HAWK
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Normal human (WWII era) German citizen
Occupation: Aeronautical engineer
Group Membership: Nazi Party
Affiliations: Crew of Der-Tag
flying boat
Enemies: Ann (last name unrevealed), Human
Torch (Jim Hammond), General Ford Sanders,
Toro, citizens of eastern USA
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Herr Hawk (see comments)
Base of Operations: Mobile in the skies over
eastern USA;
formerly Germany
First Appearance: All-Winners Comics I#11/1
(Winter, 1943-1944)
Powers/Abilities: The Hawk is a brilliant
aeronautical engineer but has aligned himself with Nazi goals of
conquest and destruction. He apparently has no military rank and hence
it can be assumed no formal military training. He has distinctive
pointed ears, sharp chin
and beak-ish nose.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: None (bald/shaved)
History:
(All-Winners Comics I#11/1 (fb) - BTS) - The Hawk designed and guided the construction of the giant high-altitude boat-plane bomber Der-Tag, which was partially constructed from parts and materials stolen from sites in the USA and held aloft by four zeppelins, with the intent to devastate US cities and production.
(All-Winners Comics I#11/1 (fb)) - The Hawk and his
men infiltrated a secret US government station and stole US defense
materials and barrage balloons to contribute to the Der-Tag sky
fortress. US woman Ann chanced upon the Hawk's activities and was
imprisoned underground to suffocate to death. Soon, the FBI's J. Edgar
Hoover assigned the flame-powered heroic duo Human Torch and Toro to
investigate; the pair also chanced upon the Hawk and were caught in
the same trap, nearly dying.
(All-Winners Comics I#11/1) - Six months later with the completion of his project, the Hawk directed the fire bombing and poison gassing of defense plants and farm crops. US General Ford Sanders assigned the flame-powered heroic duo Human Torch and Toro to fly higher than search spotlights could reach to find the culprits. Surprised the flaming pair were still alive, the Hawk ordered Der-Tag remain hidden. The Hawk then guided Der-Tag to rove American states and bomb various sites in the name of vengeance and conquest, self-assured that the Americans could not reach Der-Tag's altitude limit of 60,000 feet (which necessitated the crew wearing pressurized suits). The Hawk followed a pattern of raining destruction only on dark foggy nights to ensure stealth. At one point, the Hawk spotted the Human Torch and Toro helping reduce fires and wanted to kill them, but was concerned any unsuccessful attempt would alert the American heroes to their presence. The Hawk ordered a small blimp be dispatched to steal six months' supply of food and even luxury drinks, declaring his plans would be to follow America's annihilation with England's and Russia's. But the Human Torch and Toro intercepted the food mission and were knocked out by the Nazis, who foolishly though they'd instead killed the duo. Doubting the reports of the flamers' deaths, the Hawk ordered its bomb bays be emptied and they set course for England to escape, but the Human Torch and Toro reached the slow-moving craft and ripped through it, melting steel, leaving a falling inferno that killed the crew and its creators.
Comments: Creators not credited.
The Hawk is sometimes called "Herr Hawk"; "Herr" is German for "Mister", so that's Mr. Hawk and indicates he has no military rank. "Hawk" might be his surname (or rather the German translation).
The last panel showing the destruction of Der-Tag by
the flaming trails of the Human Torch and Toro is unusually messy and
looks rushed with a text box conclusion; I wonder if an extra page was
intended where the flaming duo chase after the escaping Hawk (perhaps
in a plane from the air-boat's runway) but the page never made it.
The Nazis had their "zeppe-carrier" and S.H.I.E.L.D. later had their helicarriers. It looked like a weaponized device from something dreamed up in the Popular Mechanics magazine or the like of the era.
Marvel Masterworks vol.3 identifies Leonard Starr as
the most likely inker for this story, but this is the only credit
offered.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
The Hawk has no known connections to:
US General Ford Sanders commanded domestic
anti-aircraft artillery and had considerable war-time experience. He
was aware of US military efforts to develop engines that could reach
60,000 feet, but had been unsuccessful. The stealthy high altitude
attacks by the deadly Nazi boat-plane Der-Tag left him confounded until
the Human Torch and Toro presented information on Nazi agent the Hawk
and his bomber. Sanders ordered air searches but they yielded no
results. The Human Torch and Toro eventually found Der-Tag and
destroyed it; Sanders promised air support but nearby US warplanes
couldn't reach.
--All-Winners Comics I#11/1
Der-Tag was a massive well-armored boat-plane held
aloft in
the sky by four zeppelins plus extras below for guidance and stability.
It had a single-strip plane deck runway plus multiple cannons and
bristled with extended poison gas nozzles along its sides. Its advanced
design allowed it to ascend up to 60,000 feet (stratosphere), requiring
its occupants to wear pressurized suits and oxygen helmets. With no
apparent large engines, it was silent but slow in movement, and
ultimately relied on favorable wind conditions for steering and cloud
cover for stealth. Der-Tag was designed by the Hawk and constructed
under
his guidance using many materials and parts stolen from within the USA.
It conducted many deadly attacks on American cities, industrial sites
and farming areas by dropping bombs and shooting poison gas.
Eventually, the flame-powered heroic duo Human Torch and Toro found it
and destroyed it, also killing the crew and its creators in the process.
"Der Tag" is German for "The Day" (no hyphen); the
bomber is sometimes referred to without a hyphen
--All-Winners Comics I#11/1
images:
(without ads)
All-Winners Comics I#11/1, p5, pan2 (main image)
p10, pan3 (headshot)
p12, pan4 (Sanders)
p10, pan1 (Der-Tag)
Appearances:
All-Winners Comics I#11/1 (Winter, 1943-1944) - uncredited writer &
artist(s), Vince Fago (editor)
First posted: 10/07/2025
Last updated:
10/07/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix!