Description

Enemy Ace: War in Heaven                   Trade Paperback Set
Writer: Garth Emis
Artists: Chris Weston & Russ Heath
Colorist: Matt Hollingswroth
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Editor: Peter J. Tomasi
All Covers by: Christian Alamy

From 1914 to 1918, Hans Von Hammer earned the nickname “The Hammer of Hell” in the bloody skies of World War I. Now it’s World War II, and blood rains from the skies once again! Von Hammer, the finest pilot Germany has ever known, is now a 46-year-old man with plenty of enemies in the Nazi regime.

Stories/Spoilers
In book #1, In Bavaria, 1942, Hauptmann Peter Stalschmidt arrives at Castle von Hammer and tries to convince its owner and his compatriot, Hans von Hammer to join him as a pilot, flying against Russia as Germany is starting to take serious losses. Reluctantly, Von Hammer agrees even though he has no sympathies for the Nazis.

On his first day as flight leader, Von Hammer buzzes the gathered pilots in his bright red plane. An hour later he takes the first flight up. They encounter a group of MiG-3s and run them off, destroying twelve in the process.

After the planes have landed, Hauptman Joachim Engels, a devoted Nazi, inspects the troops and notices that Von Hammer’s red plane is missing a swastika. He says he’ll have Von Hammer’s ground crew remedy that and Von Hammer tells him not to do that. Engels stalks away. Peter warns Von Hammer that he would get in trouble for that kind of disobedience, but Von Hammer is unfazed from the repercussions compare to likely dying in battle.

In the air above Leningrad, Von Hammer and his squadron take out a squadron of Indians. Von Hammer makes Ace in a day, killing five of them himself.

In January, 1943, Engels approaches Von Hammer in the barracks and tells him to report to Berlin to be awarded the Knights Cross by Adolf Hitler, awarded when a pilot has 50 confirmed kills. Von Hammer has 63 since he began leading the German pilots. But Von Hammer burns the communique Engels brought him and says he has no time for medals. This further incense Engels’ contempt for Von Hammer.

Von Hammer soon returns to the skies above Leningrad. During the battle, a Russian pilot falls into Von Hammer’s rotor, causing his plane to crash but manage to survive. He come across with a German soldier who is killed by a sniper’s bullet. Von Hammer takes cover and from safety, watches in shock as a child throws a grenade at a German tank and is riddled with bullets from the tank’s machine gunner. Russian partisans then emerge from the nearby buildings and quickly swarm the tank. After wandering through the city and at one point seeing a mother and her child eating a human hand, Von Hammer is eventually captured by Russians. As they are roughing him up, a large black wolf appears and kills the soldiers. But then it reveals that it was a hallucination made by Von Hammer, who singlehandedly killed the soldiers with his own bare hands. Von Hammer walks back to his camp, where Engels is none too pleased to see him.

Once again in the skies, Von Hammer’s squadron is attacked by English Hurricanes – the English are in Russia to offer moral support for the Russians. The English planes destroy two of the German planes and Von Hammer turns tail and runs.

Back at the barracks he talks with Peter who remarks that now the English are involved it seems like the entire world has turned against Germany. Von Hammer sardonically wonders why.

Finally in book #2, March 1945, over Augsburg, Germany, Hans Von Hammer and his squad of fighters – now equipped with the new jet-powered Me 262 – shoot down several American bombers. Despite of their victory, the conditions in their camp is deteriorating. They have few remaining jets and planes that are operable, aircraft replacement parts and ammunition are becoming scarce, and the pilots are resorting to eating cat meat, as the war is not going in favor of Germany. Von Hammer express his undoubted analysis that he and his men won’t last long against the Allies considering they have a vastly stronger industrial capacity to produce Air Forces of overwhelming strength that their own revolutionary jet fighters can hardly counter.

The next day a Spitfire squadron strafes the camp, destroying several of their planes. By April, Von Hammer and his squadron goes against the Americans. During the battle, a Me 262 accidentally collides into Von Hammer’s jet and forcing the latter to parachute over the Dachau Concentration Camp, where he witness the atrocities of the Holocaust committed by the Nazis.

Seething with outrage, Von Hammer soon returns to the camp and calls the pilots together and tells them about the Death Camps being run by Adolf Hitler. He tells the men he will fight for the Third Reich no longer and intends to fly to the nearest Allied airbase where he will surrender and offer aid in any way possible. He calls upon the men to follow his example. Von Hammer’s declaration infuriates Hauptmann Engels, who then draws his pistol on Von Hammer. But Engels is “accidentally” gunned down by Peter.

Von Hammer later takes his squadron on one last battle, where his entire fighters including Peter are wiped out. After downing several bombers, Von Hammer stops his attack upon seeing a damaged bomber before finally deciding that he has enough. By the time he return to the camp, the jets are now inoperable to continue on fighting.

Von Hammer takes his men to rendezvous with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company and surrenders himself and his men to them. But not before destroying the Me 262s as his final act of defiance.

Trade Paperbacks are bagged & boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

All First Printings
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: 2001
Format per TPB: FC, 48 pages, TPB, 10.20″ x 6.75″
UPC: 761941209036

Collectible Entertainment note: Trade Paperbacks are in Fine to Very Fine + condition. (issue #1 is Fine / issue #2 is Very Fine +) Overall… Nice Set!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Enemy Ace and/or World War 2 collector / enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Recommended.

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