Real Heroes #11

Colonel "Nick" Craw, the U.S. Air Attaché in Athens during the Axis occupation of Greece, defies the odds and his own safety to stand up to Italian officers, earning a reputation for courage even before America entered the war. Years later, as a combat air observer in North Africa, he volunteers to deliver a critical letter from President Roosevelt to French commanders during the Allied landing at Port Lyautey—knowing the mission is deadly, but believing the message must get through.

General Manoli Mandakas, a seasoned Greek military leader with a legacy of courage from childhood, refuses to abandon his homeland when Nazi forces occupy Greece, choosing instead to rally guerrilla fighters in a relentless resistance. As the Nazis intensify their campaign across Crete and the countryside, Mandakas coordinates daring attacks, from sabotaging supply trains to leading fierce standoffs, proving the enduring spirit of Greek defiance.

Nine-year-old Marylynn Winckler rushes to the scene of a crashed U.S. plane near her California ranch, braving the cold and darkness to build a fire and find help for two injured soldiers, Staff Sergeant Bob Edelman and Private Bob Nengel. Determined to keep them alive until rescue arrives, she uses her knowledge of the wilderness to craft stretchers and guide the search party to their location.

Jack Howard, the Earl of Suffolk, lives a life of adventure across the world—from the merchant marine to the Australian outback—before returning to England to apply his scientific mind to wartime efforts. When war breaks out in 1939, he is repeatedly denied military service due to a disability, but instead becomes a liaison officer in France, where his work on explosives makes him a target. As the German advance forces the French government to flee, Jack undertakes a secret mission to smuggle French scientists and hidden wealth across the Channel, risking everything to aid the Allied cause.

In occupied France during 1940, a group of French resistance fighters secretly reclaims a submarine they’ve been forced to help build, turning it against their Nazi captors. As the vessel is launched, they execute a daring escape, slipping away from the enemy before the Nazis can stop them.

In 1872, fossil hunter Edward D. Cope leads an expedition into Wyoming’s rugged Bad Lands, braving harsh conditions and wary Native American scouts as he searches for prehistoric remains. After days of grueling digging, his team uncovers a significant fossil that reveals the skeleton of a long-extinct creature, marking a major scientific discovery.

A B-17 Flying Fortress named the "Phyllis" is on a bombing mission over Nazi-occupied France when it's ambushed by a large formation of Focke-Wulf fighters. With critical damage to the plane and crew members injured or incapacitated, the remaining crew fights to keep the aircraft airborne despite severed controls and failing systems, relying on sheer determination and teamwork to survive the deadly assault.

Four Royal Canadian Air Force airmen crash-land on an ice floe in the North Atlantic during a storm in February 1943, struggling to survive amid freezing waters and dwindling supplies after bailing out from their failing plane. Trapped on shifting ice with limited food and no immediate rescue in sight, they endure extreme cold and isolation, relying on each other’s strength and hope until a search plane finally spots them.

John Colter, a seasoned frontiersman, flees for his life after being captured by Blackfeet warriors, who force him to run naked across the wilderness in a deadly race for survival. As he evades his pursuers through rugged terrain, enduring hunger and exhaustion, he relies on his wits and endurance to stay ahead, knowing capture would mean torture. His desperate journey leads him through the wilderness toward safety, driven by sheer will and the hope of reaching Manuel Lisa’s fort.

In the summer of 1940, a young French captain, hiding his identity to protect his family, escapes Nazi-occupied France by disguising himself as a servant. After reaching England and recovering in a British hospital, he is given a new name and mission—leading a guerrilla campaign in French Equatorial Africa, where he unites local forces and helps turn the tide in the North African theater.