Flying Tiger's Diary

fantastic book. I've been interested in the history and equipment of Flying Tiger for decades and have collected several books on this subject. This one is highly recommended as it is the personal experience of Charles Bond. RT Smith's diary is also highly recommended!

Based on diary entries, Bond did a wonderful job telling us what it was really like to be in the Flying Tigers -- not so glamorous as we have been led to believe! Joe Noah

as one one of the remarkable "Flying Tigers". Charles Bond was a young man who longed to fly fighter planes but found himself stuck flying four engined bombers. When the chance to resign from the Army Air Corps and fulfill his dream of flying fighters came along he jumped at it and never looked back. His book is a fine record of his time with the American Volunteer Group and is filled with personal insight on his fellow pilots and the very valuable ground people of the AVG. He became an ace and also himself underwent the harrowing experience of being shot down and wounded during his service with the storied AVG. His descriptions of the somewhat lively air combat, his thoughts on Claire Chennault, Greg Boyington, and his feelings about China make for a fine read. Bond had a long and distinguished military career and he retired from the Air Force as a Major General.

Charlie Bond kept a diary of his experiences while flying with the American Volunteer Group, popularly known as the Flying Tigers. This book covers this time in his life, with a brief preamble and a brief postamble. Bond retired from the USAF as a Major General, and had many varied experiences after his tour with the AVG, but this book is 95% Flying Tigers. Claire Chennault, and the AVG, went against the grain. Army Air Corps doctrine was that the bomber will always get through. Chennault thought differently, and showed that doctrine was incorrect during interwar maneuvers, and was allowed to retire for his efforts. He was hired by the Chinese to rebuild the Chinese air force, and was a confidant of Chiang Kai-Chek, and also the very powerful Madame Chiang. He taught his tactics to the AVG pilots, and they set records that were embarrassing to the Army Air Corps hierarchy. Bond explains some of the higher-level activities, but stays mainly with his own experiences as a pilot flying Curtiss P-40's This book really shows the nitty-gritty of life in a war-torn third-world country, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the AVG history, and a should-read for everyone else.

General Bond kept a diary during his year with the American Volunteer Group. Unfortunately, it was slightly edited for publication, so we don't in all cases get his unvarnished view. Still, it's by far the best account currently in print from the point of view of one of the original Flying Tiger pilots. There's some historical context provided by historian Terry Anderson.