United States Army Air Forces Transportation Search this
Physical description:
1 online resource (198 pages)
Type:
Fiction
Electronic books
History
Place:
United States
Burma
Europe
Date:
2016
Notes:
ELEC copy purchased with funds from the S. Dillon Ripley Endowment
Elecresource
Contents:
Title; Copyright; Contents; Dedication -- To the Seven Alpha men of American Airlines; 1. Project Seven Alpha -- 19 June 1984; 2. War -- 7 December 1941; 3. Flashback -- 24 September 1918; 4. The White House -- 8 December 1941; 5. The Fall of Empire -- 9 December 1941; 6. Goodbyes -- 10 December 1941; 7. C.-in-C. Pac. Fleet HQ -- 10 December 1941; 8. The Journey Begins -- 10 December 1941; 9. The Conquest of the Malayan Peninsula -- 10 December 1941; 10. Feet Wet -- 10 December 1941; 11. Pearl Harbor -- 11 December 1941; 12. Wake -- 11/12 December 1941; 13. Philippine Islands -- 12 December 1941
14. The Road to Calcutta -- 12 December 194115. Calcutta -- 12 December 1941; 16. Shangri-La -- 12 December 1941; 17. The White House -- 12 December 1941; 18. The Hump -- 13 December 1941; 19. China -- 13 December 1941; 20. C.-in-C. Pac. Fleet HQ -- 17 December 1941; 21. Zero -- 24 December 1941; 22. Ding Hoa -- 5 January 1942; 23. Invasion of Burma -- 21 January 1942; 24. Shangri-La -- 24 January 1942; 25. The Grind -- 16 February 1942; 26. Shoot Down -- 17 February 1942; 27. Rescue -- 18 February 1942; 28. The Governor's Ball -- 19 February 1942; 29. The Grind, Part Two -- 9 March 1942
30. Ambush -- 25 March 194231. Homecoming -- 8 May 1942; Epilogue; Acknowledgments
Summary:
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 surprised and diminished in Pearl Harbor and the army was not only outnumbered but also ill-prepared to take on the invading hoards. One of Roosevelts 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 the only defence to a Japanese invasion of India. To support and supply the troops who were fighting in hostile jungle terrain, where overland routes had been cut off, he desperately needed to set up an air supply from Eastern India. His problem was lack of aircraft and experienced pilots to fly the dangerous Hump, over the worlds highest mountains. Hence the inception of Operation Seven Alpha, a plan to enlist the aircraft'DC-3s'and the pilots'veterans of World War One'of American Airlines. This newly formed elite Squadron would fly the medium-range aircraft in a series of long-distance hops across the Pacific and Southern Asia to the Assam Valley in India. They would then create and operate the vital supply route, carrying arms, ammunition and food Eastward to the Allied bases, before returning with wounded personnel. This is the story of that little-known operation, carried out in the early days of the Burma Campaign. The book is based on first-hand experiences of those who were involved, and it serves as a fitting tribute to the bravery and inventiveness of a band of men who answered their countrys desperate call at the outset of the war against Japan in Asia
