War at Sea #34

When a hurricane forces an American submarine and a Nazi U-boat to seek shelter in a neutral South American port in September 1943, their skippers find themselves locked in an uneasy diplomatic standoff—one that El Presidente himself is eager to resolve by staging a dramatic public duel at sea. Commander Layden must outwit Kapitan Sachs in a battle that could sway an entire nation's allegiance in the war, but the Nazi skipper has already played a deadly card that the American captain doesn't yet know about.

Stranded in the North African desert after being cut off from their division, a sergeant and a soldier face the deadly combination of heat and thirst. When the private begs for a drink from the sergeant's canteen, the sergeant reveals a rationing strategy—but there's more to his resourcefulness than simply stretching their meager supply. This 1960 war tale shows how quick thinking and determination can mean the difference between survival and surrender.

A carrier and her crew of over two thousand face relentless enemy attacks across the Pacific in 1942–1943, pushing the aging ship through some of the war's most brutal battles. From pilots like Lt. Jg Frank Morrison scrambling to land crippled fighters to damage control teams racing to contain fires that threaten the ship's ammunition and fuel stores, every hand aboard must function as one to keep their floating fortress in the fight. It's a grinding, dangerous routine—but one that stands between an American nightmare and the entire nation's survival.

U.S. Navy Lieutenant Sal Genaro devises a daring plan to destroy a Nazi-controlled Italian oil refinery: if the wind blows west and clouds roll in low, sabotaged tanks will blanket the harbor in smoke, blinding enemy gunners while the American fleet moves in for bombardment. Genaro goes ashore to coordinate with a local resistance cell and trigger the sabotage himself, racing against the clock as weather and timing become the real enemy.

Captain Conreid commands a fast heavy cruiser tasked with luring two Japanese battleships out of their safe harbor at Kobe Bay—a mission that requires a risky gambit: deliberately allowing enemy bombers to inflict apparent damage so the Japanese will think his ship is crippled and vulnerable. When the trap springs and the battleships take the bait, Conreid must keep his damaged-looking vessel in range long enough for carrier planes to arrive and finish what he started, knowing the exchange might cost him his ship but could eliminate two major enemy warships.