Peanuts by Charles Schulz for October 15, 2015

I never knew the Ace was a lieutenant. I don’t remember his rank being mentioned before.

He fits in with Snoopy quite well. First time he sees him as the WWI Flying Ace he immediately addresses him by a rank. And an officer’s rank too.. Surprised Snoopy doesn’t see himself leading a squadron, though. He’d have been what, a Captain, if he’d led a squadron?

What squadron did Snoopy pretend to be part of? Hat in the Ring? Lafeyette?

I can remember the main rankings – in reverse order – from the theme of the cartoon “Beetle Bailey”: The General, Colonel, Major and the Captain…the Lieutenant and the Sergeant and the Corporal…

Couldn’t track it down on Wikipedia, but I believe all the American World War I pilots were officers.

I saw a tv commercial yesterday with the Peanuts characters and I was once again filled with admiration and respect for what Charles Schulz created and which has endured so well for so long. I’m also thinking that he was one of the first cartoonists to integrate his strips which surely opened the minds of young and older alike to certain possibilities and realities that were not readily apparent in the ‘50s when I was growing up. My hat’s off to a great man and his legacy.

Weren’t all the pilots officers in WWI?

The only problem with being an American squadron during WW I, none that I know of flew the Sopwith Camel before the Red Baron was killed in combat. There were two units that I could find that flew the Sopwith Camel, but they did not enter into the fight until May, 1918 (17th Aero) and the other June, 1918 (147th Aero). The other fighter unit (27th Aero) flew Nieuports and Spads. Plus, I think Snoopy is part of an English unit as he refers to the men as ‘lads’, where as I think most Americans would say ‘boys’. Just a thought…

You don’t remember the new guy, Snoopy? Honestly, he’s been here all along…

Officers fly $50,000 Cessnas, but Sergeants run $2,000,000 tanks. Go figure.

Yes that is right. Go figure. Where I was in the Army in 1962, I was an Acting Buck Sergeant, (Actual rank Private First Class) and I was in charge of 8 48 Tanks each worth over a $1,000,000 a piece. Anything to keep from promoting you to the required rank.

Looks like we pretty much cleared up the officer and the gentleman issue…

The 94th Pursuit Squadron (Hat in the Ring) commanded by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker flew Nieuport 28 and SPAD S.XIII. To fly a Sopwith Camel, Snoopy would have to be on detached duty to the RAF, which probably explains his use of the term “blighters.”

Helicopter pilots in the army during VN were not commisioned officers.

Meeting new faces is always part of the job.

xxx

There were plenty of enlisted pilots in the US Army Air Corp by the time the United States entered WWII. There is even talk in the USAF about allowing drones to flown by enlisted pilots.

If Snoopy were a member of the ground troops, would he take exception to being called a “dogface”?

At the time, the one that was credited with shooting the Red Baron was Captain Arthur Brown. Though that was later proven to be false, it wasn’t discovered at the time of this strip. He was shot while trailing Lieutenant Wilfred May on April 21, 1918.