Berlin Breakout!
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: August 9, 1966
Cover: October 1966
12 cents
Edited by Stan Lee
Scripted by Roy Thomas
Drawn by Dick Ayers
Inked by John Tartaglione
Lettered by Sam Rosen
Picketed by Baron Strucker
20 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Sgt. Fury #34 | Reading order | Fantastic Four #55 |
| Sgt. Fury #34 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #36 |
I am not a traitor to my homeland! I want to save it… to free it from the tyranny of a madman like Adolf Hitler!
The Howlers are in custody in Berlin, set to be executed. Nick Fury intends to rescue them, but he’ll need help.
Part of that help will come from Fury’s good friend, Bull McGiveney. As well as Corporal Rickets Johnson from the Maulers. We learned his name two issues back, but now we get to put a face to it.
The other person is Eric, a German we met in Sgt. Fury #27. He’d been an aide to Goering, but defected to join the Allies. We didn’t get his surname then, but we now learn his full name is Eric Koenig.
The MCU has someone of that name in Agents of SHIELD, but they seem to have nothing in common besides the name.
Is Koenig a traitor to his country? He claims not. He is loyal to Germany but opposed to Hitler. He wishes to free his country from Hitler. It’s been said that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. Sometimes it’s important to recognize when you’re country is under the control of a corrupt and racist idiot.
Still, McGiveney has plenty of objections to working with Eric, who he still considers a Nazi.
In Germany, they meet up with Eric’s sister Ilsa. She has been a member of the German underground resisting Hitler from the beginning. We’ll be seeing more of her character.
Hitler and Goebbels are personally overseeing the execution. It turns out the theatrics were staged. They knew Fury would come rescue the Howlers, and they wanted to execute him to.
As usual, the Maulers save the day!
Bull admits that Eric isn’t a bad guy.
Fury has Hitler by the leg, but soldiers attack and enable Hitler’s escape.
Dino Manelli is injured in the escape.
Dino says he enlisted after Pearl Harbor. And Nick says he’s been with the Commandos for three years. But this all takes place before D-Day. So Nick’s exaggerating a bit. It’s been at most 2.5 years.
Dino’s war is over now. It’s time to go home. Back to his Hollywood career and all the adoring ladies.
Eric Koenig will be his replacement, the newest member of the Howling Commandos.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 53/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Scans are taken from a reprint in Sgt. Fury #103 from 1972.
The only change I spotted was the next issue blurb on the last page.
Characters:
- Sgt. Nick Fury
- Sgt. Bull McGiveney
- Eric Koenig
- Corporal Rickets Johnson
- “Happy Sam” Sawyer
- Dum Dum Dugan
- Dino Manelli
- Rebel Ralston
- Izzy Cohen
- Percy Pinkerton
- Gabe Jones
- Paul Joseph Goebbels
- Adolf Hitler
- Ilsa Koenig
Minor characters:
- Franz (German citizen in audience who thinks Hitler is mad)
Story notes:
- Sawyer assigns McGiveney and Johnson to accompany Fury and Koenig on rescue mission.
- McGiveney refers to Koenig as “ex-Nazi who’s just turned in his swastika”.
- Fury given lead of mission over McGiveney’s objections.
- Fury flashes back to capture of the Howlers in Greece.
- Cover mission included. Official reason for mission is to learn German troop placements in Berlin.
- This will be Koenig’s first return to Germany since defecting. Nick isn’t sure he’ll hold up.
- Soldiers brawl amongst each other.
- McGiveney displeased to learn Koenig will be pilot of captured Nazi bomber which will fly them to Berlin.
- Fury emphasizes that G-2 has cleared Eric.
- Howlers still en route to Berlin in a cage, stopping in towns for the people to get a look at them.
- Hitler plans to execute Commandos personally.
- Manelli learned judo chop in Okinawa.
- Howlers escape truck with ploy, but are recaptured.
- Fury’s bomber spotted by ME-109 and recognized as a trick.
- Koenig does a loop and takes out the German plane; German pilot parachutes out.
- Since plane is compromised, crew parachutes out and lets the plane crash far from them in apparent accident. On the ground, they steal a Nazi car.
- They make way to Eric’s sister, Ilsa. Ilsa has always been a member of the German underground.
- Hitler and Goebbels discuss execution plans.
- Fury enters theater disguised as camera crew.
- Dugan recognizes Fury’s cigar smoke smell.
- The execution was a trap for Nick Fury. Hitler knew he would come.
- McGiveney admits it’s been a honor fighting alongside Koenig, and apologizes for the mistreatment.
- Nick has the real Hitler in his grip, not a double.
- Dino wounded by bullets; Howlers escape.
- German resistance helps Howlers with getaway. Ilsa took care of troop placement intelligence.
- Dino enlisted after Pearl Harbor. Nick says he has been a Howler for 3 years.
- Dino wounded and shipping back home, unlikely to return.
- Eric joins the Howlers.
| Previous | #608 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Sgt. Fury #34 | Reading order | Fantastic Four #55 |
| Sgt. Fury #34 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #36 |
I like Eric Koening; he was a charismatic and innovative figure for his time. It’s a way of saying that, even if the Nazis are “the villains,” not all Germans are bad; there are people like Eric who are truly courageous.
Agreed.