The Flying Tigers were the most famous fighter pilots ever to fly for the United States , yet they actually part of the Chinese Air Force. Who were these men, where did they come from, and what happened to them after their service with the American Volunteer Group? Novelist (and prize-winning historian) Daniel Ford answers those questions in this compelling account of the AVG and its commander. "Boy," wrote Claire Chennault from China in 1938, "if the Chinese only had 100 good pursuit planes and 100 fair pilots, they'd exterminate the Jap air force!" It wasn't until 1941 that he began to make good on that prediction, persuading the White House to loan China the money to equip and recruit such a combat group, and to allow American airmen to fly for China. In the end, 109 pilots sailed for the Far East. This is their story. Book 1 of the 'Tales of the Flying Tigers. Revised and updated March 2022