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Biggles #30
Biggles In The Orient
'You're out last hope, Bigglesworth,' said the Air Commodore, with something like despair in his voice.
The war supply route between Calcutta and China is a vital one but something is attacking the planes that fly it. Again and again pilots set off, only to disappear somewhere along the line, never to be seen again. When Biggles and his team are called in to investigatem, flying the route is close to a suicide mission . . .
The war supply route between Calcutta and China is a vital one but something is attacking the planes that fly it. Again and again pilots set off, only to disappear somewhere along the line, never to be seen again. When Biggles and his team are called in to investigatem, flying the route is close to a suicide mission . . .
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1945
About the author
W.E. Johns
610 books115 followersInvariably known as Captain W.E. Johns, William Earl Johns was born in Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Eastman Johns, a tailor, and Elizabeth Johns (née Earl), the daughter of a master butcher. He had a younger brother, Russell Ernest Johns, who was born on 24 October 1895.
He went to Hertford Grammar School where he was no great scholar but he did develop into a crack shot with a rifle. This fired his early ambition to be a soldier. He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed to a county municipal surveyor where he remained for four years and then in 1912 he became a sanitary inspector in Swaffham, Norfolk. Soon after taking up this appointment, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 47.
On 6 October 1914 he married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham in Norfolk. The couple had one son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, who was born in March 1916.
With war looming he joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry), a cavalry regiment. In August 1914 his regiment was mobilised and was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas.
He fought at Gallipoli and in the Suez Canal area and, after moving to the Machine gun Corps, he took part in the spring offensive in Salonika in April 1917. He contracted malaria and whilst in hospital he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and on 26 September 1917, he was given a temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly, which he did at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, where he was taught by a Captain Ashton.
He was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Thetford where he had a charmed existence, once writing off three planes in three days. He moved to Yorkshire and was then posted to France and while on a bombing raid to Mannheim his plane was shot down and he was wounded. Captured by the Germans, he later escaped before being reincarcerated where he remained until the war ended.
He went to Hertford Grammar School where he was no great scholar but he did develop into a crack shot with a rifle. This fired his early ambition to be a soldier. He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed to a county municipal surveyor where he remained for four years and then in 1912 he became a sanitary inspector in Swaffham, Norfolk. Soon after taking up this appointment, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 47.
On 6 October 1914 he married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham in Norfolk. The couple had one son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, who was born in March 1916.
With war looming he joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry), a cavalry regiment. In August 1914 his regiment was mobilised and was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas.
He fought at Gallipoli and in the Suez Canal area and, after moving to the Machine gun Corps, he took part in the spring offensive in Salonika in April 1917. He contracted malaria and whilst in hospital he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and on 26 September 1917, he was given a temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly, which he did at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, where he was taught by a Captain Ashton.
He was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Thetford where he had a charmed existence, once writing off three planes in three days. He moved to Yorkshire and was then posted to France and while on a bombing raid to Mannheim his plane was shot down and he was wounded. Captured by the Germans, he later escaped before being reincarcerated where he remained until the war ended.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 26, 2014
If Biggles had listened to me the mystery would have been solved at the outset rather than half way through the book but then we'd have missed the naked, oiled dhobi-wallah.
November 5, 2024
To those of you au fait with Biggles Defends The Desert, originally Biggles Sweeps the Desert, published in 1942, the plot of Biggles in the Orient, published three years later, may feel familiar. Both involve a devastating secret weapon deployed by the enemy, causing British aircraft on long haul supply flights to disappear or crash for no apparent reason.
In the desert the aircraft supplying troops in North Africa are mysteriously going off course and in the Orient the British aircraft supplying the brave Chinese from bases in India are crashing inexplicably. A mysterious weapon of mighty power is suspected in each case.
Biggles and the boys are sent out to Calcutta to investigate.
After more losses of pilots and aircraft, Biggles finally deduces the nature of the secret weapon. Very satisfactory. Except for all the dead pilots.
I must check to see whether my Mazda still goes.
In the desert the aircraft supplying troops in North Africa are mysteriously going off course and in the Orient the British aircraft supplying the brave Chinese from bases in India are crashing inexplicably. A mysterious weapon of mighty power is suspected in each case.
Biggles and the boys are sent out to Calcutta to investigate.
After more losses of pilots and aircraft, Biggles finally deduces the nature of the secret weapon. Very satisfactory. Except for all the dead pilots.
I must check to see whether my Mazda still goes.
April 6, 2018
More planes are disappearing
18 May 2015
Once again the allies are losing planes, however this time it is the route between India and China and this is causing problems for the Chinese attempting to hold off the Japanese invasion. As can be expected, when the RAF has a problem there is only one person that they can call in to help: Biggles. Oh, and also his squadron, which usually consists of Algy and Ginger (and a couple of others though they don't tend to be as regular as Biggle's two friends, though I don't remember Ginger in any of the World War I stories that I read).
So, when I discovered that the mission involved disappearing planes, and that they all thought it was some secret weapon all I could think was 'here we go again'. The previous Biggles story that I read, Biggles Sweeps the Desert, also involved disappearing planes which was thanks to some Nazi secret weapon, so I was starting to wonder whether Captain Johns was being a little lazy with some of his plots. Mind you, I certainly haven't been reading these books in any sort of order, and due to the number of them that were published (and the price tag as well – you could be paying anywhere up to $300 Australian dollars for an early edition with the dust jacket) I am simply going to read them piece meal in whatever order I manage to get them (and even then I'll only be reading the ones on my Dad's bookshelf).
So, we have disappearing planes and quite possibly another secret weapon (this time invented by the Japanese) so Biggles puts on his Sherlock Holmes cap, grabs his magnifying glass (well, metaphorically speaking that is) and tries to unravel the mystery. As it turns out there is a nice little twist and suddenly we discover that they are up against Japanese spies and a secret organisation whose goal is to shut down the air routes from India to China. As such we have a good old spy adventure where Bigglesworth is not just donning his Sherlock Holmes attire, but also grabbing his Walther PPK and his vodka-martini, shaken not stirred, and going out to put an end to this nefarious plot.
Okay, I may be sounding a bit cliched here, though from my experience many of the earlier James Bond stories were more mystery thrillers as opposed to action adventures, and in a way so is this story. Sure, we have a couple of dog fights, but then a Biggles war story wouldn't be a Biggles war story without him jumping into a Spitfire and shooting some Japanese (or Germans) out of the sky. Anyway, I really don't want to say all that much more because I will end up completely ruining the plot, particularly for those of you who may actually go out and get their hands on a Biggles book. Sure, I could tell you what happens in this book because, well, there are over a hundred other Biggles books out there for you to read, however it may simply turn out that the one I spoil is the one that you may have found the best.
Oh, here is a picture of a Japanese Zero (can't have a Biggles review without a picture of an aeroplane):
18 May 2015
Once again the allies are losing planes, however this time it is the route between India and China and this is causing problems for the Chinese attempting to hold off the Japanese invasion. As can be expected, when the RAF has a problem there is only one person that they can call in to help: Biggles. Oh, and also his squadron, which usually consists of Algy and Ginger (and a couple of others though they don't tend to be as regular as Biggle's two friends, though I don't remember Ginger in any of the World War I stories that I read).
So, when I discovered that the mission involved disappearing planes, and that they all thought it was some secret weapon all I could think was 'here we go again'. The previous Biggles story that I read, Biggles Sweeps the Desert, also involved disappearing planes which was thanks to some Nazi secret weapon, so I was starting to wonder whether Captain Johns was being a little lazy with some of his plots. Mind you, I certainly haven't been reading these books in any sort of order, and due to the number of them that were published (and the price tag as well – you could be paying anywhere up to $300 Australian dollars for an early edition with the dust jacket) I am simply going to read them piece meal in whatever order I manage to get them (and even then I'll only be reading the ones on my Dad's bookshelf).
So, we have disappearing planes and quite possibly another secret weapon (this time invented by the Japanese) so Biggles puts on his Sherlock Holmes cap, grabs his magnifying glass (well, metaphorically speaking that is) and tries to unravel the mystery. As it turns out there is a nice little twist and suddenly we discover that they are up against Japanese spies and a secret organisation whose goal is to shut down the air routes from India to China. As such we have a good old spy adventure where Bigglesworth is not just donning his Sherlock Holmes attire, but also grabbing his Walther PPK and his vodka-martini, shaken not stirred, and going out to put an end to this nefarious plot.
Okay, I may be sounding a bit cliched here, though from my experience many of the earlier James Bond stories were more mystery thrillers as opposed to action adventures, and in a way so is this story. Sure, we have a couple of dog fights, but then a Biggles war story wouldn't be a Biggles war story without him jumping into a Spitfire and shooting some Japanese (or Germans) out of the sky. Anyway, I really don't want to say all that much more because I will end up completely ruining the plot, particularly for those of you who may actually go out and get their hands on a Biggles book. Sure, I could tell you what happens in this book because, well, there are over a hundred other Biggles books out there for you to read, however it may simply turn out that the one I spoil is the one that you may have found the best.
Oh, here is a picture of a Japanese Zero (can't have a Biggles review without a picture of an aeroplane):
June 2, 2019
Nostalgia trip! Biggles was my boyhood reading, 50 or more years ago! "Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn."
Summary: Second World War (not First as stated in the general review.) Secret mission out East (as suggested by the title!) Fiendish Japanese secret weapon (or is it!) Biggles sorts it our! Hurrah!
Warning for those of a nervous disposition: Politicall incorrect language and attitudes occur in this book! And for the tobacco-phobes, many cigarettes are smoked!
Summary: Second World War (not First as stated in the general review.) Secret mission out East (as suggested by the title!) Fiendish Japanese secret weapon (or is it!) Biggles sorts it our! Hurrah!
Warning for those of a nervous disposition: Politicall incorrect language and attitudes occur in this book! And for the tobacco-phobes, many cigarettes are smoked!
February 12, 2025
Five stars! This was absolutely brilliant, one of the best Biggles books - so full of mystery and intrigue, intrepid flying adventures, danger and threat. This book uses the familiar characters and traits of the Biggles stories, and uses them to their full potential.
September 28, 2024
Een gedateerd boek geschreven door een vliegenier die na zijn diensttijd in de eerste wereld oorlog besloot een jongensboeken serie te schrijven over Sgt Bigglesworth.
Na wat afdingen op een rommelmarkt kwam deze editie meer in de stapel van 5 euro.
Geinig en leest lekker weg.
Na wat afdingen op een rommelmarkt kwam deze editie meer in de stapel van 5 euro.
Geinig en leest lekker weg.
June 15, 2021
සුප්රසිද්ධ බිගල්ස්වර්ත්ගේ කණ්ඩායමට එහෙම නැත්නම් රාජකීය ගුවන් හමුදාවේ 666 ප්රහාරක කණ්ඩායම මෙවර කැඳවන්නේ ඉන්දියාවේ කල්කටාවේ ඇති ඩම් ඩම් නමින් හඳුන්වන ගුවන්හමුදා කඳවුරක් වෙතට ය.
රටවල් කිහිපයක විවිධ ගුවන් කඳවුරු හරහා කල්කටාවට රැගෙන යන බිගල්ස් සහ ඔහුගේ කණ්ඩායම කල්කටාවට පැමිණි පසු ද ඔවුන් සිතන්නේ තවත් ස්ථානයකට රැගෙන යාමට පෙර තාවකාලික විවේකය සඳහා ගොඩබට ස්ථානයක් ලෙසට ය.
නමුත් එහිදී තමා පිළිගැනීමට පැමිණෙන නිලධාරියා දැකීමෙන් පසු මෙය ගමනාන්තය බව වටහාගන්නා බිගල්ස්, ඔහු සමග තමා කැඳවූ ඉහළ නිලධාරියා හමුවට යන්නේ තම කණ්ඩායම කැඳවූ කාරණය විමසා බැලීමට ය.
ජපානය හා යුද වැදී සිටින ඔවුන්ට ජපානය විසින් නිපදවා ඇති රහස් අවියක් හා ගැටීමට සිදුවී ඇත. චීන - ඉන්දියා ගුවන් මාර්ගයේ සිදු වන මෙම ප්රහාරයේදී හදිසියේ තම යානා කඩාවැටීමට ලක් වේ. මෙහිදී කිසිදු ප්රහාරක් හෝ ඒ පිළිබඳව සාක්ෂියක් හෝ දැකගැනීමට නොලැබෙන බැවින් කඳවුරේ සිටින්නන් හට මෙය මහත් ප්රෙහේලිකාවක් වී ඇති නිසා තම කණ්ඩායම කැඳවා ඇති බවට බිගල්ස් දැණුවත් වේ.
සාකච්ඡා වලින් අනතුරුව තම කණ්ඩායම වෙත යන බිගල්ස් ඔවුන් වෙත කරුණු පහදා දෙන ඔහු තම කණ්ඩායමට හඹා යාමට ඇත්තේ නොපෙනෙන රහස් අවියක් බව දන්වයි.
ඒ අනුව මෙම රහස් අවිය සොයා පරීක්ෂණ අරඹන 666 කණ්ඩායමේ ත්රාසජනක ක්රියාකාරකම් ඇතුලත්ව මේ පොත රචනා කර ඇත්තේ කැප්ටන් ඩබ්.ඊ. ජෝන්ස් නැතහොත් විලියම් අර්ල් ජෝන්ස් ය.
1893 දී උපත ලබා ඇති මෙතුමා මුල්ම බිගල්ස්වර්ත් පොත නිකුත් කර ඇත්තේ 1932 දී ය. 1968 දී මෙතුමා මියගොස් ඇති අතර ඒ වන විට බිගල්ස් කතා 100 පමණ රචනා කර ඇති බව සඳහන් වේ.
1945 දී රචනා කර ඇති "Biggles in the Orient " වූ පොතේ දෙවන ලෝක යුද්ධය පසුබිම්කොටගත් මනඃකල්පිත සිදුවීමක් විස්තර කර ඇත.
2017 වර්ෂයේ දී "නිමල් දිසානායක" මහතා විසින් සිංහලට පරිවර්තනය කර ඇති මේ පොත අවසානය දක්වා පාඨකයා ඇද බැඳ තබා ගැනීමට සමත් ක්රියාදාමයන්ගෙන් සමන්විත ඉතා අගනා කෘතියකි.
රටවල් කිහිපයක විවිධ ගුවන් කඳවුරු හරහා කල්කටාවට රැගෙන යන බිගල්ස් සහ ඔහුගේ කණ්ඩායම කල්කටාවට පැමිණි පසු ද ඔවුන් සිතන්නේ තවත් ස්ථානයකට රැගෙන යාමට පෙර තාවකාලික විවේකය සඳහා ගොඩබට ස්ථානයක් ලෙසට ය.
නමුත් එහිදී තමා පිළිගැනීමට පැමිණෙන නිලධාරියා දැකීමෙන් පසු මෙය ගමනාන්තය බව වටහාගන්නා බිගල්ස්, ඔහු සමග තමා කැඳවූ ඉහළ නිලධාරියා හමුවට යන්නේ තම කණ්ඩායම කැඳවූ කාරණය විමසා බැලීමට ය.
ජපානය හා යුද වැදී සිටින ඔවුන්ට ජපානය විසින් නිපදවා ඇති රහස් අවියක් හා ගැටීමට සිදුවී ඇත. චීන - ඉන්දියා ගුවන් මාර්ගයේ සිදු වන මෙම ප්රහාරයේදී හදිසියේ තම යානා කඩාවැටීමට ලක් වේ. මෙහිදී කිසිදු ප්රහාරක් හෝ ඒ පිළිබඳව සාක්ෂියක් හෝ දැකගැනීමට නොලැබෙන බැවින් කඳවුරේ සිටින්නන් හට මෙය මහත් ප්රෙහේලිකාවක් වී ඇති නිසා තම කණ්ඩායම කැඳවා ඇති බවට බිගල්ස් දැණුවත් වේ.
සාකච්ඡා වලින් අනතුරුව තම කණ්ඩායම වෙත යන බිගල්ස් ඔවුන් වෙත කරුණු පහදා දෙන ඔහු තම කණ්ඩායමට හඹා යාමට ඇත්තේ නොපෙනෙන රහස් අවියක් බව දන්වයි.
ඒ අනුව මෙම රහස් අවිය සොයා පරීක්ෂණ අරඹන 666 කණ්ඩායමේ ත්රාසජනක ක්රියාකාරකම් ඇතුලත්ව මේ පොත රචනා කර ඇත්තේ කැප්ටන් ඩබ්.ඊ. ජෝන්ස් නැතහොත් විලියම් අර්ල් ජෝන්ස් ය.
1893 දී උපත ලබා ඇති මෙතුමා මුල්ම බිගල්ස්වර්ත් පොත නිකුත් කර ඇත්තේ 1932 දී ය. 1968 දී මෙතුමා මියගොස් ඇති අතර ඒ වන විට බිගල්ස් කතා 100 පමණ රචනා කර ඇති බව සඳහන් වේ.
1945 දී රචනා කර ඇති "Biggles in the Orient " වූ පොතේ දෙවන ලෝක යුද්ධය පසුබිම්කොටගත් මනඃකල්පිත සිදුවීමක් විස්තර කර ඇත.
2017 වර්ෂයේ දී "නිමල් දිසානායක" මහතා විසින් සිංහලට පරිවර්තනය කර ඇති මේ පොත අවසානය දක්වා පාඨකයා ඇද බැඳ තබා ගැනීමට සමත් ක්රියාදාමයන්ගෙන් සමන්විත ඉතා අගනා කෘතියකි.
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September 12, 2024i hope biggles had a really good sleep after all that
August 7, 2021
First published in 1945, 'Biggles in the Orient' is an adventure featuring intrepid RAF pilot James Bigglesworth. In this tale he is sent to investigate aircraft losses at a couple of RAF bases in India. The plot and the associated mystery elements are a little predictable, the casual racism directed at the enemy is probably typical of the sort that was actively encouraged at that time, and the dialogue is often worse than B-movie but it actually works well and is enjoyable enough in its own uncomplicated way.
October 27, 2023
Classic Biggles
If you are a Biggles fan you'll find this up to scratch.
If you have read other Biggles books & not liked them, this probably won't change anything.
If you are new to them, give them a fair crack, remembering that they were written a long time ago in a very different world, & written by a man who lived through some of these experiences, certainly in the first world war anyway.
And, in fairness, if more people in this world, of all sorts lived more by Biggles code of honour the world would surely be a better place!
If you are a Biggles fan you'll find this up to scratch.
If you have read other Biggles books & not liked them, this probably won't change anything.
If you are new to them, give them a fair crack, remembering that they were written a long time ago in a very different world, & written by a man who lived through some of these experiences, certainly in the first world war anyway.
And, in fairness, if more people in this world, of all sorts lived more by Biggles code of honour the world would surely be a better place!
July 16, 2017
This is one of the better Biggles adventure/mystery novels I've read. As all the books it is short and easy to read. There are some issues with stereotypical descriptions and attitudes towards foreigners that I treat more as a sign of the time this was written than malice. There is also the ineptitude and stupidity of other people that makes it necessary to call in Biggles. If someone had had half a brain cell they would have figured it out and there wouldn't have been a book.
April 28, 2020
Great plot, let down by the racism of course
August 16, 2021
Biggles again showing his expert detective skills whilst exploring the mysterious deaths in the far East... Another brilliant book.
January 12, 2023
Biggles saves the world (again) - or at least he saves the allied air forces in the East from the Jap death ray. (I was fairly sure from the beginning how the 'death ray' actually worked)
September 15, 2024
Jeugdsentiment. Fantastische boeken.
December 22, 2025
I am reviewing the series as a whole, rather than the books individually
The Biggles series is great adventure fiction: we get high stakes, aerial action (in most of the books), and a hero who is endlessly loyal, competent, and calm under pressure.
I love the dogfights, recon missions, and wartime scenarios.
Where the series falls short is character depth. Some attitudes and simplifications reflect the period in which the books were written. There are very definitely dated elements, but considering the era the books were written - overall the series performs well. More than a few of the stories defy plausibility, but who doesn't love to curl up with a good adventure book or 10?
“Never say die.”
The Biggles series is great adventure fiction: we get high stakes, aerial action (in most of the books), and a hero who is endlessly loyal, competent, and calm under pressure.
I love the dogfights, recon missions, and wartime scenarios.
Where the series falls short is character depth. Some attitudes and simplifications reflect the period in which the books were written. There are very definitely dated elements, but considering the era the books were written - overall the series performs well. More than a few of the stories defy plausibility, but who doesn't love to curl up with a good adventure book or 10?
“Never say die.”
April 4, 2021
One of the later Biggles stories, but a standard Biggles adventure.
October 1, 2013
This book is about an extraordinary pilot in the air force called Biggles written w.e johns. the book set around Burma in WWII. Biggles goes to Dum Dum aerodrome on a secret mission because planes flying in the area are mysteriously crashing because of some unseen force. Biggles must find out whats causing the planes to crash and stop it before its to late.
the book is a very good book if you enjoy action and murder mystery books or if you have enjoyed other books in the series. I would rate this book 4.5/5 as it has been written very well and keeps you guessing till the end.
the book is a very good book if you enjoy action and murder mystery books or if you have enjoyed other books in the series. I would rate this book 4.5/5 as it has been written very well and keeps you guessing till the end.
October 9, 2012
Palate cleansed... with slightly unsavoury 'of it's time' low-level racism. It's not one of the best Biggles books to be fair, published in 1944 (and mine is a first edition doncha know) Johns was clearly writing to a fairly jingoistic audience primed to defeat the Hun, the Japs and if WE had his way, the Frogs, it's a fairly by-the-numbers read.
July 19, 2013
Joinks! Its Nancy Drew with an attitde. Granted, this was propaganda for children of the brave fighting forces for king and country, so the racist slurs were doled out with the best intentions. Ouch, though, really.
I have to wonder, having brought this home from Emmaus near Marseille (a local type Goodwill shop), who owned this book, and who read it?
I have to wonder, having brought this home from Emmaus near Marseille (a local type Goodwill shop), who owned this book, and who read it?
March 20, 2020
Easy to read adventures of the famous pilot.
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August 11, 2013A really good read. Action packed and engaging.
October 26, 2014
I had this figured out pretty early in the game, but still a fun read.
May 3, 2023
Aardig verhaal.
Op onverklaarbare wijze verdwijnen steeds meer vliegtuigen en piloten in India. Niemand weet waarom. Tot Biggles op komt dagen. Samen met zijn team lost hij het probleem op.
Op onverklaarbare wijze verdwijnen steeds meer vliegtuigen en piloten in India. Niemand weet waarom. Tot Biggles op komt dagen. Samen met zijn team lost hij het probleem op.
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May 2, 2017Read all the Biggles books as a boy at my Catholic boarding school in Armagh before I had acquired Use Of Reason. Wonderful adventures.
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