Watchman was the leader of the Aryan Socialist Union, a neo-Nazi organization operating in the United States. He was commissioned by Lord Alfred, a former SS officer in hiding in South America, to do a single task: salvage the painting 'The Twelve Knights led by Brunhilda' from the wreak of U-1324, a Type IX-C U-boat that was sunk on March 24, 1945 by a U.S. Navy patrol just outside its objective of Batavia (now Jakarta), with the promise of financial backing of the organization (oddly enough, Alfred had also offered that same job to the Lagoon Company, mostly as a test of worthiness to Ratchman).

Ratchman was a petty, cowardly man, whose main quality is giving grandiose, overly-emotional speeches to inspire his men. He has no sense of either foresight or planning, as evident when Revy and Dutch raided their ship after stealing the painting from and Rock, who entered the U-boat ahead of the A.S.U., with both Dutch - and mostly Revy – causing a massacre among the A.S.U.'s company as they celebrated in a drunken party.

It was later - after his men were killed - when Ratchman discovered from a phone call to Alfred that he was merely TESTING Ratchman and his organization - and found them as extremely poor Nazis. Ratchman was later killed by Revy and Dutch when Revy offered one of her guns to him. Ratchman then tried to kill himself, but then turned the gun to Dutch - and found it empty. Finding his fate sealed, Ratchman was killed by Revy and Dutch.