Customer Reviews

Ding Hao: America's Air War in China, 1937-1946

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4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The goal of a comprehensive history of the air war in China was certainly laudable. At an anecdotal level, it is quite engaging, and as noted in a prior review, could serve well as a source for valuable selected fragments for a more serious, more even, historical effort.

For me, the book failed as a history largely because too much information is taken at face value (e.g. American Kill claims) and insufficient verification (I submit that any serious attempt at documenting the events of WW2 cannot ignore a thorough examination of relevent survivng records of ALL parties). Typical of this is the perpetuation of the Zero vs the AVG myth.

What I found most troubling, however, was author indulging in somewhat jingoistic remarks concerning the Japanese and their capabilities. One such example was the description of an incident wherein a P-40 was rammed by a "Zero", after which the author gratuitously remarked that that was "the only sure way a Zero could knock down a Curtiss fighter." (Having recently had the pleasure to briefly discuss the P-40 with Tex Hill, I'm sure he'd disagree). While forgivable in a contemporary account, such editorializing really detracts from the overall work - particularly a half-century later. If you are looking for a work on the CBI airwar against Japan equal to the standard set by such US/Japan airwar authors as John Lundstrom, you will be most disappointed. Not Recommended.

This is a very odd book, apparently the result of a collaboration between a military history buff and a ghost writer. I wouldn't recommend it at all, except that there are some good interviews with Flying Tiger vets including Tex Hill. (I used some excerpts in my own history of the Flying Tigers.) Typical of the early confusion about Japanese aircraft, there's a photo of Hill with a "Zero" fighter--which is very definitely a Nakajima Ki-43, called "Oscar" by Allied pilots.

My husband co-authored this book. When it was first published by Pelican Publishing Company in Louisiana,
the military book club liked it so much, they chose to offer it to their members. Not too long after the
hardback book was printed, there was a fire at Pelican, destroying all remaining hardbacks. So, I like
checking Amazon from time-to-time to see if one in good condition is available. I'm grateful to Amazon
Book Department for making this possible.