WW2 Aviation Comics

[gruad]

Being a baby boomer I was able to catch the heyday of WW2 action comics and particularly enjoyed those that involve aviation derring-do.

Commando: featured one character in a booklet length episode that typically involved the hero getting the white feather treatment and then proving himself by destroying half of Germany.

Another plot was an RAF Cadet who would go on a Luftwaffe training exchange visit and being beaten by the blonde boasting junior Nazi only for him to overcome his opponents 109 once he got his hands on a Spitfires.

Victor: Braddock of bomber command showed the cocky yanks how it was done and the advantages of drinking tea over coffee.

Union Jack Jackson: Royal Marine teams up with USM squad after becoming separated from his squad in island hopping operations.

Behind enemy lines, Union Jack, and his mate O'Bannion, take out a Jap airstrip destroying 600 planes (I counted 'em) of various marques.

And so on. Hours of fun reading how great war was round my Gran's before fishpaste sandwiches and tea.

Do other forum members have similar memories? Are the US characters as similar rewarding?

I would love to know...

 

[SaparotRob]

Our Army At War, featuring Sergeant Rock of Easy Company liberating France. As jingoistic as it could get, it did get existential at times.
Enemy Ace, featuring Baron von Hammer(?) flying a Fokker Dr. 1. It introduced me to WW I aircraft other than the usual suspects.
G.I. Combat, featuring J.E.B. Stuart, a descendent of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart. His M-3 Stuart tank is haunted by the ghost J.E.B. Stuart, the Confederate general. BTW the M-3 was underrated as it routinely destroyed Tigers, marks 1 and 2, with its 37 mm gun. I most remember the battle between the M-3 and a Tiger on the ground as General Stuart battled Attila the Hun ( that particular blood red Tiger's guardian spirit) in skies above.
Johnny Cloud, Navajo Ace. Clearing the skies over Germany in his P-51D.
There was also one with a pegged legged PT boat skipper in the Pacific.
A whole 'nother franchise was from Marvel Comics was Sergeant Fury and his Howling Commandoes. Nick Fury later became Director of S.H.E.I.L.D. (from the Avengers movies).

 

[special ed]

Mine were Smilin Jack and Steve Canyon. About 20 years ago I found the Steve Canyon comics in a bound volume.
One memorable Smilin Jack involved his work in N. Korea and his escape in a commandeered Yak-4. I remember because it was the first I knew of the Yak-4.

 

[SaparotRob]

Mine were Smilin Jack and Steve Canyon. About 20 years ago I found the Steve Canyon comics in a bound volume.
One memorable Smilin Jack involved his work in N. Korea and his escape in a commandeered Yak-4. I remember because it was the first I knew of the Yak-4.

Those strips heavily influenced me. I wanted to marry Dragon Lady.

 

[ccwilber]

Those strips heavily influenced me. I wanted to marry Dragon Lady.

Being a baby boomer I was able to catch the heyday of WW2 action comics and particularly enjoyed those that involve aviation derring-do.

Commando: featured one character in a booklet length episode that typically involved the hero getting the white feather treatment and then proving himself by destroying half of Germany.

Another plot was an RAF Cadet who would go on a Luftwaffe training exchange visit and being beaten by the blonde boasting junior Nazi only for him to overcome his opponents 109 once he got his hands on a Spitfires.

Victor: Braddock of bomber command showed the cocky yanks how it was done and the advantages of drinking tea over coffee.

Union Jack Jackson: Royal Marine teams up with USM squad after becoming separated from his squad in island hopping operations.

Behind enemy lines, Union Jack, and his mate O'Bannion, take out a Jap airstrip destroying 600 planes (I counted 'em) of various marques.

And so on. Hours of fun reading how great war was round my Gran's before fishpaste sandwiches and tea.

Do other forum members have similar memories? Are the US characters as similar rewarding?

I would love to know...

I have many memories of "Battler" Britton, recreated a few years ago by new artists.
Also there was a similar recreation for "Commando".

 

[Wildcat]

I used to collect "Commando" comics when I was a kid. I still have them safely stored away. I posted some aviation-themed ones here a few years back. Comic Artwork

 

[buffnut453]

Wasn't Union Jack Jackson a regular strip in the Warlord comic? Great memories...Killer Kane, Codename Warlord (Lord Peter Flint), Iron Annie. Absolute classics!

 

[tyrodtom]

I grew up in the late 50's, early 60's, me and local friends would meet and trade comic books, though we called then funny books at the time.
I was always on the lookout for the military themed ones.
There was even some 40's comic books still floating around.
Wasn't much interested i Superman, Batman, Or the others, I'd read them once and trade them off for Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace, etc.
Once I got one of those I'd never get traded out of it.
I was the youngest in my family, once I entered the Air Force my parents moved to DC and rented out the home place.
All my comic books, models and more disappeared in the 6 years the house was rented.
Once I got out in 73, my first instinct was to search out some people and kick some butt, but then I got interested in other things.

 

[WARSPITER]

I have a reissue of the Phantom goes to war. A thick comic with all you could want as Bengalla is invaded
and the Phantom organises the defences, captures the enemy general, saves Diana, and so on.

Definite classic along with a lot of the Commando comics.

 

[Lucky13]

Read a lot of these comics back in the late 70's, early 80's, fond memories....

 

[gruad]

Wasn't Union Jack Jackson a regular strip in the Warlord comic? Great memories...Killer Kane, Codename Warlord (Lord Peter Flint), Iron Annie. Absolute classics!

Peter Flint was the dashing secret agent posing as a useless toff, the regular recipient of white feathers, oui?

 

[buffnut453]

Yep, that was the chap. I remember one story about efforts by Japanese agents to steal the Norden bomb sight out of a very early crashed B-17 (the version with the odd, punched nose).

 

[gruad]

Surely we need a WW2 Aircraft net comic hero of our own.

RED ROBBO MCTAVISH

Sept 1942 Convoy QX78 on its way to Narvik

"Another 15,000 tons to the bottom of the sea. At this rate we'll have nothing to give the Reds."

The ship went stern up and plummeted to the Artic floor.

"Damn, Condors. If only we could stop them the U Boats would have nothing to go on!". Pilot officer Mc Tavish complained.

"There is something we can do, if you're up for it lad!"

....

The riggers had unpacked the crate of a Hurricane painted in the Soviet Red star and attached it to a launching ramp.

Mc Tavish revved the Merlin and the engineers kicked in the RATO and the bird shot into the icy sky.


"Eagle to Tuna 3. Convoy Sighted." The Radio operator of the Fw200, knew that Tuna 3, a U-Boat ace would soon be wreaking havoc on the Englanders.

Suddenly the radio equipment erupted in a hail of cannon shells.

McTavish yelled " Take that you murdering Kraut".

He also figured from the way the aerial was pointing where he could find Tuna 3 and the rest of the "Wolfpack"...

 

[special ed]

The place of my matriculation required in English class a weekly theme. As usual I was always behind in studies, so a hand written on yellow legal, instead of a typed double spaced, was acceptable with the according grade reduction. One theme that came to mind was the Coastal command tiring of Fw 200 intrusions, out fitted a Liberator with a Bofors 40mm in the nose to deal with the problem. I turned in the unfinished fiction story, with some aerial combat, and the title "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies". To my surprise, he passed the paper with the hand written note. "How does this come out?"