matter of fact, as he
snapped a quick glance upward he saw the leading wave of planes
come out of the dive and fly along at even keel. The second wave
did the same thing a few seconds later. So did the third, and a fourth
wave, until the whole lot were as a tent of wings over the three
British planes.
"Come on, you blighters, fight! Fight, blast you!"
The voice was Flight Lieutenant Barker's, and before the echo had
died away he hauled up his plane on its tail and blazed away with all
guns. It was like throwing rocks at a low ceiling. The bullets had to
hit something, and they did. A Messerschmitt One-Nine staggered
crazily in the air for a minute, then up-ended on wingtip and came
tumbling down out of the sky. Hardly had it started to fall than its
place was filled by another Nazi plane. And though Barker's plane
reached the stalling point, and fell over sluggishly on wing to present
a perfect target for the pilots and gunners above, not a single Nazi
sliced down in a dive to pick off the Englishman.
As Barker recovered from the stall and zoomed back up to rejoin
formation wild hope flared up in Dave. But he felt also the stinging
pain of defeat. The refusal of the Nazis to fight unless forced to
could mean but one thing. They were under orders to force the
three R.A.F. pilots down onto the ground, and capture them alive.
But why? The question burned through the back of Dave's brain, but
he gave it no serious consideration for the moment. Another, and
perhaps a more heart chilling realization came to him instantly. This
was no chance accident, the sudden appearance of these Nazi
wings. It had been planned. They had been waiting, probably hiding
in the sun or behind the clouds while the four original One-Nines had
baited the R.A.F. lads to swoop down low. To swoop down low and
lose the precious altitude they would need in order to outmaneuver
and fly away from this Luftwaffe armada.
"Like heck we fooled them!" the words burst from Dave's lips.
"They've been wise to us all the time. We took it hook, line and
sinker! And now we're stuck!"
The echo of his own words seemed to return in his earphones to
mock him. But it was all so true, so horribly true. In cold truth they
had been "on the spot" from the very moment they crossed over the
Channel to Occupied France. Whether the Nazis had actually known
they were coming, or whether they had simply suspected things the
instant they had sighted them, were two things Dave did not know.
Nor did he waste time guessing. The fact remained that there they
were more or less pinned to the ground, and there were the Nazi
planes forcing them lower and lower.
Biting back a storm of bitter words directed at himself, Dave glanced
downward, and groaned. They were less than three hundred feet off
the ground. And as for the ground, it was now practically alive with
Nazi uniforms. The grey-green clad figures of Hitler's armies seemed
to virtually pop up out of holes in the ground. It was almost like
looking down into a swimming maze of upturned faces.
"What say, Dawson?" Barker's voice cut through Dave's whirling
thoughts. "Are we going to let the blighters push us down onto the
sod? Or shall we give a few of them something they'll remember
when they wake up in the next world ... or wherever Nazi rotters go
to? Me, I fancy that, old thing. Let's get as many as we can, while
we can, what?"
Dave didn't answer right off the bat. His brain was battling furiously
with the toughest problem he had ever faced in his entire life. As
commander of the flight it was in his power to order life or death for
Freddy and Barker. He could make it life by surrendering to the
hovering Nazi wings and letting the Germans take them alive as they
seemed to wish. Or he could make it death by agreeing with Barker's
suggestions and attempting to fight through the aerial cordon of
Messerschmitts until all three of them went down in flames.
The warrior in him was all in favor of that. Why give up without a
fight? Why let these darn Nazis push them around like three rag
dolls? What was there to be gained by that? Life in a Nazi prison
camp at the most. Sure, life! But was that kind of life worth living? It
was not! Better to die, and take some of your conquerors along with
you, than to simply fold up without a single show of resistance.
Heck! That was a coward's way out! That was....
The other side of Dave, though, refused to accept that as the only
solution. On a thousand other occasions, sure. Fight until you could
fight no more. But this was something different. This situation was
the exception. There was far, far more at stake than Freddy Farmer's
life, or Barker's life, or his own life. They had come over to do a
definite job. They had failed to accomplish that task. They had failed
because the Nazis were ready, and apparently waiting for them. Why
didn't the Nazis polish them off; finish them right then and there?
It was that single question that stopped Dave from crying out the
order to do battle, and let the Messerschmitts fall where they may.
That one question that held back the warrior within him; that
brought the leadership in him to the fore. Why did the Nazis let
them live? There could be but one answer. For a very definite reason
known only to the Nazis. But a very important reason, obviously.
Dave glanced once more down at the ground, then up at the mass
of swastika wings that hovered just above his head like a cloud. He
could almost feel countless eyes boring holes through the air down
at him. Those Nazi wings were Hitler's new secret weapon? No!
Those Nazi wings were the answer to the mysterious disappearance
of ten Lockheed Hudsons? No? The answers were down on the
ground below him. Of that he felt positive. And the Nazis wanted
him alive. Okay, they could take him alive. While he had life he had
hope. And while he had hope there was the chance of 'most
anything happening.
That, however, was his choice. The choice for himself. But he could
not make it the choice for Freddy and Barker. In his heart he could
not order them to surrender. Neither could he order them to batter
their wings against that wall of Nazi guns. But there was a way by
which the thing could be solved. True, it might cost him his own life,
but if he timed it just right, pulled the surprise at exactly the right
moment an avenue of escape would be opened for Freddy Farmer
and Flight Lieutenant Barker.
"Close up, fellows!" he called into his flap-mike. "Close up until
you're almost touching my wingtips. Keep your engines at three
quarter throttle. Follow me around. I'm going to act like I'm leading
us down toward that level patch off to the left. But keep your eyes
on me! When you see my nose go up, and hear my guns, pull the
plug and fly dead straight ahead for all you're worth. Don't even take
time to look back. Get flying, and keep flying. I'll take care of these
bums, or bust. Got it straight?"
"See here, Dawson!" Barker's voice cried out in the earphones. "I
won't let you throw...."
"You will, and shut up!" Dave roared back. "That's an order, Barker!
You refused to give the orders, so now you take them and like
them!"
"Right-o, old bean!" Barker replied. "But I won't like them, no fear."
"Just do your stuff when I give the signal, and let everything else
ride," Dave grunted. "Okay, close up some more. Here we go!"
"Rubbish to your orders!" came Freddy Farmer's voice out of the air.
"I think I know what you're planning, and it's silly. Dave, I just
won't...!"
"So I've got trouble with you, too!" Dave snarled at him. "Listen, pal!
You do as I say, or you're off my list forever. And I mean that,
Freddy. This is something bigger than all three of us, and I'm taking
a whirl at the only possible way out. I'm not thinking of you, or
Barker, or even myself. I'm thinking of Colonel Trevor's brother. We
going to let him down? You're darn tooting we're not! Now, button
up those pretty lips, Freddy. I mean business, and no fooling!"
"Okay, Dave," came the hoarse whisper over the radio. "Sorry, old
thing. And God bless you. I'm ready!"
Dave choked back the lump that rose up into his throat, blinked his
eyes hard, and then hauled the throttle back to the three quarter
mark, and started to bank around in a slow circle. Sitting tight in the
seat, every nerve drawn taut as a piano wire, he scrutinized the
mass of planes overhead. It was only his imagination, of course, but
the instant he acted as though he were going to lead Freddy and
Barker down to a landing it seemed as though every Nazi above him
slackened his vigilance and relaxed visibly. But it was not his
imagination when he saw three or four of the Messerschmitts drop
noses slightly to lose altitude and escort the three R.A.F. pilots right
down onto the ground. It was not imagination, it was fact, and wild
hope leaped high in Dave's breast.
The four Messerschmitts dropping down left a "hole" in the sky. A
hole in the wall of Nazi wings. Quick as a flash Dave shot out his
hand and banged his throttle wide open. At the same time he hauled
up the nose of his ship toward the hole, and started hammering
away with all guns.
"Freddy! Barker! Get going! Get going and keep going! This is your
chance. So long, fellows!"
In the thunderous yammer and clatter of his guns his own voice
came back to him as an echo from a great distance. He longed to
tear his gaze from that hole to see if Freddy and Barker were
obeying orders. To see if they were streaking straight forward at top
speed, and just off the ground. But he didn't dare look. In the next
few split seconds his piloting ability and his marksmanship would
mean life or death for Freddy and Barker.
By charging straight for that hole his plane served as a sort of screen
for Freddy Farmer and Barker. The Nazis, seeing him gun blasting
upward, would instantly guess that the three of them were trying to
skip through the hole in the huge formation of German wings.
Guessing that, the four pilots that had dropped down would instantly
zoom back up to fill the gap. And some of the others would swing in
closer to present a wall of fire spitting guns to the onrushing British
plane.
It was that for which Dave fervently prayed and hoped, as he went
rocketing upward. And his prayer was answered. As though by magic
the hole in the sky became filled with German planes. He saw his
tracers bite into a One-Ten. Saw the German plane explode in a
thousand flaming embers and go slithering earthward. A One-Nine
cutting straight down off to his right caught his eye. Fear chilled his
heart. The German pilot had suddenly realized that it was all daring
bluff, a daring trick. He had seen Farmer and Barker streaking along
underneath Dave and right down under the outer edge of the cordon
of German planes. He had seen, guessed, and was high tailing down
to cut off the avenue of retreat.
"Leave them alone, bum!" Dave howled and jabbed his trigger
release button at the same instant he kicked his Mark 5 around in a
flash half turn.
The German pilot saw what was coming too late. He made a frantic
effort to pull out of his dive and whirl off into the clear, but Dave
Dawson's shower of bullets had the greater speed. They hit the One-
Nine like a shower of hot sizzling steel and practically blasted it apart
in midair. The Messerschmitt's wings fell off, the fuselage buckled,
and the whole business burst into flame and went down ... fast.
No sooner did Dave see that his burst was going home than he tore
his gaze from the doomed plane and lined up another Nazi
Messerschmitt in his sights. However, before he could jab the trigger
button the German pilot wheeled his craft to one side, dropped
sharply by the nose, and then came zooming up under the Spitfire.
For a split second the finger of Death was pointed straight at the
Yank born R.A.F. ace. Then the danger was passed as Dave went
right up on wingtip and around in a tight power turn that scrambled
his brains, and made his eyes feel as though they were two white
hot coals revolving in their sockets. He opened his mouth to relieve
the terrific pressure on his eardrums, and braced himself hard
against his safety belt harness in a desperate effort to beat back the
wave of inky darkness that would "black him out."
Meantime he let his plane slice around in the wing howling turn, and
fervently prayed that no German plane would get in the way. If one
did it would be just too bad for the Nazi, and for himself. But
perhaps Lady Luck was riding the cockpit with him during those few
seconds. At any rate the Spitfire did not plow headlong into a
Messerschmitt, and presently the black curtain was drawn away from
in front of his eyes, and he could see again.
It was then he realized that the Mark 5 had stalled off the tight turn,
and was slanting downward at a comet's rate of speed. Impulsively
he hauled up the nose, and started to turn back and give battle
again to the Nazi pilot striving to cut down past him and attack
Freddy and Barker who were now almost in the clear. A wild cry
bursting from his lips, he checked the turning maneuver, and went
prop-clawing around in the opposite direction, instead. To have
caught the Nazis off guard and opened up an avenue of escape for
Farmer and Barker, had been to perform a miracle. And to hold off
the mass of Nazi wings so that his two pals could get well under way
toward safe air, had also been a miracle in itself.
But neither miracle had been enough. The gods of war, and bad
luck, had thrown their weight on the side of the Germans. As Dave
came out of his tight turn, that had actually become a power dive
earthward, he caught sight of two Messerschmitt One-Nines cutting
down through the air far off to his right. Cutting straight down on
top of Freddy Farmer and Barker who were right down over the tree
tops and racing northwestward at top speed.
One look and Dave's world seemed to come tumbling down around
his ears. One look and he knew that all his efforts had been in vain.
Being at such a low altitude his two pals were unable to flash
maneuver out from under those diving Messerschmitts without
catching a wing on the ground, and crashing in. To attempt to zoom
upward and away would be sheer suicide. They would simply
present better targets for those two vultures of Goering's roaring
down. Luck, fate, or whatever you wanted to call it. It made no
difference. Freddy and Barker had failed in the last few seconds to
make good their escape. They were trapped. They were caught cold
... with no choice save the choice of death!
 CHAPTER ELEVEN
Airman's Courage

Time seemed to stand still as Dave sat frozen in the Spitfire's pit.
The whole world, and the very heavens, seemed to stop and wait for
the inevitable. Dave's heart tried to push out through his ribs, and
the very air he breathed was like liquid fire in his lungs. To face
certain death, yourself, is soul crushing enough. But to sit helplessly
by while death reaches out for two of your pals is something beyond
words of description. It is like dying inwardly while remaining alive
outwardly.
"Freddy! Barker! Get them! Haul up, and get them. It's your only
hope. The only thing you can do! Freddy ... Barker...!"
As though from a million miles away Dave heard the echo of his own
words that poured from off his stiff lips. In a dazed, abstract sort of
way part of his spinning brain was conscious of the fact that some of
the other Nazis were dropping right down on his unprotected tail. He
even heard the bursts fired past his wing as a signal for him to
surrender and go on down to land. Perhaps in the very next second
a burst from some Nazi's guns might tear right down through the
glass "hatch" over his cockpit, and end up in his body. Perhaps ...
but he didn't give it a thought. What happened to him in the next
few seconds didn't matter in the slightest. He had ears, and eyes,
and thoughts only for Freddy Farmer, and Flight Lieutenant Barker.
They were doomed. In the next moment they would be dead men
hurtling down the last few feet to the ground. Not even the miracle
of miracles could save them, now. The two Messerschmitt One-Nines
were too close. A blind man couldn't miss at that distance....
Miracles? So what? A pilot with the fighting heart and indomitable
spirit that was Freddy Farmer's didn't have to depend on miracles to
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