The War that Time Forgot is the collective name of many otherwise unconnected events where members of the US Military found themselves in conflict with prehistorical creatures in one or more of several different islands in the Pacific Ocean, typically during the time period of World War Two. Often, but not always, those conflicts ended in the destruction of the island by either natural or human means.
History
With few exceptions,[1] those incursions were unplanned and accidental. While many of the personnel involved did in fact return alive, the existence of those islands and their dangerous creatures remained strangely sparse even in military circles. Very few of the encounters benefited from the intelligence of previous confrontations.
There has never been a satisfactory explanation for the origin of so many strangely populated islands in the area, nor for the failure of the Armed Forces in sharing intelligence on the issue. It has been proposed that the region may be subjected to some sort of time rift phenomenon,[2] perhaps similar to that sometimes attributed to the Bermuda Triangle; that it may have obtained its odd fauna by way of a subterranean connection to the fabled land of Skartaris; and even that one or more of the islands had somehow preserved dinosaurs in suspended animation since prehistorical times, until seismic activity or some other external event disrupted it.
As for the excessive secrecy, partial explanations may include the decision to avoid panic during a time of war effort, as well as the false impression that the destruction of some of those islands during specific incidents might have resolved the issue.
It is also conceivable that proper warnings were put in place, but highly classified. That would help in explaining a recurrence of unusual incursions in the area, including the first recorded field test of the original G.I. Robot model, nicknamed "Joe".[3]
Issues
Issues in event have not yet been added.
Notes
- The Captain Compass story in Star-Spangled Comics #108, published in 1950, taps many of the same themes of War that Time Forgot, but predates the series by almost ten years.
- The Three Aces story in Action Comics #50, published in 1942, also features a volcanic island with Neanderthal people and giant flying monsters, with the Three Aces all being in the U.S. Naval Air Corps. This story predates the Star-Spangled War Stories series by almost eighteen years.
- There is a considerable amount of overlap between the original War that Time Forgot series and the early exploits of G.I. Robot and the Suicide Squadron.
Recommended Reading
- Star-Spangled Comics #108
- Star-Spangled War Stories (Volume 1) (issues #90-#137, except #91, #93 and #126)
- G.I. Combat #195
- Weird War Tales #100
- Weird War Tales #103
- Weird War Tales #106
- Weird War Tales #120
- Guns of the Dragon (Volume 1)
- The War That Time Forgot (Volume 1)
- G.I. Combat (Volume 3)
Links and References
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