Our Army at War #3 is an issue of the series Our Army at War (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1952.
Synopsis for "Patrol"
In a jungle, a patrol of three was waiting for their sergeant's signal to advance. After the sergeant signaled that the area was clear of enemies, an enemy sniper shot at a young soldier, only for him to be gunned down by the sergeant. Then, the young soldier took point and was attacked by another sniper from a tree, but was saved by the sergeant. The patrol found a hidden bunker and were attacked by a squad of enemies. The patrol defeated the enemy squad and turned their attention to another sniper. A soldier named Jim fired into a tree, but shot down a dummy instead, while the real sniper shot him dead and disappeared. The young soldier drew the sniper's fire, while the sergeant killed the sniper. The sergeant and the soldier left behind Jim's helmet and rifle, but took his dog tags. Then, the two learned that the Japanese were planning a banzai charge and were spotted. They took cover in a tank, where the sergeant attempted to contact their allies, while the young soldier destroyed the banzai charge with a tank shell. Afterwards, they walked away from the tank to report back to their allies.
Appearing in "Patrol"
Characters:
- Unnamed soldier/"Kid" (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Patrol Group 3
- Sarge (Single appearance)
- Jim (Single appearance) (Dies)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Capt. Benton (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Jungle
Items:
Vehicles:
- Tank
Synopsis for "No Exit"
In a European village, an ex-motorcycle stuntman (Skeets) and his partner (Wally) snuck into enemy lines, but were spotted. Skeets was reluctant to commandeer a nearby motorcycle due to a past accident. Skeets drove, while Wally fired at enemy soldiers. They drove into into a ruined building, upstairs, then through a hole in the wall, onto a bale of hay. Unfortunately, one of their tires had popped. Skeets attempted to remove the tires, while Wally held of the enemies. Then, Skeets and Wally drove the motorcycle on a pipe out of town. However, they had to defeat one last group of enemies before escaping.
Appearing in "No Exit"
Characters:
- U.S. Military
- Skeets
- Wally
Antagonists:
Locations:
- Europe
- Unnamed village
- United States of America (Mentioned only)
Items:
Vehicles:
- Motorcycle
Synopsis for "Lucky Charm"
During the middle of a battle, Pvt. Roy Brown searched for his "lucky charm." After finding his lucky charm (in the form of a horseshoe-shaped necklace with the word "lucky", he was attacked by a machine gun nest and used an "old western trick" to neutralize it. Then, he ran into his ally Stan, who had almost shot him. Roy claimed that his lucky charm had kept him safe. Stan scoffed at this claim, but Roy claimed that it had kept him safe from North Africa to Normandy. Along with their lieutenant, they waited for Germans to pass by and saw a German scout car. They decided to let it go to not make the Germans suspicious. Then, Roy learned that he was missing his charm again, so he attempted to search for it, only to be stopped by Stan. As the three advanced, Roy felt vulnerable without his lucky charm. Stan was shot in the knee by a Nazi and he ordered Roy to take down the Nazi. However, Roy's gun was jammed, so he took him down with his bare hands and found his lucky charm on the soldier. Afterwards, he believed that he no longer needed his lucky charm, as it did not protect the Nazi soldier.
Appearing in "Lucky Charm"
Characters:
- Pvt. Roy Brown
Supporting Characters:
- U.S. Military
- Stan
- Unnamed lieutenant
Antagonists:
- Nazis
Locations:
- Europe
- Normandy (Mentioned only)
- North Africa (Mentioned only)
Items:
- Lucky charm
Synopsis for "Frightened Hero"
Before the invasion of a Nazi-occupied beach, Perry Walters' sergeant scolded him for being late. Perry's excuse was that the crowd had kept shoving him away; the sergeant claimed that he should have shoved them back. Then, the sergeant told him not to let everyone and everything push him aside and that if he doesn't push back against the Nazis, he would die. Their boat was destroyed by the Nazis and Perry was hesitant to push forward due to machine gun fire. He recalled the times he was pushed back when he was younger. He decided that he had had enough, charged into enemy lines, and threw a grenade towards the machine gun. Once they stopped, he rested, but when they started again, he charged and took down a Nazi soldier who pointed a rifle at him. Once he had reached the machine gun bunker, he threw a grenade inside, destroying it. There was one Nazi soldier alive, who shot at and overpowered him, then attempted to stab him with his knife, but Perry won. Then, Perry saw his sergeant who told him that he had single-handedly pushed back Nazi defenses at the beach.
Appearing in "Frightened Hero"
Characters:
- Perry Walters
Supporting Characters:
- U.S. Army
- Sarge
Antagonists:
- Nazis
- Unnamed bully (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Europe
Items:
Vehicles:
- Landing crafts
Trivia
- The humor strip "Private Diary" appears between the second and third stories.
- The letter column "Combat Corner" first appears in this issue, between the third and fourth stories.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- World War II Recommended Reading
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 1)
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 2)
- All-American Men of War (Volume 1)
- All-Out War (Volume 1)
- Blackhawk (Volume 1)
- Blitzkrieg (Volume 1)
- Capt. Storm (Volume 1)
- Four-Star Battle Tales (Volume 1)
- G.I. Combat (Volume 1)
- Men of War (Volume 1)
- Military Comics (Volume 1)
- Our Army at War (Volume 1)
- Our Fighting Forces (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 2)
- Star-Spangled War Stories (Volume 1)
- Unknown Soldier (Volume 1)
- Weird War Tales (Volume 1)