Comic Title: Blackhawk #253
Publisher: DC (DC Comics Inc.)
Address: 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
Cover Date: December 1982
On Sale Date: September 2, 1982 Newsstand Date September 2, 1982
Source: House Ad, All-Star Squadron #15, Page 48

Newsstand Date September 2, 1982
Source: Comic Reader, #204

Newsstand Date September 2, 1982
Source: Comics Journal, #76

Newsstand Date September 2, 1982
Source: Amazing Heroes, #14

Copyright Date August 10, 1982
Source: Library of Congress, Copyright Office 1982
DC publication dates beyond April 1981 listed by the LoC
represent shipping dates NOT newsstand sale dates

Frequency: Monthly
Cover Price: $0.60
Page Count: 32
Editor: Marv Wolfman

Title: "The Private War of Hendrickson"
Pages: 23

Feature(s):
Blackhawk (of Earth-1)

Writer: Mark Evanier
Artist: Dan Spiegle
Letterer: Carrie Spiegle (McCarthy)
Colorist: Carl Gafford

Feature Character(s)

• Blackhawk (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)

Supporting Character(s)

• The Blackhawks (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)
• Andre (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)
• Chuck (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)
• Hendrickson (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)
• Olaf (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)
• Stanislaus (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)
• Chop Chop (last appearance in Blackhawk #252; next appearance in Blackhawk #254)

Villain(s)

• Hans Konigsberg (a German pilot; no further appearances)
• Various Nazis soldiers and pilots (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• An intelligence officer (no further appearances)

Cameo Appearance(s)

• Violet Hendrickson (in flashback)

Comments:
This story takes place on May 14, 1940.

Hendrickson's wife Violet is revealed to have died in this story.

Synopsis:
The Blackhawks are summoned into a meeting with command to discuss Hendrickson's future with the team. The eldest Blackhawk's mental state is called into question after it is discovered that he is writing letters to his wife who was killed a year earlier. Blackhawk promises to speak with him.

When the rest of the team returns to Blackhawk Island where Hendrickson was left on duty, they discover that he is gone. Piecing together clues they discover that Hendrickson has located a secret Nazi air base by measuring the fuel load of downed aircraft.

The team follows him to the location where Hendrickson has specified. They find and destroy the air base, but Hendrickson is shot down. A Nazi pilot finds his crashed plane, but the Blackhawk marksman out-duels his opponent. Hendrickson then tells the team that he has always known that his wife was dead. He simply wrote the letters to her because he was lonely and felt ignored by the rest of the team.