Real Name: Kurt Hellman

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Tank commander, German Army, circa WWII

Affiliations: Hammer Force (formerly Hun Force; notable members included Big Max, Brenner, Dekker)

Enemies: Gauleiter Kastner (SS officer), Schwarz, Russian army

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Europe and Africa

First Appearance: Action #1 (IPC, 14th February 1976)

Powers/Abilities: A highly skilled strategist and tactician, Hellman was an expert tank commander and soldier. He was also a capable hand-to-hand fighter, and expert with a large war hammer.

History: A professional German soldier and experienced Panzer tank commander, Kurt Hellman was not a Nazi, and had no love for Hitler, the S.S. or the Third Reich. He disagreed with the war his country had entered into, but nevertheless considered it his duty to fight for his nation, although he deplored the excesses of his Nazi peers, trying to fight as cleanly as possible, and to avoid unnecessary deaths, preferring to take prisoners instead. Inevitably, this did not enamour him with his superiors, who assigned fanatical Gestapo officer Gauleiter Kastner to Hellman's "Hammer Force" division. The pair constantly clashed, with Kastner happily murdering captured Allied troops and disasterously countermanding Hellman's orders during battles, both in Europe and then northern Africa, where Hammer Force were assigned as part of Rommel's Afrika Korps. When Rommel was defeated, Kastner had Hellman reassigned to the Russian front, a punishment duty that saw Hammer Force transformed into a penal battalion manned by convicted deserters. Nevertheless, Hellman continued to win his men's respect, but even his skill could not save Hammer Force from the overwhelming odds the Germans faced in the Soviet Union. With the unit destroyed, Hellman led the last few survivors as they fled back to Germany. As the war came to an end, Hellman tried his best to defend Berlin as the Allies invaded it, despite Kastner's attempts to have him killed as a final act of petty revenge. Instead Hellman stopped a last ditch attempt by the Nazis to murder the Allied leaders, and slew Kastner when the S.S. man attempted to flee Berlin. The war finally ended for Hellman when he and his surviving men were captured by the Russians, their final fates unknown.

Comments: Created by Gerry Finley-Day (writer) and Mike Dorey (artist).

Hellman lasted through the entire run of Action, and was one of the strips to transfer to Battle when the titles merged. It has been suggested that the Tornado strip Wagner's Walk, which featured the tale of three German soldiers escaping a Russian work camp in 1948 and walking the thousands of miles to India and freedom was originally intended to be be a sequel to Hellman. Whether there is any truth to this, I can't say, but it seems feasible, given that Hellman's tale ends with him and two surviving members of his Hammer Force being taken prisoner by the Russians.

CLARIFICATIONS: None.

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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