The Jungle War: Mavericks, Marauders and Madmen in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II [Hardcover]

Gerald Astor (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471273937 | ISBN-13: 978-0471273936 | Publication Date: July 16, 2004 | Edition: 1

Praise FOR Gerald Astor

"No one does oral history better than Gerald Astor. . . . Great reading."
-Stephen Ambrose on The Mighty Eighth

"Gerald Astor has proven himself a master. Here, World War II is brought to life through the hammer blows of their airborne triumphs and fears."
-J. Robert Moskin, author of Mr. Truman's War, on The Mighty Eighth

"Astor captures the fire and passion of those tens of thousands of U.S. airmen who flew through the inferno that was the bomber war over Europe."
-Stephen Coonts on The Mighty Eighth

"Oral history at its finest."
-The Washington Post on Operation Iceberg

"Quick and well-paced, this will please even the most jaded of readers."
-Army magazine on Battling Buzzards

"A stout volume by a distinguished historian of the modern military makes a major contribution on its subject."
-Booklist on The Right to Fight (starred Editor's Choice)

"Today, as we lose the veterans of World War II at an alarming rate, we must not lose sight of their sacrifices or of the leaders who took them into battle. Astor, an acclaimed military historian, provides an in-depth look at one of the war's most successful division combat commanders, Maj. Gen. Terry Allen. . . . This well-written portrait makes for enjoyable reading."
-Library Journal on Terrible Terry Allen

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Strikes an excellent balance between informing the reader as well as keeping him engaged. An outstanding read." (On Point: The Journal of Army History)

Review

"Gerald Astor has illuminated the CBI Theater, a remote corner of World War II with his splendid prose, his significant details, and his perceptive comments about the people and events."
—Martin Blumenson, author of Kasserine Pass: Rommel's Bloody, Climactic Battle for Tunisia and Anzio: The Gamble That Failed

"Astor vividly recounts the amazing story of one of the most neglected but important battlegrounds of WWII. A gripping, well-researched tale of unconventional warfare."
—Carlo D'Este, author of Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life and Patton: A Genius for War

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (July 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471273937
• ISBN-13: 978-0471273936
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.3 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > History > Asia > Myanmar

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as other Astor titles, October 8, 2008

By 

Marc L. Tavasci (Pacifica, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Jungle War: Mavericks, Marauders and Madmen in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II (Hardcover)

This book is different from other Astor titles in that it lacks the personal accounts he's known for. If you're looking for a book on the CBI with lots of personal stories/recollections, you'll be disappointed by this book. However, this book provides good insights into the minds and characters of some of the CBI's main personalities: Slim, Stilwell, Chennault, and Mountbatten. It also provides a fairly well-detailed account of the war in the CBI, predominantly the fighting in Burma. Unfortunately, it suffers from an almost complete absence of maps, so unless your knowledge of Indian and Burmese geography is excellent you might get a bit lost when trying to figure out where battles and such are taking place.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good Intro to a Forgotten Front of WW II, March 15, 2010

By 

David D. Lawson "A Legend in his own mind" (The Peoples Republic of California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Jungle War: Mavericks, Marauders and Madmen in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II (Hardcover)

This book while not as detailed as I wished is a good solid introduction to a basically forgotten but extremely brutal war. Where the Japanese invaded the British Colony of Burma. What followes is a long hard slog with some of the strangest set of Characters that ever graced the Stage of War. For Example the corrupt Chiang Kai Shek, the crazy Wingate, a Royal Moutbatten,Vinegar Joe Stilwell and a host of others. The only bright spot being the use of more Japanese sources. The major problem of this book was that it did not really cover the only real leader of this campaign that being FM Slim. But it is an honest effort for those starting out on a study of this campaign.

3 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very informative and an eye opener! it reveal much of present geopolitical landscapes of burma india and chinese frontiers, December 12, 2006

By 

Jose T. Lim - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Jungle War: Mavericks, Marauders and Madmen in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II (Hardcover)

this book is a precursor of the present political landscapes of burma and india. most specifically burma. that the present bandits landlords of the countries mountain lands are dominated by karens tribal rebels who actually support their existence with poppy production and traffics which actually are encouraged if not promoted by renegades ex kuomintang generals and soldiers who forrayed into the country thrun the frontiers during worid war II. A MUST READ for all who are interested in current situation in SOUTH ASIA!