Biggles' Bulls-Eye is a short story which was first published in The Modern Boy Issue 330, 2nd June 1934. The story was subsequently gathered and published in 1935 in the Boys' Friend Library edition of Biggles Learns to Fly where it spanned chapters 13 and 14.
The original Modern Boy short story was divided into four sections with subtitles Eyes of the Guns!, The Fight of His Life!, Neck or Nothing! and A Smoking Mass!. The 1935 BFL edition split the story at the beginning of the third section and used the headings Eyes of the Guns and Neck or Nothing!. Subsequent editions such as Brockhampton, Armada and Red Fox recombined the two chapters into a single story under the heading Eyes of the Guns. The Norman Wright edition reverted to the original format in The Modern Boy as one chapter, using the original title and subtitles.
Synopsis[]
Biggles is doing his first sortie of artillery observation and quickly gets frustrated by the inability of the gunners to hit the target. He decides to take matters into his own hands and bombs the objective himself.
Plot[]
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)
Characters[]
- Biggles
- Mark Way
- Major Paynter
Aircraft[]
- F.E.2b
- Sopwith Pup
- Albatros
Places[]
Visited[]
- 169 Squadron, St. Peille
Mentioned[]
Editorial Changes[]
Other Research Notes[]
References to the past[]
Incongruities[]
Chronology[]
(see also table at Timeline of the Biggles Stories)
- The previous story has "early spring frosts" and in the next story, the Bristol Fighter is only just being introduced, which historically, took place around April 1917 for most R.F.C. Squadrons.
Publication History[]
- The Modern Boy, Issue 330, 2nd June 1934
- Biggles Learns to Fly, Boy's Friend Library 1935 (as Chapter 13: Eyes of the Guns, Chapter 14: Neck or Nothing!)
- Biggles Learns to Fly, Brockhampton, 1955 (Chapter 9)
- Biggles Learns to Fly, Armada, 1963, and subsequent reprints (Chapter 9)
- Biggles Learns to Fly, Severn House, 1980
- Biggles Learns to Fly, Knight, 1986, and subsequent reprints
- Biggles Learns to Fly, Red Fox, 1992, and subsequent reprints (Chapter 10)
- Biggles Learns to Fly, Norman Wright, 2010