BATTLE 1ST NOV 1975

The cover date 1st Nov 1975 - that would have made me nine years of age when I first read this issue - I never missed a copy of this from the first, which gave away free badges, right upto the mid Eighties when it became little more than a rag for selling toy soldiers.

An exciting cover featuring wartime secret agent Mike Nelson, code name Eagle. The character was Battle's answer to Warlord's, Lord Peter Flint and this issue starts a new story, Return of the Eagle.

The first strip inside is D-Day Dawson - Steve Dawson, a man who took a bullet on D-Day, a bullet that moves closer to his heart each day and will eventually kill him. This episode sees Dawson and his crew advancing through an occupied town.

That's followed by King of the Yanks - which tells of Flight Lieutenant Jeff King of the RAF who is serving with an American Squadron. As always the brit comes through in this story and saves his American friends. How very British, old boy!

Then following that is the aforementioned Return of the Eagle and after that, Bootneck Boy - which is a further adventure with Royal Marine, Danny Boyle.

The colour middle pages belong to The Dirty Dozen a-like, Rat Pack. This story is great gung ho fun and told in a language that would have the politically correct lot up in arms.

This is followed by two pages of ads - a couple of stamp clubs and a Look and Learn book of the prehistoric world which was on sale at the time. Promising facts from 50 million years ago and all for £15p.

They Can't stop Bullet follows and I remember not really liking this story because the hero had a moustache - For some reason I had a thing against moustaches when I was a kid.

The issue wraps up with Sergeant Without Stripes and the back cover features a breakdown of a Sherman tank.

These comics were great and there's nothing like these out there for the kids of today - true lines like, "Die you yellow skinned nip!" or 'Eat lead Jerry beasts!" may be frowned upon by todays keepers of our morals but - they were sure FUN.