Dave Dawson with the Commandos

Dave Dawson #9

by R. Sidney Bowen

Bowen turned to writing in 1930, using his prestige as editor-in-chief of Aviation Magazine to write Flying From The Ground Up, a non-fiction work on how to fly an airplane. He began freelancing for pulp magazines. In 1934, he started his own pulp magazine, Dusty Ayres And His Battle Birds, for Popular Publications. Twelve issues were released, the first eleven published monthly from July 1934 through July 1935, with most issues released monthly. Bowen continued writing for mystery, adventure, sports, and aviation pulp magazines through the 1950s. After the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 sparked World War II, Crown Publishers called Bowen, asking for an adventure story based on the war. The Dave Dawson series , also known as the War Adventure series, was the result. Bowen got to work immediately, and the first book, Dave Dawson At Dunkirk, was published in 1941. A total of 15 volumes were released between 1941 and 1946.

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Robert Sidney Bowen, Jr. (1900 – April 11, 1977) was a World War I aviator, newspaper journalist, magazine editor and author who was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died of cancer in Honolulu, Hawaii at the age of 76. He is best known for his boys' series books written during World War II, the Dave Dawson War Adventure Series and the Red Randall Series. Robert Sidney Bowen wrote the Red Randall and Dave Dawson series under the name R. Sidney Bowen and other fiction (sports and westerns) under the pseudonym James Robert Richard.

Reviews

[Avaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little story that has all the action and friendship qualities you'd expect for a Young Adult novel written like the Hardy Boys. A bit predictable, but nothing too bad.

[Lynette Lark · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book of propaganda for young boys to read in 1942!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave and Freddy are BACK and this time they are fresh from five weeks of Commando training. Their job this time is to parachute into occupied France and kidnap two of the Nazi Generals.

We start off in New York, jaunt to Canada, and then England. In England, Freddy is super happy because he can order tea. Then it's off to France to round up some Nazis.

I think after this, they spent some time on the Russian Front?

Something I noticed when I read this is that in these books there are NO WOMEN CHARACTERS. None. The waiters are men. Everyone they speak to is men. But they never even talk to a hatcheck girl or a cocktail waitress in a Dolly Parton wig. There are just no women in their world. I guess because the boys who liked these yarns were not of an age to be interested in the femmes?