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Panda Girl: China - Burma - India, a forgotten war
In 1941, Victor Dance knew little of the world outside his family's dryland farm in Montana until he joined the Army Air Corps. A world at war took a farm boy and turned him into the Aircraft Commander of a heavy bomber. This story is based on true life events recorded by airmen and the girls, real and imagined, who gave them hope and the desire to survive. No more than boys of eighteen to twenty-five years of age flew massive machines on dangerous missions against impossible odds over unforgiving territory against a brutal enemy.
Romance was not left at home. An intricate part of a soldier's life in dreams, memories and the occasional encounter, female allure surfaced in many ways. The author deftly intertwines the mundane life of Army Bases in remote far-off India with frightening times flying bombing runs deep into Japanese-held Burma, trips over the terrifying Himilayan Mountains hauling fuel into China, and the girls who flew with them.
The CBI (China, Burma, India) Theater of WWII received little recognition during World War II. War with the Nazis in Germany and the Japanese in the Pacific was well known. Not only had Japan declared war on America but it had an ongoing effort to conquer China as well. The United States and its Allies vowed to stop them from overrunning China. Japan’s assault on China came on the continent’s eastern coast as well as from Burma to the south. As the Japanese pushed north toward China’s southern border, US and Allied forces struggled to hold them back. Supplies for the Allies were shipped in from northern India by truck and rail. Eventually, the Japanese cut off those supply lines which set off one of the greatest airlifts in history. Supplies, men, and fuel had to be transported by air over the highest and most dangerous mountains in the world, the Himalayas. The China Airlift became known as “The Hump” to those brave aviators who risked their lives to cross it. More than seven hundred aircraft crashed or were shot down, and over twelve hundred airmen died. Allied and civilian passengers also died. This story is a tribute to those young men and women, and to those who lived to tell the tale.
Romance was not left at home. An intricate part of a soldier's life in dreams, memories and the occasional encounter, female allure surfaced in many ways. The author deftly intertwines the mundane life of Army Bases in remote far-off India with frightening times flying bombing runs deep into Japanese-held Burma, trips over the terrifying Himilayan Mountains hauling fuel into China, and the girls who flew with them.
The CBI (China, Burma, India) Theater of WWII received little recognition during World War II. War with the Nazis in Germany and the Japanese in the Pacific was well known. Not only had Japan declared war on America but it had an ongoing effort to conquer China as well. The United States and its Allies vowed to stop them from overrunning China. Japan’s assault on China came on the continent’s eastern coast as well as from Burma to the south. As the Japanese pushed north toward China’s southern border, US and Allied forces struggled to hold them back. Supplies for the Allies were shipped in from northern India by truck and rail. Eventually, the Japanese cut off those supply lines which set off one of the greatest airlifts in history. Supplies, men, and fuel had to be transported by air over the highest and most dangerous mountains in the world, the Himalayas. The China Airlift became known as “The Hump” to those brave aviators who risked their lives to cross it. More than seven hundred aircraft crashed or were shot down, and over twelve hundred airmen died. Allied and civilian passengers also died. This story is a tribute to those young men and women, and to those who lived to tell the tale.
279 pages, Paperback
Published December 8, 2021
About the author
Lawrence V. Drake
9 books18 followersLawrence has been published in dozens of periodicals, written industry related books, and penned a monthly international newsletter. He has been a pilot for most of his life, owning and flying a variety of sport and private aircraft.
Born and raised in Montana, Lawrence has lived all over the western U.S. In his early years he worked as a flight instructor, crop duster, and aerobatic instructor, owning and flying a variety of airplanes including antiques and amateur built. His latest memoir, Schellville, captures those adventure filled days.
Almost four years in the Air Force Security Service during the Vietnam conflict gave rise to his first book, Red Boots Rebel. His second book, Up Hill Dreaming, is a result of a lifetime of educational encounters with dreamers, schemers, and scalawags as an independent business man. He spent much of his career in the heating industry as a manufacturer, association director, and owner. He holds a number of patents, including a unique modular RV camper and portable shelter.
Lawrence writes from a first-hand perspective of a love of aviation, a successful entrepreneur, a caring family man, and a passion for life.
Born and raised in Montana, Lawrence has lived all over the western U.S. In his early years he worked as a flight instructor, crop duster, and aerobatic instructor, owning and flying a variety of airplanes including antiques and amateur built. His latest memoir, Schellville, captures those adventure filled days.
Almost four years in the Air Force Security Service during the Vietnam conflict gave rise to his first book, Red Boots Rebel. His second book, Up Hill Dreaming, is a result of a lifetime of educational encounters with dreamers, schemers, and scalawags as an independent business man. He spent much of his career in the heating industry as a manufacturer, association director, and owner. He holds a number of patents, including a unique modular RV camper and portable shelter.
Lawrence writes from a first-hand perspective of a love of aviation, a successful entrepreneur, a caring family man, and a passion for life.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 29, 2023
So I'm going to tell you a secret! Historical Novels are one of my favorite genre of books. It doesn't really matter what the time period is, I just happen to be very adept at getting my mind into whatever period I am reading about!
Panda Girl by Lawrence Drake is one of these books. Set in the period of the Second World War, just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this novel had me right from the opening few sentences of the Prologue.
Based on true life experiences, Panda Girl captivates and sheds some light on a part of WWII that many people don't know anything about. It certainly was the case for me. We think of the war as taking part mostly in Europe, but there was a whole contingent of the War that was taking place in China, Burma, and India.
Known collectively as the CBI Theater of WWII, the Americans, while fighting Germany and the Japanese in the Pacific, also vowed that Japan would not overrun China.
https://amzn.to/46vRcHz
Victor Dance (the main character) knows little about the world beyond his family's dairy farm in Montana. He is reserved, shy, a hard worker and well liked. He's also a talented artist in his own right.
When Pearl Harbor was bombed and the scope of destruction was realized, Victor and many of his friends enlisted in the Army to do their part for America and world peace. Victor knew he wanted to fly! It was a dream of his since he once witnessed Lindbergh flying over the family farm.
When Victor and his friends had enlisted, their minds were full of thoughts of flying to France or England, they had never in their wildest dreams thought they would end up in India and thought much less of the terrain they would be flying in.
Lawrence Drake does a wonderful job of bringing the realities of some of these missions to the pages of this book. At times I felt that I was drowning in the heat that many of these pilots had to endure and just as I was getting comfortable in the heat, I'd find myself freezing right along with them when they were flying at 20,000 ft. I can't imagine the shock to the body when those kinds of extremes are happening within a short span of time.
Missions over the Himalayas were treacherous as winds, clouds and some of the highest mountains in the world stood between the pilots and their missions to take out Japanese tankers, railroads, bridges and transfer stations.
Sometimes the only thing that kept these guys in the air and focused on their missions were the thoughts of those people back home who were counting on their success in this War. Letters from home were the only way many of these men kept going. Hobbies helped too, as Victor in his "off time" was often drawing. His talents as a pilot and an artist were in high demand, but you will have to read the book to see why.
War is never an easy thing and writing about it in a way that makes you fully understand the sacrifices is a real gift for us who have never had those experiences. Truly it makes you even more thankful that we have not had to take part in this kind of "action".
If there is someone on your list of friends that enjoys Historical Novels, then this book gets a big Green Light from me. I really enjoyed the story and came away with a much better understanding and thankfulness for all the sacrifices these men and women made for us.
You can get your own copy right here and I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Happy Reading, until the next Review!
Panda Girl by Lawrence Drake is one of these books. Set in the period of the Second World War, just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this novel had me right from the opening few sentences of the Prologue.
Based on true life experiences, Panda Girl captivates and sheds some light on a part of WWII that many people don't know anything about. It certainly was the case for me. We think of the war as taking part mostly in Europe, but there was a whole contingent of the War that was taking place in China, Burma, and India.
Known collectively as the CBI Theater of WWII, the Americans, while fighting Germany and the Japanese in the Pacific, also vowed that Japan would not overrun China.
https://amzn.to/46vRcHz
Victor Dance (the main character) knows little about the world beyond his family's dairy farm in Montana. He is reserved, shy, a hard worker and well liked. He's also a talented artist in his own right.
When Pearl Harbor was bombed and the scope of destruction was realized, Victor and many of his friends enlisted in the Army to do their part for America and world peace. Victor knew he wanted to fly! It was a dream of his since he once witnessed Lindbergh flying over the family farm.
When Victor and his friends had enlisted, their minds were full of thoughts of flying to France or England, they had never in their wildest dreams thought they would end up in India and thought much less of the terrain they would be flying in.
Lawrence Drake does a wonderful job of bringing the realities of some of these missions to the pages of this book. At times I felt that I was drowning in the heat that many of these pilots had to endure and just as I was getting comfortable in the heat, I'd find myself freezing right along with them when they were flying at 20,000 ft. I can't imagine the shock to the body when those kinds of extremes are happening within a short span of time.
Missions over the Himalayas were treacherous as winds, clouds and some of the highest mountains in the world stood between the pilots and their missions to take out Japanese tankers, railroads, bridges and transfer stations.
Sometimes the only thing that kept these guys in the air and focused on their missions were the thoughts of those people back home who were counting on their success in this War. Letters from home were the only way many of these men kept going. Hobbies helped too, as Victor in his "off time" was often drawing. His talents as a pilot and an artist were in high demand, but you will have to read the book to see why.
War is never an easy thing and writing about it in a way that makes you fully understand the sacrifices is a real gift for us who have never had those experiences. Truly it makes you even more thankful that we have not had to take part in this kind of "action".
If there is someone on your list of friends that enjoys Historical Novels, then this book gets a big Green Light from me. I really enjoyed the story and came away with a much better understanding and thankfulness for all the sacrifices these men and women made for us.
You can get your own copy right here and I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Happy Reading, until the next Review!
January 28, 2024
What a great book. The author does a great job of combining fact with fiction. You certainly feel the hope, fear and courage of those young men. I had never heard anything of this part of the war. A great book.
This book was received from the author through Voracious Readers Only.
This book was received from the author through Voracious Readers Only.
November 6, 2023
Interesting read
February 3, 2023
Based on true stories of those serving in the CBI (China, Burma, India) theater during WWII. Super interesting as this is where my dad served, flying 52 missions in the B-24 "Over the Hump" and bombing runs.
Many incidents paralleled what I knew of my Dad's experiences but added were the thoughts and feelings that my Dad didn't share. Wish he were here - for many reasons - but to be able to ask more questions than I did.
Many incidents paralleled what I knew of my Dad's experiences but added were the thoughts and feelings that my Dad didn't share. Wish he were here - for many reasons - but to be able to ask more questions than I did.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews