THIS IS THE PLACE. BREAK DOWN THE DOOR!
SCHNELL! SCHNELL!
URING THE NAZI OCCUPATION OF D FRANCE NOTHING WAS DREADED MORE THAN A VISIT FROM THE GESTAPO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART MORAHIN COVER IAN KENNEDY
MON DIEU, THE GESTAPO HAVE COME FOR PIERRE.
4 LEGAL NICETIES SUCH AS SEARCH WARRANTS BELONGED IN THE PAST. UNDER THE NAZIS, THE RULE OF LAW HAD BEEN REPLACED BY THE RULE OF TERROR.
FIND THE FRENCH SCUM AND SEIZE HIM!
THE TROOPS SMASHED THEIR WAY THROUGH THE BUILDING LIKE A RUNAWAY TRAIN. TERRIFIED OUT OF HIS WITS, A FRENCHMAN NAMED PIERRE MADE A DESPERATE BID TO ESCAPE THROUGH A WINDOW.
GOT TO GET AWAY.
HALT, SCHWEINHUND!
5 WITHOUT A MOMENT’S HESITATION THE TROOPS OPENED FIRE ON THE HELPLESS VICTIM. BEHIND THEM, GESTAPO AGENT GUNTHER GORLITZ ARRIVED TOO LATE TO STOP THE KILLING.
YEEARGH!
DUMMKOPFS! WE WANTED HIM ALIVE TO INTERROGATE. WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WOULD HAVE TOLD US UNDER TORTURE!
PIERRE HAD BEEN SUSPECTED OF OBTAINING PROHIBITED GOODS ON THE BLACK MARKET AND ONCE THE GESTAPO SUSPECTED ANYONE THEY WERE AS GOOD AS DEAD. GORLITZ’S ASSISTANT, AGENT ERNST POHL, TRIED TO LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.
SACRE BLEU!
WE FOUND A COUPLE OF BAGS OF SUGAR AND A BASKET OF FRESH EGGS, SO WE KNOW HE WAS GUILTY OF BUYING PROHIBITED ITEMS, HERR GORLITZ.
BUT NOW HE’S DEAD HE CAN’T TELL US WHERE HE BOUGHT THEM OR...HEY, YOU! ARE YOU SPYING ON US?
6 THE SENIOR AGENT SNAPPED AN ORDER AND FOR THE SECOND TIME IN QUICK SUCCESSION THE S.S. BULLDOZED THEIR WAY INTO A BUILDING.
I WANT THIS ONE ALIVE, OR YOU’LL BE ON YOUR WAY TO THE EASTERN FRONT BEFORE DAYBREAK!
VERY GOOD, HERR GORLITZ.
HAVING WITNESSED THE FATE THAT HAD BEFALLEN HIS NEIGHBOUR PIERRE, THE SECOND MAN SURRENDERED IMMEDIATELY. AS HE WAS HAULED AWAY, A PLEASED-LOOKING GORLITZ EYED WHAT THEY’D FOUND.
MORE SUGAR, HERR GORLITZ, AND THERE’S ENOUGH FLOUR IN THERE TO START A BAKERY. HE PROBABLY GOT THEM FROM THE SAME SELLER.
I’LL TELL YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT TO KNOW!
NOT UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN INTERROGATED UNDER TORTURE. HOW ELSE WILL WE KNOW IF YOU’RE TELLING THE TRUTH OR NOT!
7 LEAVING A FEW MEN TO GUARD THE RAIDED HOUSES, THE GERMANS DROVE OFF. THEIR DEPARTURE WAS WATCHED BY A SHADOWY FIGURE, HIS EYES COLD AND VENGEFUL.
THE SENTRIES WERE STILL THERE AT DAYBREAK, BORED, WEARY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING RELIEVED. ACH, LET’S HOPE WE GET HAM AND SOME OF THOSE CONFISCATED EGGS FOR BREAKFAST.
NAZI PIGS. YOU COME AND SNUFF OUT A MAN’S LIFE AS IF YOU WERE SWATTING A FLY. BUT THIS TIME YOU WILL PAY.
SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING COMING RIGHT NOW. IT MUST BE THE RELIEF DETAIL.
INSTEAD OF THE EXPECTED RELIEF DETAIL, HOWEVER, A LOW-SLUNG CITROEN SALOON RACED INTO THE SQUARE. WAS IS...?
8 A MOMENT LATER TWO MEN INSIDE THE CAR OPENED FIRE WITH STEN GUNS, CUTTING DOWN ALL BUT ONE OF THE SURPRISED GUARDS. DEATH TO THE BOCHES!
TEUFEL... AAARGH!
AS THE CAR SPED AWAY A GRENADE WAS THROWN, ACCOUNTING FOR THE SURVIVING S.S. MAN.
NEIN...UURGH!
THAT’S FOR PIERRE!
9 THE S.S. RETALIATION, AS ALWAYS, WAS SWIFT AND BRUTAL. A DOZEN HOSTAGES WERE ROUNDED UP AND SUMMARILY EXECUTED.
FEUER!
AGAIN, AS ALWAYS, THE GERMANS MADE SURE THAT THEIR CONQUERED SUBJECTS KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED, NAILING UP STARK PROCLAMATIONS FOR EVERYONE TO READ. THIS WILL LET THE FRENCH SCUM KNOW THAT FOR EVERY ONE OF US THEY KILL, FIVE OF THEIR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN WILL DIE TOO.
I’D MAKE IT TEN IF IT WAS UP TO ME.
10 AS THE GERMANS FINISHED PUTTING UP THE POSTER THEY WERE SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THREE FRENCHMEN ON BICYCLES HAD STOPPED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD.
WE ALREADY KNOW THE PRICE, MONSIEUR...
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, SNAIL-EATERS? WANT TO READ ABOUT THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR OPPOSING US?
…AND IT IS WELL WORTH PAYING!
MOVING AS ONE, THE THREE FRENCHMAN SNATCHED STEN GUNS FROM THEIR BASKETS AND MOWED DOWN THE POSTER DETAIL BEFORE THEY COULD UTTER ANOTHER WORD.
YAARGH!