Enemy Ace
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Enemy Ace is the name of DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German flying ace in the World Wars, Hans von Hammer AKA The Hammer of Hell. The character appeared in many different war comics.
Enemy Ace first appeared in Our Army at War, (February 1965) It was a backup story that quickly gained popularity. As a World War I pilot flying for the Germans, his stories told the German side of the war, in which Hans von Hammer was a man of honor and chivalry, a flying knight in his Fokker Dr.I, but he was haunted by his duties and the constant death surrounding them.
Created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, the Enemy Ace was taken almost directly from the real-life Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen. Both flew vermillion aircraft. Both were of aristocratic blood. But the comic book character was able to delve deep into the realm of fantasy where no history book could reach.
The character's stories have been praised as among DC's strongest war stories of the Silver Age of comic books. He was revived for a few graphic novels. The first was War Idyll where Hammer is revealed to have lived until 1969 where he died peacefully upon concluding his interviews with a troubled Vietnam War veteran turned journalist.
A more recent work is Garth Ennis's Enemy Ace: War in Heaven (2001) that recount the pilot's activities during World War II where he is persuaded to fly again as a pilot of the Luftwaffe in defence of Germany even while he grows increasingly disgusted with the Nazis around him. Hans von Hammer is put in charge of his own squadron and served throughout Europe, including the Eastern Front and finally the defence of Germany itself. Throughout the war, von Hammer became increasingly disillusioned as he witnessed to the horrors of war, including cannibalism when he was shot down behind Russian lines. The breaking point was when he was forced to bail out of his plane in combat and he inadvertently parachuted into a death camp and was outraged at what his government was doing in perpetrating the Holocaust. Upon returning to his airbase, he led a mutiny, destroyed his squadron's aircraft, and surrendered to Allied troops, namely Sgt. Rock's unit, at his first opportunity.
Recently, in issue #138 of the latest Robin series, von Hammer's great-granddaughter Lieutenant Ilsa von Hammer appeared as part of a group of soldiers that included Johnny Cloud's grandson and a legendary soldier known only as the Veteran. This group, handling missions which may be more unusual than the normal military is equipped for, recruits Robin to assist on their missions.
[edit] von Hammer's Aircraft
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- Fokker Dr.I—World War I
- Messerschmitt Bf 109F—Early World War II
- Messerschmitt Bf 109G—Eastern Front
- Messerschmitt Me 262—Used late war until surrender.
Note: Not only are all of Von Hammer's aircraft painted bright red, but his WW2 aircraft lacked the standard swastika insignia on the tail.
