Membership: Maxie Stein, Victor, Gus Weber, Hans Brauer, Warren Zumwald, Kurt Erzberger
Purpose: To fight the Germans
Enemies: The Germans
Base of Operations: The Black Forest, Germany, c.WWII
First Appearance: U.S.A. Comics #5 (Timely Comics, Summer 1942)
History: (Comedy Comics #10, U.S.A. Comics #5) Victor was the son of an American Secret Service Agent who had been captured by the Germans. Victor, who had accompanied his father to Germany (or followed him there), saw a young boy about to be beaten by a Nazi for stealing some bread. His sense of justice invoked, the young American lad intervened. The two lads fled together into the Black Forest, where Maxie introduced Victor to four more boys. All the German lads were orphans whose parents had been taken away or killed by the Germans, and had subsequently absconded from the German orphanage they had been sent to, hiding out in the woods and surviving on what they could steal. Victor organised the lads and together they rescued his father from captivity. Flushed with this success, the newly formed Victory Boys decided to continue to take the fight to the enemy, using their wilderness skills and superb archery abilities to make life difficult for the Nazi forces.
Comments: It is implied, though not stated, that the German Victory boys were Jewish, and this was why their parents had been taken by the Germans. The group was given its origin in their second appearance - interestingly the number of boys in this origin tale was six, but their were only four in the U.S.A.Comics story. Whether this means two had been killed or captured, or if they were simply elsewhere, was never clarified.
Thanks to Jess Nevins for allowing me to use information from his excellent Golden Age Heroes Directory and his Guide to Golden Age Marvel Characters. Thanks also to Richard Boucher & Darrin Wiltshire @ PR-Publications for permission to use information from their equally brilliant collection of Golden Age Sites, PR Publications. Their knowledge of Golden Age characters far outstrips my own.
CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with
Victor, leader of the Hero Alliance
any other Boys groups
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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