Real
Name: Winston S. Quaill WINSTON S. QUAILL (EARTH 331/3)
Real
Name: Winston S. Quaill
Identity/Class: Extradimensional / alternate reality (Earth-333333333 a.k.a. "Earth-331/3") human (U.K. citizen)
Occupation: Gardener, secret agent, radio broadcaster
Group Membership: MI5 (see comments)
Affiliations: Neville Chamberlain, Fritz Daschundkicker, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering, Lord Haw Haw, Mr. T (see comments)
Enemies: Adolf Hitler, Baron Knuckleduster, Blizten, Donner
Known Relatives: Unidentified mother
Aliases: Adolf Hitler (not by his choice)
Base of Operations: London
First Appearance: Forces in Combat#12 (24th July 1980)
Powers/Abilities: Winston has no powers, unless you count the ability to miss the obvious. He thinks he can sing, tap dance and do card tricks; the jury is out on whether he is correct.
Height: 5'10" (see comments)
Weight: 150 lbs. (see comments)
Eyes: Blue (see comments)
Hair: Black
History:
(Forces in Combat#12) - British citizen Winston S.
Quaill bore an uncanny resemblance to German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, though
he had somehow remained unaware of this (or who Hitler even was).
(Forces
in Combat#26) - In 1939 Winston lived in London with his
mother...
(Forces in Combat#13) - but he was visiting Ramsgate on
the English south coast the day World War II was declared.
(Forces in Combat#12) - Winston became the first casualty of the war when he was struck by a large bundle of newspapers thrown out of the back of a delivery truck. Checking out the front page of the bundle he noted the declaration of war and a picture of Adolf declaring the dictator a wanted man. Thinking the face somehow familiar, Winston continued his walk along the pier, staring at the paper trying to figure out where he had seen the man in the photo before. Concentrating on trying to figure this conundrum out, he failed to notice the soldier, sailor and two policemen who had spotted him and assumed he was Adolf, at least until they grabbed him and hoisted him up a flagpole at the end of the pier, ignoring his cries for a lawyer or his mother. His confused request that someone explain to him what was going on were ignored by his captors, too busy celebrating having (to their mind) won the war. Luckily for Winston, help was on the way; over in occupied France Hermann Goering had been watching through a telescope and now, witnessing "the Fuhrer" tied up a pole, was determined to rescue him!
(Forces in Combat#13) - As his four captors held hands and danced round the flagpole the still confused Winston struggled to figure out what the fuss was about. Moments later a German bomber flew overhead, opening its undercarriage so Hermann Goering could be lowered out upside down with other passengers holding him by his boots while he began cutting the ropes binding Winston. Since this took a few passes of the plane, the British soldier and sailor who had helped capture Winston had time to climb the flagpole in an attempt to thwart the rescue, and managed to grab Winston's legs just as Hermann took hold of his arms. They formed an impromptu human daisy chain until Feldwiebel managed to fly them low enough over a house that the two unwanted interlopers struck the chimney and lost their grip on Winston. However, when Feldwiebel then had the plane make a u-turn towards Germany with Hermann and Winston still hanging below the aircraft, Hermann's feet popped out of his boots. Luckily for Winston and Hermann they didn't have too far to fall; unluckily this was because they were flying above London's Trafalgar Square at the time and so landed atop Nelson's Column, 169 feet above the ground. Despite this predicament Winston was relieved, as he knew their was an underground station nearby where he could catch a train home...once they managed to get down.
(Forces in Combat#14) - Despite being stuck atop Nelson's Column, Hermann promised he would get "mein Fuhrer" safely home to "the Fatherland." Trying to clear up the misunderstanding, Winston told Hermann his actual name, but Hermann laughed raucously, assuming this was merely the Fuhrer joking around. Calming down, Hermann queried how they could get themselves down, and was impressed by Winston's "genius" solution - yelling for help as loud as he could. This brought a fireman to their rescue, but when he started to recognize them, Hermann dumped their would-be rescuer atop the Column and leapt atop the ladder, dragging a protesting Winston in his wake. Without even bothering to descend the ladder Hermann commandeered the vehicle by threatening to shoot the driver down below and demanding he and Winston be taken to the Reichstag (German parliament); mishearing this as Righthag, the name of a nearby new nightclub, the driver took a shortcut through Downing Street, driving so fast that the ladder snapped off, flinging Winston and Hermann through the skylight of Number 10 Downing Street to land on the Prime Minister as he lay in bed.
(Forces in Combat#15) - While Hermann sat whistling and
trying to look innocent, Winston tried to explain their presence to a
confused Prime Minister before admitting he had no clue what was going
on either. Luckily a distraction came in the form of Chamberlain's
butler, Dimwiddy, who entered the bedroom to remind the PM that he was
due at the Royal Fancy Dress Ball (costume party for the Americans
in the audience). A relieved Chamberlain jumped to the conclusion
that this explained why two apparent Nazis were in his room, and Winston
accepted the PM's apology for mistaking for one while still oblivious to
why he had thought this to begin with. As the PM donned his own costume
he offered the pair a lift to the ball; Winston protested that he didn't
have a costume, then mused that if he could get hold of a bowler hat he
could go as Charlie Chaplin. After sharing a trandem (three-seater
bicycle) to the Mall, the trio entered the party, and
Winston began looking for the King, hoping to get the monarch's
autograph for his mum. Unable to spot him, Winston commented that his
mother would have his head if he didn't get the autograph...oblivious to
someone behind him holding an axe menacingly aloft.
(Forces in Combat#17) - As Winston continued to fret that
his mum would slay him if he didn't secure a signed photo of the King,
the axe swung down...and gently tapped him on the shoulder. Turning,
Winston saw a man in full plate armor who asked if he had the time. When
Winston informed him it was six minutes to eleven the man emerged from
behind the curtains that had partially obscured him, revealing a
swastika on his surcoat, and fired a flare gun out the window. Watching
a zeppelin adorned with swastikas and Tatzenkreuz descending, the ever
clueless Winston wondered what they were advertising; even when the
armored man was joined by two dwarfs in Nazi uniform and declared at
gunpoint to the partygoers that they were the Fuhrer's "knuckle-dusting"
squad, Winston only managed to reach the outraged conclusion that they
were gatecrashers. The armored intruder, Baron Knuckleduster, announced
his intention to kidnap the French President, and upon learning that he
was in the wrong country to do this, decided to leave. As the zeppelin
began to ascend, Hermann grabbed Winston and leapt for the zeppelin's
basket, declaring this a chance to hitch a ride back to the Fatherland
and ignoring Winston's protests that the party hadn't even served dinner
yet.
(Forces in Combat#18) - With
Winston and Hermann hanging from a ballast rope below the basket,
weighing the zeppelin down, Baron Knuckleduster rejected Hermann's
claim to be his Fuhrer and Field Marshal and had Blitzen cut the
rope. As the pair began to plummet Winston told Hermann to look on
the bright side, noting they didn't have far to fall...until he
realized they were above a deep well. However Winston was lucky on
two counts: there was no water at the bottom, so he didn't get wet,
and Hermann was below him and landed first, providing Winston with
someone soft to land on. Moments later the tip of a pick-axe pierced
the well floor, and a German sapper, Fritz Daschundkicker, emerged.
Upon spotting Winston he became confused, wondering if he had
accidentally dug his way into the Fuhrer's bunker, and explaining
that he had been tasked with digging a secret Channel tunnel for the
German army's surprise attack on England. Missing the point as
always, Winston responded that he liked surprises, just before
Hermann shoved him into the tunnel, still determined to get "Adolf"
back to Berlin. As the trio proceeded down the tunnel Fritz warned
his visitors to be quiet, as they were now beneath the Thames River
and he didn't want the River Police to hear them. Astonished to
think that there were tons of water above them, Winston tapped the
pick axe against the tunnel roof, which immediately sprang a leak.
Propelled by the force of the torrent, the trio were fired back out
the well, launched into the air atop a water spout, and were
immediately spotted by Neville Chamberlain, who had apparently been
looking for them.
(Forces in Combat#19) - Chamberlain congratulated Winston
and Hermann on capturing a Nazi, and as Fritz was led away by the police
the PM introduced the pair to Mr. T, the head of MI5, who asked them to
join his department, the SS. Clarifying for the confused Winston who
thought this meant the Secret
Seven, Mr. T explained that the Security Service needed men like
them and gave them their first mission, investigating rumors of Nazis
infiltrating the BBC. As Mr. T handed him a thick bundle of Top Secret
orders, Winston inquired what the pay was like, but Mr. T ignored this
query in favor of instructing them which bus to catch to get to
Broadcasting House, and to eat the orders on the way, which Winston
didn't relish. Arriving at their destination, identifiable by the
swastika flag hanging outside, Winston wondered aloud what was making
MI5 think that the BBC had been infiltrated by Nazis. Declaring that
some folk would believe anything, the oblivious Winston walked past the
doorman's Hitlergruß and shout of Seig Heil, and entered the building
with Hermann. They headed to the Director General's office, but as
Hermann knocked on the door Winston was distracted by a tapping coming
from a nearby broom closet. Opening it, Winston was shocked to to see
two tuxedoed men tied up within, while Hermann was stunned as Joseph
Goebbels emerged from the DG's office to warmly greet both him and
"Adolf," declaring their arrival a pleasant surprise.
(Forces in Combat#20) - Hermann warmly greeted Goebbels,
and when Winston asked if their new acquaintance realized there were two
little old men tied up in the cupboard, Goebbels kicked the door shut on
the captives and laughingly informed Winston that they were just the
drama department rehearsing a new play. Initially incredulous that they
would use the broom closet for such a thing, Winston was distracted from
this chain of inquiry by the offer of a nice cup of tea and a crumpet.
In his office Goebbels explained how he had infiltrated the BBC after
answering an advert for a dishwasher last Sunday, and now had risen to
the top through a lot of hard work and the help of a squad of Waffen SS.
Noting that it was still only Tuesday (see comments), Winston
noted that Goebbel's mother must be proud of him. Stating that now he
was in charge it was time to launch the propaganda service, Goebbels
informed Winston that it was time for his first broadcast to the British
people. Flustered at the idea of being on the wireless, Winston
suggested he could do his Christmas party piece, and brandished some
cards, asking the two perplexed Nazis to pick one, any one, then
switched to his Fred Astaire impression, tap dancing atop his chair
while badly singing "Putting on my top hat," prompting Hermann to
whisper conspiratorially but sadly to Goebbels about the strains of
office. Winston's performance was cut short as a bazooka poked in
through the open office window, and as Winston tumbled backwards off his
chair in shock a voice shouted instructions that "Nobody move!"
(Forces
in Combat#21) - Quivering in fear, Winston wondered if the
bazooka was a response to his library books being overdue, but
became relieved when the new arrival proved to be Baron
Knuckleduster again, still hunting for the French President.
Hermann literally booted him back into the zeppelin basket,
angrily pointing out that he was still in London, despite Donner
and Blitzen having mistaken Broadcasting House's giant TV aerial
for the Eiffel Tower. As they departed, Goebbels handed Winston
his script to read, which Winston hoped would be a comedy. His
inability to spot the obvious reaching new heights, Winston
happily read out over the radio the script's statement that
there was no way Britain could win the war and they should vote
to let Adolf rule the U.K. Finishing the broadcast, Winston
queried Goebbels' denial that what he had just read was a
comedy, but didn't have time to pursue this question as angry
pounding began at the studio door, accompanied by shouts of
"Smash the Jerries!" Goebbels swiftly led Hermann and Winston
through another door and up to the roof, where he had stored a
high tech flying car. As Winston expressed admiration that this
was "Just like Flash Gordon at the local Odeon," Goebbels
boasted that it was a superb example of Nazi technology and
pressed the starter button. Instantly the vehicle blew up,
leaving the trio sitting stunned and heavily scorched amidst the
wreckage, just as enraged Englishmen with bowlers and umbrellas
arrived, yelling their desire to lynch and quarter the Nazis.
(Forces in Combat#22) - The new arrivals were
perturbed by the apparent lack of Jerry blighters, mistaking
the soot-covered trio for a minstrel show. Playing along, the
two actual Nazis began singing; Winston was initially more
annoyed that the clothes shop's claim his suit wouldn't show
dirt was patently untrue, but eventually joined the chorus
just as the mob decided to redirect their search downstairs.
Once they had departed the trio escaped down the stairs and
onto the street, where despite their "disguises" Goebbels was
immediately recognized by the driver of a passing car. Luckily
for the Nazis, the motorist was "everybody's favorite
traitor," Lord Haw Haw. While Winston focused on the Lord part
of the description and, embarrassed, hastily cleaned himself
up, Haw Haw told the group to jump in his vehicle as he had
their latest orders. Lord Haw Haw informed them that "Old
Adolf's really flipped his wig this time" and had instructed
them to steal the Houses of Parliament brick by brick.
Glancing back Haw Haw noticed the now clean Winston and
panicked, believing the Fuhrer had just heard his insult, and
as he attempted a Heil Hitler salute while facing backwards in
the driver's seat the car crashed into Clocktower of the
Palace of Westminster. Taking the crash in good spirits, Haw
Haw glanced at the damage he had done to the building and
declared it a good start. Seeing they were at the Houses of
Parliament, Winston wondered if now would be a good time to
complain to his MP about his clogged drain, while an angry
police officer approached.
(Forces in Combat#23) - The police officer
belligerently informed the group that they couldn't park
there, but switched to a grovelling apology upon realizing
Haw Haw was a Lord. Meanwhile Winston glanced at the orders
Hitler had sent, noting that it said they were to shift the
Houses of Parliament to Berlin. He watched as Hermann began
wrapping individual bricks, intending to post them one at a
time until Goebbels pointed out they wouldn't fit through a
letterbox. With Haw Haw having made his farewells because he
was due to attend a talk in the House, the two Nazis decided
to instead start with the clocktower and take it down to the
docks. Seeing Hermann straining in an attempt to lift the
entire tower, Winston ran off and got a small cargo trolley,
pointing out they could use it to redistribute the tower's
weight. To ensure they didn't look suspicious pushing the
320 foot tower through the streets, Hermann disguised it
with swastika-adorned wrapping paper. Reaching the docks,
the two Nazis tried to feign innocence in order to pass
through customs, but Winston was distracted by the discover
his watch had stopped. Asking if anyone had the right time,
he got his answer as the clock began to loudly chime four.
(Forces in Combat#24) - His attention drawn
by the bongs, the customs agent pointed at the poorly wrapped tower
and asked what it was. To the two Nazis' horror Winston happily
explained it was Big Ben, and that they were taking it over to Berlin.
To Goebbels and Hermann's relief the customs agent began laughing at
this "joke"; as a confused Winston began to explain that it wasn't a
joke Hermann gagged him with a hand while Goebbels told the agent it
was just a grandfather clock bought as a souvenir for his Aunt Fanny.
When the customs agent noted it was rather large for a grandfather
clock, Hermann quickly amended this, insisting it was a
great-grandfather clock. Impressed, the customs agent asked the trio
to wait a minute while he got his antique loving friend Bert to have a
look, but when he let slip that Bert was in the River Police the trio
scarpered the moment his back was turned. Hearing the two Nazis
discussing the need to stash the tower somewhere until they had
arranged transport, Winston dropped it off in Waterloo Station's Lost
Luggage section, his quick thinking earning admiration from the Nazi
duo. Hermann announced they could finally relax for a while, prompting
Winston to suggest they take in a show, but overhead a German bomber
had just released its payload, and huge bomb was hurtling directly
towards Winston's head.
(Forces in Combat#25) - Still oblivious to the
explosive about to land on him, Winston read a report that singer
Vera Lynn was going down a bomb at Alexandra Palace.
(Forces in
Combat#26) - As the bomb neared, Winston heard its whistling and
turned in time to see it strike the ground behind him. Luckily it
was a bouncing bomb, and immediately rebounded back up into the
sky where it blew up the bomber that had dropped it. Moments later
Adolf Hitler himself flew overhead, intent on bombing London, but
due to a mix-up his plane was loaded with bathroom fittings. The
trio down below ducked into a Nazi Memorabilia shop to avoid the
falling baths, and Hermann spotted a German plane for sale. Happy
to have found the very thing needed to get back to Germany, the
two Nazis bundled Winston into the vehicle and flew it out the
shop window. As they ascended they clipped the tail of Hitler's
plane, slicing it off and causing him to crash in the garden of
Winston's mother's house, who mistook him for her son.
Comments: Created by Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett.
Winston Quaill's story was originally published across several issues of Marvel UK's weekly anthology Forces in Combat, which mostly featured reprints of Marvel U.S. stories under the umbrella theme of (you guessed it) groups in combat. However this theme was interpreted pretty loosely, allowing them to include Rom, Machine Man, Shang-Chi's Master of Kung-Fu, Rawhide Kid, Kull, Sergeant Fury, John Kowalski from War is Hell, the Golem from Strange Tales, and the non-Marvel Wulf the Briton all under this banner. The first four installments of I Was Adolf's Double were in color, but my issues of Forces in Combat are currently misplaced, so I've worked from the black and white reprint of the entire story from the Channel 331/3 Special.
Winston's story was the first to be set
on "Earth 331/3" though the world itself wasn't
identified until the Earth 331/3 strip began a few
months later in the UK version of Marvel Team-Up. Interestingly that
series predates the introduction of the team Earth-616, making Quinn and
Howett the first people (afaik) to number Marvel realities - though, of
course, DC was numbering realities years before this, was the
inspiration for numbering being used in Captain Britain's strip, and was
likely where Quinn and Howett first got the idea too. Since the Core
Continuum Designations used by the Handbooks don't allow for fractional
values (or decimals for that matter), the CCD number can't be 331/3;
instead it's 333333333, to echo how thirty three and a third would be
written in decimals.
Since he was "Adolf's double" I've assumed he was the same height, weight and eye color as the dictator.
It should be mentioned that all his Nazi affiliations would become enemies the moment they realized his true identity. He was not a pal with Nazis by choice.
Winston was recruited into the "Secret Service" by Mr. T, the head of MI5, and tasked with investigating Nazi infiltration of the BBC. The Secret Service is a blanket term for all of Britain's security agencies, while MI5 is specifically the Security Service; however, since Mr. T was in charge of MI5 and that agency is the one that handles security within Britain (and hence would be the one to investigate the BBC), presumably Winston joined MI5 rather than any of the other agencies, despite Mr. T's inexact job offer.
Okay, it's incredibly anal of me, I know, but after reading Winston declaring that it was Tuesday when he met Goebbels in Broadcasting House, I checked some 1939 dates and calendars. Britain declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939 at 1115 BST. While late editions of newspapers on the 3rd did carry this declaration, so did editions on the 4th, meaning that Winston being struck by newspapers mentioning the declaration in the first installment of the story could have happened on either day. After that most of the story happens in rapid succession, until Winston attends the Royal Fancy Dress Party. We're told Baron Knuckleduster invades the party just before 11; since a party is unlikely to start in the morning, this is presumably 11pm. By the time Winston and Hermann go from the party to the zeppelin to the tunnel and then to Broadcasting House, it's presumably gone past midnight and so into the next day, either the 4th or the 5th September 1939. And per 1939 calendars, the 5th was indeed a Tuesday!
Obviously the whole "Britain has only
just declared war" doesn't fit so well with Goering's claim in the first
installment that Germany has already smashed France, but given later
episodes establish Germany is still trying to kidnap the French
President it doesn't sound like France has already fallen; I guess
Goering was being premature in his declaration of victory. It's almost
like a humor strip featuring a double of Adolf Hitler and real world
senior Nazis bumbling around London encountering increasingly silly
situations wasn't trying very hard to be historically accurate.
Why was Hitler's plane loaded with
bathroom fittings? That was the result of Hitler mistaking one Fred
Bootlicker, bathroom suite manufacturer, for his lookalike, the German
Munitions Minister, and so calling out instructions to load his private
plane to the wrong man, all of which was shown in Forces in Combat#25,
hence why Winston's actions in that issue are so limited. However,
Hitler has further Earth-331/3 appearances in
another strip, The Concise History of the Galaxy, so he'll be getting
his own entry eventually, rather than being a subprofile in this one.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Winston S. Quaill has no known connections to:
(Forces in Combat#12) - Visiting the French coast, Hermann Goering declared that the Fatherland had smashed Poland and France (see comments), but when he glanced through a telescope towards England, he spotted what appeared to be Adolf Hitler (really lookalike Winston S. Quaill) being hoisted aloft on a flagpole on Ramsgate Pier. Enraged, Goering shouted at his subordinates that they must rescue him.
(Forces
in Combat#13) - Goering flew over the channel in a bomber and when
they reached Ramsgate he hung upside down out of the bomb bay doors
and cut Winston loose, but as he then grabbed Winston by the arms
and carried him off, a pair of British troops grabbed hold of
Winston's legs and were carried along too. They were soon dislodged
by flying low over a chimney, but when Goering then ordered the
pilot to make for Germany, the sudden directional change caused
Goering to fall out his boots, and both he and Winston landed atop
Nelson's Column.
(Forces
in Combat#14) - Goering reassured Winston that he would get him
safely back to Germany, and when Winston tried to tell him he was
not Goering's Fuhrer but Winston S. Quaill, Goering took this to be
a joke on "Adolf's" part. Winston's cry for help brought rescue in
the form of a fireman atop a ladder, but when the fireman recognized
the pair Goering acted swiftly, dropping the fireman atop the Column
and commandeering the fire truck at gunpoint, forcing the driver to
race off with both Winston and Goering still atop the raised ladder.
The strain caused it to break, flinging the pair through the
skylight of No.10, Downing Street, to land on the Prime Minister's
bed.
(Forces
in Combat#15) - Goering sat whistling, trying to act innocent as the
Prime Minister tried to process the sudden appearance of two famous
Nazis in his room, and luckily the PM found a plausible explanation
provided when his butler entered and reminded him he was due at a
Fancy Dress Ball. Concluding the two intruders were in costume, he
offered them a lift to the party. Once there Goering advised Winston
to play it cool, only to lose his temper and draw attention to
himself mere seconds later when another party attendee accidentally
stabbed him in the posterior with a halberd. In rage he identified
himself as a member of the Luftwaffe, then fearfully realized he had
given the game away, but the other party goers thought it was part
of his act, and presented him with first prize for his portrayal of
"Luftwaffe Loony."
(Forces in Combat#17) - Soon after Baron Knuckleduster and
his minions invaded the party intent on kidnapping the French
President, only to learn they were in the wrong country. Goering
tried to console them, suggesting they kidnap the Prime Minister
instead, but Knuckleduster rudely rebuffed the suggestion, calling
Goering a "Fatso" and shoving him away. As the invaders' zeppelin
began to ascend, Goering grabbed Winston and jumped for the
basket, seeing it as a way to return to the Rhineland.
(Forces in Combat#18) -
Knuckleduster noticed the pair hanging from the rope below
the basket, and, disbelieving Goering was who he said he
was, had his minions cut the rope. As Goering and Winston
fell, a final insult from Knuckleduster in their ears,
Goering swore he would have Knuckleduster's guts for garters
for his treachery. The plumeting pair went down an empty
well, where Goering's fall was broken by the hard ground,
while Winston's was broken by landing hard on the plump
Goering. To make matters even worse, Goering was then poked
in the rear by a pickaxe coming up through the ground,
heralding the arrival of German sapper Fritz Daschundkicker,
who had dug a secret channel tunnel for the Nazis to invade
England. Deciding this could be their route back to Germany,
Goering shoved Winston down the hole, but Winston soon
accidentally breached the ceiling, letting in the Thames,
and the group were propelled back out through the well by
the ensuing torrent of water.
(Forces in Combat#19) - Emerging,
the pair were spotted by the Prime Minister again,
and, after Fritz was arrested, the PM introduced
Winston and Goering to the head of MI5, Mr. T. He
recruited them to investigate rumors of Nazi
infiltration at the BBC, which proved to be true, as
they discovered Joseph Goebbels in the Director
General's office at Broadcasting House.
(Forces in Combat#20) - Goering listened
to Goebbels explain how he had taken over the
BBC and was now planning a propaganda service,
but their discussion was interrupted by a
bazooka that was poked through the office
window...
(Forces
in Combat#21) - ...by Baron Knuckleduster,
who believed he was now in France, having
mistaken Broadcasting House's giant
transmitter aerial for the Eiffel Tower.
Goering angrily booted the interloper back
out the window and across to his zeppelin,
declaring that the idiot would give the
Nazis a bad name. Goering then listened to
Winston make a public broadcast telling
the British to surrender to the Nazis,
which he sycophantically applauded.
As enraged Englishmen tried to invade the
studio, he and Winston then followed
Goebbels to the roof to escape in a Nazi
flying car, but it exploded, covering them
in soot, and leaving them to face the
tender mercies of their pursuers.
(Forces
in Combat#22) - Luckily the mob
mistook them for a minstrel show,
and Goering attempted to play along,
starting to sing Deutschland Uber
Alles before Geobbels shushed him
and switched them to another song.
Once the mob departed the trio fled
the building and accepted a lift
from the passing Lord Haw Haw, who
informed them they had new orders to
steal the Houses of Parliament, then
crashed his car into same.
(Forces
in Combat#23) - Seeking to
fulfill his new mission,
Goering suggested sending the
building to Germany a brick at
a time and began wrapping them
up to get them ready for the
last post of the day. Goebbels
chastised him for his
stupidity, pointing out that
the bricks would not fit
through a letterbox, and
suggesting they instead start
with the clocktower and
transport it to the docks.
Goering tried unsuccessfully
to lift the entire clocktower,
but they finally managed to
move it using a trolley
procured by Winston. When
Goebbels fretted that they
would be conspicuous wheeling
the building through town,
Goering disguised it using his
roll of wrapping paper. They
soon got to customs, where
Goering tried to feign
innocence, responding to a
query asking if he had
anything to declare with
"Nein." However the jig seemed
to be up when Big Ben began
chiming, drawing the customs
officer's attention to the
stolen clocktower.
(Forces in
Combat#24) - To both
Nazis' horror, Winston
told the agent the
truth, that they were
taking Big Ben to
Germany, but the customs
man dismissed this as a
joke. While Goering held
his hand over Winston's
mouth to prevent him
blurting anything else
out, Goebbels claimed it
was merely a grandfather
clock, and when the
agent pointed out it
seemed quite tall for
one of those, Goering
amended this to
great-grandfather clock.
This seemed to work, but
when the agent mentioned
fetching his
antique-loving policeman
friend, the trio ran for
it as soon as he was out
the room. Goering
wondered what they were
now going to do with the
tower, and Goebbels
suggested they stash it
safely away until
transport could be
arranged, inspiring
Winston to drop it off
at Waterloo Station's
Lost and Found. Goering
declared they could now
relax for a while,
unaware of a bomb
dropping towards them
from overhead.
(Forces in Combat#25) - As the bomb fell ever closer,
Winston mentioned that Vera Lynn was performing at Alexandra
Palace, exciting Goering, who admitted to being a fan.
(Forces in Combat#26) -
Luckily it was a bouncing bomb and rebounded back into the
air to destroy the German bomber that had dropped it.
Moments later another plane, flown by the real Adolf Hitler,
flew overhead and began dropping bathroom fittings. Ducking
into a Nazi Memorabilia shop to avoid the falling debris,
Goering spotted an airplane for sale and commandeered it to
get them back to Germany, flying himself, Goebbels and
Winston out through the shop window. As they ascended they
accidentally sliced Hitler's plane in half, causing him to
crash while they departed for the Fatherland.
--Forces in Combat#12 (Forces in Combat#13-15, 17-26
Feldwiebel was the pilot of the German bomber that flew Hermann Goering over the English Channel to Ramsgate to rescue Winston S. Quaill after he was hoisted aloft on the pier flagpole. After Quaill had been retrieved, Feldwiebel was ordered to return to Germany, so he pulled a sharp U-turn, and so inadvertently caused Goering to pop out of his boots and fall with Winston on top of Nelson's Column.
Comments: There were a trio of Nazis with Goering in Forces in Combat#12, and so it is possible Feldwiebel actually appeared first there, unidentified.
--Forces in Combat#13
(Forces in Combat#14) - Neville Chamberlain was in bed with his teeth out at No.10 Downing Street when Winston S. Quaill and Hermann Goering crashed through the skylight and landed on him.
(Forces in Combat#15) -
Complaining he couldn't even get five minutes peace in his own bed,
Chamberlain then gasped as he recognized the intruders as Goering
and "Hitler." Before he could react however his butler Dimwiddy
entered to remind him he was due at the Royal Fancy Dress Ball,
prompting a relieved Chamberlain to conclude that must be the
explanation for the apparent Nazis in his room. As Dimwiddy helped
Chamberlain into a caveman costume hired from Moss Bros., the PM
offered the two visitors a lift to the party, though the vehicle
proved to be a trandem bike, with Chamberlain sadly noting that cuts
had impacted on everyone.
(Forces in Combat#17) - When Baron Knuckleduster and his minions invaded the party intending to kidnap the French President, Chamberlain pointed out that their target was in France while they were in England. The Baron double checked if he was sure this was England, and Chamberlain confirmed he was positive about this.
(Forces in Combat#18) - Searching with MI5 boss Mr. T for Hermann and Winston, Chamberlain found them when they were shot out of the Buckingham Palace well by a spout of water.
(Forces in Combat#19) - Chamberlain identified the man with Hermann and Winston as a Nazi and had him arrested, then introduced the pair to Mr. T, and departed, presumably back to the party.
Comments: The strip
doesn't actually name him, merely calling him the Prime Minister,
but visually he is clearly Chamberlain, who was Prime Minister when
war was declared.
--Forces in Combat#14 (Forces in Combat#15, 17-19
Neville Chamberlain's elderly butler, Dimwiddy entered the PM's bedroom shortly after Hermann Goering and Winston S. Quaill came crashing in through the skylight to remind his master that he was due to attend the Royal Fancy Dress Ball at No.1, The Mall. Apparently oblivious to the presence of the intruders, he then helped Chamberlain get dressed into a caveman costume.
--Forces in Combat#15
(Forces in Combat#17 (fb) - BTS) - Baron Knuckleduster ran
the Fuhrer's personal knuckle-dusting t-shirt squad and was sent
to kidnap the French President. His zeppelin was piloted by his
two dwarf minions Donner and Blitzen, who ignored his instruction
to turn left at Belgium and so ended up taking them all to London,
England, instead of France. The Baron then went on ahead to locate
their target at the Royal Fancy Dress Ball, informing his minions
to await his signal at six minutes to eleven, when they were to
invade the party and take everyone hostage.
(Forces
in Combat#15) - At the party the Baron lurked behind some curtains,
and held his axe menacingly over the head of nearby Winston S.
Quaill.
(Forces in Combat#17) - Realizing
he didn't know the time the Baron tapped Quaill lightly on the
shoulder and asked if he knew it. Upon learning it was six minutes
to eleven the Baron fired a flare out of the window, and once his
minions arrived he introduced himself to the party goers and
informed them he was there to capture the French President. British
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain pointed out he was in the wrong
country, and, after confirming that Chamberlain was sure about this,
the Baron chastised his two minions with blows to their heads.
Hermann Goering, there with Quaill, suggested that the Baron could
instead kidnap the PM, but Knuckleduster told the "Fatso" not to
tell him his job, and ordered his minions back to their ship.
(Forces in Combat#18) - As the
zeppelin ascended, the Baron noticed that Goering and Quaill were
hanging on to one of the ballast ropes, and angrily demanded to know
what "Fatstuff" thought he was doing. When Goering told him that
they were the Baron's beloved Fuhrer and Field Marshal the Baron
dismissed this as a likely story and ordered Blitzen to cut the
rope, then warned them mockingly to "mind the step" as they started
to fall.
(Forces in Combat#21) - Still trying to reach France
the zeppelin next headed towards Broadcasting House, mistaking
its giant aerial for the Eiffel Tower.
(Forces in Combat#20) - The Baron
pointed a bazooka in the window of one of the upper offices of the
building and instructed those within to stay still.
(Forces in Combat#21) - The Baron
warned those within that they had them surrounded, then amended this
to "almost," then "not quite." Jumping into the office he announced
he was there to kidnap the French President, only to find Goering
and Quaill in the room, now accompanied by Goebbels. An annoyed
Goering kicked the Baron back across to the zeppelin, shouting that
he was still in London.
(Forces in Combat#26) - Donner, Blitzen and the Baron continued to fly the zeppelin around London, passing by Winston S. Quaill's house moments after Hitler crashlanded there.
--(arm only) Forces in Combat#15; (full) Forces in Combat#17 (Forces in Combat#18, 20-21, 26
(Forces
in Combat#17) - Donner and Blitzen were Nazi dwarfs who piloted
Baron Knuckleduster's zeppelin on his mission to kidnap the French
President.
(Forces
in Combat#17 (fb) - BTS) - They ignored his instruction to turn left
at Belgium, and so ended up over London rather than France. Once
they arrived the Baron went on ahead to a party to locate their
target while they waited in the zeppelin, hidden among the clouds.
(Forces in Combat#17) - Upon
seeing the Baron's flare the zeppelin descended and the pair
disembarked to hold the partygoers at gunpoint while the Baron
sought to identify their target. When he discovered they were
in the wrong country the Baron angrily hit both his minions on
the head, then ordered them to return to the zeppelin.
(Forces in Combat#18) - As the
zeppelin ascended Baron Knuckleduster noticed that Hermann Goering
and Winston S. Quaill were hanging on to one of the ballast ropes.
Disbelieving Goering's insistence that they were the Baron's beloved
Fuhrer and Field Marshal, the Baron instructed Blitzen to cut the
rope, which he eagerly did while Donner derisively declared the two
hangers-on looked more like Laurel and Hardy.
(Forces in Combat#21) - Donner and
Blitzen then piloted the zeppelin to Broadcasting House, mistaking
its gigantic aerial for the Eiffel Tower. The Baron jumped across
while the two minions observed from the zeppelin's basket, then after being corrected on their
location flew
the zeppelin away again once the Baron had reboarded the vehicle
(Forces in Combat#26) - Donner, Blitzen and the Baron continued to fly the zeppelin around London, passing by Winston S. Quaill's house moments after Hitler crashlanded there.
--Forces in Combat#17 (Forces in Combat#18, 21, 26
(Forces in Combat#17) - Fritz Daschundkicker was a German sapper ordered to dig a secret Channel Tunnel from occupied Europe to Ramsgate to facilitate the Nazi's surprise attack. However he emerged at the bottom of Ye Olde Buck House Wishing Well to find Herman Goering and Winston S. Quaill. Mistaking Quaill for Hitler, Fritz briefly assumed he'd gone off course and dug into Hitler's Berlin bunker. Goering commandeered the tunnel as a way of getting Quaill to Germany, but Quaill then managed to breach the tunnel roof under the Thames River, causing a rapid flood that fired all three men back out of the well riding atop a water spout, where they were spotted by Neville Chamberlain.
(Forces in Combat#18) - Unlike Goering or Hitler-lookalike Winston, Chamberlain instantly realized Fritz was a Nazi and had him arrested and taken away by the police.
--Forces in Combat#17 (Forces in Combat#18
The head of MI5, Mr. T was so used to speaking in code that he often did so in normal conversation, such as when Neville Chamberlain introduced him to Winston S. Quaill and Hermann Goering. He asked them both to join the Secret Service, then assigned them a mission investigating reports of Nazis infiltrating the BBC. After handing Winston a bundle of orders, he directed them towards the No.41 bus which would take them to Broadcasting House, reminded Winston to eat his orders, and wished them luck.
--Forces in Combat#18 (Forces in Combat#19
(Forces in Combat#20 (fb) - BTS)
- Goebbels was sent to England to infiltrate the BBC. On Sunday he
answered a BBC advert looking for a dishwasher to work at
Broadcasting House and with a lot of hard work and the help of a
squad of the Waffen SS by Tuesday he had risen to the top of the
corporation.
(Forces
in Combat#19) - He locked the Director General in a broom closet and
took over his office. Soon after this he had visitors and was
delighted to learn they were Hermann Goering and "Adolf Hitler"
(actually Winston S. Quaill).
(Forces in Combat#20) - When
Quaill asked who the two men in the broom closet were Goebbels
kicked the closet door shut on the captives and joked that they were
the Drama Department rehearsing a new play. He proceeded to explain
how he had taken over the BBC, and informed them that it was now
time to begin the propaganda service, starting with Adolf (Quaill)
making a broadcast to the British public. Their discussion was
interrupted however when a bazooka was pointed at them through the
office window...
(Forces in Combat#21) -
...heralding the arrival of the inept Baron Knuckleduster. Once
Goering had sent him on his way, Goebbels presented Quaill with a
script to read, which Quaill mistook for a comedy sketch. Within
moments of Quaill finishing reading the script on air, calling for
Britain's surrender, angry Englishmen began banging on the studio
door. Goebbels led Goering and Quaill through another exit to the
roof, where he had a Nazi flying car ready, but it blew up when he
tried to start it, leaving the trio stunned, blackened and at the
mercy of the Englishmen who had just reached the roof.
(Forces in Combat#22) - Luckily
the Englishmen mistook the trio for a minstrel show, and after
selling the idea by singing a few songs the trio were able to flee
the building. As they reached the street Goebbels confidently
predicted that no one would recognize them thus disguised, just
before a man in a passing car called out his name. However this
proved to be Lord Haw Haw, a British traitor working for the Nazis,
and he gave them a lift in his car while explaining he had their new
orders, instructions to steal the Houses of Parliament. Shocked to
discover he seemingly had Adolf Hitler in the car, Haw Haw crashed
it into the Houses of Parliament, and they all clambered out, shaken
but unhurt.
(Forces in Combat#23) - Goering
suggested wrapping individual bricks to be posted back to Germany,
but Goebbels derailed this suggestion, pointing out they wouldn't
fit through the letterbox. Goebbels suggested starting by stealing
just the Clocktower, and Quaill loaded it onto a trolley, allowing
them to transport it to the docks. Asked by customs if they had
anything to declare, Goering responded with "Nein," prompting
Goebbels to insist "Even less." However the jig looked like it might
be up when Big Ben suddenly chimed four o'clock, drawing the customs
agent's attention.
(Forces in Combat#24) - After the
agent mistook Quaill's honest answer that they were taking Big Ben
to Germany for a joke, Goebbels covered by claiming it was merely a
grandfather clock bought as a souvenir for his Aunt Fanny. When the
agent noted it was a bit big for a grandfather clock, Goering
amended the statement, saying it was a great-grandfather clock. This
seemed to work, until the agent said he was going to get his
policeman friend who was a fan of antiques. Fleeing while he was
doing so, Goebbels suggested they stash the building somewhere until
they could sort out transport. Quaill solved their dilemma by
leaving it at Waterloo Station's lost and found, an idea Goebbels
thought was so inspired that he praised Quaill saying if he kept it
up he would soon be leader of the First Reich, never mind the Third.
The trio set off to find somewhere to relax, oblivious to a bomb
dropping towards them.
(Forces in Combat#25) - The trio
continued to walk, unaware of the bomb falling above them.
(Forces in Combat#26) - The bomb bounced, taking out the plane that had dropped it, but as another plane began dropping bathroom fittings they were forced to seek shelter in a Nazi Memorabilia shop. Spotting a plane within, they used it to escape back to Germany.
--Forces in Combat#19 (Forces in Combat#20-26
(Forces
in Combat#22) - Having received orders direct from Adolf Hitler to
steal the Houses of Parliament and ship them back to Germany,
everybody's favorite traitor Law Haw Haw was driving to his target
when he spotted a soot-covered Joseph Goebbels emerging from
Broadcasting House with two similarly blackened compatriots. Lord
Haw Haw told them to jump in his car, and as he drove he explained
his mission, deriding Hitler's insane plan. However when he glanced
back he realized that one of his other passengers seemingly was the
Fuhrer (except that of course it wasn't), and in a panic he turned
in his seat to salute, causing them to crash into the Palace of
Westminster Clocktower. Climbing from the smashed car unscathed, Haw
Haw looked at the pile of bricks the impact had dislodged and
pronounced it a good start.
(Forces in Combat#23) - An angry policeman approached to tell them they were not allowed to park there, but Haw Haw produced his card, identifying himself. Immediately the cop became obsequious and backed off, and, after giving his car a quick polish with his sleeve, Lord Haw Haw told the others he would see them later and departed, informing them he was due in the House.
Comments: Lord Haw
Haw was a real world individual, William Joyce, who broadcast
pro-Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the war. Not an
actual member of the British peership, his posh accent was an
affectation for the radio.
--Forces in Combat#22 (Forces in Combat#23
When Adolf Hitler crashlanded his plane in her yard, Winston's mother mistook him for her son and shouted out the window, asking how his trip to Ramsgate had been and telling him he was just in time for a cuppa. Adolf however was terrified to be confronted by "an Englander battleaxe" and declared himself finished.
--Forces in Combat#26
images: (without ads)
all images from Channel 331/3 Special
p4, pan5 (main)
p4, pan3 (headshot)
cover (color image)
p4, pan10 (Hermann Goering)
p5, pan2 (Feldwiebel)
p7, pan5 (Neville Chamberlain)
p7, pan2 (Dimwiddy)
p12, pan2 (Baron Knuckleduster)
p8, pan5 (Donner and Blitzen)
p9, pan7 (Fritz Daschundkicker)
p10, pan3 (Mr. T)
p10, pan10 (Joseph Goebbels)
p13, pan7 (Lord Haw Haw)
p17, pan11 (Winston's mum)
Appearances:
Forces in Combat#12-15, 17-26 (24th July-21st August 1980, 4th
September-5th November 1980) - Tim Quinn (writer), Dicky Howett (art),
editor unrevealed
First Posted: 08/06/2020
Last updated: 08/06/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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