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Heroes of the Golden Age

It is a time of great social and political upheaval.America has finally pulled out of the GreatDepression. Europe, North Africa, Most of Asia,and the Pacific are in the grip of global arfare.Na!i "lit!#rieg thunders into $ussia, the %uftafferains destruction on England, and the &riegsmarine

threatens Atlantic shipping. 'he (apanese Empiredominates Eastern Asia and the Pacific. )ithoutarning, the (apanese attac# Pearl *arbor+ Americagirds itself for ar...

In the midst of this maelstrom, the first comic boo#superheroes came to life, many of hom are stillpopular today. Most of these heroes and theiradventures from -/ to -01 ere influenced bythe greatest event of the time, )orld )ar 'o.*istories of comic boo#s call these years the2Golden Age2.

'he Golden Age is an e3cellent setting for superheroroleplay. During the forties far more adults readcomic boo#s than children did. In the 4ervicemen5sP6, comic boo# sales outnumbered the combinedsales of %ife, $eader5s Digest, and the 4aturdayEvening Post by a margin of ten to one!"y the endof )orld )ar 'o, comics outsold every other typeof maga!ine in the orld.

'his popularity tells us something important. 7epeople thought of superheroes as over8muscular

adolescent 9er#s in silly costumes. In fact, theGolden Age 4uperhero as the symbol andprotector of everything Good, (ust, God8fearing,and American. *e :occasionally, she; asrespected and held forth as a role model.

:Mom: "Have you children finished yourhomework?" Kids: "Awww, do we have to?" Mom:"What would Suerman think of someone whodoesnt do his homework?" Kids: "h, all ri#ht!"

Adulation and recognition ere the true *ero5s dueand comic boo# 4uperheroes occupied a place

second only to American 4ervicemen.

In the real$ orld , comic boo# publishers often#ept their four8color heroes stateside, foiling fifth8columnists and A3is supervillains, and promoting)ar "ond sales. 'he reason for this is that although4tupendous Man might be able to turn a tan#

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The Draft'o a young man in the -0Hs, the second8mostriveting fact in his life as the Draft0. "eginning in?ctober -0H, all men beteen the ages of and1 ere reuired to register for the Draft. A man5sage and Draft classification determined his odds ofbeing called up. Also, a man could get a deferment ifhe as the sole means of support to his family or if

he as a student.Most draftees ere sent into the Army. 4ometimes,a potential draftee might discover 2his number asup2 :a sympathetic Draft "oard member might tellhim;. If he didn=t ant to go into the Army, heould try to enlist in the branch of service hepreferred. If he could do this before officialnotification arrived, he could ignore the notification,since he as already in the service.)omen ere e3empt from the Draft, but erealloed to enlist if they anted to. Initially, everyservice had its on FAu3iliary )omen=s orps.%ater, each of these Fau3iliary services asincorporated into its associated service. )omeneren=t assigned to combat specialties. AlthoughArmy nurses might find themselves near the frontlines, the main reason to allo omen to enlist asto free up able8bodied men for combat duties.)elcome to the 7orties.During the ar, the age groups selected fromgradually e3panded to include ages / to J. A listof the possible draft classifications are given belo,ith a brief description of each one. 1A - Fit for general military service.Most fell

into this category. 'his indicates a man suitablefor any position in the military.

1 - Fit for limited military service.4omeoneho has a slight physical problem might fall intothis category. Kualifiers might be slightly badvision or a slightly game leg. 'his 9ust means heon5t be given a combat position. *e still mightbe given a coo#5s hat and a rifle and sent to aar !one as a support troop.

1! - "ember of the Armed Forces. 4elf

E3planatory. If they=ve already got you,they=ve .got you.

#A - Deferred for critical civilian $osition.

Policemen, 7iremen, and Defense or#ers fellinto this category. 'hey ere e3empt from theDraft, ith one e3ception. Mayor 7iorello %a

0'hree guesses hat the mostriveting fact in his lifeas, and the first to don5t count+

Guardia, the Mayor of Ne

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mate of %ouis %ep#e, the boss of 2Murder,Incorporated2. At first %ep#e didn=t reali!e hathis cell8mate as in for. )hen he finallyunderstood, he e3claimed 22

&F - 'hysically* "entally* or "orally unfit

for military service. 'hose in this categoryere 9udged to be physically handicapped,

mentally ill, or too immoral to serve in themilitary.'he local draft board members had uite a bit offreedom to Faard the 07 classification. 'heycould classify a man 087 if he as handicapped,but they also gave it to convicted felons, Fmentalincompetents, or homose3uals. If a draft boarddisli#ed someone, they might classify him 07 outof spite.'he 07 classification carried uite a stigma. If aman classified as 07 didn=t have an obvious

physical handicap, people often concluded thathe as a coard, or even orse.TechnologyMail as the primary means of communicationduring the 7orties. Postage as only cents anounce for 7irst lass, cents for Air Mail. %ocalmail as actually much faster than today. A 7irstlass letter mailed in the morning could be deliveredthe same day ithin a single ton. A letteraddressed to across the state only too# one or todays at most, hile across the country too# aboutseven or eight days. Air Mail as delivered ithinone to three days of posting. In most tons andcities, mail as delivered tice daily, once in themorning and once in the afternoon. Mail asdelivered only once on 4aturdays and no mail asdelivered on 4unday.'elephone service as uite different from today.American 'elephone and 'elegraph :A''; as alegal monopoly. Even the phones in your housebelonged to A''. ?nly phone company personnellcould install or service phones. 'he phonesthemselves ere ired directly into the all, instead

of plugging into a 9ac#.Many areas didn5t have direct dialing at all. 'hisreuired an operator to connect callers. ?ther areashad Fparty lines here all the phones ereconnected simultaneously.

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being the most literate nation on the face of theEarth. Most homes boasted a fairly e3tensive library,even if it as only a boo#8case full.$adio as the only commonly8used broadcastmedium during the ar. $adio had the sameimportance that 'O does today, providing nes,sports, education, and entertainment to all but themost remote areas. A radio cost anyhere from

around 1 for a basic model up to almost QHH.HHfor a delu3e console radio ith a built in shortavereceiver. )hen you reali!e that nearly everyhousehold had one or more radios, its importancebecomes apparent.'he "" broadcast television programming on anirregular basis before the ar. In America, televisionsets ere being sold in large metropolitan areas li#ehicago and Ne

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as the discovery of antibiotics. During )orld )arI, the ma9ority of casualties ere from disease andinfection. 'he advent of antibiotics meant that ifyour ounds eren=t immediately fatal, you ereprobably going to live.In )) II, American Army troops ere issued Hdoses of sulfa :a sulfur8based antiseptic; as part oftheir standard #it :Q pills and pac#ets of poder;.

'his nearly ended hen servicemen discovered hoto cure most Fsocial diseases by ta#ing one dose aday for ten days. 'he threat of court8martial onlyslightly curtailed this practice. 4ome commandersresorted to only issuing sulfa pac#ets prior to anattac# to prevent their 2frivolous2 use. Penicillin asonly administered by medics, by in9ection.+ife in the Forties)orld )ar II launched America from economicdepression into near8instantaneous prosperity. 'he7ederal budget rose from - billion to -/ billion bythe ar5s end. 'he gross national product more thandoubled. 'he ar created over Q million 9obs.Military manpoer rose from HH,HHH in -- to.1 million in -0, to 8 million in the lateryears of the ar. %osing one in eleven Americans tothe Armed 7orces combined ith the increased labordemand, creating a manpoer shortage.'he C4 population as 9ust under 1H million in-0H. 'he labor force as about 1J million of thistotal. "y the ar=s end, the labor force hadincreased to JJ million. 7rom -0 to -00, the9obless rate dropped by -HL, from / million to

/HH,HHH. *iring )omen, "lac#s, and thehandicapped alleviated much of the labor shortfall.'he minimum age in -0H as about 0H cents anhour, amounting to 9ust over /HH a year. 'hemedian income as about ,HHH a year. 'ypicalannual earnings are listed belo

Average factory or#er ,01H'ypist ,01H4teelor#er ,JHH)aitress Q1 :plus tips;C4 4oldier J0

oal Miner ,QH)omen and Fcolored people :non8hites; madeabout 0HL less than hite males in the sameposition. 'o 9ustify this, a hite male ould have adifferent 9ob title than a minority or#er. 7ore3ample, a male for#lift driver might be called a2heavy euipment operator2 hile a female for# liftdriver ould be called a 2light euipment operator2,even though both drove identical for#lifts and

performed identical duties. 'he attitude as that aman probably had to support a family, but a omanonly had to support herself until she got married'he motivation behind paying minorities less asracism. 'here is no real defense for this, but manyhites never stopped to uestion hy this as so. Itas 9ust the ay things ere done. 'he fact thatblac#s ere being hired at all as progress.

%abor unions ere common and strong during the7orties. ManagementB%abor relations eren=t anybetter then than they are today. At the beginning ofthe ar, labor leaders too# a Fno stri#e pledge forthe duration. 7or the most part, they stood by theirord. )hen a stri#e did occur, it made nationalheadlines. 7e stri#es lasted very long. 4ince oursoldiers= lives depended on the output of thefactories at home, it as considered unpatriotic tostri#e. ?ne rather interesting stri#e situation as therailroad al#out of December, -00. )hen theor#ers ent on stri#e, the government ent to therailroad personnel and told them 2

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administered the rationing program. 'he ?PAdetermined hat items or categories of items ereessential and in short enough supply to reuirerationing. 4trict price controls ere placed on itemshich, though plentiful, ere still essential to thear effort. 'hese price controls ere used not onlyto control consumption, but also to #eep artimeperceptions from artificially inflating the prices of

nonessentials. 4ome items hich ere rationedere rubber, automobiles, typeriters, sugar,bicycles, gasoline, farm machinery, fuel oil, coffee,oil and coal stoves, shoes, canned foods :especiallycanned meats;, fireood, canned mil#, and softcheese.Perhaps the orst 2calamity2 to hit consumers asgas and tire rationing. 'he national speed limit asloered to 1 MP* to conserve these vitalresources, and a ban on 2pleasure driving2 asenacted :FIs this trip really necessary>; $ubbershortages caused a free!e on tire sales and a ban onrecaps. If you oned more than 1 tires, you had toturn the e3tras in at a service station. If you didn5t,you ere hoarding+*orse dran carts and agons regained popularityfor nespaper, dairy and other product delivery.?PA agents scoured the countryside loo#ing for2pleasure drivers2 to confiscate their ration boo#s.Automobile oners ere issued a ration stic#er andcard. 'he driver carried the card and affi3ed thestic#er to the indshield. 'hese ere shonmonthly to receive the appropriate ration coupon

boo#. 'he coupons ere dated and color8coded tolimit use on a ee#ly basis. 'he colors changedmonthly to discourage hoarding and ould8becounterfeiters. 'here ere si3 categories of gasstamps. A brief description of each follos. A-!ard: %oest priority card issued.

Authori!es 81 gallons per ee#. -!ard: Cser is essential to the ar effort.

Authori!es J8H gallons per ee#. !-!ard:Cser is very essential to the ar effort.

Authori!es 8H gallons per ee#. Doctorsere invariably given this level of card.

,-!ard: *ighest priority card issued. Allosunlimited gasoline. ongressmen and ministersere given this card.

T-!ard: 'ruc#er essential to ar effort andalloed unlimited gasoline usage. Delivery menand mass transit operators ere routinely giventhis card.

(-card:'his card stood for 2Emergency Cse88Cnlimited Gasoline2. It as issued to policemenfiremen, and ambulance drivers. In a superherocampaign, heroes sponsored by the governmentould ualify for this card.

'ires ere also strictly controlled. If you had a flattire, you5d put on the spare and ta#e the flat to theservice station. If it couldn5t be patched, you ent to

the local ?PA office and filled out reams opaperor# to reuest a ne tire. If your reuest asapproved, :ta#ing J to / ee#s;, the ?PA issuedauthori!ation to purchase a ne tire. 'his reuiredanother trip to the service station and a long ait fordelivery. ?f course, if you ere in a hurry, there asalays the "lac# Mar#et.4ome items eren5t officially rationed, but might asell have been. 7ood sold in stores on a price andpoint system. 'he government issued boo#s ofcoupons orth points :blue for canned goods, red

for meat, fish, and dairy products;. 'hese ere usedalong ith cash to purchase products. 'o purchasean item, you had to have the points and the cashnecessary to pay for it. "eef, por# and fish erehigh8point items, hile poultry reuired feerpoints. 'he design of the coupons as periodicallychanged to prevent counterfeiting and hoarding.'he result of all the above as increased disposableincome coupled ith a lac# of things to buy. 4omepeople simply soc#ed their money aay in ban#s or)ar "onds. ?thers spent their money any ay theycould, including the "lac# Mar#et.'he "lac# Mar#et, alias 2Mr. "lac#2, thrived duringthe ar. It delivered items that might otherise bedifficult to acuire, but at a high price, often doublethe legitimate value. Many sa FMr. "lac# as aharmless means of getting around governmentrationing. It as easy to rationali!e such a purchase2My shoes have a hole in them, and my or# #eepsme on my feet a lot.2, 2I needed a ne pair of nylonsfor my date last night.2, 2My boss as coming fordinner and I anted to give him stea#.2R etc."ecause of the ready mar#et for such items

shipments of rare or rationed items ere oftenhi9ac#ed to accommodate the demand. ounterfeitgasoline stic#ers and ration coupons increasedthroughout the ar. Government records sho that1L of all 22 gasoline coupons and stic#ers erecounterfeit. Many citi!ens sa nothing rong iththe "lac# Mar#et, vieing it in the same light ase3ceeding the speed limit by 1 MP* or failing toreport a cash transaction on your income ta3. ?f

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course, the "lac# Mar#et wasillegal.Profits from "lac# Mar#et operations led to moreharmful criminal activities. A ne type of cattlerustler appeared. *e drove truc#s of stolen cattle tobe butchered and sold on the "lac# Mar#etR a shortstop at a nearby feedlot and suddenly a fe cattleere missing. 'ruc#s laden ith rare items erecommonly hi9ac#ed. ?ften, the driver as #illed.

'he la tried to brea# up the "lac# Mar#ets, butpublic sympathy often supported them. *oardingas illegal. If you had a surplus of rationed items,you ere guilty.$orts and (ntertainmentMore money meant more spending. Nightclubsappeared everyhere and made record profits.$estaurants had large numbers of customers becausethey ere able to get more meat and dairy products.'heaters and sports became more important.Distractions from the ar ere very popular.$adio shos en9oyed idespread popularity.7avorites ere 'he 4hado, Gangbusters, 7ibberMcGee and Molly, and 'he (ac# "enny 4ho. "ythe end of the ar, that list included 'he 7red Allen4ho :opposite 'he (ac# "enny 4ho;, ?ne Man5s7amily, Kueen for a Day, 'he $ed 4#elton 4ho,'he Green *ornet, 4uperman, and 'he Inner4anctum.Popular movies and plays ere 'he )i!ard of ?!,'he $oad to 4ingapore, iti!en &ane,

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man ere actually performing manual labor, henearly alays ore slac#s, a shirt, and a tie. 4hoesere o3fords, but some ore loafers for casualear. )omen ere e3pected to ear dresses. Anunusual oman might ear slac#s, but usually only

if her social position alloed her to Fbuc# the trendith impunity :as ith Marlene Dietrich; or if sheere employed in a defence8related 9ob such as ariveter.

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+iving ($enses'he 7orties5 dollar had about ten times the purchasing poer of today5s dollar. 4ome things ere relatively moree3pensive, usually because the technology as ne. ars are the main e3ception to this rule, prices havingoutstripped inflation considerably over the last H years. 'his is mainly due to the addition of things li#e stereosystems, safety and emissions euipment, etc. Prices for common items are listed belo.

Item SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Price*ouse, Middle lass............................1,1HH

%u3ury ar :adillac, %incoln, Pac#ard, or%imousine;...........................................1,HHH7amily ar, Delu3e..............................,HHH7amily ar, 4tandard............................../HHCsed ar.......................................H and upElectric 4haver.....................................1H%eather (ac#et.......................Q.HH to H.HH4il# *ose...........................H.J to .HHBpair)omen5s 7ur oats.............................J-.1H

Item SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS PriceOacuum leaner..................................1-.-1

Electric Percolator.................................1.-1$adio.................................0.-1 to J-1.HHDry leaning :one suit or other outfit;................................................H.- to H.Q-7ull ar hec#up....................0.-1 to -.1HGasoline :per gallon;.............................H.H?il hange :includes cost of 1 uarts oil;..............................................................H.-14alon Permanent....................................0.HH

T/"(+/0( F2 3'(2 !A"'A/G0:4TH( H/T25 F (6(25TH/0G7

Disclaimer 'his is a or# of fiction. Any similaritybeteen the persons described ithin and any realperson, living, dead, undead, or Fnot certain, ispurely coincidental :e3cept for the purpose ofentertainment;.

Note many of the events listed in this sectionactually happened.

A heavy border to the left of the te3t indicates anFembellished account of historical events.

Entirely fictional events are bulleted, li#e thisparagraph.

1889:

Dr. (ohn )atson solves his first case as aconsulting detective. 7earing that his prospectsfor employment in the medical community mightbe threatened by such an unusual hobby, heinvents and gives the credit to the fictionalcharacter of 4herloc# *olmes. Public demand

for this Fconsulting detective prompts theDoctor to hire a fading 4ha#espearian actor,$eginald &in#aid, to portray *olmes in the flesh.'he fictionali!ed accounts of their adventuresare published in 'he 4trand maga!ine by Aurther

*istorical events that didn=t happen in the campaignorld are presented in the footnotes, but only if it=simportant that the players #no the difference.

onan Doyle.18-191:4cientist Nicole 'esla E3periments ith irelesspoer transmission. *is main base of operations islocated in Nebras#a, in the geographical center ofthe Cnited 4tates.191:

(une F'he Great Aurora of -H occurs. Atprecisely H1 PM, Greenitch Mean 'ime, theentire s#y is illuminated by a brilliant flashingdisplay lasting about H seconds. ?bservedaround the orld, there seems to be noaftereffects other than da!!led eyesight4cientists e3plain this event as a very unusualorldide manifestation of the FAurora"orealis.

Nicole 'esla suspends his e3periments hen theFGreat Aurora someho causes his poertransmission euipment to burn out. *e moves toNe

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recorded orldide, but are misidentified asearthua#es. !ar Nicholas dismisses the reportsfrom 4iberia as the hysterical ravings of superstitiousnatives. A scientific investigation team is notdispatched until the mid8-Hs.11&:'he assassination of Archdu#e 7ran! 7erdinand, heirto the Austro8*ungarian throne, sets off a series of

events hich result in the 2Great )ar2 :)) I;.11;:'he C4 Enters the ar on the side of the Allies.'he $ussian Empire ithdras from the Great )arhen revolution brea#s out.118:November 'he Armistice ending )) I issigned. Cnder its terms, Germany is held financiallyresponsible for the entire ar. Allied troops occupythe est ban# of the $hine.)orld records set for poered flight 1HT MP*,H,HHHT feet altitude.1#9:Prohibition ta#es effect in the C4. 'he Oolstead actma#es it illegal to manufacture or import alcoholicbeverage in the C4 and its territories. riminalgangs, formerly fragmented and ineffectual, organi!eand cooperate to meet the undiminished demand foralcohol. 'he biggest profits are reali!ed byimporting established brands from outside the C4.'he "olshevi#s in the $ussian ivil )ar. Alliedoccupation troops in $ussia mostly ithdran.'he parachute ith rip8cord is invented. Previous

models held the Uchute in a rigid cannister that isattached to the vehicle. (umping out pulled the5chute from the cannister, at some ris# of becomingentangled ith the stric#en vehicle. 'he neparachute design allos an airman to fall free ofdanger before opening his Uchute.'he first commercial radio broadcasts begin.1#1:)ar reparations payments deplete the Germantreasury. 'o pay )iemar $epublic employees, moremoney is printed. $unaay inflation stri#es

Germany.1##:'he &u &lu3 &lan e3periences revival and groth.Eugenics legislation passes in the state of Oirginiaalloing the sterili!ation of the 2mentally defective,Fidiots, habitual criminals, and the deformed, hen

7or sale, that is. It is still legal to ferment andBordistill alcohol for private use.

such deformation is hereditary and harmful tosociety2. Many other states pass similar las. 'heselas are sporadically enforced, mainly to controFundesirable elements. 'he ill8understood definitionof Fhereditary and harmful to society is usuallyinterpreted to mean anyone the local Fupstandingciti!ens don=t ant hanging around.1#%:

'he 'eapot Dome scandal roc#s the *ardingadministration.'he Na!i putsch in Munich fails.&ing 'ut5s 'omb is opened.1#&:alvin oolidge is elected president of the C4.Aviators Day and 4teart attempt an unrefueledEast8)est Atlantic crossing. 'heir plane idiscovered intact in Nova 4cotia. A pair ofootprints leading from the plane end abruptly 0Hyards aay. 'he pilots are never found.1#

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Oesuvious and board his airship. During theattempt to arrest him, Dr. 7u Manchu apparentlyfalls to his death.

1#8:7irst television e3periments begin. 'he mostpromising method at this time is a mechanicalsystem.'eletypes are invented, going into general use

almost immediately, mostly by nes services.'he first sound movie is released. 'he (a!! 4inger,hile only containing a fe sound segments, is agreat hit.*erbert *oover is elected President of the C4.1#:?ct. 0 'he great stoc# mar#et crash 88 4toc#values plummet. 'he Great Depression begins.Peter &urten, the infamous 2Oampire ofDusselldorf2 :a serial #iller and child molester;terrori!es the city. Police efforts to capture &urteninterferes ith Dusseldorf5s criminal gangoperations. 'he gangs organi!e to capture, try and#ill &urten in a Fcourt of criminals.&urten=s body is discovered in front of DusseldorfPolice *eaduarters ith its head severed and aooden sta#e driven through it5s heart.1%9:4cores die and HH are stric#en by a poisonous fogin "elgium. An airship is seen leaving the area byseveral of the survivors. Dr 7u Manchu, apparently having survived a fall

from H,HHH feet, sends a telegram to the%eague of Nations, claiming credit for the gasattac# and voing further acts of revenge.

1%1:(an Ne

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programs. 'otal number of receiving sets in "ritainat the time is less than H,HHH.?ct - "oulder Dam :renamed *oover Dam in-Q; is completed in Nevada. It stands QJ feettall. ?ct Dr. 7u Manchu holds "oulder Dam

hostage. *e threatens to destroy the dam ithhis Fradio8force8ray if not paid ,HHH,HHH.

*eroes intervene, saving the dam, but 7uManchu escapes.

Nov 7ran#lin D. $oosevelt is re8elected to asecond term as C4 President. *is OP is still (ohnGarner.Nov. / Germany and Italy recogni!e the 7rancoregime in 4pain hile 7rance and the C.4.4.$.support the 4panish $epublican government.1%;:Mar 1 'he reator of the thulhu mythos, riter*oard Phillips %ovecraft, disappears. )itnesses

report his abduction by gibbering, unnamable,vicious, unspea#able horrors.May J 'he dirigibleHinden.er#e3plodes on arrivalat %a#ehurst, Ne (ersey. 'han#s to the timelyarrival of several mystery8men, J people arerescued from the flaming rec#age.May Q 'he Golden Gate "ridge opens, lin#ing 4an7rancisco to Marin county to the north. Dr. 7CManchu attempts to hold the bridge hostage, butonce again is tharted by mystery8men. 7u Manchuis captured, but escapes before being brought totrial.(ul Amelia Earhart, orld famous aviatri3, is lostover the Pacific hile attempting the orld=s firsteuatorial circumnavigation. Although there is noevidence for it, many speculate that her plane asforced don by the (apanese, and that she and hercreman ere e3ecuted as spies.(ul. 0 'he first successful helicopter, the 7)8J,designed by *einrich 7oc#e, is demonstrated by*anna $eitsch at "remen.Nov. - "ritain and 7rance trade colonies toGermany for peace.

Dec J German scientist, )erner von "raun, beginstesting the A8 roc#et at PeenemVnde, Germany,leading to the development of the A80 :#non as theO8;. Plans are laid for a multi8stage version, the A8H, capable of reaching the C4.Dec (apanese air attac# sin#s the C4 gunboat/anayin hinese aters. (apan apologises.1%8:Mar Germany anne3es Austria.

(une 'he first truly super8poered superheroappears in Ne

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Apr. 'he 4panish ivil )ar Ends. 'he C4recogni!es 7ranco5s government.Apr. H 'he Ne

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May 1 Noray5s &ing *aa#on OII escapes toEngland.May H 'he Germans invade "elgium, *olland, and%u3embourg, ending the period called the Fphoneyar, a period of relative inactivity against Germanyby "ritain and 7rance.May 'he "ritish Prime Minister, Nevillehamberlain, resigns and is replaced by )inston

hurchill.May Igor 4i#ors#y secretly ma#es the first C4helicopter free flight ith his O48HH at 4tratford,onnecticut. 'op speed is only J1 miles per hour.May 1 *olland surrenders and the Dutch Kueenescapes to England.May / 'he "elgian army surrenders and &ing%eopold III remains, a German prisoner.(un. 0 'he Germans occupy Dun#ir# folloing a"ritish evacuation of /,HHH men."ritish :and some sympathetic American; supershold off the %uftaffe, buying time for theevacuation to succeed.(un. H Italy enters the ar as an A3is poer.(un. 0 'he Germans occupy Paris. 'he 7renchGovernment moves to "ordeau3.(un. J Marshall Petain forms a ne 7renchgovernment in order to negotiate an armistice ithGermany.(un. / 7rench general harles de Gaulle forms the7ree 7rench Government in e3ile in %ondon.(un. 'he 7renchBGerman armistice is signed inthe same railay car that Germany signed it5s

surrender in )) I. After the signing ceremonies areconcluded, the Germans blo up the rail car,obliterating this reminder of past failure. Germantroops occupy three8fifths of 7rance. Dr. 7u Manchu congratulates *itler on his

victory via telegraph, and offers assistanceagainst allied heroes.

(un. 0 Marshall Petain places his governmentheaduarters at Oichy.(un. / ongress passes the Alien $egistration Act.All aliens age 0 and older must report for

registration and fingerprinting. Government officialsand their families are e3cepted. ?ver 1 millioneventually register.A rider to the bill called the F4uperpoers clausereuires all persons ith metahuman characteristicsto register as ell. As passed, the rider only reuiresfingerprints and 4ecret ID information if theregistrant is a convicted criminal.(ul. 'he "ritish destroy 7rance5s strongest Naval

suadron anchored at ?ran to prevent its falling intoGerman hands. 'he Oichy government seversdiplomatic ties ith England.(ul. J *itler orders preparations for ?peration 4ee%Ye :4ea %ion;, the invasion of England. Germanair poer begins to soften resistance to the invasionstarting the "attle of "ritain.(une H Germans occupy England=s hanne

Islands, Alderney, guernsey, (ersey, and 4ar#. "ritish heroes attempting to evict German troops

are shoc#ed to discover that the Germanspossess a mind control device poered by theF4pear of Destiny. 'he device only seems toaffect metahumans, and is completely ineffectiveagainst normal humans. 'his device=s area ofeffect seems to be limited to German8occupiedterritory.

Aug. Italian troops begin an Egyptian campaignoccupying 4alem.

Aug. 1 'he "ritish begin massive bombing attac#sover "erlin.4ep. 'he C4 trades 1H ))I destroyers to "ritainin e3change for Naval "ases in the aribbean.4ep. Q 'he GermanBItalianB(apanese A3is isformed hen these governments sign the 'ripartitePact.?ct. ?peration 4ee %Ye is postponed to givethe %Vftaffe more time to Fsoften up "ritain.

German 4upers under the command of Do#torXerstYrer assault "ritish Flistening posts insouthern England, but are repulsed by "ritishheroes.

ommand of )affen Zber#ommando:)arfighting 4uper8ommandos; is transferredto *err Do#tor Kuaal. Do#tor XerstYrer is givencommand of Zberaffen 7abri# :aFsupereapons research and developmenfacility;

?ct. J 'he C4 inaugurates its first ever peacetimedraft. All males beteen the ages of and 1 mustregister. 'hose actually drafted ill be obligated forone year of service, folloed by five years in theinactive reserve. $eservists ill be sub9ect to

'he 4pear of Destiny is a holy relic, li#e the Ar# ofthe ovenant or the *oly Grail. It is reputed to be thespear that as thrust into hrist=s side as he hung onthe cross. It supposedly grants great poer overmilitary matters.?peration 4ee %Ye, the German plan for theinvasion of "ritain, as actually called off on that date.

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reactivation in case of national emergency.?ct. *itler fails to convince 7ranco to letGerman troops cross 4pain to attac# "ritish troopsat Gibraltar.?ct. 0 *itler fails to convince the Oichy 7renchgovernment of the need to ally ith Germany.?ct. / Italian troops in Albania invade Gree#'erritory.

Gree# heroes *eracles and Marathon battleinvading Italian supers.

?ct. - "ritish troops enter Greece.Nov. $oosevelt is re8elected, this time defeating$epublican candidate )endell %. )ill#ie. 'his timehis Oice President is *enry A. )allace.1&1:Mar. 'he lend8lease bill passes, giving $ooseveltthe poer to 24ell, e3change, lend, lease, orotherise dispose of defense materials to thegovernment of any country hose defense the

President deems vital to the defense of the Cnited4tates.2 Mar Dr. Kuaal convinces *itler to assign the

)affen Zber#ommando the tas# of infiltratingthe C4 and preventing the effective use ofAmerican 4upers against the $eich.

Mar. German and Italian troops under GeneralErin $ommel begin a ne African offensive.Apr. 1 $ussia and

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status.Dec. Q (apan stages a successful surprise attac# onthe C4 Naval base at Pearl *arbor, *aaii. 0aircraft launched from si3 carriers attac# in toaves, sin#ing 1 C4 battleships, cruisers, destroyer, several smaller craft, and

severely damage other battleships. Nearly all C4aircraft are destroyed on the ground.?nly a handful of C4 aircraft manage to get airborneto repel the attac#. At least one is shot don by C4anti8aircraft fire. A third ave of bombers and a marine

amphibious assault group is turned bac# by thetimely arrival of American superheroes.

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