I'll pound you to a "Pulp" if you don't show off yours! 23 23

[Scrooge]

Clearly this is nothing compared to the Weird Tales above ... maybe I should hop this one in the short bus but the book arrived in better shape than I expected

[Jayman]

Scrooge, do you know what "TOPS, AOPS, VOPS" means on those planes?

[Scrooge]

Scrooge, do you know what "TOPS, AOPS, VOPS" means on those planes?

 

That's the same question I had. There is a one full page text "story / fact" about the cover inside. I was too beat to read it last night but I'll get back to the thread with the info soon (thumbs u

[Cimm]

Man, that is a sweet Air-War book! Most of the ones I have seen were beat to tatters! Nice pick-up!

[The Black Hand ®]

AOPS is Air operations, I believe, but am not sure. Ask Paratrooper.

[BB-Gun]

Perhaps this will explain by example.

Code Letters - During the 1938 Munich crisis No. 12 Squadron was given the code letters "QE".

then in W.W.II the squadron's aircraft were coded "PH" with certain Lancaster's marked "GZ"

 

 

Hurricane

 

Spirfire Squadron

 

[BB-Gun]

Scrooge, do you know what "TOPS, AOPS, VOPS" means on those planes?

 

That's the same question I had. There is a one full page text "story / fact" about the cover inside. I was too beat to read it last night but I'll get back to the thread with the info soon (thumbs u

 

I believe the bullseye is a roundel (not the letter "O") which represents the British RAF. The other letters are a code for the plane and the squadron. I don't know what squadron PS represents or if it was used. The roundel seems to have an extra white circle but it still looks British to me. It has a red center and the French used a blue center. Planes are interesting. I think the Hurricane and the Spitfire looked similar except for wing configuration. But I didn't find any examples with a gunner in the back seat. Perhaps there is an expert on line who can identify a little better. I only know what I learned watching the history channel.

bb

Edited September 17, 2008 by BB-Gun

[Gone Phishin']

I prefer to buy these Winston science fiction books with the Schomburg covers.

 

 

Awesome!

 

I must agree. One of the coolest covers I have seen. Where would one find something like this?

[BB-Gun]

I prefer to buy these Winston science fiction books with the Schomburg covers.

 

 

Awesome!

 

I must agree. One of the coolest covers I have seen. Where would one find something like this?

 

The scan above is from the Winston science fiction series. Schomburg did a lot of the dust jackets but he also did the front and back inside covers which are found in all of the books of that series. I have posted a few dust jackets before but here is the last one I found by Blaisdell.

bb

 

[BB-Gun]

Scrooge, do you know what "TOPS, AOPS, VOPS" means on those planes?

 

That's the same question I had. There is a one full page text "story / fact" about the cover inside. I was too beat to read it last night but I'll get back to the thread with the info soon (thumbs u

 

I believe the bullseye is a roundel (not the letter "O") which represents the British RAF. The other letters are a code for the plane and the squadron. I don't know what squadron PS represents or if it was used. The roundel seems to have an extra white circle but it still looks British to me. It has a red center and the French used a blue center. Planes are interesting. I think the Hurricane and the Spitfire looked similar except for wing configuration. But I didn't find any examples with a gunner in the back seat. Perhaps there is an expert on line who can identify a little better. I only know what I learned watching the history channel.

bb

I guess the plane on the cover of Wings 2 should have been a French plane since the dot in the middle of the roundel is blue. I have to go back and see if they mention that in one of the stories.

 

According to Wikipedia (I think) the RAF symbol was changed from the Union Jack to the roundel like France because the Union Jack looked too much like the German cross.

bb

[BB-Gun]

Since I am posting comics and photographs on this thread, I thought I should post a few pulps too. At least I won't be corrupting this fine effort if I stick with theme.

bb

I picked this up in a box off the back of a truck. I only found one Shadow but there were several mystery issues.

 

[BB-Gun]

Since I am posting comics and photographs on this thread, I thought I should post a few pulps too. At least I won't be corrupting this fine effort if I stick with theme.

bb

I picked this up in a box off the back of a truck. I only found one Shadow but there were several mystery issues.

[Scrooge]

Planes are interesting. I think the Hurricane and the Spitfire looked similar except for wing configuration. But I didn't find any examples with a gunner in the back seat. Perhaps there is an expert on line who can identify a little better.

 

BB, thanks for all the posts today. (thumbs u

 

The answer was inside. The planes (see below) are Boulton-Paul Defiants and were as you mentioned used during the Battle of Britain. Here's an excellent page from the Battle of Britain Historical Society about the Defiant, its role and more

 

(Notice the same PS on the image below as on the pulp cover)

[Scrooge]

Here it is in flight -

[Jayman]

(thumbs u

[BB-Gun]

I prefer to buy these Winston science fiction books with the Schomburg covers.

 

 

Awesome!

 

I must agree. One of the coolest covers I have seen. Where would one find something like this?

 

This is one of the Schomburg dust jackets. The creases have been removed from the photo.

bb

Edited September 17, 2008 by BB-Gun

[Scrooge]

(thumbs u

 

Wait! There's more (and I shall leave it at that), you can see it in flight in this video from where I grabbed the frame shown below that looks like the cover -

 

 

 

 

[BB-Gun]

Since I am posting comics and photographs on this thread, I thought I should post a few pulps too. At least I won't be corrupting this fine effort if I stick with theme.

bb

I picked this up in a box off the back of a truck. I only found one Shadow but there were several mystery issues.

 

And a few more from the box on the truck.

[

 

[BB-Gun]

Planes are interesting. I think the Hurricane and the Spitfire looked similar except for wing configuration. But I didn't find any examples with a gunner in the back seat. Perhaps there is an expert on line who can identify a little better.

 

BB, thanks for all the posts today. (thumbs u

 

The answer was inside. The planes (see below) are Boulton-Paul Defiants and were as you mentioned used during the Battle of Britain. Here's an excellent page from the Battle of Britain Historical Society about the Defiant, its role and more

 

(Notice the same PS on the image below as on the pulp cover)

 

Thanks for the information Scrooge. I think I had heard about the Defiant but couldn't find a reference on line. It seems to have been designed after the Spitfire and the gun in the back was unique. The air speed seems kind of slow but fire power was much improved. I also learned that the Lancaster bombers had a larger payload capacity than the B-17 that was used by the US army air corp.

They must have used the letters from the publicity films as a model for the pulp cover. What year was that pulp?

 

It was my understanding that the high quality fuel and speed of the RAF fighters that turned the tide in the Battle of Britain. But it might be all of the additional supplies from Canada and the US. Just like the loss of the Japanese air craft carriers in the Battle of Midway. The US replaced the aircraft carriers that they loss and built several more. The Japanese could not replace their bombed out carriers, pilots and air craft. Too much history channel lately.

bb

[BB-Gun]

I still have a few odd items in the pulp boxes.

Fun but not for the kids. And true adventure stories which are really pretty tame but a colorful cover.