Combat Kelly #39

Bazooka Fire!

Baker Company is clashing with communist forces using a pill box filled with machine gunners to keep them at bay. Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak, armed with a bazooka to blast open a wall on the pill box allowing the rest of Baker Company to advance forward and clear it of any danger. Major Thorn then orders his troops to advance forward, sweeping the area for communist activity.

Combat and Cookie stumble across a communist tank and supply truck and blast them to smithereens. More tanks charge at them, but the two Americans are able to defend themselves with their bazooka. When they spot a nearby railroad track where a train is pulling a load of commie tanks, Combat and Cookie realize that their bazooka was crushed in the fight with the tanks and is useless to stop the train and its deadly convoy. Instead, Combat and Cookie rush to the tracks and tie their rifles to the rails, causing the train to run off the tracks when it hits them, destroying the tanks in the process.

Recurring Characters

• Combat Kelly

• Cookie Novak

• Major Thorne

Commie P.O.W. Camp Three!

Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak are prisoners in a P.O.W. camp. When they start planning with their Sargent to break out, they are instantly suspicious of a fellow prisoner named Mousey who they believe is a stoolie for their communist jail keepers. After they steer Mousey away, Combat comes up with a means of communication: they will hide notes in the handle of a shovel that has been marked with an "X" on the blade.

The following morning the warden of the camp gathers all the American prisoners and warns them against trying to escape by showing off the machine gunners they have working the perimeter of the camp. He then tells the prisoners that squad four and five will be separated and will not be allowed to speak to each other, separating Combat and Cookie and complicating their plans for escape. Over the next week, Combat begins digging a tunnel out of the camp from within his cabin and leaves a note for Cookie in the marked shovel to pick a date to break out. However that night Mousey pays a visit to Combat's cabin and notices that Combat has dirt on his boots that is found outside of the camp but not within then leaves. This makes Combat and his fellow prisoners realize that Mousey found out about the tunnel and they decide to abandon the plan, but they are left wondering how Mousey knew. The next morning they check the shovel with the message in it and find it untouched, making Combat and the others suspect that there is another traitor in their midst.

Soon, Combat and the Sarge begin talking about new plans of escape outside of the cabin and come up with a new plan when the Sarge is able to cobble together some wire clippers to gut through the barbed wire fence. They begin communicating this to Cookie in the other cabin by knocking out coded messages on the glass of their hut. That night the trio attempt to escape, but are caught by the warden of the camp. But much to their surprise, the warden is ambushed by Mousey who forces him to surrender. Mousey explains that he is only acting as a stoolie for the communists in order to know how they are spying on prisoners and facilitating escapes, he then turns the communist warden over to Combat and Cookie as they escape and returns to the prison. The next day Mousey goes about the jail pretending to be the shady character that he is truly not, and suffering the scorn of his fellow soldiers in his thankless mission to try and break other prisoners out.

Recurring Characters

• Combat Kelly

• Cookie Novak

Cookie's Combat Course: On-The-Ball Outfit!

Cookie Novak educates the reader on various military weapons and gear such as the atomic bomb, ski unit gear, gas masks, defence against biological weapons, helicopters, paratroopers, bazookas, tanks, dog soldiers, and female military support staff.

Recurring Characters

• Cookie Novak

• Major Thorne

Enemy Action!

March 1945: Imperial Japanese forces are holding onto Kuna Atoll as an airfield the one location that is stopping American forces on their victory march across the South Pacific. Expecting paratrooper attacks, the Imperial Japanese army is surprised when the United States sends down a glider plane instead. On board the plane are members of Baker Company, including Captain Thorne, Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak. They manage to force the Japanese off the island.

In attempting to retake the atoll, the Japanese try to have ground forces by boat scale the steep cliffs that ring the atoll, but are fought back by Baker Company. The Americans also fight off air raids, paratroopers with ease. The commanding officer of the Japanese then attempts to pull the same stunt that won the atoll for the Americans: sending gliders filled with troops.

This plan also fails when Combat Kelly comes up with the idea to throw debris across the only area where the gliders can land, causing them to crash and the crews to be taken prisoner. Unable to defeat the Americans, the leader of the Japanese forces orders his minions to retreat.

Recurring Characters

• Combat Kelly

• Cookie Novak

• Captain Thorne