Baron Ironblood plans to conquer the world with his huge army of brainwashed fanatical Red Shadows. Standing in his way is the multinational Action Force, divided into four branches - infantry unit Z-Force; special operations unit SAS Force; naval unit Q-Force; and space unit Space Force.
Based on the Palitoy toyline of the same name, derived from Action Man. Changes in the toyline saw Cobra from G.I. Joe take over as primary villains from 1985. The series ended when the licence was transferred to Marvel UK, who rebooted Action Force with their own series in 1987.[2]
Codenamed The Black Crow, a British secret agent carries out perilous missions in German-held Europe while Gestapo officer Major Klaus von Steutsel attempts to stop him.
Orphan Danny Budd has been reluctantly raised by his unpleasant uncle. He enlists in the Royal Marines where he is picked on because of his small physique, but remains determined to prove himself.
Carver
A British military policeman investigates a murder in 1941 North Africa.
During the Allied campaign in Italy in 1943 American Captain Brad Clash - a former Hollywood stuntman and speedway driver - is sent to join a British infantry platoon in order to observe their tactics and methods.
Fighting the German invasion of Norway in 1940, Private Robert Steele is first torched by flamethrowers and then got frostbite. Unable to even pull the trigger of a gun, he fights on against the Nazis with just a bayonet.
The story was a late replacement, and Finley-Day would later reflect it "wasn't the greatest strip".[6]
After his gun jams on a mission and his unit are massacred, Commando Joe Dixon is drummed out of the regiment and assigned to the non-combatant Pioneers.
New recruit Ben Bradley is framed as a coward in 1942 Burma after an incident that leaves him with a c-shaped scar on his forehead. Condemned to death, he escapes the firing squad and sets out to prove his innocence.
Captain Kermit Keller of the United States Army Signal Corps doesn't let anything get in the way of his destination, driving his jeep Scoot 3 through any Germans who try to hinder him.
British army sergeant Steve Dawson is wounded on the D-Day beaches by a bullet that is lodged near his heart, sealing his eventual doom. However, the doctor that diagnoses the injury is then killed and Dawson re-joins his unit with no one else aware of his terminal condition, having decided to fight with his platoon until the end.
The two runs were reprinted in Battle between 18 September 1982 and 22 October 1983 and 7 January to 5 May 1984, respectively.
Commander 'Shiny' Knight is given command of the destroyer HMS Sword. Initially his particular ways and high standards seem set to rub the crew the wrong way but he soon proves to be an inspirational and fearless leader.
Britain's top secret agent - Mike Nelson of the Special Operations Executive, codenamed The Eagle - parachutes into occupied France in 1943. His mission is to kill Adolf Hitler.
In 1939, German paratrooper Paul Fallman is demoted back to private after his father is executed for treason, and becomes determined to restore honour to his family name.
A veteran US Marine Colonel embarks on an unauthorised mission in the Vietnam War to locate his son - a Navy pilot who has gone missing and has been accused of desertion.
Reprinted in Battle 24 January 1987 to 23 January 1988.[1] Collected by Titan Comics in August 2016 as part of Garth Ennis Presents: Battle Classics Volume Two.[8]
James Finch is captain of a replica of Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind that sets sail in 1937 aiming to circumnavigate the world to commemorate the 360th anniversary of Drake's 1577 voyage. The ship is still at sea when the war breaks out in 1939. Finch disobeys an order to return to Britain, and instead decides to complete the voyage.
A Wehrmacht General, due to be executed for treason, spends his final hours describing his wartime experiences to the sympathetic guard outside his cell.
The story was collected in Garth Ennis Presents: Battle Classics by Titan Comics in 2014.[9]
Major Jeb Rider is in an American tank unit battling Germans in North Africa, and pins the blame for his rash actions during battle on the group's dead commanding officer. However, Tank-Sergeant Steve Hilts knows the truth of events.
Reprinted in Battle 23 August 1986 to 17 January 1987.[1] Finley-Day would later relate that Rider was partly inspired by George Patton.[10]
At the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, the crew of the British Royal Navy Corvette HMS Nightshade protect Allied supply convoys from German U-Boats.
Reprinted in Battle 28 September 1985 to 16 August 1986.[1] Two pages of each episode were inked by Tiner to enable Western to keep to a four-page weekly schedule, though Western was not keen on the approach.[10] The story was collected in Garth Ennis Presents: Battle Classics by Titan Comics in 2014.[9]
A pair of secret agents, Ned Hare and Larry Fox, battle threats to national security whilst maintaining their cover as actors in a TV show where they also play secret agents.
British fighter pilot Johnny "Red" Redburn starts flying for the Russians in a Hawker Hurricane fighter. Later, Redburn flies with the RAF and USAAF in England before returning to the Eastern Front in a Hawker Typhoon nicknamed The Red Death.
Reprinted in Battle 24 January 1987 to 23 January 1988 and Eagle 30 January to 14 October 1988.[1] Four collected editions of the strip were issued by Titan Comics between 2010 and 2016.[12]
British pilot Dave 'Lofty' Banks speaks fluent German, and is shot down over Occupied Europe in 1943. He escapes from a POW camp and assumes the identity of a dead German pilot. Lofty ends up serving in the Luftwaffe, working to sabotage his squadron from within.
Reprinted in Battle 17 October 1987 to 23 January 1988. In June 2018 a complete reprint of the story was included as a bonus supplement with Judge Dredd Megazine #379.[1]
With his shaggy hair, Bentley and laidback attitude the anti-authoritarian Major Eazy seems an unlikely soldier - until he goes into action.
Reprinted in Battle 2 July to 22 October 1983.[1]Titan Comics collected the first batch of strips as Major Eazy: Heart of Iron in 2010,[13] with the same material issued by Rebellion Developments as Major Eazy: The Italian Campaign in 2021.[14]
Major Taggart of the British Army recruits four condemned soldiers - burly Cypriot Kabuk 'The Turk' Hasan, safe cracker Ronald Weasel, Scots powerhouse Ian "Scarface" Rogan and Commando Matthew Dancer - for near-suicidal missions in return for a chance of freedom.
The first batch of stories were collected by Titan Comics in 2010 as Rat Pack: Guns, Guts & Glory.[17]
After a spat with green but well-connected Lieutenant Flashley, Bill Saxon is busted down from sergeant to the ranks. The platoon still respect him however and he must do all he can to stop Flashley's inexperience from getting them all killed.
Lieutenant Otto Skreamer is a ruthless and cruel Junkers Ju 87 pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II. Jimmy Fletcher, a young British boy, loses his father to Skreamer in the Dunkirk evacuation and vows revenge on the dive-bomber pilot.
As the Allies liberate France in 1944, Cockney loudmouth Arnie Sharp's cowardice gets most of his unit killed, but circumstances see him incorrectly recognised as a hero. Only his badly-injured childhood acquaintance Sammy Little survives with knowledge of the truth.
The Mole commands anti-terrorist unit Storm Force - consisting of Storm, Stiletto, Magnus, Griffin, Mikron and Porcupine - against foes including Tarantula and the Web Masters.
After a Luftwaffe kills civilians on the street of their home town, the staff of First Division football team Barchester United sign up for the war effort.
After escaping a POW camp on a captured German motorcycle, dispatch rider Nick "Bullet" Carter is equipped with a custom Zundapp 750 bike and carries out crucial scouting missions for British Intelligence.
Tom 'Truck' Turpin, a British trucker, drives a Kenworth rig across the United States during the Seventies, accompanied by his co-driver & sidekick 'Jacknife'.
In the Westarr Complex planetary system, Star Marshall Colt Lazeor and his allies Alpha Cody and Buck Meteor keep order against the outlaw Blackstarr and his minions.
Cowardly British soldier Jack Loot hungers for gold in the North African desert war.
Notes
1 2 Due Battle not crediting creators until 1981 and incomplete records, credits may not be exhaustive
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