Product Description
Before the Second World War, two golden _promised lands_ beckoned the thousands of Baghdadi Jews who lived in Southeast Asia: the British Empire, on which _the sun never set,_ and the promised land of their religious tradition, Jerusalem. Almost Englishmen studies the less well-known of these destinations. The book combines history and cultural studies to look into a significant yet relatively unknown period, analyzing to full effect the way Anglo culture transformed the immigrant Bagdhadi Jews. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Brought back fond memories
I am a Baghdadi Jew who lived in Rangoon, Burma as a young child and boy in the 1950's. I found this book very interesting and brought back fond memories of my childhood. This book is well researched and should be of value to anyone interested in Jewish history. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1943 the U.S. Army Air Forces created what would become the Air Commandos, a unit that marked a milestone in tactical operations in support of British ground forces invading Burma. William T. Y'Blood tells the story of how these daring American aviators trained and went into combat using unconventional hit-and-run tactics to confuse the enemy and destroy their lines of communication and supply. The force comprised light planes to evacuate wounded, transports to move heavy cargo, fighters, bombers, gliders, helicopters, and more than five hundred men. The book describes how this top secret force successfully attacked the enemy from the air, resupplied British commandos on the ground, and airlifted the wounded out of the battle area--eventually driving the Japanese out of Burma. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The history of the forefathers of Air Force's special operating forces
In his final book, William Y'Blood provides a detailed look at the formation of the First and Second Air Commando Groups (1 ACG, 2 ACG) and their support of combat operations in the Pacific Theater of Operations.The book is written in a very personal manner such that Y'Blood identifies each of the pilots who flew the missions, where the reader learns of both heroic deeds and tragic demises of each of the pilots.

The 1 ACG was formed to support the British Long Range Penetration Groups.Y'Blood covers the original conversations between General Hap Arnold and the two firecracker Lieutenant Colonels selected to create the 1 ACG.Y'Blood covers the organization, training, and equipping issues that these officers faced in standing up their first unit.
The book transitions to a description of the operations in India, Thailand and Burma in support of the Chindits, culminating with case studies on Operations Thursday and Multivite.

Following the success of the 1 ACG, General Arnold directed the creation of three more groups.The 2 ACG stood up in support of General MacArthur's liberation operations in the Philippines

The map of China-Burma-India did not show the location of an important location discussed in the book.The authors stated "as it turned out, the decisive battle for central Burma was fought not at the legendary Mandalay, but at the little-known town of Meiktila."Along with a letter from Hap Arnold directing the creation of three more commando groups that is duplicated in two chapters, these very minor complaints are the only drawbacks to this otherwise excellent book.

There are a few notable Air Force firsts in this book.The First Air Commando Group was the first aerial task force stood up to support a single operation.Unlike other organizations at the time, which were squadrons, groups, and wings of similar aircraft, the 1 ACG was a collection of disparate airframes - fighters, transports, gliders, bombers, utility aircraft, and the first operational helicopters.This organization was totally unlike anything else at the time.In the book's epilogue, the author(s) further discuss this point and why it led to the erosion of Air Commando capability between World War II and Korea.

Secondly, the book also documents the first use of a helicopter in a casualty evacuation.On April 21, 1942 1st Lieutenant Carter Harman flew a YR-4 helicopter to rescue four personnel trapped behind Japanese lines in Burma.

This is a fantastic look at the forefathers of the Air Force's special operating forces of today.This book would be a great add to any airpower enthusiast's library.For readers interested in learning more about the Air Force's special operating forces, I highly recommend "Apollo's Warriors: Us Air Force Special Operations During the Cold War" by Colonel Michael Haas, USAF, (Ret.)

A great read!
William T. Y'Blood authored eight outstanding books on aviation topics from World War II. He passed away in 2006 following completion of this book. "Tom" always found a little known event or series of events which led inexorably to the outcome of World War 11. As a former Air Force and commercial pilot, historian Y'Blood peels away the years and puts us in the cockpit of a P-51, B-25, or a C-47, and lets us get the feel of the action.

The main characters are British officer Ored C. Wingate who developed the concept of Long-Range Penetration Groups, (LRPGs), General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, Commander of the U. S. Air Forces, who wanted to use the air force like navy ships and stage an aerial invasion of Burma and two innovative, "Go For Broke" U. S. Army Air Force pilots, Lt. Colonel Philip G. Cochran and Lt. Col. John R. Alison who were told by Arnold "To hell with paperwork! Go out and fight!"

Wingate led the LRPG, disrupting the enemy communication and rear areas while the Air Commandos, made up of light planes to evacuate the wounded, transports to move heavy cargo and personal, a fighter and bomber force to attack the enemy, gliders and helicopters to carry troops and cargo.

The LRPG and the three Air Commando Groups were successful in stopping the Japanese invasion of Burma, attacks on India and forced the Japanese to hold a million troops in China.

The China-Burma-India, regarded as a backwater theater during the war, has not been covered this well in a long time.

It is a great read!

Richard N. Larsen
Senior Reviewer

Air Commandos in Burma ... forebears to today's Air Force Special Operations Forces
In late 1943, the 1st Air Commando Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces -- a composite unit with fighters, bombers, transports, gliders, reconnaissance aircraft, light planes for air evacuation of the wounded, and later the first military helicopters -- arrived in India.Colonels John R. Alison and Philip G. Cochran had the personal support of General Hap Arnold in taking this unorthodox unit into combat.This book -- skillfully blending the threads of strategy, tactics, command, organization, operations, missions, personalities, and flying tales -- tells the story.

The Group's most celebrated day was March 5, 1944, when they carried the British and Indian Army "Chindits" under Brigadier General Orde Wingate into combat, dropping the gliders onto "Broadway" behind enemy lines in central Burma.(To "see" some of that story, watch the famous Army documentary film "Stilwell Road.")The Air Commandos supplied British, Indian, American, and Chinese troops by air as they drove back the Japanese; their fighters and bombers took the fight all over the theatre.The most notable mission of the 2nd Air Commando Group, which arrived at the end of 1944, was a spectacular raid on the Japanese Air Force at Don Muang Airfield, Thailand, on April 9, 1945.

The Air Commandos of World War II were the forebears of today's Air Force Special Operations Forces.To write this history, author William T. Y'Blood drew on unit records and histories, official publications, memoirs, and oral history interviews with participants.Although the book focuses on the 1st and 2nd Air Commando Groups in Burma, a final chapter on the 3rd Air Commando Group in the Philippines rounds out the book.

Beyond writing out the main narrative, the author wrestled with why the Air Commando concept did not take hold in the USAAF and the USAF after the war.The composite units working with ground commanders crossed too many organizational and doctrinal lines.Theatre commanders were always tempted to peel off fighters or bombers or transports to perform this or that high-priority mission, diminishing the synergy of the composite group, he concluded.

The full history of World War II in the China-Burma-India theatre is still to be written.While American and British records have been open, Japanese materials have not been fully exploited, and historians had no or restricted access to Chinese records for decades.But William T. Y'Blood's final book (completed by Jack Neufeld after Y'Blood's death) now forms a solid building block.It will assure recognition of the Air Commandos in any history of the War, and it will give Alison and Cochran a secure place among the Air Force's great commanders.

-30-
... Read more

Product Description

As the Imperial Japanese Army swept across China and South Asia at World War II's outset, closing all of China's seaports, more than 200,000 Chinese laborers embarked on a seemingly impossible task: to cut a 700-mile overland route -- the Burma Road -- from the southwest Chinese city of Kunming to Lashio, Burma. But when Burma fell in 1942, the Burma Road was severed. As the first step of the Allied offensive toward Japan, American general Joseph Stilwell reopened it, while, at the same time, keeping China supplied by air-lift from India and simultaneously driving the Japanese out of Burma.

Customer Reviews (36)

Both Interesting and Informative
I purchased this book for my father to read.He spent 4 years of hislife preparing for and participating in The CBI.Being just 17 when he entered the service it was quite a change of life from back home in peaceful central New York.Now at age 85 I thought he might like to read about what life was like for some of the other people who served in the same area.He found this book both accurate and informative.He also appreciated the pictures.His own comment is "Nice Job!"He thinks you will enjoy it too.If you are interested in The China-Burma-India Theather of World War 2 and would like to learn more, then we recommend you read this book.

Interesting story, sometimes confusing
First of all, the title of this book is a bit misleading. And even the synopsis on the dust jacket seemed to suggest this was a different story than it really is. In reality, this is just a story of General Stillwell and the Burma theater of WWII. It's not quite as dramatic and thrilling as the publisher would like you to believe. That being said, it's not a bad book. It does a fine enough job telling the story of the war in Burma, all the facts are there. But the way the timeline is presented in a few places can be a little confusing.

I expected this to be a story along the lines of Ghost Soldiers or Flyboys, which appeal to the mass public, but this is probably a book best reserved for history buffs. It's more history than it is storytelling. Overall, I'm glad I read it; this is a part of WWII that doesn't get much coverage, so it's worth knowing about. But maybe there's a better book out there on this same topic.

tHE bURMA rOAD reviewed
After the Japanese occupied China's seaports, its only lifeline to the outside world was the Burma Road, built by Chinese laborers, connecting Kunming with Lashio. With the Japanese occupation of Burma, th road was cut and supplies were flown in over the "hump' fom India. A FASCINATING ACCOUNT OF THE CBI tHEATRE IN wORLD wAR II.
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Excellent
This is one of the best history books I have read. It is very well written - I must disagree
with some of my fellow reviewers who state that the writing style is dry. I didn't find this
to be the case at all. The descriptions of many of the battles are gripping - at times
I was unable to put the book down.

The book completely covers the Burma campaign - it starts with Stillwell's retreat from Burma and
ends with the completion of the Burma road. Highly Recommended.

Semi-dry but worth the read (History Buffs Only)
This was a semi-dry book that was well worth the read, but pragmatically of probable interest only to history buffs. It was very informative, inspiring on various fronts with historical content that should never be forgotten by all Americans. A definite contribution via the author to the annals of history and a testament to all the brave soldiers who fought in the Pacific. ... Read more

Product Description
The Burmese Civil War began 12 weeks after Britain granted Burma independence in 1948 and has continued ever since. This book defines its core causes for readers who are new to the subject or baffled by its complexities. It shows how Burmese "Herrenvolk" pretensions, the cou try's unresolved ethnic divisions, Japanese conquest exacerbating these divisions, political rivalry among Burmese nationalists prevented an orderly transfer of power. Aung San's assassination, the drugs trade, and the personal greed of Burma's military rulers have transformed the well-disciplined army of a wealthy colony into a ruthless instrument of an impoverished autocracy.

Tucker draws on his experience as a trial lawyer to argue that Ne Win, and not the Burmese politician hanged for the crime, murdered Aung San, and that the junta is the leading player in the country's flourishing drugs trade. Media emphasis on the junta's record of human rights abuse, he suggests, tends to obscure a strategic interest in ending the trade shared by all major powers. He surveys various scholars' assessments of the prospect of the peaceful devolution of power to civilian rule and concludes by proposing measures for assisting change in Burma.

Shelby Tucker's epic jungle trek with Burmese rebels described in his book," Among Insurgents: Walking Through Burma", convinced him that Burma's troubles, though complex, are not intractable ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A clear, non-mythologized walk through Burma's problems
There are a lot of books in print on Burma's current problems, and the struggle for human rights.Shelby Tucker's book is the only one that I have seen that shows howBurma's current struggles are not merely the result of the current junta's misrule, but also grow out of Burma's post-war history. He also discusses both Aung San's strengths, and his failings, making him much more human than much of the current literature.He also covers the struggles of Burma's minorities, and the drug trade, giving one a good overview of a troubled country.

A selection of review coverage:
'A punchy, well-balanced history ... He packs in a lot of information about geography, ethnicity and the details of Burma's tumultuous past.' Literary Review

'This book is a rare treat ... Interwoven with Tucker's stylish and humorous chronicle, is an informative account of Kachin history and culture, and a lucid exposition of the complex subject of Burma's troubled political history and decades of civil war and suffering'. Bulletin of the Burma Studies Group

'One of the most comprehensive accounts of modern Burmese history written in recent years. He outlines Burma's descent into chaos after independence from Britain in 1948, and gives his view on why the country has been engulfed since then in civil war.' Far Eastern Economic Review

'Written with fluency and verve, the book has to be regarded as a standard work and is indispensable for the understanding of the travails of modern Burma.'John McEnery, author of 'Epilogue in Burma'

'He is endlessly fascinating and well-informed on this little known region of Asia'. Times Literary Supplement ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful Book
I purchased this book as I am an Art History student and Dr. Chirapravati is my professor. This is a book I will keep after the class if over, the images are beautiful and if you ever have a chance to go to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco this book will give you lots of details about the art displayed there.Whether you read it in depth or just enjoy the photographs it is money well spent.

Emerald Cities: Arts of Siam and Burma 1775-1950
It is a very nice and succesfull book. I recomend everybody who like Asian history and art. ... Read more

Product Description
This work encapsulates diversity of architecture, design, arts and crafts in Myanmar. Ranging from the monumental pagodas of Bagan (Pagan) to contemporary Yangon (Rangoon), both religious and secular buildings are presented in detail. Archaelogical experts highlights the major influences and styles, and sections are included on Myanmar's rich tradition of arts and crafts. Buddha images, lacquerware, painting, ceramics, wood-carvings, bronzes, textiles, costumes and many more are illustrated, as are examples of objects d'art. Chapters on Myanmar's history and culture discuss the special relationship between religion and life. "Myanmar Style" is intended for art collectors, lovers of exotic architecture and interior design, and anyone interested in this unique country. With over 500 colour images by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni, and text by the region's authorities on architecture, art and archaeology, this book reveals the splendour of a secret, forgotten land. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Beautiful and Informative Sourcebook
I own at least a dozen books in which the second word of the Title is "Style", but this is certainly one of the best. Well organized, informative and full of beautiful photographs. Looking through this book you can learn about the Architecture and Design of Myanmar. The book is divided into sections dealing with Religious and Secular Architecture, Early and Modern Architecture and Arts and Crafts. At the end of the book there is a section of Textiles and Costumes, and another entitled the Pagoda Market which shows photographs and gives descriptions of vendors of various types of handicrafts. Thus a cross section of the different aspects of the Myanmar Style are given, without adaptations by Western Interior Decorators. Some "Style" Books are misleading because they show the adaptations, primarily in the West, of Stylistic Elements. While these books are ok, I prefer to see the Style as it actually is in Myanmar, not a Architectural Digest type of interpretation. This book is free from this. The text is concise and informative. Not overloooked should be the quality of the photographs and the paper and printing, which in this case are all excellent. Some other books of this genre are not up to high quality. No worries here however. I highly recommend this book. It will make you want to visit Myanmar, or at least think about redesigning in your home.

brilliant sourcebook
Finally, a book on art and design in Myanmar/Burma that does justice to the living traditions as well as the colonial and pre-colonial empires.Superb photography, thoughtful text, and some quirky subjects, too, such asthe chapter The Great Pagoda Alley. Enjoyable.

Superb varied and colorful view of buildings and crafts
This book adds both novelty and inspiration to an otherwise dull coffee table or mind. More touristically, this is one of the special books that make you go to the place and find where the interesting buildings not inthe travel guides are.The pictures are excellent, not cropping so much asto glamourise rubbish, and not putting things out of context: in short,well edited text and visuals. One note, it has nothing to do with theexperience of being in a third world country, but it is for the visualpleasure only. ... Read more

Product Description
In June 1942 the Indian Army suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Japanese Army and subsequently endured its longest retreat ever. The Japanese forces had proved more mobile in tactics and more motivated and seasoned in warfare. As a result, the Indian Army assessed its mistakes to determine what changes were needed to rebuild itself into a more capable fighting force. Marston looks at the Indian Army as a reform-minded organization, one that was able to take lessons from this major defeat, implement the necessary reforms, and ultimately defeat the Japanese soundly in 1945. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The inside story of the Indian Army's triumph
For those who read about the Malaya and Burma campaigns of 1941 and 1942, and wonder why the British in the Far East were initially so unprepared to face the Japanese, this is an excellent account.

For those who wonder how the extraordinary growth and transformation of the Indian army came about, leading to the largest volunteer army in the war, trained, professional and integrated, capable of outfighting the Japanese in the jungle and on the plains, this is simply the essential account. The research is meticulous, the evidence compelling, the analysis informed.

Three small quibbles. The maps used really do not reproduce very well. Some of the material in the copious footnotes might as easily have been in the text. And there is a tantalising reference to a mission which studied what American and Australian forces had learned from jungle fighting, without saying what they found out. ... Read more

Product Description
When the Burma campaign is discussed, the turning point battles of Imphal and Kohima are most often thought of.However General Bill Slim's bold but risky plan to outflank the Japanese on the Irrawaddy at Mandalay deserves far more credit.

Product Description
This study examines the enormous variation and complexity that characterize relationships between the national state and locally-based, often nonstate actors who negotiate and compete for political authority in Burma's ethnic minority-dominated states along the borders. Three patterns of relationships are explored: devolution by the national state to warlord-like local authorities; occupation by the Burmese military; and coexistence (with varying degrees of cooperation and understanding) among actors from the national state and local stakeholders. Throughout these border states, leaders of the Burmese government's armed forces and of past and currently-active armed opposition forces operate within a context that is neither war nor peace, but instead a kind of post-civil-war, not-quite-peace environment. To understand the complex political arrangements that have arisen in this environment, this monograph employs the concept of "emerging political complex" - a set of adaptive networks that link state and other political authorities to domestic and foreign business concerns (some legal, others illegal), traditional indigenous leaders, religious authorities, overseas refugee and diaspora communities, political party leaders, and nongovernmental organizations. All of these players make rules, extract resources, provide protection, and try to order a moral universe, but none of them are able, or even inclined, to trump the others for monolithic national supremacy. Conflict resolution strategies have to recognize that these emerging political complexes are not simply unfortunate bumps in the road to peace but instead constitute intricate and evolving social systems that may continue to be adapted and sustained. ... Read more

Product Description
Life's Journey in Faith is a true story of an ethnic Karen family during Burma's transition from riches to rags, spanning a period from the British colonial days through the Japanese occupation of Burma during World War II into the chaotic political years after iindependence and General Ne Win's coup of 1962 and to the escape of the Zan family into Thailand in 1964. The book takes the reader back to Good Friday in 1942 when Mandalay was heavily bombed by the Japanese, the battle for Katha further north between the Chinese and the Japanese and the carpet bombing of Rangoon toward the end of the war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

How modern Myanmar began- a personal story of history we all need to know
We knew them as "Uncle Z and Aunt Nunu", the houseparents of our boarding house in Bangkok, Thailand.I and my older sister lived there with a bunch of other missionary kids while we attended school in the late '60's.In this book, on page 235, that was me and two of the guys raiding the fridge (well, one of the times it got raided), and my sister and some of the other girls locking Uncle Z and Aunt Nunu out of the house.

Spencer Zan (rhymes with "Kahn") was born and raised in the 1920's, a well- educated Christian of the Karen (pronounced "ka-REN") State of Northern Burma, in the very last days of the British Empire.Burma won independence from Britain after WWII but the Burmese military immediately toppled the new democratic government.The junta renamed the country Myanmar and commenced generating the long series of political and humanitarian crises that shock us in the news to this day.One of the early crises was the Karen State's struggle for its own independence from Burma.In "Life's Journey In Faith" Mr Zan takes us on his trek through those dangerous years as he fought the Japanese in the War, joined in the Karen State's rebellion and ultimately escaped with his family to freedom.

The harsh details of some of his more trying experiences are left understated; Mr Zan modestly downplays the personal adversity he endured to get his family to safety.However, his astute descriptions of his surroundings and activities make clear to the attentive reader the serious dangers he successfully negotiated.Not just when he formed a resistance cell to help subvert the murderous Myanmar government or the years he spent in prison.Even after illegally entering Thailand by driving jungle dirt roads to safety, he needed a passport so he could work and support his wife and kids.He got one.

Mr Zan's clear account of his experiences show him to be a man humbly and honestly living his spiritual values.You can always tell the lives of that sort of person: they're full of protectors materializing unbidden, "lucky" breaks, and happy endings.Uncle Z has had his share of those.

Uncle Z talks in the book about the discipline he and Aunt Nunu 'applied with tender loving care' to us boarding house kids.My memories of him and his wife have not a single trace of 'discipline' about them; they simply loved us into doing the best we could, whether it was having manners at the table, cleaning up after our spitwad fights or living by honorable principles.

"Life's Journey In Faith" is worth reading just for the history but it's also a blessing for the inspiration of Spencer Zan's spiritual life.

ALearning Experience
This book was very easy reading and I learned so much about another country. Not only about a country but about how faith kept so many people safe. It made me realize how good we have it here in the US. Spencer Zan was a special person that loved his family very much. He also helped a lot of other people be safe during the war. At times this book was very humorous but it also was horrifying hearing everything that this family and their friends went through. I'm glad he wrote this book to make other people aware of what went on in Burma and Burma's continuing struggle. I think this would be a great book for schools to use in there history studies. It not only tells the story of Burma during the war and its political turmoil but it also takes you on a journey of a family of two children and how they escaped to the US . What a journey they had, only eating rice with sand in it at times and traveling through the jungle with tigers, lions and snakes and oh yes let's not forget those leaches. We really are very fortunate here in the US.

Modern day Indiana Jones
This is a fast and easy read book that chronicles the life of one man and his family through milestones in history and most known being the Pacific Theater in World War II and specifically the Japanese occupation of Burma.In fact this is my father, and in reading his life's journey, I was awed by his recollection of the most intricate details and certain experiences in his life that affect him still today.Only living in Burma up to the age of 10 I did not have the replete history that he recounts in the book but I do remember and still feel the pulse of life as it was in Burma and the sweet aroma of curry, sweets and the tropics that permeate your senses as a kid.This book reveals how my good life today was shaped by one man's courageous and faith enabled actions.I hope everyone will read this book to get a glimpse ofa very reclusive country, filled with a rich ethnic tapestry and woven with twists and turns as Burma went from the verge of great things to one of the most impoverished countries in the world.Today, I am proud to be an American and at the same time, proud of my heritage and prouder still of my Dad and how he led his life.This is a must read book for those who believe in the power of the human spirit and the foundation of faith that navigates us through the stormy seas of life. ... Read more

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Product Description
This book explores in detail the little-known system of ancient bird-shaped weights from Northern Thailand and Burma. The weights are carefully described and analyzed as to their origin anduse, their mass scale and its relation to other mass scales, their composition and production techniques, and their shapes and symbolism.

Although historical records fail to mention much about the ancient weights in Southeast Asia, fortunately, records of European traders and of Arab, Persian, and Chinese travelers from previous centuries do exist, and provide an opportunity for comparison. Donald and Joan Gear broaden their study to consider the historical context of the Lan Na weights, comparing them with the weight systems found in surrounding areas. They conclude that from about the 11th century until the mid-16th century, the bird-shaped weights were most likely used by traders along the route through Raheng and Martaban to Pegu.

Of interest to historians, collectors, antiquarians, and scholars of Southeast Asia, this unique volume discloses the curious and intricate world of ancient bird-shaped weights. ... Read more

Product Description
By the end of September 2007, the Burmese military regime had suppressed with force anti-regime protests that began in late August, escalated in mid- September, and were led by Buddhist monks and pro-democracy activists. This drew new protests from the United States over the regime's abusive human rights record. According to human rights reports by the U.S. State Department and private organisations, Burma's poor record worsened in 2004, 2005, and 2006. These reports have laid out a familiar pattern of government and military abuses of civilians. As in the past, U.S. diplomatic initiatives in September 2007 did not prevent the regime's crackdown. China blocked a U.S.-European Union proposal to have the United Nations Security Council consider imposing sanctions on Burma. However, Burmese military leader Than Shwe proposed to a United Nations envoy that he would meet with opposition leader Aung Sann Suu Kyi if she would cease encouraging confrontation with the government and foreign economic sanctions. The SPDC appears unaffected by sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western nations. Western sanctions are uneven with U.S. sanctions being the heaviest.Burma has been able to expand exports of a variety of commodities, including growing earnings from natural gas production. China and India have signed deals with the SPDC for substantial purchases of natural gas. Burma also reportedly earns between $1 billion and $2 billion annually from exports of illegal drugs, heroin and methamphetamines. Most of these earnings go to drug traffickers connected to the Wa and Shan ethnic groups; but Burmese military officials have means to gain a substantial share of these earnings. Burma's fellow members in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have grown more critical of the SPDC, but they continue to oppose sanctions. Chinese diplomatic support of the SPDC and military and economic aid is very important: $2 billion in military aid since the early 1990s, $200 million annually in economic aid, substantial foreign investment including new investment in natural gas, and a huge influx of Chinese migrants into Burma, mainly traders. China's role is a prime justification for India's 'constructive engagement' policy toward Burma.Burma has re-established diplomatic relations with North Korea amidst reports of growing military co-operation between them. This book presents a background report on Burma and incisive reports on the country and its internal strive and international interactions. ... Read more

Product Description
In late 1941, President Roosevelt agonized over the rapid advances of the Japanese forces in Asia, they seemed unstoppable. He foresaw their intentions of taking India and linking up with the two other Axis Powers, Germany and Italy, in an attempt to conquer the Eastern Hemisphere. US naval forces had been severely surprised and diminished in Pearl Harbor and the army was outnumbered and ill-prepared to take on the invading hoards. One of his few options was to form a defensive line on the eastern side of the Patkai and Himalayan Ranges, there he could look for support from the Chinese and Burmese. It was to be the only defence to a Japanese invasion of India.

Customer Reviews (2)

Project Seven Alpha review
Overall, I found Shanle's book entertaining, informative and a great read! It is quite obvious that the author has quite a bit of aviation experience, but more importantly, he is a master story teller. Shanle has the ability to put the reader in the cockpit so you can literally feel the adrenaline kick in as the flying becomes a matter of life and death. Although the book may not be completely historically accurate, I think the author's intent was to piece together many factual events into one coherent story and I would say that in this regard he succeeded where most others fail. I liked the book so much that I bought a copy for my father (retired aviator) and my father in law (WW2 aviation buff). The surprise was that my MOM ended up loving the book the most and she couldn't put it down. Again, a great story and a quick read (because you can't put it down).

I hope they make a movie from this story!

A novel, not a history
Project 7A is a significant event in the history of American Airlines' involvement in the Air Transport Command during WWII.This was flying across the Himalayas, the route that came to be known as "The Hump".

Although the initial impression, from the title itself, is that this book is at least partly an historical account, it is actually a novel, and not too terribly historically accurate at that. The author, who is an AA pilot himself (and should know better!), makes some frankly embarrasing mistakes in the chronology of 7A, and keeps using modern aviation terms that were not in use in that era. Case in point-the term V1, referring to a safety speed during takeoff, was most certainly not used in the DC-3 era.A non-pilot might not know that, but things like that (and there are more of them) will drive a pilot nuts!

That aside, the book is entertaining as an historical novel very loosely based on facts. For a better look at 7A, though, I recommend Fate is the Hunter, by Ernest K. Gann, or To the Four Winds, by James Mangan.

Tony Vallillo
Captain, American Airlines, ( ret) ... Read more