Why ditch the drill?

There's a time for everything. But this is not one of those times. This is the time, in the limited time remaining to jettison all that was once held sacred and permanent. This is the time to throw more than just caution to the wind. When opportunities are so few why put your faith in any of them? Never have so many contradictions hit the water at the same time.

Sunderland under distress

It's always sad to see a Sunderland under some distress. A truly magnificent aircraft deserves better than to be trounced by some nasty roving Ju88. Unfortunately in this instance all that ends does not end well. Without taking too much away from the story line, this particular flying boat is about to spend more time under the waves than on top of them. However, as pocket war comic book karma would have it, that leering enemy aircraft is about to join the Sunderland on the ocean floor. 

Air Ace Picture Library 329 Contact!

Let me start by saying how much I hate Battler Britton and I need to really set aside my prejudices when I read a story with him in it.
Having said that Contact! is barely an OK story as very little time is spent in the sky over the convoys and more time is spent flouncing around French countryside with the French Resistance. Battler gets shot down or is forced to crash three times, and survives! He's at his superhero best/worst as he manages to fly an unknown German rocket plane with a propeller and  folding wings only known as the "Secret Plane", with little or no preparation. The only good thing about story is we also get to see a Sunderland flying boat, Liberator, Condor, Seafire, Spitfire, Lysander, Focke-Wulf, Walrus, and Ju 88.
Of course Battler also manages to down eight enemy aircraft, most of them from either his short flight in the "Secret Plane" or as a gunner in a Sunderland. He's so annoying!
Also it took me a little while to figure out what was happening with that cover. It has to do with that zooshing as the Spitfire leaves the catapult ramp on the cargo ship.