Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine
While the OSS had learned of the planned Axis operation, what they weren't able
to learn was who was being sent on it. As it turned out, the group that was sent
on the mission -- which was to locate and free any important Axis prisoners from
POW camps in the U.S. -- was the German team which would later become known
to the Allies and their superheroes as Projekt: Sturmfront (also known as the
Spezialkommando Deutches Reich to the German High Command).
The team consisted of a number of individuals who had been given superhuman
powers by an as-yet unknown process devised by the brilliant German scientist,
Klaus von Wulfcragge, who also led the team in his identity of Blitzkrieger.
As Blitzkrieger, von Wulfcragge possessed the power to generate and project
incredibly powerful lightning-like bolts of energy from his hands at his foes. The
other members of Projekt: Sturmfront are as follows:
Walkure (Valkyrie): Klaus' wife Marelda was given low-level telepathic abilities as
a result of the experimental process devised by her husband. While she couldn't con-
trol the minds of others as more powerful telepaths are able to, she could still scan
their minds for valuable information. Valkyrie could also use her powers to determine
who in any group of people that opposed them in battle was the most inspirational
member in that group; once she had that information and shared it with the rest of
Projekt: Sturmfront, they would then focus their attacks on that person, with the aim
of demoralizing his or her teammates by defeating that person. In addition to her
telepathic powers, Walkure was also trained in the Japanese martial arts of Aikijutsu
and Jujitsu, making her a formidable hand-to-hand combatant.
Wolfsrudel (Wolfpack): Ehren von Wulfcragge, one of Klaus and Marelda's twin chil-
dren, recieved an unusual set of powers from his father's experiment: not only was he
given superhuman strength and the ability to survive underwater without the need for
breathing apparatus, he also gained the bizzare power to create six identical duplicates
of himself at will. His powers -- and the military training he already possessed -- have
combined to make him a one-man WW2 version of a SEAL team. Because he can only
duplicate himself and whatever he happens to be wearing at the time, any equipment
of weapons needed by his other selves must be carried by him until he reaches his
objective; once there, he duplicates himself and passes out the gear to them.
Nebel (Mist): Elsa von Wulfcragge, the other twin child, was given the power to trans-
form herself into a huge cloud of gas which she could manipulate to mimic the proper-
ties of any gas with which she was familiar with (her knowledge of chemistry is very
useful in that regard). She can literally become any type of gas whose chemical comp-
osition is known to her, from very fast-acting knockout agents like halothane, to the
ferociously corrosive uranium hexaflouride, which can dissolve most substances with
the exception of nickel. The one gas that she absolutely refuses to transform herself
into is Zyklon-B, the gas used in the Nazi death camps (her idea of being a German
patriot doesn't include being a cold-blooded killer; an attitude that, surprisingly, is
shared by the rest of Projekt: Sturmfront as well). Her role in the team is that of a
scout, as her powers enable her to get into areas that normal people couldn't (narrow
ventilation ducts, for instance). Like her mother, she has also been trained in the arts
of Aikijutsu and Jujitsu.
Kriegsadler (Eagle of War; better known as War Eagle): Heinrich Schrader, the
faithful and longtime chauffeur and pilot for the von Wulfcragge family, gained super-
human reflexes and an incredibly high tolerance for extreme G-forces. To enable his
friend and servant to get the most out of his abilities, von Wulcragge designed and built
an advanced (by 1940s standards) suit of battle armor. This armor not only provided
protection from most small-arms fire, but also gave the wearer superhuman strength
sufficient to allow him to shred steel with the claws built into the gauntlets. It was also
equipped with a jet pack and a pair of adjustable wings, giving the wearer exceptional
maneuverability in the air, while at the same time giving him a maximum flight speed
that surpassed that of the fastest fighter craft possessed by the Luftwaffe at that time
(only the Messerschimdt 262 jet fighters, which didn't appear until near the end of WW2,
were faster). Von Wulfcragge also devised a pair of detachable "electro-bolt" projectors
for the armor, which gave the wearer the ability to attack foes at a distance.
Schatten (Shadow): Adriana Mauricio y Sabina Menendez, the Argentinian-born fiancee
of Ehren von Wulfcragge, asked to become part of the Projekt: Sturmfront experiment,
as she wanted to share in every part of her husband-to-be's life. Seeing no reason to deny
her request -- especially after he discovered that she was indeed a suitable subject for
the experiment -- Klaus von Wulfcragge agreed and accepted her as part of the team. In
Adriana's case, the experimental process gave her the ability to not only create a huge
area of absolute darkness (in which she alone can see), but also to transport herself from
one location to another by stepping into a shadow of sufficient size. Whether she can take
anyone else with her in this way is as yet unknown at this time. Schatten, like her female
teammates, has also recieved martial-arts training; in her case, the stickfighting art of
Escrima. When in the field, she carries a pair of fighting sticks with her; between her
power to create darkness in which only she can see, and her skill as an escrimadora, she
has become something of a very frightening opponent to those she faces.
Donnerschlag (Thunderstrike): Erich Dengler, also a longtime friend and employee of
the von Wulfcragge family, became the most physically powerful member of the team as
a result of the experimental process. Possessed of physical strength sufficient to enable
him to lift up to 100 tons, Donnerschlag is capable of bringing his hands together with
tremendous force, which allows him to create a blast which is powerful enough to knock
his opponents back several yards from where he stands (the sound created by this is, in
large part, where he gets his codename from). He can also slam his fists into the ground
to create a powerful shockwave, which can knock down anyone in the immediate vicinity.
It is worth noting that, while Projekt: Sturmfront is a German superhero team (as far as
the German public of WW2 is concerned, that is), they are not a Nazi superteam. This is
reflected in their choice of symbol, which they all wear on the belt buckles of their uni-
forms -- not the swastika of the Nazi party, but the eagle crest of the von Wulfcragge
family. While they do consider themselves to be German patriots (with the accompany-
ing belief in German superiority), they aren't cold-blooded murderers; indeed, they've
consistently refrained from killing defeated Allied superheroes, even though certain mem-
bers of the German High Command have hinted in no uncertain terms that it would be
better if none of their enemies could come back to oppose them.
The next posts will be of the pictures of Projekt: Sturmfront's members.
Major Tom 2009
