ELEVEN MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS OF WORLD WAR ONE

Medal of HonorBalladeer’s Blog wrings down the curtain on Veterans Day of 2017 with this item. In keeping with the whole “Eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” tradition here are eleven World War One figures who were awarded the Medal of Honor.

J HUNTER WICKERSHAM

Rank: 2nd Lieutenant, US Army

Site: Limey, France on September 12th, 1918

Citation: Advancing with his platoon during the St. Mihiel offensive, he was severely wounded in 4 places by the bursting of a high-explosive shell. Before receiving any aid for himself he dressed the wounds of his orderly, who was wounded at the same time.

He then ordered and accompanied the further advance of his platoon, although weakened by the loss of blood. His right hand and arm being disabled by wounds, he continued to fire his revolver with his left hand until, exhausted by loss of blood, he fell and died from his wounds before aid could be administered.

Jake AllexJAKE ALLEX

Rank: Corporal, US Army

Site: Chipilly Ridge, France on August 9th, 1918

Citation: At a critical point in the action, when all the officers with his platoon had become casualties, Cpl. Allex took command of the platoon and led it forward until the advance was stopped by fire from a machinegun nest.

He then advanced alone for about 30 yards in the face of intense fire and attacked the nest. With his bayonet he killed 5 of the enemy, and when it was broken, used the butt of his rifle, capturing 15 prisoners.

FRANK MONROE UPTON

Rank: Quartermaster – US Navy

Site: The USS Florence H on April 17th, 1918 Continue reading →

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HAPPY VETERANS DAY 2017!

Happy Veterans Day!

Happy Veterans Day!

Well, it’s been nearly 100 years since November 11th, 1918 saw the end of World War One, or the Great War as it was called before anyone knew a second global conflict would occur. As we all know the date eventually became designated as the day for honoring the people who make it possible for the rest of us to lead our lives in relative safety. 

Irrational political partisans often forget that the only reason any of them have the luxury of sitting back and making pompous, self-righteous pronouncements is because of the men and women who go out and actually DO something. 

And those men and women do it even though they know that Continue reading →

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AMERICAN ACE J.M. SWAAB

Until Veteran’s Day – which is tomorrow – Balladeer’s Blog continues to salute neglected heroes from World War One.

Jacques Michael SwaabJ.M. SWAAB – Jacques Michael Swaab didn’t even take to the air with the 22nd Aero Squadron until August 27th of 1918 but before the war ended on November 11th he managed 10 confirmed kills and SEVEN more possible. At that rate Swaab could have challenged Eddie Rickenbacker’s total of 26 kills if he had started earlier in the war.  

On September 8th J.M. flew his Spad XIII in deadly combat, shooting down THREE German planes – including 2 Fokker D-VII’s. Before long he was an Ace and as an added bonus he shot down and killed Germany’s famed Ace Max Nather on October 23rd. Continue reading →

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ESCAPE CLUB: WILD, WILD WEST

It’s the Son of the Return of Bride of Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead. Balladeer’s Blog gives a musical nod to the Escape Club and their hit song Wild, Wild West.

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TOP NEGLECTED U.S. NAVAL BATTLES OF WORLD WAR ONE

Navy in World War OneYes, Veterans Day is coming so Balladeer’s Blog has been featuring some seasonal posts. In keeping with my blog’s theme I will take a look at more military actions that don’t get the attention that others do. Here is a look at U.S. Navy battles of the First World War.

OCTOBER 15th, 1917 – America entered the war just six months earlier and the Navy had been transporting the American Expeditionary Force under General “Black Jack” Pershing to Europe, with additional Navy craft escorting those transport ships and fighting German U-Boats. On this date the USS Cassin encountered U-Boat 61 and, after an hour’s pursuit the German submarine turned to fight the Cassin. After a lengthy exchange of torpedoes and depth charges the Cassin was battered but still afloat, while the U-61 suffered substantial damage also, including the destruction of its conning tower, forcing the sub to break off the action and flee.

NOVEMBER 17th, 1917 – The USS Fanning and USS Nicholson clashed with the German U-Boat designated U-58 when eagle-eyed sailors spotted the German sub’s periscope above the water line. Depth charges from the two U.S. ships damaged the U-58 and forced it to surface and engage in standard ship-to-ship combat. The Fanning and Nicholson sank the U-Boat, becoming the FIRST United States ships to Continue reading →

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FLYBOYS (2006): WORLD WAR ONE ACES

Here is a fairly entertaining film fictionalizing the escapades of the American pilots in the Lafayette Escadrille during World War One. It’s based on facts but altered enough for a big screen drama. There’s even a Red Baron pastiche called the Black Falcon.

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HAPPY TRUMP-IVERSARY! ONE YEAR SINCE TRUMP TRIUMPHED

mapRED COUNTIES ON THE MAP WENT TO TRUMP – BLUE COUNTIES TO HILLARY

ISOLATED POCKETS OF POMPOUS SNOBS AND BLOATED HATEMONGERS WERE DEFEATED

Barack Obama was garbage. George W Bush was garbage. Donald Trump is NOT garbage, even if only because he is not a career politician. America’s career politicians called Democrats and Republicans are little more than white collar criminals.

President Donald Trump – the Richard Channing of Presidents – is America’s de facto Third Party President! His election kept career criminal Hillary Clinton out of the White House! Remember LBJ and “the Splendid Tease?” President Trump’s election kicked off the Splendid Snivel, which is STILL going on!

Given the loud howling from DemCorp and RepubCorp what better way to mark this glorious occasion than revisiting the mock headlines I ran after President Trump won.

HILLARY AND OBAMA ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY! 

women-for-trumpTRUMP SAVES NATION; POSSIBLY THE WORLD

CAREER CRIMINAL HILLARY CLINTON FAILS IN BID FOR WHITE HOUSE

DEMOCRATS SUDDENLY REALIZE WHY A PRESIDENT’S POWERS NEED REINED IN: And It Ain’t Because of (YAAAAAAWWWN) Racism

WAR WITH RUSSIA AVERTED WHEN MADWOMAN DENIED THE PRESIDENCY

ONE PERCENTERS AND BLOATED RICH PIGS OUTRAGED AT TRUMP WIN

BLOW STRUCK AGAINST AMERICAN LIBERAL COLONIALISM

latinas-for-trumpVOTERS TO OBAMA: DROP DEAD

THE WORKING POOR DEFEAT THE MEDIA-DEMOCRAT MONOLITH

DEMOCRATS BANKED TOO MUCH ON ELDERLY WHITE LIBERALS WHO THINK IT’S 1967

ORANGE LIVES MATTER!

DE FACTO THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE WINS THE PRESIDENCY

DEMOCRATS’ PLANS FOR 2020: ANYTHING WITH A VAGINA!

MICHAEL MOORE ENGINEERS TRUMP VICTORY

NON-DEMOCRAT AND NON-REPUBLICAN BREAKS GLASS CEILING!

mark-cuban

One percenter and bloated rich pig Mark Cuban (actual size)

MARK CUBAN: FROM BEGGING TO BE TRUMP’S VICE PRESIDENT TO SOUR GRAPES CRITIC TO IRRELEVANT BUFFOON IN ONE ELECTION CYCLE!

DEMOCRATS VOW: THE NEXT CRIMINAL WE RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY WILL HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED AND SERVED THEIR TIME

TRUMP ON HOW HE ATTRACTED SO MANY AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTES: “I ASKED FOR THEM” (DEMOCRAT TIP O’NEILL STILL HAS WISDOM FOR US)

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS MORE LANGUAGES THAN BOTH OBAMAS COMBINED

LUNATIC FRINGE CONSISTING OF ABOUT 64 MILLION VOTERS ELECTS TRUMP

HILLARY: IF I HAD KNOWN U.S. CITIZENS WERE VOTING I TOTALLY WOULD HAVE PANDERED FOR THEIR VOTES

black-trump-supportersTRUMP DOUBLES GOP’s USUAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTE, PROVING WHAT A RACIST HE IS …?

GEORGE WILL AND BILL KRISTOL TO STAR IN FEATURE-LENGTH VERSION OF MONTY PYTHON’s “UPPER CLASS TWIT” SKETCH

PARTY OF SLAVERY, THE KU KLUX KLAN AND JIM CROW DEFEATED

MEDIA WHICH ASSURED US HILLARY WOULD WIN IN A LANDSLIDE NOW ASSURES US TRUMP WILL BLOW UP WORLD

DEMOCRATS STUNNED TO LEARN THAT ACTUAL VOTERS OUTNUMBER ACTORS AND SINGERS

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS SUDDENLY IN LOVE WITH THE NOTION OF CONGRESSIONAL OBSTRUCTIONISM Continue reading →

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AMERICAN ACE OF WORLD WAR ONE: FRANK LEAMAN BAYLIES

Frank Leaman BayliesFRANK LEAMAN BAYLIES – For the first eleven days of November Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at neglected figures of World War One, ending on Veterans Day. Frank Leaman Baylies tried to serve as a pilot in the U.S. Army but was rejected for supposedly poor vision, so in May 1917 he enlisted in the French flying corps instead.

Baylies flew with Escadrille 73 as the 13th man in the unit, flying a plane numbered 13. Frank philosophically shrugged off superstition, feeling lucky to be flying at all after being rejected by his home country’s air corps. In December of 1917 he was transferred to Escadrille 3, and really found his niche flying a Spad.

On February 19th, 1918 Baylies got his first verified kill, ultimately notching a total of 12 plus one more possible by May 31st. March 28th saw Frank shot down over No Man’s Land. After landing his crippled aircraft Baylies grabbed the altimeter and time-piece from the plane before scrambling toward the French trenches. The pilot was pursued by German soldiers but made it safely to the French lines.   Continue reading →

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“ANCIENT” SCI-FI ABOUT WORLD WAR ONE

World War One picWorld War OneWorld War OneYes, the first eleven days of November are about World War One here at Balladeer’s Blog – with my other topics thrown in as well.

This blog post combines World War One with my Ancient Science Fiction category to present vintage stories regarding that conflict.

Many of them feature dieselpunk inventions like I covered in my reviews of the pulp magazine G-8 And His Battle Aces.

Blood and IronBLOOD AND IRON (1917) – Written by Robert Hobart Davis & Perley Poore Sheehan. Dramatic depiction of advanced technology being used in World War One. In Germany one of the Kaiser’s scientists is experimenting with replacing lost limbs and organs with mechanical replacements. He has been trying to create cyborgs out of maimed German soldiers from the front lines.

After many failures, Experiment Number 241 is the scientist’s first success. His replacement arms and legs possess superhuman strength plus his replacement ears and eyes have granted him long-range vision and hearing.

Kaiser Wilhelm is thrilled, since this means that previously mortal wounds will now pave the way for cyborg soldiers. The Kaiser interrogates and drills Number 241 and expresses annoyance with the cyborg’s robotic way of speaking.

Number 241 at length has enough and kills the Kaiser, leaving a bloody pulp of a corpse. The horrified scientist’s expression of shock is met with a robotic reply of “Blood – and – iron.” (As in Otto Von Bismarck’s motto.)   

IN THE CHANNEL (1907)- Written by B.T. Stewart. Though penned seven years before the Guns of August blazed this story featured Kaiser Wilhelm’s forces launching an offensive in the English Channel and the surrounding waters.

The short story centers on naval battles, with the Germans unseating the Britons as “rulers of the waves.” The Germans then go on to win the entire war in this combination of the Future War sub-genre with the “are we fully prepared for war” exploitation tales.     Continue reading →

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

Northeastern_Oklahoma_AMIt was on November 6th, 1869 that Rutgers and Princeton played the very first college football game “on the banks of the Raritan” as the Rutgers fight song says. One of the things I love about college football is how far back its history goes.

It feels odd to think that Ulysses S Grant was in the White House when Continue reading →

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