Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942

Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0061246557
Manufacturer: HarperCollins|Smithsonian Books
Release Date: 2007-08-21
Average Customer Review: (From 6 total reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description:

During World War II, in the skies over Rangoon, Burma, a handful of American pilots met and bloodied the “Imperial Wild Eagles” of Japan and in turn won immortality as the Flying Tigers. One of America’s most famous combat forces, the Tigers were recruited to defend beleaguered China for $600 a month and a bounty of $500 for each Japanese plane they shot down—fantastic money in an era when a Manhattan hotel room cost three dollars a night.

To bring his prize-winning history of the American Volunteer Group up to date, Daniel Ford has completely rewritten his 1991 text, drawing on the most recent U.S., British, and Japanese scholarship. New material from AVG veterans—including Erik Shilling and Tex Hill—help fill out the story, along with newfound recollections from Japanese and New Zealand airmen. Ford also takes up the rumors that Royal Air Force pilots “sold” combat victories to the Flying Tigers in order to share in the bounties paid by the Chinese government.

“Admirable,” wrote Chennault biographer Martha Byrd of Ford’s original text. “A readable book based on sound sources. Expect some surprises.” Even more could that be said of this new and more complete edition.

Customer Reviews

Historical accuracy re-enforcing legend by D. Corporation
The Flying Tigers are one of the few legends of American history. But in this skeptical age, it’s hard to believe a legend. Author Dan Ford brings a historian’s skills to researching what really happened in Burma and China when a handful of volunteer American airmen took on virtually the entire Japanese Army Air Force in southern China and southeast Asia. Ford shows that, while–not unusually–the Tigers are credited with destroying more enemy planes than they actually did, the number of planes that can be reliably confirmed as destroyed by them is still phenomenal, considering the odds they faced, the poor conditions they flew in, and the almost total lack of support from the U.S. Ford has the novelist’s knack of being able to evoke the feel of a place with a few key words and phrases. After reading his book, you know what it was like to be in Rangoon as the British Empire crumbled and the barbarian invader closed in. — CDB

And I thought it was a sequel…. by Eugene E. Conrad
I really liked Dan Ford’s original work published in 1991. I thought this was a sequel to the original, not just a condensed re-write. Mr. Ford spends a whole chapter whining because the remaining “Flying Tigers” didn’t appreciate his exposing that their kills were exaggerated (as were everyone’s in every theater of the war). My advice would be to just get over it! I felt the re-write was a waste of my money, the first one was better by far in every way.

Caveat Mentor. Misleading readers: “FICTION” not history! by Friend of Kahunabyfar
Caveat Mentor. Misleading readers into believing a book is historically factual when it is not is stuff of another genre … fiction! As such, this book should not be recommended to anyone interested in the history of the Flying Tigers. I guess this will brand me part of the official Flying Tiger conspiracy to discredit the author. Well, be it as it may. The author continued insinuation that the Flying tigers claim more than official records comes across again as premeditatedly mean spirited (reads as a personal attack on all Flying Tiger personnel). Sure there must have been cases where swagger and story telling influenced by libation might have been exaggerated but is not anything coming from official Flying Tiger’s nor official combat claims. Heck, I could also claim to have downed 1000 aircraft in combat. It would be idiocy to take that as a realistic claim and, worse, to actually write about to prove a controversial point. I though that if you write a book on historical facts, it must be based an official claims and not on swagger. Unfortunately the author has missed second, even third and fourth chances to redeem himself, especially in this latest edition. The book continues to read as an updated version of a previously conjured controversy for sole purposes of selling more books. Claiming to be the authoritative `historian’ of the Flying Tigers, which comes across as nefarious in nature, does not validate one-sided opinions. The author plays a sly game of reference that reads as a personal account of events or from intimate interviews with Flying Tiger personnel. In reality the book is not based on the author’s personal experience nor does it give a good balance between the two sides of the conflict. A few anecdotal references to Flying Tigers and a whole lot of Japanese “trivia” does not provide balance. The book is disappointing since it continues to insinuate that `all’ Flying Tiger personnel were “liars” and “cheats”. Unfortunately in this edition, as well as the previous one, the author plays up the “supposed” inflated combat claim to the max. The author uses the claim in absolute terms (highest number he could find) to fuel the contrversy as opposed to verifiable combat claims (in the 200 to 250 range, which is closest to what the Flying Tigers claim).The book quotes anecdotal conversations here and there but brings little substance to proper context or balance (you know, what true `historians’ are supposed to do). The author should be reminded that regardless of how many print editions have been edited or sold-out, they do not validate “revisionist history” nor do they validate the rest of the book’s inconsistencies.

As mentioned, this book would be well placed under another genre … “Fiction”.

The truth about a legend by John R. Beaman Jr.
The American Volunteer Group (AVG), aka The Flying Tigers, are legendary. What young boy growing up in the 1940s and 50s has not been enthralled with John Wayne and the movie, Flying Tigers ? Great stuff. Most Americans believe the AVG was fighting the Japanese months, if not years, before Pearl Harbor. The truth is a little more prosaic. They flew their first combat mission 3 days after Pearl Harbor and made their first claim only on Dec 20th, 1941.

Daniel Ford originally published this book in the early 1990s. He did this with official records of the group from US archival sources as well as Japanese historians who worked for years on official Japanese records and first person AVG and Japanese stories to flesh out these records.

Ford was attacked, endlessly, by “keepers of the legend” as well as former AVG members still alive. The reason is he lent a truth and perspective. The AVG is officially credited with over 290 Japanese aircraft shot down over Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. Official Japanese records credit them with about Â½ that amount. Over the years, the stories and accomplishments grew. The AVG claimed they could only be credited with half the amount they actually shot down because so many were behind Japanese lines. So they claimed at least 600, then it has grown to close to 1,000. The AVG people claim that official Japanese records are lies, perpetuated to this day.

It is a shame this goes on. Their record, even with less kills, is one to be proud of. The AVG fought courageously with an aircraft inferior in some ways to Japanese machines, in appalling living conditions with an ally, Chang-Kai-shek, who did not really care about the war, per se, but only holding his power and position against the Chinese communists in the show-down to come. The AVG’s record deserves to be a legend, but not quite the John Wayne type.

Ford laid all this out in his first edition in a very readable of historical book. This second edition corrects some errors, adds information and comments on his on-going controversy with the keepers of the AVG legend. If this interests you at all, buy this book, admire their accomplishments and admire Dan Ford for his ground-breaking work.

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Tags: american history, american volunteer group, burma, cbi, china-burma theater, china-burma-india, fighter ace, flying tigers, greg boyington, history, olga greenlaw, pappy boyington, rangoon, read it, tex hill

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