I just finished reading Kicker by Grey Hoover; about Kickers, the men who ‘kicked’ cargo out of freight aircraft in the Far East during WWII. Its a very interesting book and left me speechless in places. Here is my review:
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 on Amazon.
Lazlo Ferran | Vampire, Werewolf and Sci-fi Books 