THIS week we have a story by Stanely Wagenen. Howard Stanley VanWagenen was an Airman, an Author, and well-known Photographer at the time of his death at 44. He was a former member of the Dane county board and a prominent Madison photographer for the last 12 years of his life. Along the line he found time to learn to pilot his own plane, receiving a transport pilot’s license from the federal bureau of aeronautics in May 1930. Wagenen served as aviation editor for The State Journal; was the author of a 24-volume set of aviation text books; and served as director of ground schools for the Royal Flying academy as well as participating in many air stunt shows, winning numerous prizes in competition. All this and he wrote for the pulps as well!

Howard Morry, a high strung product of post war flying, had become fed up on the tame round of air mail jumps. He had not said so, but while loafing about waiting for his dispatches, he would fondly tinker with his silver winged monoplane. It was of no particular make, but his own assembly of everything good. With Morry at the controls it could outrun and outfly any one hundred and fifty horse powered crate in government service. Morry would put it to the test when he went undercover with some smugglers working the southern border.

From the November 1929 Flying Aces, it’s Stanley Wagenen’s “The Ace of Diamonds!”

“Major Chatterton, commander of the Border Patrol, dares you to try and cross the American boundary at noon tomorrow.” Thus ran the message, and thus began the gamest scrap the air has known!

• Download “The Ace of Diamonds” (November 1929, Flying Aces)

From the June 13th, 1930 issue of The Wisconsin State Journal, meet the man, the myth, H Stanley Van Wagenen:

“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!

Pinkham’s really put his foot in it this time—or so it appears—and he’s sent off to another squadron to be their problem. Problem is, he’s been sent to the drome of the Twenty-Ninth Squadron, south of Lerouville. The Twenty-Ninth was a forbidding-looking collection of hangars and huts, an outfit that every pilot who wished to grow old prayed to keep away from. There was a curse on the place. It was known all over France as the Suicide Squadron. And it was at the Twenty-Ninth that hard-bitten individuals who scoffed at discipline and military regulations eventually found a home. . .

They’d been threatening to transfer Phineas for months, and at last the axe fell. Major Garrity couldn’t handle Pinkham, eh? Well, who could?

• Download “The Grin reaper” (May/June 1933, Flying Aces)

This week we have a story from the prolific pen of Thomson Burtis. Burtis is primarily remembered today for the Rex Lee and Russ Farrell series of books he did, but Burtis was way more than that. In his heyday of the 1920’s—he was cranking out the stories for magazines like Adventure, Argosy, Peoples, Air Stories, Wings, McClure’s and The American Boy. In looking into his previous stories I discovered that a vast majority of them are centered around the pilots of the southern Boarder Patrol. There was Tex McDonnel, Slimuel X. Evans, Sleepy Spears, Streak Sommers and Dumpy Scarth circulating through the pulps, while Russ Farrell covered the boarder patrol for The American Boy stories.

“Crash Proud” from the April 1930 issue of Wings features Dumpy Scarth. Dumpy first appeared in a 1921 issue of Adventure—he was one of the first members of the boarder patrol Burtis introduced us to. Despite his name and matching appearance, Dumpy is one of the most skilled fliers in the patrol.

In the story Corpus Christi has been hit by a flood and the boarder patrol is out looking for and helping the isolated survivors. To make matters worse, the same flood that decimated the town also allowed a homicidal maniac to escape from prison!

Scarth admitted he was the best in the flying game. Then came the flood, and a doomed city looked to the air.

• Download “Crash Proud” (April 1930, Wings)

This story is based upon real events Burtis lived through during the four years he was an Army flyer—in the March 1924 issue of Everybody’s he recounted the experience as being his most depressing time as an aviator.

THIS week we have a different kind of story by one 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.

This week we have one of those stories that took place on the ground. It a piece and bloody tale of “Watson’s Guts Brigade”—a troop of Canadian horse artillery down in the mud and mire of the trenches, ordered to stop the German’s advance upon the Allied position. From the March 1929 number of War Novels, it’s Harold F. Cruickshank’s “Drawn Sabers!”

For a long, miserable winter, this troop of Canuck Horse had served as infantry in the mud-filled trenches, but now they were withdrawn and rehorsed. The Boche threatened the Allied lines, and these hard riders of the West were ordered to stop them!

• Download “Drawn Sabers” (March 1929, War Novels)

THIS week we have a story by H.P.S. Greene. Henry Paul Stevens Greene was a newspaper man who wrote aviation tales from the late 20’s to the early 40’s for magazines like Wings, Air Stories, Sky Fighters and, the magazine this story appeared in—Aces.

While visiting a girl he had previously met at a chateau in the French countryside, Jimmy Brill stumbles upon a Russian plot to go to the American headquarters in Froidvalle where they plan to kill the guards at the general’s office; steal all the maps and plans; blow the place up, and set it on fire to create a diversion while they get away, flying the maps and plans to Germany. Success or failure of the Russian’s plans rely on if Jimmy can stop the “Red in the Sky!” From the pages of the April 1932 Wings.

It was a quiet, peaceful meadow—a haven in the horror of war. Or so Jimmy Brill thought when he slanted down. But it proved to be the hot spot of the whole sector!

• Download “Red in the Sky” (April 1932, Wings)

As a bonus, here’s brief letter H.P.S. Greene had published in then letters pages of the December 1928 Flying Aces, wherein he gives a quick account of himself and his flying ability.

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 Tip Top News, 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.

After an assignment where things go from bad to worse, Nick and Art are sent out to redeem themselves by covering the big Air Derby. They find out when they get there that the lead ship is nothing but a publicity stunt for their arch competitor’s new aviation themed movie. What can they do but fulfill their assignment and hope that something goes wrong with Super-Art’s publicity ploy.

From the March 1929 Wings, it’s Nick Royce in Frederick C. Davis’ “Winged Showdown!”

The Goddess of Chance sent them into the skies with clipped wings. But Nick Royce lived by one code—and he dared all in one last cloud-gamble to get the shots!

• Download “Winged Showdown” (March 1929, Wings)

“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!

The Brass Hats had just ordered .Major Rufus Garrity to send a certain fireproof German balloon down in flames. Then Phineas “Carbuncle” Pinkham came home—leading a goat named Horace. The date—but of course you’ve guessed—was Friday the thirteenth!

• Download “The Fryin’ Dutchman” (April 1933, Flying Aces)

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.

This time it’s O.B. Myer’s turn to spin this issue’s “Hangar Yarn”—a the round-table of airmen who, after flying hours, gather to yarn and smoke. All of these tales are told by airmen, in an airman’s fashion that’ll make you feel right at home in the old hangar.

“Did j’ever hear how Ab Longstreet got my Croix de Guerre?” asked Ed, flipping his cigarette butt so that it landed right next to a five-gallon can of gas.

• Download “Sudden Hardware” (April 1930, Wings)

HERE’S an interesting article from the October 1935 number of Writer’s Digest where Robert J. Hogan relates the writing process he used to create the lead story for the January 1936 issue of The Mysterious Wu Fang!

THE demand from readers for an article, showing how a professional writer’s mind works as he writes, has risen in recent months from a mild polite murmur to a steady daily yelp. Inadvertently we mentioned our desire to publish such article, and the hounds were off.

Robert J. Hogan, whose article on the subject is the one finally selected, writes us: “Believe me, this is the toughest job I’ve handled in a long time. I only hope your readers get as much help out of it as I got out of your magazine in the early stages. To lift the lid of the old bean and let your subscribers peer inside . . . gosh! what an assignment!”

Mr. Hogan flew for the U.S.A. during the War, and acted also as a boxing instructor at camp. After the War he was chief engineer for an aircraft corporation that took a beating in the depression. Bob Hogan started over again as a pick and shovel worker on a construction job.

Two years later he went into the home construction business for himself, and from there into selling real estate. His old love was aviation and “I was unhappy away from it. I took to writing to occupy my mind, writing flying stories for the pulps, on the back of the stationery of my real estate business. I have been a full-time writer for three years and sold my first story five years ago. I’ve sold to 35 magazines.

“I sell on contract 160,000 words a month, and lay off after three each day. I write about all the stuff that’s in the magazine ‘G-8 and His Battle Aces’ and I do the main story each month for Wu Fang, published by Popular Publications, 205 East 42nd St., New York City. The story that I talk about in the following article was sold today to Wu Fang and will appear in its January issue.”

• Download “Inside a Author’s Brain” (October 1935, Writer’s Digest)

DEMYSTIFIED. The cover of the issue in question of Robert J. Hogan’s The Mysterious Wu Fang! Hogan penned all seven lead stories for the magazine from September 1935 to the March 1936 issue when it folded.

“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!

That Frog dentist thought he was pretty funny when he gave Phineas “Carbuncle” Pinkham laughing gas. Well, as Phineas says, “He who laughs last—laughs last!”

• Download “Nothing But The Tooth” (March 1933, Flying Aces)

THIS week we have another exciting air adventure with Rusty Wade from the pen of Frank Richardson Pierce. Pierce is probably best remembered for his prolific career in the Western Pulps. Writing under his own name as well as two pen names—Erle Stanly Pierce and Seth Ranger. Pierce’s career spanned fifty years and produced over 1,500 short stories, with over a thousand of these appearing in the pages of Argosy and the Saturday Evening Post.

The top executives of a gold mine are trying to freeze out their own shareholders by looting their own mine so they don’t have to pay out dividends and then passing the gold off as coming from their unproductive and shareholder-free holdings. And although they’ve hired the villainous Hawk Breed to do the dirty work, when Rusty Wade gets involved, you know he’ll get to the bottom of it—which is right at the top!

From the pages of the May 1929 Air Trails, it’s our old pal Rusty Wade in Frank Richardson Pierce’s “Talons of the Hawk!”

Merciless and deadly was the air highwayman who held up his victims on the lonely Northern trails!

• Download “Talons of the Hawk” (May 1929, Air Trails)

MOUNT CARMEL ITEM Young Franklin’s commission is reported in the August 6th, 1917 Mount Carmel Item.

MIKE CHOMKO, researcher and long time fan of Franklin H. Martin, had been looking for any kind of information on Martin for twenty-five years. Sadly, there seemed to be very little information out there—that is until recently when, inspired by the evidence card from the Thrilling Group vs Adventure House court case which refers to Martin as being a Newark Newspaper man, he thought to look in the Newark, NJ newspapers. This was all it took to unleash the floodgates of information that was out there.

Turns out he was not a Newark newspaper man, but his father was a well-known editor of the New York Tribune and Newark Star, and that Franklin H. Martin was actually Franklin M. Martin! There was information on his six sisters (he was the only boy); the East Orange, NJ home he grew up in; his WWI military service and his untimely death just before he turned 50 in 1948.

A lot of information came up—including the story of how Franklin M. Martin earned his Croix du Guerre.

GOV. STOKES’ AIDE WINS WAR LAURELS

TRENTON SUNDAY TIMES ADVERTISER • 1919-01-19; page 7.

Franklin Murphy Martin Proves Worthy of His Boyhood Commission as Captain

FORMER Governor E.C. Stokes has recently been in receipt of interesting correspondence linking up a pretty incident of his Executive experience with a stirring episode of the bloody war recently ended. The central figure in the story is Franklin Murphy Martin, son of the late James Martin, one of the best-known New Jersey journalists of a decade ago and prominent each winter for many years among the legislative correspondents at Trenton. Governor Stokes during the summer of 1907 occupied the Little White House at Sea Girt, and among his guests over one week-end were Mr. and Mrs. Martin, accompanied by their bright eight-year-old boy. This little chap exhibited a lively interest in the camp and the movements of the soldiers, and the Governor found him so interesting a visitor that to humor the lad’s fancy, he created him his aide-de-camp with rank of captain.

The brief summer visit ended and the Martins returned to their home in East Orange, but the incident at Sea Girt had left an indelible impression. Says Mrs. Martin:

“Besides being an object of pride, that captain’s commission playfully bestowed, was an instrument of discipline in later years. Whenever the youthful captain got out of hand I, as his superior officer, (Mr. Martin died March, 1910) took down his commission from its place on the library wall. ‘Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman’ had an awe-inspiring sound to the youngster. It worked beautifully.”

Eleven years passed: America entered what was no mimic war, and one of the first volunteers for active service from Essex County was young Martin, now a fine, energetic, well-developed young man of nineteen. He was first assigned to Camp McClellan, being attached to the 312th Regiment of Heavy Artillery, and in due course went overseas to fight with Pershing’s army. Here he was transferred to the 803rd Aero Squadron, and news recently reached his mother that he was decorated with the Croix de Guerre “for conspicuous heroism in action,” besides being promoted to be a sergeant as a further recognition of his bravery.

The story of the exploit in which he figured is modestly told in a letter which Sergeant Martin sent to his mother.

“I was carrying dispatches at the big drive along the Marne,” he wrote; “as you know I make fairly good maps and sketches and was sent up with a filer from headquarters over the enemy lines. On our return flight we were obliged to fly low because of the dense clouds and were shot down and fell on the wrong side of the Marne. I jumped into the Marne and, thanks to the bum aim of Fritz and my ability to swim some under water, delivered the maps—nothing conspicuous about it. Yanks are doing a thousand times as much every day. I was unhurt, but my pilot was badly wounded by machine gun bullets.”

Knowing Governor Stokes’ lusting interest in his eight-year-old aide-de-camp, Mrs. Martin sent the story of the episode to Trenton with the characteristic maternal remark: “Had the war lasted longer, 1 have not a doubt but that Franklin would have been a really truly captain.

“But I thank God it is all over!”

And Governor Stokes has gracefully acknowledged Mrs. Martin’s letter with an expression of his appreciation for “the splendid courage and Americanism of my once little captain, Franklin M. Martin. Kindly extend my regards to the little soldier who was, and the big soldier who is, and my heartiest congratulations and best wishes.”

Many old Trenton friends of “Jimmy” Martin will be delighted to learn of the distinction that has come to his gallant son.

• Download “How Franklin H Martin earned his Croix de Guerre” (January 19, 1919, Trenton Sunday Times Advisor)

JACK & PETE. Martin (Pete) pose with his friend Jack after being awarded his Croix du Guerre.

THIS week we have a story from the pen of the Navy’s own Allan R. Bosworth. Bosworth wrote a couple dozen stories with Humpy & Tex over the course of ten years from 1930 through 1939, mostly in the pages of War Aces and War Birds. The stories are centered around the naval air base at Ile Tudy, France. “Humpy” Campbell, a short thickset boatswain’s mate, first class who was prone to be spitting great sopping globs of tabacco juice, was a veteran seaplane pilot who would soon rate two hashmarks—his observer, Tex Malone, boatswain’s mate, second class, was a D.O.W. man fresh from the Texas Panhandle. Everybody marveled at the fact that the latter had made one of the navy’s most difficult ratings almost overnight—but the answer lay in his ability with the omnipresent rope he constantly carried.

Humpy and Tex inadvertently Shanghai the wrong man and find themselves with an admiral on their hands who would like nothing more than to court martial the two of them until their thin explanations somehow work out to be real! “Noah’s Ark” by the Navy’s own Allan R. Bosworth is from the pages of the June 1931 War Aces.

Noah’s Ark was a nice peaceful crate ’til Humpy and Tex shanghaied an Admiral. Then they proved that three is a crowd—for the Heinies.

• Download “Noah’s Ark” (June 1931, War Aces)

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 Tip Top News, 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.

You’d think that once Tip Top News decided to acquire the Weekly News Reel, there wouldn’t be any more shenanigans when Nick and Art set out to get footage of the latest calamities—but you’d be wrong! Turns out, when you move up the ladder of success, there’s just a bigger more unscrupulous outfit making sure you don’t succeed. Maybe you expect that from the other outfit, but not from one of your own. Why that would be “Cloud Treason!”

From the February 1929 Wings, it’s Nick Royce in Frederick C. Davis’ “Cloud Treason!”

Nick Royce, sky-eatin’ newsreel pilot, is back again! And in tumbling skies he rides alone to bring traitor ships to showdown!

• Download “Cloud Treason” (February 1929, Wings)

THIS week we have a brief story by “Ace Williams.” I put his name in quotes because Galactic Central believes Ace to be a house pseudonym. Either way, what we have is a ripping good yarn and more on this house pseudonym after the story.

Andy Hart in his D.H.6 turns hand-springs across the sky in this battle-scarred, fast-moving, quick-shooting novelette of air thrills above the Fields of Flanders. This story is based on actual happenings of the Great War so the location has been disguised as Dieppe.

• Download “Devils of Dieppe” (January 1929, Flying Aces)

William’s “Devils of Dieppe” caused a stir with one reader which eventually led to the whole deal being revealed. “Devils of Dieppe” was published in the January 1929 issue of Flying Aces. A concerned reader had his letter published in the April 1929 issue’s Tailspins column.

“Ace’s” response followed Al’s Letter.

However, three months later in the July issue, the truth comes out in Ace William’s actual response to Al Thomas’ letter.