You're a Judas! Riding in a tank named after Gen. Sherman -- that Union firebrand who set fire to my beloved South and excused himself by saying "War is hell!" The thought of bein' guardian to a Union crew is an insult to a Confederate officer! You've seen the last of me! 
G.I. Combat #194 is an issue of the series G.I. Combat (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1976. It was published on June 21, 1976.
Synopsis for Haunted Tank: "The Blitzkrieg Brain!"
While moving through a forest clearing deep in France, an American tank squadron is ambushed by a group of Panzers hiding atop a hill. The squad is completely destroyed. Not far away, Jeb is warned by the ghost of General Stuart about the attack, and Jeb orders the Haunted Tank to change course and head in that direction. They arrive at the scene of the destruction, but are spotted by the Panzers. The Haunted Tank is able to swing around their turret first and fire at the lead Panzer, but not before they are able to get a shot out at them. Both tanks are destroyed. Jeb and his crew are able to bail out in time, but the Germans are not so lucky. Jeb pulls the commander of the German tank from the flames, a Colonel Hugo Von Holtzer. He is badly burned and barely alive. Jeb's act of humanity costs his men their freedom, and the group is surrounded by German tanks and soldiers.
The four are loaded up onto a prisoner truck. Their first stop is at a German field hospital, where Col. Von Holtzer is unloaded and looked after by the doctors. Then Jeb and his men are herded back onto the truck and taken away. Meanwhile, Col. Von Holtzer is rushed to a German base hospital where he undergoes surgery. The doctors determine that the only thing alive is Von Holtzer's brain, and they are ordered by Nazi officials to do whatever it takes to save him even if it means building him a whole new body. Through surgical wizardry - transplants, plastics, and metal alloys - the shattered Panzer colonel is rebuilt into a mechanical body commanded by a human brain. He is a mechanical man, and after the delicate surgery to place his brain is complete, he is returned to command in the field.
Not far off, at Concentration Camp 5, Jeb and his group are put to the task of gathering up the dead corpses of the camp and placing them onto the grave truck for a burial in the bottomless swamp nearby. That evening, the four conceal themselves underneath the mound of bodies as the truck leaves the compound, then ambush the driver and guard as they move down the road. The truck skids across the road, spilling out the anonymous dead. Minutes later a pursuing weapons carrier finds the littered corpses and the soldiers spread out to find the escaped prisoners. Hiding in the trees, Jeb, Rick, Gus and Slim open fire on the German soldiers, killing them all. They then steal the weapons carrier to head back to their own lines.
On their way back, they come across an American Sherman tank under attack from a German plane. The crew of the tank are all killed by gunfire from above, and Jeb, Slim and Rick jump out to take over control of the tank while Gus gives covering fire. They turn the tank around and blast the German plane out of the sky. With the threat gone, the American infantry come out from nearby to find out what happened. The major in command orders Jeb to take charge of the Sherman and blast a hole through a nearby mine field so that the infantry can move through. General J.E.B. Stuart appears before Jeb, calling Jeb a traitor for using the Sherman and that he will no longer giving him any help. Jeb is terrified that the General has abandoned him but continues on. They reach the mine field, layered with what is known as "dragon's teeth", and begin to blast a pathway through. On the other side, however, two Panzers are waiting for them and as the Sherman appears open fire on the Americans and their tank. Jeb and his men bring their tank to bear on the lead Panzer, blowing it up in a great ball of flame. When Jeb spots that the commander of the tank is still alive, he and the others jump out to help him from the fire. As they approach, the commander jumps up and shoots Slim in the shoulder. It is Colonel Von Holtzer, his metal body able to withstand the roaring flames. Gus open fires on the Colonel, but his bullets just ricochet off the man. Von Holtzer tackles the men, knocking Gus and Rick unconscious. He grabs Jeb in a bear hug, trying to crush the life out of the lieutenant. Jeb crams his thumbs into the metal man's eyes, which somehow short-circuits the Colonel's body and releases the lieutenant. Von Holtzer falls to the ground, lifeless and cold. As Jeb and Slim help the others back to the tank, General J.E.B. Stuart appears, apologizing for abandoning them and explaining that he is there to protect Jeb and his crew, not the hunk of steel they're in.
Meanwhile, after the Haunted Tank has left, the mechanized body of Colonel Hugo Von Holtzer suddenly reactivates. He stumbles up, his brain damaged and fried from the heat. He has only one programming left in his human brain-- to kill!
Appearing in Haunted Tank: "The Blitzkrieg Brain!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Colonel Hugo Von Holtzer (First appearance)
- Unnamed German General
- German Infantry soldiers
Other Characters:
- German Field doctor
- American Infantry Major
- American Infantry soldiers
Locations:
Items:
- Dragon's teeth
Vehicles:
- The Haunted Tank
- American M4 Sherman tank
- German Panzerkampfwagen IV tank
- German Opel Blitz truck
- German Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 half track
- German Junkers Ju 87 ground-attack aircraft
Synopsis for OSS: "Dead Man's Walk"
In London, at the closely guarded offices of the O.S.S., the organizations leader only known by his code-name "Control" explains to the head brass that their newest and most secret operation is about to begin. Within the depths of the English Channel, an American submarine carrying the O.S.S. operative code-named "Roger" is under attack by a German battlecruiser. Roger is injected with a serem that will put him in a state simulating death for 24 hours then placed into the torpedo bay. Above water, the Admiral in charge of the battlecruiser spots debris floating on the water ahead of their ship. At first believing it to be another American trick, he then spots the body of a dead man floating among the debris. He gives the order to cease fire and continue on, believing the submarine to have been destroyed.
The body floats slowly to the shore, where it is discovered by nearby German infantrymen. They check for a heartbeat and pulse, then find hidden on his body a package containing secret documents. The German soldiers report back to their headquarters in Germany, informing their General that the documents intended for the French underground state that the Allied invasion will land near the town of Normandy. The General is elated, and tells his men that they will be ready for the Allies with steel and flame, barbed wire, mines, and coastal guns. They will choke the sea with the bodies of the Allied soldiers.
The next morning, the same German patrol that found the body return to the site only to find the corpse gone. A set of footprints lead through the sand away from the spot where the man laid. They were tricked. The Germans immediately call the General, who cancels the plans for Normandy and orders all forces to Calais, where he believes is the only logical place the Allies will land.
Meanwhile, in a small barn not far from the beach, Roger explains the plans to the French underground. He tells them to expect the Allies to land soon... in Normandy!
Appearing in OSS: "Dead Man's Walk"
Featured Characters:
- Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S)
- Control
- Agent Roger
Antagonists:
- Nazi General
- German Admiral
- German seamen
- German Infantry soldiers
Other Characters:
- American seamen
- French Resistance fighters
Locations:
Vehicles:
- American submarine
- German Naval battlecruiser
See Also
Recommended Reading
- World War II Recommended Reading
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 1)
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 2)
- All-American Men of War (Volume 1)
- All-Out War (Volume 1)
- Blackhawk (Volume 1)
- Blitzkrieg (Volume 1)
- Capt. Storm (Volume 1)
- Four-Star Battle Tales (Volume 1)
- G.I. Combat (Volume 1)
- Men of War (Volume 1)
- Military Comics (Volume 1)
- Our Army at War (Volume 1)
- Our Fighting Forces (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 2)
- Star-Spangled War Stories (Volume 1)
- Unknown Soldier (Volume 1)
- Weird War Tales (Volume 1)