A sharp roar and a flash of fire told him the grenade had gone off, and the sudden ceasing of the staccato voice of the machine gun told him he had scored a hit. He did not have time to look as he charged toward the kennels. He ran into a German and knocked the soldier down with the barrel of his machine gun. Reaching the door he came to grips with three Germans. They had an electric lantern and they spotted him closing in, but not quick enough. Stan’s tommy-gun blasted them off the wide stone flagging before the door.
“Hi, Allison! O’Malley!” Stan hit the door with his shoulder in a leaping dive. He went crashing into the room with the door draped around him.
“Stan!” O’Malley roared from the darkness.
“Here! Get close to me and follow me!” Stan shouted as he staggered to his feet.
Outside, the flaming and the sound of Stan’s tommy-gun had given away his location. Rifles and pistols began blasting away. Bullets splintered the front of the building.
“Get down low!” Allison called.
A dozen men had rushed out of the kennels, carrying Stan with them. He heard a man groan and go down as a bullet hit him.
“Here!” he bellowed.
O’Malley and Allison located him. They knew just about where he was headed. Wiggling along on their hands and knees, the three fliers moved to the hole in the hedge.
They slid through and, paused. “Where’s Tony and Arno?” Stan asked.