One by one, the defenseless cities and towns of America vanished — swept from the earth by an incredible weapon in the hands of Europe’s most rabid dictator! It was an unearthly, invisible menace that the land of Liberty faced — a ruthless machine that destroyed thousands of patriots as it struck from out of the blue. Against this attack, unprovoked and unparalleled in the history of the world, it seemed that no stand could be made. Yet Operator #5 and his volunteer flying aides, banded together into a Squadron of Death, waged desperate battle in a last-minute attempt to save civilization from being wiped off the very face of the globe!
In 1934, with Hitler consolidating power in Germany and the Japanese Empire on the rise in Asia, young pulp publisher Harry Steeger decided that the American public was ready for a magazine chronicling the exploits of an undercover agent dedicated to defending the United States from foreign aggressors. With his editors, Steeger came up with a title, Secret Service Operator #5, and a cover depicting a masked terrorist fleeing an exploding White House. Over this loomed the resourceful hero, blazing away with a .45 automatic. His job: to defeat a new invasion of the United States—every month!
Yet Jimmy’s enemies weren’t Hitler or Mussolini. The monsters that Operator #5 took on had weapons and warriors that the Axis Powers only wished they had. The sheer over the top concepts that filled Operator #5 every month made it different than any espionage or war Pulp of the era and made it a classic series as well.
It was a weapon like no other, one that seared towns and cities from the earth. Against this attack, unparalleled in the entire annals of warfare, Operator #5 and his gallant undercover aides had to wage desperate battle in order to save civilization from defeat and disaster!
When Hell Came to America is read with stirring intensity by Milton Bagby. Originally published in the January-February 1939 issue of Operator #5 magazine.
