"Dogfights" on the History Channel - Bert Christman mentioned

[Shield]

On Tivo I'm watching a piece about the "Flying Tigers" - American Pilots who were recruited by the Chinese in 1941 to help fend off the Japanses attacks. A surviving pilot tells a story about taking the fight to the Japanese on Jan 3 1942, and he mentioned Bert Christman being in the plane to his left.

 

I got chills. For those who don't know, he drew the Golden Age Sandman in early Adventure comics (as Larry Dean).

 

Off to finish watching...

[Dad&Son-migration]

On Tivo I'm watching a piece about the "Flying Tigers" - American Pilots who were recruited by the Chinese in 1941 to help fend off the Japanses attacks. A surviving pilot tells a story about taking the fight to the Japanese on Jan 3 1942, and he mentioned Bert Christman being in the plane to his left.

 

I got chills. For those who don't know, he drew the Golden Age Sandman in early Adventure comics (as Larry Dean).

 

Off to finish watching...

 

I saw that documentary a while ago... they did some fantastic animations in describing what these guys did during the war when China recruited the American pilots to fight the Japanese.

[sacentaur]

(crosspost from the Centaur thread)

 

Of special note to me in this issue, other than the Bill Everett and Fred Guardineer art, is a story by (Allen) Bert Christman.

 

Christman was the artist (using the AKA of "Larry Dean") who initiated the first few Sandman stories for DC. He also handled the art on the "Scorchy Smith" aviation newspaper strip for two years (1936-1938).

 

Not only a draftsman, Christman was also a pilot who flew from a scouting squadron aboard the CV Ranger. He joined the American Volunteer Group to combat the Japanese in the opening stages of WWII.

 

Christman was shot down in the Burmese theatre on 1/4/42, but survived. On 1/23/42, he and his fellow pilots intercepted a Japanase bombing raid on Rangoon. Christman was shot down again, and he was killed.

 

So 65 years (and 1 week later) I'd like to salute Allen Bert Christman the Golden Age artist who gave life to the comics, and Allen Bert Christman the aviator who gave his own life fighting for the Allies and for freedom.

 

Here's the opening splash page from his story in AMF 1/4:

 

 

STEVE