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STORY ALAN HEBDEN N SEPTEMBER 1st 1939 THE ARMED MIGHT OF NAZI O GERMANY BEGAN THE INVASION OF POLAND, TRIGGERING THE START OF WORLD WAR TWO AND, INCIDENTALLY, ADDING A NEW AND SINISTER WORD TO THE MILITARY LEXICON IN THE SHAPE OF BLITZKRIEG – OR “LIGHTNING WAR”.

ART REZZONICO COVER JANEK MATYSIAK

4 IN A MATTER OF DAYS GERMAN ARMOUR HAD SWEPT DEEP INSIDE THE COUNTRY, LEAVING IT TO THE INFANTRY TO MOP UP POCKETS OF RESISTANCE, SUCH AS IN ONE SMALL NORTHERN TOWN.

GERMANS! TAKE COVER!

IT WASN’T COURAGE THAT THE POLISH TROOPS LACKED, BUT THE FIREPOWER TO HIT BACK PROPERLY. SERGEANT ADEM KOZCKI SAW THAT FOR HIMSELF EVERY TIME HE ENCOUNTERED THE GERMANS.

EVEN ORDINARY INFANTRY ARE ARMED WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, WHILE WE’RE LUMBERED WITH RIFLES DATING BACK TO THE LAST WAR.

5 FOR ALL THAT, THE INVADERS WEREN’T INVULNERABLE. A GRENADE EXPLOSION, OR PREFERABLY SEVERAL AT ONCE, DEALT DEATH AND DESTRUCTION AMONG THE WEHRMACHT’S MEN AS READILY AS ANY OTHERS.

ACHTUNG, GRENADE… UUURGH!

ARRGH!

THE GERMANS, HOWEVER, WERE ALWAYS ABLE TO CALL IN LIGHT ARMOUR TO CRACK A PARTICULARLY TOUGH NUT, AND ITS APPEARANCE ON THIS OCCASION LEFT ADEM LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO FINALLY ABANDON THE TOWN. IT’S NO USE. WE CAN’T HOLD THEM. GET GOING!

6 A FORAGING PARTY HAD MANAGED TO COMMANDEER A LORRY FOR THE WITHDRAWAL, FOR THE POLES HAD LEARNT THE HARD WAY THAT MEN ON FOOT COULDN’T OUTRUN THE WEHRMACHT’S MOBILE COLUMNS.

AT LEAST WE GET CLEAR TO LIVE AND FIGHT ANOTHER DAY.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE FLEEING POLES THEY HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE OTHER NEW FACTOR INTRODUCED BY THE BLITZKRIEG, THE OVERWHELMING USE OF AIR POWER, AS PERSONIFIED BY THE STUKA DIVE BOMBER THAT ATTACKED THEM A FEW MILES DOWN THE ROAD. LOOK OUT!

7 THE STUKA’S PILOT DIDN’T SCORE A DIRECT HIT, BUT THEN HE DIDN’T HAVE TO. EVEN A NEAR MISS FROM A 500-KILO BOMB WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO SEND THE LORRY HURTLING TO ITS DOOM.

YEEAARGH!

GRIEF!

THROWN CLEAR, ADEM WAS THE ONLY ONE TO SURVIVE THE RESULTING CRASH. WEIGHED DOWN BY DESPAIR HE SET OFF ON FOOT.

AN HOUR LATER ADEM WAS ABLE TO WAVE DOWN A MILITARY DESPATCH RIDER AS HE SPED ALONG A COUNTRY LANE.

WHERE ARE YOU OFF TO IN SUCH A HURRY?

ARMY WEAPONS CENTRE NEAR GORZNO WITH ORDERS TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. HANG ON, SARGE! WE MAY AS WELL BE FIGHTING WITH BOWS AND ARROWS FOR ALL THE EFFECT WE’RE HAVING.

8 THEIR DESTINATION WAS SEVERAL MILES AWAY, BUT LONG BEFORE REACHING IT THEY SAW OMINOUS COLUMNS OF SMOKE RISING HIGH INTO THE SKY.

LOOKS LIKE THE LUFTWAFFE BEAT US TO IT.

KEEP GOING. WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP.

AS THEY APPROACHED THE WEAPONS CENTRE IT WAS CLEAR THAT IT HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO AN INTENSELY POWERFUL BOMBING RAID. IT’S BEEN WELL AND TRULY FLATTENED, AND NOT EVEN A SIGN OF A.A. DEFENCES. THEY DIDN’T STAND A CHANCE.

HECK! LOOK WHAT’S COMING!

9 YET AGAIN THE ENEMY’S GREATER MOBILITY RESULTED IN HIM TURNING UP UNEXPECTEDLY.

LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!

MOMENTS LATER THEY WERE RAKED WITH MACHINE GUN FIRE FROM THE COLUMN, KILLING THE DESPATCH RIDER AND CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO CRASH.

AAARGH!

HE’S HAD IT!

10 TO ADEM’S SURPRISE A VOICE CALLED OUT FROM JUST INSIDE A NEARBY WOOD. GIVEN HIS PREDICAMENT HE RESPONDED AUTOMATICALLY.

A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE VOICE CALLED OUT AGAIN, AND FOR THE SECOND TIME ADEM RESPONDED AUTOMATICALLY.

GET DOWN NOW!

THIS WAY. HURRY! WHO THE…?

HOPE WHOEVER IT IS KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE DOING.

SUDDENLY THE AIR WAS FILLED WITH A STRANGE STITCHING SOUND AND ADEM WATCHED INCREDULOUSLY AS AN ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE STORM OF BULLETS STOPPED THE GERMANS DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS – QUITE LITERALLY SO. YEEUURGH!

WHAT ON EARTH…?