While focusing on the second Chindit campaign of British Major-General Orde Wingate into Burma, this book manages to convey the essence of the characters without rendering the work itself too dry. From the formation of the USAAF's (the US Air Force was not formed until after WWII) unit to the end of the reconquest of Burma, this book captures the mind of the reader and brings the events to life as few others can. Orde Wingate, the fiery and brilliant commander and innovator, is revealed to have been known only as 'The Man' to his US allies, throughout the ranks of the 1st Commando. Philip Cochran and John Alison, the co-commanders of the air wing seem to almost breath, as their personalities, and perhaps unique compatibility, serve them well in the military rarity - a co-command. An excellent and wholly readable work for anyone interested in Operation Thursday, the China-Burma-India Theater, or the development of airborne penetration of troops behind enemy lines. What these men did then is what modern warfare in its truest sense is today.

GENERALLY ABOUT FLYING AND HIS SEVERAL SPECIAL FRIENDS. NOT ABOUT PEOPLE IN THE GENERAL LIMELIGHT OF THE TIME. VERY VERY PERSONAL AND EGO CENTERED.