There were countless untold stories that happened during the Second World War. Here's an astonishing story that has been well-told by Robert Lyman. It's the story of a crash of a plane flying from India to China ( the route called "the Hump") with the passengers and crew bailing out into dense jungle in Japanese-held Burma. Among the survivors was a journalist, Eric Sevareid ( remember him?). As the title tells us, the survivors found themselves in the territory of a people called the Nagas, known to be headhunters. The most interesting part of the whole story for me was the collision of cultures that occurred--between 20th Century Americans and primitive indigenous people. The history of such contacts has not been a good one, with violence, death, and even massacre being a result. This may be a spoiler--but we know Sevareid gets back to civilization and a career with CBS--but it was heartening to read that for various reasons things did work out between Nagas and Americans.9 s Philip1,503 91

Interesting but ultimately frustrating book. It got off to a 5-star start, as it dealt with at least four topics of personal interest: flying "the Hump;" the larger story of World War II in China; the history of the OSS; survival stories. And the first few chapters did a great job covering all this information, bouncing back and forth between the doomed flight itself and the bigger picture of American/OSS effforts in the "CBI" (China/Burma/India) war theater.

But then the whole middle third of the book goes into a way-too-long survey of the overall history of the Nagas (our titular headhunters) and their interaction with the British, including a well-meaning but excrutiatingly-detailed 1936 punitive mission aimed at bringing the Nagas under nominal British control and minimizing (if not ending) their headhunting and slaving ways. It was interesting to bear in mind that this episode happened in the mid-1930's, as it reads something the Brits would have done in Africa or Afghanistan a half-century earlier. And yes, many of the Naga chiefs involved in the 1936 fighting were still around in World War II, and so had an influence on the crash survivors. But still, this background could have been condensed into 20 pages instead of stretching out for 60.

The final third of the story deals with the actual "extraordinary World War II story of survival" promised on the cover, and there's a reason it only really occupies 30% of the book - it is in fact a pretty slim story: the plane crashes, everyone (except for one fatality) are found by the Nagas, a British team hikes in to escort them out, and pretty much everyone lives happily ever after. It must have been a helluva thing to actually have lived through, but in comparison to all the more dramatic WWII rescue books out there (Lost in Shangri-la, Frozen in Time, et al), it comes off as rather tepid. The book then totally peters out with a weak "where are they all now ending" which again includes an overlong review of what happened to the various tribes through the end of the war and beyond, finishing on a noble but boring plan to build a school and tourist hostel in the Pangsha region.

Must emphasize, however, that I did really enjoy the first third. A former boss of mine in the late '70s had himself been a "hump" pilot during the war, flying the ridiculously hazardous route from India to Kunming to keep the Nationalist Chinese supplied. He actually gave me one of the "Pointee-Talkee" books they carried in case they got shot down, to be used with a variety of native tribes in trying to elicit their help in reaching safety - I just wish I'd been more mature at the time and had more conversations with him about his experiences then. Also, having spent so much time in Taiwan getting indoctrinated with the Nationalist point of view, it was interesting to read the Stilwell vs. pretty-much-everyone-else battle (Roosevelt, Chiang Kai-shek, Claire Chennault, most of the U.S. media, etc.) concerning the proper way to fight the Japanese in China. In the end, it turns out that Stilwell was pretty much right across the board - but no one realized that until it was far too late...oh well. Oh, and also on the Chiang/Chennault side was a guy named Milton "Mary" Miles, who together with the head of Chiang's Secret Service ran the U.S. Navy's guerillas in China with a group called SACO - the "Sino-American Cooperative Organization" - and who according to this book at least was pretty much a dupe of the Nationalists. I found this part particularly interesting, because it told the completely opposite story from that Miles presented in his own (pretty obscure - only 4 ratings on Goodreads) book, A Different Kind of War: The Unknown Story of the U.S. Navy's Guerrilla Forces in World War II China, which I read back in the late '80s.

FORMAT NOTE: Listened to most of this as an audiobook, but then swapped out for the last 80 pages when the hardcover was available from the library. For anyone who is interested, I'd definitely recommend the book, as it contains a number of useful "extras" - photos from both the 1936 mission and the crash rescue; a couple of maps (not great); and a very useful glossary and cast of characters summary, which really helps you make sense of such statements as "Wang-do was a khel leader from Chingmei and friend of Sangbah and Tangbang who supplanted Changmak as gaonbura of Chingmei." Yikes.audiobooks british-empire burma-thailand ...more3 s William DuFour128 4

An outstanding book on a search and rescue in Burma during WWII. The backstory was just as interesting as the rescue itself. It should be made into a documentary.history military3 s William Eckman15 3

I enjoyed this book, but very little of it involved the story described in the marketing blurb. The description of the plane disaster was dramatic, but once the passengers and pilots parachuted to the ground, the fearsome headhunters turned out to be pretty friendly, and there was no indication of Japanese soldiers anywhere in the area.

One large section of the book was devoted to American concerns that the Chinese Nationalists were siphoning war aid into their own pockets or using it to fight communists rather than the Japanese. Another large section described British military expeditions to punish headhunters in the decades before the war. I found all of this interesting, but it was marketed deceptively.1 John775

Interesting account of survival in some of the most remote areas of the world. Nagas are headhunters who were restrained by British colonial policy and administrators most of the time. A crashed C-47 bound for China over the hump has most crew and passengers successfully parachute into this remote wasteland. Their subsequent adventures are of great interest Among the passengers was Eric Sevarid, a reporter who gained later note as a CBS news anchor. Man over adversity is the theme. 1 Karla Eaton335 7

While this was an interesting tale of an adventure which I had never heard of, it was less than thrilling and at times too technical. I did enjoy the research which gave the reader primary source support from different perspectives. 1 anarresa149 1 follower

Flying over Burma from India to China during WWII a plane crashed in the jungle carrying several soldiers and federal representatives with political connections. At a time when resources were scarce, rescue plans not well established, and in a war zone nearly all of these men were safely returned.

This is the exciting blurb, but is only about half of the book. Each major figure (or perhaps simply the ones with a history to research) has a small biography to explain why they were on the plane that day with more or less detail seemingly if the author was interested. This can sometimes link to the historical description of the political and military situation, with more detail included as necessary. The details are a mix of reports, articles, journal entries and letters with modern context correcting or expanding upon what was known at the time by the people involved.

All that background is reasonable for a modern audience. An unreasonably large amount of the book is a very deep dive into a few years of interaction between a specific British colonial team and the Naga tribes who live where the plane crashed. It came at a moment where a short biography would have been appropriate, but went on and on. Alone it would be an interesting history, but coming in the middle of a rescue story both suffered. Also, the rescue was not as exciting as advertised… which was not unexpected, this isn’t fiction.1940s history japan ...more Mike Harbert71 3

An interesting story of a plane load of personnel flying "over the hump" from India to China that developed engine trouble forcing the crew and passengers to parachute out over the remote mountains and jungle between India and Burma.

In order to tell the story of the survivors, Robert Lyman must give the back story of the region, specifically focusing on the attempts of the British Empire representatives in the area to establish the rule of law over these wild tribes of headhunters and the punitive expeditions taken to the same villages where the survivors end up.

This book is part history of the region, part an amateur anthropological study of the indigenous peoples of this area, part commentary of the political relationships between the Western Allies and China during the war, part the story of the survivors and their journey back to civilization, and part a story of the men and machines who flew missions "over the hump." A particularly interesting vignette concerns the development of modern search and rescue techniques for downed air crew that developed out of the rescue of this party of survivors.

While the author does have some difficulty figuring out what story to tell and provides a somewhat disjointed narrative, the book is interesting and an enjoyable read (one you adjust to the rather British prose).military-history Elizabeth Kennedy461 2

I picked up this book because of the jacket telling me it was an “ extraordinary world war ll story of survival in the Burmese Jungle”. I thought that sounded interesting. Thought I’d give it a try.

Now, the jacket didn’t lie, there is a small part of this book devoted to the plane crash and the survivors. The beginning is even interesting, as they describe the conditions that the airmen lived under, what the challenges were, and how many did not survive. But much of this book was devoted to a previous, punitive march against the indigenous tribes and the political climate in China.

I found myself wishing for more survival, less burning of villages, more anthropological details of the Naga, less of President Roosevelt being fooled, more daily life during the wait for rescue, fewer stories of careers ending. I wanted to know more of what they ate, how they passed the time, what they talked about. I wanted to know if they were as scared as they should have been, how they survived the injuries, how Oswald felt. I wanted to know what the Pangsha thought, how worried they were, and how their lives were changed.

Interesting subject, but I feel the main subject wasn’t as completely covered as the history of the area under British control was. Kathy41

Not really about a story of survival

Disappointing - this book is not really about the survival story of a group of courageous men whose place crashed in the jungles, but is more a description of the political goings-on in that part of the world. A history of the Nagas natives, a description of China taking advantage of the US both militarily and financially figure more prominently in this book than the actual survival story. Poorly written and mis-titled! Book Grocer1,190 31

Purchase Among the Headhunters here for just $12!

An incredible true story set in World War II about a plane that crashed in the jungle and the survivors that had to hide from headhunters. A unique story told well, making for a thrilling read.

Elisa - The Book Grocer David209 32

On its own, this story barely rates a book and is filled out by a history of the British administration of this barely tamed area of Burma that is as long itself as the story of the crash and rescue. Somewhat interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying. Three stars only for the quality of the writing.
Dale Singer55

I did not finish. why is a book that is supposed to be based during WWII talking about tribal chieftains from 200 years ago. History can be dull reading to start with so try staying focused on your intended topic. Bob Daniel7

An interesting story of survival in the Naga Hills in WW2.The middle chapters covering earlier expeditions in the region appear to come in at a tangent. It takes half the book to see the relevance. An informative book but a hard read. Ted886

When all is said and done, a less than thrilling story of survival and by no means an "extraordinary" tale. Lee25

Very detailed look at the history of the Naga people weaved into the rescue story.. interesting Rita14 2

When my grandson, John Neveu, was a sophomore in college, his professor gave the students an assignment that they were to write about an event in history that had not been written about previously. John chose the story of his grandfather Harry's crash of his C-46 into the Burmese jungle.
It was an interesting but difficult choice of an event because it involved a lot of research about the crash, the people who were passengers in the plane, the location of the crash and descriptions of the Naga headhunters who aided the survivors. (John's paper is listed in the credits.)
This book tells that story. The Neveu family had heard the tale many times and marveled at the fact that Harry turned 21 years old during the walk out of the mountains. This fact illustrates the responsibility that was given to young men during the war even those as young as twenty years old.
The author, Robert Lyman, also includes a fairly detailed history of the British authority's efforts to stop the wars between the different Hill Tribes. They were anxious to put a stop to the headhunting and skirmishes that kept the Naga People at a subsistence level of living.
Bill Baar74 17

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