Combat Kelly #26 — Nick Peron

Aug 31

Aug 31 Combat Kelly #26

Combat Kelly

Trying to escape Communist forces in a stolen jeep, Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak are knocked over a cliff by an explosion and are sent falling into the back of an enemy truck loaded with film canisters, sending themselves and the film spilling all over the road. The men in the truck attempt to apprehend both Americans but they fight back until enemy soldiers get the drop on them, forcing Combat and Cookie to surrender. The commander is furious that they have destroyed "confession" films that they have forced prisoners of war to make under torture and the commanding officer intends to take Combat and Cookie back to their base to force them to participate in making more. Loaded on the back of the truck they are held at gun point, but Combat and Cookie manage to free themselves when the truck passes under a tree and the pair jump up and grab a branch, kicking their captor off the truck and tying him up.

Realizing how vital it is to destroy the propaganda films, Combat and Cookie go to the hut where the films are being stored. However when they attempt to light the highly flammable film, Cookie finds that their matches got soaked when they crashed and won't light. Suddenly, the commanding officer they knocked up gets the drop on them with a gun. Before he can shoot either American, Combat tosses a reel of film out the door, sending a snake of film training toward a fire set by the Chinese soldiers. When the film strikes the flame, it immediately ignites sending a trail of fire back up to the hut. Combat then tosses the flaming film on the other reels causing a massive fire. Horrified, the commanding officer rushes to save one of the canisters from the growing inferno, but when he rushes out, Combat knocks him out and steals the film.

Returning to base and turning the film over to Major Thorn, Combat and Cookie are commended for their efforts. However when they screen the film they are shocked to find that it contains no communist secrets at all, only an Buck Duck cartoon.

Recurring Characters

Combat Kelly
Cookie Novak
Major Thorn

Combat Kelly

Leghorn, Italy, July 1944: Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak are on a mission to destroy Nazi fighter planes. They succeed but Nazi soldiers surround them and order them to disarm their remaining grenades. Combat is more than happy to oblige, pulling the pin on his grenade in the process. The Nazis flee from the two Americans and the live grenade, but Combat tosses it at them and blows them up. They then flee from arriving reinforcements, climbing up onto the roof of a hanger and toppling the ladder when the soldiers attempt to follow them. However when they jump down, they are knocked out by Nazi soldiers and taken prisoner.

They are forced in a car that speeds away and along the highway they spot a Nazi staff car going the opposite direction. Quickly, Combat lunged forward and forces the car they are in to crash into the staff car. Combat and Cookie then easily make short work of the disorientated Nazi and steal the staff car to make their get away. Driving away, Cookie notices that somebody is hiding in the back seat with a blanket over them. Pulling the blanket away, they are shocked to find that it is none other than Adolf Hitler himself.

Seeing this as an excellent opportunity to complete their mission, Combat and Cookie dress up in Nazi uniforms and force Hitler to lead them to the locations of Nazi weapon stock piles and order the soldiers there to blow them up. The commanding officers at each base are shocked by the orders, but do not question the Fuehrer's orders. With their mission a success Combat comes up with an excellent means to get away uncaptured. They force Hitler to shave off his moustache and dress him up in a GI uniform. They then turn him over to the Nazi authorities as a prisoner and leave the infuriated Hitler with the soldiers, laughing at his furious attempts to try and prove his identity.