Flyboys: A True Story of Courage in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 10, 2022 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: military-non-fiction, world-war-2, p-o-w

This is a thoroughly researched account regarding the execution and subsequent cannibalization of a number of American airmen who were captured by the Japanese during WWII. Mr Bradley has delved into the lives of these doomed men and makes them known to us as individuals. The reader learns about their lives and loves, their family ties, their dreams and accomplishments. Then he tells how each was killed by samurai sword, bayonet, or bamboo spear.

It's quite disgusting, of course...this killing of This is a thoroughly researched account regarding the execution and subsequent cannibalization of a number of American airmen who were captured by the Japanese during WWII. Mr Bradley has delved into the lives of these doomed men and makes them known to us as individuals. The reader learns about their lives and loves, their family ties, their dreams and accomplishments. Then he tells how each was killed by samurai sword, bayonet, or bamboo spear.

It's quite disgusting, of course...this killing of unarmed prisoners of war, but Bradley reminds us that there are two sides to every story. He tells it as fairly as he can and points out that most of the Japanese killed by American bombs had nothing to do with the war. They were old men, women and infants burned into oblivion by napalm. Americans murdered Japanese soldiers attempting to surrender and purposely strafed crowds of civilians. The main differences between the Allied and Axis atrocities is that the Allies would hammer you from a distance but with the Japanese it was up close and personal. The main difference I can think of is that the Americans didn't rape on the same scale as the Japanese. So basically the biggest error the Axis made was in losing the war. None of the victors were prosecuted, a point which was raised by one Captain Yoshii, who submitted in a statement: "Not one war criminal has been found among the victorious nations. War Crimes Trials are emotional act of revenge against the defeated nations. (P.318) It would seem that General Curtis Lemay agreed with Yoshii when he said: "If I had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal."

I don't feel any pity for the Japanese who were hanged for atrocities: indeed, I think they could have thrown the loop a little wider. But the book has made me ponder the fairness of a War Crimes trial run by the victorious belligerent, and I think ideally a non-aligned nation should handle the war crimes allegations. And any book that makes you think...well, that's a good book. As is this one. ...more

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