| Secret Identity:
Janos Prohaska
Occupation: Pilot First Appearance: Military Comics #1 A native of Krakow, Poland, Janos Prohaska was a member of the Bill Heywood Squadron that fought against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He was also a member of the Communist Party, until the signing of the Soviet peace pact with Nazi Germany, which Prohaska opposed. After the Nazis invaded Poland, Prohaska joined the Polish resistance, flying a plane he had painted jet black. He was successful in several attacks against German forces. It was after one of these attacks, that Prohaska was pursued to his family's farm by Nazi colonel Von Tepp. Von Tepp bombed the farmhouse, killing Janos' brother and sister. Prohaska created the identity of Blackhawk, and launched a one-man campaign of vengeance against the Germans. Other pilots, inspired by his example, joined his mission, forming the paramilitary unit known as the Blackhawks. During World War II, the Blackhawks were responsible for more German kills than any other air squadron in the Allied Forces. They received funding from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, and operated out of Blackhawk Island, their own private air base off the coast of Spain. The island was destroyed by the Germans in 1943, after which, the Blackhawks operated out of various Allied air shelters throughout the European Theater of Operations. Blackhawk survived the war, and set up a private charter air service in the Far East. Seeing little success, Prohaska went through a period of alcoholism and womanizing. In 1947, he was hired by a woman named Cynthia Hastings to recover gold from a Chinese bandit called the Red Dragon. This led to the reformation of the Blackhawks, and further adventures. Blackhawk's current whereabouts, if he is still alive, are unknown, but his charter service, Blackhawk Air, continues to haul cargo to this day. |
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