War Machine #16
Zietkrieg Triumphant
Berlin, Germany, 1941[1]
SHIELD had uncovered a Neo-Nazi plot to send modern day weapons back to Nazi Germany in World War II. In order to prevent them from changing history, War Machine was sent back in time to stop the acquisition of future tech. Upon arriving in 1941, Jim Rhodes was separated from his army but was found by the Howling Commandos, his friend Sheva Joseph (who is also stranded in the past) as well as Captain America and Bucky.
Jim has just gone a mission to recover his armor. Although he has suited up as War Machine once more, it has come at the cost of Nick Fury’s life at the hands of V3, a Nazi soldier wearing a reverse engineered suit of War Machine armor. Although V3 got the drop on War Machine, the arrival of Captain America and Bucky create enough of a distraction for War Machine to activate all of his weapons and open fire on V3. The Nazi’s make-shift armor proves to be no match for War Machine’s advanced weapons.
The trio then head back to the Howler’s hideout to report that Nick Fury was killed in action. This hits the Howling Commandos pretty hard. Sheva is also deeply disturbed because Fury shouldn’t have died in this era since he is still alive in the present they remember. Jim reminds her that history is changing all around them and they need to roll with the punches if they are ever going to set things right.
Meanwhile, at the Zietwaffen High Command in central Berlin, Commandant Grinz meets with his present day counterpart, a Neo-Nazi named Raeder. Grinz is pleased that their Zietkrieg (time war) is a success. That’s when Raeder tells him that they have been cut off from the time machine in the present day. This deeply upsets Grinz, but Raeder reminds him that the present doesn’t matter anymore because once they have captured War Machine and stripped him of his high tech armor, they will have the ultimate weapon to win the war for Nazi Germany.
Back at the Howler’s hideout, Captain America is going over the intel they have collected on Grinz and the Nazi’s Operation: Zietkrieg. They all agree that an assault on the Zietkrieg base is the only way to stop the Nazi’s access to future technology as well as the means of sending War Machine and Sheva Joseph back to the present when this is all over. They agree to split up into two groups: While Captain America and War Machine deal with the Nazi’s future tech, Sheva, Bucky, and the Howlers will secure the Nazi time machine.
Later, Captain America and War Machine sneak aboard a train that will take them to the Zietwaffen base. Along the way, Cap stops to ask Jim if the future is worth fighting for. Rhodes assures him that while the future is not perfect, it has improved a great deal since the end of World War II. In having this discussion, Jim can’t help but think about how Captain America will end up in suspended animation and Bucky dead at the hands of Baron Zemo by the end of the war.[2]
Meanwhile, in Meinz, Commandant Grinz gives a tour of the facility and showing off their new high tech jets — reversed engineered from present day technology — to Adolf Hitler himself.[3] This meeting is being viewed by War Machine through his long range scanners and seeing Nazi leader in real life is quite the shock to Jim and reminds him what is at stake. Unfortunately, War Machine and Captain America’s cover is blown and the pair have to fight through soldiers as well as the newly minted Raptor jets. While Cap deals with the ground troops, War Machine takes down the new jet planes. While this is a relatively easy fight, the pair have a lot of work ahead of them as the Nazis unleash their armored division against them!
Recurring Characters
(Earth-616) War Machine, Sheva Joseph, (Earth-95615) Captain America, Bucky, Howling Commandos (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Izzy Cohen, Pinky Pinkerton, Dino Manelli), Nazis (Commander Grinz, Raeder, V3)
Continuity Notes
Because of the changes to the timeline caused by the Neo-Nazis, this reality will become divergent from Earth-616. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5 this timeline has been designated Reality-95615.
Captain America famously ended up in suspended animation in, as seen in Avengers #4, while trying to stop Baron Zemo’s done plane that was set to attack Britain. At the time of this story, everyone believes that Bucky had died in the explosion that put Cap in suspended animation. In reality, Bucky survived and his body was recovered by the Russian who converted him into their assassin the Winter Soldier. The truth will become apparent to everyone in Captain America (vol. 5) #14.
This high ranking Nazi’s face is obscured or out of panel. However, given the descriptions and the way his upper body is drawn it couldn’t be anyone but Adolf Hitler.
Topical References
The present day is stated as taking place in the year 1995, the year this comic was published. This should be considered a topical reference due to the Sliding Timescale. On the same token, it is stated that World War II ended about fifty years prior to the main story. The length of time between the end of the war and the start of the Modern Age will continue to change. Click here if you want to figure out the math behind that.
In this story, Raeder is identified as Grinz’s future son. While this would have been possible when this comic was published in 1995, it becomes increasingly impossible due to the Sliding Timescale. As the Modern Age is pushed forward it becomes increasingly impossible for someone born around World War II to still be alive and vital enough to carry out scheme like Raeder’s without some means of slowing or stopping the aging process. The War Machine profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #13 still refers to Raeder as Grinz’s son, but offers no explanation as to how he could still be alive in the present day. There are two possibilities: (1) Raeder had access to Nazi technology to slow or stop his aging process or (2) references to the familial relation between Grinz and Raeder is topical. In the latter case, one could assume that Rader is a direct descendant of Grinz instead of his son. If it were up to me, I’d choose the latter as that requires less explanation and can be adjusted in accordance to the Sliding Timescale.
