The last of Kirby’s dozen issues of OUR FIGHTING FORCES sees the Losers stationed in occupied France, trying to get some information on German troop movements. Gunner has taken the oppurtunity to train four young orphaned French boys how to be marines, sort of playing Rip Carter to their Boy Commandos. While impressed with the boys’ skills, Cloud and Storm order them out of the village just as a German attack starts.

While the other Losers are pinned back from the fighting in the village, Gunner and the boys keep advancing bit by bit until they get the German attack to break off. The issue ends with the Losers driving off into the distance, saying they’ve “stayed here too long”, which is hard not to read as Kirby’s own statement, given that this was the last of the books he wrote in his 5-year stint at DC (a few other books came out later, mostly stuff he just drew or which were heavily modified).

A nice little slice of wartime story. If anyone ever does a Boy Commandos revival they should do a story where they meet these four French kids.

D. Bruce Berry inks the 18-page story.

Published 1975