Hunter's Hellcats

From DC Database

Lt. Hunter's Hellcats

Gallery

Official Name

Lt. Hunter's Hellcats

Team Aliases

Hellcats

Status

Status

Defunct

Team Identity

Secret

Alignment

Good

Universe

Earth-One, New Earth

Base Of Operations

Europe and the Pacific theatre of operations during World War II.

Organization

Team Leader(s)

Lt. Benjamin Hunter

Former Members

Brains, Brute, Cracker, Hard Head, Heller, Juggler, Light Fingers, Snake-Oil, Swinger, Zig-Zag

Enemies

The Axis powers during World War II

Place of Formation

United States of America

Place of Defunction

United States of America

Creators

Howard Liss, Jack Abel

First appearance

Last appearance

Our Fighting Forces #106
(April, 1967)

Our Fighting Forces #123
(February, 1970)

History

History: In the early 1940s, the United States Army chose a former homicide detective named Ben Hunter to lead a new Special Forces team to fight the threat of the Axis powers. Unlike more conventional military units like Easy Co. or the Haunted Tank, Lt. Hunter's team was considered an expendable party. He culled his soldiers from the riff raff of an army prison stockade – all of whom had served time as hardened criminals in their civilian life. Among his recruits was the excessively violent Brute, a con-man who appropriately took to calling himself Snake-Oil, a revenge-crazed soldier from the Woman's Army Corps named Heller, a pick-pocket named Light Fingers, a former acrobat named Juggler and several others.

Hunter’s Hellcats executed several intense missions during the waning years of World War II operating in both the Pacific and European theaters. The group was dissolved in 1945 shortly following the surrender of Japan to allied forces. The members of Hunter's Hellcats went their separate ways to eke out a new life for themselves in the post-war civilian world. Lt. Hunter remained with the U.S. Army and ultimately achieved the rank of Colonel. Hunter eventually married and gave birth to twin sons, Nick and Phil. The siblings followed in their father's footsteps, each of them forging their own reputations during both the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The fate of the remaining Hellcats, or whether they are even still alive remains unknown.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: None known.
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

• No special notes.
  

Trivia

• Ben Hunter dubbed the team Hellcats based upon their violent behavior when they were imprisoned inside the army stockade.

• Hunter's Hellcats is likely inspired by the 1967 war film, The Dirty Dozen. In the movie, Lee Marvin forms a military unit culled from a group of hardened criminals.

• Although Ben Hunter's activities chronologically take place prior to those of his own children, the Hunter twins actually predate their father's first appearance by several issues. Nick and Phil Hunter first appeared in Our Fighting Forces #99.

See Also

• Appearances of Hunter's Hellcats (Chronological)
• Appearances of Hunter's Hellcats (Alphabetical)
• Team Gallery: Hunter's Hellcats
• Catalogued images featuring Hunter's Hellcats
• Fan Art Gallery: Hunter's Hellcats

Links and References

• Hunter's Hellcats biography page at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe