Description

Team Yankee                                          Comics Lot
Writers: Harold Coyle & David Drake
Artist: Rod Whigham
Inker: Gérald Forton
Colorist: Les Dorscheid
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Rick Oliver
All Covers by: Rod Whigham

World War II left Germany cut in half. The West side went to the Allied forces. The East side was won by the Soviet Union, which held onto it as a foothold into Europe. The series, Team Yankee, printed before the fall of communism, examined the possibility of a large-scale conventional war fought on the borders of East and West Germany. Tanks are the key weapons as Team Yankee focused in on one frontline combat team and how our armed forces would fight if confronted by a Soviet tank attack. Have the United States and NATO efficiently prepared for a modern-day conventional war?

David Drake and Rod Whigham adapted this six-issue mini-series from Harold Coyle’s novel of the same name.

Story/Spoilers
In issue #1, “Zero Hour”, Conventional military strategy has always assumed that the focal point of any large-scale conflict between the two great powers would be on the border of East and West Germany. But in the four decades since the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and its satellite nations in the Warsaw Pact have outstripped the United States and its NATO allies in war preparations, particularly in the one area most vital for success in a land war in Europe – the production and deployment of tanks.

Next in issue #2, “Counterpunch”, With a superiority of over three to one in conventional armaments, there appears to be little doubt that the Warsaw Pact could easily overcome the considerably smaller NATO forces. But topography plays a critical role in land war strategy – particularly in regard to tanks, which operate best on large expanses of open terrain. So the choices of thrust lines for Soviet attack are somewhat limited. Moreover, the invaders would be operating on unfamiliar terrain, while NATO forces would be fighting on the very same ground on which they had trained for decades

Next in issue #3, “Spearhead”, “The best laid plans…” quickly get shot to hell in any major land offensive in modern warfare. Operational plans may be altered radically in a matter of days – if not hours – as commanders desperately attempt to adapt their strategies to a rapidly changing situation. But the logistics of moving a vast array of supporting material – form bridging equipment to tank ammunition, from fuel and food to medical supplies – cannot be shifted as easily as moving fighting formations on the battlefield. More often than not things do not go according to plan.

Next in issue #4, “Stand Down”, In addition to the Soviet Union’s vast numerical superiority in conventional arms, they also hold a certain geographic advantage for a ground war in Europe. With the bulk of the NATO forces being supplied by the United States, reinforcements would have to be shipped across the Atlantic. Indeed, Soviet strategic planning almost certainly hinges upon a quick, decisive victory before U.S. reinforcements can arrive. But if NATO could slow the Soviet advance long enough, fresh man and material from Stateside could radically alter the course of the war

Next in issue #5, “Advance”, There is some question as to the Eastern Bloc’s devotion to the Soviet cause. Soviet domination of countries like Czechoslovakia and Poland has relied on brutal and swift retaliation against anything resembling dissent, and it has been the Soviet Union’s seeming invincibility that has stifled all but the most determined voices of opposition. But how long would the satellite nations remain defeats? And how long would it be before the aid generals began to see the nuclear option as a viable alternative to defeat?

Finally in issue #6, “All quiet on the…”, One of the potential problems of the “nuclear deterrent” is the widely held belief that the United States would “never trade New York for Paris.” The implication is that the U.S. would be unwilling to expose North America to nuclear attack in defense of the European Allies. Although this might well prove to be a faulty assumption, desperate men in a desperate situation might take the gamble and obliterate a European city with a nuclear strike, in hopes of intimidating the American people. The question then becomes: If the United States responds in kind and launches nuclear retaliation against a Russian city, what happens next?

Comics lot contains: Team Yankee (1989) Issues #1-6.  First Comics

Comics 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: First Publishing, Inc. & Berkley Publishing Group, Inc.
Publication Date: 1989
Format per comic: FC, 32 pages, Comic, 10.25″ x 6.65″
UPC: None Stated

Collectible Entertainment note: Comics #1,2,3,4,5,6 are in Fine to Fine + condition.  Nice Set!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious WW2 and/or Team Yankee collector / enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Highly Recommended.

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