History: Shortly before the start of America's involvement in WWII, the ghost of Alexander the Great spoke to the legendary Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, and tasked him with protecting a Stuart M3 tank commanded by his grandson Sgt. Jeb Stuart. J.E.B. considered, but was indignant at the prospect of protecting Yankees. He watched Jeb and his crew, including Cpl. Arch Asher, tank loader,  on the battlefield, and was impressed with their valor. Jeb found that he could talk to the ghost of his grandfather, and finally won his allegiance by flying the Confederate flag over his tank. Stuart's crew thought he was bonkers for thinking a ghost watched over them, but they trusted in his leadership, and found that they mysteriously found their way out of any predicament. 

(Demon III #46-48) - Fuhrer Bergen planned on creating a Fourth Reich, and contacted former Nazi soldier and occultist General von Raddel, who raised the men formerly under his command as zombies, the S.S. Panzerarmee Hell. Demon, the hitman of Hell, was charged with sending the Nazis back to Hell, and went to Limbo, seeking the aid of General J.E.B. Stuart. Stuart was rambling on about his Civil War glory, but agreed to put the Nazis down and left Limbo to once take possession of the Haunted Tank, which was rusting away in military storage. The Tank's former crew were in a bar in Texas, where they'd met once a year ever since WWII ended. Lt. Jeb Stuart had planned on writing a book about their experiences, but eventually decided against it because he thought no one would believe his supernatural stories, and Arch admitted he was still skeptical himself. The Demon's human host Jason Blood met with the crew, and although they thought it unbelievable anyone besides them knew about the Haunted Tank, they were convinced to help when the tank and General J.E.B. rolled up outside the bar. Jason told the Haunted Tank crew to head east, and although they knew they were past their prime they found themselves enjoying the mission. The Panzerarmee attacked Fort Cahill, Texas home of the U.S. Army's Second Armored Division. The zombies mowed down the Americans, giving Raddel access to an army of tanks. He planned to drive the panzers to Washington, D.C., kill the President and establish command of the capitol. He sent advance fuel tanks east to supply the panzers. Etrigan was spying on them and laughed at the vain Nazis and their false sense of glory. He met up with the Haunted Tank and together they destroyed the fuel trucks and Panzerarmee present with hellfire and firepower. When Riddell and Bergen arrived Etrigan told them to give up, but Riddell used his mystic amulet to summon damned souls who dragged Etrigan into the Earth. With only a bit of fuel remaining Bergen and Riddell headed for the town of Chapparal to take the diesel fuel there and kill people to work off some steam. The Haunted Tank couldn't allow such a slaughter and drove to cut them off. The Haunted Tank held off the panzers, tossing grenades into their hatches and taking out a number of them while General J.E.B. Stuart went to the underworld to seek out Etrigan. Etrigan had been dragged to the Aryan Inferno, a section of Hell run by the Knights of the Order of Saint Blitzen. They tied Etrigan to a swastika and flailed him, entreating him to join them, but Etrigan spat that he had too much taste. Stuart freed him, and together they ran roughshod on the Nazi demons. Etrigan told the head of the Order he knew nothing about true demon hate because he was a pitiful creature full of petty spite, and executed him for daring to lay hands on a rhymer. Führer Bergen was sitting out the battle between Raddel and the Panzerarmee Hell against the Haunted Tank. Etrigan killed him with one blow, and blew up most of the Panzerarmee with hellfire. The Haunted Tank finished them off, but their tank was nearly destroyed in the process. Etrigan saluted them for rising to a chance for one last glory, and promised the Haunted Tank wouldn't end up in a scrapyard. Desert winds buried the tank, waiting until it was needed again.

Comments: Created by Robert Kanigher & Russ Heath.

Cpl. Arch Asher received a profile in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #10 under the Haunted Tank entry.

Cpl. Arch Asher was mistakenly called Arch Stanton in Demon III #46-48.

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