History
Peter Herrick was a Nazi operative who was active during World War II. He and his fellow spies formed a group dubbed the Hours, a clock themed group of saboteurs who believed they were ushering in "Der Tag" (German for "The Day") that the Nazis would rule the world. With each member taking on the name of an hour, Herrick, as the groups leader, was dubbed "Der Tag" as well.
By May of 1944 he and his minions began a plot to blow up the various large clocks around New York City to create terror and panic among the American people and demoralize them regarding the war effort. To this end, Herrick managed to get a job as curator for the cities large clocks. They tested out their plan of using remote detonated bombs on four smaller clock faces before their final test on the clock face located at Grand Central Station. When the clock was blown up, it happened to be at the time that the Human Torch and Toro were returning to the city. Finding the ignition hose connected to the clock face, the Torch was recommended to see the curator for the cities big clocks. Visiting Herrick, he dismissed the hose as nothing important and sent the heroes on their way.
Back at his hideout as Der Tag, Herrick took over radio air waves and warned the American listening audience that the Hours planned to detonate the clock on the Trysler Building at midnight that night. When the Torch and Toro defused the bomb, the Torch correctly deduced that Herrick was responsible and the two tracked Herrick to his hideout. There, Herrick and his minions were prevented from setting off their next bomb placed in the Moolworths Building. During the course of the fight, Der Tag's mask was melted off, confirming the Torch's suspicion that he was really Peter Herrick.
Herrick and his men were turned over to the authorities.[1] His subsequent fate is unknown.