In terms of World War II-era comic book characters, DC is usually represented by the heroes of the Justice Society of America. Besides the JSA, however, there were tons of other, non-superhero DC characters who operated during this time period. One of these, the Haunted Tank, was even recently given a small cameo in Stargirl.
Despite not typically being connected to the superhero side of DC, Haunted Tank was a pivotal feature in the publisher's military stories of the Silver Age. Here's a look at the history behind the premiere supernatural military vehicle in comics.
Haunted History
The Haunted Tank first appeared in G.I. Combat #87, and was created by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath. The eponymous ethereal being was the spirit of Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart, who was sent by Alexander the Great of all people to act in World War II. While there, he would protect the two current bearers of his namesake: Lieutenant Jeb Stuart and the M3 Stuart tank that he operates. Other members of the tank's crew include Arch Asher, Rick Rawlins and Slim Stryker. As the protagonist, however, Jeb was the only one who could see or communicate with the tank's residing ghost. This leads the crew to suspect that Jeb is less than mentally healthy, despite his continued success on the battlefield.
The crew would continue to lose and gain members, with Slim dying in battle and Gus Gray, an African-American soldier, joining to replace the fallen Arch. The tank itself would even be replaced by an M4 Sherman, leading to William T. Sherman's ghost temporarily protecting the team. Despite the change in ghost and tank names, Commander Stuart's ghost would still show up and was a continuing member of the cast.
The War that Time Remembered
Despite the sometimes dubious nature of DC's World War II stories within the history of their superhero universe, Jeb Stuart and the Haunted Tank were made official parts of the Post-Crisis continuity. In fact, the tank helped out on a mission with the original Suicide Squad, while an elderly Jeb Stuart helped Amanda Waller found the more popular modern incarnation. The general would briefly show up in the pages of Hawk and Dove, while the tank and the original crew were featured in both The Demon and the Day of Judgment crossover event in the late '90s.
The character's use was both frequent and yet minor during the 2000s, especially given his niche nature within the DC Universe. Perhaps the concept's biggest use was in the 2008 Vertigo miniseries, in which the general's racist ghost guided African-American Sergeant Jamal Stuart during the Iraq War. The Haunted Tank also appeared in the short-lived New 52 relaunch of G.I. Combat, where Jeb Stuart and the tank embarked to save his grandson Scott Stuart from enemy lines.
The Haunted Tank's use in outside media has been sparse as well, with small roles in Justice League: Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Teen Titans Go!. The newest blink and you'll miss is cameo was in the Stargirl Season 1 finale, where "The Haunted Tank" is a movie being shown at the Blue Valley theater. Other concepts from around this time, like Unknown Soldier and G.I. Robot, were also featured as movies. Stargirl has given a ton of exposure to Golden Age and other World War II-themed DC concepts, but in the case of a certain general and tank, they're haunted to obscurity.