By DON PATTERSON. Illustrated by Sonny Schug

Transcription

1 A STORY OF WISDOM By DON PATTERSON Illustrated by Sonny Schug

2 Spitfire! By Don Patterson Illustrated by Sonny Schug/Studio West Edited by Mary Parenteau Production by Kline/Phoenix Advertising Graphics 2000, 2010 Hindsight Limited All rights reserved. No part of this book may be produced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts in reviews. Published in Minneapolis, MN by Rising Star Studios, LLC. Picture Credits Many thanks to the following organizations for giving permission to reprint illustrations and text used in the In Hindsight section of this book: p. 92 Air and Space, Bullfinch Press, New York (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute) p. 94 Profile Publications, Albatross D5, Surrey, England (Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum) Publisher's Cataloging-In-Publication Data (Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.) Patterson, Don, Spitfire! / by Don Patterson ; illustrated by Sonny Schug. p. : col. ill. ; cm. -- (Tales of the RAF ; bk. 3) Originally published in 2000 by Hindsight Ltd. Summary: Colonel Harrison receives orders to keep unauthorized personnel off the Royal Air Force base; unfortunately that includes twelve-year-old Harry Winslow. When Harry discovers something that can save the air base from German bombs, he must break the rules or risk destruction of Hampton Airfield. Includes index. Interest age level: ISBN: Spitfire (Fighter planes)--juvenile fiction. 2. Great Britain. Royal Air Force--Juvenile fiction. 3. Fighter pilots--great Britain--Juvenile fiction. 4. World War, Children--Great Britain--Juvenile fiction. 5. Spitfire (Fighter planes)--fiction. 6. Great Britain. Royal Air Force--Fiction. 7. Fighter pilots--great Britain--Fiction. 8. World War, Children--Great Britain--Fiction. I. Schug, Sonny. II. Title. III. Series: Patterson, Don, Tales of the RAF ; bk. 3. PZ7.P3884 Sp 2010 [Fic]

3 CHAPTER TABLE BOOK OF CONTENTS ONE "SCRAMBLE!" "SPITFIRE!" Twelve year old Harry Winslow is growing up in the English countryside of Hampton County. Harry s quiet life has been interrupted by World War. His father has been sent to London, and a RAF fighter squadron has been stationed in the fields next to the Winslow farm. Amazed by the pilots and planes, Harry has found a special group of friends who have become very important to him. Recently, the pilots have uncovered a mystery at Hampton, but solving it will have to wait until after they have scrambled their squadron to protect London. Join Harry on the airfield when the thundering fighter planes soar to intercept the enemy. Through sheer determination, the brave RAF pilots have made it impossible for the German Luftwaffe to gain an edge in the air above England. These are ordinary men, who do extra-ordinary things. The kind of things that make them heroes. PAGE 1 ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL THE NEW ARRIVALS "SPITFIRE!" AN UNAUTHORIZED VISITOR SCRAMBLE THE HURRICANES INTERCEPT AT DOVER HAMPTON FIELD IS UNDER ATTACK THE HURRICANES ARE LOST FIRE UP THE SPITFIRES SPITFIRES DEFEND HAMPTON REPAIR THE DAMAGED AIRFIELD! THE 14th SQUADRON RETURNS A NEW MEMBER THE MOST IMPORTANT REQUEST...86 IN HINDSIGHT...92

4 Chapter One ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL Colonel Harrison, the Commanding Officer of Hampton Airfield, stood at the window in his office peering through a pair of binoculars. Turning back and forth, his square shoulders stretched the seams of his neatly pressed Royal Air Force uniform while he searched the sky. Finally spotting what he was looking for, Harrison quickly focused his field glasses. Out in the distance, a formation of RAF Hawker Hurricanes was flying just above the horizon. Not having seen action for days, the pilots of the 14th Squadron were sharpening their skills by practicing combat tactics over the countryside surrounding the airfield. "Captain Dawson really has those lads snapping up there," Harrison said to himself while observing the fighter planes climb and then dive 1

5 "SPITFIRE!" for the tree tops. After several more minutes of turning and twisting, the squadron leveled out from their maneuvers and approached the airfield to land. One by one, the RAF fighters smartly set down on the grassy airstrip, ending their training mission. When the last Hurricane touched earth, a proud smile stretched across Colonel Harrison's face. Even though the practice flight had ended, Harrison continued to observe the activity on the field. While watching the line of fighter planes taxi to the hardstand, he noticed a group of people gathered by one of the maintenance hangers. The cluster of men and women were bent over, picking something up from the ground. Colonel Harrison shouted for his secretary, Susan Winslow, "Susan! Come in here!" "Colonel, what's wrong?" she asked while pulling at her jacket to straighten it. "Who is that down on the field?" Harrison demanded, pointing at the men and women outside. "And tell me what they're doing!" Susan stepped to the window. Scanning the field, she saw the people carefully picking up spent bullet casings and other bits of metal. 2

6 ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL "They're picking up scraps of metal for recycling, sir," she replied. "Who authorized them to be on the base?" Colonel Harrison sternly asked. "No one, really," Susan explained. "They just come here once a month and pick up the scrap metal lying about. It's for a good cause, sir." Colonel Harrison crossed his arms in a huff, "Those people are not authorized to be here! Look, Susan, I'm getting real heat from Fighter Command about unauthorized personnel on the base. I just received another memo about it today." "But sir," Susan interrupted, "They help us by returning the metal scraps to be reused for building new fighter planes." Unimpressed, Harrison replied, "What if one of those people got hurt? What if a pilot, like that Gainey character, pulled some idiotic stunt such as a low level fly-by and crashed his plane down there?" Susan rolled her eyes at the Colonel's outlandish suggestion. "But Colonel, even Lieutenant Gainey knows that low level flying is expressly 3

7 "SPITFIRE!" forbidden by RAF rules." "That's exactly my point Susan," Harrison firmly replied. "Everyone knows that RAF rules also forbid unauthorized personnel! Now there'll be no more discussion. Go down there and send those people home!" "Yes sir," Susan complied in a resigned voice as she turned to step out of the office. "Susan", Colonel Harrison called out, "there's...well...one other thing." Struggling to find the words, he continued, "I'm afraid that means your brother Harry, too." Twelve year old Harry Winslow lived with 4

8 ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL his mother and sister, Susan, on the Winslow farm bordering Hampton Airfield. Living so close to the RAF fighter base, it had become an important part of their lives. When the war started, Mr. Winslow left to serve in the British Intelligence. Susan returned home from college to help her mother. In order to earn some extra money she took a job on base as Colonel Harrison's secretary. It also allowed her to keep an eye on her brother, Harry. A frequent visitor to the base, Harry loved the pilots and planes of Hampton Airfield. They filled an emptiness in his heart while his father was away in London. Susan stopped in her tracks upon hearing the harsh order and pleaded, "But Colonel, being around the pilots is so important to Harry. Sending him away will break his heart. Isn't there anything else we can do?" "I'm not happy about it either," Harrison barked. "I know how close he is to Dawson and the others, but the lad could get hurt around here. You must tell him to stay away." Harrison snatched the letter from Fighter Command regarding unauthorized visitors and held it up to Susan, "These are my orders. Tell 5