MARCH is Mosquito Month! We’re celebrating Ralph Oppenheim and his greatest creation—The Three Mosquitoes! We’ll be featuring three action-packed tales of the Mosquitoes over the next few Fridays as well as another Streak Davis story. So, let’s get things rolling, as the Mosquitoes like to say as they get into action—“Let’s Go!”

Their familiar war cry rings out—“Let’s Go!” The greatest fighting war-birds on the Western Front are once again roaring into action. The three Spads flying in a V formation so precise that they seemed as one. On their trim khaki fuselages, were three identical insignias—each a huge, black-painted picture of a grim-looking mosquito. In the cockpits sat the reckless, inseparable trio known as the “Three Mosquitoes.” Captain Kirby, their impetuous young leader, always flying point. On his right, “Shorty” Carn, the mild-eyed, corpulent little Mosquito, who loved his sleep. And on Kirby’s left, completing the V, the eldest and wisest of the trio—long-faced and taciturn Travis.

Were back with the first of three Three Mosquitoes stories we’re presenting to celebrate Ralph Oppenheim’s inseparable Trio this month. To get the ball rolling, it’s “Crashing Through” from the pages of the September 1928 War Birds in which Kirby is tasked with delivering a much needed load of ammunition to a rag tag group of troops valiantly trying hold a ridge until reinforcements arrive!

Their C.O. explains:

    “Of course there is some danger of such a thing. But it’s up to you, Kirby, to drop the stuff from a low enough altitude to make the impact harmless. Yes,” he repeated, grimly, “I admit the whole thing is extremely perilous. I admit that if you run into Jerry planes, there’ll be hell to pay—their incendiary bullets could set that cargo off. But just remember that the dangers you have to face are nothing compared to the dangers which that handful of men down in that trench are facing.
    “Put yourself in their places—stuck in a muddy, filthy ravine, cut off from the rest of our troops, surrounded on all sides by Germans, getting killed off like flies until only two dozen of that whole valiant company remain—perhaps even less now. Yet they refuse to be daunted; they’re clinging stubbornly to the little strip of ground which they were ordered to hold, despite the fact that their ammunition is practically exhausted.
    “They need food, drink, clothing, and yet when, by sheer luck, one of our wireless planes found them and managed to communicate with them, they asked only for ammunition, nothing more. They’ve done more than could be expected of any soldiers, and now it’s up to you fellows to help them through. As I told you, Kirby, I don’t know just how you’ll manage to drop that ammunition to them, but I’m convinced you can do it, provided you other two fellows protect him from above with your scout planes. You must get to them before daybreak. The Germans are sure to spring another attack on them at that time. Without ammunition, they’ll be slaughtered. Even with ammunition,”—he shook his head—“it is hard to believe that they can hold out until our troops break through and save them.”

Kirby, the daring leader of the “Three Mosquitoes,” had been on some strange flights, but this looked almost impossible—and more dangerous than ever. Of course he would have his two flying buddies with him, but carrying ammunition to those surrounded doughboys was no easy job—in a heavy De Haviland plane!

• Download “Crashing Through” (September 1928, War Birds)

If you enjoyed this tale of our intrepid trio, check out some of the other stories of The Three Mosquitoes we have posted by clicking the Three Mosquitoes tag or check out one of the five volumes we’ve published on our books page! And come back next Friday or another exciting tale.

“HAW-W-W-W-W!” 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 to vex not only the Germans, but the Americans—the Ninth Pursuit Squadron in particular—as well. Yes it’s the marvel from Boonetown, Iowa himself—Lieutenant Phineas Pinkham!

They’d threatened Phineas Pinkham with Blois before—and he’d lived to laugh at them. But this time the future of the ace of Boonetown, Iowa, was in the hands of a Brigadier who didn’t exactly like being pushed in the face!

• Download “Shower Kraut” (December 1932, Flying Aces)

THIS week we have story of air intrigue by E.W. Chess. Elliot W. Chess was a prominent author in the pulps—his name frequently appearing on the covers to entice readers. His pulp career spanned from 1929 to 1940, but a majority of his output was in the early thirties. Equally adept at both westerns having grown up in El Paso, Texas and air war stories having served in the Royal Flying Corp in the First World War and the 7th Squadron of the Polish Air Force afterward when Russians tried to invade the country.

Fourteen years before, when men fought each other and skies were red with their blood. Allied pilots over a hundred-mile sector of the Front had known von Kruger’s Death Turn—and feared it. Now no one remembered that dread maneuver—until one day a stranger with a deep scar across his face walked up to a little Texas flying field—and gave it a new meaning.

From the pages of he February 1932 number of Sky Birds, it’s “The Death Turn” by E.W. Chess!

• Download “The Death Turn” (February 1932, Sky Birds)

THIS week we have another early story by the prolific O.B. Myers! Myers was a pilot himself, flying with the 147th Aero Squadron and carrying two credited victories and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

“Only one explanation I can see, Reed,” said the Skipper. “Burwell must have escaped, stolen a Halberstadt, and flown over. He was trying to land here when his tank was hit from the ground.”

“We—we killed him ourselves!” gasped Rip. Joe was dead. Rip tried to grasp the fact, but could not. He saw before him the laughing blue eyes, the ruddy countenance, the square shoulders of his nearest and dearest friend. He felt again the throb of relief in his throat as he had seen that tiny figure jump from a wreck, far below, and move across the greenness of the meadow. Joe Burwell dead, like this? But no, it could not be. It was too ghastly. His mind refused to believe—and yet, the evidence. . . . Rip needed to find out what events had led from Joe crashing in a field in Germany to flying that Halberstadt to it’s fiery conclusion!

Not one of those American pilots dared approach that seething cauldron of flames—not one could read its strange secret. But when only gray dust remained of what had been a German plane, they saw—and read the—MESSAGE IN THE ASHES!

• Download “Message in the Ashes” (February 1931, Sky Birds)

THIS week we have a short story by renowned pulp author Frederick C. Davis. Davis is probably best remembered for his work on Operator 5 where he penned the first 20 stories, as well as the Moon Man series for Ten Detective Aces and several other continuing series for various Popular Publications. He also wrote a number of aviation stories that appeared in Aces, Wings and Air Stories.

This week’s story features that crack pilot for World News Reel, the greatest gelatine newspaper that ever flashed on a silver screen—Nick Royce! Davis wrote twenty stories with Nick for Wings magazine from 1928-1931.

Tip-Top, the biggest photoplay production corporation in the world, is still planning to add a news-reel to its releases, and they intended to buy up one of the existing independents. They were almost ready to buy, and their choice had narrowed down to either the Compass outfit or the World News. The reel they bought and gave their name would become the biggest in the world; the others would simply pass out. Compass was hell-bent on landing that deal.

This time Nick is sent out to cover a balloon race in western Pennsylvania that’s back on. Thanks to a bad engine in the Compass plane, Nick and Jim manage to get superior shots of the balloons launching—but when the Compass plane goes down in the wilds of Pennsylvania on the way home, Nick has to stop and aid the stricken crew, putting his own plane in danger!

From the July 1928 Wings, it’s Nick Royce in Frederick C. Davis’ “Flying Fire!”

It was his job! But when the fallen eagles called, Nick Royce, flyer, placed the unwritten law of the air above the demands of reel rivalry!

• Download “Flying Fire” (July 1928, Wings)

THIS week we have another gripping tale from the prolific pen of Arch Whitehouse! Whitehouse had numerous series characters in the various air pulps—Coffin Kirk, Buzz Benson, and The Casket Crew to name a few. Although this week’s story does not feature any of his series characters, it is Whitehouse’s first story about Handley Page Bombers—the very bombers that The Casket Crew would fly!

Here, Whitehouse tells the tale of Air Mechanic Robert Townley who, through the misfortunes of war, works his way from the belly of a great Handley Page dropping bombs to front gunner and eventually to piloting the whole plane when the pilot is killed. From the September 1929 Flying Aces it’s Arch Whitehouse’s “Bombing Eagles!”

Editor’s Note: This gripping story of Handley Page Bombers is the first of its kind ever written. Arch Whitehouse, the author, is an ex-war Ace whom you all know. He holds an enviable fighting record as a flyer overseas from 1914-1920. At present he is our technical editor of SKY BIRDS and Flying Aces, as well as the editor of Plane Dope and Happy Landings, our well known departments of last minute flying news. He has handled all types of fighting planes on hundreds of perilous flights. This is one of the finest stories we have ever published. We hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we have.

• Download “Bombing Eagles” (September/October 1929, Flying Aces)

“HAW-W-W-W-W!” 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 to vex not only the Germans, but the Americans—the Ninth Pursuit Squadron in particular—as well. Yes it’s the marvel from Boonetown, Iowa himself—Lieutenant Phineas Pinkham!

It was just too bad they hadn’t started the Caterpillar Club away back in 1918. But you can’t blame them—they didn’t know they were cheating Phineas “Carbuncle” Pinkham out of his one and only chance to join!

From the November 1932 number of Flying Aces!

• Download “Good to the First Drop” (November 1932, Flying Aces)

THIS week we have story by John Scott Douglas. Douglas was a prolific pulp author who generally wrote aviation and adventure fiction. His stories appearing frequently in the pages of Sky Birds, Flying Aces, and Sky Fighters.

“The Zep Buster” tells the story of young Bud Talbot—a crack shot on the training planes at Spike Center, Arizona. He has a record so good, it’s held up as an example to all the would-be pilots that have been slacking off; this includes a childhood tormentor of his who just happens to be training there as well, Milt Laramy. Unable accept his own shortcomings, Milt cuts Bud down verbally saying he’s a coward and a mama’s boy every chance he gets. And when they are both assigned to the same squadron in Isoudon, Milt only ramps it up. But War proves who has what it takes and who’s the shrinking coward.

From the July 1929 Sky Birds, it’s John Scott Douglas’ “The Zep Buster!”

If you want to be thrilled to the marrow; if you like blazing air stories; if you have any sympathy for the under dog—read this gripping yarn. Hot action! What more could you want?

• Download “The Zep Buster” (July 1929, Sky Birds)

AS A bonus, here’s a brief bio of sorts from the back book jacket cover of The Secret of the Undersea Bell, winner of the Boys’ Life-Dodd, Mead Prize Competition!

JOHN SCOTT DOUGLAS tells us: “It was more to keep my hand in at typing than because of any literary aspirations that in my early years I published scores of brief items in a country newspaper and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a column in my high-school paper, and contributed to the University of Washington Columns. Not until I entered the Graduate School at Harvard, however, did I attempt to write for national magazines. Of the many scripts written during my two years at Harvard but few sold. Nevertheless, at twenty-one, when my first substantial check for a story reached me the day I received my master’s degree, I went to New York, determined to write for a living. Since then I’ve published somewhat over a thousand scripts—fiction from short-shorts to novels, and non-fiction in both article and book lengths.

“Much of this output was based on material gathered in travel through many of our states and three trips to Alaska and seventeen foreign countries of Europe, the West Indies, Central and South America. I am convinced that no amount of research an author can do will give him material as vital as that picked up first hand.

“My hobbies of mountain and desert camping, fresh and salt-water fishing, bee-keeping and photography have a way of creeping into my stories and nonfiction pieces. However, my most interesting personal experiences have been the many months I’ve spent at sea on all manner of ships and boats ranging from freighters to Indian dugouts. 1 was the first writer permitted to make the Westward Cruise on America’s largest lighthouse tender, the Coast Guard cutter Cedar. Some of my most fascinating experiences have been on California fishing boats—purse-seiners, tuna, swordfishing and abalone boats. I’ve spent several months with the deep-sea divers who pry shellfish known as abalones from undersea ledges. When resting after several turns below, the abalone fishermen have been kind enough to put me down in their diving dresses.” The Secret of the Undersea Bell, winner of the Boys’ Life-Dodd, Mead Prize Competition, is based on these first-hand experiences.

And look for more stories by JOHN SCOTT DOUGLAS this year!

THIS holiday season we’re going all in on The Flying Devil! The Flying Devil was a regular feature of the first fifteen issues of The Lone Eagle and, more importantly, as they announced beneath each month’s story—“the Only War-Air Cartoon Story to Appear in Any Magazine!” The strip was drawn by Terry Gilkison and features the exploits of Buck Barton, a.k.a. The Flying Devil, as he wages a one man war against the Germans in his Spad with the devil on the fuselage.

We’ve reached Buck Barton’s final adventure. From the December 1934 issue of The Lone Eagle, it’s Terry Gilkison’s The Flying Devil is “Lost In Hunland!”

When this adventure ran in The Lone Eagle, it carried a tag that there would be another Buck Barton War-Air Adventure in Pictures in the next issue titled “Spandau Treachery”—

But that adventure never saw the light of day if it was ever even written.

Gilkison would revisit Buck Barton in a way when he created the character of Rex Darrell, The Flying Fox, for More Fun Comics in 1938. Darrell’s Flying Fox was a modern day version of Barton’s Flying Devil. The stories were present day rather than set during the Great War; Darrell was fighting international air pirates rather than Barton’s battles against the Germans; and Darrell worked with a copilot, “Buzz” Blair, while Barton was solo. The one thing that links the two most is their choice of headgear. Darrell wore an aviator’s cap with rather pronounced fox ears much like Barton’s devil horned helmet he sported in the first few episodes.

Gilkison’s The Flying Fox debuted in More Fun Comics 37 (Nov 38). He flew his plane, the Dawn Streak, one of the fastest ever built, through 13 adventures. His final appearance in the magazine was in issue 51 (Jan 40) in the story whose last panel indicates the action was to be continued, but it sadly never was.

THIS holiday season we’re going all in on The Flying Devil! The Flying Devil was a regular feature of the first fifteen issues of The Lone Eagle and, more importantly, as they announced beneath each month’s story—“the Only War-Air Cartoon Story to Appear in Any Magazine!” The strip was drawn by Terry Gilkison and features the exploits of Buck Barton, a.k.a. The Flying Devil, as he wages a one man war against the Germans in his Spad with the devil on the fuselage.

From the November 1934 issue of The Lone Eagle, it’s Terry Gilkison’s The Flying Devil in “The Sinister Zeppelin!”

Next Time: Lost in Hunland!

THIS holiday season we’re going all in on The Flying Devil! The Flying Devil was a regular feature of the first fifteen issues of The Lone Eagle and, more importantly, as they announced beneath each month’s story—“the Only War-Air Cartoon Story to Appear in Any Magazine!” The strip was drawn by Terry Gilkison and features the exploits of Buck Barton, a.k.a. The Flying Devil, as he wages a one man war against the Germans in his Spad with the devil on the fuselage.

From the October 1934 issue of The Lone Eagle, it’s Terry Gilkison’s The Flying Devil in “The U-Boat Menace!”

Next Time: The Sinister Zeppelin!

THIS holiday season we’re going all in on The Flying Devil! The Flying Devil was a regular feature of the first fifteen issues of The Lone Eagle and, more importantly, as they announced beneath each month’s story—“the Only War-Air Cartoon Story to Appear in Any Magazine!” The strip was drawn by Terry Gilkison and features the exploits of Buck Barton, a.k.a. The Flying Devil, as he wages a one man war against the Germans in his Spad with the devil on the fuselage.

From the September 1934 issue of The Lone Eagle, it’s Terry Gilkison’s The Flying Devil in “The Mystery Drome!”

Next Time: The U-Boat Menace!

And as a special Christmas Bonus, we give you a holiday themed Pinky Dinky strip from 1929!

THIS holiday season we’re going all in on The Flying Devil! The Flying Devil was a regular feature of the first fifteen issues of The Lone Eagle and, more importantly, as they announced beneath each month’s story—“the Only War-Air Cartoon Story to Appear in Any Magazine!” The strip was drawn by Terry Gilkison and features the exploits of Buck Barton, a.k.a. The Flying Devil, as he wages a one man war against the Germans in his Spad with the devil on the fuselage.

From the August 1934 issue of The Lone Eagle, it’s Terry Gilkison’s The Flying Devil in “The Lost Squadron!”

Next Time: The Mystery Drome!

THIS holiday season we’re going all in on The Flying Devil! The Flying Devil was a regular feature of the first fifteen issues of The Lone Eagle and, more importantly, as they announced beneath each month’s story—“the Only War-Air Cartoon Story to Appear in Any Magazine!” The strip was drawn by Terry Gilkison and features the exploits of Buck Barton, a.k.a. The Flying Devil, as he wages a one man war against the Germans in his Spad with the devil on the fuselage.

From the July 1934 issue of The Lone Eagle, it’s Terry Gilkison’s The Flying Devil in “The Dog-Fight Treachery!”

Next Time: The Lost Squadron!

THIS holiday season we’re going all in on The Flying Devil! The Flying Devil was a regular feature of the first fifteen issues of The Lone Eagle and, more importantly, as they announced beneath each month’s story—“the Only War-Air Cartoon Story to Appear in Any Magazine!” The strip was drawn by Terry Gilkison and features the exploits of Buck Barton, a.k.a. The Flying Devil, as he wages a one man war against the Germans in his Spad with the devil on the fuselage.

From the June 1934 issue of The Lone Eagle, it’s Terry Gilkison’s The Flying Devil in “A Sinister Boche Plot!”

Next Time: The Dog-Fight Treachery!