lock. They're
after the flight ahead."

"Rear gunner Roger, sir. Flock of Focke-Wulfs at six o'clock. Coming in
on our tail."

"I say, old man, don't get itchy fingers. No ammo to waste." Allison's
voice was calm and unruffled.

O'Malley's voice broke in over Stan's headset. "Hey, sure an' we ought
to go down an' bust that up."

"Stay where you are, O'Malley," Sim snapped. "We have plenty of Me's
coming in at twelve o'clock."

Stan had been so busy watching the bombers he had not checked his own
part of the sky. A glance showed him Sim was correct. A flight of some
twenty Me fighters were diving and circling above.

"Keep them up there," Sim ordered. "But stay in your slot. You happen to
be outnumbered and you also happen to have the job of seeing that those
Me's stay up there away from the bombers."

Red Flight knifed along through the thin air, ready to smash any Me
daring to go down the chute upon the bombers.

"Come on down and fight, ye spalpeens!" O'Malley was yelling.

Stan saw that the Forts and Libs were slamming lead at the Focke-Wulfs
in a blaze that rivaled a Fourth of July celebration. He kept an eye on
Allison's Fort and saw an FW go down flaming after a thrust at the
bomber. Stan chuckled softly.

"Allison got one!" O'Malley yelled. "'Tis a sad day, this, for Mrs.
O'Malley's son."

Allison's Fort got another FW and O'Malley's flow of abuse against the
Me's increased. He was in a towering Irish rage. But it did no good. The
Me's hung on, waiting for the Thunderbolts to turn back. It was a case
of who ran short of gas first. Now "lace-panty" flak was blossoming all
over the sky. It exploded in pretty pink bursts and that was why the
boys gave it such a fancy name.

"We have to go in," Sim ordered grimly.

"Go in!" O'Malley bellowed. "Why not give them birds a scare anyway?"

"We'll zoom up and scatter them," Sim said. "But any man who stays to
put on a show will have to walk back."

Stan eased over and kicked on a bit more power. The Germans had the
attack route well charted. They knew just how far the Thunderbolts would
be able to penetrate. With a burst of speed Stan went up and over. Every
Thunderbolt did the same, but O'Malley beat them all to it. He roared
over Stan's head, almost ripping away his hatch cover.

The Me's ducked gracefully and scattered. They looped and dived for it.
Stan saw at once the chase was hopeless. The Jerries meant to tease the
Thunderbolts deeper into Germ