Fallen Tigers: The Fate of America's Missing Airmen in China during World War II

Summary

In Fallen Tigers: The Fate of America's Missing Airmen in China during World War II, historian Daniel Jackson sheds light on the stories of downed aviators who attempted to evade capture by the Japanese in their bid to return to Allied territory. He reveals that the heroism of these airmen was equaled, and often exceeded, by the Chinese soldiers and civilians who risked their lives to return them safely to American hands. His comprehensive research even shows that helping downed American airmen transcended the deep political divisions of wartime China, with Nationalists, Communists, and even alleged collaborators realizing the commonality of their struggle against the Japanese. Drawing extensively on sources and interviews, Jackson sketches an epic historical drama documenting the astonishing extent of Sino-American cooperation.

Fallen Tigers is an incredible story of survival amid a brutal war, insightfully illustrating the relationship between missing American airmen and their Chinese allies who were willing to save their lives at any cost. Based on archival research and filled with compelling personal narratives from memoirs, wartime diaries, and interviews with veterans and war survivors, Fallen Tigers will appeal to history buffs and scholars interested in WWII, US military aviation, and international relations between the United States and China.