These fascinating nonfiction and fiction selections detail the efforts of the World War II American combat group, the Flying Tigers, who helped defeat the Japanese in China.

1. Tex Hill: Flying Tiger by David Lee Hill

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“Born the son of missionary parents in Korea, David ‘Tex’ Hill has become one of America’s most famous and beloved fighter aces. ‘Tex’ Hill: Flying Tiger recounts his intriguing early life, standout career, and non-stop adventures of all kinds. Tex’s story is inescapably intertwined with those of Claire Chennault, the famed ‘Flying Tigers’, and the nation of China, and this book weaves all three fascinating storylines into a masterful tapestry, certain to entertain and educate. Tex and his grandson relate Hill’s exploits through his naval aviation days and on to the Far East, where a motley collection of maverick airmen and ground crew-the American Volunteer Group—changed the face of the war in China and Burma through unparalleled valor.”

2. When Tigers Ruled the Sky: The Flying Tigers: American Outlaw Pilots over China in World War II by Bill Yenne

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“From the acclaimed author of Hit the Target and Big Week, an in-depth account of the legendary World War II combat group, the Flying Tigers.”

3. Wings of a Flying Tiger by Iris Yang

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“World War Two. Japanese occupied China. One cousin’s courage, another’s determination to help a wounded American pilot. In the summer of 1942, Danny Hardy bails out of his fighter plane into a remote region of western China. With multiple injuries, malaria, and Japanese troops searching for him, the American pilot’s odds of survival are slim. Jasmine Bai, an art student who had been saved by Americans during the notorious Nanking Massacre, seems an unlikely heroine to rescue the wounded Flying Tiger. Daisy Bai, Jasmine’s younger cousin, also falls in love with the courageous American. With the help of Daisy’s brother, an entire village opens its arms to heal a Flying Tiger with injured wings, but as a result of their charity the serenity of their community is forever shattered. Love, sacrifice, kindness, and bravery all play a part in this heroic tale that takes place during one of the darkest hours of Chinese history.”

4. The Flying Tigers: The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged a Secret War Against Japan by Sam Kleiner

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“A dramatic story of a covert operation whose very existence would have scandalized an isolationist United States, The Flying Tigers is the unforgettable account of a group of Americans whose heroism changed the world, and who cemented an alliance between the United States and China as both nations fought against seemingly insurmountable odds.”

5. Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942 by Daniel Ford

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“Early in the Second World War, in the skies over Rangoon, a handful of American pilots met and bloodied the Japanese Army Air Force–and won immortality as the ‘Flying Tigers.’ Arguably America’s most famous combat unit, they were defending beleaguered China for $600 a month, plus $500 for each Japanese plane shot down, fantastic money at a time when a Manhattan hotel room cost three dollars a night. To bring his prize-winning history of the American Volunteer Group up to date, Daniel Ford has drawn on the most recent U.S., British, and Japanese scholarship, providing new information about the Tigers, their Royal Air Force colleagues, and their Japanese opponents. “Admirable,” wrote Chennault biographer Martha Byrd. ‘Expect a few surprises.'”

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