that he's going to tell them some stories, makes me wonder how Easy Co. The Kubert cover is nice but the opening page, in which Rock once again informs the men of Easy Co. Like the elephant story before it, this is pretty weak tea but for Kubert's mid-'50s art which, while it doesn't reach the heights of his late '60s work, is pretty darn good in its own right. An adorable little birdie helps Hank surprise and destroy Japanese soldiers setting up a big gun. A sweet little kitty helps Hank destroy an enemy MG nest. It's almost as if he has his own "Battle Zoo!" A cute little puppy diverts Japanese gunners so Hank can get a bead on them.
in the Pacific in WWII, Hank Adams seems to attract friendly and helpful animals to assist him in battling the enemy. Not much happens, but at least it looks good.Īnother G.I. Not surprisingly, Russ Heath's artwork goes a long way toward making this story bearable. When "The Tank With a Memory!" finds its way back to Al's base, the soldier has to admit elephants are swell. Private Al Thompson helps an elephant escape from a bog and the beast follows him around, so Al rides the pachyderm bareback and attacks an enemy village, wiping out everyone with his machine gun from his perch atop the elephant's back. I take back what I said last time about vintage Andru and Esposito art being better than later examples-this has all the hallmarks of their worst '60s work.įighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia in WWII is no picnic. Andy's story appeared in 1955 and the Gunner, Sarge and Pooch series started in 1959. Thank goodness the canine wonder made it back safely from the front to accompany Phil at the medal ceremony!Īndy has to be a prototype for Pooch, since he looks just like our favorite canine war dog and is in action with Marines on a Pacific Island, just like Pooch. Andy brought an ammunition belt and a note so Phil could hold off the enemy with machine gun fire and then guided Phil's aim when the soldier was temporarily blinded by a bullet to the helmet. Andy batted a grenade under an enemy tank so it blew up. Andy knocked Phil out of the way of a sniper's bullet, then located the sniper so that he could be killed. Jack: Private Brown is about to get a medal for holding off an enemy attack at the Tiburi River, but he tells the officer that it should be a "Medal for a War Dog" because Andy, the super dog, is the one who deserves it. (Reprinted from Our Army at War #59, June 1957) (Reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #34, June 1955) (Reprinted from All-American Men of War #28, Unloading all his fire power, the Hammer destroys the airfield and the surviving French pilots have no choice but to surrender. The Hammer follows one of the other French pilots and discovers their hidden airfield. In an act of heroism, Stefan flies his plane square into the Frenchman and both erupt in a ball of flames. As Hans begins his ascent, the Death's-Head pilot returns, blitzing the Ace with a torrent of bullets. The next morning, the Nieuports return, strafing the airfield and challenging the Ace to defend himself and his men.
At first gun shy, gunner Stefan soon snaps out of it and begins raking the French with MG fire. Hans and Stefan hop into the nearest available Albatross DIII and head for the sky. After a long respite, the duo head back to their jagdstaffel and arrive just in time to see the latest attack by the French. Stefan incurs mental as well as physical scars and protests to his mentor that he could never fly again. The Hammer manages to drag the boy to safety but both he and Stefan are burned and must recuperate in the hospital. The skull disappears in the clouds and Hans must land to attend to a fellow pilot, Stefan, who has crashed and is trapped in the burning wreckage. Through aerial artistry, the Hammer is able to elude the grinning skull but not before taking heavy losses. Peter: While fighting a brutal air battle, Hans von Hammer sees a bewildering sight: a French pilot in a Death's-Head mask diving at him and unloading his machine guns at the Ace.