G.I. Combat #267 is an issue of the series G.I. Combat (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1984.
Synopsis for "Blitz Highway!"
Jeb wakes up after a hellish nightmare, one where he and his men fall of an cliff into an endless chasm to their deaths. He has this same nightmare frequently since he was a kid, every time there is a full moon. His screams wake up the rest of the crew, and Eddie and Rick begin to worry about their Lieutenant, afraid that the war may finally be driving him into madness.
The next morning, the tank squadron is gathered to receive their next mission. The Germans have been hitting the American lines in several places, but HQ believes these attacks to be only diversions to mask the time and location of the main attack. Their new mission is to engage the Panzers, hoping that during the fight they may learn the answer to the Germans' plans. The squadron's commanding officer watches as each tank passes, worried that none of them will return.
Seeking out the enemy, the Haunted Tank fights ceaselessly, tirelessly, inflicting mortal damage to every Panzer they encounter. During a break from the fighting, the crew stop to down rations and rest. Each reflect on their place in this war. Rick prays for an end to the bloodshed and misery, Bill wishes he could find the words to tell his son how proud he is of him. Eddie fights back the anger against his father. Gus remembers the friends they have lost, Arch and Slim, and with him and Jeb the last of the original crew left are determined to make sure they didn't die in vain. After an hour, the crew and their tank are on their way again, but it seems like the enemy has all but vanished. They continue on, until they reach a clearing in the woods where a lone American tank sits. Jeb orders a halt just within the tree line, and with the sun going down they take camp.
Jeb's restless sleep is interrupted by the feel of cold hard steel pressing against his temple. He wakes to find themselves surrounded by German troops. Realizing they are outgunned, Jeb and the others surrender, but Sgt. Craig wants to fight and finds himself knocked unconscious by the butt of a German rifle. The German officer orders Jeb and his men back on board their tank. He tells them that they have booby-trapped their tank while they slept, activated by remote-control. The tank has been stripped of all weapons, ammo and shells, and loaded with TNT and battery powered drills. They climb aboard, with Eddie helping his dad into the hatch. They are ordered to head west towards the mountains. During the journey, the are intercepted by the French Maquis, who open fire on the Germans. Greatly outgunned, the Maquis are massacred.
Finally, the Haunted Tank and their German escort arrive on the mountain pass to find the road blocked by a wall of solid rock. The Germans begin to place the explosives into the rocks. Once complete, everyone takes cover while the German Officer sets off the explosives, clearing the road ahead and revealing a natural tunnel through the mountain ahead. The Haunted Tank enters the dark tunnel ahead of the Germans, but on the other side they run across a dead end. Going on a hunch that the rocks only limestone, Jeb orders Craig to floor it and the tank bursts through the rock into the light on the other side. Jeb then quickly orders Craig to turn the tank around and for everyone to bail out. While the others jump off the tank, Jeb climbs below and drives the tank with all speed back into the tunnel towards the approaching Germans. Unable to see the lumbering tank, the Germans believe that they are trying to escape. The German Officer pushes the button to set off the explosives inside the tank, unaware that it is barreling towards them. The tank explodes, destroying the tunnel and the Germans inside. The crew are horrified, believing that Jeb was killed in the explosion. But then, Jeb shuffles from out of the clearing smoke, safe and sound. He's safe, but the only thing remaining intact from their tank is the Confederate flag Jeb saved just before he bailed out.
Appearing in "Blitz Highway!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- German Officer (Dies)
- Unnamed German Infantry soldiers (All die)
Other Characters:
- Unnamed American Armored Division Captain
- French Maquis (All die)
- Slim Stryker (Mentioned only)
- Arch Asher (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
- TNT
- Remote-control detonator
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Lost Eagle"
In the summer of 1937, as a Ryan Monoplane drones near a remote island in the Pacific, exploding shells catapult upwards at the winged intruder. At the controls of the small plane is world-famous pilot Sandy Michaels. She has come under fire, and sends out a distress signal desperately hoping for help. Her calls remain unheard as her plane is disabled by a nearby shell, sending it spiraling down towards Howland Island where the Japanese have established a secret airfield. The Japanese pulls her from the burning wreck and, recognizing her immediately, take her prisoner. The Major, a Japanese officer in charge of the force on Howland Island, threatens her if she doesn't answer his questions, but she tells him that she has nothing to say. She was flying across the Pacific, an event that was reported in every major newspaper, and her compass went out of order. She tells him that every American radio station was tracking her course and that if she is killed, the Japanese will have to face the armed might of America. The Major knows she is bluffing, and orders his men to form a firing squad and kill her as a spy.
Who was Sandy Michaels? Only a short time before her flight, at a secret meeting with a top U.S. military officer in Washington, D.C., she had been given her mission - to fly recon for the U.S. during her tour around the world and report on Japanese activities. She had been informed, however, that should she be caught, the U.S. can't acknowledge that she was on a military mission and could be shot as a spy. She knew the risks, but accepted the mission. Now she stands before a Japanese firing squad.
Years pass, and the disappearance of Sandy Michaels is shrouded with mystery. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and the world goes to war. Then, in August 1945, the Enola Gay takes off on its fateful mission to end the war. No one would know that Sandy Michaels survived the firing squad. Her steadfast silence had given her a reprieve. Her identity still a secret, she had been flown to Japan and placed in custody within the city of Hiroshima. Her last thoughts were of the bombers overhead. From the Enola Gay hurtles a bomb which explodes more blinding than a thousand suns. For years afterwards, the fate of another celebrated woman pilot haunts the world. Could this have been the fate of Amelia Earhart as well?
Appearing in "Lost Eagle"
Featured Characters:
- Sandy Michaels
Antagonists:
- Unnamed Japanese Major
Other Characters:
- Unnamed American Colonel (Flashback only)
- Amelia Earhart (In a photograph only)
Locations:
- Howland Island, South Pacific
- Washington, D.C.
- Hiroshima, Japan
Items:
- Uranium Gun-type Atomic bomb
Vehicles:
- Ryan Monoplane
- The Enola Gay
Synopsis for "Charlie Never Dies"
The Bravos - a squad in Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, known as Bravo 2-7 - battling for survival and sanity in the madhouse war in Vietnam. Lance Corporal Kiley wakes up from a haunting nightmare where he and the others in Charlie are massacred by the Viet Cong. The next morning, Kiley leads his squad out on a recon patrol near Bien Hoa. They scour the paddy for hidden Viet Cong, and are surprised by mortarful of TNT sent their way. The squad open fires into the rice paddy blindly, but the enemy is gone.
Having drawn a blank, the squad returns back to camp. There, they are met by Sergeant Bullett, who informs them that he's been chosen by the T.O. as their new non-comm. Kiley at first feels rejected, but Bullett selects him as his number two man. But the best news was yet to come, and Bullett informs the squad that they have earned a two-day pass to Saigon. After Bullett leaves, the squad has a meeting to discuss their new leader, and while the others want to complain to the brass Kiley tells them to just forget it and accept the new chain of command.
The city of Saigon is a crazy carnival, celebrating the end of the world 24 hours a day. The men of Bravo 2-7 are in their best dress uniforms taking in the sights and sounds (and woman) of the city. Corporal Kiley freaks out when a Vietnamese photographer approaches him to take a picture, one of the images he had seen in his nightmare. Kiley decks the Photographer across the jaw, but then realizes the mistake he made. He pays the Vietnamese man off, and rushes to join the others before anything else can happen. The squad enter a local bar, where they find themselves in the presence of a celebrity - Benny Berger, the famous comedian! Sgt. Bullett spots a bad actor outside the bar, and leaps towards Berger just in time as a grenade is thrown inside and explodes. Bullett saves Berger's life, and Berger wants to repay him. Bullett tells the comedian to send him an autographed photo for his kid Joey back home.
Four days later, Bravo 2-7 is lifted off from base in choppers, loaded down with rifles, grenades, ammo, claymore mines, and the full kit of survival gear and rations. Their destination is a small area of land known as Hamburger Hill, which as changed hands six times during the war. The men take the time on the chopper to relax before the fight, and Pilsudski and Gomez start a game of cards while Luney takes a nap. As they near Hamburger Hill, the VC answer their approach with hot FLAK. The chopper drops near the ground and Bravo 2-7 jump off and head for the slope of the hill. They open fire onto the hill, before they can see the enemy, but are answered with silence. The Viet Cong are gone. Sgt. Bullett orders the men to lay the claymores. For two nights Bravo2-7 waits on alert, but the enemy is a no-show. On the third day a chopper arrives to unload supplies and one passenger - Benny Berger. Berger is there to give a show and boost the morale, but Bullett refuses to allow him near his squad and orders him back to the chopper. Then, incoming fire surprises them and a shell destroys the chopper before they can reach it. Bullet orders Berger to keep his head down. The claymores they had laid go off in the distance, alerting the squad to the approach of the enemy. The Viet Cong rush the hill with everything they have, and Bravo 2-7 get their first chance to see the face of their enemy. The battle is hard, but eventually the Viet Cong break off the fight and fall back. Bravo 2-7 held the high ground and came out with no casualties... except one. Benny Berger had been hit in the chest. As Berger breathes his last breath, Sgt. Bullett finds within the comedian's jacket the photo signed to his kid. Written on it is "Joey... You've got the greatest dad in the world. I ought to know! Your pal, Benny Berger". Sgt. Bullett cries.
Appearing in "Charlie Never Dies"
Featured Characters:
- The Bravos (First appearance)
- Sergeant Bullett
- Lance Corporal Kiley
- Private Levy
- Private Luney
- Private Wallis
- Private Somers
- Private Douglas
- Private Pilsudski
- Private Gomez
Supporting Characters:
- Benny Berger (Dies)
Antagonists:
- Viet Cong soldiers
Other Characters:
- Vietnamese women
- Vietnamese photographer
Locations:
Items:
- M18 Claymore mines
Vehicles:
- American Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters
Synopsis for "Death Waits 1,000 Years!"
Sergeant Kiley is having his fortune told in an old part of a town within the southern boot of Italy, he is told by the ancient fortune-teller that his death waits for him in an ancient town on the street of the Griffin. But before he is able to ask any questions, the building is riddled with the rain of bullets from an enemy halftrack. The fortune-teller is killed, and Sgt. Kiley ducks down behind the table just in time. He throws a grenade, destroying the half track. After the smoke settles down, Kiley's Lieutenant shows up to congratulate him on his kill. Kiley picks up the last card the fortune-teller had showed him and asks the Lieutenant what the animal on the front is. He tells him it's a Griffin - a mythological beast with the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion. Kiley's never heard of one, but tucks the card into his pouch as a souvenir.
As Sgt. Kiley and his outfit slowly fight their way up the Italian boot towards Rome, he is haunted by the apparition of the Griffin, turning even his briefest of sleep into a frightening nightmare. One day, while holed up inside a shelled-out building during a very foggy afternoon, he wanders if this will be the day that he is killed. He tries to read the street sign, but can't through the fog. He spots an approaching squad of German soldiers and guns them down. Every street and town begins to look alike to Sgt. Kiley on their march, and every day he waits for death to claim him.
Finally, one sunny day he is awoken by the Lieutenant, who tells him that HQ has a plan to get them out of Italy in a hurry. He gives each man a satchel loaded with explosives. Avoiding enemy patrols and traveling only at night, the squad finally reach the mountainous region well behind German lines and a river held back by a dam. Their mission is to blow up the dam, sending an avalanche of water to flood the German forces and stop their advance. They set the changes, but are spotted by a German plane overhead. The plane dives, sending a rainstorm of bullets into the Americans. Everyone is killed except Sgt. Kiley, who stays behind to finish the job. The dam is destroyed. The German plane swoops down for another attack. Sgt. Kiley fires wildly at the plane, hitting its gas tank and sending it spiraling in a blaze of fire. However, the ground underneath Kiley gives away, and the Sergeant is thrown over the edge of the cliff and down into the draining river below. As Kiley falls to his death, he thinks back to the fortune-teller and her prediction. The fortune-teller had been correct, as hidden for centuries underneath the flooded river lies an ancient Roman town until released by the Sergeant, revealing the street of the Griffin!
Appearing in "Death Waits 1,000 Years!"
Featured Characters:
- Sergeant Kiley
Supporting Characters:
- American Lieutenant
Antagonists:
- Unnamed German soldiers
Other Characters:
- Calabrian Fortune Teller
Locations:
Items:
- Tarot cards
Vehicles:
- Sonderkraftfahrzeug German Half Track
- Junkers Ju 87 Sturzkampfflugzeug ground-attack aircraft
Notes
- Robert Kanigher is credited as Jan Laurie for the second story "Lost Eagle".
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)