History: (Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#36 (fb)) - As a young man, Eric Koenig was a member of the Nazi Youth Group alongside his friend Wilhelm Hauser. When Hitler came to power in 1935 they both joined the Wehrmacht, but in the 1939 invasion of Poland Eric began to doubt Hitler's leadership. However, Wilhelm was completely devoted to Hitler, and the two men drifted apart.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#35 (fb) - BTS) - Eric joined the Luftwaffe in Nazi Germany, but was transferred out of that service when he became an aide to Dr. Draus. Koenig came to resent how Draus treated him as a mere underling.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#27) - Eric was attending Dr. Draus at an inn where Draus met with Hermann Goring himself. Eric was humiliated to be serving drinks. When the American commando Sgt. Fury was discovered in the inn and started a fight with the soldiers present, defeating many of them, Draus ordered Koenig to defend him. Finally tired of Draus' constant abuse, Eric was persauded by Fury to switch sides and come work for people who would appreciate his talents. Eric turned on Dr. Draus and, under Fury's directions, they hijacked a plane and forced Draus to pilot them to England (Eric had never flown the model they had stolen). When they arrived at Able Company base, Fury introduced Eric to his commanding officer, Captain Samuel Sawyer, and they placed Dr. Draus into custody.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#35 (fb) - BTS) - Eric shared all the intelligence he knew with the Allies as part of his defection to their side.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#35) - Eric was assigned by Captain Samuel Sawyer to assist Sgt. Fury, and Bull McGiveney and "Rickets" Johnson of the Maulers in rescuing the other Howling Commandos from Germany. Bull and Rickets didn't trust Eric, and even got into a fight with him, but he remained honest in his wish to defect and aide the Allies. Eric piloted the team in a captured German plane, and shot down another German plane when it realized they were enemies, but they had to abandon the plane in case the enemy pilot radioed ahead about them. Eric brought them to his sister Ilsa, and she informed them that the Howlers were going to be executed at a theatre in Berlin by Hitler himself on film. They managed to sneak in and save the Howlers, although Dino Manelli was badly injured during their escape. Ilsa helped them get out of Germany, and they all returned to England. Dino was forced to leave the Howling Commandos because of his injuries, and Captain Sawyer made Eric his replacement.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#36) - The Howlers placed Eric through training alongside them, though he was driven to exceed all of their expectations. On their first mission together, they were sent to Switzerland to hijack Colonel Ludwig von Baum, a top military strategist on his way to Italy. They confronted von Baum on a train, and Eric had to fight his childhood friend Wilhelm Hauser, who was von Baum's guard. As Eric and Wilhelm clashed on the train, Eric tried to appeal to their old friendship, but Wilhelm considered Eric a traitor. When Eric saw a tunnel coming up ahead on the track he warned Wilhelm to duck, but Wilhelm refused to listen and was killed. They succeeded in the mission, and Eric flew them back to England in a stolen plane. Eric apologized to Fury for not simply killing Wilhelm, but Fury and Sawyer had both known of their old friendship, and now knew without a doubt that Eric could be relied upon. Captain Sawyer made Eric's appointment to the Howling Commandos permanent.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#37) - The Howlers were sent to North Africa to investigate the "Desert Hawk," leader of a band of nomads who appeared to be supporting the Nazi cause. They learned from the Desert Hawk's daughter Sheila that her father, Ben Ali Mussim was being held prisoner by the Nazis, and she had been dressing as the Desert Hawk to keep the Nazis from killing her father. The Howlers helped rescue her father from Colonel Otto Frick and the nomads stopped supporting the Nazis.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#38) - Learning that Dr. Warren Parker could perform an operation to save Dino's life, but that he was held in a concentration camp, the Howlers were given a secret mission by Sawyer to rescue him, and the ranger Jim Morita joined them. Koenig piloted their plane, and engaged in a dogfight with a Nazi plane, bringing it down. They succeeded in freeing Dr. Parker and Koenig flew them all back to England.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#39) - The Howlers invaded Festung von Furcht, where the jet-propelled Thunderer plane was being developed. Koenig was able to charm some female Germans into finding where the plane was located, and despite the efforts of Siegfried, Dugan's sparring partner from the Blitzkrieg Squad, and the steel-fisted Colonel Klaue, they were able to capture the Thunderer, and Koenig flew them back to England aboard it.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40) - The Howlers learned that the French fighter Jacques Dernier was being held captive in occupied France. The Howlers met up with the French resistance member Claire, who aided them in the rescue. Claire did not trust Eric because he was German, but gradually came to see that he was an honest, trustworthy man. They broke into the prison where Dernier was held but the man they freed was a Nazi agent named Hans, disguised as Jacques. Fury realized the deception when Hans identified Eric Koenig, whom Jacques had never met. Hans wound up being shot by his own fellow Nazis, and the Howlers found the real Jacques and two of his men and freed them, knowing he was the right man because he didn't know Eric. When they had all escaped the Nazis safely, Eric paused to consider what it meant that Hans knew he was a Howling Commando, and that he would have to get his sister out of Germany before the Nazis got to her. The Howlers returned to England where they found Dino waiting for them. Although Dino was there to make a film for the war department, the Howlers happily welcomed him back into the fold.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#41) - The Howlers participated in the production of a film for the U.S. government with Dino and his newfound lover Nina Bergson. When Fury was presented with a medal from Winston Churchill, Colonel Klaue and the Blitzkrieg Squad attempted to kill Churchill, but Nina sacrificed herself for him. Koenig brought Churchill to safety while the Howlers defeated the squad.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#42) - On a mission to find the location of a factory in Germany for Allied bombers to target, Eric took the opportunity to go AWOL and attempt to get his sister out of Germany. Fury and Dino helped him rescue Ilsa, and they met up with Bull McGiveney and the other Howlers and completed the mission. Sawyer restricted McGiveney and all of the Howlers to their quarters for disobeying orders.

(Marvel Comics Presents#77/3-79/2) - The Howlers were sent to destroy a German oil dump in Ploesti, Romania. During the mission, they were aided by Dracula, who they discovered was a vampire. They allowed him to assist them, but Pinkerton was insistent on informing Van Helsing of his continued existence.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#43) - The Howlers returned to North Africa to clash with the forces of Rommel yet again, this time facing his super-tank. While there, they also attended a USO show put on for the troops that featured Gene Autry, Glenn Miller, Bob Hope, Jerry Colonna, Betty Grable, Dorothy Lamour and Lana Turner. The super-tank was destroyed, and the Howlers returned to England.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#44) - While the Howlers were on a training mission, they began to reminisce about their first mission, and Percival and Koenig asked them to relate the tale.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#45) - Koenig joined the other Howlers in presenting Dugan with a new derby, as he had lost several in recent days.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#46) - When Bull McGiveney was injured on a Maulers mission in France, Koenig attempted to aid them but his plane was shot down. The Howlers were sent in with medic Cliff Powers to rescue Koenig and the Maulers, and Koenig piloted them all to safety.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#47) - When the Howlers went on furlough to a London pub with Ilsa as Fury's date, the pub owner collaborated with Colonel Klaue and Gerta Heinz to set off a bomb in the basement that would kill them all. Fortunately, Pinky learned about their plan and got them out of the building in time. They were then met by Sam Sawyer, who told them that the Blitzkrieg Squad had escaped custody.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#48) - The Howlers prepared for a confrontation with the Blitzkrieg Squad, but the squad came to them at Able Company base. They managed to defeat the squad alongside the Maulers and Morita's Nisei Squadron, and defeated Colonel Klaue as well.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#49) - Captain Savage met up with the Howling Commandos and assigned them to Tarawa to retrieve Rolfe Harrison, who had gathered important intelligence on the Japanese forces there. However, all of the Howlers were captured trying to reach him. They took Izzy apart from the others to interrogate him. Harrison broke into the Japanese camp and set the other Howlers free and they returned to Savage's submarine, the Sea Wolf. However, Cohen remained in Japanese custody.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#50) - The Howlers led the invasion of Tarawa alongside Harrison and hoped to rescue Izzy, but learned from the captured General Kimoto that they had transferred Izzy to Tokyo.

(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#1) - As the Howlers returned home aboard the Sea Wolf they encountered Captain Simon Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders, adrift in a raft. They helped them aboard, and were surprised to learn that Savage was now a commando leader. They engaged in a little bit of friendly rivalry with the Leathernecks.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#51) - The Howlers were brought to Teheran by Captain Sawyer to help provide security while President Roosevelt, Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill held a meeting. Dino happened to encounter Jorgen Kline, who had been ordered by the Nazis to kill the three leaders to save his family. Dino tried to talk him out of it, and Kline ultimately abandoned the mission and killed himself.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#52) - Captain Sawyer joined the Howlers on a mission to rescue Dr. Karl von Rusteg from the prison camp Treblinka. They managed to tunnel out of the camp, disguise themselves as Nazis, and escape Germany in a commandeered PT boat.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#53) - Lee Mayer of the O.S.S. sent the Howlers on a mission to kidnap Otto Froebe, the Nazi strategist who was planning the invasion of England. The Howlers invaded the castle where Froebe was based, and succeeded in capturing him.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#54) - Captain Sawyer placed the Howlers into specialty training, with Koenig being given additional flight training, but Sawyer had to call the training off when a new mission came up.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#55) - On a mission in Germany, the Howlers were knocked out by an aerial bombardment and captured by the Nazis. They sent Gabe to Berlin, while the others were placed in a hospital under the care of a nurse named Irma. Fury became attracted to Irma because she resembled Pamela Hawley, and when Irma claimed to be a member of the underground, he believed her and brought her with them as they fled Germany. But when the Howlers met up with Jacques Dernier in France, he exposed her as a Nazi spy. She had summoned Nazis to their location, but the Howlers and French underground beat them, and Irma died during the firefight, cursing Fury as a fool with her dying breath.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#56) - The Howlers searched Paris for Gabe, but wound up being caught by a Nazi patrol. Gabe himself came to their rescue, along with the singer Carla Swain, whom he had rescued from the Germans.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#57) - As the Howlers sweltered in a terrific heat, Koenig fixed the fan in their barracks, only to have to fight his teammates for a chance to use it. Sawyer sent the Howlers to rescue Jim Morita and his squad from Prison Camp 13, deep within Germany. The Howlers allowed themselves to be captured so that they could engineer a mass breakout, but they learned that there was an informer within the camp. They released false information to mislead the Nazis, and succeeded in their breakout. They finally exposed the informer as Bodenschatz, a Nazi spy. Bodenschatz gave himself away when he refused to share Gabe's canteen.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#58) - The Agent of 1,000 Faces disguised himself as actor John Barrywell in order to ambush Dino Manelli and use him as bait in an attempt to destroy the Howling Commandos, but the Howlers overcame the Agent and his men.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#59) - Koenig and the other Howlers were finally reunited with Cohen, who had been freed from the Japanese by the Leatherneck Raiders. Shortly afterwards, when Fury was challenged to a duel with Colonel Klaue, Dugan had Koenig fly him to the rendezvous to spare Fury.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#60) - Dugan was court-martialed, and Koenig testified on his behalf, recalling the training Dugan had put him through when he first joined the Howling Commandos. Regardless, "Sawyer" was determined to throw the book at him. Dugan was found guilty, but Fury realized that "Sawyer" was an imposter because his eyes were the wrong color. He exposed him as the Agent of 1,000 Faces, causing a reversal of the court's decision on Dugan. The Agent of 1,000 Faces offered himself as a trade for Sawyer, but the Howlers were determined to rescue Sawyer themselves.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#61) - Captain Flint directed the Howlers to the location where Captain Sawyer was being held. By the time the Howlers arrived, Sawyer had managed to free himself, and they returned to England together.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#63) - The Howlers received a new member, Jerry Larkin, an old friend of Manelli's. Larkin joined them for a mission to destroy a German submarine pen. Fury was injured by a sniper during the trek to the site, and Larkin began increasingly to take charge and shoulder risks. Cohen set off explosives that destroyed the pens, but Larkin was shot by a Nazi as he fled the explosion. After he died, Manelli told the others that Larkin had cancer, which was why he took so many risks.

(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#11) - The Howling Commandos teamed up with the Leatherneck Raiders to storm a Japanese island and rescue the scientist Terry Reiker. During the trek through the jungle to reach the castle, the Leathernecks member Lee Baker was killed by a sniper, reminding the Howlers of "Junior" Juniper's death.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#64) - The Howlers and Leathernecks continued their mission, and broke into the castle to rescue Terry Reiker. She turned out to be an American who was extremely anti-war and had unrealistic views of the Japanese being pro-peace. In the course of breaking her out she seemed to begin to understand the necessity of the war. She was killed in a protest rally shortly after her rescue.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#65) - Koenig seemingly defected back to the Nazis and allied himself with Gerta Heinz. He was assigned to capture Sgt. Fury. He sent Nazi agents to kidnap Ilsa and Dino then them to bring Fury to Ilsa's hotel. Koenig managed to take Fury captive and escape.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#66) - Koenig presented Sgt. Fury to Hitler himself as they prepared to have him publicly executed, but Fury escaped in an air raid. He was aided by German underground member Coral Liebowitz (secretly Eric's lover), but Eric continued to pursue them, seemingly a loyal Nazi.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#67) - When the actor Oscar Fruend made an attempt on Hitler's life, Eric saved him, just as Fury, Coral, and the Maulers all burst on to the scene. Bull McGiveney didn't realize that Eric was a traitor, and Eric was able to escape them with the help of Coral, as the two lovers acknowledged that he would have to maintain his charade until the Nazis were defeated.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#70-71 - BTS) - Koenig piloted a German plane to a bridge in France where the Howling Commandos and Missouri Mauraders were trying to destroy it. He destroyed the bridge, and flew away without anyone realizing who he was.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#77) - Koenig was suspected of having destroyed the bridge, and placed under guard in a farmhouse until his loyalties could be made certain. When the Howling Commandos came to capture him, he broke loose, fearing that they would kill him. He and Fury got into a scuffle and Fury stole his papers, but the Howlers new member Sgt. Hans Klaus broke up their fight for fear that Fury would kill Eric. Eric escaped.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#78) - Koenig was placed in a cell for suspicion of being a traitor. Sgt. Klaus managed to have himself placed in Eric's cell and told him that Coral was being held by Baron Johann von Braun, and he helped break him out and join up with the Howlers to stop von Braun. They succeeded, but Koenig was returned to England only to face a court martial.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#79) - Each of the Howlers were brought in to testify at Koenig's trial, and he was finally cleared of all charges. Fury was outraged, but Captain Sawyer explained that he had gone undercover for the Allies. On their next mission to destroy a Nazi base in a castle in the Bavarian Alps, Fury assigned Koenig to remain behind and takes pictures of the castle for intelligence while the others went in. Koenig knew that it was a sign that Fury didn't trust him. As they were climbing down to the castle, they were spotted by the Nazis and fired on. Koenig came to their rescue in a German plane he had stolen and he bombed the castle. Koenig asked Fury to trust him again, and Fury finally gave in, and officially welcomed Eric back to the Howling Commandos.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#81) - Former college All-American quarterback Fred Jones joined the Howlers. On a mission to capture Eva Braunat a French chateau, Jones was shot in the leg by Colonel Kritzberg. Braun got away, but Jones captured Kritzberg's plans. However, Jones lost his leg to the injury, removing him from the Howlers, and also meaning he could never return to football.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#83-84) - When the Maulers' newest member, former wrestler "Man-Mountain" McCoy joined the base's wrestling competition, Fury convinced Dugan to join and bring him down. However, the two wrestlers were captured by the Agent of 1,000 Faces, and the Howlers and Maulers joined forces to rescue them. By the end of their ordeal, Dugan and McCoy had become friends, and refused to fight each other in the ring.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#88) - As General Patton and Field Marshal Montgomery competed to reach Messina first, Reb and Pinky came to blows, each one standing up for his country. The Howlers wound up helping Patton's forces take Messina, and by the end Reb and Pinky had overcome their grudge.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#90) - The Howlers waited for Gabe at a pub, unaware that Gabe had been kidnapped by a Nazi.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#92 (fb)) - Sawyer assigned Tom Tanaka to assist the Howlers on a mission to expose and destroy a German medical base being used as a cover for a missile development site.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#92) - The Howlers and Tanaka captured Germans escorting Japanese ambassador Ihetu and used their clothes. Ihetu committed seppuku, and Tanaka took his clothing. Koenig and Tanaka masqueraded their way into the base, and Tanaka obtained photographic proof of the missiles and destroyed the base. On their way to a rendezvous, Tanaka was killed in a firefight with the Germans. When Fury went to tell Tanaka's parents of his death, he was horrified to learn that they lived in an American internment camp.

(Captain America Annual#9/2 (fb)) <1944, April> - The Howlers were sent to rescue Howard and Maria Stark from the Red Skull's castle in Germany, and were aided by Captain America and Bucky. Reb suffered from a bout of panic when some Nazis nearly got him, but Captain America helped him overcome his fears, and they succeeded in the mission. Koenig piloted their escape plane.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Annual#4) <1944, December 16-25> - The Howlers got into another bar brawl with the Maulers, then were sent out to Belgium where they fought in the "Battle of the Bulge." At one point they were captured by American soldiers who accused them of being German infiltrators, but Koenig exposed their captors as the true Germans in disguise and beat them. At one point, they and other soldiers were caught and "executed" by the Germans, but the Howlers all managed to fake their deaths until the Germans left. They celebrated Christmas during the battle.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#94) - The Howlers were assigned to evacuate a German town before an airstrike destroyed a nearby missile base. However, Fury and Koenig learned from the town's obermeister that there were no missiles, and the Nazis were trying to smear the Allies by tricking them into destroying the town. Fury and Koenig were held captive by the obermeister's Nazi son, but managed to escape, too late to warn the townspeople. Bombers, including Herbie and Hawkeye, demolished the town. Fury was left badly wounded and unconscious.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#96) - Dugan assumed command of the Howlers and began a long trek through German territory to the coast. When they ran into a patrol, they positioned themselves by a cliffside to use the rocks as cover. Koenig suggested that someone depart so that the world would know what happened at the town. Dugan agreed, and ordered Koenig to go. Koenig found another town hit by the airstrike, and began to search for survivors.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#97) - As Koenig continued to search he was set upon by Nazis, and they took him prisoner.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#106 (fb) - BTS) - Eric eventually got away from the Nazis and returned to the Howling Commandos.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#106, 108) - The Howlers were sent to rescue prisoners being sent to Dresden on a train, but they wound up heading to Dresden themselves to attempt a mass evacuation of prisoners and civilians before the Allies bombed the city. Koenig was especially moved by his people's plight.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#110) - Anti-war reporter C. Thomas Sites was invited by Dugan to accompany the Howlers in the field. He did, and after seeing children murdered by the Nazis, his attitudes changed.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#112, 114) - While on a mission in Africa, the plane the Howlers were aboard was fired on, and Fury was lost, believed dead. He wound up in the clutches of Baron Strucker, who was testing out a new drug, and exposed Fury to it. Fury was overwhelmed by hallucinations. Although the Howlers realized he was alive and saved him, Fury was seemingly completely gone, mentally.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#115) - Learning that the psychiatrist Irving Levine could help restore Fury's sanity, the Howlers went on an unauthorized mission to rescue him from a German prison camp. They succeeded, and Fury was soon fit for duty.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#116) - Fury was taken off the Howlers to help train Larry Freese, Russ Talbert, James MacReedy and Lon Wilcox, but eventually returned to the Howling Commandos.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#117) - Fury put the Howlers through intensive training to prove that he was over his ordeal with Strucker. Later, Koenig attended the funeral of Jones' old friend Danny "Drummer" Bellaman.

(Avengers 1959#5) - In 1959 US State Department agents Eric Koenig and Dum-Dum Dugan were sent to Hassenstadt, Latveria by Nick Fury and Powell McTeague to save Wakandan ruler T'Chaka, who had been kidnapped by Geoffrey Sydenham's Icon operation...presumably by Dieter Skul, who had been stationed in Latveria. They got T'Chaka back to Wakanda, giving the US an advantage in future negotiations with the technologically advanced African nation.