The JSA and The Blackhawks: Train of Destiny
It is June of 1942. The members of the international aviation commando team – The Blackhawks – are involved in leisure barracks activities on their home base of Blackhawk Island when radar alerts them to the approach of an airborne intruder. The seven Blackhawks scramble out onto the airstrip, expecting to defend themselves against a Luftwaffe air attack. Instead of German Messerschmitts, they are greeted by the sight of Hawkman descending from the skies! Hawkman explains he has sought out the famed Blackhawks with a top-secret proposal that could greatly help the war effort . . .
A week later, a private charter plane lands on Blackhawk Island with six visitors in civilian clothes. The visitors then introduce themselves – a non-superpowered contingent of the Justice Society of America composed of Mr. Terrific, Dr. Midnite, Wildcat, Sandman, The Atom and Hourman. When Chuck, the young American on the Blackhawk team recognizes boxing champ Ted (Wildcat) Grant, Wildcat expresses discomfort with the JSA's decision to travel in their civilian identities. Charles (Dr. Midnite) McNider reminds Grant that the Blackhawks have top security clearance with the Allies, and are regularly privy to far more sensitive information than the secret identities of a few JSAers. As the two teams size each other up, several Blackhawks harbor strong misgivings at the inclusion of a blind man (McNider) in this group. The Atom whispers concerns to Mr. Terrific about the presence of a “Jap” on the Blackhawks. The Atom is referring to Cho Ping, affectionately nicknamed “Chop Chop” by his teammates (presented here as a dignified, middle-aged Asian – a refuge from the Japanese invasion of China). Terrific corrects Atom, explaining that Chop Chop is clearly Chinese – Manchurian, judging from his accent and traditional garb. Terrific engages Chop Chop in friendly conversation in Chinese, and Atom feels a twinge of shame at the exposure of his typically American post-Pearl Harbor racism. As the JSAers are led off to their barracks, the French Blackhawk, Andre, expresses his disappointment that this group doesn't include Wonder Woman.
When the teams assemble in a briefing room, McNider explains the goal of their mission – a daring commando raid to capture the Spear of Destiny! McNider paces casually through the cluttered, darkened room (much to the amazement of several Blackhawks) as he narrates a slide presentation retelling the Spear's history. He reveals how the Nazis' possession of the artifact prevents such JSA powerhouses as Green Lantern, Spectre, Dr. Fate, et al, from entering the war. This joint mission of the Blackhawks and JSA is at the suggestion of Allied Intelligence, which has received a tip on the Spear's location. The presentation is handed over to Blackhawk, and he explains that the OSS suspects the Spear will be transported by rail through Nazi occupied northern Europe within the next few days. The team intends to intercept the train and free the Spear from the Nazis.
The next evening the teams assemble on the airfield to begin their journey into enemy territory. For the first time both sides see each other in full action regalia (The Blackhawks have been in casual uniform until now). The Blackhawks are privately aghast at the garish, weaponless uniforms of the JSA, and the JSAers are quietly disturbed at the elitist spit-and-polish look of the Blackhawks in their jodhpurs and SS-like caps. Each Blackhawk is assigned a JSA companion. The two-man teams climb aboard the Blackhawks' planes and the six custom Grumman fighters roar off into the blackness of the night sky. Chop Chop remains behind to provide updated intelligence via radio communications from Blackhawk Island.
The formation of planes, led by Blackhawk and Dr. Midnite, fly low to avoid enemy radar. They are guided through the dark sky by Midnite's uncanny night vision. After progressing deep into occupied Europe without incident, the radios of the planes crackle with a message from Chop Chop – he relates reports of a huge Nazi engine of destruction headed for a French town that has been offering strong resistance against the Nazis. This is a town the Blackhawks have assisted in the past, and that they've sworn to protect! After a brief debate, it's agreed that the Blackhawks must keep their promise to protect this town from Nazi aggression. Three of the six planes peel off from the formation and head toward France.
Stanislas and Atom, Olaf and The Sandman, and Andre and Hourman enter French territory and follow a path of destruction across the countryside leading directly to the village they seek. The town is under assault from a huge Nazi war machine – a monstrous tank-like vehicle with a huge, horizontal ripsaw blade spinning between its bottom treads and its armored crew compartment on top! The vehicle is wide enough that, as it passes through the streets of the village, the whirling blade cleaves through the buildings on both sides – and everything else in its path. The Blackhawks' strafing runs at the behemoth are ineffectual, and it's agreed that Andre, Hourman, Olaf and Sandman will land to help the villagers evacuate. Stan and Atom continue to try and keep the machine distracted from the air.
Once on the ground, Andre and Hourman (who has popped a Miraclo pill by now) try to safeguard civilians in the vehicle's path. Andre impetuously runs into the path of the machine to help a child who clings to an injured, unconscious parent. Andre's foot is caught in the wreckage that is scattered everywhere in the street. He huddles helplessly with the child and parent as the huge machine bears down on them. Snatching up a long steel girder from the wreckage, Hourman runs in and straddles the three prostrate figures, bending over with the girder across his back. In a spectacular feat of strength that pushes the Man of The Hour's abilities to their limit, one tread on the tank rolls up onto one end of the girder, over Hourman and back down the other end – an incredible see-saw with a human fulcrum! With the tank past, Hourman frees Andre and then collapses from the exertion. Andre remarks with admiration that these Justice Society members certainly live up to their reputation.
Olaf and Sandman have taken a position on the second floor of a building in the tank's path. Armed with a box of grenades brought from the plane and Sandman's wirepoon gun, the two hatch a plan. Olaf strings together a long line of grenades with some wire from the gun. As the machine approaches, Sandman fires the wirepoon under the tank's canopy, just above the whirling blade. As the line catches in the rotating bearings of the saw, the string of grenades is pulled all around the circumference of the machine! The resulting chain of explosions destroys the metal monster!
Nazis scramble in a daze from the destroyed tank, and among them is Professor Merson – the Third Reich's chief inventor of war machines, and an old nemesis of the Blackhawks. He is quickly apprehended by the group of heroes. As they question Merson, it becomes apparent that the attack on the village was intended to distract the Blackhawks from interfering with the mysterious train they seek. With a renewed sense of the importance of their mission, the heroes hurry to their planes to rejoin Blackhawk and the others.
Blackhawk, Chuck and Hendrickson, along with Dr. Midnite, Mr. Terrific and Wildcat, have landed at their planned destination, an open field near where they hope to intercept the train. The heavily armed Blackhawks and the unarmed JSA members proceed on foot to a bridge traversing a set of railroad track. The group suddenly comes under fire from a trio of Nazi soldiers assigned to guard the bridge. The Justice Society members, huddled in the dirt for cover, confer on how to get close to the enemy and engage in hand to hand battle. As the JSAers debate, Hendrickson takes aim with a bazooka and eliminates the Nazi threat with one shot. The scattered soldiers like motionless on the ground.
The JSA members are aghast at the violence of the Blackhawks' attack. Mr. Terrific sternly confronts Blackhawk on the unfairness of such a brutal use of force, but Blackhawk is unapologetic. He retorts that they have no time for a prolonged fight, since the train they hope to intercept could appear any minute. Blackhawk delivers some short comments on the realities of war and the brutality of the Nazi regime, and then walks off toward the bridge. He remarks, “Welcome to Nazi-occupied Europe, gentlemen.” The JSAers, so used to super-villains and supernatural menaces, are taken aback by the down-to-earth action of common warfare. They suddenly feel like fish out of water. Midnite remarks quietly, “I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto.” Wildcat replies, “You got that right.”
A locomotive pulling a half-dozen boxcars finally approaches, and the heroes leap from the bridge to the top of the speeding train. Hendrickson, Chuck and Wildcat clamor towards the engine and quickly subdue a Nazi guard and the engineer. Blackhawk, Midnite and Terrific proceed to investigate the boxcars. As the train enters a pitch-black tunnel, Midnite performs reconnaissance across the length of the train, quickly dispatching the Nazi soldiers guarding platforms between the cars. With Blackhawk and Terrific, Midnite then enters the first of the boxcars to investigate its cargo. They enter a car filled with industrial drums, crates and scientific equipment guarded by what can only be described as a huge monster Nazi – a snarling, hairless, powerfully-built creature almost twice the size of a normal man, with spotted and decaying skin . . . and in full storm trooper uniform!
The creature attacks the stunned heroes. As the monster takes the upper hand in the fight, Midnite produces a blackout bomb and throws the scene into blackness. Everything goes black . . . except for the Nazi creature, whose body glows eerily in the darkness. Amidst the chaos, with all but himself blinded, Midnite leads Terrific to the sliding door at the side of the car and tells him to throw it open on his signal. At Midnite's shouted directions, the door is flung open and the heroes push the confused creature from the speeding train.
Monsters! Now it was the Blackhawks' turn to feel out of their element! Wildcat remarks to Midnite, “Maybe we're not as far from Kansas as we thought!” Blackhawk voices misgivings about the mission – monsters and scientific equipment don't square with the intelligence reports concerning the train's cargo. What does this have to do with the Spear of Destiny? While Mr. Terrific proceeds to investigate the contents of the car, the others move to explore the rest of the train. Now alone, Terrific opens several of the industrial drums scattered about. They hold nothing more than what appears to be a harmless, clear liquid. Suddenly, with the shock of sudden recognition, it dawns on Terrific just what they've stumbled across!
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