Bibliograph

The airmen and the headhunters, a true story of lost soldiers, heroic tribesmen and the unlikeliest rescue of World War II, Judith M. Heimann

Type

Label

The airmen and the headhunters, a true story of lost soldiers, heroic tribesmen and the unlikeliest rescue of World War II, Judith M. Heimann

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages [273]-279) and index

resource.biographical

contains biographical information

Illustrations

illustrationsmapsplates

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The airmen and the headhunters

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

85830782

Responsibility statement

Judith M. Heimann

Sub title

a true story of lost soldiers, heroic tribesmen and the unlikeliest rescue of World War II

Summary

November 1944: Army airmen set out in a B-24 bomber on what should have been an easy mission off the Borneo coast. Instead they found themselves facing a Japanese fleet--and were shot down. When they cut themselves loose from their parachutes, they were scattered across the island's mountainous interior. Then a group of loincloth-wearing natives silently materialized out of the jungle. Would these Dayak tribesmen turn the starving airmen over to the Japanese occupiers? Or would the Dayaks risk vicious reprisals to get the airmen safely home? The tribal leaders' unprecedented decision led to a desperate game of hide-and-seek, and, ultimately, the return of a long-renounced ritual: head-hunting. This survival story features a bamboo airstrip built on a rice paddy, a mad British major, and a blowpipe-wielding army that helped destroy one of the last Japanese strongholds.--From publisher description

Target audience

adult

Classification