An America terribly divided against itself — sliced by Asiatic conquest into three separate, terror-ridden republics — this was the desperate situation which confronted Operator #5! California was ruled by a madman; a puppet-king of Nippon reigned over the central states — and in the East a few staunch patriots held the last precious soil of our once great land. But one course of action was possible. Operator #5, heading a mighty relief-caravan of men and guns, set out for the westward trek — and the mile-by-mile battle which was to decide whether America should yet be free or vanish forever from the face of the earth!
For his first effort, The Masked Invasion, Operator #5 faced a super-scientific menace, but soon the series hero, James Christopher, Operator #5 of the United States Intelligence Service— went up against the Yellow Empire, thinly-disguised European dictators, and other torn-from-the-headlines global actors. The more Operator #5 exploits various authors wrote, the more horrific the threats to national security became. Wicked would-be conquerors, creepy cults, weird famine-creating menaces to our mid-western breadbasket. Davis’ tales were disciplined, yet apocalyptic—a difficult accomplishment when you are tasked to turn out a 60,000-word novel every 30 days!
Three men contributed to the Operator #5 legacy as writers. Frederick C. Davis, Emile Tepperman, and Wayne Rogers each left their own mark on the character. What they did individually, however, also contributed to one of the best examples of character development and storytelling to ever happen in the Pulp era.
With the central states enslaved by an Asiatic despot, and California fighting a losing battle against thralldom, Operator #5 heads a gigantic rescue-caravan of men and guns that strikes westward as the last hope for American freedom!
War Tanks of the Yellow Vulture is read with stirring intensity by Milton Bagby. Originally published in the July-August 1939 issue of Operator #5 magazine.
