What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ragged, Rugged Warriors
Recounts the dramatic air battles from 1937 to the Battle of Midway in 1942, when the Allied Forces fought against superior odds to turn the tide of World War II
385 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1966
1 person is currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Martin Caidin
192 books80 followersMartin Caidin was a prolific and controversial writer. Most of his work centered around the adventures of pilots and astronauts. A number of his books were notable for their reasonable, realistic predictions of then-futuristic technology.
Caidin's body of work was prolific and varied, ranging from additional speculative/SF novels such as Marooned, which was made into an acclaimed film and considered a harbinger of the Apollo 13 accident, to a novel based upon the character Indiana Jones. He also wrote many non-fiction books about science, aviation and warfare.
Caidin began writing fiction in 1957. In his career he authored more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books as well as more than 1,000 magazine articles. His best-known novel is Cyborg, which was the basis for "The Six Million Dollar Man" franchise. He also wrote numerous works of military history, especially concerning aviation.
In addition to his writing Caidin was a pilot and active in the restoration and flying of older planes.
Caidin's body of work was prolific and varied, ranging from additional speculative/SF novels such as Marooned, which was made into an acclaimed film and considered a harbinger of the Apollo 13 accident, to a novel based upon the character Indiana Jones. He also wrote many non-fiction books about science, aviation and warfare.
Caidin began writing fiction in 1957. In his career he authored more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books as well as more than 1,000 magazine articles. His best-known novel is Cyborg, which was the basis for "The Six Million Dollar Man" franchise. He also wrote numerous works of military history, especially concerning aviation.
In addition to his writing Caidin was a pilot and active in the restoration and flying of older planes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 15, 2017
3.5 STARS
My father was a big fan of military aviation history and Martin Caidin's books. As I have written in past reviews I have strong childhood memories of the books in my parent's library. There were many titles by Martin Caidin and "The Ragged, Rugged Warriors" was one of my father's favorites. The book looks at the early years of the air war in Asia from 1937 (when Japan invaded China) to the Battle of Midway (4-7 June, 1942) when the Japanese dominated the skies and the United States. China, England, Australia and others struggled against them with outdated and/or (usually) inferior equipment. Published in 1966 it was one of the first to focus directly on the years when the Japanese were knocking the "good guys" all about with impunity.
It has numerous line drawings and photographs scattered throughout the book which are tremendously helpful because Caidin covers a lot of territory (technical, geography and many personalities) in this book. Caidin also has endnotes which is appreciated and unusual for the time that this work was published. Authors of popular histories weren't very attentive to documenting their research back then so it's nice to have some references. Admittedly by today's standards the documentation is sparse, but at least there is something.
In the years since this book was released much of the intelligence has been de-classified. As a result we know more about the details of what was occurring in the Pacific and mainland China. However ,in the case of this book, that isn't much of a hindrance. The book's focus is on the pilots and the ground crews who struggled with poor equipment and little logistical support against a formidable enemy. It's a tale of heroism and perseverance in the face of impossible odds. Knowing which battle group was doing at what time or why Admiral so and so ordered Captain such and such to go north bears little relevance in this type of account. This is probably one of Caidin's best books; written by him when he was in his prime and before he sank into his bizzare waxed mustache, macho-blustering, television show host years of the Eighties and Nineties.
The book is entertaining, tremendously readable and even exciting. While researched and lavishly illustrated it's also very much a product of it's time. It's the type of writing that one would find in the male oriented magazines of Argosy, True and the 1960's era Playboy which ,incidentally, Caidin wrote articles for all three of those magazines at one time or another. However that doesn't detract from the book. The book has gone on to become a minor classic about the WWII air war in Asia. It's focus is on the men and the machines, but it successfully straddles the line (in my opinion) between academic history and blood and thunder accounts of dubious research - though this book does have it's share of blood and thunder.
Just a personal note in closing. My father had a very ragged paperback copy of this book for many years. I recall that threadbare paperback sitting on end tables for many years as he read and re-read it. He bought it at a used bookstore when my parents were in their salad days and it was all he could afford. It was with the greatest pleasure that I purchased the hardback copy (1st Edition) from a rare bookstore in Marblehead, Massachusetts (god bless the Internet) and presented it to him for Christmas 2011. Dad was thrilled and very appreciative. With his passing last year it's come back to me. I'll be holding onto it.
My father was a big fan of military aviation history and Martin Caidin's books. As I have written in past reviews I have strong childhood memories of the books in my parent's library. There were many titles by Martin Caidin and "The Ragged, Rugged Warriors" was one of my father's favorites. The book looks at the early years of the air war in Asia from 1937 (when Japan invaded China) to the Battle of Midway (4-7 June, 1942) when the Japanese dominated the skies and the United States. China, England, Australia and others struggled against them with outdated and/or (usually) inferior equipment. Published in 1966 it was one of the first to focus directly on the years when the Japanese were knocking the "good guys" all about with impunity.
It has numerous line drawings and photographs scattered throughout the book which are tremendously helpful because Caidin covers a lot of territory (technical, geography and many personalities) in this book. Caidin also has endnotes which is appreciated and unusual for the time that this work was published. Authors of popular histories weren't very attentive to documenting their research back then so it's nice to have some references. Admittedly by today's standards the documentation is sparse, but at least there is something.
In the years since this book was released much of the intelligence has been de-classified. As a result we know more about the details of what was occurring in the Pacific and mainland China. However ,in the case of this book, that isn't much of a hindrance. The book's focus is on the pilots and the ground crews who struggled with poor equipment and little logistical support against a formidable enemy. It's a tale of heroism and perseverance in the face of impossible odds. Knowing which battle group was doing at what time or why Admiral so and so ordered Captain such and such to go north bears little relevance in this type of account. This is probably one of Caidin's best books; written by him when he was in his prime and before he sank into his bizzare waxed mustache, macho-blustering, television show host years of the Eighties and Nineties.
The book is entertaining, tremendously readable and even exciting. While researched and lavishly illustrated it's also very much a product of it's time. It's the type of writing that one would find in the male oriented magazines of Argosy, True and the 1960's era Playboy which ,incidentally, Caidin wrote articles for all three of those magazines at one time or another. However that doesn't detract from the book. The book has gone on to become a minor classic about the WWII air war in Asia. It's focus is on the men and the machines, but it successfully straddles the line (in my opinion) between academic history and blood and thunder accounts of dubious research - though this book does have it's share of blood and thunder.
Just a personal note in closing. My father had a very ragged paperback copy of this book for many years. I recall that threadbare paperback sitting on end tables for many years as he read and re-read it. He bought it at a used bookstore when my parents were in their salad days and it was all he could afford. It was with the greatest pleasure that I purchased the hardback copy (1st Edition) from a rare bookstore in Marblehead, Massachusetts (god bless the Internet) and presented it to him for Christmas 2011. Dad was thrilled and very appreciative. With his passing last year it's come back to me. I'll be holding onto it.
June 18, 2013
Martin Caidin does a pretty solid job describing the early air war in Asia, with nice personal accounts from before America entered WW2 that are not common to find (aside from AVG tales that many forget were after US entry). Some sections are gritty, with some of the descriptions of events in China downright appalling with the lack of humanity displayed. That is reality though...war is hell.
Having had a chance to meet/ talk with several of the men MC writes about in this book, I feel comfortable saying he did a fair job of describing the reality over there, if in somewhat a condensed manner.
Overall, I found this book to be enjoyable and insightful. This is well worth a read if you can find a copy.
Having had a chance to meet/ talk with several of the men MC writes about in this book, I feel comfortable saying he did a fair job of describing the reality over there, if in somewhat a condensed manner.
Overall, I found this book to be enjoyable and insightful. This is well worth a read if you can find a copy.
December 15, 2018
This is an excellent account of aerial warfare in the years preceding the start of, and into the early part of the WWII, in the Pacific Theater. While there have been many books written about the Pacific battles, and the AVG's exploits in China, no author has covered in detail how badly the air war in China and the rest of Asia went for the Allies as Mr. Caidin has. This is a very detailed account that stays accessible for readers to understand. All in all, a superb book
May 2, 2012
If I was a 14-year-old-boy, I think I would have loved this book.
I picked it up in a used book store about a year-and-a-half ago when I was looking for books to help me understand the emotional trauma of some of my patients. It took me a while to get through it because, for one reason, I realized pretty quickly that it was a gee-whiz, hero-worshiping book.
One example jumped out at me: When pilot Robert L. Scott is strafing Japanese troops trapped on a causeway, the incident is described gleefully, with Scott exultant. The same again when Scott strafes Japanese dining at a hotel in Hong Kong. Scott is reported by Caidin to thrill at machine-gunning to death hundreds of human beings.
I contrasted this description in my mind with that of Charles A. Lindbergh in his Diary, when he recounts spotting a single Japanese soldier on a beach, dives to machine-gun him, has his finger on the trigger, the man square in his sights...but chooses not to fire. He can't take the life of another man who is no threat to himself, even if his country demands he do so.
I know that many men enjoy killing, especially when society sanctions it in war, but many don't; I think most. But they do it anyway. Because of duty. Because of peer pressure. Because of...well, sometimes even they don't know why. And this eats at such men. It's a guilt--yes, a guilt, but a very complex one--that never goes away. It's one of the things about war they internalize and do not want to share with anyone.
But it's my job to help them deal with this terrible anguish. At least the best that I can. To do that, I read war books. Usually I ask for recommendations from combat veterans. This one I didn't ask for a recommendation and I'm not sure if it will be useful to me.
I gave it three stars because the stories were unknown to me and surprising, and I am disappointed that these things are not taught to us in school as part of our American heritage.
The stories about the B-26 crews were the best part of the book to me, and seemed the most sincere.
I picked it up in a used book store about a year-and-a-half ago when I was looking for books to help me understand the emotional trauma of some of my patients. It took me a while to get through it because, for one reason, I realized pretty quickly that it was a gee-whiz, hero-worshiping book.
One example jumped out at me: When pilot Robert L. Scott is strafing Japanese troops trapped on a causeway, the incident is described gleefully, with Scott exultant. The same again when Scott strafes Japanese dining at a hotel in Hong Kong. Scott is reported by Caidin to thrill at machine-gunning to death hundreds of human beings.
I contrasted this description in my mind with that of Charles A. Lindbergh in his Diary, when he recounts spotting a single Japanese soldier on a beach, dives to machine-gun him, has his finger on the trigger, the man square in his sights...but chooses not to fire. He can't take the life of another man who is no threat to himself, even if his country demands he do so.
I know that many men enjoy killing, especially when society sanctions it in war, but many don't; I think most. But they do it anyway. Because of duty. Because of peer pressure. Because of...well, sometimes even they don't know why. And this eats at such men. It's a guilt--yes, a guilt, but a very complex one--that never goes away. It's one of the things about war they internalize and do not want to share with anyone.
But it's my job to help them deal with this terrible anguish. At least the best that I can. To do that, I read war books. Usually I ask for recommendations from combat veterans. This one I didn't ask for a recommendation and I'm not sure if it will be useful to me.
I gave it three stars because the stories were unknown to me and surprising, and I am disappointed that these things are not taught to us in school as part of our American heritage.
The stories about the B-26 crews were the best part of the book to me, and seemed the most sincere.
May 19, 2024
I read this book as a teen and thought it was an exciting tale of a little written about period of WWII, where the Allies (largely the US in the scope of this book) were back on their heels in the face of the initial Japanese onslaught. He tells additional stories of the Air War in Japan previous to the attack on Pearl Harbour as well as some additional colour from the Spanish Civil War, to set the scene.
That was pre-Internet.
Now, I can look up some of participants and find that Caiden's research was seriously lacking places. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, I guess... but it does make some of the episodes smack of fiction, or at the very least, dramatic exaggeration.
That was pre-Internet.
Now, I can look up some of participants and find that Caiden's research was seriously lacking places. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, I guess... but it does make some of the episodes smack of fiction, or at the very least, dramatic exaggeration.
February 10, 2016
The book detailed the early war up until Midway. Caidin made the war real. The sketches were helpful as I'm more familiar with later fighters/bombers than those that won the air war in WW2. Pilots were repairing their planes with makeshift parts to fly against an enemy that was superior in number and quality of flight.
January 25, 2012
A episodic description of America's early air war against Japan in World War II, when America's airmen flew in outnumbered and outclassed aircraft against the cream of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army airforces.
September 8, 2025
Yet another outstanding book by Caidin. He's written several books on aviation that are very good for those interested in the field.
Want to read
June 18, 2024I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13055465
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13055465
April 22, 2017
Terrific book on the struggle of the US Army Air Force fight in the first 6 months of World War II - outnumbered, without adequate facilities or a properly functioning supply chain, aircraft largely obsolete or inferior to their opponents - yet they fought with great courage and tenacity. Caidin lays out the campaigns of the AVG (Flying Tigers), early Philippines and Java campaigns. The culminating chapter, which represents a nice way to pivot the overall story is the tremendous story of the B-26 Marauders that attacked the Japanese at the Battle of Midway.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews