As early as December 1944, the Nazis were aware that the war was lost, but they tried everything by sending chests by submarine to Argentina. But what do they contain? Embark with us on Hitler's Last Secret to find out.
An underwater race
Through a view of Hamburg, the first page shows the situation in Germany in December 1944: in ruins and under a cloud of ashes. Yet the Nazi government is preparing a decisive mission. A submarine must carry a mysterious cargo that can change the outcome of the conflict. But the Allies are aware. A triple race is then launched. This German submarine en route to Argentina is pursued by another English vessel while a group of commandos wants to attack the German ship during a refueling. The paths of these protagonists will cross several times throughout the book. The reader first follows a team of commandos in Allied territory who carry out a sabotage action on a U-bot factory. They show great boldness but also independence because they have difficulty following orders. To make this secret mission, dubbed Operation Caesar, succeed, the Nazi high command chose the largest submarine it entrusted to a young captain, the others having already died. In front of them, Lauders, the captain of the English Venturer, keeps a composure but seems to hide an intimate crack. It is his ship that will launch the chase underwater. The scenario manages to create tension and make you feel claustrophobia in the German submarine. These sailors are prey threatened by a pack of wolves. The crew is increasingly tense as threats in the water and on land get closer. In addition, the German captain is constantly making technical checks. Is his ship so fragile? The mission remains secret from the reader for a long time and progressive clues reveal the cargo. But each having very different hopes on this mystery, this hunt then resembles Moby Dick. Fabio Piacentini immerses you totally in the story. In addition, Les éditions des Humanoïdes Associés chooses a large format that helps the reader immerse themselves. The Italian designer uses a digital drawing through colorization and material effects but with classic shapes and layout. This mixture of the two gives a very successful but somewhat frozen hyperrealistic drawing.
A large format for great history
Through this battle between two submarines, Mathieu Mariolle tells us about the war under the sea. Fabio Piacentini's images make us understand military tactics such as these convoys of several ships to get the submarine out of the port but also the organization of Nazi Germany with a double command – political and military. We discover the many technical limitations of this new conflict zone – a submarine has to go up very often to fill the oxygen reserves and cannot sink another in submersion. They are women who transcribe Nazi coded messages with the support of early computers. Mathieu Mariolle avoids Manichaeism by showing the tensions in each camp. On the German side, the SS official Kemmling wants to leave the port as soon as possible and is angry with Captain Wolfram who insists on completing all security procedures. The reader then understands the opposition between a dogmatic Nazi detached from military realities and the captain of the army, less fanatical who knows the methods like the back of his hand. However, as the narrative progresses, it is surprising that an American is more unsympathetic than the Nazis. Hitler's Last Secret is a well-researched historical comic that becomes a chase between submarines. This book introduces us to submarine warfare and the final coup de théâtre will reveal a strategic innovation that has become a classic of submarine films. If you enjoy historical comics about this period, you can discover our chronicles on Hitler is dead and The shadow share.
