Biggles and Co. (Red Fox Older Fiction)

BIGGLES & CO. was first Published in April 1936 - 248 pages, it's rather typical of the Biggles adventures outside of the WW1 and WW2 air combat stories, of which the WW1 stories are far and away the most realistic. Biggles is approached by Paul Cronfelt from a firm of Bullion Brokers called 'Cronfelt & Carstairs' with a proposition. Cronfelt wants him to set up an airline, a private venture with the primary object of carrying his companies' freight, namely gold and jewellery. Biggles is initially reluctant but decides to accept after receiving a threatening phone call from Germany, warning him not to. Setting up business with Algy, Ginger and Smyth as mechanic, the company is called Biggles & Co. The first load of gold Biggles carries is stolen, but Biggles has replaced the gold with lead. Biggles then reverses his first ruse to fool the criminals a second time when they try to steal his second load of gold. Biggles also delivers the third load of gold safely but by now, Algy has disappeared. Algy has followed the villains in an aeroplane to Germany and been captured. Biggles is telephoned and told that he must hand over his next shipment, diamonds due to be delivered to Amsterdam, if he wants Algy back. Agreeing to meet at Aix-la-Chapelle, Biggles flies over and is captured. His plane is burnt out with a dead body in and when Ginger, who has been following him, arrives, he thinks Biggles is dead. Biggles is imprisoned in the turret of a German castle. Staring out of the window, he is amazed to see Ginger. Ginger has managed to follow the plane from the field where Biggles' plane was burnt out. Communicating with Ginger by pretending to sing 'God Save the King', Ginger is able to climb up and organise Biggles' escape. Taking the opportunity of looking through a lighted window, Biggles sees the jewels in an empty room. However, when he climbs in, he finds himself trapped by sudden arrivals. One of whom is a certain Erich von Stalhein, the efficient German Agent that Biggles had last seen in Biggles Flies East. Biggles manages to escape and find Algy but Ginger is captured. Biggles next sees Ginger in front of a firing squad. Von Stalhein is going to have him shot! Biggles surrenders himself to save Ginger. Biggles and Ginger are left alone with von Stalhein and this allows Algy to climb down a chimney is order to attack the German from behind. Reaching a car and driving to where Ginger left his plane, the three comrades manage to escape back to England. At their aerodrome they find Cronfelt waiting. He is desperate to be flown out of the country. Biggles is suspicious and the police are called. Cronfelt, who has stolen his firm's money, runs for it and is shot dead by a certain German who has just arrived by aeroplane to do the job and who departs by the same plane just as swiftly.