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Kicker: The Forgotten Front
This is an alternate cover edition of isbn 9781477142. Based on actual experiences and official records from World War II, Kicker is a thrilling war novel of a man’s journey into hell. From the pleasant hills of Pennsylvania to the torrid jungles of Burma, Sam endures relentless enemy attacks against his unarmed aircraft while his family struggles with shortages and rationing at home. This is the tale of "the forgotten front", the bloody, grueling campaign to push the Japanese out of Burma.
Although Kicker is an epic work of historical fiction, this World War 2 thriller is based on official military aviation history records and the real experiences of United States veterans who fought in the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) "the forgotten front". Through unforgettable scenes in Burmese skies filled with monsoon storms and enemy fighter planes, Kicker tells the story of the brave Army Air Corps soldiers who risked their lives in unarmed aircraft to drop supplies to Merrill's Marauders and over 750,000 allied soldiers fighting in the perilous jungles of Burma.
In effort to keep Japanese forces occupied in China, the Allies flew unarmed supply missions over the treacherous Himalayan Mountains between India and China. Their route, known as The Hump, saw the loss of over 1500 airmen and 2000 planes due to endless attacks by Japanese Zeros and some of the world's worst flying conditions. The Hump became known as "the skyway to hell" and "the aluminum trail" from the large amount of aircraft wreckage strewn across the Himalayan slopes.
Allied soldiers in the jungles of Burma fought everyday just to survive. They faced elite, fearless Japanese soldiers and man-eating beasts. The Allies were surrounded by poisonous snakes, insects, and plants. These brave men suffered through monsoon seasons, so wet and humid, their uniforms rotted off their bodies as they fought fanatical Kamikaze armies through jungle and swamplands.
From the Forgotten Front to the Homefront, Kicker brings you the story of America's Greatest Generation through the eyes of the men and women who would be forever haunted by their experiences.
Reviews from fans of Kicker:
"I could not put this book down, as the story of Sam, the young volunteer and aspiring pilot, unfolds. The author delivers his story telling with a rich back drop of historical details reflecting a thoroughly researched knowledge of the subject matter." Elray
"Would recommend this not only to history buffs and WWII aficionados (like myself) but to any reader interested in being transported to another time and place, one that shaped all of our lives and fortunes today, worldwide." W.M. Driscoll
"What an interesting story! I learned so much about heroes not mentioned in history books." Jacquie Rhoades
"History made real through the telling of one soldier's story. This book made me miss my father and all of the stories he never told me." Linda S. Browning
"Hoover leaves nothing out. He shows the sacrifices made on the battle front, as well as sacrifices made on the home front." Candi Silk
Although Kicker is an epic work of historical fiction, this World War 2 thriller is based on official military aviation history records and the real experiences of United States veterans who fought in the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) "the forgotten front". Through unforgettable scenes in Burmese skies filled with monsoon storms and enemy fighter planes, Kicker tells the story of the brave Army Air Corps soldiers who risked their lives in unarmed aircraft to drop supplies to Merrill's Marauders and over 750,000 allied soldiers fighting in the perilous jungles of Burma.
In effort to keep Japanese forces occupied in China, the Allies flew unarmed supply missions over the treacherous Himalayan Mountains between India and China. Their route, known as The Hump, saw the loss of over 1500 airmen and 2000 planes due to endless attacks by Japanese Zeros and some of the world's worst flying conditions. The Hump became known as "the skyway to hell" and "the aluminum trail" from the large amount of aircraft wreckage strewn across the Himalayan slopes.
Allied soldiers in the jungles of Burma fought everyday just to survive. They faced elite, fearless Japanese soldiers and man-eating beasts. The Allies were surrounded by poisonous snakes, insects, and plants. These brave men suffered through monsoon seasons, so wet and humid, their uniforms rotted off their bodies as they fought fanatical Kamikaze armies through jungle and swamplands.
From the Forgotten Front to the Homefront, Kicker brings you the story of America's Greatest Generation through the eyes of the men and women who would be forever haunted by their experiences.
Reviews from fans of Kicker:
"I could not put this book down, as the story of Sam, the young volunteer and aspiring pilot, unfolds. The author delivers his story telling with a rich back drop of historical details reflecting a thoroughly researched knowledge of the subject matter." Elray
"Would recommend this not only to history buffs and WWII aficionados (like myself) but to any reader interested in being transported to another time and place, one that shaped all of our lives and fortunes today, worldwide." W.M. Driscoll
"What an interesting story! I learned so much about heroes not mentioned in history books." Jacquie Rhoades
"History made real through the telling of one soldier's story. This book made me miss my father and all of the stories he never told me." Linda S. Browning
"Hoover leaves nothing out. He shows the sacrifices made on the battle front, as well as sacrifices made on the home front." Candi Silk
- GenresHistorical Fiction
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2017
106 people are currently reading
1056 people want to read
About the author
R. Grey Hoover
1 book213 followersAuthor of Kicker, Founder of the ASMSG author support group. U.S. Air Force veteran, wood carver, commercial pilot, love to travel and see the world.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 1, 2012
Author R. Grey Hoover’s authentic story centers on a kicker. During WW II the CBI Theater was a huge expanse of land from Manchuria to India with extreme weather conditions. This nickname was given to aircrew members who literally laid on their backs and kicked supplies off an aircraft carrier to soldiers on front lines. Kickers also picked up supplies. As the hero lets the reader in on the dangerous experience, we learn and gain appreciation. R. Grey Hoover has combined both historical facts about the CBI theater during WWII and an excellent narrative to weave a story that is at once educational and entertaining. The reader will instantly become involved in the plot, and its accurate rendering of war history will leave you feeling like you lived it yourself. Definitely a must-read!
May 30, 2013
R. Grey Hoover's, Kicker, is a terrific read and testament to the efforts of members of the Greatest Generation during WW II. Kicker, a term used to describe aircraft members who literally would lie on their backs and kick supplies to soldiers on front lines is a strong work of historical fiction. It’s authentic and paints a great picture of what life was like during those difficult years.
Like countless others of our Greatest Generation, Sam is torn between his love of family and his sense of duty to his country. His decision takes him from rural Pennsylvania to the jungles of Burma and as he struggles to survive the terrors of war, back home, his family struggles with shortages and rationing. Sam finds himself in a wide variety of locales and Mr. Hoover brings these multiple settings to life through the eyes of his main protagonist.
Kicker works on many levels and I highly recommend it, especially to fans of great historical fiction.
Like countless others of our Greatest Generation, Sam is torn between his love of family and his sense of duty to his country. His decision takes him from rural Pennsylvania to the jungles of Burma and as he struggles to survive the terrors of war, back home, his family struggles with shortages and rationing. Sam finds himself in a wide variety of locales and Mr. Hoover brings these multiple settings to life through the eyes of his main protagonist.
Kicker works on many levels and I highly recommend it, especially to fans of great historical fiction.
January 16, 2015
I came to this book was some expectation - my own Polish father served with the British army in Burma though I never knew where because he died young and told my mother virtually nothing - and was not disappointed. This is the gritty, sometimes harrowing, story of Sam Huber, based in no small part on the author's father, who joins the army at a young age and soon finds himself in the dangerous but critical position of flying in supplies to some of the 700,000 Allied troops fighting the Japanese in Burma. So bad were conditions on the ground, the hot, moist climate of the Burmese jungle hastening the process of slain and decomposing bodies and producing an almost unbearable stench, that the men defending one particular little piece of a ridge began calling it Maggot Hill. Drinking water that tastes like stagnant mud, barricading themselves behind a wall of bodies stacked three or four high, they soon come to the conclusion that this place must be worse than hell. Small wonder then that the veterans who served in this most distant of WWII operations were, just like my father, reluctant to talk about it. But it's not all doom and gloom, in between all the horrors of war, there are some lighter moments. I particularly enjoyed when one of the `kickers' of the book's title - the supply guys in the air - kicked out some rations including 3 French novels and an English language manual titled Symposium on Gynaecology. "This is great," says the Yank on the ground who retrieves it, "they sent us a secret weapon. We'll just show the Japs what the army sends us to read, and they'll laugh themselves to death."
Something else I enjoyed, and this is the gift of Mr Hoover's effortless prose, was the heart-stopping chase of the Japanese patrols when Sam, shot down over enemy territory, has to negotiate days of tortuous travel through the jungle, assailed by snakes, spiders, blood-bloated leeches on his body, and an army of red ants running up his left leg. This episode is thrill-a-minute stuff; the heroics of the Naga warriors will remain long in my mind.
Read this book if you have any interest in the "forgotten generation" of CBI (China-Burma-India) Theater veterans who fought seventy years ago to preserve the life we have today.
You won't regret it.
Something else I enjoyed, and this is the gift of Mr Hoover's effortless prose, was the heart-stopping chase of the Japanese patrols when Sam, shot down over enemy territory, has to negotiate days of tortuous travel through the jungle, assailed by snakes, spiders, blood-bloated leeches on his body, and an army of red ants running up his left leg. This episode is thrill-a-minute stuff; the heroics of the Naga warriors will remain long in my mind.
Read this book if you have any interest in the "forgotten generation" of CBI (China-Burma-India) Theater veterans who fought seventy years ago to preserve the life we have today.
You won't regret it.
July 18, 2013
"Kicker" by R. Grey Hoover is an extraordinary read about air force life in Burma during WWII.
It focuses on Sam Huber (and his wife Eleanor home in Pennsylvania) from his first days of training through his various stops on the way to armed conflict in Burma.
Sam and his friends illustrate the regular soldier's life, not just the super heroes as featured in Hollywood films about the time. They have embarrassing moments during the physical exams, they run out of petrol and have a huge variety of close calls and successes, too. It made them much more realistic and likeable.
The story is not just limited to Burma; Sam stops in Africa and India on the way and with him we also get to know a lot about the situation for soldiers in these areas.
With much research and an amazing amount of factual knowledge about flying, aircraft technology and weather conditions as perceived by air force personnel this book is packed with amazing information and moving insight and worth reading for many reasons.
It focuses on Sam Huber (and his wife Eleanor home in Pennsylvania) from his first days of training through his various stops on the way to armed conflict in Burma.
Sam and his friends illustrate the regular soldier's life, not just the super heroes as featured in Hollywood films about the time. They have embarrassing moments during the physical exams, they run out of petrol and have a huge variety of close calls and successes, too. It made them much more realistic and likeable.
The story is not just limited to Burma; Sam stops in Africa and India on the way and with him we also get to know a lot about the situation for soldiers in these areas.
With much research and an amazing amount of factual knowledge about flying, aircraft technology and weather conditions as perceived by air force personnel this book is packed with amazing information and moving insight and worth reading for many reasons.
December 19, 2015
Great Story!!!
My heart goes out to the Greatest Generation of all time! WWII, they saved our planet from slavery under Japan, and NAZI Germany. Hats off to R. Grey Hoover's outstanding read, Kicker. Thank You Again! 5 stars!!!
My heart goes out to the Greatest Generation of all time! WWII, they saved our planet from slavery under Japan, and NAZI Germany. Hats off to R. Grey Hoover's outstanding read, Kicker. Thank You Again! 5 stars!!!
July 14, 2020
Historical Novel
The author is to be commended for writing a book to m memorialize his father and fellow soldiers who served on C-47s flying supplies to soldiers in the CBI theater of war.
The factionalized tale begins before the war starts, continues throughout his service, and ends with his return home by ship. The book was interesting in parts but I was turned off by how every character becomes the protagonist's best friend almost immediately. Everyone in the book, except for the Japanese, are just too darn nice. Sticky situations,often contrived, always work out well. Many of the supporting characters are simply 2 dimensional. Not the worst book by any means, but not the best.
The author is to be commended for writing a book to m memorialize his father and fellow soldiers who served on C-47s flying supplies to soldiers in the CBI theater of war.
The factionalized tale begins before the war starts, continues throughout his service, and ends with his return home by ship. The book was interesting in parts but I was turned off by how every character becomes the protagonist's best friend almost immediately. Everyone in the book, except for the Japanese, are just too darn nice. Sticky situations,often contrived, always work out well. Many of the supporting characters are simply 2 dimensional. Not the worst book by any means, but not the best.
July 1, 2021
Riding the Hump!
I really liked the storyline ,it reads easy and you can identify and route for the characters.there was some fun humous parts as well
I really liked the storyline ,it reads easy and you can identify and route for the characters.there was some fun humous parts as well
August 31, 2021
An engrossing read. I really enjoyed this story.
September 27, 2023
The books are definitely great I love the story.
August 1, 2014
An outstanding and honorable military story!
R. Grey Hoover took on a bold challenge when he sat down to write Kicker. Anytime an author undertakes a piece of almost forgotten history, with the mission in mind to recapture fast-fading events, and turn it into a heart-rending novel, is brave. But that’s what Hoover did, and did it well.
The CBI (China-Burma-India) Theater of World War II, although the largest in battle-zone area, did not command the spotlight of history as some other aspects of WW II. With Hoover’s in depth research, he pulls together the essential ingredients, and builds a fine piece of military historical fiction for the reader.
But Hoover takes his work a major step further; he links the misery of the CBI experiences of soldiers with the anxiety and anguish of citizens back home waiting day by day for their loved ones to return home. Some did, but many didn’t. It was the era of a Gold Star banner hanging in the windows of the families that had lost loved ones to the war.
Hoover takes the reader deep into the war zone and lets you feel up close the beast of war. He takes you deep in the jungles where you’ll meet more wildlife than you’ll find in any man-made zoo. And you’ll pay any price for a ticket out. But there’s a different kind of scalper to deal with. And they ain’t “scalping” tickets to a rock concert.
Kicker is not a hyped version of military fiction bloated and dependent upon the coarse, salty language of soldiers under war-time stress. For me that was a unique feature that I greatly appreciated, and makes Kicker G-rated and suitable family reading. Hoover demonstrates that an authentic story can be told with civil language.
As I read Kicker, I could feel the tearing and shredding of emotions between loved ones in the CBI war zone and the families back home. While bullets and bombs delivered the war, the author lets the raw human emotions of his full-sized characters carry his story all the way to the end.
Hoover leaves nothing out. He shows the sacrifices made on the battle front, as well as sacrifices made on the home front. He introduces the reader to shortages of raw goods, foods, and materials experienced by American citizens. Ration stamps were more important during WW II than any trendy gadget. Jobs became war-oriented; citizens’ thoughts searched for meaning in a world aflame.
When you read Kicker, you’ll discover just how significant the word “kicker” was in the war effort. You’ll come to realize that any job, task, AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code), or MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is of equal importance. Remove one, and the mission is threatened.
For most individuals war is remote, but Hoover fulfills his mission admirably. He brings the reader a spell-binding and enlightening story that should long be remembered, and he does it with the fire-power of good writing style, “top-notch brass” pacing, and with full-colors flying. And he does it with sterling word-choice, one page at a time.
I commend Hoover for delivering his story with a perfect “kick.” I gladly award Five-Stars, brightly polished gold stars, for recapturing an important time in the human experience. Kicker has a permanent place on my reading shelf.
“Front and center, Mr. Hoover. Honorable work! Five-Stars and more for your contribution to the writing world, and your service to your country!”
R. Grey Hoover took on a bold challenge when he sat down to write Kicker. Anytime an author undertakes a piece of almost forgotten history, with the mission in mind to recapture fast-fading events, and turn it into a heart-rending novel, is brave. But that’s what Hoover did, and did it well.
The CBI (China-Burma-India) Theater of World War II, although the largest in battle-zone area, did not command the spotlight of history as some other aspects of WW II. With Hoover’s in depth research, he pulls together the essential ingredients, and builds a fine piece of military historical fiction for the reader.
But Hoover takes his work a major step further; he links the misery of the CBI experiences of soldiers with the anxiety and anguish of citizens back home waiting day by day for their loved ones to return home. Some did, but many didn’t. It was the era of a Gold Star banner hanging in the windows of the families that had lost loved ones to the war.
Hoover takes the reader deep into the war zone and lets you feel up close the beast of war. He takes you deep in the jungles where you’ll meet more wildlife than you’ll find in any man-made zoo. And you’ll pay any price for a ticket out. But there’s a different kind of scalper to deal with. And they ain’t “scalping” tickets to a rock concert.
Kicker is not a hyped version of military fiction bloated and dependent upon the coarse, salty language of soldiers under war-time stress. For me that was a unique feature that I greatly appreciated, and makes Kicker G-rated and suitable family reading. Hoover demonstrates that an authentic story can be told with civil language.
As I read Kicker, I could feel the tearing and shredding of emotions between loved ones in the CBI war zone and the families back home. While bullets and bombs delivered the war, the author lets the raw human emotions of his full-sized characters carry his story all the way to the end.
Hoover leaves nothing out. He shows the sacrifices made on the battle front, as well as sacrifices made on the home front. He introduces the reader to shortages of raw goods, foods, and materials experienced by American citizens. Ration stamps were more important during WW II than any trendy gadget. Jobs became war-oriented; citizens’ thoughts searched for meaning in a world aflame.
When you read Kicker, you’ll discover just how significant the word “kicker” was in the war effort. You’ll come to realize that any job, task, AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code), or MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is of equal importance. Remove one, and the mission is threatened.
For most individuals war is remote, but Hoover fulfills his mission admirably. He brings the reader a spell-binding and enlightening story that should long be remembered, and he does it with the fire-power of good writing style, “top-notch brass” pacing, and with full-colors flying. And he does it with sterling word-choice, one page at a time.
I commend Hoover for delivering his story with a perfect “kick.” I gladly award Five-Stars, brightly polished gold stars, for recapturing an important time in the human experience. Kicker has a permanent place on my reading shelf.
“Front and center, Mr. Hoover. Honorable work! Five-Stars and more for your contribution to the writing world, and your service to your country!”
January 21, 2015
Left me speechless in places
It is with great pleasure that I review the biography Kicker, and it's not often I can say that!
I pride myself on knowing a lot about WWII but I knew nothing about 'Kickers,' the brave men who kicked the supplies out of American transport aircraft in the Far East Theatre, during the War.
Into this chaotic, dangerous and inhospitable world comes Private Sam Huber. He applied himself to the task at hand without complaint and soaks up the help of veterans around him and the exotic sights that surround him.
The book is full of lovely vignettes of life in places like Calcutta and Casablanca and contains some of the most harrowing scenes I have yet come across in any war book.
I don’t want to give too much away but the native in Burma who risked everything to help Huber left me speechless; I have never read of a greater act of bravery.
The War certainly brought out the worst and the very best in the human race. If you want your dose of stories from the font of truth and not fiction, read Kicker. If you like films like Too Late the Hero and Merrill's Marauders but you want to get beneath the surface of these guys, then read Kicker. And if you want to know how the wives and children suffered at home, read Kicker.
It is with great pleasure that I review the biography Kicker, and it's not often I can say that!
I pride myself on knowing a lot about WWII but I knew nothing about 'Kickers,' the brave men who kicked the supplies out of American transport aircraft in the Far East Theatre, during the War.
Into this chaotic, dangerous and inhospitable world comes Private Sam Huber. He applied himself to the task at hand without complaint and soaks up the help of veterans around him and the exotic sights that surround him.
The book is full of lovely vignettes of life in places like Calcutta and Casablanca and contains some of the most harrowing scenes I have yet come across in any war book.
I don’t want to give too much away but the native in Burma who risked everything to help Huber left me speechless; I have never read of a greater act of bravery.
The War certainly brought out the worst and the very best in the human race. If you want your dose of stories from the font of truth and not fiction, read Kicker. If you like films like Too Late the Hero and Merrill's Marauders but you want to get beneath the surface of these guys, then read Kicker. And if you want to know how the wives and children suffered at home, read Kicker.
June 12, 2018
Hard to believe
I felt it was written for someone who is 12 yrs. old. The entire book was written such that the main character Sam did everything right had in believable luck met the perfect friends. Many of the events such as his lessening to fly, Kerbys acquiring beef stealing British supplies, landing planes in convient air strips loads sandy beaches by Sam and others hard to believe even in this novel as possible. Everything the author wrote was luck and perfectly arranged events
Only content worthy of the author’s writing was the true events associated with Burma/Indian WW2 events. Thank goodness for those parts.
I felt it was written for someone who is 12 yrs. old. The entire book was written such that the main character Sam did everything right had in believable luck met the perfect friends. Many of the events such as his lessening to fly, Kerbys acquiring beef stealing British supplies, landing planes in convient air strips loads sandy beaches by Sam and others hard to believe even in this novel as possible. Everything the author wrote was luck and perfectly arranged events
Only content worthy of the author’s writing was the true events associated with Burma/Indian WW2 events. Thank goodness for those parts.
August 19, 2019
I was immediately drawn in to this book and quickly became emotionally attached to Sam and Eleanor. Kicker is very well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end. The feel of being with the characters while experiencing the events was so real I found myself on edge at many key moments and unable to put the story down until I knew what happened. Not only has it opened my eyes to what happened, it helped me understand a great generation of men and women who sacrificed their lives for all.
October 16, 2013
"Kicker" is a well-researched and fascinating novel about the 'Forgotten Front' namely the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theatre of War during WWII.
Although this is a work of fiction, the whole work has a real feeling of authenticity about it as we follow the adventures of Sam Huber, a country boy from Central Pennsylvania, as he is plunged into the largest war in the history of mankind.
This is a great read which will please history buffs and action readers alike.
Although this is a work of fiction, the whole work has a real feeling of authenticity about it as we follow the adventures of Sam Huber, a country boy from Central Pennsylvania, as he is plunged into the largest war in the history of mankind.
This is a great read which will please history buffs and action readers alike.
March 26, 2018
I knew almost nothing about China in WWII & thought this would be a goid book for that. While it was interesting & l learned about the aviators who helped keep the British & Chinese supplied with provisions & armament, it had nothing about China's involvement - how did China get involved, what was the strategy of their participation, what other allies were involved in China-Burma-India,etc.? This book didn't meet my expectations but perhaps l didn't evaluate the summary well enough.
June 10, 2019
Very interesting account of a part of war that has hidden from history.
Sam, the hero, is a simple but capable drafted during the war and is resilient, brave and self deprecating. Delivering supplies to softball along the Burmese border and supplying the troops gives the reader whole new sense of appreciation for the dedication and patriotism of the men who flew th "Hump"
Sam, the hero, is a simple but capable drafted during the war and is resilient, brave and self deprecating. Delivering supplies to softball along the Burmese border and supplying the troops gives the reader whole new sense of appreciation for the dedication and patriotism of the men who flew th "Hump"
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February 12, 2013to read
January 21, 2014
A great read! I have read about the Burma- India- China theater before, but this my first acquaintance with the supply planes. A wonderful story with a touch of home as well.
January 21, 2018
A fascinating account of the air support American troops gave in Burma, India, amd China during WW2. Historical novel based on the service of the author's father.
(Read on Kindle.)
(Read on Kindle.)
August 12, 2018
Quite a story
It was written at an elementary level with a number of good feelings. As in any war action there were questionable moments.
It was written at an elementary level with a number of good feelings. As in any war action there were questionable moments.
March 5, 2019
Interesting read about a little known theater of the second world war.
March 24, 2020
Great read
Amazing story of courage and sacrifice. Could not put it down
A story that was not highly publicized An epic tale of true grit
Amazing story of courage and sacrifice. Could not put it down
A story that was not highly publicized An epic tale of true grit
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews