Willy Schultz

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Willy Schultz is a fictional comic-book soldier, a German-American U.S. Army captain during World War II, who after being falsely accused and convicted of murder escapes and blends into the German Army while seeking a way to clear his name and retain his Allied allegiance. Created by writer Will Franz and artist Sam Glanzman, the feature "The Lonely War of Willy Schultz" appeared in the Charlton Comics war comics anthology Fightin' Army #76-80, 82-92 (Oct. 1967 - July 1968, Nov. 1969 - July 1970), and later in reprints.

Fightin' Army #76 (Oct. 1967). Cover art by Rocke Mastroserio

[edit] Character history

During the fighting in North Africa during World War II, Schultz, an armored company commander, is falsely accused of murdering his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Stenik. Arrested by Stenik's father, a U.S. Army general, Schultz is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Escaping from custody and in desperation, he joins a German Army Tiger unit, passing himself off as a German tank crewman separated from his unit. Using his language skills and knowledge of German military customs, Schultz goes through several adventures. He changes sides again, joining British commandos in a raid on a German base. He is captured by the Germans and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Italy. He escapes when the prison train is destroyed in a British air raid. Schultz subsequently joins up with OSS Major Jon Daurio who promises to get him a pardon if he agrees to work with Daurio's band of Italian partisans.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Schultz became the sole survivor of his partisan unit, escaping to once again join the Germans and being sent to fight on the Eastern Front. By 1945, he has become completely immersed in the German military and could no longer go home to the United States. The last story sees Schultz meeting Lassiter Wilkes (the U.S. officer who prosecuted Schultz for Stenik's murder) after the surrender of Schultz's German unit, and calling out "I didn't kill him" — but without Schultz knowing if he spoke in English or in German. Despite an initial inclination to kill Schultz at the end of the war, writer Franz instead had him go off with the daughter of a German general to start a new life.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Reprint series

The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz (Charlton Comics) #76-77 (Oct. 1985 - Jan. 1986)^[1]
The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz (Avalon Communications) #1-4 (May-Nov. 1999)

[edit] Footnotes

^ As new periodical titles were subject to a registration fee by the postal service to receive a second class mail permit, Charlton would frequently continue the numbering of old titles on new ones, hence one comic book title "becoming" another with completely unrelated content.