Pulp Fiction, 1938 · page 94 of 148
10 Short Novels Magazine — page 94: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a story page from a pulp magazine featuring "Medals to the Craven," described as a "Powerful Novelette of War Skies" by Major George Fielding Eliot. The page includes an illustration depicting World War I aerial combat, showing military biplanes attacking ground forces in a trench. The visible prose describes Lieutenant Bob Sexton, a fighter pilot credited with four aerial victories, who has lined up his gun sights on an enemy aircraft (apparently the German ace Gerhardt). However, the narrative indicates that Sexton's gunfire, while successful in earning him another medal, somehow resulted in a dishonorable "descendu" (likely referring to being shot down). The text sets up a conflict between military achievement and personal shame.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Medals to the Craven Powerful Novelette of War Skies Dark against the sky behind him, Sexton saw wings—wings that bore the black cross of the enemy. By Major George Fielding Eliot Four victories in the skies of war were already chalked up to the credit of Lieutenant Bob Sexton. And now in his gunsights was lined up the body of Germany’s famous Gerhardt, whose death would make Sexton an Ace. But the stream of lead that blasted forth from Sexton’s gun muzzles won a medal for another man— and gave Sexton a “descendu” which he never could claim! OB SEXTON concentrated all his which. Sexton and his companion, Bill powers of air-vision on the little Dorn, were flying. fleck of scarlet in the evening sky. If it were indeed the German ace, Ger- The colored spot was far ahead—and well hardt, and his famous Red-Wing mono- below the eight-thousand-foot level at plane, then, for the first time Sexton had 92 com