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EFORE THE FIRST WORLD WAR BROKE OUT IN 1914, ITALY WAS ALLIED B WITH THE GERMAN AND AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRES. BUT WHEN THE GUNS ROARED, THE ITALIANS DID NOT JOIN IN AGGRESSIVELY, INSTEAD TAKING UP DEFENSIVE POSITIONS ON THEIR BORDERS.

STORY MAC MACDONALD ART VILA COVER JANEK MATYSIAK ALL THAT WAS TO CHANGE BY 1915 WHEN THE BRITISH CONVINCED THE ITALIANS TO JOIN THEM AND FRANCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ITALY’S FORMER ALLIES. BITTER BATTLES LAY AHEAD.

4 DISPUTED AREAS OF TERRITORY IN THE NORTH OF ITALY WHICH LAY BETWEEN THE OPPOSING FORCES BECAME A MAJOR BATTLEGROUND FOR THE ITALIANS AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE AUSTRIAN EMPIRE. CASUALTIES WERE HIGH ON BOTH SIDES.

CHARGE...

AAGH!

THROW THEM BACK WHERE THEY BELONG!

IT TURNED INTO A STALEMATE BUT, BY 1917, THE BRITISH, FRENCH AND AMERICANS HAD COME TO THE AID OF THE ITALIANS. HOWEVER, THE GERMANS ALSO STEPPED IN TO ADD MORE PUNCH TO THE AUSTROHUNGARIAN OFFENSIVE. NOW THE FIGHTING FLARED TO SAVAGE LEVELS. BURN THEM OUT...

MAKE THEM PAY FOR CHANGING SIDES!

AAGH!

5 INTO THIS CONFLICT WERE FLUNG TWO YOUNG LIEUTENANTS, ONE ITALIAN AND ONE BRITISH. ANTONIO UMBROSIA, AN INFANTRY OFFICER, AND GUY BREAM, A BRITISH LIAISON OFFICER, HAD KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR ONLY A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE ENEMY LAUNCHED A MASSIVE OFFENSIVE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A FORCE ATTACKING!

THEY’RE PLAYING FOR KEEPS TODAY!

IT WAS A GIGANTIC ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THE DEFENDERS SOUTH, FURTHER BACK INTO ITALY. ALL THE STOPS HAD BEEN PULLED OUT IN A LETHAL STEAMROLLER ACTION.

BLAST THEM FROM THEIR LAIRS!

AAGH!

6 SHOT AND SHELL ADDED TO THE MAYHEM WHICH, AT TIMES, SEEMED TO HARK BACK TO THE BATTLES OF THE PAST WHEN MAN HAD BEEN PITTED AGAINST MAN AND ONLY THE STRONGEST OR QUICKEST SURVIVED.

AAGH!

URGH!

THE AUSTRIANS AND GERMANS WERE CLOSE TO TOTAL VICTORY UNTIL A DEFIANT COUNTERATTACK FIRST STOPPED THEM WHERE THEY STOOD, THEN FINALLY PUSHED THEM BACK NORTHWARDS. AN EERIE SILENCE HUNG OVER THE BATTLE ZONE ON THE NEXT MISTY DAWN. IT’S AS QUIET AS THE GRAVE.

THAT’S BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THIS PLACE IS. LITTLE WONDER THAT BLACK CROW IS CROAKING...

7

THE RISING BIRD HAD SEEN WHAT THE ADVANCING SOLDIERS SOON WOULD...THE TWO LIEUTENANTS LYING DEAD, THEIR PISTOLS BY THEIR COLD HANDS. THEY HAD FOUGHT TO THE LAST BULLET, AND IT WAS SAID THAT IT APPEARED THAT GUY HAD BEEN SHIELDING THE WOUNDED ANTONIO.

IN A WAR-TORN WORLD SEARCHING FOR HEROES, IT WAS NEWS THAT SPREAD TO EVERY CORNER OF EVERY COUNTRY. EVEN THE ENEMY ADMITTED THAT GUY BREAM AND ANTONIO UMBROSIA HAD FALLEN AS HEROES — THEIR NAMES BECAME A BYWORD FOR COURAGE.

8 LIEUTENANT FABIO UMBROSIA, THE SON OF ANTONIO, HAD BEEN BROUGHT UP ON TALES OF HIS FATHER’S BRAVERY AND SACRIFICE. A LIEUTENANT IN THE AIR FORCE OF AN ITALY ON THE SIDE OF GERMANY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR, HE WAS FLYING A MACCHI 202 FOLGORE — A LIGHTNING — FIGHTER IN NORTH AFRICA IN 1942.

NO SIGN OF THE BRITISH TODAY, BUT THEY WON’T BE FAR AWAY.

THERE WAS NO DOUBTING HIS COURAGE, FOR HE HAD ALREADY SCORED SOME KILLS, BUT HE WAS NOT AS CONFIDENT AS HE APPEARED TO BE TO OTHERS, AND WITH GOOD CAUSE.

EVERY SECOND DAY IN THE MESS THEY TALK ABOUT MY FATHER AND HIS BRAVERY. THEY EXPECT THE SAME FROM ME, AND I’M NOT SURE I’M REALLY UP TO IT.

HE HAD ALWAYS PLAYED ALONG WITH THE ADMIRATION, BUT HE REALLY WANTED NONE OF IT.

9 HIS THOUGHTS STRAYING, HE LET HIS CONCENTRATION LAPSE OR HE MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE THREE ROYAL AIR FORCE AMERICAN-BUILT CURTISS KITTYHAWK FIGHTERS THAT CAME SCREAMING DOWN WITH THE BURNING DESERT SUN BEHIND THEM.

LET’S WAKEN THESE EYETIES UP!

WATCH OUT, THEY HAVE CAUGHT US OUT!

FABIO WAS A GIFTED PILOT. STAYING CALM AND COLLECTED HE STITCHED 12.7mm BULLETS FROM THE TWIN BREDA MACHINE GUNS MOUNTED ABOVE HIS FOLGORE’S 1175hp ALFA-ROMEO ENGINE ACROSS THE WING OF A KITTYHAWK.

YE GODS!

I’VE HIT HIM...

10 SWIFTLY FABIO BANKED TO MAKE SURE OF HIS OPPONENT.

HOWEVER, ONE OF THE OTHER R.A.F. PILOTS HAD DODGED HIS OWN OPPONENT AND CAME TO THE AID OF HIS STRUGGLING COMRADE.

TWO CAN PLAY AT THIS GAME...

ONE MORE BURST SHOULD FINISH HIM.

THROTTLING BACK HIS 1040hp ALLISON ENGINE, THE BRITISH FLIER LET LOOSE WITH HIS SIX 0.5-inch MACHINE GUNS. THE BROADSIDE WAS DELIVERED IN A SPLIT-SECOND AND WAS DEVASTATING. THE STICK WENT LOOSE IN FABIO’S HANDS.

I HAVE LOST ALL CONTROL. I CAN’T FLY THIS AT ALL.

HE’S DONE FOR GOOD AND PROPER.