Among the Headhunters : An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival in the Burmese Jungle

"Flying the notorious "Hump" route between India and China in 1943, a twin engine Curtiss-Wright C-46 plane suffered engine failure and crashed over the mountainous, remote border country. Among the passengers and crew were celebrated CBS journalist Eric Sevareid, a Soviet double-agent posing as an OSS operative, and General "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell's personal political adviser. Against the odds, all but one of the twenty-one people on the doomed aircraft survived. But they fell from the frying pan into the fire. Disentangling themselves from their chutes the shocked survivors discovered that they had arrived in wild country dominated by a tribe with a reason to hate white men. The Nagas were notorious headhunters who routinely practiced slavery and human sacrifice, their specialty being the removal of enemy heads. And Japanese soldiers lay close by too, with their own brand of a special hatred for American flyers. Among the Headhunters is the first-ever account of this incredible true World War II story of the adventures of these men among the Naga warriors, their sustenance from the air by the USAAF, and ultimate rescue by a military expedition. In this meeting two very different worlds collided, American and Naga. The young, exuberant apostles of the vast industrial democracy of the United States came face-to-face with an ancient race determined to preserve their local power, based on head-hunting and slaving traditions"--;Dumbastapur -- Burmese days -- Banzai! -- The crash -- Vinegar Joe -- The passengers -- Dr. Sevareid, I presume? -- Taming the Nagas -- The 1936 punitive expedition -- The battle of Pangsha -- Return to Mokokchung -- Eric and the headhunters -- Mongsen -- The sahib of Mokokchung -- The long walk home -- Return to Chabua -- Blackie's gang. Flying the notorious "Hump" route between India and China in 1943, a twin-engine plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed in a dense mountain jungle, deep within Japanese-held territory. Among the passengers and crew were celebrated CBS journalist Eric Sevareid, an OSS operative who was also a Soviet double agent, and General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell's personal political adviser. Against the odds, all but one of the twenty-one people aboard the doomed aircraft survived-it remains the largest civilian evacuation of an aircraft by parachute. But they fell from the frying pan into the fire. Disentangling themselves from their parachutes, the shocked survivors discovered that they had arrived in wild country dominated by a tribe with a special reason to hate white men. The Nagas were notorious headhunters who routinely practiced slavery and human sacrifice, their specialty being the removal of enemy heads. Japanese soldiers lay close by, too, with their own brand of hatred for Americans. Among the Headhunters tells-for the first time-the incredible true story of the adventures of these men among the Naga warriors, their sustenance from the air by the USAAF, and their ultimate rescue. It is also a story of two very different worlds colliding-young Americans, exuberant apostles of their country's vast industrial democracy, coming face-to-face with the Naga, an ancient tribe determined to preserve its local power based on headhunting and slaving. "Flying the notorious "Hump" route between India and China in 1943, a twin engine Curtiss-Wright C-46 plane suffered engine failure and crashed over the mountainous, remote border country. Among the passengers and crew were celebrated CBS journalist Eric Sevareid, a Soviet double-agent posing as an OSS operative, and General "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell's personal political adviser. Against the odds, all but one of the twenty-one people on the doomed aircraft survived. But they fell from the frying pan into the fire. Disentangling themselves from their chutes the shocked survivors discovered that they had arrived in wild country dominated by a tribe with a reason to hate white men. The Nagas were notorious headhunters who routinely practiced slavery and human sacrifice, their specialty being the removal of enemy heads. And Japanese soldiers lay close by too, with their own brand of a special hatred for American flyers. Among the Headhunters is the first-ever account of this incredible true World War II story of the adventures of these men among the Naga warriors, their sustenance from the air by the USAAF, and ultimate rescue by a military expedition. In this meeting two very different worlds collided, American and Naga. The young, exuberant apostles of the vast industrial democracy of the United States came face-to-face with an ancient race determined to preserve their local power, based on head-hunting and slaving traditions"-- Provided by publisher Flying the notorious 'hump route' between India and China in 1943, a twin- engine plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed in a dense mountain jungle. Among the passengers and crew were celebrated CBS journalist Eric Sevareid, a Soviet double-agent posing as an OSS operative, and General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell's personal political adviser. Against the odds, all but one of the twenty-one people aboard the aircraft survivedbut they fell from the frying pan into the fire. They landed in wild countryside dominated by the Nagas, notorious headhunters who routinely practiced slavery and human sacrifice. Japanese soldiers lay close by, too, with their own brand of hatred for Americans. Among the Headhunters is the first account of this incredible story. First ever account of a downed US command plane and its survivors' struggle against headhunters and Japanese soldiers.