Frederick C. Davis
Frederick C. Davis was responsible for the first twenty Operator 5 stories. However, his pulp writing career had a number of other credits as well. The list included the famous Moon Man series for Ten Detective Aces, a number of long running characters in Dime Detective as well as other Popular Publications magazines as well. He would later move on to hardback fiction. Mr. Davis brought a unique style to the Operator 5 series. These stories had strong plots, plenty of action, consistent dialog, and loose ends always seemed to come to closure by the stories end. Mr. Davis often used factual information as the basis for his stories and often provided detailed footnotes. It has been reported that with careful research, one could even find the original newspaper headlines that had influenced Operator 5 stories.
Mr. Davis' novels also had a number of pertinent warnings and foresight into the future. Whether he is describing a type of weapon with similar characteristics as the neutron bomb, or the nation's risk of dependency on foreign oil supplies, his story lines hold more than enough factual implications to make the plot believable.
What may stand out the most from Davis's Operator 5 series, may be that the characters where very clean cut. Jimmy was always calm, cool, and collected. The family was a tight nit group, and the language and tone was equally clean. This gives some of the stories a G rating feeling, yet, this did not stand in the way of wholesale murder, slaughter, and general all around devastation.
Ultimately, the frantic pace of a novel/invasion every month got to Frederick Davis and he resigned from the Operator 5 series, but continued his pulp writing career for Popular Publications.
 | Blood Reign of the Dictator by Curtis Steele From the pages of the March, 1935 issue of Operator 5: A TYRANT'S BLADE hovered over a bewildered nation, and literally over the helpless form of lovely Diane Elliot, beloved protegee of the one man whose heroic stature might save the U.S. from utter capitulation t ... read more |
Operator 5: Invasion of the Crimson Death Cult: Reprint by Curtis Steele Kasma, baleful divinity from the wastes of Asia, had laid his blighting curse upon America. All who opposed him came to ghastly ends: amnesia, madness and screaming, agonizing death -- for the cult of Kasma enforced its dread dictate with a new, deadly weapon, unseen, unheard, ... read more |  |
 | Operator 5: Invasion of the Dark Legions by Curtis Steele A ghost ship sailed silently through the moon-lit night, manned by a crew of dead men. Jimmy Christopher, stands frozen with terror at the sight before his eyes--an evidence of bacteriological warfare, of a foreign dictator's first death blow at the heart of a nation. < ... read more |
Operator 5: The Army of the Dead: Reprint by Curtis Steele |  |
 | Operator 5: July 1934: The Melting Death by Curtis Steele Operator 5 Magazine, July, 1934 Re-awakening the spirit of patriotism in the United States, Special Intelligence Agent, Jimmy Christopher and his young companion, Tim Donovan, demonstrate unparalleled pride in their mission. As America's strongest d ... read more |
Operator 5: Legions of Starvation (Dec. 1934) by Curtis Steele Over the whole continent, little children clung whimpering to the skirts of distraught mothers, crying piteously for food. One of the most brilliant men in America, a national figure--backed by a criminal organization-- drunk on ambition and the promise of supreme power, contr ... read more |  |
 | Operator 5: Master of Broken Men: Sept. 1934 by Curtis Steele THE BLACK MENACE... ...exploded its bloody chaos first at grand D.A.R. Ball in the nation's capital. Then one by one, a society's great leaders were snatched away, to return useless, broken, inept men. The populace seethed towar ... read more |
Replica: Operator 5: Army of the Dead ( March 1935 ) by Curtis Steele In the mining district, the dead were being returned to life! From coast to coast -- in tiny villages and in sumptuous apartments on Park Avenue -- every one was talking of it eagerly. Untold thousands were worshipping the man who could free them from the greatest of all human ... read more |  |
 | Replica: Operator 5: Attack of the Blizzard Men: Oct. 1935 by Curtis Steele As suddenly as Death, the bitter cold came, and with it, the armored tanks, sleek submarines and mailed warriors of the invading legions! An international syndicate, fearing America's greatness and strength in war, had unleashed savage war-dogs to win the conflict before it fa ... read more |
Replica: Operator 5: Aug. '34: Cavern of the Damned by Curtis Steele An entire country transfixed--drawn by an intoxicating power to hurl themselves toward destruction. Beneath the Earth, in flaming furnaces of mystical power, lay Operator 5's future. Will he risk his life--let alone betray the orders of the United States Intell ... read more |  |
- Available in Paperback
- Blood Reign of the Dictator by Curtis Steele
- Operator 5: Invasion of the Crimson Death Cult: Reprint by Curtis Steele
- Operator 5: Invasion of the Dark Legions by Curtis Steele
- Operator 5: The Army of the Dead: Reprint by Curtis Steele
- Available in Pulp Replica
- Operator 5: July 1934: The Melting Death by Curtis Steele
- Operator 5: Legions of Starvation (Dec. 1934) by Curtis Steele
- Operator 5: Master of Broken Men: Sept. 1934 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Army of the Dead ( March 1935 ) by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Attack of the Blizzard Men: Oct. 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Aug. '34: Cavern of the Damned by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Blood Reign of the Dictator: May 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Hosts of the Flaming Death: Aug 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Invasion of the Crimson Death Cult: Sept. 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Invasion of the Dark Legions: Oct. 1934 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Invasion of the Yellow Warlords: June 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: League of War Monsters (Feb. 1935) by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Legions of the Death Master: July 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: March of the Flame Marauders: April 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: Scourge of the Invisible Death: Nov. 1935 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: The Invisible Empire May 1934 by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: The Masked Invasion April 1934 by Girasol
- Replica: Operator 5: The Red Invaders (Jan. 1935) by Curtis Steele
- Replica: Operator 5: The Yellow Scourge June 1934 by Curtis Steele
- Uncanny Tales: April May 1939 by Uncanny Tales