War Picture Library 220 The Atlantic Wall

There's a breath of honesty in The Atlantic Wall that is missing in most other pocket war comics. Victory is paid in blood. The toll of British dead is extraordinarily high. At the risk of sounding morbid it is this aspect of the story that makes it a good read. Not all the characters who are introduced survive.

The pivot of the story is Brigadier "Blood and Thunder" "Big Jumbo"  JMB Oliphant - an inspiration to his men as well as a perfectly eccentric English officer. He prefers to go into battle wearing his monocle and a black jumper with his two hunting dogs by his side and a sten gun in his hands. He's quick to praise and promote initiative. He is interested in results! Also (and perhaps alarming to our modern sensibilities) he has little time for sentimentality, for example the Brigadier sees a dead British soldier clutching a piat as a wasted firing opportunity. The tears can come later.
This is where the honesty can be found. Of course there are the typical extreme comic book moments. There can be no other way. However minor characters are given a chance to evolve. After that they are unlucky and buy it or lucky and survive. Which is interesting to find a War Picture Library story that openly says that luck sometimes has a part to play in success. But as we learn in The Atlantic Wall luck is only created by making things happen and things only happen as a result of strong leadership.

 Now that's how you wage war!

You might be smug now...

Sergeant Goldfinger (bottom right hand corner) survives the battle only to meet his fate several years later at the hands of another Englishman.

 You do the right things and this is what happens...

Psycho old dude with dogs wastes two bad guys.

Karl and Ernst have their final lesson.

If there wasn't a war on I'd let them eat you.

Thems big Nazis.

 Our weird little guys are better than your little weird guys.

 Outstanding lack of sentimentality. I love it.

 What? Daring do not enough? Luck had no part to play in it.

 The old I got you but you got me Aggghhh!

 What! Remorse? Where did this nonsense come from?

For you windowhead the war is over.

War Picture Library 329 - D-Day Deadline

D-Day Deadline follows a particularly amoral reporter and his journey from finding a good story to understanding the true meaning of sacrifice. There are some great moments from film noir inspired shadow to a general removing his rank pips.

The journalist is looking for the human factor in the big event of the D-Day landings. He encounters a variety of participants in D-Day who all have a part in making it a success. He meets a young bomber crew who have just come back from bombing the beaches and then celebrate a birthday. Next he meets the gallant engineers who sacrifice themselves to open the beach for the invasion. His next encounter brings him contact with a group of weary veteran infantry and their over eager young officer. His final encounter is with a tank crew who struggle with their sense of duty and their urge to seek revenge.

I have mixed feelings on D-Day Deadline. 

The sacrifice theme works for the most but I find it difficult to warm to the main character.

However you could do worse.

Of note is the fantastic full page advertisement on the inside cover proclaiming that "Girls prefer a He-Man".

Of all the things you could say in this situation ...

It's true you know!

I wonder how many people won the trophy?