Air Service Boys Over the Rhine; Or, Fighting Above the Clouds

In the summer of 1918, a handful of fresh‑out‑of‑college Americans have already traded university lectures for the open cockpit of a French Caudron. Joined to the famed Lafayette Escadrille, they fly night raids over German ammunition dumps, hoping to tip the balance while the war still rages across the fields of France. The narrative opens with Tom Raymond and Jack Parmly watching their squadron's return, counting battered planes and wondering which of their friends have survived the anti‑aircraft fire.

As the men regroup at the muddy airfield, they wrestle with uneasy reports of missing pilots, captured comrades, and a shadowy spy slipping through their ranks. Their resolve is tested by tense discussions, a daring rescue attempt, and the promise of a larger offensive that will take them over the Rhine itself. The story blends the raw excitement of early aerial combat with the personal stakes of friendship and duty, drawing listeners into a vivid slice of World War I aviation.