
Two young friends, fresh from harrowing escapes across Belgium and a year of daring aerial combat, find themselves convalescing in a Paris hospital after a tragic crash claims their beloved lieutenant. The loss leaves them questioning whether to return to the skies, and the decision to stay grounded feels both a tribute and a burden. Their conversation captures the mix of grief, bravery, and restless yearning that defines life on the front lines.
Choosing a new path, they enlist with the British artillery, trading their wings for the thunder of heavy guns. In the trenches they confront a different kind of danger—learning to maneuver massive cannons, mastering signals, and adapting to the relentless rhythm of artillery fire. Along the way, the boys discover fresh camaraderie, the harsh realities of ground warfare, and a renewed sense of purpose that keeps their spirits alive amid the chaos of war.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (193K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Edwards, Larry B. Harrison, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/))
Release date
2017-12-14
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Best known for a fast-moving series of World War I adventure stories for young readers, this author wrote tales filled with artillery, aircraft, submarines, and battlefield daring. The surviving record online is slim, but his books still circulate through public-domain and library collections.
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