The Flying Tigers: The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged a Secret War Against Japan - 9542

"An exciting story of bravery in the skies-- and a picture of America at its best at a time of peril. A five-star read." -The Washington Times "A brisk and personable narrative." -The Wall Street Journal "The air fights in the book are right out of Hollywood, only more immediate with all of the wonderful first-hand accounts in the pilots' own words." -China Daily "The Flying Tigers reads like an adventure story, as Kleiner deftly takes his reader from cramped cockpits to quiet Washington corridors." -The Los Angeles Review of Books "The story of the Flying Tigers is extraordinary, and Kleiner does an excellent job describing their creation and exploits." -Military Review "A terrific book about the courageous and daring American pilots who helped China resist the Japanese onslaught and helped the U.S. and its allies win the Second World War in East Asia. ... Kleiner tells the story better than it has been told before ... [and] brings the real Claire Chennault to life again, and relates the equally compelling stories of other individual pilots--their heroism, fears, loves, hates, friendships, and tragedies; all against the dramatic and horrific backdrop of World War II in East Asia." -Asian Review of Books - "Kleiner illuminates the battles, personalities, and personal lives of the Flying Tigers, a band of rag-tag pilots sure to enthrall general readers and military history buffs." -Library Journal "Informative, action-packed, and easy to read." Publisher's Weekly *** Sam Kleiner's The Flying Tigers uncovers the hidden story of the group of young American men and women who crossed the Pacific before Pearl Harbor to risk their lives defending China. Led by legendary army pilot Claire Chennault, these men left behind an America still at peace in the summer of 1941 using false identities to travel across the Pacific to a run-down airbase in the jungles of Burma. In the wake of the disaster at Pearl Harbor this motley crew was the first group of Americans to take on the Japanese in combat, shooting down hundreds of Japanese aircraft in the skies over Burma, Thailand, and China. At a time when the Allies were being defeated across the globe, the Flying Tigers' exploits gave hope to Americans and Chinese alike. Kleiner takes readers into the cockpits of their iconic shark-nosed P-40 planes--one of the most familiar images of the war--as the Tigers perform nail-biting missions against the Japanese. He profiles the outsize personalities involved in the operation, including Chennault, whose aggressive tactics went against the prevailing wisdom of military strategy. A dramatic story of a covert operation whose very existence would have scandalized an isolationist United States, The Flying Tigers is the unforgettable account of a group of Americans whose heroism changed the world, and who cemented an alliance between the United States and China as both nations fought against seemingly insurmountable odds.
ASIN: 0399564136
VSKU: DBV.0399564136.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Kleiner, Sam
Binding: Hardcover