O'Malley and
Allison going in, too. They were needed, there was no doubt about that.
The German planes were getting through.

Coming down on the bandit, Stan eased over a bit and flattened out to
come in on the bomber's tail. The Stuka was sloping down toward one of
the transport ships. Stan kicked his throttle on full and raised his
nose until he had the bandit in his sights. His thumb pressed the gun
button and he felt the terrific kick-back from his bank of guns. He saw
the tail and a large part of the rear compartment of the Stuka wobble
and then sheer away. Whirling crazily, smoke billowing up from its torn
body, the Stuka went down, landing with a splash close alongside the
transport. Stan went over the deck of the ship so low, he could see the
grateful Navy boys waving at him.

Swinging inshore, Stan knifed after a Focke-Wulf 190 which was strafing
the barges. He sent the 190 kiting along the tops of the waves and away
inland. Stan was hot on the tail of the Focke-Wulf. He was sure he would
get in a burst, when suddenly a burst of flak from a ground battery
enveloped him. He felt the steel ripping through his wings. One motor
began to stutter badly. It was then that Stan remembered he was supposed
to deliver his plane to Malta in good condition.

Easing around, he climbed upward at a slow rate. He was looking for
O'Malley and Allison. He spotted O'Malley by the crazy manner of his
attack against an Me 110 which had closed in upon him. Stan grinned in
spite of the seriousness of their predicament. Half the tail had been
shot off O'Malley's Lightning. She was not handling very well. The Me
had a big edge. Stan went up as fast as his one crippled motor would
take him.

The Me pitted against O'Malley had the Irishman in a spot. He had
doubled inside O'Malley's loop and was now on his tail. Stan tried hard
to power dive but got only feeble results. He waited grimly, expecting
O'Malley to go down under a hail of Nazi lead. But O'Malley did not go
down. Another Lightning came roaring down and cut the Me almost in half.
Allison had been looking for O'Malley, too.

"How about hitting it for Malta, Commander?" Stan called.

"I say, old man, we better be getting out of here. The boys have
everything under control in this sector," Allison added.

"Sure, an' we're headed for home, tuck in close an' follow me," O'Malley
called cheerfully.

"We better cook up a good report," Stan said grimly.

"Sure, an' we got wayla