With today’s marking of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War here are some books on that often neglected topic. (I will omit Barbara Tuchman’s Guns of August because of how well-known it is.)
THE HAT IN THE RING GANG: THE COMBAT HISTORY OF THE 94th AERO SQUADRON IN WORLD WAR ONE – Written by Charles Woolley, this excellent book covers America’s 94th Aero Squadron aka The Hat in the Ring Gang.
When it comes to Flying Aces of World War One the Americans in the Lafayette Escadrille get the lion’s share of the attention. That’s ironic since Eddie Rickenbacker, America’s greatest ace of the war, served in the Hat in the Ring Gang along with many other famous paladins of the skies. To buy it click HERE
DOUGHBOY WAR: THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN WORLD WAR I – Written/ edited by James H Hallas. I feel this book is perfect for people who are just diving into World War One and don’t want inundated with all of the overwhelming details of more involved works. Doughboy War covers every aspect of American soldiers’ experiences in the Great War, often in their own words.
Follow them from enlistment, training and crossing the Atlantic to facing action in Europe, including accounts of the ordeals faced by wounded Doughboys. To buy it click HERE Continue reading
NUMBER THREE GETS TAKEN DOWN – In NCAA Division Two the 6th ranked VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS played host to the nation’s number 3 UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA WOLVES. A 10-7 1st Quarter edge for the Blazers turned into a 34-21 lead at Halftime. After the break Valdosta State coasted to a 47-31 upset of the Wolves. 
DEFEAT FOR TWO NUMBER NINES – Over in the NAIA the number 14 BAKER UNIVERSITY WILDCATS took the field against the visiting 9th ranked EVANGEL UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS and toppled them 19-7 ### And down in NCAA Division Three the (22) BETHEL (MN) ROYALS downed the (9) UNIVERSITY OF SAINT THOMAS TOMMIES 21-15. 
IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN (1904) by Robert W Chambers. Previously Balladeer’s Blog examined Chambers’ underrated horror classic The King in Yellow. The work we’re looking at this time around is a collection of short stories about Francis Gilland the Zoologist. Gilland was a forerunner of the real-life Frank “Bring ’em Back Alive” Buck and the fictional Indiana Jones. 
I. THE HARBOR MASTER – Gilland is sent north to Hudson Bay where a Harbor Master has reported capturing a pair of Great Auks, flightless birds which went extinct in the mid-1800s. The two-fisted scholar finds the Great Auks are for real but the Harbor Master harbors (see what I did there) a sinister secret. 
II. IN QUEST OF THE DINGUE – The Graham Glacier melts, unleashing a number of animals from species that were long thought extinct. Among the crowd of academics converging on the unexplored area are Gilland and Professor Smawl. The Professor is a sexy, strong-willed female scholar that our hero has been forced to accompany into the region. 
CHARLES AUSBURNE 
ALBERT E BAESEL 
SAINTS PRESERVE US! – NCAA Division Three’s THOMAS MORE COLLEGE SAINTS borrowed a page from NAIA football yesterday by defeating a team from NCAA Division TWO – in this case the LAKE ERIE COLLEGE STORM. By Halftime the Saints had compiled a 28-0 advantage, then coasted to a 44-zip shutout of the higher division team. 
DOWN GOES NUMBER FIVE – Up in the NAIA the 8th ranked BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS traveled to face the number 5 team in the nation – the GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS (should be the Zebras). A 7-7 1st Quarter tie became 10-10 at the break and then 13-13 to end the 3rd. From there the Ravens exploded offensively to win the game 25-13. 
ANOTHER NUMBER FIVE TAKES A FALL – In NCAA Division Two the number 22 FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS were on the road against the country’s 5th ranked NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS. The Tigers grabbed a quick 14-0 lead in the 1st Quarter but the Bearcats cut that to just 14-10 by the Half. In the 3rd Quarter the Fort Hays State edge was whittled down to 17-16, which wound up as the final tally, too, since the Defenses dominated the 4th. 
LACK SATAN 
With Veterans Day coming up AND with it being the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One (when it was called Armistice Day) here are links to Balladeer’s Blog’s many World War One posts over the years. 
