G.I. Combat Vol 1 199

Haunted Tank: "A Medal From a Ghost!"

Cover

Haunted Tank: "A Medal From a Ghost!"

O.S.S.: "The Wingless Ace"

Editors

Murray Boltinoff

Previous Issue	Next Issue
G.I. Combat # 198	G.I. Combat # 200

My eyes must be playin' tricks on me...! It... It's the General!!

— Lt. Jeb Stuart

G.I. Combat #199 is an issue of the series G.I. Combat (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1977.

Synopsis for Haunted Tank: "A Medal From a Ghost!"

The Haunted Tank has stopped for a break near the edge of the woods, while the others have taken to relaxing and cleaning themselves up, Jeb remains back at the tank to talk to his ancestor, General J.E.B. Stuart. Jeb notices that the General is wearing a medal that he's never seen before, and is told that the General only wears it once a year, on the day Robert E. Lee awarded it to him for a cavalry charge against the Union Bluecoats. The General wishes he could participate in one last cavalry action, just one more time. Jeb reminds him that there's no horses in this war, only tanks, and that ghosts can't come back to the living. Then, the radio comes alive, ordering the Haunted Tank to head for the Peninsula Road where the Infantry is stalled and pinned down by the enemy. Jeb calls of the others to return and they head off.

They reach the Peninsula Road to find the army battered and beaten by enemy guns. Jeb spots above them one of their planes being chased by a German fighter and orders Rick to bring the cannon as high up as they can. They wait for the plane to swoop down in range, and then fire. The blast destroys the enemy fighter, but the other plane is badly damaged forcing the pilot to parachute out. As the mysterious man floats down within sight, Jeb is shocked to find that it is the General, his ancestor, in the flesh! Jeb can't believe it, even after he touches the man to see if he's real. Even Gus, who had once seen the ghost of General Stuart himself during battle, is stunned but is assured that the man is as real as he. The General orders them to attention, and reminds them that the enemy is beating the troops hard and it is their duty to help in any way possible. And since a general commands by example, he'll be right alongside them in the battle!

The Haunted Tank rides down the Peninsula Road, and through the Infantry to the front where it can lead the charge. They take on heavy fire from the enemy cannons, but continue on until they reach the shore of the sea. There, they can see that one of the Allies destroyer ships has begun to enter the channel. They have no chance, and as soon as they are within range the German cannons tear the ship to shreds, sinking it. The smoke from the sinking destroyer begins to float to shore, giving the Haunted Tank the cover they need to slip past the cannons undetected. They make it to the cliff base, underneath the cannons' range of fire. They're first job is to take out those cannons. When night falls, they slowly make their way to the waterfront. The General has an idea to use the fuel drums lying around as mines, floating them down the channel and exploding them when they're beneath the cliff battery. But they find that the drums are all empty. Now Jeb has an idea. He orders his men to take the drums and tie them all around the tank. Then, steering into the water, the tank begins to float down the channel. Unfortunately, when they enter the water, they find that the channel's at low tide and they hit bottom, hanging them up. They set helpless, but then dawn begins to break and the tide begins to flow back in. Soon they are afloat and drifting towards the coastal battery. With the sun rising and lighting the channel, the Germans easily spot the floating tank, and begins to fire. Jeb orders Rick to fire, but he doesn't have the elevation to do it. Desperate, Jeb jumps out and frantically begins to cut the drums off the rear of the tank, sinking the backend and raising the cannon enough to make a clean shot. Rick fires, and the enemy cannons are destroyed! The tide floats the Haunted Tank back to the shore, and the General orders towards the town. One by one the Haunted Tank takes out the German defenses in the area, but as they enter the town a sniper takes a shot at them and hits the General in the chest. Jeb orders Slim to head out of the town and back to the medics, but the General stops him. He orders Jeb to carry him out and set in up against the rubble of the building where he can be seen by the men. As they set him down, he places an item in Jeb's hand before dying. The sight of their dead leader inspires the Infantry to run the gauntlet of fire, where they finally beat the enemy back and secure the town.

With the town finally in Allied hands, the Haunted Tank begins the trek back for base. Jeb can not stop thinking about the General. It must have been his imagination, as a ghost can't come back to life. He then looks into his hand at what the General had given him. It is a medal... a Confederate medal!

Appearing in Haunted Tank: "A Medal From a Ghost!"

Featured Characters:

Haunted Tank

Supporting Characters:

General J.E.B. Stuart

Antagonists:

German pilots
German Artillery soldiers

Other Characters:

American Infantry soldiers

Locations:

France

Items:

German Artillery cannons
Fuel drums
Rope
Confederate Medal

Vehicles:

The Haunted Tank
American Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft
German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft
American Fletcher-class destroyer ship

Synopsis for O.S.S.: "The Wingless Ace"

Famous R.A.F. Squadron Leader Captain Hugh Foster, known by friend and enemy alike as a crack ace and brilliant strategic fighter, is caught in a aerial firefight with a squadron of Luftwaffe planes. He is caught in a rain of crossfire and his Spitfire is hit. He calls may day as his plane goes down, crashing in a field deep within enemy territory. The German pilots quickly land and take him prisoner. He is brought before the Squadron leader, who is impressed by his miraculous escape from death. However, Capt. Foster's private secret is revealed to them - he has two artificial legs, and both had been shot up during the firefight to the point of being useless. Foster is carried by the pilots to a nearby farmhouse. Shortly later, he is told that he will be placed aboard a special train carrying high-ranking S.S. officers, where he will be interrogated on his way to Berlin and incarceration. Foster refuses to cooperate, unless the Germans radio London to have replacements for his legs, made of tin and not for flying, sent to him and dropped by parachute before he boards the train. The German officer tells him that he will contact headquarters to consider the request.

That night, his request for new legs is approved and the Germans radio a message to the Allies to have the special tin legs parachuted in. Across the English Channel, the British receive the message and it is sent directly to O.S.S. Headquarters, where Control has the BBC broadcast a message that the orders have been received and will be carried out. Early the next day, a lone Spitfire drops a package by parachute over German-occupied France, which is retrieved and sent back to the farmhouse. Capt. Foster receives his legs, and puts them on. He thanks the German commander, and agrees to cooperate.

Later, Foster is driven to the railroad station and placed aboard the train. He is met by Colonel Otto Strasser, the S.S. officer that will be escorting him back to Berlin. They take a seat in one of the compartments, but Foster requests that the guards stay outside. Col. Strasser is skeptical, but agrees. The Colonel then leaves, ordering Foster to get some sleep and expect to be questioned when he returns. Moments later, the hostess arrives with a meal, and the guards find the cabin empty save for his artificial legs. When Colonel Strasser arrives, he discovers that Foster has jumped out the window, but he can't get far without his artificial legs. He picks up the legs. Then, a mighty explosion rips the train car apart, killing the Colonel and his guard. Not far away, on the side of the track, Foster is crawling away. His coded message, to send "tin legs not for flying" was received, and his new legs contained a time bomb set to go off as soon as he left the train. He is found by the French Resistance, who heard the explosion, and carried off to safety and freedom.

Appearing in O.S.S.: "The Wingless Ace"