WWI Aviation books cover art

Gregvan · 7 January 2010, 01:58 PM

Another "Lone Eagle" cover by Frandzen, from May 1936. Who knew that the Pfalz D.XV actually saw combat with Nieuport 28s (pistol against pistol combat no less!), and featured such dazzling color schemes? I think the portrait is supposed to be Baylies, but I'm not sure.

Here's a B.E.2...something, from July of 1935. Rather difficult method of keeping the struts from breaking up.

From September 1936, Frandzen again.

And the most unique of all, from October 1935:

YavorD · 8 January 2010, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregvan

Hi,

I hope I'm not boring anyone with all these pulp covers...
. Can anyone identify the sort of Sopwithish looking monoplane? Again, Frandzen is the artist.

No way, Gregvan!
May be because there was no TV and computer toys around and cinema with sound was a weird novelty a lot of thin paperback trillers were available?
The last picture shows some Bristol M.1 influence, in my opinion

Regards,
Yavor

Gregvan · 8 January 2010, 07:05 AM

Thanks, Yavor! I'm glad to know that you like the pulp covers.

I should have recognized the monoplane as a Bristol !

Anyway, here's a cover from "Airplane Stories", July 1929. Rudolph Belarski, one of the best pulp artists, has tried to show an interpretation of the large hexagonal camouflage seen on certain G-types like the AEG's. At least he was going for something different and fairly authentic. It's amazing how many times the airmen on these pulp covers jumped/fell/leaped out of their cockpits!:

Another "Airplane Stories" cover, from April 1929. Nice Nieuport (?) versus Zepp scene, but I don't know the artist:

Here's another cover I found on the web, of "Fawcett's Battle Stories" from September 1929. The artist didn't know much about WWI observation balloons (though a few spherical types did see service early on), or aircraft types, but those balloon crews were certainly well-armed on many pulp covers. I would like to be able to read "Guynemer, the Winged Crusader" just to see what kind of research was being done, back in 1929.

Another well-defended balloon, from "Fawcett's Battle Stories" July 1929 - though that valiant observer had better take to his parachute pretty soon!. I like the mini-Spandau gun on the top wing of the German fighter.

Gregvan · 8 January 2010, 07:30 AM

For a change, "Lone Eagle" of August 1937 switched to Rudolph Belarski instead of Eugene Frandzen. Belarski's stuff is always good. 1937-38 saw some of the last WWI covers, as reader's (and editor's) interests transferred more and more to the developing conflicts in Spain and China, and looming war clouds everywhere else.

I've posted some of these "Flying Aces" covers before, on which the artists attempted to illustrate some actual incident from the aerial war and wrote a brief article inside the issue telling the story of the scene. This one (July 1933) shows the famous incident of 10 October 1918 in which Lt. Wilbert "Wilbur" White Jr., of the 147th Aero Squadron, seemed to deliberately ram a German fighter (actually a Fokker D.VII) to save the life of a new pilot that the German was pursuing. White was a married man with children, and had been informed his service was done and he could return home, but he decided to fly one more patrol that day. The cover artist also did a reasonable portrait of White in the corner. BTW, the German pilot, Kohlbach of Jasta 10, survived by escaping by parachute.