UNE, 1944. A CROWD OF S.S. SOLDIERS GATHERED J EAGERLY IN A VILLAGE SQUARE IN CENTRAL FRANCE, THEIR ATTENTION FIXED ON THE THREE PRISONERS INCARCERATED IN A STEEL CAGE IN THE MIDDLE. AS THEY WAITED THEY CHANTED OMINOUSLY.
BURN! BURN! BURN! OH MY SAINTED AUNT!
BURN! BURN! BURN!
STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART BENET COVER BENET
4 THE PRISONERS, MAJOR GUY TENBY AND TWO OF HIS CONVICT COMMANDOS, PRIVATES TITCH MOONEY AND JELLY JAKES, WATCHED AS AN IMMACULATELY UNIFORMED OBERFUHRER EMERGED FROM A FIELD CAR. WITH A FLICK OF HIS SWAGGER STICK HE SILENCED THE CHANTING AND SMILED COLDLY.
THIS CAGE WAS MUCH USED ON THE EASTERN FRONT, WHICH IS WHY I BROUGHT IT TO FRANCE WITH ME. NOTE THE SCORCH MARKS, GENTLEMEN.
‘E’S RIGHT, IT’S COVERED IN ‘EM, BUT WHY?
I THINK I KNOW BUT THERE’S NO POINT TELLING HIM. ONLY SMILER DAWSON COULD HAVE SAVED US...
…BUT HE’S MILES AWAY WITH NO MEANS OF TRANSPORT.
ONLY ONE THING CAN MAKE THESE MARKS.
THE SINISTER S.S. OFFICER TAPPED ONE OF THE SCORCHED BARS AS HE SPOKE.
5 AT A SIGNAL FROM THE OBERFUHRER, A BEEFY SOLDER STEPPED FORWARD CARRYING A FEARSOME WEAPON. JELLY QUAILED AT THE SIGHT OF IT.
I GIVE YOU THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WEAPON EVER INVENTED...THE FLAMMENWERFER!
A F-F-FLAMETHROWER?
JUST AS I FEARED.
AS THE BLACK-UNIFORMED NAZI BEGAN TO PRAISE THE FLAMETHROWER’S QUALITIES, JELLY FELL TO HIS KNEES IN MORTAL TERROR.
IN THE EAST I FORCED A DOZEN SUBHUMAN RUSSIAN SCUM INSIDE AT A TIME…AND THEN HAD THEM ROASTED ALIVE! THEIR DEATH SCREAMS WERE MUSIC TO MY EARS.
NO...NO...!
6 WITH ICY DELIBERATION, THE OBERFUHRER STEPPED BACK AND GAVE CENTRE STAGE TO HIS FLAME-THROWER OPERATOR.
ENJOY YOU LAST GULPS OF FRESH AIR, SCHWEINHUNDS, FOR THE FIRES OF HADES ARE ABOUT TO CONSUME YOU! WE’RE ALL OUT OF JOKERS TO PLAY THIS TIME. IT REALLY IS THE END.
FEUER!
YIIIEEE!
HOW HAD THE CONVICT COMMANDOS COME TO THIS?
7 A FEW WEEKS AFTER D-DAY, THE ALLIED INVASION WAS MEETING INCREASINGLY FIERCE GERMAN RESISTANCE IN THE NOTORIOUS “BOCAGE” COUNTRYSIDE OF NORMANDY. THE BATTLE OF THE HEDGEROWS, AS IT WAS KNOWN, THREATENED TO DERAIL THE ENTIRE ADVANCE AS WELL-PLACED GERMAN INFANTRY NEUTRALISED THE THREAT OF ALLIED ARMOUR.
PANZERFAUST... AARGH!
8 ALLIED COUNTER-MEASURES CONCENTRATED ON PREVENTING FRESH ENEMY UNITS REACHING THE FIGHTING. ANYTHING MOVING IN DAYLIGHT WAS ASKING FOR TROUBLE — USUALLY IN THE SHAPE OF ROVING HAWKER TYPHOONS OF THE 2ND TACTICAL AIR FORCE.
ACHTUNG, TYPHOON... YUURGH!
THE GERMANS, RIGHTLY FEARFUL OF THESE EIGHT-ROCKET MONSTERS, REACTED BY MOVING THEIR FORCES BY NIGHT, AND GETTING THEM SAFELY HIDDEN UNDER CAMOUFLAGE NETTING BY DAYBREAK.
ACH, THEY’RE WASTING THEIR TIME.
I PITY ANYONE ON THE ROADS RIGHT NOW.
9 DEEPER INSIDE GERMAN-OCCUPIED FRANCE LAY FURTHER PROBLEMS FOR THE GERMANS. HEAVILY-ARMED S.A.S. AND MAQUIS UNITS LAUNCHED DEVASTATING HIT-ANDRUN ATTACKS AGAINST ANY REINFORCEMENTS OR SUPPLIES HEADING FOR NORMANDY.
BLAST ‘EM!
THE COLUMNS WERE HEAVILY ESCORTED AND COULD BRING OVERWHELMING FIREPOWER TO BEAR AGAINST THE RAIDERS, BUT THE SAME DARKNESS THAT SHIELDED THEM FROM AIR STRIKES ALSO SHIELDED THEIR ATTACKERS. THE SCHWEINHUNDS HAVE GOT AWAY.
AGAIN.
10 THE TRIED AND TESTED GERMAN RESPONSE TO SUCH ATTACKS WAS TO APPLY REPRISALS, SUCH AS THE FORCED ROUND-UPS OF LOCAL CIVILIANS.
MORE SLAVE LABOUR TO KEEP OUR WAR MACHINE RUNNING, AND A WARNING TO THE RESISTANCE THAT WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THEIR ACTIVITIES.
TIMES HAD CHANGED, THOUGH. THE RESISTANCE, WELL-SUPPLIED WITH ALLIED ARMS AND INSPIRED BY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ALLIED ARMIES WERE ALREADY ON FRENCH SOIL, HIT BACK WITH EVER GREATER FEROCITY UNTIL NO GERMAN OUTPOST COULD BE CONSIDERED SECURE. KILL LES BOCHES!
UURGH!