The Airmen and the Headhunters; A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II by Heimann, Judith M - 2007

Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc, 2007. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Helen Phillips (Maps). [14], 289 pages. Illustrations. Maps. Glossary. A Note on Sources. Index. Author inscription on the title page the reads: "For Carl, Judith Heimann". 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 unexpectedly 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 hostile 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. A cinematic survival story that 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, The Airmen and the Headhunters is a gripping, you-are-there journey into the remote world and forgotten heroism of the Dayaks. Judith M. Heimann is a career diplomat and the author of The Most Offending Soul Alive. She spent seven years living in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and speaks Indonesian. She traveled to three continents and interviewed all the surviving Dayaks and airmen in her research for this book. In The Airmen and the Headhunters: A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen, and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II, Heimann recounts the true story of eleven American airmen who were shot down in their B-24 bomber, Lucky Strike, over Borneo during World War II. Landing in a mountainous region in the country's northern section that was controlled by the Japanese, the survivors struggled to remain hidden and safe. The local tribe, known as the Lun Dayeh, strove to assist the Americans even as they fought the Japanese invaders into their homeland. Because the Japanese forces were so strong and cruel, a number of the Lun Dayeh revived the ancient practice of headhunting, something they had long ago culled out of their traditions. However, in the face of the Japanese aggressors, the Lun Dayeh changed their minds and embraced headhunting as a means of protecting those around them and remaining strong against the invasion. The book depicts the long trek through the jungle and the struggle the Americans experienced in their efforts to survive. Roland Green, writing for Booklist, declared that "career diplomat Heimann has unearthed a first-class World War II thriller." A contributor for Kirkus Reviews found Heimann's effort to be "a fascinating anthropology lesson, delivered with the bonus of a dramatic adventure and a happy ending."