Operator 5 #3: The Yellow Scourge

Operator #5 #3

by Curtis Steele (Pseudonym), Frederick C. Davis

One moment good-will bound the United States and the great Power across the sea… the next, shells screamed their death wails into Coast homes and factories. No citizen was safe from the bloody holocaust when the Yellow Empire struck without warning from the Pacific. With fiendish artifice the world was turned against us. And somewhere in this country, covertly completing the terrifying work of wholesale destruction, lurked the ruthless agent of the invading hordes. Operator 5 alone guessed the dread secret and matched his individual might against a million war-drunk terrorists—while the nation trembled on the brink of red wreckage!

Genres: Pulp

213 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1934

About the author

Henry Steeger, the owner of pulp publisher Popular Publications, launched the monthly pulp magazine "Operator #5," about a hero who would "single-handedly, or almost, save the nation from complete destruction regularly every month," in 1934. The novels were published under the pseudonym Curtis Steele, and were written by Frederick C. Davis until November 1935, then by Emile C. Tepperman until March 1938, and then Wayne Rogers for the remainder of the run.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old fashioned Yellow Peril novel.

Operator 5, ace intelligence agent, must stop the Yellow Empire, surely modelled on 1930's era Japan, from taking over America with a sneak attack.

Pretty exciting with a lot of derring-do. Really not much different from the spy novels of today that feature China as the villain regime.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Operator 5 #3 The Yellow Scourge by Fredrick C Douglas writing as Curtis Steele

America’s Undercover Ace in new paperback form!

First appearing in 1934, Operator 5 was Jimmy Christopher, a young member of the Secret Service often known as the most valuable agent in the United States. Christopher is strangely known to be Operator 5, yet maintains a secret identity as Carlton Victor, photographer to the rich and famous. The character is complete with a studio, an apartment, and even a butler named Crowe!

Recurring characters include Operator 5’s dad, former agent John Christopher, his twin sister Nan, sidekick kid Tim Donavan, Nan’s boyfriend Nick, Jimmy’s girlfriend Diane Elliot, his boss Z-7 and others.

Most of the stories involve the United States being attacked on the home front by various foreign armies, sometimes with devastating results.

The Yellow Scourge was published in June 1934

During a joint naval maneuver, a Yellow Empire ship was sunk by airplanes with American markings. A special submarine is stolen and being used by the Yellow Empire, who are declaring war on the US again. The stolen submarine is cutting-edge, able to be used as a submersible aircraft carrier!

Lovely and deadly foreign spy Kara Vizna is in charge of many of the operations of this invasion. A master of disguise, Visna could be anyone. She could even be Diane Elliot, the girl introduced as Operator 5’s love interest!

The story is good, but not great. It will keep your attention, but it is doubtful that it will thrill you. That’s possibly because we just went from a menace in the air in the last book to a menace in the water in this one, and not much else.

I’ll give it three stars.

Quoth the Raven…

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a paperback edition of a pulp novel first published in OPERATOR 5 Magazine, June 1934. Of it's time, it is decidedly politically incorrect. I'm glad it was not updated as some books from the past have been.

Jimmy Christopher, Operator 5, is an agent of America's intelligence service.

At a peaceful service between America and the Yellow Empire, he's the only one to notice something odd about the Yellow flag ship docked beside the American one. Though the paint was gleaming, through binoculars, Jimmy notices old fittings and weapons aboard.

before he can warn anyone, planes fly in from the horizon, bombers, and Jimmy can see, though painted as American, like the ship, the weapons and style is all wrong. They attack the Yellow Empire ships, sinking the one Jimmy had noticed

At the same time, word comes that the Yellow Empire had hijacked America's newest submarine, a sort of underwater aircraft carrier, and begun using it, and other ships designed to look American, to attack our allies.

There is also a female agent directing the attacks and she's on American soil. Jimmy is directed to find her and proof that it's all a plot to defeat America.

This was my first Operator 5 novel. It was a lot of fun. I need to find more.

[Jeff J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great adventure of Pulp hero Operator 5. I am increasingly convinced that Curtis Steele, and his creation Operator 5, are overlooked gems of pulp fiction.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

war with the yellow empire approaches as a parade between powers goes awry, ships being painted fake colors & fired upon