JACQUES DERNIER

Real Name: Jacques Dernier

Identity/Class: Human (World War II era)

Occupation: Freedom fighter

Group Membership: French resistance

Affiliations: Claire, Howling Commandos, Carla Swain

Enemies: Hans, Irma, Baron Johann von Braun

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Frenchie"

Base of Operations: Mobile in Nazi-occupied France, World War II.

First Appearance: (unnamed) Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#21 (August, 1965); (named) Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40 (March, 1967)

Powers/Abilities: Jacques was an able resistance leader and combatant, usually carrying an automatic rifle into battle. He was also trained in subterfuge, and could supply allies with false identities.

History: (Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#21) - Jacques first encountered the Howling Commandos as they were transporting the daughter of Dr. Zenish back to England. He assumed that Sgt. Fury was in love with her, and so he aided them for the sake of romance.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40 (fb)) - Jacques, Claire and two other members of the resistance were in the midst of sabotaging a Nazi ammunition depot, but they were discovered. Claire escaped, but Jacques and the others were captured.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40) - The Howling Commandos learned of Jacques' capture, and they met up with Claire, who led them to the prison where Jacques was held. The Howlers ran into a Nazi named Hans who was disguised as Jacques, but Fury soon saw through the deception. When they found the real Jacques, he proved his identity by not knowing who Eric Koenig was, as Dino Manelli had been present the first time they met. The Howlers and resistance members escaped the prison, and Jacques returned to the underground to continue fighting for his country.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#55 (fb) - BTS) - On one occasion, Jacques ran into the German spy Irma, who pretended to be a member of the German underground, but nearly led him into a Nazi trap in Paris.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#55) - Dernier met up with the Howling Commandos as they crossed into France following a mission in Germany, but he recognized a "German nurse" with them as Irma. Fury found it hard to believe Jacques because he had fallen in love with Irma, but sure enough, Irma had led Nazis to their location. Jacques, his resistance fighters and the Howlers managed to defeat them, and Irma was killed in the firefight.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#56) - Dernier was contacted by Gabe Jones, who had escaped from the Nazis. He told Gabe about a singer named Carla Swain being held by the Nazis in Paris, and helped Gabe go undercover at the club where she sang so that he could rescue her. Dernier masqueraded as a Nazi to make an officer there think that Gabe was a defector.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#78) - Dernier assisted Sgt. Hans Klaus of the Howling Commandos in releasing him and Eric Koenig from German custody, then met up with the other Howling Commandos to help defeat the plans of Baron Johann von Braun.

(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Annual#2) <1944, June 5> - Leading up to D-Day, the Howlers met up with Jacques Dernier in Normandy. They tricked a number of high-ranking Nazis to a chateau, with Dernier as a butler, then attacked them and destroyed an airfield.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Dick Ayers and Carl Hubbell; named by Roy Thomas.

I may reorganize the chronology on this page as I continue to study the Howling Commandos' timeline.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Jacques Dernier should not be confused with:


HANS

Hans was a Nazi agent who impersonated Jacques Dernier and was placed in a cell within the same prison as Dernier to trick the Howling Commandos into releasing him so that he could betray them to his fellow Nazis. However, when "Jacques" identified Eric Koenig, whom the real Dernier had never met, Fury realized he was an imposter and exposed him. Hans tried to raise an alarm to the other Nazis, but they mistook him for an enemy and shot him dead.

--Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40












Images taken from:
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#55, page 15, panel 4
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40, page 9, panel 6
Hans- Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40, page 8, panel 2


Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#21 (August, 1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Dick Ayers (penciler), Carl Hubbell (inker)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#40 (March, 1967) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dick Ayers (penciler), John Tartaglione (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Annual#2 (1966) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dick Ayers (penciler), John Tartaglione (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#55-56 (June-July, 1968) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Dick Ayers (penciler), John Severin (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#78 (May, 1970) - Bill Everett (writer), Dick Ayers (penciler), John Severin (inker), Stan Lee (editor)

Last updated: 02/01/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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