The Flying Tigers: The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged a Secret War Against Japan
Written by Sam Kleiner
Narrated by Stephen Graybill
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
The thrilling story behind the American pilots who were secretly recruited to defend the nation's desperate Chinese allies before Pearl Harbor and ended up on the front lines of the war against the Japanese in the Pacific
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; Greg "Pappy" Boyington, the man who would become the nation's most beloved pilot until he was shot down and became a POW; Emma Foster, one of the nurses in the unit who had a passionate romance with a pilot named John Petach; and Madame Chiang Kai-shek herself, who first brought Chennault to China and who would come to visit these young Americans.
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.
Related to The Flying Tigers
Related audiobooks
When Tigers Ruled the Sky: The Flying Tigers: American Outlaw Pilots over China in World War II Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Sam Kleiner's The Flying Tigers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFallen Tigers: The Fate of America's Missing Airmen in China during World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorld War 2 in the Pacific: Great Battles for Boys Series, Book 2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan 1942-1945 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pan Am at War: How the Airline Secretly Helped America Fight World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Check Six!: A Thunderbolt Pilot's War Across the Pacific Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLightning Sky Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Combat Support Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dick Bong: The Life and Legacy of America’s Greatest Combat Ace during World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tuskegee Airmen: Freedom Flyers of World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Color of War: How One Battle Broke Japan and Another Changed America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5America in World War II: From Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima - The United States in WW2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift---June 1948-May 1949 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kaiten: Japan's Secret Manned Suicide Submarine and the First American Ship It Sank in WWII Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Japan Runs Wild, 1942-1943 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Eagle Against the Sun: The American War With Japan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Dan King's The Last Zero Fighter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRising Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World War II: Carrier War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pacific Thunder: The US Navy's Central Pacific Campaign, August 1943–October 1944 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Broken Arrow: How the U.S. Navy Lost a Nuclear Bomb Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Depths of December Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary, Analysis & Review of James D. Hornfischer's The Fleet at Flood Tide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Asian History For You
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/577 Days of February: Living and Dying in Ukraine, Told by the Nation’s Own Journalists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gulag: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dressed for a Dance in the Snow: Women's Voices from the Gulag Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memoirs of a Wartime Interpreter: From the Battle for Moscow to Hitler's Bunker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Putin Interviews: Oliver Stone Interviews Vladimir Putin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Krakatoa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cold War: A New History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hard Road Out: One Woman’s Escape From North Korea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miyamoto Musashi: The Life and Legacy of Japan’s Most Legendary Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Japan's Infamous Unit 731: Firsthand Accounts of Japan's Wartime Human Experimentation Program Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spy Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA Officer’s Quest Through a Legacy of Betrayal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Flying Tigers
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When I pick up a book to read on history, I usually examine the authors notes/resources. I could tell up front that this book was well researched! I categorize Sam Kleiner, the author, with a younger generation of journalists who pride themselves on telling a story with the unvarnished truth. Sam didn't romanticize the Flying Tigers, but gave praise where praise was due.
I have read well over 100 books about World War II and at least a couple others about the Flying Tigers. The author spends a great deal of time on Claire Chennault and his life. I believe Sam has defined the life of Chennault with great depth and emotion.
Sam takes you on a journey of the pilots who joined Chennault to wage war against the Japanese and their reasons for doing so. Through their triumphs and tragedies, this story really resonated with me like never before.
Simply said, Sam Kleiner is a great writer. If you like World War II history, especially aviation history, this is a tale that has a soul. Sam's credentials are extensive. I truly hope this is not a one time shot for him, but rather the beginning of a long career in writing many books. I will be standing in line for your next one, Sam! Great job! I mean that from the bottom of my heart!