Roar Of The Tiger : From Flying Tigers to Mustangs , A Fighter Ace's Memoir - Hardcover

James H. Howard

3.93

28 ratings by Goodreads

9780517573235: Roar Of The Tiger : From Flying Tigers to Mustangs , A Fighter Ace's Memoir

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517573237 ISBN 13: 9780517573235

Publisher: Crown, 1991

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The author describes his career with the Flying Tigers in Asia, his role as a squadron commander in Europe, and the events that led to his being awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor

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From Kirkus Reviews:

The salty recollections of a fighter pilot who not only became an ace in the unfriendly skies of two WW II theaters but also won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Trained as a Navy pilot after graduating from Pomona College, Howard volunteered to serve with the Flying Tigers well before Pearl Harbor. In combat over Southeast Asia, he was credited with shooting down over a half-dozen Japanese planes. Though an admirer of results-minded Claire Chennault, Howard has less fond memories of his storied comrades in arms (notably, Greg Boyington), US diplomats (who accepted Chinese Communists at their word, i.e., as agrarian reformers), and officious squadron leaders. Nor did Howard much care for the British bureaucrats who insisted he obtain a license to overfly war-torn Burma. At any rate, once the Tigers disbanded, Howard wound up as a group commander in the Ninth Air Force, first in England and later in Europe. There, on a mission early in 1943, he came to the rescue of a defenseless American bomber flotilla; he single-handedly fought off an estimated 30 Luftwaffe pursuit planes, earning himself the nation's highest award for valor. The author soldiered on through D-day and beyond. He was mustered back to the States before the Battle of the Bulge, though, to help train airmen for an invasion of Japan. Never having thought of the military as aught but a youthful adventure, Howard eventually resigned his commission and (at 31) gave civilian life a try. While successful, his adjustment was apparently not easy; however, that's another story. A low-key but dead-honest memoir: fine fare for fans of military history on a personal level. (Sixteen pages of photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright �1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

To qualify as an air ace one must shoot down five or more enemy planes. The author of this workmanlike memoir has the rare distinction of being an ace in two operational theaters of the Second World War. Not long before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Howard resigned his Navy commission in order to join the Flying Tigers in China, who would fly combat missions against the Japanese. Later he served as a squadron leader in the Army Air Corps and group commander in the Ninth Air Force in Europe. In addition to becoming a double ace, Howard was the only fighter pilot in the European theater to win the Medal of Honor. Here he describes many of his "kills," including his heroic exploit in 1943 when he single-handedly defended an American bomber group against some 30 German fighters. The memoir is a straightforward account that emphasizes the "true adventure" aspect of Howard's wartime service but doesn't have much to say about the man himself. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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