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"DEAD-EYE" DERRICK

Real Name: Sgt. "Dead-Eye" Derrick (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Normal human (World War II era)

Occupation: Flying Sergeant, U.S. Marines

Group Membership: United States Marine Corps

Affiliations: Fellow U.S. Marines, notably his eight-man squadron ("Fixer" Finnigan, others)

Enemies: Imperial Japanese military

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Dead-Eye

Base of Operations: Mobile in the Pacific Ocean war region

First Appearance: Marines at War#5/4 (April, 1957)

Powers/Abilities: "Dead-Eye" Derrick is a trained flying sergeant of the U.S. Marines and a skilled pilot who has combat experience.

Height: 5'9" (by approximation)
Weight: 155 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Dark brown(?)
Hair: Ginger

History:

(Marines at War# (fb) - BTS) - During WWII, "Dead-Eye" Derrick and his squadron of fellow U.S. flying sergeants in their Grumman F6F Hellcats were assigned to destroy enemy anti-aircraft guns on the Japanese-held tiny island of Atsui Atoll.

(Marines at War) - The eight flying Marines succeeded in their mission with no losses. About to fly back to base, they saw the Japanese soldiers surrendering (although the Japanese had secretly called for bombers and troops). Dead-Eye landed first in a clearing while the others covered him. Finding no resistance, the other flying Marines landed too and found that the Japanese had used the island as a base to re-arm planes. However, small Japanese bombers quickly swooped in and destroyed all eight Hellcats. Expecting Japanese forces to follow to counter any Marines taking the island, Dead-Eye had fellow flying sergeant and excellent engineer "Fixer" Finnigan piece together three working Hellcats from remnants in the wreckage. A week later, the Japanese forces approached and the flying Marines took off armed with recovered Japanese bombs, quickly shooting down the clumsy bombers, then hitting the undefended transport ships. The surviving Japanese quickly retreated while Dead-Eye and his fellow pilots landed with low fuel. When the U.S. Marines later arrived to occupy the island, the commanding officer congratulated them, stating that the war needed more flying sergeants.

Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Cal Massey.

It doesn't seem like Atsui Atoll exists in the real world. "Atsui" in Japanese translates to "hot" in English.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Dead-Eye Derrick has no known connections to:

"Fixer" Finnigan

"Fixer" Finnigan was a member of "Dead-Eye" Derrick's squadron of eight flying Marine sergeants piloting Grumman Hellcats. They achieved their mission to eliminate enemy anti-aircraft guns on Atsui Atoll but chose to land when the Japanese soldiers surrendered. However, the Japanese had secretly called for help and bombers destroyed the Hellcats. Expecting more Japanese forces, Fixer pulled together undamaged parts from the wreckage and put together three planes that the flying Marines then flew against the Japanese forces a week later. When U.S. Marine foot soldiers arrived to occupy the island, the team were congratulated for their ingenuity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Marines at War#5/4

images: (without ads)
Marines at War#5/4, p3, pan2 (main image)
   p5, pan7 (headshot)
   p1, pan1 (Dead-Eye's Hellcat plane)
   p5, pan6 (Fixer)

Appearances:
Marines at War#5/4 (April, 1957) - uncredited writer, Cal Massey (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 10/12/2021
Last updated: 10/12/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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