Willy Schultz, Part 2

 

cover art by Rocke Mastroserio

The Lonely War of Willie Schultz comes back with a bang in Fightin' Army #77 (December 1967). We are dropped right into the middle of the action, with Willie (still in a German uniform) now the driver of a damaged German tank. He's being ordered by the tank commander to run over an American soldier. He'll be shot if he doesn't obey.

The series continues to be written by Will Franz and drawn by Sam Glanzman.

How did Willie get himself in this situation. A quick flashback reminds us of his unjust conviction for murder by the Americans and how he was forced to pose as a German soldier after escaping. In the first chapter, he took advantage of this by sabotaging a German fuel and ammo dump. But now he's in a dirty, no-win situation after being assigned to a tank crew. 

He took comfort in being just the driver. At least he doesn't have to kill American troops. But, after the Germans destroy several American Shermans, a bazooka team damages Willie's tank. The bow machine gun is damaged and the gunner killed. Either Willie runs down the bazooka man or everyone else in the tank dies. The tank commander figures Willie is freezing up from panic, not because of an unsolvable moral dilemma.

Willie gets an out when a German infantryman kills the bazooka guy. Back at their base, the tank commander (Lt. Ohlsen) tells Willie to shape up. And, yes, he WOULD have shot Willie if he'd had to.

To make matters even more uncomfortable, Willie soon finds himself in a fist fight with a soldier who openly accuses him of cowardice. Naturally, these two are in the same tank crew--commanded by Ohlsen--when they ride out into battle the next day.

They find American tanks, which retreat at the sight of them. Willie realizes the Germans are being led into an artillery trap. When his tank is damaged and burning, he stays aboard to warn the other tanks about the trap. He's made friends with one of the Germans and, at this point, he's just trying to keep anyone from getting killed. 

He's considered a hero for staying in the tank. Even the guy he fought with likes him now. And everyone likes him even more when they all learn that the German tanks that escaped the trap reformed and attacked the American artillery position. Willie is horrified to learn that he is responsible for Americans being killed or captured. Knowing now that there's no way he can stay neutral, he ends the chapter with a vow to get back to American lines.

This is an expertly told story. First, Glanzman's art is typically brilliant. Second, starting the story with Willie thrust into a moral dilemma is a wonderful bit of storytelling, immediately creating tension. The tale then flows smoothly into the flashback to fill in the gaps for us. The ending has a lot of impact, with Willie learning a very hard lesson about his inability to keep everyone safe. 

This is the only other issue of the story arc that is in the public domain, so you can read it HERE.

Next week, we'll visit the Atom as he goes on one of his time travelling ventures. We'll return to Willie Schultz in two week.