Duke O’Dawd

After some time with the French Foreign Legion, Duke O’Dawd requests to be transferred to the Legion’s flying squadron. The commanding officer tells Duke that he will be kept in mind as soon as there is an opening. Growing bored with the inactivity with the Legion, Duke figures that he can get more action if he returned home to the United States are joined the National Guard. Hearing a commotion, Duke sees that someone has been caught in the ropes of an observation balloon they had been testing. When it suddenly gets loose and begins floating away, the person trapped on the balloon is identified as Janet, whose father is the commanding officer on base.

Quick thinking, Duke rushes to a nearby plane and takes off after the balloon. Getting close enough, Duke tries to lasso the girl with a rope and pulls her on board. However, this death-defying rescue is spotted by an enemy plane which immediately begins opening fire on Duke. Although Duke returns fire, his plane is badly hit and catches fire and begins going down. With no other choice, Duke straps on a parachute and leaps out of the plane with Janet. Unfortunately, the enemy plane manages to snare Duke’s parachute with a hook and pull him and Janet back on board. When O’Dawd tries to fight his captors he is knocked out from a blow to the back of the head.

When Duke wakes up he finds himself in a dungeon belonging to Sheik Tamah. The guard tells Duke that the Sheik had learned that the O’Dawd’s commander was planning on bombing his kingdom and arranged to kidnap Janet in order to prevent her father from doing so. However, the guard gets too close to Duke and he manages to rush him. Freed from his bonds, Duke finds the Sheik trying to ransom Janet over the phone. Strong arming the Sheik, Duke tells his commander that he is rescuing Janet and to start the bombing run right away. Duke fights his way to a plane and manages to fly Janet back to her father. Once they arrive, Duke points out a local who sold them out to the Sheik and he is arrest immediately. With the danger over, Duke convinces the commander to allow him an honorable discharge from the French Foreign Legion so he can return to America. When this is granted, Duke then hitches a ride of Kerry Flynn, an American sportsman who is flying to Minila. There, Duke hopes to catch a ship that will take him back to America.

This story is continued next issue….

Recurring Characters

Duke O’Dawd, Kerry Flynn