One was an America, the other a German. Each were ace fighter pilots serving on opposite sides during World Wars. We introduce you to Baron Hans Von Hammer of Earth-One and Captain Desmo of Earth-Two, two men scarred by tragedy yet proving they possessed a heroic spirit that transcended their circumstances in life. They saw the bigger picture, helping their fellow man, even when experiencing personal discomfort.
Rittsmeister Hans Von Hammer was an aristocrat and hunter who was employed by the German government into becoming what was termed by his opponents an "Enemy Ace". a masterful pilot who would defend the skies against opposing forces in his bi-plane. He found a recurring adversary in the American pilot Lieutenant Steven Savage aka the Balloon Buster.
Bombardier Thomas K. Cole was an American fighter pilot in the Navy's Air Force during World War I. Following this, Cole self-financed a series of adventures across the globe under the alias of Captain Desmo, with his fellow flier and partner Gabby McGuire while under the direction of Great Britain’s Major McAllister. After retiring as a pilot in 1941, he was elected to Congress, when he would adopt a new alter ego.
Von Hammer led a solitary life, with occasional romantic interests, although the contempt he felt for his participation in war alienated him from his fellow man. In fact, his sole companion was an unnamed wolf who accompanied him during his walks through Germany's Black Forest, although he did have protégée pilots under his command.
Congressman Cole displayed an animosity towards Wonder Woman during the early days of World War II, due to her interactions with the military. An alien adversary of hers endowed Cole with superhuman powers of fight and energy blast rays from his gloves, powered by a disc from planet Mars-Two.
As for the Enemy Ace, Von Hammer, the Lord of Time plucked him from his native time period along with four other historic heroes into the late 20th century to opposed the Justice League and Justice Society*. Empowered by the temporal energies given him the the Time Lord, Von Hammer and his Allie’s aided the superheroes in destroying the villain’s realty-threatening Eternity Brain.
As the Bombardier, Cole aided the Amazing Amazon against her foes Paula Von Gunther and the Red Panzer as well as their Nazi German force. When his disc was revealed as a true threat towards peace, Wonder Woman destroyed it.
* Interestingly, the Wonder Woman of Earth-Two faced these two noble World War I pilots in battle, first Bombardier of her world and later Enemy Ace of Earth-One during this crossover tale. Both men were super-charged with power by timeless adversaries, and reluctantly battled the Amazing Amazons before ultimately assisting them versus their bedeviled benefactors.
No comments:
Post a Comment