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Biggles #6
Biggles and the Black Peril
When zero visibility forces Biggles to land his Vandal amphibian aircraft on the North Sea he thinks he's just got a spot of aeroplane bother. Bigger trouble is ahead for Biggles when he takes an unchartered ride in a flying boat manned by 'Blackbeard' - a cohort of the Russian Airfleet and accomplice in a plot to bomb Britain.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1935
14 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
W.E. Johns
613 books113 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 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 8, 2024
This is a fine read, a really good story, set in 1934 in which we're introduced to the character called Ginger, who's a really imaginative thinker and notices things that Biggles, Smyth, and Algy don't.
Biggles is forced down off the Norfolk coast by bad weather and as always, stumbles across something strange going on. He finds some equipment intended for military use by a foreign power (no not that one) and gets involved when he's trapped inside a large bomber and taken on a journey to the Northumberland coast.
He escapes and meets up with pals before they fly off to continental Europe where they encounter the mysterious Blackbeard who chases them back towards England.
On the negative side, I should say there are no female characters in this book, which dates the story and makes it less interesting. Biggles leads a charmed life and has plenty of luck, in a similar vein to James Bond. Some of the words used to describe people not from the UK are of the time and sound dated now.
On the positive side, although guns are in the story, there's no glorification of violence and indeed one of the characters feels guilty about shooting at someone in self defence.
Biggles is forced down off the Norfolk coast by bad weather and as always, stumbles across something strange going on. He finds some equipment intended for military use by a foreign power (no not that one) and gets involved when he's trapped inside a large bomber and taken on a journey to the Northumberland coast.
He escapes and meets up with pals before they fly off to continental Europe where they encounter the mysterious Blackbeard who chases them back towards England.
On the negative side, I should say there are no female characters in this book, which dates the story and makes it less interesting. Biggles leads a charmed life and has plenty of luck, in a similar vein to James Bond. Some of the words used to describe people not from the UK are of the time and sound dated now.
On the positive side, although guns are in the story, there's no glorification of violence and indeed one of the characters feels guilty about shooting at someone in self defence.
March 26, 2024
Biggles never lets me down; here is another corker complete with his pal Algy, mechanic Smyth and a newcomer (but later regular) Ginger. Ginger is a youngster (I never realised quite how young in the beginning - he must age quickly) who is leaving home to make his fortune in the world when he meets up with Biggles and inveigles himself into his team, with great success I should add!
The Black Peril takes the form of a nasty Russian known as Blackbeard and his penchant is for jet black aircraft as he tries to subjugate Great Britain. Biggles stumbles on one of his outposts in Norfolk and this leads he and his pals into all sorts of trouble as they try to discover exactly what Blackbeard is up to.
This investigation takes Biggles and company up to the north east, which is where they first encounter Ginger, and elsewhere around the country before they track Blackbeard down to his lair in Russia. Biggles manages to get the necessary permissions to fly out to Russia but once there he encounters Blackbeard's forces and finds himself separated from his pals and in real trouble.
Exciting episodes follow as, once reunited with Ginger, Algy and Smyth, Biggles tries to establish exactly what Blackbeard is trying to do. Eventually he and the Air Ministry, with whom he is liaising, do so and the enemy's efforts are well and truly thwarted. And Ginger , who plays a big part in the action, is invited to become one of the team.
Biggles books formed one of my earliest collections and it is a pleasure to revisit some of them now as they still retain that exciting element all through.
The Black Peril takes the form of a nasty Russian known as Blackbeard and his penchant is for jet black aircraft as he tries to subjugate Great Britain. Biggles stumbles on one of his outposts in Norfolk and this leads he and his pals into all sorts of trouble as they try to discover exactly what Blackbeard is up to.
This investigation takes Biggles and company up to the north east, which is where they first encounter Ginger, and elsewhere around the country before they track Blackbeard down to his lair in Russia. Biggles manages to get the necessary permissions to fly out to Russia but once there he encounters Blackbeard's forces and finds himself separated from his pals and in real trouble.
Exciting episodes follow as, once reunited with Ginger, Algy and Smyth, Biggles tries to establish exactly what Blackbeard is trying to do. Eventually he and the Air Ministry, with whom he is liaising, do so and the enemy's efforts are well and truly thwarted. And Ginger , who plays a big part in the action, is invited to become one of the team.
Biggles books formed one of my earliest collections and it is a pleasure to revisit some of them now as they still retain that exciting element all through.
July 9, 2025
Originally published in 1935, my undated Dean and & Son edition has an egregiously anachronistic cover image.
Sporting late sixties funky casual gear, including a yellow turtle neck, Biggles is restrained by two moustachioed toughs in equally horrendous apparel. There is often a problem updating Biggles for a contemporary audience, a marketing problem rather than content. They really should not bother.
Setting aside this clothing atrocity let’s get into the story. After bad weather forces them down on the Norfolk coast, Biggles and Algy happen upon a cache of military equipment indicating malevolent foreigners may have been sneaking about. As luck would have it (it’s a Biggles book), they hear powerful aircraft engines and a large foreign flying boat (like a Dornier), lands on the water aided by underwater lights. What does Biggles do? He takes a closer dekko by climbing aboard said craft, only to find himself trapped when the crew returns. So it’s off to Northumbria where Biggles is duly captured. He gets caught a lot in this one. But he escapes from the bad guy called ‘Blackbeard’, get this, by hurling his monogrammed silver cigarette case, thereby extinguishing a candle and plunging the room into darkness.
On the move but injured, he encounters a scruffy red-haired lad who turns out to be 'Ginger’ Hebblethwaite, on the road to London to seek his fortune, well actually to find a place to learn to fly. What a co-incidence. But the thing about co-incidences is that they really do occur in real life. Ginger asks:
So we smoothly re-join the story. Ginger is exceptionally useful, using his brains and ingenuity, helping Biggles escape several times.
Notable for the first appearance of Ginger Hebblethwaite, who enlivens this story and most subsequent Biggles adventures; the larger than unusual participation by Smyth the loyal mechanic, (though he does also feature in the earlier Biggles and the Cruise of the Condor, when he and Algy attempt to souvenir as much Inca treasure as they can carry before a volcano blows); the focus on amphibious aircraft, Biggles’ Vandal biplane and the eight-engined flying boats; the initial uncertainty about who the enemy might be, apparently the forces of evil were German originally, but ended up being Russian, which speaks of the uncertainly of international relations in the mid-thirties. The identity of the enemy changed between conception and publication. This is courtesy of the fabulously idiosyncratic Biggles website, the work of Roger Harris (www.biggles.com).
Of course it is all fanciful. Given the state of British air defences at the time, I doubt whether they could have withstood such a formidable invading force. But they had done it before when they held off an enemy with superior numbers, back in 1588, led by the Bigglesworth of his day Sir Francis Drake. And they would do it again when the Hurricanes and Spitfires of Fighter Command withstood the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. Many of those fighter pilots when asked why they became fliers answered that they were inspired by Biggles.
Sporting late sixties funky casual gear, including a yellow turtle neck, Biggles is restrained by two moustachioed toughs in equally horrendous apparel. There is often a problem updating Biggles for a contemporary audience, a marketing problem rather than content. They really should not bother.
Setting aside this clothing atrocity let’s get into the story. After bad weather forces them down on the Norfolk coast, Biggles and Algy happen upon a cache of military equipment indicating malevolent foreigners may have been sneaking about. As luck would have it (it’s a Biggles book), they hear powerful aircraft engines and a large foreign flying boat (like a Dornier), lands on the water aided by underwater lights. What does Biggles do? He takes a closer dekko by climbing aboard said craft, only to find himself trapped when the crew returns. So it’s off to Northumbria where Biggles is duly captured. He gets caught a lot in this one. But he escapes from the bad guy called ‘Blackbeard’, get this, by hurling his monogrammed silver cigarette case, thereby extinguishing a candle and plunging the room into darkness.
On the move but injured, he encounters a scruffy red-haired lad who turns out to be 'Ginger’ Hebblethwaite, on the road to London to seek his fortune, well actually to find a place to learn to fly. What a co-incidence. But the thing about co-incidences is that they really do occur in real life. Ginger asks:
“What’s your name, by the way?”Ginger stays with Biggles and us for the rest of the series (almost, he misses out in Orchids for Biggles, as does Algy, for hardly any reason, but there we are).
“Bigglesworth.”
Ginger started violently. “Bigglesworth! Not the war-pilot, by any chance?”
“Well, I was in the war,’ confessed Biggles.
“Well, strike me pink!” gasped Ginger. “Biggles in the flesh! This is my lucky day and no mistake: I know all about you, so you needn’t tell me any more.’
“Oh, and how do you know that?”
“Read about you, of course. You’ve got a pal named Algy or something or other, haven’t you? Where’s he?” (p36-37)
So we smoothly re-join the story. Ginger is exceptionally useful, using his brains and ingenuity, helping Biggles escape several times.
Notable for the first appearance of Ginger Hebblethwaite, who enlivens this story and most subsequent Biggles adventures; the larger than unusual participation by Smyth the loyal mechanic, (though he does also feature in the earlier Biggles and the Cruise of the Condor, when he and Algy attempt to souvenir as much Inca treasure as they can carry before a volcano blows); the focus on amphibious aircraft, Biggles’ Vandal biplane and the eight-engined flying boats; the initial uncertainty about who the enemy might be, apparently the forces of evil were German originally, but ended up being Russian, which speaks of the uncertainly of international relations in the mid-thirties. The identity of the enemy changed between conception and publication. This is courtesy of the fabulously idiosyncratic Biggles website, the work of Roger Harris (www.biggles.com).
Of course it is all fanciful. Given the state of British air defences at the time, I doubt whether they could have withstood such a formidable invading force. But they had done it before when they held off an enemy with superior numbers, back in 1588, led by the Bigglesworth of his day Sir Francis Drake. And they would do it again when the Hurricanes and Spitfires of Fighter Command withstood the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. Many of those fighter pilots when asked why they became fliers answered that they were inspired by Biggles.
December 18, 2023
A tense, gripping read filled with great heroes, villains, global politics and some real moments of danger.
Like I keep banging on - I much prefer the post-WW1 Biggles stories that take him around the World, getting mixed up in a variety of adventures and facing memorable baddies. This is a prime example of a story taking you from Norfolk to Northumberland, to Germany, Russia and Sweden!
This also sees the introduction of the character of Ginger, who is written brilliantly and a source of most of the novel's memorable moments. I look forward to seeing more of him in books to come.
Unfortunately the ending doesn't quite deliver. The enemies are wiped out by the British Air Force offscreen and the Russian invasion of Britain is foiled. This might have been cut down so as not to make the book overly long, however I think a first had account of the event would have worked better - seeing it from Biggles' point of view rather than learning about it from a report. 4 stars.
Like I keep banging on - I much prefer the post-WW1 Biggles stories that take him around the World, getting mixed up in a variety of adventures and facing memorable baddies. This is a prime example of a story taking you from Norfolk to Northumberland, to Germany, Russia and Sweden!
This also sees the introduction of the character of Ginger, who is written brilliantly and a source of most of the novel's memorable moments. I look forward to seeing more of him in books to come.
Unfortunately the ending doesn't quite deliver. The enemies are wiped out by the British Air Force offscreen and the Russian invasion of Britain is foiled. This might have been cut down so as not to make the book overly long, however I think a first had account of the event would have worked better - seeing it from Biggles' point of view rather than learning about it from a report. 4 stars.
October 12, 2022
A nostalgic trip back to my youth & I wasn't disappointed, Biggles is every bit as good today as he was all those years ago: simple, honest innocent adventures, without the bad language & sleaze that tries to pass itself off as entertaining or exciting reading in some "modern" books.
If you haven't met "Biggles" yet, then where have you been?
With stories suitable for every adventure seeker from 7 to 70 & even beyond, suffice to say I loved it!
Biggles,Algy, Ginger & Smyth are characters you may start to identify a little with & will certainly come to love as you look forward to their next adventures.
If you haven't met "Biggles" yet, then where have you been?
With stories suitable for every adventure seeker from 7 to 70 & even beyond, suffice to say I loved it!
Biggles,Algy, Ginger & Smyth are characters you may start to identify a little with & will certainly come to love as you look forward to their next adventures.
April 7, 2024
It's a great story where every chapter ends on a cliff hanger.
February 14, 2023
After my Dad told me how brilliant the Biggles books were I just had to check them out. He recommended I started with this one as it's where you meet Ginger for the first time.
Up until the last 3 or 4 chapters I was only going to give this 3 stars but the ending lifted it to 4 stars as it was just brilliant.
If you want a light adventure story to pull you out of a reading slump then this is well worth a read.
If you're a younger reader, keep in mind the language is quite hard to get your head round, it's almost old-fashioned in style which meant I found myself re-reading the same line several times to make sense of it.
Up until the last 3 or 4 chapters I was only going to give this 3 stars but the ending lifted it to 4 stars as it was just brilliant.
If you want a light adventure story to pull you out of a reading slump then this is well worth a read.
If you're a younger reader, keep in mind the language is quite hard to get your head round, it's almost old-fashioned in style which meant I found myself re-reading the same line several times to make sense of it.
April 25, 2020
This is the 4th Biggles book I've read, and I must say, despite being a little Boy's Own in style and a bit 'tally ho & chocks away' in dialogue, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's brisk, well-written, and for a series of 106(?) stories, Johns keeps them consistently entertaining yet reasonably educational and historical too. Around the 50%-75% region of The Black Peril, I was quite spellbound, wondering what was going to become of 'our chums'. Very much recommended. 4.25/5
October 15, 2023
There is a good book I had read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2018
After a clammy white mist makes visibility impossible, flying ace James Bigglesworth and his pal Algy are forced to land their Vandal amphibian somewhere in Norfolk. The apparently desolate landscape prompts the pair to do a spot of exploring with a view to finding somewhere to eat. However, on discovering a cache of military equipment they think they’ve stumbled upon a smuggling ring, but soon learn it’s something far more dangerous.
I read loads of Biggles books when I was a kid, but for some reason don’t remember any of them. With a view to recapturing my forgotten youth, I thought I’d give the old flying ace another look. Given that WE Johns was himself a flyer in World War One, it’s no surprise that the dialogue reflects many of those classic war movies where everyone talks as if they were educated at Eton. Exclamations of ‘by Jove’, ‘strewth’, and ‘dashed if I know’, pepper the conversations. Even the villains hold back on their language – when one of them is accused of being drunk, he retorts: ‘Kindly refrain from being unpleasant’.
This book introduces another character who also appears in many of the later books. ‘Ginger’ is a teenager on his way to London to become a pilot. He teams up with Biggles and ends up shooting one of the villains, which, like some of the team’s other exploits does seems bit farfetched. However, it’s all good fun in a very English ‘righto-chaps’ sort of way.
Originally published in 1935, ‘Biggles and the Black Peril’ is the eighth volume in an incredibly long series. As well as the Biggles adventures, Johns wrote several non-fiction books about flying and also penned the ‘Worrals’ series about a courageous flight officer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Written at the request of the Air Ministry, the books were intended to inspire young women to join the WAAF. Johns continued writing until his death in 1968.
Although this isn’t what I’d call a cracking good yarn, it’s nevertheless a very readable and entertaining story. It also gives an insight into how people viewed Europe at the time and Britain’s friendship (or otherwise) in regard to Germany and the threat of war.
I read loads of Biggles books when I was a kid, but for some reason don’t remember any of them. With a view to recapturing my forgotten youth, I thought I’d give the old flying ace another look. Given that WE Johns was himself a flyer in World War One, it’s no surprise that the dialogue reflects many of those classic war movies where everyone talks as if they were educated at Eton. Exclamations of ‘by Jove’, ‘strewth’, and ‘dashed if I know’, pepper the conversations. Even the villains hold back on their language – when one of them is accused of being drunk, he retorts: ‘Kindly refrain from being unpleasant’.
This book introduces another character who also appears in many of the later books. ‘Ginger’ is a teenager on his way to London to become a pilot. He teams up with Biggles and ends up shooting one of the villains, which, like some of the team’s other exploits does seems bit farfetched. However, it’s all good fun in a very English ‘righto-chaps’ sort of way.
Originally published in 1935, ‘Biggles and the Black Peril’ is the eighth volume in an incredibly long series. As well as the Biggles adventures, Johns wrote several non-fiction books about flying and also penned the ‘Worrals’ series about a courageous flight officer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Written at the request of the Air Ministry, the books were intended to inspire young women to join the WAAF. Johns continued writing until his death in 1968.
Although this isn’t what I’d call a cracking good yarn, it’s nevertheless a very readable and entertaining story. It also gives an insight into how people viewed Europe at the time and Britain’s friendship (or otherwise) in regard to Germany and the threat of war.
February 8, 2025
I decided to revisit another of the early Biggles books. This book is one of the significant books of the series in that it introduces the character of Ginger who becomes a series regular. The story sees Biggles and Algy out for an afternoon's flying when they encounter bad weather. Before they know it they find evidence of serious doings involving foreign enemies, and encounter some thoroughly evil people.
Into this comes Ginger, a young lad with a passion for airplanes who proves to be extraordinarily resourceful and very useful in helping his new found friends in their adventures.
Pure escapism of course, but an enjoyable read (especially when taken with a touch of nostalgia).
Into this comes Ginger, a young lad with a passion for airplanes who proves to be extraordinarily resourceful and very useful in helping his new found friends in their adventures.
Pure escapism of course, but an enjoyable read (especially when taken with a touch of nostalgia).
January 5, 2021
A bit special because this was the first Biggles I read, when I was about seven, so it's hard to be objective. But when I picked it up again in my fifties it was still a delight; a classic adventure tale involving airplanes, the cold Norfolk coast, secret liaisons, the North Sea, spies, forests and dark Russian lakes. I understand that, originally, the baddies were Germans - the book was written in the thirties - and this was later changed but it makes no difference to what is a rattling good yarn and the first Biggles adventure to introduce the classic character of Ginger Hebblethwaite.
April 7, 2021
First published in 1935, 'Biggles and the Black Peril' is an early Biggles adventure in which Biggles stumbles on a plot by a foreign power to attack Great Britain. Enjoyable boys won adventure type fun, even if the plot is as daft as a brush.
May 17, 2025
Biggles and his friend Algy get caught up in an adventure whilst forced to bring down their seaplane in bad weather.
Following their instincts honed during the war they follow the adventure onwards, picking up a resourceful new buddy on their travels.
A fun read full of tally ho style adventure
Following their instincts honed during the war they follow the adventure onwards, picking up a resourceful new buddy on their travels.
A fun read full of tally ho style adventure
March 11, 2018
B76 Much better introduction of Ginger than was done with Algy.
Slightly unbelievable ping-pong reversal of fortune.
Good read nonetheless
Slightly unbelievable ping-pong reversal of fortune.
Good read nonetheless
February 14, 2019
An espionage tale with twists and turns. Introduces Ginger into the mix
June 26, 2019
My favourite Biggles yet!
March 15, 2021
Absolutely love Ginger. His lapses into an American drawl and his frequent American terminology are all top notch; such a great story to introduce him.
April 13, 2021
Another classic Biggles adventure which also sees the introduction of the character Ginger. Exciting, full of action and travel in between-the-wars Europe.
January 18, 2022
A cracking read.
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April 15, 2023in really unsurprising news i think my next incongruous problematic fave is going to be biggles. fun book!
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.”
June 28, 2016
Mooi verhaal van hoe Biggles, waarin hij, Algy en Smyth voor het eerst kennis maken met 'Ginger', een jongen van ongeveer 15/16 jaar.
Biggles en Algy maken een vliegtour door het Verenigd Koninkrijk, zomaar voor hun plezier, als ze plots moeten landen. Eenmaal geland ontdekken ze een bunker en komen tot de ontdekking dat deze nog steeds voor iets in gebruik is.
's Avonds land een onbekende vliegboot, en Biggles kan zijn nieuwsgierigheid niet bedwingen en gaat aan boord. Hij blijkt in de val te zitten toen het vliegtuig opsteeg. Biggles wordt gevangen genomen door een groep mensen, maar weet te ontsnappen. Tijdens deze vlucht ontmoet hij Ginger, die hem helpt, daar Biggles gewond geraakt is. Voor hij met hulptroepen terug keert, blijkt Biggles opnieuw ontvoerd te zijn.
Dat is het begin van een spannend verhaal, dat lekker vlot geschreven is, en dat het viertal tot over de Russische grens brengt.
Biggles en Algy maken een vliegtour door het Verenigd Koninkrijk, zomaar voor hun plezier, als ze plots moeten landen. Eenmaal geland ontdekken ze een bunker en komen tot de ontdekking dat deze nog steeds voor iets in gebruik is.
's Avonds land een onbekende vliegboot, en Biggles kan zijn nieuwsgierigheid niet bedwingen en gaat aan boord. Hij blijkt in de val te zitten toen het vliegtuig opsteeg. Biggles wordt gevangen genomen door een groep mensen, maar weet te ontsnappen. Tijdens deze vlucht ontmoet hij Ginger, die hem helpt, daar Biggles gewond geraakt is. Voor hij met hulptroepen terug keert, blijkt Biggles opnieuw ontvoerd te zijn.
Dat is het begin van een spannend verhaal, dat lekker vlot geschreven is, en dat het viertal tot over de Russische grens brengt.
February 1, 2017
Johns' heart wasn't in this one as far as the plot was concerned. The villain has no name, his nationality is vague, and while there's a reasonable amount of tension throughout the denouement is abrupt and impersonal. All of which is another way of saying "where is Erich when you need him?" I'm giving it 4 stars nonetheless for the fine atmosphere, the first appearance of Ginger, the usually speechless Smyth's extraordinary longwindedness - and since Biggles doesn't recognise his voice at first he was clearly as surprised as I was - and the final sentence.
August 19, 2016
This book has some importance among the Biggles novels as the one where Ginger appears. A young red haired rascal making his way south through England to a flight school, any flight school, encounters Biggles on an adventure and they start helping each other.
The story is otherwise paper thin. Evil foreigners doing suspicious thing. Nobody believing Biggles and he has to solve the problem himself.
The story is otherwise paper thin. Evil foreigners doing suspicious thing. Nobody believing Biggles and he has to solve the problem himself.
July 22, 2013
This is one of his very best yarns. It could almost be made into a film!!
January 27, 2016
Childhood reading and the best too!
October 10, 2016
A very important book in the Biggles' series because it introduces the character of Ginger, this is a decent espionage tale but a bit weak in its depiction of the antagonists.
August 4, 2014
Finaly I found out where Ginger came from!
March 25, 2017
Ripping good fun! read entire review on http://despatchesfromtimbuktu.wordpre...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews