True Comics #50

Three fishermen off the Australian coast hook what they think will be a quick lunch, but their catch—a massive whaler shark—has other ideas, dragging their line for two grueling hours without tiring. When a blue-pointer shark suddenly joins the fray, tangled in the same line, the real battle begins, and these anglers learn that some fish stories don't end with a simple "the one that got away."

A gang of lumber hijackers preys on Washington State log shipments in the 1920s until Chief W. E. Craw of the Log Patrol picks up the trail of "Highpockets" Peterson through a seemingly innocent sale of stolen boom chains. When an ingenious clue hidden in the metal itself turns the tables, Craw closes in on the criminals who thought they'd outwitted the law.

George Westinghouse rose from a mechanic's son tinkering in his father's shop to become one of America's greatest inventors, driven by a single catastrophic train accident in 1866 that would reshape his destiny. From the compressed-air brake that saved lives on the rails to the alternating-current system that powered a nation, Westinghouse's relentless pursuit of practical innovation transformed transportation, electricity, and industry across a century of rapid American growth. This eight-page biography traces his journey from youthful ingenuity to the creation of enterprises that would define modern progress.

Meet Sinbad, a Coast Guard dog who came aboard the cutter Campbell as a stowaway in 1937 and earned his place through service and valor. From peacetime patrols off Greenland to convoy escort duty during World War II, Sinbad witnessed action across two oceans and became a decorated hero whose presence inspired his crew through the war's toughest moments. This true account traces how a smuggled pup became the most celebrated mascot in Coast Guard history.

In 1820, a ship's captain entrusted with Peru's sacred Inca treasure decides to keep it for himself, sailing to remote Cocos Island to bury the riches rather than deliver them to Spain. When rival pirates and naval forces threaten, the treasure is lost at sea, but a partial map and one survivor's promise hint that a fortune still waits buried on that distant island, drawing treasure hunters for generations to come.

During World War II, one of the Allies' most closely guarded secrets was the proximity fuze—a tiny radio device fitted into shells and bombs that could detect targets and detonate with remarkable accuracy. This story reveals how the fuze remained a mystery even to those manufacturing and using it, and traces its pivotal role across multiple theaters of war, from the skies over Britain to the Battle of the Bulge, where its sudden deployment helped turn the tide against overwhelming odds. Discover how this "magical" weapon worked and the hopes scientists held for its peaceful applications after the war.

Trained operatives of the Office of Strategic Services infiltrate enemy territory across occupied Europe, each disguised and equipped with false papers to gather intelligence for the Allied air campaign. From a French fur peddler mapping coastal defenses to agents directing bombers over Berlin, these OSS agents work behind enemy lines as the eyes and ears of the Air Force—though not all escape the constant danger of Nazi discovery. Their carefully gathered intelligence proves crucial to major Allied operations, from the invasion of southern France to the bombing of Ploesti's vital oil fields.