True Comics #30

Captain Hayes leads an American air squadron on a dangerous mission to intercept a Japanese convoy in the Pacific during March 1943, but what begins as a difficult bombing run through poor weather becomes something far more personal when they witness enemy fighters attacking their downed comrades. With vengeance burning hot, Hayes and his fellow pilots throw caution aside to savage the Japanese fleet and exact a terrible price for their buddies' lives. This true account captures the raw determination of American airmen defending their own in the thick of the Bismarck Sea battle.

Growing up in Missouri, young Mort and Walker Cooper showed real promise as ballplayers, but it took an injury and a bold decision to set them on their path to the majors. Mort's rise through the minors was hampered by wildness on the mound until his brother joined the St. Louis Cardinals as his catcher, and together the Cooper Brothers became the battery that powered the team to a 1942 World Series championship. Their story is a genuine testament to persistence and the power of family partnership in reaching the big leagues.

Eighteen-year-old Ann Gibbs takes over her father's mail route in the rugged Adirondack Mountains of New York, determined to prove that she can handle the demanding job despite her youth. Through blizzards, fallen trees, washed-out bridges, and encounters with wildlife, Ann delivers mail with unflinching dedication—and when she discovers an elderly neighbor in life-threatening danger during a severe snowstorm, her commitment to her route becomes a matter of life and death. Based on a true story, "The Mail Must Get Through" showcases one young carrier's courage in upholding the traditions of the U.S. Mail Service.

This illustrated history traces Venezuela's journey from Columbus's first sighting in 1498 through its Spanish colonization, to the revolutionary leadership of Simón Bolívar and the nation's independence in 1821. Beyond the political narrative, the story showcases Venezuela's remarkable natural resources—from the vast Orinoco River and its legendary turtle harvests, to the world's third-largest oil reserves beneath Lake Maracaibo, rich coffee plantations, and the mysterious asphalt lakes of Sucre. A vivid portrait of a neighboring South American nation and its potential, told through the eyes of contemporary visitors discovering both its storied past and abundant promise.

This nonfiction history traces how societies throughout time have used scapegoating—blaming innocent people for their troubles—from ancient tribal rituals to modern tyranny. Drawing examples from Roman persecution of Christians, the Salem witch trials, prejudice against Irish immigrants, and the rise of Nazi Germany, the story exposes how unscrupulous leaders exploit fear and ignorance to divide and control populations. By understanding this dangerous pattern, readers learn to recognize and resist the scapegoat trick in their own time.

During the perilous Gibraltar convoy run in 1943, the crew of the corvette Shediac faces repeated German air and U-boat attacks while shepherding vital supplies across contested waters—and discovers that keeping the convoy intact means making hard choices under fire. When a freighter carrying ammunition gets torpedoed and crippled, the Shediac must choose between pressing on with the rest of the convoy or standing guard over a helpless, heavily laden ship with dwindling defenses. It's a tense portrait of wartime duty where the rule is absolute: the supplies must reach Gibraltar, and the men who crew these ships know they're expendable if the mission isn't.