Reviewers of our two previous books about Piper Cub L-4s praised both of them: Janey:  A   Little Plane in a Big War by Alfred W. Schultz and Flying Low: And shot down twice during World War II in a spotter plane by Joseph Furbee Gordon. Both of these books describe the authors' experiences as pilots of L-4s in the European Theatre of World War II. 

The Grasshopper That Roared by Jean L. Chase is different from Janey and Flying Low in that it describes the L-4 pilot's experiences at war in New Guinea and the Philippines in the Pacific Theatre. And there were differences: 

1. In the European Theatre, the L-4 pilots usually flew with a spotter in the back seat. 
In Jean L. Chase's war in the Far East, he generally flew alone, doing the work of two men. 

2. In both theatres, the L-4s were unarmed. However, they could be armed and Chase describes his ride in the back seat of an L-4 to rake a Japanese position with a machine gun. In the civilian world, the L-4 is a J-3 Piper Cub. Ever think you'll see a machine gun jutting out of a Cub? 

3. Chase's experiences include his observation of the sinking of the USS St. Lo (CVE-63) while he was on the deck of the USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70). What was an L-4 pilot doing on the deck of an aircraft carrier in the middle of a Pacific War naval battle? Read the book and find out. 

Besides his experience flying the L-4, Colonel Chase had extensive experience flying the L-5 towards the end of WWII and after the war, plus he flew the L-16, L-17, and the L-19 "Bird Dog." He compares the planes with one another in the Epilogue of the book. 

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