Skies of Thunder: The deadly World War II mission over the roof of the world

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The little-known story of the Allies' fight in WWII's chaotic and lethal China-Burma-India theatre.

In April 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army captured Burma, closing the only ground route from India to China. Supplies now had to be flown over the treacherous Himalayas, on the world's most dangerous air route.

This is the story of the Allied troops who braved this perilous journey, flying unreliable aircraft through monsoons and enemy fire, with primitive navigation tools. Caroline Alexander delves into memoirs and records to reveal the pilots' and soldiers' experiences and portrays the exploits of commanders like 'Vinegar Joe' Stillwell and Claire Lee Chennault. The result is a litany of both deadly crashes and astonishing feats of survival.

While highlighting the efforts of units like the Flying Tigers and Merrill's Marauders, and examining the political tensions between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek, this book also exposes the fractures between the Allies and the impact of these decisions on post-war relations. A masterpiece of modern war history.

Author Bio

Caroline Alexander was born in Florida to British parents and has lived in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. She studied philosophy and theology at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and has a doctorate in classics from Columbia University. She is the author of the bestselling The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, which has been translated into thirteen languages. She writes frequently for The New Yorker and National Geographic, and she is the author of four other books, including Mrs. Chippy's Last Expedition, the journal of the Endurance ship's cat.