Dates
- Cover date
- July-August 1952
- On sale
- February 28, 1952
- Pages
- 36
Editions and covers
- Original editionSource ↗
Creators
Stories
- Iwo Jima! · 6 pages
After a bombing run over Tokyo, a Superfortress develops engine problems and makes for the island of Iwo Jima. The co-pilot recounts the history of the island as they prepare to land while the fighting still rages on.
- The Landing! · 8 pages
For 72 days before the invasion, Iwo Jima was continuously bombed and shelled, then the U.S. Marines came ashore, some expecting an easy go of it. It was anything but, and Joe decided, after a while, to just stay put "where it was safe," while the others headed for some caves where the Japanese had taken refuge.
- The Caves! · 7 pages
The Japanese take refuge in a cave, facing flame throwing tanks and other tactics designed by the Marines to box them in. Their leader reminds them that they will fight to the death, taking ten Americans each with them. A chance suddenly arises for the soldiers to escape, and for a while, it seems to work until the Americans run them back into the cave with no way out. The Japanese commander decides that each man will strap a grenade to himself and detonate it rather than surrender.
- Marine's Hymn · 1 pages
- Mopping Up! · 7 pages
Woodrow is getting sick and tired of being on Iwo Jima, but his Corporal friend, Ralph, seems a bit more relaxed, and is reading a letter from his pilot brother. After a sniper kills a young soldier and Woodrow steps on a mine, Corporal Ralph is finished, a victim of combat fatigue. Just then, a B-29 crashes near Ralph and Ralph's brother steps out, the two greet one another, and David learns that Iwo Jima has been taken and the battle is over.
Reprinted in
The Complete Frontline Combat (1982), Frontline Combat (1995), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (2012)