True Aviation Picture-Stories #9

Fourteen-year-old Clifford Wherley of Elmwood, Illinois, fudges his age to enlist in the Air Force during World War II, determined to serve his country despite being far too young. Rising through the ranks to Master Sergeant, Wherley proves himself an exceptional gunner across combat missions in North Africa, earning the Air Medal and becoming known as a "Boy Wonder" for his bravery under fire. When the Army discovers his true age, Wherley must leave active duty—but his determination to return to the fight remains unshaken.

Sergeants Bernard Leibowitz and Dick Brown man the waist guns of the B-17 "Yankee Doodle" as she fights her way through a swarm of Nazi fighters over Palermo in late 1943, facing mounting damage and dwindling odds. When the Fortress takes catastrophic hits—losing her oxygen system, electrical controls, and ultimately her entire tail section—the crew must contend with the impossible. This wartime account captures the crew of the "Yankee Doodle" as they grapple with crippling damage and struggle to keep their damaged flying fortress in the air.

Sergeant Ben Warmer of San Francisco has a nagging feeling he's forgotten something important as his B-17 squadron prepares for a bombing raid on an enemy airfield in Sicily, but duty calls first. When enemy fighters swarm the formation, Warmer's skills as a waist gunner prove decisive—and as the mission unfolds, so does the answer to what's been on his mind all along. Based on the true exploits of a remarkable day in the Mediterranean Theater during 1944, "Lucky Seven!" tells the story of a gunner who makes an unforgettable mark in the skies above enemy territory.

Flight Officer Basil Jackson and his R.C.A.F. bomber crew embark on a raid over Kassel in late 1943, but their mission takes a harrowing turn when enemy fighters damage their aircraft and destroy their compass over hostile territory. Navigating through a dangerous night sky with damaged instruments and dwindling fuel, the crew must find their way home while evading Nazi opposition.