remark. Finally the colonel spoke. "We'll report
him missing in action and hope for the best."

"Sure, an' I'm thinkin' the Jerries were plenty mad," O'Malley said
grimly.

"The thing to do is to check with bomber operations and locate the spots
where they run into the most fighters. Then scout those areas with
low-level flights. When we locate a set of runways near a hill, we'll
check. After the data is in we'll try Lieutenant Wilson's skip-bombing
tactics. But we want to make a clean-up, for once we let them know how
we do it they'll rig up a defense." The general rose to his feet. "I'll
let you know, Colonel, what plans my office makes."

"You have pictures of the hangars?" the major asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid I forgot all about your cameras when I came in over the
runway," Stan replied. "I was really looking for Sim and O'Malley."

"You fighter pilots always forget the cameras," the major said sourly.
"Well, we'll check what you did get."

"'Tis about time to be eatin'," O'Malley put in anxiously.

"In that case, Colonel, we'll run along," Stan said with a grin.

Colonel Holt looked at O'Malley sternly. "Food is a secondary matter
right now, but you may go."

"Thank you, sor," O'Malley said. "It's very important to me."

The colonel looked at O'Malley's lank and bony frame and smiled. He
turned back to his desk, and Stan and O'Malley hurried away.

"I thought you had to have water to do this here skip-bombing,"
O'Malley said when they were outside.

"It can be done on land, too. Our boys can rig a delayed fuse and we can
roll the eggs right back into the nests," Stan explained.

"We'll have fun," O'Malley chuckled. "In no time at all we'll be over
Berlin."

During the next week, scouting flights from the Eighth Air Force field
and from other fields near by were made on a pattern. Long-range P-51's
and swift Mosquito bombers went out. They searched a wide band of enemy
territory and made many photographs. Every landing strip, even though it
appeared to be only an emergency runway, was checked and photographed.
Then the boys were called in. The fields had been spotted and their
underground hangars located. It was time to strike.

Stan and O'Malley sat in the operations room looking at a big map.
Colonel Holt stood before the map with his staff. The men leaned forward
eagerly. For several days they had been practicing a new type of
bombing with fighters, a skip method. The colonel pointed to the map.