Battlefield Action #23

When American occupation troops in the Philippines face relentless Moro rebels wielding bolo knives in the early 1900s, standard-issue rifles prove frustratingly ineffective against their fanatical charges. Major Denton oversees the urgent delivery of a new Colt .45 Automatic pistol to the besieged garrison on Mindanao, racing against time as Colonel Ruane's detachment suffers mounting casualties. The arrival of this hard-hitting weapon transforms the soldiers' ability to defend themselves and shifts the tide of a brutal conflict.

A soldier's unwavering devotion to his M1 Garand rifle—instilled through rigorous basic training—proves itself time and again in the New Guinea jungle, where meticulous maintenance and trust in his weapon become the difference between life and death. When Pavic charges a Japanese tank to protect his company, his steadfast care for his rifle pays an unexpected dividend. This is a tribute to the bond between a soldier and the tool that keeps him alive.

When Japanese mortar crews rain deadly fire on the Marines fighting for Saipan, Cpl. Joe Massini and his fellow soldiers discover that air support and naval bombardment can't silence the enemy positions—they'll have to root out the mortar teams themselves. "Mortar Barrage" follows the grim lesson learned on the beaches: sometimes the only way to stop the relentless shelling is boots on the ground and direct action against the gun crews in the hills.

Ex-Captain Paul Dobey, once a decorated tank commander in World War II, has hit rock bottom—until his new boss recognizes that the rusted-out tank "Mary Anne," gathering dust in a junk yard, could be the key to reviving both their fortunes. As Dobey fires up the engine and relives his glory days commanding the formidable machine across Europe, he discovers that scrapping buildings with a tank might give him the second chance he thought he'd lost forever.