G.I. Combat #274 (1985)

General J.E.B. Stuart and Attila the Hun wage a ghostly war against one another using their mortal wards on Earth, the Haunted Tank and a German Panzer, to fight for them. The Haunted Tank tries to move around to get a better shot, but the Panzer blocks their every move. A shot from the Germans sets the Haunted Tank ablaze. Lt. Jeb Stuart orders his driver Sgt. Craig to take them into the woods to gain cover. On the other side Jeb spots a small stream and tells him to steer the tank into the water to put out the blaze. With the fire out, the tank continues down stream to shake off the pursuing Panzer. Rick is angry at Jeb for risking their lives like that, as the fire could have easily caught the fuel alight and killed them all. As Jeb confers with the General about the battle, General Stuart is suddenly surprised and shocked by the appearance of a man on the astral plane. The mysterious man identifies himself as the Monitor, and tells the General that he is new to the realm of blood and death, and that he would return to reveal more of their future. He then disappears just as sudden as he appeared. The next day on another patrol, the Haunted Tank is attacked by a German fighter plane. They are unable to elevate the turret enough to get a good shot at the plane, so Jeb orders Craig to take the tank into a nearby cave to wait in safety until either the plane gives up or runs out of fuel. They wait for a while in the cave until the coast is clear, then high-tail it out of there before the ground support can arrive. Attila laughs at the Haunted Tank's apparent cowardice in hiding, but General Stuart tells him that their turn will come. Later that day, as they enter a small town in southern Italy, the Haunted Tank is attacked by an anti-tank gun hidden within the rubble of a building. Jeb is wounded by a nearby explosion and is knocked unconscious, so Eddie takes the hatch and they are able to destroy the gun. The General is worried by that close call, and returns to the astral plane to meet with the ghostly Council of Great Warriors. The General asks the head of the council, Alexander the Great, to grant him one wish - the ability to physically aid his wards in combat. His wish is granted, but Attila the Hun requests the same to be granted for him, and he is not denied. Meanwhile, hundreds of American POWs are being marched down a road to the nearest death camp, prodded along by highly-trained SS soldiers. One American is unable to walk any farther and falls to the ground. Others try to help him, but an SS officer walks up and shoots the American in the head. The bodies of the worn and tired lie along the trail like bleeding road markers. Nearby, the Haunted Tank approaches the edge of the forest only to find an old and gray man lying within the grass. Jeb quickly jumps out to help the man, and is shocked to recognize the old man as General J.E.B. Stuart! The old man wakes up and tells him that his name is Tasso, a farmer by day and a Partisan Leader of the Umbrian District at night. The old man tells Jeb about the American POWs and orders them to follow him on his horse. The Haunted Tank follows the old man across the countryside, until they are within sight of the prisoners on the road. Jeb orders Rick to take out the Panzers alongside without hitting any of the prisoners. He fires, and the first Panzer in the lead is destroyed. The explosion spread chaos over the Germans, surprised by the attack. A second Panzer begins to wildly fire into the line of prisoners, killing many in front of it before Rick is able to take his aim and destroy it. Only one Panzer left, but it is able to move in and fire on the Haunted Tank before they're ready. The last Panzer moves in for the kill, commanded by a man who looks just like Attila the Hun. Jeb orders his crew to bail out before their tank is destroyed, but just then he spots the old man riding his horse to block the Panzer's path. The tank fires on the old man, hitting him several times in the chest. Just before the old man falls to his death, he throws a grenade at the man in the Panzer. It explodes, killing the man and destroying the Panzer. Jeb rushes up to help the old man on the ground, but the man is already dead. Jeb knows the truth... As the ghosts of General J.E.B. Stuart and Attila the Hun return to the astral plane, Alexander the Great reveals to them what he could not tell them before... that to engage in mortal combat again they would die a second time!