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Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers William Calhoun Naval War College Review Volume 61 Article 14 Number 3 Summer 2008 Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers William Calhoun Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Calhoun, William (2008) "Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers," Naval War College Review: Vol. 61 : No. 3 , Article 14. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol61/iss3/14 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 146 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW Calhoun: Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers One of the primary values of this book movie Go Tell the Spartans)—has used is that the views and perspectives shared recent American, British, and Japanese arenottheauthors’alonebutthoseof sources to both improve and shorten many uniformed and civilian sources, the original book. Famously known as both inside and outside of the Defense the “Flying Tigers,” the AVG was a Department, as well. For example, two group of American volunteers recruited of many fact-filled chapters address by Claire Chennault from the aviation working with defense contractors and ranks of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Ma- “the interagency.” Both these areas are rine Corps to help protect China and discussed in a way that allows the key areas of Southeast Asia from unre- reader to gain perspective that might lenting attack by the Japanese army air prove helpful when sitting across from force. In their Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks, a contractor or an employee of the State with their iconic shark’s teeth motif Department. painted on the noses, the Flying Tigers This work serves the reader very well, flew combat missions from three days providing knowledgeable insight into after Pearl Harbor until July 1942, when the formal and informal processes of the unit was absorbed into the U.S. this important element of national se- Army Air Corps. During this seven- curity and the Department of Defense. month period, the AVG, never number- The perspective and information con- ingatanyonetimemorethanabout tained here is particularly important for seventy pilots and a roughly equal num- the military member or civilian as- ber of aircraft, inflicted disproportion- signed to the Pentagon for the first ate damage on the Japanese (1:28 ratio time. for aircrew losses). This deadly aerial struggle kept the vital 750-mile supply ALBERT J. SHIMKUS line from India across Burma and into Naval War College China open and operational for as long as possible during the Japanese on- slaught. The men of the AVG did this while living in mostly deplorable condi- tions, with at best erratic maintenance Ford, Daniel. Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and and logistic support. His American Volunteers, 1941–1942. New York: HarperCollins (Smithsonian Books), 2007. The author’s depictions of air combat 384pp. $15.95 are especially gripping, often describing In this vivid and fact-filled historical ac- individual pilots flying for both sides, countofaerialcombat,DanielFord while providing ample technical infor- completely updates and revises his 1991 mation on the types of aircraft in the work describing the extraordinary ac- engagements. Of course the primary complishments of the pilots and sup- characters are all here, from Chennault, port crews of the 1st American a chain-smoking, tough, and innovative Volunteer Group (AVG) in the earliest leader, to pilots Tex Hill, Eddie Rector, days of World War II. Ford—a writer and Greg Boyington (later of VMF-214 for the Wall Street Journal, arecre- “Black Sheep” fame). Ford’s history is ational pilot, and author of Incident at serious, but it is also rich with stories Muc Wa (made into the Burt Lancaster about this colorful and adventurous Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2008 1 BOOK REVIEWS 147 Naval War College Review, Vol. 61 [2008], No. 3, Art. 14 group, including the beautiful and mys- thought processes and value systems. terious Olga Greenlaw, wife of the Most national-security professionals to- AVG’s executive officer. day cannot afford the luxury of focus- While correcting some errors and omis- ing on one nation or topic. And as a sions, Ford stands his ground on the nation, the United States cannot afford most controversial viewpoint expressed to ignore India. in his 1991 edition—that the Flying Ti- The Kaoboys of R&AW is B. Raman’s in- gers’ claimed official record of 296 formal (and somewhat unfocused) combat victories (including aircraft de- memoir of his time with India’s exter- stroyed on the ground) was greater than nal intelligence agency, the Research what they actually achieved. Citing and Analysis Wing (R&AW). comprehensive research into the histor- “Kaoboys” refers to the protégés of R. ical records of all involved, Ford makes M. Kao, the first director-general of the a good case that because of the predict- organization. Raman was a professional able stress, fear, and chaos involved in intelligence officer who spent much of vicious aerial combat, the AVG’s re- his career in operational assignments. ported victories were inflated over a He spent twenty-six years in R&AW, re- true figure likely closer to 115. Ford’s tiring as head of the agency’s counterter- book, then, is not a glorification of the rorism unit. He later served in the In- Flying Tigers, but its meticulous exami- dian National Security Secretariat and is nation of their genuine and courageous currently the director of a think tank in achievements pays them greater hom- Chennai. Reading between the lines, he age than the numbers would, however likely worked in clandestine intelligence tallied. Ford closes his book with these collection, liaison, and paramilitary words: “More than sixty years ago, in roles. In some cases (such as discussing their incandescent youth, they were security shortfalls in protecting Indira heroes to a nation that needed heroes. Gandhi) he provides many details; how- ...Allhonortothem.”Indeed,andac- ever, in many instances details are no- claim to Daniel Ford for his thorough ticeable only for their absence. telling of an eventful war in the air, one While the book is valuable, most Amer- that should be remembered. ican readers will find it frustrating. It WILLIAM CALHOUN was written for an Indian audience; the Naval War College reader without a background in Indian politics since the 1950s will frequently find it obscure. Likewise, those unfa- miliar with South Asian geography must occasionally stop reading to check Raman, B. The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory an atlas. The writing style is somewhat Lane. New Delhi, India: Lancer, 2007. 288pp. $27 folksy but different from the Anglo- During the Cold War, views from the American equivalent. Also, it is not “other side” proved endlessly fascinat- strictly chronological. Unfortunately, ing to students of international affairs. the memoir is not a representative ex- Books such as The Russians, by Hedrick ample of Raman’s work; he is a prolific Smith, and the multiple memoirs of writer on international security issues, Viktor Suvorov provided insights into hisarticlesarewellwrittenand https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol61/iss3/14 2.
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