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Project Seven Alpha: American Airlines in Burma 1942 [Hardcover]

Leland Shanle (Author)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 20 Nov 2008

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.To support and supply these troops, 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 world's highest mountains. Hence came Operation Seven Alpha, a plan to enlist the aircraft, DC-3s, and pilots, veterans of World War One, of American Airlines. This newly formed Squadron would fly these 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 and return with wounded personnel. This is the story of this little-known operation in the early days of the Burma Campaign.This book is based on the true experiences of those who were involved and is a fitting tribute to the bravery and inventiveness of a band of men who answered their country's desperate call at the outset of the war against Japan in Asia.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } 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.To support and supply these troops, 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 world's highest mountains. Hence came Operation Seven Alpha, a plan to enlist the aircraft, DC-3s, and pilots, veterans of World War One, of American Airlines. This newly formed Squadron would fly these 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 and return with wounded personnel. This is the story of this little-known operation in the early days of the Burma Campaign.This book is based on the true experiences of those who were involved and is a fitting tribute to the bravery and inventiveness of a band of men who answered their country's desperate call at the outset of the war against Japan in Asia.

Product details

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Pen & Sword Aviation; First Edition edition (20 Nov 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1844158268
ISBN-13: 978-1844158263
Product Dimensions: 15.6 x 2 x 23.4 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,374,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pilot to Pilot Review--Kudos Leland! 7 April 2009

By Mark Berry

Format:Hardcover

As a Captain for American Airlines and a former TWA Check-Airman, I was excited to find an aviation novel that is fun to read and technically accurate! On top of that, I learned a few things about World War II as this novel is Historical Fiction and Mr. Shanle's characters interact with real people, places, and events. It's a job well done and a real page turner. So many aviation books are obviously written by authors who have never been a pilot that it's extremely refreshing to read one that contrasts the excitement of both military and airline aviation against the gritty details of pre-flight checks, checklists, and check-rides. The characters feel alive as if I've flown with them myself. An excellent read!

Mark L Berry
MD80 Captain and Aspiring Author

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Amazon.com: 3.9 out of 5 stars 11 reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Project Seven Alpha review 23 Feb 2010

By M. Horsefield - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good WW II Novel 18 Nov 2012

By A Navy Vet - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are few stories that come out of the China Burma India theater. Stillwell and the American Experience in China is the best readable history for the casual historian. This novel is a good fun read, lots of aviation details on the DC-3 and flight navigation in the early 1940's. The character development is a bit light, but all in all a fun read,

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read 11 Nov 2012

By macsog60 - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found this book to be intersting and one that captured my attention. I am not so worried about the "techie" issues some 47 pilots made comments about. I don;'t think most readers would even recognize, or be concerned about that. It is a novel afterall and actually a rather good one.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews 3.9 out of 5 stars

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