AAGH! of the Week. War Picture Library 74 Front Line

AAGH! of the Week. Battle Picture Library 73 The Digger Breed.

Air Ace Picture Library 240 Havoc Over Russia - Complete Issue

 Just for something a little bit different here is the complete issue of Air Ace Picture Library 240 Havoc Over Russia. Enjoy!

War Picture Library Advertising - Royal Navy

How long did it take? The Royal Navy needs you! The recruiters thought they must have hit upon a gold mine of impressionable lads when they started to advertise in Fleetway Publications.

This advertisement comes from December 1967 and adorns the inside front cover of War Picture Library 412 Murder Charge. Now modern day marketing types would flinch at positioning the Royal Navy next to a title like that. There would be an uproar and the inevitable trial by social media. No doubt the marketing types in 1967 were made of sterner stuff than their modern day counterparts.

You would think that after 44 years that the recruitment strategy for the Royal Navy would be vastly different - but a quick look at the website for Royal Navy careers tells you that things haven't really changed all that much.

...go for the life that has action and adventure.

AAGH! of the Week. Air Ace Picture Library 298 Superfort Strike

Published on this day in October

I've missed this update for while a little while but I'm back on track.

War Picture Library  164   The Last Round                      1/10/1962
War Picture Library  165   First of the Line                       1/10/1962
War Picture Library  166   Massacre Mountain                1/10/1962
War Picture Library  167   The Brave and the Damned   1/10/1962
War Picture Library  116   Man of Destiny                        2/10/1961
War Picture Library  117   The Troubled Sea                   2/10/1961
War Picture Library  118   Heat of Battle                          2/10/1961
War Picture Library  119   Thunder in the Desert             2/10/1961
War Picture Library  404   Double Image                         2/10/1967
War Picture Library  407   The Steel Coffin                      2/10/1967
War Picture Library    68   Enemy Engaged                     3/10/1960
War Picture Library    69   The Hungry Guns                   3/10/1960
War Picture Library    70   The Whispering Death           3/10/1960
War Picture Library    71   Zero Hour                               3/10/1960
War Picture Library   356  Mission Completed                3/10/1966
War Picture Library   357  The Highest Standard            3/10/1966
War Picture Library   358  Hold to the Last                     3/10/1966
War Picture Library   359  Heartbreak Hill                       3/10/1966
War Picture Library   308  The Last Frontier                   4/10/1965
War Picture Library   309  Phantom Flotilla                     4/10/1965
War Picture Library   310  Burden of Guilt                       4/10/1965
War Picture Library   311  Rouge Company                    4/10/1965
War Picture Library   260  Brothers in Arms                    5/10/1964
War Picture Library   261  Glory Road                             5/10/1964
War Picture Library   262  Untamed                                5/10/1964
War Picture Library   263  Nothing to Lose                     5/10/1964
War Picture Library   212  Sound the Alarm                   7/10/1963
War Picture Library   213  Where Danger Stalks            7/10/1963
War Picture Library   214  Rough Justice                       7/10/1963
War Picture Library   215  The Undefeated                    7/10/1963

War Picture Library Advertising - Stamps

The First Space Stamp! This is another reason to build that time machine. I had a very quick search of the internet and I could not match the picture of the First Space Stamp shown in this advertisement to anything I could find online. However during my search I did discover that if you have a stack of French Antarctica stamps lying around they could be worth something (not necessarily a lot but at least something). Also isn't it kind of wonderful how French Antartica 'that 'fantastic new country' can appear in the same sentence with the Red China Liberation Imperforate' and both only a few lines away from the Boy Scout Jamboree sheet.

On other matters...

So if there's a Lot P2 - does that mean that there's also a Lot P1 or is there a Lot P3 coming up?

Also look at the prices! There must have been a lot of profit margin in stamps for the folk from Denmark Hill.

AAGH! of the Week. Battle Picture Library 251 Vendetta

War Picture Library 412 Murder Charge

 Is being brave enough? Sergeant Bill Holt is clearly brave enough but what happens when being brave interferes with orders - even if they are the wrong orders?War Picture Library 412 Murder Charge is all about not giving up and keeping up the fight even though you are ordered to retreat and are under questionable command.
Sergeant Holt is the replacement NCO for a cynical platoon lead by an ungrateful officer. The worst thing about Lieutenant Jessup is that he's already given up - he's lost the fight in him and he's prone to panic and is open to the offer of surrender. Holt, however, is ready to keep on fighting and when forced too has no alternative but to kill Jessup in order to save a desperate situation.
Interestingly this happens by page 37, leaving 21 pages to tail-end the story. Holt knows that the army has a dim view on NCOs shooting their officers so he decides to go absent without leave but not before leading the remnant of his platoon to relative safety. The fly in the ointment of his little farewell plan is the dead lieutenant's pet corporal who is quick to report the (technically correct) murder to his superiors. The commanding officers want Holt brought back alive and the remainder of the story follows Holt's naturally dramatic retrieval.
Murder Charge is a very well constructed and thought out action filled War Picture Library comic. The writing is strong and even though there's plenty of action - none of it is gratuitous.
Only if more stories could be like this one.

 Says who?

Not looking good... particularly when there's an ACH! and an AAGH! involved. Also that guy in the front of the panel doesn't look too happy.

Stukas!

Happy to be alive or just sharing a good joke?

Derision with a capital h.

He doesn't look very cool, calm or efficient to me.

Broken English? Nothing wrong with his sentence structure.

...or we could stay here safe behind this rock.

 Nice composition.

They teach you how to stand like that in German officer's school.

It would be very messy inside that little tank now.