Flying Tiger Ace: The story of Bill Reed, China's Shining Mark

Description

Bill Reed had it all - brains, looks, athleticism, courage and a talent for leadership. After experiencing triumph and tragedy while growing up in Depression-era Iowa, Reed resigned his US. Army Air Corps commission and travelled to China to fly for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) - the legendary Flying Tigers - at the start of the war. After returning home for a tour selling War Bonds, he went back to China and resumed the fight with another unusual unit, the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW), before losing his life in a desperate parachute jump late in the war. Reed's obituary was front page news throughout the state of Iowa, and the story in one newspaper opened with a quote from 18th Century English writer Edward Young - 'Death loves a shining mark'. Bill Reed also was an excellent writer who kept a diary for a time and churned out more than 200 letters to his mother over nine years from when he left home for college until a week before his death in December 1944. The book draws heavily on Reed's own words, along with the author's deep knowledge of the China air war and several years of research into Reed's life, to tell his compelling story.

Carl Molesworth, a resident of Mount Vernon, Washington, USA, is a former newspaper and magazine editor now working as a free-lance writer and editor. A graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor of arts degree in English, Molesworth served as an enlisted man in the USAF 1968-72 before becoming an award-winning journalist for 35 years and then transitioning to full-time book writing. He has been researching and writing about fighter operations in World War II for nearly 30 years. His 14 previous titles include three books in Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series, three in the Elite Units series and two in the Duel series. He is best known for his writing about the China-Burma-India theatre and the Curtiss P-40 fighter. Book reviewer Kelly Jamison, writing in 2016 for the popular web site cybermodeler.com, said this; 'If you have an interest in aircraft of the CBI or the Flying Tigers, Carl Molesworth is the author you should seek out. I consider him the undisputed champion on the subject.'

A fitting tribute to an otherwise little-known American hero [...] Highly recommended reading for anyone, but a "must have" addition to the library of military aviation history enthusiasts! * Col. J. Ward Boyce, Jr., USAF (Ret), Former Executive Director, American Fighter Aces Association * Carl Molesworth captivates the reader with a thoroughly researched biography of Lt. Colonel William N. Reed, an outstanding yet still somewhat unknown American hero of World War II. [...] Bill Reed's story is also a needed reminder of the hardships and sacrifice shown by those in combat and by their families at home. [...] All of us living today should try to live up to the standards Reed set for himself. * Tom Ivie, author of 'Aces of the 325th Fighter Group' * Carl Molesworth's biography of William Reed is a welcome addition to the record of American participation in the air war over China. Molesworth's description of Reed's experiences with the American Volunteer Group, the famed Flying Tigers, provides more depth to an understanding of what daily life for an AVG pilot was like in the dark early days of America's war against Japan. * Edward M. Young, author of 'B-25 Mitchell Units of the CBI' *