Schwachsinniger! Idiots! Fools! You didn't believe, did you -- you never truly accepted what I told you-- That I, Otto Freissel, was the true and only mastermind behind this-- The invincible fighting machine! You all mock me-- You all pretend to listen, but you close your minds as you've closed your ears! But now-- You must listen-- Now you must pay-- You must pay with your lives! 
- —Otto Freissel
Appearing in "The War Machine!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Nazis
- Afrika Korps
- Otto
- Fritz
- Desert Fox (Erwin Rommel)
- Otto Freissel (First appearance; dies)
- Heinrick
- Numerous unnamed soldiers
- Adolf Hitler (Mentioned)
- Afrika Korps
Other Characters:
- Napoléon Bonaparte (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earthspace (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Africa (Main story and flashback)
- Egypt (Main story and flashback)
- El Alamein (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Egypt (Main story and flashback)
- England (Referenced)
- United States of America (Referenced)
- Brooklyn (Mentioned)
- Flatbush (Mentioned)
- Hell's Kitchen (Referenced)
- Brooklyn (Mentioned)
- Germany (Referenced)
- Africa (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Hell (Invoked)
Events:
Synopsis for "The War Machine!"
During the year 1942 the Howling Commandos are sent on a suicide mission in Africa. Their mission is to destroy all ten of the super powered tanks known as the Panzer VII-IV during the Allied occupation in El Alamein. Without those tanks destroyed the Allies would surely be pushed out of Africa. The team of Howlers start by hijacking a tank and leaving one man to live not knowing that he had direct communication with the other panzer squads. Soon enough the Howlers were surrounded and taken to a prison camp where they met Erwin Rommel known as the "Desert Fox". Rommel attempted to interrorgate Fury but Fury had other plans and lashed out at the Nazis surrounding him only to be injured in his head by Otto Freissel to Rommel's surprise he didn't miss.
Freissel visited Rommel during a meeting and was shunned. Rommel believed Freissel's only contribution to the war effort was the creation of the panzers and now that it's built he's essentially useless again. During that night the Howlers draw in some of the guards with music created by Gabe Jones before ambushing them and escaping. Freissel who at this point is suffering from humiliation to his ego comes blasting at the prison in one of his tanks. Rommel seeing the mess he's creating by destroying their own camp shoots Freissel in the back while he's taunting everyone, killing him. Fury and the Howlers see this opportunity to grab the tank and use it to destroy the rest of the tanks as their objective before fleeing back to the Allied camp in Freissel's tank. On September 1st 1942 Rommel was pushed back El Alamein allowing Allied forcer to continue their campaign against him.
Notes
- The events of this issue take place on 29–30 August 1942, shortly before Rommel's defeat in the Battle of Alam el Halfa. This contradicts Sgt. Fury #44 in which Reb Ralston says that the Howlers' first mission was in "the fall of '42".
- An editor's note states that this story takes place before the events of Sgt. Fury #6, but Pinky Pinkerton is present. He did not join the Howling Commandos until Sgt. Fury #8.