Battlefield Action #55

From December 1941 through summer 1942, the Japanese military believed themselves undefeatable—until American Marines launched their assault on Guadalcanal in August. What began as a confident Japanese stronghold became the proving ground where the invincible myth shattered, showing both the enemy and the world that the long fight back had begun.

A military test of an experimental laser rifle demonstrates its fearsome potential when a soldier's uniform catches fire at extreme range, leaving Major Watrous and the testing sergeant to reckon with what this new weapon means for future warfare. Based on the laser light principle, this non-lethal-at-distance prototype hints at a far more devastating arsenal to come—silent, precise, and capable of obliterating targets from miles away without traditional explosives.

Frankie Shipp, a young volunteer from an Indian teachers' college, finds himself thrust into the brutal trench warfare of France during the Great War, joining the 5th Regiment of Marines at Belleau Wood in 1917. As he and his fellow American soldiers prove their deadly marksmanship against the Kaiser's forces, Frankie's courage under fire—and his willingness to seek out the fiercest combat wherever it erupts—puts him at the heart of some of the bloodiest engagements the Marines face. Through four months of relentless fighting, this determined corporal discovers what it truly means to hold the line.

A damaged B-17 crashes in occupied France with eleven airmen aboard, and though one is badly wounded, the crew escapes into the countryside—only to encounter members of the French Underground with a desperate plan to destroy two critical bridges before a German armored division moves toward the Channel Coast. With the help of French saboteurs, the American fliers volunteer to join the mission, combining air force firepower with underground expertise in a race against time and Nazi patrols. "The Lame Eagles" captures the tense coordination between Allied forces on the ground as they work to cripple enemy movements and pave the way for the coming invasion.

During the Korean War, helicopters transformed combat operations for the Marines—these nimble aircraft could rapidly insert troops to critical positions, extract wounded under fire, and keep commanders mobile across the battlefield. "The Choppers" chronicles how this revolutionary tactical weapon became indispensable to modern warfare, turning the tide in the fight for key terrain and saving lives when every second counted.