ORTH is back! Silent Orth had made an enviable record, in the face of one of the worst beginnings—a beginning which had been so filled with boasting that his wingmates hadn’t been able to stand it. But Orth hadn’t thought of all his talk as boasting, because he had invariably made good on it. However, someone had brought home to him the fact that brave, efficient men were usually modest and really silent, and he had shut his mouth like a trap from that moment on.

Orth asks the C.O. for extra flying time—he figures he only really feels comfortable in the air on the hunt and the more Boche he can take out the sooner the war will be over! Unfortunately, Orth—living up to his name—doesn’t tell anyone why he wants the extra time. Before you know it one event leads to another and Orth is accused of being in league with the Germans! From the pages of the December 1934 Sky Fighters, it’s “The Devil’s Ace!”

Silent Orth, Hellwinder of the Crimson Skies, Gets into a Whale of a Jam—and All Because He Asks for Extra Flying Time Without Giving Reasons!

• Download “The Devil’s Ace” (December 1934, Sky Fighters)