Our Fighting Forces #122

Our Fighting Forces #122 (On Sale: September 11, 1969) has a cover by Joe Kubert. This is the last issue for Lt. Hunter and his Hellcats.

We begin with Lt. Hunter and his Hellcats in "24 Hours to Die" by Robert Kanigher and Artie Saaf. As a kid, I never much cared for Artie Saaf's artwork, but looking back at these issues, he was not bad at all.  The Hellcat's are told of how all agents sent to the Nazi-occupied island of Crete are "Captured, brainwashed and executed" after divulging our secrets. There mission is to  land on the island, contact the resistance leader and let them know of an Allied invasion plan. To make sure they do not divulge anything if captured, they are all given a poison that will kill them in 24 hours if they do not return for the antidote.

After taking the pills, the city is attacked by Nazi bombers and as the Hellcats run for cover, Heller sees Tommy Carlin, the man who murdered her father, rush into a bomb shelter, but he sees her and manages to escape. A PT boat which holds the antidote, drops the Hellcats off the coast of Crete and they are spotted by an enemy PT boat. From out of nowhere they produce a large net which they use to upend the enemy craft (not sure how this was supposed to work, but, you know, Kanigher).

As they approach the beach they are attacked by Nazi's hiding behind rocks, but the resistance shows up and they are able to take the Nazis out. The resistance ends up being the wives of the resistance leaders killed or captured by Col. Minotaur. Joining forces with the resistance, the Hellcats head off to Col. Minotaur's maze, where Zorba, the leader of the resistance, is being held.

The Hellcats go on alone into the maze and when they find Nazis, they surrender and are taken it Minotaur. The Hellcats are put into the maze where shrill sounds are blasted to make them go insane. They locate Zorba and using explosive buttons (Kanigher!) are able to escape and return Zorba to the resistance. They also use their buttons to destroy a huge minotaur statue that falls and kills Col. Minotaur. Feeling the effects of the poison, they swim back to the boat and receive the antidote.

That is followed by a one-page Warrior: History's Mightiest Men of Combat, featuring Ottawa Chieftain Pontiac by Ken Barr. Beautiful as you might expect from Barr.

Next is the first Battle Album  in a two-page spread featuring the Messerschmitt 264 which the Nazis designed to cross the Atlantic and bomb New York. Another nice piece by the talented Ken Barr.

We end with "Coward -- Take This Hill" by Robert Kanigher and Fred Ray. More confessions from me: as a kid I hated Fred Ray's artwork, but looking back on it, he told a really great story: Lt. Jim Travers of the Union army panics and runs when his men are slaughtered at the battle of Stoney Brook Hill. A year later, in another state, Lt. Travers leads the charge up Cemetery Hill. Once again he is overcome with fear, but he ignores it and leads his men up the hill, where another slaughter takes place. One man after another is killed as he carries the stars and stripes up the hill. Soon. Travers is the only man left and as he is dying he hands the flag to the Confederate commander who places it next to the Confederate flag.

The letter's page is filled with people complaining about Kanigher's plots on Hunter's Hellcats. They were right as The Losers take over the book starting next issue, though the Hellcats do make a final appearance there.

Edited by Joe Kubert.