Arch Whitehouse

THE GREAT WAR IN THE AIR BIBLIOGRAPHY PROJECT

Arch Whitehouse

Whitehouse, Arch
Wings For The Chariots
Doubleday & Company
New York
1973

256 pp

Estimated Value: $10 - $20

Arch Whitehouse was one of the many American youngsters who made his way across the Atlantic to enlist and serve with the British forces in the Great War, serving first in the army, then as an air gunner and finally as a Camel pilot. After the war Whitehouse went on to become one of the era's more prolific writers, beginning with contributions to pulp fiction magazines and eventually going on to publish dozens of books on military aviation.

In modern times, with our knowledge of WW1 aviation greatly expanded, Whitehouse's non-fiction works have been widely dismissed for their numerous inaccuracies and embellishments. Indeed, some of the popular myths about the war that have held through the years probably have their origins in Arch Whitehouse writings.

And then there are his novels. Whitehouse liked telling a good story and his substantial body of work included somewhere in the area of twenty full length novels. These roughly fall into two categories; fiction for young adults and his "adult" novels (although, admittedly, even his novels in this latter category tend to lack a sophistication more mature readers might expect).

Wings For The Chariots falls into this latter category. It tells the story of of England's early efforts using tanks on the Western Front. The central characters are Lt. Clement and and his air gunner Sgt. Darby, a B.E.2c crew who witness one of the first British tanks in action and become fascinated with the new weapon. As the story unfolds, they are sent to photograph a lonely estate behind the lines where a mysterious young woman attempts to signal them before she is clutched by a brutish man and dragged into the mansion. In typical Whitehouse style, Wings For The Chariots is a minor spy story laid over the framework of a WW1 flying adventure. Along the way we will see those first tanks in action, the introduction of Bristol F2b's and the inevitable daring rescue.

The best part of Whitehouse's fiction are usually the actual flying and fighting scenes. Indeed, because the author flew so many times over the lines he brings an authenticity to his descriptions of aerial operations. This has always been the central strength to his work. Where he generally falls short, however, is in his development of characters and dialogue. Whitehouse never really creates characters that are fully believable. Although he changes the names and squadrons from book to book, his heroes are almost always the same person; a modest, idealistic young man who's motivation goes no deeper than an honest (but simplistic) patriotism. On top of this, Whitehouse tends to struggle with his dialogue, which is often wooden and unrealistic. All too often, the character's spoken lines seem to run together in a blurry, unmemorable manner.

Happily, Wings For The Chariots is one of Arch Whitehouse's better written yarns. As a rule of thumb, the author improved with age, and this tale, published in 1973 is one of his last novels. At the core of this story is the relationship between pilot and gunner and a running subplot that explores the class distinctions prevalent in English society at the time. In a rarer moment of inspiration, Whitehouse is fairly effective in separating his various characters; the central fliers, the commanding officer, the tank crew and the lovely spy. While not completely rising above being caricatures, these are better caricatures than is the usual Whitehouse fare.

As I said earlier, Whitehouse's best moment come in the air, which he is able to describe with a genuine authenticity. As a true fan of Great War flying fiction, enjoying the works of this author become someone problematic, but I tend to approach reading each Whitehouse volume with a sense of perspective. In the end, by keeping his work in context, they "are what they are"; decent adventure yarns, a little stiff maybe, but not without their charms.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR:

1959 The Years Of The Sky Kings Arch Whitehouse

1959 Fighters In The Sky (Fiction) Arch Whitehouse

1962 Billy Mitchell Arch Whitehouse

1962 Legion Of The Lafayette Arch Whitehouse

1963 Heroes And Legends Of World War 1 Arch Whitehouse

1964 Decisive Air Battles Of The Firs Arch Whitehouse

1965 The Early Birds Arch Whitehouse

1966 Fighting Wings Arch Whitehouse

1966 The Zeppelin Fighters Arch Whitehouse

1966 Spies With Wings (Fiction) Arch Whitehouse

1967 The Fledgling Arch Whitehouse