Product Description

Born in rural Louisiana in 1893, Claire Lee Chennault worked as a teacher before joining the army and becoming a commissioned officer. This book provides a balanced portrait of a brave and controversial airman who commanded a training air force for Nationalist China.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #688121 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 472 pages

About the Author
Martha Byrd wrote three other books, including A World in Plames: A History of World War II and Saratoga; Turning Point in the American Revolution.

Customer Reviews

the definitive biography
Martha Byrd was a good historian, and she wrote a good biography of Claire Chennault--leader of the AVG Flying Tigers, commander of the 14th Air Force, and founder of the airline that became the CIA's Air America. Writing about Chennault isn't an easy job (I know, because I wrote a history of the AVG) because he was part genius, part crackpot, and all-over trouble for his superiors. Byrd did a superlative job of sorting myth from fact, and of telling the unvarnished truth about Chennault without ever losing sight of his great humanity and his tactical brilliance. Seek out this book, second-hand or in a library, and hope that it will be republished.