The shark-faced P-40 fighter planes that patrolled the deadly skies over China during World War II hold a special fascination for aviation and military history enthusiasts. Yet even now, more than fifty years later, little is known about the employment of those extraordinary machines, the courageous men who flew them, and the very different kind of war they fought. And much of what people think they know is wrong. Sharks Over China sets the record straight. It is the first history of the U.S. Army Air Corps unit that incorporated Gen. Claire Chennault's famous Flying Tigers - the 23rd Fighter Group. During the dark days immediately after Pearl Harbor, most news from the Asian front was bad - with the exception of reports about the Flying Tigers and their successor, the 23rd. Day after day, the P-40s of this legendary unit outfought the powerful Japanese air forces despite acute shortages of men and material. No single American fighter group in World War II performed more varied missions, was more successful, or was more central to the war effort in its theater of operations. By the end of the war, the 23rd had tallied nearly six hundred aerial victories and destroyed nearly four hundred more Japanese aircraft on the ground. Based on eyewitness interviews with the group's survivors and containing numerous rare photographs, Sharks Over China belongs in every World War II and aviation library, right next to another classic about the 23rd Fighter Group, God Is My Co-Pilot.

Sharks over China: The 23rd Fighter Group in World War II

History

Molesworth, Carl

Military

Brassey's

Chronicles the story of the Chinese-American Composite Wing, which battled the Japanese from one end of occupied China to another during World War II

Wing to Wing: Air Combat in China, 1943-45

Americas

Crown

America's World War II fighter ace describes his rise in the military, his amazing combat record, and his imprisonment in a POW camp

Gabby: A Fighter Pilot's Life: Frances Gabreski as told to

If ever a man has earned his place in the annals of military history, that man is Francis Gabby Gabreski. His exploits as a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea are legendary; his rise from humble beginnings to success in military and business career

Gabby: A Fighter Pilot's Life (Schiffer Military History)

Biographies & Memoirs

Gabreski, Francis

Leaders & Notable People

Schiffer_Publishing

Based on interviews with groups of survivors and containing numerous rare photographs, this book stitches together the missions of the "Flying Tigers" as they outfought Japanese aircraft in WWII.

Book Sales

The moving biography of Lt. Col. William Norman Reed, a World War II fighter ace who fought with the Flying Tigers and died in defense of the nation he loved.
Bill Reed had it all--brains, looks, athleticism, courage, and a talent for leadership. After a challenging childhood in Depression-era Iowa, Reed joined the US Army Air Corps, but the outbreak of World War II saw him give up his commission. Instead, he traveled to China to fly for the American Volunteer Group--the legendary Flying Tigers. After a brief return to America, he resumed the fight as a senior pilot and later squadron commander in the Chinese-American Composite Wing. Soon afterwards, Reed tragically lost his life in a desperate parachute jump late in the war, by which point he was a fighter ace with nine confirmed aerial victories. His obituary was front-page news throughout the state of Iowa. 
This book is a biography of his extraordinary life, focusing on his time spent flying with some of the famous aerial groups of World War II. It draws heavily on Reed's own words, along with the author's deep knowledge of the China air war, and years of research into Reed's life, to tell his compelling story.

Flying Tiger Ace: The story of Bill Reed, China’s Shining Mark

Historical

Osprey_Publishing

The moving biography of Lt Col William Norman Reed, a World War II fighter ace who fought with the Flying Tigers and died in defense of the two nations he loved. Bill Reed had it all--brains, looks, athleticism, courage, and a talent for leadership. After a challenging childhood in Depression-era Iowa, Reed joined the US Army Air Corps, but the outbreak of World War II saw him give up his commission. Instead, he traveled to China to fly for the American Volunteer Group--the legendary Flying Tigers. After a brief return to America, he resumed the fight as a senior pilot and later squadron commander in the Chinese-American Composite Wing. Soon afterwards, Reed tragically lost his life in a desperate parachute jump late in the war, by which point he was a fighter ace with nine confirmed aerial victories. His obituary was front-page news throughout the state of Iowa. This book is a biography of his extraordinary life, focusing on his time spent flying with some of the famous aerial groups of World War II. It draws heavily on Reed's own words, along with the author's deep knowledge of the China air war and years of research into Reed's life, to tell his compelling story.

This is the first history of the U.S. Army Air Corps unit that incorporated Gen. Claire Chennault's famous "Flying Tigers." During the dark days immediately after Pearl Harbor, most news from the Asian front was bad—with the exception of reports about the Flying Tigers and their successors, the 23rd Fighter Group. Day after day in the deadly skies over China, the 23rd's shark-mouthed P-40s outfought the Japanese. No single American fighter group in World War II performed more varied missions, was more successful, or was more central to the war effort in its theater of operations. By the end of the war, the 23rd had tallied nearly six hundred aerial victories and destroyed nearly four hundred more Japanese aircraft on the ground. Carl Molesworth's Sharks Over China is based on his interviews with the group's survivors and contains numerous rare photographs.

Sharks Over China: The 23rd Fighter Group in World War II

POTOMAC BOOKS

This volume details the design, development, and operational history of the Curtiss P-40, the primary American fighter when the country entered World War II.

Curtiss P-40 Long-nosed Tomahawks (Air Vanguard) (Air Vanguard, 8)

An improved version of the Allison V-1710 engine gave rise to the Curtiss H-87, which began life in 1941 as the P-40D and featured a completely redesigned fuselage. The shorter and deeper nose of the new fighter gave it a decidedly snub-nosed appearance compared to the earlier P-40 models. Curtiss continued to tweak the H-87 for the next two years in the search for better performance, but the last major version, the P-40N, was only marginally faster than the first. In the process, Curtiss even tried an engine change to the Packard Merlin in the P-40F and L but to no avail. What the late model P-40s lacked in speed and service ceiling, they traded for maneuverability, durability and availability. Their niche became fighter-bomber operations, and they fought on fronts as varied as the arctic wastes of the Aleutian Islands and Iceland, the steaming jungles of the South Pacific and the barren deserts of North Africa. P-40s were a common sight in the skies over Burma and China, Sicily and Italy, and western Russia as well. By the time production ceased in 1944, Curtiss had produced nearly 14,000 P-40s.

Curtiss P-40: Snub-nosed Kittyhawks and Warhawks (Air Vanguard)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Molesworth, Carl. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Molesworth, Carl

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Molesworth, Carl. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Sharks over China: The 23rd Fighter Group in World War II

Wing to Wing: Air Combat in China, 1943-45

Gabby: A Fighter Pilot's Life: Frances Gabreski as told to

Gabby: A Fighter Pilot's Life (Schiffer Military History)

Sharks over China: The 23rd Fighter Group in World War II

Flying Tiger Ace: The story of Bill Reed, China’s Shining Mark

Flying Tiger Ace: The story of Bill Reed, China’s Shining Mark

Sharks Over China: The 23rd Fighter Group in World War II

Curtiss P-40 Long-nosed Tomahawks (Air Vanguard) (Air Vanguard, 8)

Curtiss P-40: Snub-nosed Kittyhawks and Warhawks (Air Vanguard)