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The Bomber is a short story which first appeared as the 13th chapter of the very first Biggles book The Camels are Coming, published in September 1932. The story was subsequently republished in The Modern Boy Issue 269, 1st April 1933 where it was given the title The Flying Arsenal.

The story also appeared as the ninth short story of Biggles Pioneer Air Fighter published in 1954.

Synopsis[]

Biggles encounters a large enemy bomber and is beaten off by its heavy defensive armament. Not satisfied, he studies the problem and decides to attack it using an unconventional method.

Plot[]

(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)

Characters[]

Aircraft[]

  • Friedrichshafen bomber - This is likely to be the Fdh G.IIIa version - the text mentions a ventral defensive gun position. This improvement first appeared in the G.IIIa version.

Places[]

Visited[]

  • 266 Squadron, Maranique
  • 287 Squadron

Mentioned[]

Editorial Changes[]

  • In the Pioneer Air Fighter version, "Hell's bells!" is replaced by "Strewth!" and "what a hell-trap" becomes simply "what a trap".

Other Research Notes[]

  • Other R.F.C. / R.N.A.S. units mentioned:
    • 281 Sqn
    • 383 Sqn - equipped with the "new" Sopwith Dolphin

References to the past[]

Incongruities[]

Chronology[]

(see also table at Timeline of the Biggles Stories)

  • Algy does not appear but there are other late war stories where this happens, especially if, as in this case, the events are compressed within a very short timeframe.
  • Does Biggles first meet Wilks here? Unlikely. They seem to know each other very well as they call each other by their nicknames.
  • With no other pointers, we can base the timeline assignment on the mention of the Sopwith Dolphin. According to Wilks, it is "one of the new Dolphins". The first of the Dolphins were sent to 19 Sqn in Nov 1917 and the unit was fully equipped by Jan 1918. So anytime from late November 1917 to Feb 1918, the Dolphin would still have been considered "new".
  • With this timeframe, the appearance of the D.H.9 is appropriate.

Publication History[]

  • The Camels are Coming, John Hamilton, 1932
  • The Modern Boy, Issue 269, 1st Apr 1933 (as The Flying Arsenal)
  • Biggles in the Camels are Coming, Boys' Friend Library, 1938 (as Flying Arsenal)
  • Biggles Pioneer Air Fighter, Thames, 1954 and reprints
  • Biggles: The Camels are Coming, Red Fox, 1993 and subsequent reprints and editions
  • The Camels are Coming, Norman Wright, 2010

References[]

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