Battle Stories #3

Captain Michael J. "Mad Mike" Desmond leads his ragtag unit deep into enemy territory during the Korean War, striking supply lines and ammunition dumps while gathering intelligence to support UN operations. As his men push northward toward the heavily guarded dump at Sing-Ye—living off the land and their wits—they'll discover that Mad Mike's definition of "mission complete" and theirs might be two very different things. A hard-bitten tale of guerrilla warfare where improvisation and nerve are the only weapons that matter.

A soldier earns a reputation for his enthusiastic saluting—so enthusiastic that he's willing to drop everything and dash across the company area just to exchange salutes with an officer. His fellow servicemen swap tall tales about just how far he'll take this obsession, from sleeping with his hand perpetually raised to his unlikely prospects for promotion despite his other shortcomings. It's a one-page romp that captures the good-natured ribbing of barracks life, courtesy of Corporal Richard B. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

When Russian-built MIG-15 jet fighters start appearing over Korean skies, Major Gene Warner of Air Force Intelligence realizes the U.S. needs to capture an undamaged specimen to study—and fast. Warner assembles a bold plan to lure the elusive Soviet jets into combat over a coastal swamp, where a downed MIG might be recovered, but getting the prize out of enemy territory will require all the cunning and firepower the Army and Navy can muster.

Seaman Wade and the crew of a U.S. submarine under Lieutenant Saylor are ordered into Haeju Gulf to attack Communist transport vessels—a mission everyone knows is desperate, navigating treacherous reefs in shallow water while enemy destroyers and motor launches hunt for them. After successfully firing their torpedoes, the damaged sub loses its ability to dive and must settle on the ocean bottom, where the crew endures a grueling three-hour barrage of depth charges in pitch-black conditions, praying they'll survive until moonset brings the darkness they need to attempt a surface escape.