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
(Thomas Raymond), 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 was a brilliant
aeronautical engineer, but had aligned himself with Nazi goals of
conquest and destruction. He apparently had no military rank, and hence
it can be assumed no formal military training. He had 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 thought 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 it indicates he had 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:
The Hawk's airship Der-Tag 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 it 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
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