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All I can say is that is a great read, my knowledge of the Flying Tigers is the obvious 1942 film starring John Wayne and the fact that they were the equivalent of the Eagle Squadrons of Europe. After reading the book I look at the John Wayne film with disbelief and the thought of how it could be so inaccurate when it apparently had an actual pilot who flew with the Tigers on set to advise the making of the film. But whatever.
Reading the book I can understand how some if not many people believe that the Tigers were basically Mercenaries, and in essence that is what they were. Their pay was around $600 TO $750 a month and $500 reward for plane they shot down, and that was just for pilots. A hotel in Manhattan cost around $3 a night around that time. No wonder so many looked at them as guns for hire. The book also sheds light on how there were also Chinese flying tigers, as well as in the early parts of the second Sino-Japanese War there were Russian pilots, as expected the Russians and Americans were suspicious of one another. Sometimes refusing even to share their knowledge to the Chinese if the other was present.
In the book Daniel Ford also talks about how the United Sates basically would approve of the operations with Roosevelt's usual "wink and a nod" style of the time, especially with the war in Europe which the President was slowly but surely directing towards the side of Britain. The pilots were trained by a "private military contractor" aka the "Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company" which paid the wages. Throughout the book it is explained how millions of dollars of supplies were transported through various countries such as planes and then assembled at factories. When the Japanese were advancing the factories were literally moved to a different part of the country.
Finally the book also covers the Pilots rebellion and how Chennault personally dealt with it. As is with all wars it also covers how some Pilots died as well as the notable personalities that were with the Tigers and the aces that emerged.
A great book. Hopefully there is someone like Daniel Ford that has made a history of Americans during the Battle of Britain. If only I could find one.
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