Infierno Azul Volume 2, by Paco Asenjo, also published by cARTEm Comics, in a graphic novel collection, continues the true story of a Spanish volunteer on the Russian front before the Soviet counterattack on the Volzhov River.
Comic Infierno Azul Volume 2 (November 1941 – March 1942), continues the story of Alberto, described in the first volume, as a young man who joins the Spanish regiment of the Blue Division of World War II to fight against Russia, with much more war experience and personal maturity, which increases in the heat of the conflict. He goes.
Blue Hell Plan Volume 2
This second volume begins at the beginning of November 12, 1941 on the banks of the Volkhov River. Then, to facilitate the reading, Asenjo divided it into five more chapters: Otensky, Udarnik, Teremez, Bol Samoshje and the stock market. Again, the narration follows an interview given by the main character in 2001’s Roman Battalion.
As dawn breaks, Alberto finds himself immersed in the Battle of Posad, two long and grueling days of seemingly endless aerial bombardment, artillery fire and hand-to-hand knife combat. The intensity of the fighting caused the battalion to suffer heavy casualties of over a hundred soldiers and they retreated from Poselok to Posad.
The offensive continued for three days from November 16 to 19, with several Soviet air raids on Spain as well as artillery and artillery, with only a single attack in lush forests – such as Creek Trench. The way out to Sitno, the Spaniards had to defend, but the temperature, close to 30 degrees below zero, made it impossible.
At the beginning of December, after the Soviets launched a heavy attack on all the offensive positions, fierce fighting forced a withdrawal on the 7th from Posad to Otensky and later to Sitno, once a natural defense forest. In October, cross the Volkhov River and return to the starting point of the German attack.
The severe cold forced the generals to forget to create new landing-heads and to protect the west bank of the river, but the Soviets continued the attack with the help of artillery and air force, during the main battles during Christmas, when it completely collapsed, it was attacked by enemy troops between Udarnik and Lobkovo.
Initially shunned by German troops, the Spanish are tasked with rescuing Wehrmacht troops south of Lake Ilmen, after a grueling raid across the lake, 50 degrees below zero, with over a hundred casualties, on January 21. Released and managed to reach friendly lines again.
Alberto and his friends have no rest and in March Operation Hunter begins to capture the opposing Soviet positions in the western part of Volkov. The Roman battalion, along with the artillery, began the attack on the 15th, and thirteen days later it fell to the Soviets, ending the participation of Spanish troops in this phase of the war and ending Alberto’s inferno.
The end of the soldier and the beginning of the new Alberto
The severity of the battle and the winter climate of Volkhov took a toll on young Alberto, because of the cold temperature, the attacks of all weapons and the carpe diem feeling of the grave.
It is true that I gained an experience that will benefit me for the rest of my life. But it was a very expensive experience.”
Alberto, the protagonist of Paco Asenjo’s Blue Inferno
Returning to what was reported in the first volume, in the interview Alberto gave this crucial evolutionary clue to the interviewer in his most used phrases: “Today, at the age of 78, it is very difficult to explain something that I did when I did it.” It was 19. That adventure, he was brave, “If a big man says he wants a war, he’s not right in his head.”
The plot of Infierno Azul is exactly as it happened in the first story. Volume 2 is dynamic and vivid, delving deep into the development of the characters and their friends, while extolling their virtues, with gruesome fights that paralyze even the bravest and bravest.
Paco Asenjo’s painting continues to be sketchy and clean, which the author has already used in the first volume, using the color palette well, the blood is very red compared to the snowy image presented in the winter of Volkhov in the Soviet winter.
In conclusion, this second volume of Infierno Azul closes the extraordinary adventure designed by Paco Asenjo, and the reader follows the main character, who meets innocently and becomes mature and practical after many setbacks and opportunities. . Blue hell. Volume 2 was published on cardboard by cARTEm Comics, 264 pages and 17 x 24 cm.
Blue Hell Volume 2 by Paco Asenjo
Alberto was left at the gates of hell at the end of the 1st volume, in this 2nd part he is completely immersed in it.
As the Soviet counterattack gained strength, the situation of Alberto’s 2nd Battalion on the Volkov front became desperate. The German military leadership assigned them a critical task: the defense of the strategic strongholds of the Posad and the Otensky Monastery, both surrounded by dense forests and enemy forces.
Supplies are scarce, means of communication are becoming dangerous, and the enemy is everywhere. Facing one of the coldest winters of the 20th century is a test of physical and mental endurance, where the cold penetrates to the bone and the trenches become frozen tombs.
But even in the horrors of war, moments of compassion and empathy emerge. Alberto is supported by his friends, sharing laughter in brief moments of calm and comforting each other in dark times. These relationships, forged in the heat of battle, find a glimmer of humanity in a devastated world.
As the Battle of Leningrad intensifies, the loss and suffering leave an indelible mark on his soul, and he questions whether he can be the same after so much brutality.
Alberto, who has never known war or military life until then, undergoes a transformation in which he is forced to leave his innocence behind. You will be subjected to orders that you never thought you would have to face. You face death on many occasions. He witnesses the tragic end of his friends and colleagues. But even in the midst of destruction, there are glimmers of hope. Acts of heroism and sacrifice inspire Alberto and remind him that despite the depressing circumstances, there is still room for humanity and bravery. At dawn, he clings to the hope that one day the war will be over and he can return home.