War Birds #3

A pilot named Thumbs volunteers for a dangerous midnight extraction mission to retrieve a spy from enemy territory along the Yalu River—a chance to repay a debt and prove himself after washing out once before. When his B-26 limps back burning and crashes, Thumbs bails out with shocking news: the man he rescued isn't the agent they expected, but a Communist impostor who fed them false intelligence. Now delirious in the base hospital, Thumbs desperately tries to warn the brass before the entire bombing squadron launches an attack based on the enemy's lies.

A pilot returns to his squadron after weeks of recovery to find his best friend Barney withdrawn and haunted—only to watch helplessly as a personal crisis drives his buddy to a fatal choice in the skies over Korea. When Mason discovers the truth behind Barney's despair, he's consumed by rage at the man he blames, but a chance at redemption forces him to reckon with what he thought he knew. This is a story about guilt, sacrifice, and the debts we owe each other, set against the brutal backdrop of aerial combat.

Colonel Konstantov, the spy master all Russia fears, orchestrates an audacious plan to steal a revolutionary new bomber armed with an atomic powerplant—but the operation unfolds with far more at stake than either side anticipated. When the prize finally falls into enemy hands at a remote depot in the Yalu Hills, a shocking discovery threatens to turn triumph into catastrophe. A tense five-page tale of Cold War intrigue where nothing is quite what it seems.

Ensign Buzz Bennett returns from a carrier strike on Korean targets, but his approach to the flight deck turns catastrophic when a damaged wingman crashes into the barrier, igniting aviation fuel that spreads across the deck and traps crewmen. With fire threatening to reach the hangar deck below, both flight crews and ship's company must work together to contain the blaze before it consumes the carrier.

Lieutenant Wyatt struggles to find his place in a Korean War combat squadron, hampered by mishaps and self-doubt until he finally gets his chance to prove himself—but when he writes home about his experiences, military censorship keeps his parents from learning the full truth of his heroism. Colonel Barton confronts the young pilot over his letter, revealing what the rules of war prevent Wyatt from sharing with the folks back home.