s base wasn't to be ready
for another month yet, but it is in operation right now. It has been for
the last three or four weeks. However, it is simply a port through which
equipment and personnel pass on the way to the battle fronts. The
working staff is very small, and we have no squadron, or even a flight
of planes and pilots of our own. I mean, based here for our protection.
That, of course, is because every plane and pilot is needed at the
front. Those of us who are behind the front must shift as best we can,
until there comes a lull in the main battle, and we've the time to start
tucking in the ends."

The major general paused for breath.

"So far, I've only given you a picture of conditions here," he continued
presently. "Well, about ten days ago I was secretly informed through
Colonel's Welsh's office that the President and Mr. Churchill were going
to hold a war conference here at Casablanca. Naturally, I kept that
secret. However, the Nazis must have got hold of that news somehow,
either here or in Washington. We'll probably never know which. Three
days ago those Junkers long-range bombers started putting in an
appearance. At first, I thought they were after convoys, but pilots who
sighted them off shore reported that they either kept at a safe
distance, or raced away to hide in the clouds before our planes could
reach them. In short, they did everything in their power to avoid air
battle. In addition, they went the limit to prevent any of our planes
from _following them back to their base_."

"Just what do you mean by that, sir?" Dawson asked with a puzzled frown.

The major general reached out a hand and tapped a finger on the
navigator's chart on the desk.

"That plane and its crew were deliberately sacrificed so that the others
could get away," he said. "It happened yesterday morning. A Lockheed
Lightning pilot happened to be in the air, and he sighted the Snoopers
off shore. He requested permission by radio to give chase and engage
them. That permission was granted. The Snoopers had a good start on him,
however, and there were a lot of clouds, so the Lockheed pilot was
unable to catch up until the chase had gone a good two hundred miles
inland. When he started to close in, the pilot reported later, one of
the bombers dropped out of formation, turned back, and gave battle. It
put up a good fight, and by the time the Lockheed pilot had downed it,
the others had disappeared completely. Just before turning