Captain America Comics #11
The Case of the Squad of Mystery
During routine competitions at Camp Lehigh, one troop - that was previously not that great - passes with flying colors. When the squad leader is awarded for their good show, he almost gives a "Sieg Heil". This is noticed not only by Steven Rogers, but also a Lieutenant on base. That night, Steve and James change into Captain America and Bucky to investigate the strangeness of this squad. Unfortunately they arrive too late to stop the lieutenant from confronting the other soldiers. The lieutenant is shot dead by a bald man who is outside the squad's tent. But when Captain America attempts to subdue the shooter, he is accidentally struck over the head by a military police officer and the assailant escapes. When a commanding officer arrives on the scene of the murder, he accuses Captain America and Bucky of being impostors forcing the two heroes to flee the scene to avoid capture.
They pay a visit to a camp commander they've assisted in the past and get him to agree to have Steve Rogers transferred into this squad to investigate the strange truth behind the behavior. The squad, really Nazi spies who have replaced the soldiers are leery when Steve Rogers is assigned to their unit and attempt to get him to take a forged leave pass to get him out of their hair. When Rogers refuses to leave base, the instead take him on a "training exercise" in the hopes of eliminating him. Toppling a tree over Rogers allows himself to slip away and change into Captain America and confront the fake soldiers. With Bucky he easily subdues them, confirming his suspicion that they are spies. However, without proof they cannot act so after some research Cap realizes that the soldiers took their most recent leave together to go to the capital. Deducing this is the point in which they started acting differently, Cap pays a visit to the Travelers Bureau. There he learns that the soldiers in question were told to check out the Mariposa Cafe as a cheap place to eat. Going there, they demand to speak to the manager and recognize him as the bald man who killed the Lieutenant the night before, even though he is wearing a wig.
Before they can act, the two heroes are dumped into a dungeon below through a trap door. There they find the real soldiers, confirming their suspicion that they had been replaced, and that the operation was headed by a Nazi named Herr Grotz. They also learn that the plan was to go on a murder spree to lower America's morale and faith in the armed forces. When two of Grotz's men go down to eliminate Captain America and Bucky, the two heroes easily beat them and use their keys to free the captured soldiers. Rushing to Camp Lehigh, there with the help of the real soldiers beat the fake ones into submission. With the plot exposed and Grotz and his minions captured, Captain America and Bucky slip away before they can be thanked so they can change back into their civilian guises and get a good night's rest.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, General Haywood, Nazis (Adolf Hitler)
The Feud Murders
With the draft in full swing, southern Americans Lee Croger and Jonce Rand end up stationed at Camp Lehigh. The two are members of a pair of southern families that have been feuding for years. When Lee gets a letter saying that Croger intends to play a prank on him, the two men come to blows before the fight is broken up by Steve Rogers and Bucky. When Rand attempts to fight some more, Bucky trips him up, sending Rand after him. Leading Rand into an alley, Bucky is prepared to defend himself but is shocked when Rand suddenly keels over with a knife in his back. When a military officer arrives on the scene, he recognizes the knife as one that Bucky lent to Croger, and he pulls a gun out. Noticing something strange about the gun Croger attacks the soldier and tells Steve to run. Both Steve and Croger flee, but Bucky is caught by military personnel and is locked up. Changing into Captain America, Steve checks on his sidekick in the guard house and promises to learn the truth and clear his name.
Deciding that Croger would have fled south, Captain America follows after him, while the story makes national news and is subject to a great deal of sensationalism. By the time Lee Croger returns to his family clan in the mountains in the south they are ready to go to war against the Rand family. Lee however suspects that something is up, but before he can warn his family that they are being manipulated he too his struck from behind by a knife and is killed. Captain America shows up just after and tries to talk sense into the Crogers who think he is the killer. When the Croger patriarch picks a fight with Cap, the hero fights him off and flees the scene to try and warn the Rands instead. When visiting with Colonel Rand, who are about to listen to reason when Colonel Rand is almost struck by an arrow. He orders his daughter Drucilla to keep Captain America at gunpoint while they go and clash with the Crogers.
While at gunpoint, Cap recognizes the visiting George Brinner as a northerner. As Brinner is busy romancing Drucilla, Cap manages to slip away and try to stop the coming clash between the two families. Along the way, Cap trips over a Buxite deposit and realizes that the land owned by both the Rands and the Crogers are rich with aluminum. Realizing what's going on, Cap stops Brinner as he is attempting to use a call box to call the police to tip them off of the impending fight between the families. Realizing that Brinner was manipulating the two families to wipe themselves out so he could cash in on the metal ore, he clashes with the man. During their struggle, Cap is thrown off a cliff but his quick reflexes save him from a fatal fall. As he rushes to try and stop the feud he runs into Bucky who managed to break out of the guard house and the two rush off to stop it together.
While Cap and Bucky capture Brinner's gang, Brinner himself tries to convince Colonel Rand that Captain America is the one trying to wipe out the two families. However, Cap arrives with the gangsters captive, which forces Brinner to flee. With his abandoned men confessing the whole thing, the two families finally make peace. When Brinner attempts to kill the two patriarchs of each family, Captain America and Bucky beat him into submission and leave him for the two families to take to the authorities. Rushing back to Camp Lehigh, Cap and Bucky resume their civilian guises and are reamed out by Sgt. Duffy for going AWOL once again.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky
A Life at Stake
Harry Kane and Speedy are out for a walk when they witness as the chauffeur for heiress Florence Grey is shot while driving his employer. With his super speed, Hurricane goes into action and saves Florence from a lethal crash and offers his services to her as her new chauffeur. The following day, when Hurricane reports for work both he and Florence are shocked to see Speedy dressed like a footman to make it appear as though Florence has gotten police protection. As they are driving Florence they soon realize that they are being followed by another car. When a passenger in the other car attempts to shoot Florence with a Tommy Gun, Hurricane uses his super speed to catch the bullets before they can hit his employer.
Getting out of the car, Hurricane and Speedy engage the gangsters, while Speedy is knocked out Hurricane uses his superpowers to easily trounce the mobsters and learn that they were hired by Florence's uncle Lew who hoped to eliminate her and inherit her fortune. Speedy feigns being more seriously injured so that Florence would fawn over him more.
Florence assk Hurricane to drive her to her uncle's house. There Hurricane confronts Lew for attempting to kill his niece. Lew knocks out Speedy and runs to the basement. There Hurricane is moments too late to stop Lew from triggering an electric charge to some explosives. Landing a lethal blow on the would-be killer, Hurricane then quickly rushes Florence and Speedy out of the house just moments before it explodes. With the threat over, Hurricane asks Florence out on a date.
Recurring Characters
Hurricane, Speedy Scriggles
The Scourge of Crime
With an election for a new district attorney just days away, the polls are showing that popular candidate Tom Bryant stands to win the election based on his anti-corruption platform. This does not bode well for the potentially out going D.A. Pete Drew and his close friend the mobster known as Nails Riggly. However Riggly has a plan, and during the most recent public speech, a riot breaks out thanks to Riggly's men. During the fight, Riggly assaults a man with a pipe and puts it in Bryant's hand. Caught with the weapon, Bryant is accused of the assault.
Bryant's friend, Larry Scott finds this impossible to believe and decides to learn the truth in his secret identity of Father Time. Suspecting Peter Drew, Father Time pays a visit to his home and catches him just hours before the following days election gloating with Riggly. Subduing Riggly, Father Time threatens to kill Drew if he does not confess and forces him to provide a written statement explaining the truth. Turning the two men over to the authorities with their damning evidence Father Time succeeds in clearing Bryant's name and the following day he is elected into power in a landslide vote.
Recurring Characters
Father Time
The Symphony of Terror
Grand Opera Company owner Morton Friend receives a letter warning him to pull his lead actor, Richard Thomas from their production of "Faust" during this evenings performance or else. Dismissing it as a prank, Friend is soon murdered by a man wearing the Mephisto costume made for the production. Inspector Gribbon arrives on the scene and decides that the show must go on so that they might catch the killer. As fate would have it, Steve Rogers and Bucky had received free tickets to see Faust from Friend himself. In the audience, they watch in horror as the opening act of the play is abruptly ended when someone shoots Richard Thomas dead.
As the police investigate the scene of the crime, Steve and Bucky are asked to stick around and act as police men during the investigation. As the police go on their own line of investigation, Steve and Bucky deduce that the shot must have come from the orchestra bandstand. The officers rush off to question the conductor and as one of them is running from the area he trips on a trap door on the stage. Steve and Bucky change into their costumed identities to investigate the trap door and find it leads to a room under the stage where the killer likely shot from.
Following the tunnels under the theater, they find themselves in the dressing room of the conductor after they hear lead actress Lily Renaud's screams. Cap and Bucky initially attack the conductor, but learn that a man in a Mephisto costume was responsible. Finding no trace of the girl they rush off to find her. They find Mephisto and Renaud in a secret room where the actress was being forced to sing for her kidnapper. In the ensuing clash between Captain America and Bucky, Mephisto manages to flee the scene once again.
Following after him, they are led back to the backstage area where they are briefly distracted by the true actor who performed the role of Mephisto in the play. When the real killer attempts to drop objects on them from the scaffold, the two heroes rush up and clash with him once more. During the fight, they easily subdue Mephisto and unmask him. With the fight over he reveals himself to be Jacques Laval, a French actor who was jilted by Lily. He explains that when he learned that Lily came to America and began a relationship with Richard, he plotted to murder him, and he killed Friend because he learned of the plot.
With the caper over, Captain America and Bucky rush back to camp where later in their civilian guises they are once more reamed out by Sgt. Duffy for their supposed lack of action.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Sgt. Duffy
