THIS November we’re celebrating William E. Barrett’s Birthday with one of his pulp stories each Friday.

Before he became renown for such classics as The Left Hand of God and Lilies of The Field, Barrett honed his craft across the pages of the pulp magazines—and nowhere more so than in War Birds and it’s companion magazine War Aces where he contributed smashing novels and novelettes, True tales of the Aces of the Great War, encyclopedic articles on the great war planes as well as other factual features. Here at Age of Aces Books he’s best known for his nine Iron Ace stories which ran in Sky Birds in the mid ’30s!

Today we have the story of Captain Frederick Dietterich who is being relieved of his temporary command as captain and squadron leader to serve under a Prussian, Hauptmann von Kopf. Dietterich was an Alsatian and that had been a handicap. The Imperial Government accepted great service from Alsatians but withheld its trust while accepting them. His reputation on the other side of the line had hurt, too. He had been known as a clean sportsman. H.Q. had frowned at that. It favored officers who were feared. The last touch was his popularity with his men. The men of his jagdstaffel spoke of him as “Fritz”. The Imperial command could not associate authority with familiarity and Dietterich was going back to the flying ranks.

Von Kopf biggest problem upon assuming command is an American flyer known as The Angel who has already downed four of the Jadgstaffel’s Fokkers and seven others. When Dietterich manages to shoot Angel down, it is von Kopf who underestimates the Yankee flyer!

There was a new breed of angel in the sky one that used Vickers instead of a flaming sword; and the tracer stream of his vengeance spelled death to Prussians!

From the April 1931 War Aces, it’s William E. Barrett’s “Breed of Angels!”

• Download “Breed of Angels” (April 1931, War Aces)