War Picture Library 281 Shellfire

If the Americans couldn't take Skull Hill could the British do it? Provost Major Ross is brought in to whip the war weary Brits of Charlie Company into shape and do the job the Americans couldn't do.

This is another issue that includes Americans and this time they even get speaking parts. Albeit reticence at not being able to take the hill.

Shellfire takes Fleetway in an interesting direction where there’s an admission that not all soldiers are willing to charge headlong into the enemy and utter aaagh with their final breath.

 The soldiers in Shellfire are tired, stressed, and close to breaking and have little enthusiasm to engage the enemy. Not exactly the type of men who would be willing or able to take a stronghold hill in such a vital sector of the front. Or are they?

It doesn't take the avid reader long to realise that Provost Major Ross is driving the war weary man of Charlie Company to focus all their hate on him. So when the time comes to release that hate and restore their pride the target of all that energy will be the enemy.

Shellfire is actually well written with some great action panels. The writing shows so much depth that the shooting doesn’t start until page 28. Also it’s worthy of note to see a one word Fleetway title without an exclamation mark!

Goldarn it Tom! If this was a DC publication we would have taken that hill and in colour!

I tell you chaps it can't fail. Major Ross, who we all hate, has a cunning plan...and yes you're right it will get most of us killed.

How do you like that Nazi?

Sometimes they speak English. This time they choose German. Any wonder they lost?

If I was pumping an Obergefreiter full of lead I think I could find myself having any number of crazy thoughts. However that wouldn't be one of them.

This panel looks out of place. The lack of battlefield detail and the focus on the action makes it look like it belongs in superhero DC comic.

Another excellent AAAGH!

Achtung Commando!!!

Over at Cloud109 Peter Richardson has created an excellent series of posts on Commando Comics. He writes...

The idea that Checkley was formulating was Commando, a title that is still with us to this day albeit in a somewhat watered down manner. What Checkley did was rather than following the trend of imitating Fleetway's product, he actually reworked the formulae and in doing so created a classic comic.

I've certainly learnt a lot in reading these posts. Perhaps most of all that until Commando came along a Fleetway man would never go into battle wearing a torn shirt.

If you haven't done so already go and have a look at Achtung Commando!!! (part 1 part 2 & part 3) at Cloud 109.

War Picture Library 295 Operation Doomsday

This one reads like a script from a 1965 Hollywood movie. The allied breakout from France is under threat as a crack German force led by the ruthless and skilled (is there any other kind?) General Von Zoller prepares to counterattack the exposed flanks of Patton’s spearheads.

The Allies (well this really means the British) put together a handpicked team with a crack paratroop company of sappers to assassinate General Von Zoller (who likes to start every sentence with the word “So!”) and to blow up a dam. With no Von Zoller and their troops under water German counterattack is sure to fail. 

The Americans get mentioned several times and even make an appearance on the title page.

Even more amazing there are women in this issue! Thankfully they don’t have anything directly to do with the story line. They’re there because the Germans are using a fashion house as their headquarters.

While the British assemble their paratroopers and demolition experts for the raid the Germans are suffering numerous setbacks from an organised French resistance led by the mysterious Monsieur Neuf. There is a touch of a 2nd story line as the reader is left guessing, is Neuf really the priest or the proprietor of the fashion house? Both are equally likely contenders as both always appear to be not too far away when grenades get lobbed through open windows where reasonably high ranking enemy officers tend to mill around.

The story reads something like a cross between Where Eagles Dare and The Dirty Dozen. As I read Operation Doomsday I couldn’t help but thinking that you could cast Sir Richard Burton, David Niven, Clint Eastwood, Derren Nesbitt, Anton Diffring and whole host of other 1965 movie stalwarts in the movie of this story.

This is another unbelievable adventure - but a real page turner none the less.

Americans? They had something to do with World War 2 didn't they?

Smug struttin' SS. I hate those guys!

Now that's how you say AAGH!

Or how about Major "Bonkers" Bretherton or Captain "Wacky" Wallace or Major "Crazy" Collins or Colonel "Mad" McMillan or Major "Insane" Illife or Major "Slightly Unhinged" Somerville-Urqhart or "Major "Flakey" Favershom?  

Lock is clearly a leader of men.

Hey thanks for telling me about this on the way to the plane.

Didn't I see you in the Tarantino movie?

Am I supposed to get the wrong idea when I read this one?

Air Ace Picture Library 98 Moment of Truth

A psychological journey on the obligatory path to redemption is the best way to describe Moment of Truth.

Not a lot of things go bang in this story which makes it somewhat unusual.

Flight Commander Brent is in tip-top A1 physical condition. However he is so bent up over the death of his mate Flight Commander Waine that he is almost a complete basket case who can no longer move his right arm. Most of the story is told in flashback as Brent relates the source of his trauma while serving with 860 Squadron Hurricanes on station in Scandavaig. Scandavaig is a remote and rocky outcrop far in the Arctic Ocean so cold and desolate that you need to rug up all the time.

It’s also the ideal place to accidentally find a German battleship or two and sink the occasional submarine. It’s also not the best place to run out of fuel or elevation when you consider all those rocky outcrops and how far it is away from everything.

An interesting story as the reckless guy gets to bite the big one and the repercussions of his stupidity are a burden carried by his friend.

Strangely enough the first names of Brent and Waine are not revealed.

Pretty bleak when you come back from a mission alone.

No wonder these idiots lost the war.

Those blighters! They made him say Aagh!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

What a great mate you turned out to be Brent. It's not suprising you have problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What rank do you have to be before you're allowed to grow one of those things?

Hooray for cigarettes!

Air Ace Picture Library 224 Whirlwind Warriors

Flying Officer Terry “Crasher” Maxwell has a talent for flying, taking risks, upsetting his commanding officer, destroying Germans and totalling his own aircraft. In the 58 pages of Whirlwind Warriors Maxwell manages to write-off 6 of His Majesties’ aircraft in return for 2 Dorniers, 1 E-Boat, 1 Arando Seaplane, 1 Me109, 3 armed trawlers, 1 bullet proof staff car, 1 locomotive and carriages, 1 armoured car and 1 Junkers 88.

Crasher is not jinxed – he’s just unlucky a fact that is verified time after time in post incident reports by the boffins. The only hint of depth to this story is when Crasher begins to believe he is blessed with “Maxwell Luck” and pushes his chances even further.

Not the greatest story from Fleetway. It feels as if the writer was in a hurry to finish the story. There’s a little bit of continuity confusion with cannons ripping apart trawlers on page 24 but by page 46 the reader is told that the Whirlwinds are upgraded with cannon! The only thing that keeps the story going is following Maxwell getting in and out of strife.

The fact that this issue has a red logo is more interesting than anything that happens to Maxwell.

Also not an Agghhh to be heard!

Maxwell looks like a trouble maker from the very start.

Don't forget the lads...those two chaps on the right look pretty shifty.

Oh come on now! Six browning machine guns!! That staff car should be painted all over the country side.

I know exactly how he feels.

 

It's only a little tank why use a big gun?

Air Ace Picture Library 70 The Whispering Death

Danvers loves to break rules. Which is a dangerous attitude to have in the middle of a war. Then his luck almost totally abandons him while out on an unauthorised and ultimately ill-fated mission with his brother. Danvers is the only survivor.

These events turn his recklessness into dangerous determination.

After he recovers he is posted to a new squadron where he gets off to a bad start with his new C.O. by turning up late then commits the unforgivable sin of running over his dog. However Danvers worst sin is to start getting his new squadron involved progressively in more and more dangerous missions.

The C.O. loses his authority, his dog and his well trained but sheltered squadron starts getting shot up. Needless to say the other pilots in the squadron are not fond of Danvers either. However, in time, because of Danvers the C.O. and squadron gain more than self respect they gain resolve.

This story is almost ruined by the last panel. Or should that be saved by Danvers’ attitude?

Things I liked: The focke-wulf pilot who says “English Pig! Die!”; the veritable tashfest; there are several excellent agghhs; and then there’s a surprising insight to the technical aspects of flying a large aircraft.

The thing that really got up my nose? You know the sticky situation where every antiaircraft gun in Germany zeroes in on your beaufighter and you and everybody else in it should be killed - but not this time. But!!??

This story is published in 1960 – only 15 years after the fact. For those of who are a little bit older 1995 was also only 15 years ago! Aggghhhh!!

 

 

Look at that tash!

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a great picture!

A tash and a cravatt! I say!

You know if I was in a movie I would want those to be my lines.

That's a big but...

War Picture Library 467 Fire Call

Danvers loves to break rules. Which is a dangerous attitude to have in the middle of a war. Then his luck almost totally abandons him while out on an unauthorised and ultimately ill-fated mission with his brother. Danvers is the only survivor.

These events turn his recklessness into dangerous determination.

After he recovers he is posted to a new squadron where he gets off to a bad start with his new C.O. by turning up late then commits the unforgivable sin of running over his dog. However Danvers worst sin is to start getting his new squadron involved progressively in more and more dangerous missions.

The C.O. loses his authority, his dog and his well trained but sheltered squadron starts getting shot up. Needless to say the other pilots in the squadron are not fond of Danvers either. However, in time, because of Danvers the C.O. and squadron gain more than self respect they gain resolve.

This story is almost ruined by the last panel. Or should that be saved by Danvers’ attitude?

Things I liked: The focke-wulf pilot who says “English Pig! Die!”; the veritable tashfest; there are several excellent agghhs; and then there’s a surprising insight to the technical aspects of flying a large aircraft.

The thing that really got up my nose? You know the sticky situation where every antiaircraft gun in Germany zeroes in on your beaufighter and you and everybody else in it should be killed - but not this time. But!!??

This story is published in 1960 – only 15 years after the fact. For those of who are a little bit older 1995 was also only 15 years ago! Aggghhhh!!

 

 

Look at that tash!

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a great picture!

A tash and a cravatt! I say!

You know if I was in a movie I would want those to be my lines.

That's a big but...

Air Ace Picture Library 457 - One by One

If your expectations for all pocket war comics were set by One by One you could only be disappointed by every other issue that you would ever read.

The story focuses on Flight Officer Clifford and the fate of the members of Training School 14 from the beginning of the war to the very end. Underpinning Clifford’s story is the eventual and inevitable demise of all of his flying school classmates.

By page 4 the 1st member of the graduation class is killed in a flying accident and he soon joined by another 2 members of Training School 14 before the next page is turned.

More statistics confirm that this is no romp.

Clifford’s roommate starts a morbid tally by marking the graduation photograph of Training School 14 with a black hat for each fatality. He too eventually gets his own black hat.

Clifford’s character transforms from uncertain and care free student pilot to a determined and intolerable Wing Commander who is only trained for war. The subplot also reveals the progress of the war and the change in tactics and aircraft used by the RAF.

I get the feeling that this one was written by someone who was actually touched by the war or lived through it.

I like this story for what it doesn’t have. It doesn’t use any of the following: fighters get shot out of the sky; “got ‘em”!; donna und blitzen. There’s not one Aggghhh to be heard. There’s no final panel showing men standing around the fireplace at the club reflecting on the exploits of their fallen comrades. There are no ghostly figures smiling from the heavens.

The unusual use of close-ups and subject matter (the panel with the dead Flight Sergeant is outstanding) just make this story even stronger.

If you’re expecting “Tally-Ho chaps in we go” you won’t find it here.

How good is this? Not just one version of the Blenheim but three!

Time for a bit of old fashioned fun. Hurry up Clifford or you'll miss the bags of boost.

By Page 9 things are starting to look bad, but how much worse could they possibly get...?

...well pretty bad actually.

Shouldn't you be chasing girls or getting tanked at a bar somewhere? Find another hobby man and quick!

Unusal image for an Air Ace Picture comic.

Another unusual image.

The future was empty and unappealing.