True Comics #40

After twenty-two days adrift following a torpedo attack on their merchant vessel, a crew of British sailors faces starvation—until one man, T.W. Chapman, devises a desperate plan to catch the sharks circling their lifeboat. Chapman's quick thinking and fearless action turn a life-or-death gamble into a lifesaving catch that sustains his crew and earns him recognition for his bravery.

From the wooden rails of 17th-century England to the streamliners of the 1940s, this story traces how the railroad evolved from a curious mining aid into a steel giant that transformed industry and nation-building. Follow the pioneers—from James Watt's steam engine to Richard Trevithick's wheeled locomotive to America's early visionaries like Charles Carroll—as they overcame obstacles from shifting sands and flooding rivers to build the transcontinental network that now hauls millions of troops and freight to power the war effort. It's a rollicking journey through the iron horse's greatest moments, from the legendary Rainhill competition to the golden spike at Promontory Point.

"Nature's Airmen" reveals how birds remain nature's supreme flyers, even as human aviation technology advances—exploring the remarkable physical techniques that make them so efficient. This brief look at avian flight demonstrates why birds still outmaneuver anything we've built to take to the skies.

In "Back-Yard Lifesaver," young students across 25 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces join school-led brigades to collect milkweed pods—a quiet but vital contribution to the war effort. Their simple task of harvesting common milkweed provides essential filler for life jackets and life belts, turning everyday backyards into wartime supply lines.

Three English motor torpedo boat crews accept a desperate daylight mission along the Nazi-held North African coast in 1943, disguising themselves as enemy vessels to chart German defensive positions and gather intelligence on Marshal Rommel's evacuation plans. What begins as a daring reconnaissance run under the guns of Cape Bon escalates into a fierce running battle against destroyers and fighter planes, testing the courage and resourcefulness of Lieutenant Gould and his fellow skippers. Their intelligence haul proves vital to the Allied victory in North Africa, though the price of their success comes at a terrible cost.