Joe Archibald’s Sports Panel

This month we’re celebrating the talents of that pulp stalwart—Joe Archibald. Archibald was not only a prolific author, but a decent artist as well illustrating many of his stories. His Phineas Pinkham tales from Flying Aces are an excellent example. So it’s no surprise that he had a past as a cartoonist working primarily with the McClure Syndicate.
During his time with McClure Syndicate, Joe Archibald produced a number of strips. We saw his “Champions Past and Present” from 1925 yesterday. Today we have a sports panel he produced that covered any topic related to sports under the sun—and they were varied.
Here are a few examples from February 1928 from the pages of the Lebanon Daily News, Lebanon Pensylvania.






“Lives of the Aces in Pictures – Part 3: Georges Guynemer” by Eugene Frandzen
Starting in the May 1932 issue of Flying Aces and running almost 4 years, Eugene Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” was a staple of the magazine. Each month Frandzen would feature a different Ace that rose to fame during the Great War. This time around we have the third installment featuring France’s greatest flying Ace—Georges Guynemer!

That name may sound familiar to you if your a frequent visitor to this site. He’s been mentioned a few times in the past in conjunction with the lives of other Aces, and his demise was the subject of Frederick Blakeslee’s cover for the July 1933 issue of Dare-Devil Aces. Guynemer was France’s most beloved ace. He entered the French Air Service in November 1914 and served as a mechanic before receiving a Pilot’s Brevet in April 1915. Assigned to Spa3—Les Cigognes or Storks Squadron—Guynemer used his skills as an excellent pilot and marksman to quickly pile up the victories eventually being promoted to captain and commander of the Storks squadron.
By the time of his disappearance he had accrued 53 victories.
On 11 September 1917, Guynemer was last seen attacking a two-seater Aviatik near Poelcapelle, northwest of Ypres. Almost a week later, it was publicly announced in a London paper that he was missing in action. Shortly thereafter, a German newspaper reported Guynemer had been shot down by Kurt Wissemann of Jasta 3. For many months, the French population refused to believe he was dead. Guynemer’s body was never found.
(Editor’s Note: These early installments of Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” that were published in the pulp-sized issues have been reformatted from a two page spread into a one page feature.)
A Phineas Pinkham Bibliography
This month we’re celebrating the talents of that pulp stalwart—Joe Archibald. Archibald wrote hundreds of stories for the pulps, both dramatic and humorous. His bread and butter it would seem was the humorous tale. He had long running series in several pulp titles. In the detective titles there was Alvin Hinkey, the harness bull Hawkshaw, in 10 Story Detective; Scoops & Snooty, the Evening Star’s dizzy duo, in Ten Detective Aces; and the President of the Hawkeye Detective Agency himself—Willie Klump in Popular Detective. While in the aviation titles he had Elmer Hubbard and Pokey Cook in Sky Birds; the one-two punch of Ambrose Hooley & Muley Spinks in The Lone Eagle, The American Eagle, Sky Fighters and War Birds; and last, but by no means least, the pride of Booneville—Phineas Pinkham in Flying Aces!

Joe Archibald’s Phineas Pinkham was the longest continuously running aviation character in the pulps. Running in the pages of Flying Aces from November 1930 until the magazine dropped it’s Fiction section in November 1943. In 151 stories, Pinkham bedevils the men of the 9th Pursuit Squadron, all the Hauptmanns and vons the Boche send his way and his hapless C.O. Major Rufus Garrity with his pranks, jokes and insane inventions that seem only to amuse Phineas.
Here is a checklist of his adventures:
| title |
magazine |
date |
vol |
no |
 |
| 1930 |
| Sneeze That Off |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
6 |
6 |
 |
| 1931 |
| The Hardware Ace |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
6 |
9 |
| Rock-A-Bye Jerry |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
9 |
1 |
| Bargains For Blois |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
9 |
2 |
| Tell It To The King |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
9 |
3 |
| For Dear Old G.H.Q. |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
9 |
4 |
| Crazy Like a Fox |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
9 |
5 |
| Junkers—C.O.D. |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
9 |
6 |
| Please Omit Flowers |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
9 |
7 |
 |
| 1932 |
| Half-Shot at Chaumont |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
9 |
8 |
| A Flyer In Tin |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
11 |
1 |
| Too Good for Hanging |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
11 |
2 |
| From Spad to Worse |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
11 |
3 |
| Pride of the Pinkhams |
Flying Aces |
May |
11 |
4 |
| No Money, No Flyee |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
12 |
1 |
| Herr Tonic |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
12 |
2 |
| Sky A LA Mode |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
12 |
3 |
| The Reel Hero |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
12 |
4 |
| The Bat’s Whiskers |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
13 |
1 |
| Good To The First Drop |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
13 |
2 |
| Shower Kraut |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
13 |
3 |
 |
| 1933 |
| The Bull Flight |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
13 |
4 |
| Sleuthing Syrup |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
14 |
1 |
| Nothing But The Tooth |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
14 |
2 |
| The Fryin’ Dutchman |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
14 |
3 |
| The Grim Reaper |
Flying Aces |
May |
14 |
4 |
| Spin Feathers |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
15 |
1 |
| Take The Heir |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
15 |
2 |
| Stage Flight |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
15 |
3 |
| Herr Net |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
15 |
4 |
| Bomb Voyage |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
16 |
1 |
| The Frying Suit |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
16 |
2 |
 |
| 1934 |
| Smell-Shocked |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
16 |
3 |
| String ‘Em Back Alive |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
16 |
4 |
| Hans Up |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
17 |
1 |
| Hose De Combat |
Flying Aces |
May |
17 |
2 |
| No Fuelin’ |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
17 |
3 |
| Hunbugs |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
17 |
4 |
| Intelligence Pest |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
18 |
1 |
| Scrappy birthday |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
18 |
2 |
| Tattle Tailwinds |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
18 |
3 |
| Parlez Voodoo |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
18 |
4 |
| Good Haunting |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
19 |
1 |
 |
| 1935 |
| An Itch In Time |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
19 |
2 |
| Crepe Hangers |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
19 |
3 |
| Horse Flyers |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
19 |
4 |
| Geese Monkeys |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
20 |
1 |
| Cinema bums |
Flying Aces |
May |
20 |
2 |
| Prop Eyes |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
20 |
3 |
| Rice and Shine |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
20 |
4 |
| Dog Flight |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
21 |
1 |
| Pfalz Teeth |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
21 |
2 |
| One Hun, One Hit, Three Errors |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
21 |
3 |
| Sea Gullible |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
21 |
4 |
| Fallen Archies |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
22 |
1 |
 |
| 1936 |
| Spy Larking |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
22 |
2 |
| T.N.T. Party |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
22 |
3 |
| Doin’s In The Dunes |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
22 |
4 |
| The Batty Patrol |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
23 |
1 |
| Smells, Spells, And Shells |
Flying Aces |
May |
23 |
2 |
| Sky Finance |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
23 |
3 |
| Scratch-as-Scratch Can |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
23 |
4 |
| Blois, Blois, Blacksheep |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
24 |
1 |
| Fish and Gyps |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
24 |
2 |
| Watch Your Steppes |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
24 |
3 |
| C’est La Ear |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
24 |
4 |
| Scrappy Birthday |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
25 |
1 |
 |
| 1937 |
| Flight Opera |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
25 |
2 |
| P.D.Q.—Boat |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
25 |
3 |
| Smoke Scream |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
25 |
4 |
| Poosh ‘Em Up, Pinkham |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
26 |
1 |
| Wrong About Face |
Flying Aces |
May |
26 |
2 |
| Bagger In Bagdad |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
26 |
3 |
| Spree With Lemon |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
26 |
4 |
| Swiss Wheeze |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
27 |
1 |
| Peck’s Spad Boys |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
27 |
2 |
| Scott Free-For-All |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
27 |
3 |
| Crash or Delivery |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
27 |
4 |
| Yankee Doodling |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
28 |
1 |
 |
| 1938 |
| Flight Team Flight |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
28 |
2 |
| Cat’s Spad-Jamas |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
28 |
3 |
| Eclipse of The Hun |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
28 |
4 |
| Hoots and Headlights |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
29 |
1 |
| Kraut Fishing |
Flying Aces |
May |
29 |
2 |
| The Spider and The Flyer |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
29 |
3 |
| Zuyder Zee Zooming |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
29 |
4 |
| Tripe of Peace |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
30 |
1 |
| Cocarde Sharpers |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
30 |
2 |
| Heir-O-Bats |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
30 |
3 |
| Skyway Robbery |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
30 |
4 |
| Happy Hunning Ground |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
31 |
1 |
 |
| 1939 |
| A Haunting We Will Go |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
31 |
2 |
| Don Patrol |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
31 |
3 |
| Kaiser Bilious |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
31 |
4 |
| Slaked Limeys |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
32 |
1 |
| Spin Money |
Flying Aces |
May |
32 |
2 |
| Flight Headed |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
32 |
3 |
| The Airy Ape |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
32 |
4 |
| Herr Dresser |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
33 |
1 |
| Duc Soup |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
33 |
2 |
| C’est La Goat |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
33 |
3 |
| Nippon Tuck |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
33 |
4 |
| Ye Ould Emerald Oil |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
34 |
1 |
 |
| 1940 |
| Impropa Ganda |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
34 |
2 |
| Fright Leader |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
34 |
3 |
| Take It or Leafet |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
34 |
4 |
| Briny Deep Stuff |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
35 |
1 |
| Flight to the Finish |
Flying Aces |
May |
35 |
2 |
| Pharaoh and Warmer |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
35 |
3 |
| Dawn Parole |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
35 |
4 |
| Horse of Another Cocarde |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
36 |
1 |
| Air or Nautical |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
36 |
2 |
| The Foil Guy |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
36 |
3 |
| Bull Flight |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
36 |
4 |
| Leave La Frawnce |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
37 |
1 |
 |
| 1941 |
| Crow de Guerre |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
37 |
2 |
| I Knew De Gaulle |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
37 |
3 |
| Daze In Dunkirk |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
37 |
4 |
| Zooming Zombies |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
38 |
1 |
| Dawn Petrol |
Flying Aces |
May |
38 |
2 |
| Jerry Prison Scamp |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
38 |
3 |
| The Eyes Have It |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
38 |
4 |
| Nieuport News |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
39 |
1 |
| Chuting Star |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
39 |
2 |
| Zoom Like It Hot |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
39 |
3 |
| Gleech of Promise |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
39 |
4 |
| Gas Me No Questions |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
40 |
1 |
 |
| 1942 |
| Tanks For The Memory |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
40 |
2 |
| The Moor The Merrier |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
40 |
3 |
| Hot Francs |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
40 |
4 |
| Contact Bridge |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
41 |
1 |
| The Crate Impersonation |
Flying Aces |
May |
41 |
2 |
| Grim Ferry Tale |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
41 |
3 |
| Maltese Doublecross |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
41 |
4 |
| Spy and Ice Cream |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
42 |
1 |
| Air Screwball |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
42 |
2 |
| Glider Than Air |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
42 |
3 |
| Flight Headed |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
42 |
4 |
| Pot Luck |
Flying Aces |
Dec |
43 |
1 |
 |
| 1943 |
| Heir Minded |
Flying Aces |
Jan |
43 |
2 |
| Chateau Theory |
Flying Aces |
Feb |
43 |
3 |
| Pinkham’s Pixies |
Flying Aces |
Mar |
43 |
4 |
| Laughing Gas Model |
Flying Aces |
Apr |
44 |
1 |
| Hide and Go Sheik |
Flying Aces |
May |
44 |
2 |
| Jappy Landing |
Flying Aces |
Jun |
44 |
3 |
| Three Aces Feast |
Flying Aces |
Jul |
44 |
4 |
| Italian Vamoose |
Flying Aces |
Aug |
45 |
1 |
| Czech Mates |
Flying Aces |
Sep |
45 |
2 |
| Gamboling With Goebbels |
Flying Aces |
Oct |
45 |
3 |
| Sounds Vichy |
Flying Aces |
Nov |
45 |
4 |
 |
“Haw-w-w-w-w!â€
As a bonus, here’s Phineas Pinkham mirthquake from 1934. From the February number of Flying Aces Phineas goes to some inventive extremes to get a captured flyer back in “String ‘Em Back Alive!”
Major Garrity had an idea. It involved sending Phineas Pinkham back to training school in his stolen Fokker to teach rookies to fight. Phineas had an idea, too. It involved taking that stolen Fokker across the lines to teach the Mad Butcher not to fight. Lay your bets, gentlemen!
Editor’s Note: This story was posted a number of years ago, but this is an update PDF with Archibald’s illustrations included to add to the merriment!
Tags:
10 Story Detective,
Alvin Hinkey,
Ambrose Hooley,
Elmer Hubbard,
Flying Aces,
Joe Archibald,
Muley Spinks,
Phineas Pinkham,
Pokey Cook,
Popular Detective,
Scoops & Snooty,
Sky Birds,
Sky Fighters,
Ten Detective Aces,
The American Eagle,
The Lone Eagle,
War Birds,
Willie Klump |
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“Geese Monkeys” by Joe Archibald
“Haw-w-w-w-w!â€
You heard right! That marvel from Boonetown, Iowa is back and in hotter water than usual, but as is the case—what’s sauce for the goose is gravy for Phineas!
Trouble had been coming to Phineas in bunches, like bananas. At last, the Ninth Pursuit thought they had got him down. But don’t let that fool you. A Pinkham at bay is worse than an army of leopards with brass knuckles.
“Lives of the Aces in Pictures – Part 2: Bert Hall” by Eugene Frandzen
Starting in the
May 1932 issue of Flying Aces and running almost 4 years, Eugene Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” was a staple of the magazine. Each month Frandzen would feature a different Ace that rose to fame during the Great War. This time around we have the second installment featuring America’s Flying Soldier of Fortune—Bert Hall!
Weston Birch “Bert” Hall was one of the seven original members of the Lafayette Escadrille. And was probably America’s most colorful Soldier of Fortune. Born in 1885, he began his storied carrer in the early 1900’s in the Balkan war. Later, he is reported to have dropped rocks on the sultan of Turkey’s enemies while flying for the Turks. He was a four-flusher, a liar, a deserter and a damn good poker player who was good at reading his opponents.
Hall wrote two books about his exploits in the Lafayette Escadrille, En L’air (1918) and One Man’s War (1929). The former was the basis of the 1918 film A Romance of the Air, in which he starred as himself.
He assisted the Chinese in the 1920’s when he headed the Chinese air force. However he was sentenced to 30 months in jail when a money for arms deal fell through and was accused of receiving money under false pretenses.
When he was released in 1936, he ended up moving around alot—to Seattle for a while and Hollywood where he worked for 20th Century Fox Studios. By 1940 he found himself in Dayton, Ohio—finally settling in Castalia, Ohio and starting the Sturdy Toy Factory.
He died of a massive heart attack while driving down the highway in 1948.
(Editor’s Note: These early installments of Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” that were published in the pulp-sized issues have been reformatted from a two page spread into a one page feature.)
“The Solo Skipper” by Harold F. Cruickshank
This week we have
a story by another of our favorite authors—Harold F. Cruickshank! Cruickshank is popular in these parts for the thrilling exploits of The Sky Devil from the pages of Dare-Devil Aces, as well as those of The Sky Wolf in Battle Aces and The Red Eagle in Battle Birds. He wrote innumerable stories of war both on the ground and in the air. Here we have a tale of “Mud” Collier, a flyer who likes to go it alone and is as comfortable in the trenches where he started out as he is in the air. From the February 1935 Flying Aces we bring you “The Solo Skipper”—
His own squadron called him “Mud” because he spent his leave up front with the infantry and his air hours patrolling their death-infested forward zone to protect them. But to those doughboys who every day defied the fury of the enemy barrage—his name was not mud.
“Lives of the Aces in Pictures – Part 1: Eddie Rickenbacker” by Eugene Frandzen

Starting in the May 1932 issue of Flying Aces and running almost 4 years, Eugene Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” was a staple of the magazine. Each month Frandzen would feature a different Ace that rose to fame during the Great War. This time around we have the inaugral installment featuring America’s Ace of Aces—Eddie Rickenbacker!
Rickenbacker is credited with 26 victories—the most of any American flyer. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre and the Distinguished Service Cross with 8 oak leaf clusters (1 silver & 3 bronze).
Before the war, Rickenbacker had become one of the most successful race car drivers, and, with the war’s end, Rickenbacker went back to what he knew. He elected to leave the air service and established his own automotive company that ultimately went out of business. Not detoured, he bought the Indianapolis Speedway—turning it around and making it profitable. From there he went into General Motors. When GM aquired North American Aviation in 1935, RIckenbacker was asked to manage one of their holdongs—Eastern Air Transport which Rickenbacker merged with Florida Airways to form Eastern Air Lines—taking a little airline flying a few thousand miles a week to major airline!
(Somehow during all this he found the time to also script two popular comic strip from 1935 to 1940—Ace Drummond and Hall of Fame of the Air.)
The advent of World War II brought Rickenbacker back to service—but as a civilian Representative to the Secretary of War in the survey of aircraft installations. Resuming his role at Eastern Air Lines after the war. With Eastern’s financial losses in the 1950’s, Rickenbacker was forced out of his position as CEO in 1959 and resigned as Chairman of the Board on December 31st, 1963.
Rickenbacker spent his remaining years lecturing, writing his autobiography and traveling with his wife. He suffered a stroke while in Switzerland and contracted pneumonia—dying on July 23rd, 1972.
(Editor’s Note: These early installments of Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” that were published in the pulp-sized issues have been reformatted from a two page spread into a one page feature.)
“Horse Flyers” by Joe Archibald
“Haw-w-w-w-w!â€
That sound can only mean one thing—that Bachelor of Artifice, Knight of Calamity and an alumnus of Doctor Merlin’s Camelot College for Conjurors is back—Yes it’s the marvel from Boonetown, Iowa himself—Lieutenant Phineas Pinkham! It was a strange chain of circumstances that pulled Phineas Pinkham right out of France, towed him across the Channel, and finally deposited him in a very bucolic spot in Merrie England.
Yoicks! Tallyho and tantivy! Here is Phineas Carbuncle Pinkham riding to ‘ounds—believe it or not—in plane! But, as Phineas says, “It’s more fun to be the fox!”
Strange Staffels Now Available!
Yes! The fourth in our
series of themed stories of Donald E. Keyhoe’s Captain Philip Strange is now available! The book premiered at PulpFest this month, and although we had copies there, our printer informed us there was a problem with the files and one of the spreads needed to be tweeked and resubmitted.
This time around Captain Philp Strange faces off against seven of Germany’s Strangest Staffels! America’s enemies have assembled squadrons of flying furies, exploding skeletons, and invisible airplanes to turn the tide of the First World War. From the backalleys of Paris to the skies over Germany, Strange finds high-flying fortresses above the clouds, cursed aerodromes, strafing skulls, and other wild weapons of mass destruction!
Strange Staffels, like all Age of Aces Books, can be order from Adventure House, Mike Chomko Books, and, of course, Amazon!
“Lives of the Aces in Pictures – Part 41: Lt. Frank L. Baylies” by Eugene Frandzen
Back with another
of Eugene Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” from the pages of Flying Aces Magazine. The series ran for almost four years with a different Ace featured each month. This time around we have the November 1935 installment featuring the illustrated biography of a American Ace credited with 12 victories—Lt. Frank L. Baylies!
Frank Leamon Baylies enlisted with the United States Ambulance Service in 1916 after hearing a returning minister speak of the work the ambulance service was doing on the Western Front. He was posted to France with the US Ambulance Section, seeing action at Verdun, the Somme, Argonne and a few months in Serbia.
In May 1917, Baylies waspresented with an opportunity to leave the rat-infested trenches and join the French Air Service. Needless to say he jumped at the chance. Initially assigned to Spa73 in Sptember 1917, he was transfered in October to Spa3—Les Cigognes—Guynemer’s famous Storks Group! (Guynemer had been killed in action in September of 1917).
Baylies achieved all his victories flying his lucky number 13 Stork emblazed yellow Spad. According to newpaper reports of the day, Baylies had adopted a Belgian police dog named Dick to counteract any possible hoodoo that may come his way due to the numbering on his plane. Dick sleeps under his bed every night and even goes onn occasional flights with his master! (Like Click in Steve Fisher’s Captain Babyface stories)
When America officially entered the war, Baylies was offered a commision, but declined, choosing to remain with the French Air Service. He eventually did transfer as a 2nd Lieutenant in May, but remained with The Storks.
Baylies is credited with 12 confirmed victories and is said to be responsible for six others. He was awarded Croix de Guerre, Medaille Militaire and the Legion d’Honneur.
He was killed in action when his patrol encountered the Fokker Triplanes of Jasta 19. He was shot and his Spad wet down in flames five miles behind the German lines. The Germans buried Baylies with full military honours befiting a war hero at Rollet. In 1927 his body was exhumed and reburied in Paris.
“The Sky Terrier” by Joe Archibald
Since we’re
deep into the dog days of summer, we thought we’d give you a shaggy dog story from the pen of Joe Archibald. Instead of our usual Phineas Pinkham mirthquake we have the story of Muggins, a scottish Irish terrier, that finds himself taken in by a squadron fighting a loosing battle with the Germans and turns their luck around!
What a buddy for a fighting, daredevil pilot! Yet this dog was air-wise, every inch of him—and he proved it through the snarling menace of a thousand flaming Jerry tracers.
“Lives of the Aces in Pictures – Part 40: Major Francesco Baracca” by Eugene Frandzen

Back with another of Eugene Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” from the pages of Flying Aces Magazine. The series ran for almost four years with a different Ace featured each month. This time around we have the October 1935 installment featuring the illustrated biography of Italy’s Ace of Aces—Major Francesco Baracca!
Major Francesco Baracca is Italy’s greatest Ace of WWI but started his millitary carrer in the cavalry before the war with the prestigious Piemonte Reale Cavalleria Regiment upon his commisioning in 1910. Baracca’s interests turned to Aviation a few years later when he was transfered from Rome to a small town in central Italy and learned to fly at Reims, France.
Son of a nobleman, Barraca is credited with 34 victories and emblazzened the fuselage of his plane with his personal emblem, a black prancing horse—the Cavallino Rampante—in tribute to his calvalry days. It is this emblem that his mother gave to Enzo Ferrari in later years to be the official symbol of the Scuderia Ferrari Racing team since 1929 and later Ferrari Automobiles.
He was killed while out on a straffing run in June 1918.
“Lives of the Aces in Pictures – Part 39: Gabriel Guerin” by Eugene Frandzen
Back with another
of Eugene Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” from the pages of Flying Aces Magazine. The series ran for almost four years with a different Ace featured each month. This time around we have the September 1935 installment featuring the illustrated biography of the ninth ranking French Ace—Gabriel Guerin!
Sous Lieutenant Gabriel Fernand Charles Guerin was credited with 23 confirmed victories—including five of which he shared—and a reported 10 more unconfirmed. Most of these victories were while a pilot in SPA 15. As we said he was France’s ninth ranking Ace in the First World War and was awarded the Legion d’honneur, Médaille Millitaire and the Croix de Guerre with 15 palms and two bronze stars!
Sadly, Guerin died when the aircraft he was piloting, a SPAD VII, spun out of control and plunged to the ground soon after take-off near Mont l’Eveque on the 1st of August 1918. He was 26.
“Crêpe Hangars” by Joe Archibald
“Haw-w-w-w-w!â€
That sound can only mean one thing—that Bachelor of Artifice, Knight of Calamity and an alumnus of Doctor Merlin’s Camelot College for Conjurors is back and this time the marvel from Boonetown faces a dilema—face a court martial or transfer to the Pallbearer Squadron—the most morose lot on the Western Front—to boost their morale as only a Pinkham can.
They thought Phineas could make anybody laugh—until they sent him to the Pallbearers’ drome, where even the birds sang death marches. Yes, it looked for once as if Phineas had met his match in that bunch of Crêpe Hangars!
“Lives of the Aces in Pictures – Part 38: Carl Bolle” by Eugene Frandzen
Back with another
of Eugene Frandzen’s “Lives of the Aces in Pictures” from the pages of Flying Aces Magazine. The series ran for almost four years with a different Ace featured each month. This time around we have the August 1935 installment featuring the illustrated biography of the last leader of the Jagdstaffel Boelcke—Carl Bolle!
Carl Bolle started his military career in the cavalry, later transfering to the air service. During his time in the air service he is credited with 36 victories rising to the rank of Oberleutnant and transfered to command Jasta 2—the very squadron Oswald Boelcke had commanded.
After the war, Bolle became a flying instructor and in the 1920’s director of German Air Transport School—the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule. Subssequently helping in the covert training of pilots for the Luftwaffe with which he served as an advisor during the second World War, reporting to Hermann Goring himself!
Carl Bolle passed away on the 9th of October 1955 in his native city of Berlin.