The Lady and the Tigers: Remembering the Flying Tigers of World War II

by Olga Greenlaw, Daniel Ford

Olga Greenlaw kept the War Diary of the American Volunteer Group--the Flying Tigers--while those gallant mercenaries defended Burma and China from Japanese aggression during the opening months of the Pacific War. Returning to the United States in 1942, she wrote The Lady and the Tigers , which war correspondent Leland Stowe hailed as "an authoritative and true to life story of the AVG." Out of print for more than half a century, her book has now been brought up to date by Daniel Ford, author of Flying Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942 . What's more, Ford explains for the first time where Olga and Harvey Greenlaw came from, how they became caught up in the saga of the Flying Tigers, and what happened to them after their tumultuous year with the AVG. Black and white photographs--many never published before--round out the text.

Genres: World War II

269 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2002

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE LADY AND THE TIGERS
by Olga Greenlaw

Olga Greenlaw was no ordinary war correspondent. As the wife of Harvey Greenlaw, executive officer of the famed World War II Flying Tigers, she had a front-row seat to one of history’s most legendary combat units. The Lady and the Tigers is her personal snapshot of life with the American Volunteer Group from 1941 to 1942, and it reads like a diary written in equal parts lipstick and gun oil.

The language is, by modern standards, unapologetically dated—“Japs” and even “monkey-faced Japs” appear throughout—but context matters. This was the language of the era, the heat of war captured without filters. If you can look past the rough edges, what remains is a remarkably human document: a woman’s honest account of life, love, fear, and loss in a world on fire.

Olga writes straight from the heart. Her voice is emotional, candid, sometimes naïve, and often disarmingly intimate. When she describes the loss of a pilot or mechanic, you feel it—because she did. Unlike the detached historians who came later, Olga knew these men personally, laughed with them, worried for them, and mourned them when they didn’t return. That immediacy gives the book its pulse.

Still, the memoir isn’t without vanity. There are pages about makeup kits, dresses, and dinner parties that could have been left on the cutting-room floor. At times, she seems to believe the squadron couldn’t function without her. Maybe that’s self-importance—or maybe she’s right in her own way. Beauty, warmth, and a touch of glamour may have done more for morale than anyone cared to admit.

The real strength of The Lady and the Tigers lies in its meticulous day-to-day detail. Olga’s wartime journals form one of the clearest portraits of the AVG’s operations—pilots, ground crew, and all—recorded with an insider’s eye. Through her, we see the Flying Tigers not as mythic heroes but as flesh-and-blood men improvising survival on the edge of chaos.

This isn’t just a memoir; it’s a piece of living history. Flawed, vivid, and utterly sincere, The Lady and the Tigers deserves its place in the archives. Olga Greenlaw may have been a product of her time, but she left behind something timeless—a rare and human view of war from a woman who lived it, felt it, and refused to stay silent.

[Toni Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olga writes the true story of her adventures in Burma and China with the American Volunteer Group. A great peek into the past, and something for history buff in your life.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knew about the Flying Tigers and was suitably impressed and surprised by how much they went through and also how little they had to do what they did. A good book for a different aspect of their part of the war if you’re interested in the ‘Tigers or just intrigued by this part of the war

[William III · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for AVG, Flying tiger enthusiasts.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this book. It has many interesting characters, some to become famous, some to die, and others who should have been famous, (or well known at least) but fell through the cracks of history and are largely unknown, as the focal person of this book shows.

Daniel Ford has done a wonderful job to correct the historical neglect of Harvey and Olga Greenlaw, and their participation in hugely important world events with defeat perhaps days or hours away, while locked away in a then very remote part of the world with no help available anytime soon...

Despite my great interest in WW2 Aviation, I had never heard of Olga Greenlaw before now, and only stumbled across this story by accident.

As a result of this book, I bought the original "Lady And The Tigers" and while it faded from the public view quickly when published, I found it to be an enchanting tale which has stood the test of time, and in recent years has been recognised as a truthful, important telling of events back then.

Harvey and Olga Greenlaw were then what we would now call Facilitators, after all, Harvey was Chennault's XO and was responsible for pulling the whole show together, while Olga was Chennault's PA and the AVG diarist.

Events moved quickly, and Chennault was retained to head the emerging 14th Air Force, while Harvey and Olga Greenlaw were quickly sidelined by the military and became little more than a footnote of history..
So in time while Chennault was interred in Arlington to great ado, Harvey Greenlaw rests in an unmarked grave in Compostela, Mexico…
I believe Daniel Ford has a soft spot for Olga Greenlaw, and after reading his book so have I, as I'm sure will anyone, who delves into her adventurous life and times…