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Summary: The truth about Olga at last!
Review: Anyone who's read about the Flying Tigers has wondered about Olga Greenlaw, who was the great-looking wife of Chenault's executive officer. Now Dan Ford has edited this rare book, which is cause for celebration, but what's even better is that he has tracked down Olga and Harvey Greenlaw.I've read the original, of course, and I've read Dan's introductory chapter on his website, and also seen some of the photographs. (Was Olga a "White Russian?" No. Did she have a love affair with Pappy Boyington? Probably not. Was she as gorgeous as she looks? You bet!) Later: Okay, I've got my copy, and it's even better than I thought! Olga's text has been very deftly updated. And there's a concluding chapter on Olga's life after she came home from China. Suffice it to say that what Pappy Boyington wrote in his novel "Tonya" looks like a pure case of sour grapes. Sounds to me like Pappy had a crush on Olga, she turned him down, and "Tonya" was his way of getting back at her. Oh yes, and the photos are even better on the printed page. What legs she had! -- Matthew
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Summary: The no-sweat history of the Flying Tigers
Review: Highly recommend! Not only is Olga Greenlaw a handsome lady (check out the legs in that photo on the waterfront in Shanghai!) but she writes a rollicking good yarn. If you're new to the Flying Tigers this is a great way to get an overvue of the group that saved China and almost saved Burma from the Japanese. She was there, unlike most of the people who wrote the histories of the Tigers, and she was writing with her diary in front of her. If she makes a mistake, Mr. Ford quietly corrects it [like this]. The editing is helpful but never annoying. Plus Olga Greenlaw is a fascinating woman in her own right. Many are the stories written about her and flying tiger pilots like Pappy Boyington. Mr. Ford sets us straight on this matter also. Olga, he says, didn't sleep around nearly as much as people like to believe. There's a very convincing history of Olga's early years and how she came to be with the Flying Tigers, and also an account of what became of her afterward. Something for every WWII aviation buff to have on his shelf!
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Summary: a great book lives again
Review: I don't think I ever enjoyed creating a book as much as this one. Olga Greenlaw wrote it in 1943 and promptly vanished from sight. Whatever happened to her? I was able to find out, and to garner some great photos from her earlier life in Mexico and China. So here's her book again, edited from the perspective of 60 years, and with a foreword and afterword to explain where the Greenlaws came from and what happened to them after their tumultuous year with the AVG. -- Dan Ford
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Summary: The Lady and the Tigers
Review: I've been searching for this out of print book for decades and have found a few over the years but with it being a highly sought after title and out of print for so long I couldn't justify the cost of an original copy. Now I don't have to since this reprint and new edition with more information added is available. This is a great book on a great group done like no other on the AVG-Flying Tigers. An inside point of view from Olga Greenlaw, the only female (a timeless beauty I might add)of the group that defended Rangoon, the Burma Road and China in the very early days of WWII. This book gets into details and personalities that most of the other books on the Tigers only touch upon. The author herself is a mystery in most of the other books on the AVG but she's fully revealed in this one. The one photo of her on the waterfront, slit skirt and all may be worth the cover price alone.
No fan of the Flying Tigers should be without this book.
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