British residents of Hong Kong were interned by the conquering Japanese in 1938, and their world became medieval – small, quiet, intensely local, no contact with the outer world… until it contacted _them_, in 1945 – and they were terrified! Not just by new faces, new voices, but by the invaders, seeming from another world – boats with wheels and hobo-bearded pot-helmeted US Marines in fatigue uniforms carrying wicked submachine guns… It was a different world by then, very different.
While good artwork, the style looks a bit dated for 1940. I first thought this was a 1920s era pulp.
Weirdly, no: The US Army soldier of 1940 was effectively unchanged from 1918. Tin hat, puttees, Springfield rifle – “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!”
It got broke, heavily, and much would change quickly in the next two years.
British residents of Hong Kong were interned by the conquering Japanese in 1938, and their world became medieval – small, quiet, intensely local, no contact with the outer world… until it contacted _them_, in 1945 – and they were terrified! Not just by new faces, new voices, but by the invaders, seeming from another world – boats with wheels and hobo-bearded pot-helmeted US Marines in fatigue uniforms carrying wicked submachine guns… It was a different world by then, very different.
Apparently it’s causing _ammunition_ to explode – thus the cartridge belts and the breech of that rifle are exploding.