Fightin' Army #79 (May 1968) brings us the fourth chapter of the "Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz," written by Will Franz and drawn by Sam Glanzman.
And, gee whiz, this saga continues to be astonishingly good. At the end of the last chapter, Willy (in a German uniform) had escaped from an American camp. Wandering in the Sahara Desert, he stumbles across a wrecked jeep with a dying American captain (and an already dead driver) sitting in it.
Willy identifies himself as an American. It doesn't register with the dying man that Willy is in a German uniform until after he tells of a unit of rookie soldiers nearby about to be attacked by Panzers. He dies thinking he's inadvertantly betrayed his men.
Willy swaps uniforms before burying the dead men. He doesn't take the captain's name, still identifying himself as Captain Schultz, but he finds and takes charge of the dead man's company.
There's a vet. sergeant named Striker to help him out, but the situation is grim. German tanks--including Tigers--are approaching. The Americans, aside from being green, are armed with light anti-tank guns and bazookas. They have nothing that can match the German armor.
But Willy is a good officer. He shows confidence and uses intelligent tactics. The lighter German tanks are destroyed. But then a Tiger tank destroys one of the anti-tank guns, runs over some of the infantry and seems in danger of breaking through.
Willy is able to use some oil cans to set the Tiger on fire. That's when things go sour for him. One of the Germans pops out of the hatch and Willy sees its a man he befriended when he was serving with the Germans. He shouts for the men in the tank to surrender, but Striker is simultaneously shouting for them to be shot if they try to leave the burning tank. Striker's not a bad guy--but he's reacting in anger towards the Germans who just killed some of his men.
In the end, the Germans die inside the burning tank. The Americans have won. The soldiers see Schultz as a hero who's leadership saved them. Well, all but Stiker, who hates Willy for trying to save the Germans. Willy wanders away, still alone. He saved the soldiers, but also taught them how to kill and watched a friend die.
The Willy Schultz saga has been superb from the get-go. This chapter, though, is the best so far. The action is well-presented, with the battle unfolding in a logical manner and Willy's tactics seeming reasonable. That Willy's German friend would be in the Tiger tank might have been predictable, but it still carries a remarkable emotional impact. Franz and Glanzman continue to stress that the average soldiers on both sides were just normal guys trying to survive, but not able to see the enemy in the same light. It effectively highlights the inherent tragedy of war.
Next week, we'll visit the Marvel Universe. It's been awhile since we've done so and I miss the place. So in two weeks, we'll review a Silver Age Batman tale, then return to Willy Schultz in three weeks.
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