Flying Tigers - Wikipedia

The Flying Tigers began to arrive in China in April 1941. The group first saw combat on 20 December 1941, 12 days after Pearl Harbor (local time). FlyingTigers FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia Jumptonavigation Jumptosearch GroupofAmericanmilitarypilotswhoflewfortheRepublicofChinaAirForcein1941–42 ThisarticleisabouttheformerU.S.airsquadron.FortheDanishvarietystore,seeFlyingTigerCopenhagen.Forotheruses,seeFlyingTigers(disambiguation). 1stAmericanVolunteerGroupFlyingTigerspersonnelActiveApril1941–4July1942BecameChinaAirTaskForceinJuly1942Country RepublicofChina UnitedStatesAllegiance RepublicofChina UnitedStatesTypeFighterpilotgroupSize3squadrons;60aircraftaverageNickname(s)TheFlyingTigersCommandersNotablecommandersClaireChennaultMilitaryunit PlaymediaUSAirForcesvideo:FlyingTigersBiteBack TheFirstAmericanVolunteerGroup(AVG)oftheRepublicofChinaAirForce,nicknamedtheFlyingTigers,wasformedtohelpopposetheJapaneseinvasionofChina.Operatingin1941–1942,itwascomposedofpilotsfromtheUnitedStatesArmyAirCorps(USAAC),Navy(USN),andMarineCorps(USMC),andwascommandedbyClaireLeeChennault.TheirCurtisP-40BWarhawkaircraft,markedwithChinesecolors,flewunderAmericancontrol.RecruitedunderPresidentFranklinRoosevelt'sauthoritybeforePearlHarbor,theirmissionwastobombJapananddefendtheRepublicofChina,butmanydelaysmeanttheAVGfirstflewincombataftertheUSandJapandeclaredwar. Thegroupconsistedofthreefightersquadronsofaround30aircrafteachthattrainedinBurmabeforetheAmericanentryintoWorldWarIItodefendtheRepublicofChinaagainstJapaneseforces.TheAVGwereofficiallymembersoftheRepublicofChinaAirForce.Thegrouphadcontractswithsalariesrangingfrom$250amonthforamechanicto$750forasquadroncommander,roughlythreetimeswhattheyhadbeenmakingintheU.S.forces.Whileitacceptedsomecivilianvolunteersforitsheadquartersandgroundcrew,theAVGrecruitedmostofitsstafffromtheU.S.military. TheFlyingTigersbegantoarriveinChinainApril1941.Thegroupfirstsawcombaton20December1941,12daysafterPearlHarbor(localtime).ItdemonstratedinnovativetacticalvictorieswhenthenewsintheU.S.wasfilledwithlittlemorethanstoriesofdefeatatthehandsoftheJapaneseforces,andachievedsuchnotablesuccessduringthelowestperiodofthewarforboththeU.S.andtheAlliedForces,astogivehopetoAmericathatitmighteventuallydefeatJapan.AVGpilotsearnedofficialcreditandreceivedcombatbonusesfordestroying296enemyaircraft,whilelosingonly14pilotsincombat.[1]ThecombatrecordsoftheAVGstillexistandresearchershavefoundthemcredible.[2]On4July1942theAVGwasdisbandedandreplacedbythe23rdFighterGroupoftheUnitedStatesArmyAirForces,whichwaslaterabsorbedintotheU.S.FourteenthAirForcewithGeneralChennaultascommander.The23rdFGwentontoachievesimilarcombatsuccess,whileretainingthenoseartontheleft-overP-40s. Contents 1Origin 1.1OriginalAmericanvolunteergroup 1.2Chennaultfighterdoctrine 1.3CurtissP-40 2Combathistory 2.1DefenseofRangoon 2.2RetreatintoChina 3AssessmentoftheAVG 4MembersoftheAVG 4.1Aces 5Legacy 5.1TransitiontotheUSAAF 5.2Tributesandmemorials 5.3Monroelegacy 5.4FlyingTigerswrecks 5.5RecognitionbytheUnitedStates 5.6Popularculture 6Seealso 6.1AboutChinainWWII 6.2SimilarorrelatedAmericanunits 7References 7.1Citations 7.2Sources 8Externallinks Origin[edit] ChennaultinhisKunmingoffice,May1942.HewearsaUSArmybrigadiergeneral'sstaronhisleftshoulderbutChineseinsigniaotherwise. TheAmericanVolunteerGroupwaslargelythecreationofClaireL.Chennault,aretiredU.S.ArmyAirCorpsofficerwhohadworkedinChinasinceAugust1937,firstasmilitaryaviationadvisortoGeneralissimoChiangKai-shekintheearlymonthsoftheSino-JapaneseWar,thenasdirectorofaChineseAirForceflightschoolcenteredinKunming.Meanwhile,theSovietUnionsuppliedfighterandbombersquadronstoChina,buttheseunitsweremostlywithdrawnbythesummerof1940.ChiangthenaskedforAmericancombataircraftandpilots,sendingChennaulttoWashingtonasanadvisertoChina'sambassadorandChiang'sbrother-in-law,T.V.Soong.[3] Chennaultspentthewinterof1940–1941inWashington,supervisingthepurchaseof100CurtissP-40fightersandtherecruitingof100pilotsandsome200groundcrewandadministrativepersonnelthatwouldconstitutethe1stAVG.Healsolaidthegroundworkforafollow-onbombergroupandasecondfightergroup,thoughthesewouldbeabortedafterthePearlHarborattack. OriginalAmericanvolunteergroup[edit] 3rdSquadronHell'sAngels,FlyingTigers,overChina,photographedin1942byAVGpilotRobertT.Smith P-40WarhawkpaintedwithFlyingTigerssharkfaceattheNationalMuseumoftheUnitedStatesAirForce Ofthepilots,60camefromtheNavyandMarineCorpsand40fromtheArmyAirCorps.(OnearmypilotwasrefusedapassportbecausehehadearlierflownasamercenaryinSpain,soonly99actuallysailedforAsia.TenmorearmyflightinstructorswerehiredascheckpilotsforChinesecadets,andseveralofthesewouldultimatelyjointheAVG'scombatsquadrons.)Thevolunteersweredischargedfromthearmedservices,tobeemployedfor"trainingandinstruction"byaprivatemilitarycontractor,theCentralAircraftManufacturingCompany(CAMCO),whichpaidthem$600amonthforpilotofficers,$675amonthforflightleaders,$750forsquadronleaders(nopilotwasrecruitedatthislevel),andabout$250forskilledgroundcrewmen.Somepilotswerealsoorallypromisedabountyof$500foreachenemyaircraftshotdown,andthiswaslaterconfirmedbyMadameChiangKai-shek.[4] ResignationletterfromtheU.S.MarineCorps,usedtoacceptapositionwiththeCentralAircraftManufacturingCo. Thefirstbatch,some300men,departedSanFranciscoon10July1941andarrivedinRangoon,Burmaon28July,[5][6]viatheDutchshipJaegersfontaine,operatedbyJava-PacificLijn.[7]Thesecondbatch,some30pilots,departedon24September1941andarrivedon12November1941viatheDutchshipBoschfontein.[8]Thesevolunteersusedcivilianpassportsinthesetrips.AfterarrivinginRangoon,theywereinitiallybasedataBritishairfieldinToungoofortrainingwhiletheiraircraftwereassembledandtestflownbyCAMCOpersonnelatMingaladonAirportoutsideRangoon.[9]Chennaultsetupaschoolhousethatwasmadenecessarybecausemanypilotshad"liedabouttheirflyingexperience,claimingpursuitexperiencewhentheyhadflownonlybombersandsometimesmuchlesspowerfulaeroplanes."[9]TheycalledChennault"theOldMan"duetohismucholderageandleatheryexteriorobtainedfromyearsflyingopencockpitpursuitaircraftintheArmyAirCorps.MostbelievedthathehadflownasafighterpilotinChina,althoughstoriesthathewasacombataceareprobablyapocryphal.[10] Ofthe300originalmembersoftheCAMCOpersonnel,9wereChinese-AmericansrecruitedfromAmerica'sChinatowns.All9weretrainedatAllisonEngineworksinIndianapolis,Indiana:allwereP-40mechanics.UponarrivalinKunming,2otherChinese-Americanswerehired,aFordMotortruckspecialistandadoctor.TotaloriginalChinese-Americanswere11.Priorto4July1942,3oftheP-40mechanicsresigned.TheofficialAVGrosterliststheoriginal8.[citationneeded] TheAVGwascreatedbyanexecutiveorderofGeneralissimoChiangKai-shek.HedidnotspeakEnglish,however,andChennaultneverlearnedtospeakChinese.Asaresult,allcommunicationsbetweenthetwomenwereroutedthroughSoongMei-ling,"MadameChiang"asshewasknowntoAmericans,andshewasdesignatedthegroup's"honorarycommander." Chennaultfighterdoctrine[edit] ChennaultpreachedaradicallydifferentapproachtoaircombatbasedonhisstudyofJapanesetacticsandequipment,hisobservationofthetacticsusedbySovietpilotsinChina,andhisjudgmentofthestrengthsandweaknessesofhisownaircraftandpilots.TheactualaveragestrengthoftheAVGwasnevermorethan62combat-readypilotsandfighters.ChennaultfacedseriousobstaclessincemanyAVGpilotswereinexperiencedandafewquitatthefirstopportunity.However,hemadeavirtueoutofthesedisadvantages,shiftingunsuitablepilotstostaffjobsandalwaysensuringthathehadasquadronortwoinreserve.(TheAVGhadnoranks,sonodivisionbetweenofficersandenlistedsoldiersexisted.[11]) ChennaultandtheFlyingTigersbenefitedfromthecountry'swarningnetwork,called"thebestair-raidwarningsysteminexistence":[11] StartingfromareasinFreeChina,inhundredsofsmallvillages,inlonelyoutposts,inhillsandcaves,stretchingfromnearCantonthroughallFreeChinatothecapitalinChungkingandtoLanchow,farnorthwest,areamazeofalarmstationsequippedwithradiosandtelephonesthatgiveinstantwarningoftheapproachofJapaneseplanes.[11] WhenJapaneseaircraftattacked,Chennault'sdoctrinecalledforpilotstotakeonenemyaircraftinteamsfromanaltitudeadvantage,sincetheiraircraftwerenotasmaneuverableorasnumerousastheJapanesefighterstheywouldencounter.HeprohibitedhispilotsfromenteringintoaturningfightwiththenimbleJapanesefighters,tellingthemtoexecuteadivingorslashingattackandtodiveawaytosetupforanotherattack.This"dive-and-zoom"techniquewascontrarytowhatthemenhadlearnedinU.S.serviceaswellaswhattheRoyalAirForce(RAF)pilotsinBurmahadbeentaught;ithadbeenusedsuccessfully,however,bySovietunitsservingwiththeChineseAirForce.[12] CurtissP-40[edit] Mainarticle:CurtissP-40 1943:AKittyhawkMarkIIIof112Squadron,taxiingthroughscrubatMedenine,Tunisia.Thegroundcrewmanonthewingisdirectingthepilot,whoseviewaheadishinderedbytheaircraft'snose. AZG76Bf110Cwith"sharksmouth"nosepaint AVGfighteraircraftcamefromaCurtissassemblylinewhichhadjuststartedproducingTomahawkIIBmodelsfortheRoyalAirForceinNorthAfrica.TheTomahawkIIBwassimilartotheU.S.Army'sP-40C,butthereissomeevidencethatCurtissactuallyusedleftovercomponentswhenbuildingthefightersintendedforChina,makingthemclosertotheolderP-40B/TomahawkIIAspecification-forinstancetheAVGaircrafthadfueltankswithexternalself-sealingcoatings,ratherthanthemoreeffectiveinternalmembranesasfittedtotheP-40C/TomahawkIIB,andtheaircraftbuiltforChinalackedthelaterTomahawk'sfittingstocarryadroptankandtheadditionofanarmourplateinfrontofthepilot.[13]Thefighterswerepurchasedwithout"government-furnishedequipment"suchasreflectorgunsights,radiosandwingguns;thelackoftheseitemscausedcontinualdifficultiesfortheAVGinBurmaandChina. The100P-40aircraftwerecratedandsenttoBurmaonthirdcountryfreightersduringspring1941.AtRangoon,theywereunloaded,assembledandtestflownbypersonnelofCentralAircraftManufacturingCompany(CAMCO)beforebeingdeliveredtotheAVGtrainingunitatToungoo.[14]Onecratewasdroppedintothewaterandawingassemblywasruinedbysaltwaterimmersion,soCAMCOwasabletodeliveronly99Tomahawksbeforewarbrokeout.(Manyofthoseweredestroyedintrainingaccidents.)The100thfuselagewastruckedtoaCAMCOplantinLoiwing,China,andlatermadewholewithpartsfromdamagedaircraft.Shortagesinequipment,withsparepartsalmostimpossibletoobtaininBurma(alongwiththeslowintroductionofreplacementfighteraircraft),werecontinualimpediments,althoughtheAVGdidreceive50replacementP-40EfightersfromUSAAFstockstowardtheendofitscombattour. AVGfighteraircraftwerepaintedwithalargesharkfaceonthefrontoftheaircraft.ThiswasdoneafterpilotssawaphotographofaP-40ofNo.112SquadronRAFinNorthAfrica,[15]whichinturnhadadoptedthesharkfacefromGermanpilotsoftheLuftwaffe'sZG76heavyfighterwing,flyingMesserschmittBf110fightersinCrete.(TheAVGnose-artisvariouslycreditedtoCharlesBond[16]andErikShilling.)Aboutthesametime,theAVGwasdubbed"TheFlyingTigers"byitsWashingtonsupportgroup,calledChinaDefenseSupplies.[17] TheP-40'sgoodqualitiesincludedpilotarmor,self-sealingfueltanks,sturdyconstruction,heavyarmament,andahigherdivingspeedthanmostJapaneseaircraft–qualitiesthatcouldbeusedtoadvantageinaccordancewithChennault'scombattactics.[18]Chennaultcreatedanearlywarningnetworkofspottersthatwouldgivehisfighterstimetotakeoffandclimbtoasuperioraltitudewherethistacticcouldbeexecuted.[19] Combathistory[edit] Thissectionneedsadditionalcitationsforverification.Pleasehelpimprovethisarticlebyaddingcitationstoreliablesources.Unsourcedmaterialmaybechallengedandremoved.(December2012)(Learnhowandwhentoremovethistemplatemessage) TheportofRangooninBurmaandtheBurmaRoadleadingfromtheretoChinawereofcrucialimportance.EasternChinawasunderJapaneseoccupation,soallmilitarysuppliesforChinaarrivedviatheBurmaroute.ByNovember1941,whenthepilotsweretrainedandmostoftheP-40shadarrivedinAsia,theFlyingTigersweredividedintothreesquadrons:1stSquadron("Adam&Eves");2ndSquadron("PandaBears")and3rdSquadron("Hell'sAngels").[9]TheywereassignedtooppositeendsoftheBurmaRoadtoprotectthisvitallineofcommunications.TwosquadronswerebasedatKunminginChina,andathirdatMingaladonAirportnearRangoon.WhentheUnitedStatesofficiallyenteredthewar,theAVGhad82pilotsand79aircraft,althoughnotallwerecombat-ready.TigerErikShilling,partofthethirdsquadroncommented:."ThiswasthebeginningofthegreatestadventureIwouldeverhopetoexperience.Itwasn'tuntilyearslaterthatIfullyrealizedthemagnitudeandsignificanceofthisfirststep,tobealifelongadventureinthemysticFarEast."[20] TheAVG'sfirstcombatmissionwason20December1941,whenaircraftofthe1stand2ndsquadronsintercepted10unescortedKawasakiKi-48"Lily"bombersofthe21stHikōtaiattackingKunming.ThebombersjettisonedtheirloadsbeforereachingKunming.ThreeoftheJapanesebomberswereshotdownnearKunmingandafourthwasdamagedsoseverelythatitcrashedbeforereturningtoitsairfieldatHanoi.Later,ChineseintelligenceinterceptedJapanesecommunicationsindicatingthatonly1outofthe10bombersultimatelyreturnedtobase.Furthermore,theJapanesediscontinuedtheirraidsonKunmingwhiletheAVGwasbasedthere.OneP-40crash-landed;itwassalvagedforparts.ThismissionwasoneoftheearliestAmericanaerialvictoriesinthePacificWar. DefenseofRangoon[edit] A"bloodchit"issuedtotheAmericanVolunteerGroupFlyingTigers.TheChinesecharactersread,"ThisforeignpersonhascometoChinatohelpinthewareffort.Soldiersandcivilians,oneandall,shouldrescueandprotecthim."(R.E.BaldwinCollection) ThefirstsquadronhadflownuptoKunmingtodefendtheterminusoftheBurmaRoadandsawsomecombatactionon20December1941whiledefendingRangoonfromJapanesebombers,takingdownfourofthemanddisruptingtheirattackontheBurmaRoad.[21] Atthistime,thefocusofJapan'soffensiveeffortsintheAVG'scoverageareawassouthernBurma.The3rdSquadron–18aircraftstrong–defendedRangoonfrom23to25December.On23December,MitsubishiKi-21"Sally"heavybombersofthe60th,62ndand98thSentai,alongwithsingle-enginedMitsubishiKi-30"Ann"attackbombersofthe31stSentai,sortiedagainstRangoon.TheywereescortedbyNakajimaKi-27"Nate"fightersof77thSentai.TheImperialJapaneseArmyAirForce(JAAF)formationwasinterceptedbytheAVGandRAFBrewsterBuffalosof67Squadron.EightKi-21swereshotdownforthelossofthreeAVGP-40s.The60thSentaiwasparticularlyhardhit–itlostfiveoutofthe15bombersithaddispatched.Nevertheless,RangoonandMingaladonairfieldweresuccessfullybombed,withthecitysufferingmorethan1,000dead.TwoBuffalosandtwoP-40sweredestroyedontheground,andoneP-40crashedwhenitattemptedtolandonabomb-damagedrunway. On25December,theJAAFreturned,reinforcedbyKi-21sof12thSentaiandNakajimaKi-43Hayabusas(Oscars)ofthe64thSentai(ColonelTateoKatō'sFlyingSquadron).Atotalof63bombersescortedby25fighterswerecommitted.Thesewereinterceptedby14P-40softheAVG's3rdSquadronand15Buffalosof67Squadron.Inthetwoencounters,35Japanesebombersandfighterswereshotdown.TheAllieslosttwopilotsandfiveP-40s.[20]Mingaladonairfieldwasonceagaindamaged,andeightBuffalosweredestroyedontheground. Afteritslossesinthe23–25Decemberbattles,the3rdSquadronwasrelievedbythe2ndSquadron"PandaBears",whichcarriedoutaseriesofraidsonJAAFairbasesinThailand.TheJapanesehadmovedaircrafttoMalayatofinishoffSingapore,anditsremainingaircraftinthearea(the77th,31stand62ndSentai)launchedfightersweepsandcounterraidsontheAlliedairfieldatMingaladon. On12January,theJapaneselaunchedtheirBurmaCampaign.Significantlyoutnumbered,theAVGwasgraduallyreducedthroughattrition,butoftenexactedadisproportionatetolloftheirattackers.On24January,sixKi-21softhe14thSentaiescortedbyKi-27sattackedMingaladon.AlltheKi-21swereshotdownbytheAVGandRAFdefenders.On28January,afightersweepof37Ki-27swasengagedby16AVGP-40sandtwoRAFfighters.Three"Nates"wereshotdownforthelossoftwoP-40s.Thenextday,anothersweepof20Ki-27softhe70thSentaiwasmetby10Alliedfighters(eightP-40sandtwoHawkerHurricanes).FourwereshotdownforthelossofnoAlliedaircraft. DespitetheseminorvictoriesandChennault'sreinforcementofthe"PandaBears"withpilotsfromthe"AdamandEves",bymid-February,only10P-40swerestilloperationalatMingaladon.CommonwealthtroopsretreatedbeforetheJapaneseonslaught,andtheAVGwaspressedintothegroundattackroletosupportthem.OneunfortunateresultofthesemissionswasaprolongedairattackonasuspectedJapanesecolumnon21FebruarythatturnedouttoconsistofCommonwealthtroops.Morethan100Alliedliveswerelostinthisfriendlyfireincident.On27February,afterhearingthattheRAFwasretreatingandpullingoutitsradarequipment,theAVGwithdrewtobasesinnorthernBurma. By24January,theFlyingTigershaddestroyed73Japaneseaircraftwhilelosingonlyfivethemselves–anotableperformance,consideringtheAVGwasoutnumberedandfacedexperiencedandfullytrainedJapanesepilots.ThemaindisadvantageofJAAFfighterpilotsofthisperiodwasthenear-obsolescenceoftheirpredominantfightertypeinthetheater,theKi-27.ThoughmoremaneuverablethantheP-40,itsarmamentandperformancewasinferior.Lightlyconstructedandarmed,itcouldnotwithstandfrontalattacksnorcoulditout-diveAlliedfighterssuchastheP-40;ifitattemptedto,itoftencameapartintheair.Infact,itscruisingspeedwaslessthanthatoftheKi-21bombersitwasintendedtoescort.[21] RetreatintoChina[edit] AfterRangoonwaslosttotheJapaneseattheendofFebruary,theAVGrelocatedtoMagwe,asmallBritishairfieldmorethan300milesnorthofRangoon.Chennaultstartedmovingelementsofthenowreconstituted3rdSquadrontoMagweasreinforcementtohisworndown1stand2ndsquadrons.Aircraftattritionbecamesohighthatatthispoint,individualsquadrondistinctionsbecamemeaningless,andallthreesquadronshadelementsbasedthere,alongwithanumberofRAFaircraft.Intotal,theAllieshad38aircraft,includingeightP-40sand15HawkerHurricanes.Opposingthemwere271Japaneseaircraft,including115fighters.AlthoughtheAVGandtheRAFscoredsomesuccessesagainsttheJAAF,Magwewascontinuouslybombed,includingaveryheavyraidon21Marchby151bombersandfighters.On23Marchwithonlyfouraircraftleft,theAVGwasforcedtorelocatetoLoiwing,justacrosstheChineseborder.TheTigerscrossedintoChinaonaricketysuspensionbridgeoveradeepgorge.Afewmonthslater,theycamebacktodestroythebridgesonoJapanesesoldierscouldcomeacrossthatwayintoChina.[22] TheNakajimaKi-43Hayabusawasasingle-enginedland-basedfighterusedbytheImperialJapaneseArmyAirForceinWorldWarII ReinforcedbynewP-40E"Kittyhawks"andbyrepairedaircraftfromtheAVG'sexcellentmaintenancegroup,12P-40swerebasedatLoiwingon8April.Despitethelongretreats,theirlossesandincessantaircombat,theAVGstillretainedtheirabilities.Thatday,12Oscarsfromthe64thSentairaidedthebase.Intheensuingseriesofdogfights,fourKi-43sweredownedinexchangeforoneP-40Edestroyedontheground.Duringthisperiod,ChineseandAmericancommanderspressuredChennaulttoorderhispilotstoundertakeso-called"moralemissions".Thesewereoverflightsandgroundattacksintendedtoraisethemoraleofhard-pressedChinesesoldiersbyshowingtheyweregettingairsupport.TheAVG'spilotsseethedwithresentmentatthesedangerousmissions(whichsomeconsidereduseless),afeelingwhichculminatedintheso-called"Pilot'sRevolt"ofmid-April.Chennaultsuppressedthe"revolt"andorderedthegroundattackmissionstocontinue.Butdespitetheirefforts,theAlliedsituationinBurmacontinuedtodeteriorate.On29ApriltheAVGwasorderedtoevacuateLoiwingandrelocatetoBaoshaninChina. LiketheAVG'sotherbases,BaoshanwasrepeatedlybombedbytheJapaneseArmyAirForce.Still,theAVGscoredagainsttheirJAAFtormentors,bringingdownfour"Nates"ofthe11thSentaion5Mayandtwo"Anns".By4May,thesuccessfulJapaneseBurmaoffensivewaswindingdown,exceptformoppingupactions.OneofthesewasanattemptbyaregimentoftheJapanese56thDivisiontodriveforKunming,aneffortthatwasstoppedbytheChinesearmyoperatingwithstrongairsupportfromtheAVG.On7MaytheJapaneseArmybeganbuildingapontoonbridgeacrosstheupperSalweenRiver,whichwouldallowthemtomovetroopsandsuppliesintoChinaanddrivetowardsKunming.Tostemthistide,2ndSquadronLeaderDavidLee"Tex"HillledaflightoffournewP-40EsbombingandstrafingintothemiledeepSalweenRiverGorge.Duringthenextfourdays,theAVGpilotsflewcontinuousmissionsintothegorge,effectivelyneutralizingtheJapaneseforces.ThispreventedaJapaneseadvanceonKunmingandChungking;theJapaneseneveradvancedfartherthanthewestbankoftheupperSalween.ClaireChennaultlaterwroteofthesecriticalmissions,"TheAmericanVolunteerGrouphadstavedoffChina'scollapseontheSalween."Despitebeingonthedefensivethereafter,theAVGcontinuedtoharasstheJAAFwithraidsontheirVietnamesebases. WiththeBurmacampaignover,ChennaultredeployedhissquadronstoprovideairprotectionforChina.TheDoolittleRaidhadpromptedtheJapanesetolaunchanoffensivetoseizeAVGairbasesthatcouldbeusedforattacksontheJapanesehomeland.By1June,personnelthatwouldformthenucleusofthenewUSAAF23rdFighterGroup(theAVG'sreplacement)werebeginningtotrickleintothetheater.SomeofthelastmissionstheAVGflewweredefendingGuilinagainstraidsbyJAAFNates,Lilys,andnewKawasakiKi-45Toryu("Nick")heavyfighters.TheAVG'slastcombatwasoverHengyangonthedayitwasdisbanded,4July1942.Inthisfinalaction,theAVGshotdownfourKi-27swithnoAVGlosses. AssessmentoftheAVG[edit] FlightleaderandfighteraceRobert"R.T."SmithstandsnexttohisP-40fighteratKunming,China.The"FlyingTiger"insigniawascreatedbytheWaltDisneyCompany.[23] TheAVGlackedmanyresources.Despiteitslocationinareaswithmalariaandcholera,ithadonly"fourdoctors,threenursesandabottleofiodine."Pilotsfoundthefooddisgusting,andtheslowmailfromhomeandlackofwomenhurtmorale.Asquadronhad45maintenancepersonnelcomparedtothenormalmorethan100,andonlyonebasecouldperformmajorrepairs.[11]Nonetheless,theAVGwasofficiallycreditedwith297enemyaircraftdestroyed,including229intheair.[24]FourteenAVGpilotswerekilledinaction,captured,ordisappearedoncombatmissions.Twodiedofwoundssustainedinbombingraids,andsixwerekilledinaccidentsduringtheFlyingTigers'existenceasacombatforce. TheAVG'skillratiowassuperiortothatofcontemporaryAlliedairgroupsinMalaya,thePhilippines,andelsewhereinthePacifictheater.TheAVG'ssuccessisallthemoreremarkablesincetheywereoutnumberedbyJapanesefightersinalmostalltheirengagements.TheAVG'sP-40sweresuperiortotheJAAF'sKi-27s,butthegroup'skillratioagainstmodernKi-43swasstillinitsfavor.InFlyingTigers:ClaireChennaultandHisAmericanVolunteers,1941–1942,DanielFordattributestheAVG'ssuccesstomoraleandgroupespritdecorps.Henotesthatitspilotswere"triplevolunteers"whohadvolunteeredforservicewiththeU.S.military,theAVG,andbrutalfightinginBurma.Theresultwasacorpsofexperiencedandskilledvolunteerpilotswhowantedtofight. DuringtheirservicewiththeNationalistChineseairforce,33AVGpilotsandthreegroundcrewreceivedtheOrderoftheCloudandBanner,andmanyAVGpilotsreceivedtheChineseAirForceMedal.EachAVGaceanddoubleacewasawardedtheFiveStarorTenStarWingMedal. MembersoftheAVG[edit] ThemilitarychaplainoftheAVGdescribedthebackgroundofthevolunteersinhismemoir,"Mostmenwereescapingfromfrustrationsordisappointments,asperhapsIwas.Theyhopedanunknownfutureinunknownplaceswouldsomehowgivethemasecondchance.Oneoftheoldestwasatoughformersergeantmajoraboutforty-three,irreconcilablydivorced.Oneoftheyoungestwasaboyofnineteenwhohadenlistedinthearmy,thengotrightoutagainforthisjunket;hewaslongingforadventureswithlotsofshooting,perhapsbecausehewassmallforhisage.AmajoritycamefromtheSouthandWest,andTexanswerethelargestgroupfromanystate."[25] Gregory"Pappy"BoyingtonbrokehiscontractwiththeAVG[26]inthespringof1942andreturnedtoactivedutywiththeU.S.MarineCorps.Hewentontocommandthe"BlackSheep"SquadronandwasoneoftwoAVGveterans(theotherbeingJamesH.HowardoftheUSAAF)tobeawardedtheMedalofHonor. DavidLee"Tex"HilllatercommandedtheUSAAF23rdFighterGroup.[27] CharlesOlderearnedalawdegreepostwar,becameaCaliforniaSuperiorCourtjudge,andpresidedatthemurdertrialofCharlesManson.[28] KennethJernstedtwasalong-timeOregonlegislatorandmayorofhishometownofHoodRiver.[29] RobertWilliamPrescott,[30]founderofthefirstscheduledcargoairlineinAmerica,namedtheFlyingTigerLine. AllenBertChristman,whobailedoutatRangoon,wasstrafedandkilledwhileparachutingtothegroundinJanuary1942,hadearlierscriptedanddrawntheScorchySmithandSandmancomicstrips.[31] HarryRBolsterhadoneair-to-airvictorywiththe2ndSquadronAVG.HereturnedtotheUSArmyAirForceandwaskilledflyinganexperimentalFisherXP-75AatEglinField,Florida,October10,1944. JournalistJosephAlsopservedasChennault's"staffsecretary"whiletheAVGtrainedatRangoon;hewasinternedatHongKongonChristmasDay,1941. NurseRebeccaChanChungservedunderLieutenantColonelDr.FredP.MangetinKunming,China.ShewasrecruitedbyColonelDr.ThomasGentry.[32] Aces[edit] Foramorecomprehensivelist,seeListofFlyingTigerspilots. NineteenpilotswerecreditedbytheAVGwithfiveormoreair-to-airvictories:[24] RobertNeale:13victories EdRector:10.5victories DavidLee"Tex"Hill:18.25victories GeorgeBurgard:10victories RobertLittle:10victories CharlesOlder:10victories RobertT.Smith:8.9victories WilliamMcGarry:8victories RogerPryor:8victories CharlesBond:7victories FrankLawlor:7victories JohnV."ScarsdaleJack"Newkirk:7victories Gregory"Pappy"Boyington:6victories RobertHedman:6victories C.JosephRosbert:6victories J.RichardRossi:6.25victories RobertPrescott:5.5victories PercyBartelt:5victories WilliamBartling:5victories JohnGarrity:5victories EdmundOverend:5victories RobertSandell:5victories RobertH.Smith:5victories Legacy[edit] TransitiontotheUSAAF[edit] ThesuccessoftheAVGledtonegotiationsinspring1942toinductitintotheUSAAF.ChennaultwasreinstatedasacolonelandimmediatelypromotedtobrigadiergeneralcommandingU.S.ArmyairunitsinChina(initiallydesignatedChinaAirTaskForceandlaterthe14thAirForce),whilecontinuingtocommandtheAVGbyvirtueofhispositionintheChineseAirForce.On4July1942,theAVGwasreplacedbythe23rdFighterGroup.MostAVGpilotsrefusedtoremainwiththeunitasaresultofthestrongarmtacticsbytheUSAAFgeneralsenttonegotiatewiththem.However,fivepilotsacceptedcommissionsinChinaincluding"Tex"Hill,oneofChennault'smostloyaldevotees,withothersremainingforatwo-weektransitionperiod.(U.S.airmenandthepresscontinuedtousethe"FlyingTiger"nametorefertoUSAAFunitsinChinatotheendofthewar,andthenamecontinuestobeappliedtocertainairforceandarmyaviationsquadrons.)MostAVGpilotsbecametransportpilotsinChina,wentbacktoAmericaintocivilianjobs,orrejoinedthemilitaryservicesandfoughtelsewhereinthewar.[33] OneofthepilotsdrawntothesuccessoftheAVGwasRobertLeeScott,Jr.whowasflyingsuppliesintoKunmingovertheHumpfromIndia.HeconvincedChennaulttoloanhimaP-40whichheflewtoprotectthesupplyroute;hisaggressivenessledtoChennault'srecruitinghimascommanderofthe23rdFighterGroup.ScottbroughtrecognitiontohisexploitsandthoseoftheFlyingTigerswithhis1943bestsellingautobiographyGodisMyCo-PilotthatwasthenmadebyWarnerBros.intoapopularfilmin1945. Tributesandmemorials[edit] FlyingTigersMonumentOcala,FloridaMemorialPark RestoredP-40ondisplayattheNationalWorldWarIIMuseum ThereareseveralmuseumdisplaysintheUnitedStateshonoringtheFlyingTigers.TheNationalMuseumoftheUnitedStatesAirForceinDayton,Ohio,hasanextensivedisplaydedicatedtotheAVG,includinganA-2jacketwornbyanAVGpilotinChina,abannerpresentedtotheAAFbytheChinesegovernment,andaP-40E.TheNationalMuseumofNavalAviationinPensacola,FloridaalsohasaFlyingTigerdisplay.TheChennaultAviationMuseuminMonroe,Louisiana,hasanextensivecollectionofFlyingTigersandAVGmemorabilia.TheAVGmonumentintheNationalMuseumoftheUnitedStatesAirForceMemorialGardenfeaturesamarblesculptureofapagodacrownedwithabrassmodelofaP-40;themonumentstandsnearly14feettall.ThePalmSpringsAirMuseumhasadisplayofmemorabiliainsideamockupofAVGgroundfacilities,withaP-40NpaintedinAVGmarkings.Finally,amemorialtotheAVGand14thAFislocatedatVandenbergAirForceBaseinCalifornia,depictingaP-40inAVGmarkingswithabronzeplaquedescribingtheunit'shistoryandVandenberg'sroleasheadquartersforthe14thAF. TherearealsoseveralmemorialstotheAVGinAsia.InChiangMai,Thailand,amarbleobeliskwasdedicatedon11November2003,inscribedtoChennault;toJackNewkirk,whowaskilledinNorthThailandon24March1942;andtoCharlesMottandWilliamMcGarry,whowereshotdownandcapturedinThailand.InTaiwan,MadameChiangKai-ShekrequestedastatueofChennaultintheNewParkofTaipeitocommemoratethiswartimefriendafterhisdeath(thestatuehassincebeenrelocatedtoHualianAFB).AFlyingTigersMemorialislocatedinthevillageofZhijiang,HunanProvince,ChinaandthereisamuseumdedicatedexclusivelytotheFlyingTigers.Thebuildingisasteelandmarblestructure,withwidesweepingstepsleadinguptoaplatformwithcolumnsholdingupthememorial'ssweepingroof;onitsbackwall,etchedinblackmarble,arethenamesofallmembersoftheAVG,75thFighterSquadron,and14thAirForcewhodiedinChina.In2005,thecityofKunmingheldaceremonymemorializingthehistoryoftheFlyingTigersinChina,andon20December2012,theFlyingTigersMuseumopenedinKunming.Thedateisthe71stanniversaryofthefirstcombatfromKunmingoftheFlyingTigers.TheMemorialCemeterytoAnti-JapaneseAviatorMartyrsinNanjing,ChinafeaturesawalllistingthenamesofFlyingTigerpilotsandotherpilotswhodefendedChinainWorldWarII,andhasseveralunmarkedgravesforsuchAmericanpilots.[34] ThelargestprivatemuseuminChina,ChengduJianchuanMuseum,devotesawinginitsmilitarysectiontothehistoryoftheFlyingTigers,includingatributewallfeaturingathousandporcelainphotosofmembersoftheFlyingTigersaswellasmanyhistoricalartifactsfromtheera.[citationneeded] InMarch2015,theFlyingTigerHeritageParkwasopenedinGuilinincollaborationwiththeFlyingTigerHistoricalOrganization.TheparkisbuiltonthesiteofYangtangAirfieldandincludesamuseum,aircraftshelters,andrelicsofacommandpostlocatedinacave.[35] Monroelegacy[edit] GeneralChennaultretiredtoMonroe,Louisiana.TheUniversityofLouisianaatMonroechangeditsmascotstothe"Warhawks"inhishonor,andamicro-brewerynamedtheFlyingTigeropenedindowntownMonroe.[36] FlyingTigerswrecks[edit] ThewreckageofaP-40withCAFserialnumberP-8115isondisplayinChiangMai,Thailand.TheaircraftisbelievedtobethatflownbyWilliam"Mac"McGarrywhenhewashitbyanti-aircraftfirewhileflyingtopcoveroverChiangMaion24March1942.TheaircraftcrashedintotherainforestinnorthernThailand.McGarrywascapturedandinterrogated,andspentmostofthewarinaThaiprison.TowardtheendofthewartheOfficeofStrategicServices(OSS)arrangedfortheFreeThaiMovementtospirithimoutoftheprisontoaPBYCatalinaintheGulfofThailand.ThewreckofhisP-40wasdiscoveredin1991,andconsistsoftheP-40'sAllisonengine,HamiltonStandardpropellerandpartsoftheairframe.TodaythewreckageisdisplayedattheTangoSquadronWing41MuseuminChiangMai,Thailand.[37][38] ThewreckofanotherAVGP-40isbelievedtobeinLakeDianchi(LakeKunming).ThefighterisbelievedtobeaP-40EpilotedbyJohnBlackburnwhenitcrashedintothelakeonagunnerytrainingflighton28April1942,killingthepilot.Hisbodywasrecoveredfromtheaircraft,whichwassubmergedin20feetofwater.In1997aU.S.-ChinesegroupcalledtheSino-AmericanAviationHeritageFoundationwasformedtolocatetheaircraftandpossiblyraiseandrestoreit.InMarch1998,theycontactedtheChinaExpeditionAssociationaboutconductingtherecoveryoperation.Over300aircraftarebelievedtohavecrashedintoLakeDianchi(includingasecondAVGP-40)solocatingtheaircraftproveddifficult.In2003,anaircraftbelievedtobeBlackburn'swasfoundembeddedinninefeetofbottomsilt.AneffortwasmadeinSeptember2005toraisetheaircraft,buttherecoverywasplaguedwithdifficultiesanditremainsdeepunderthelakebottom.SincetheaircraftwascompleteandrelativelyundamagedwhenJohnBlackburn'sbodywasremovedfromitin1942,itishopedthattheaircraftwillbeingoodconditionandcapableofbeingrestored,possiblytoflyingcondition.[39] RecognitionbytheUnitedStates[edit] Justbeforetheir50threunionin1992,theAVGveteranswereretroactivelyrecognizedasmembersoftheU.S.militaryservicesduringthesevenmonthsthegroupwasincombatagainsttheJapanese.TheAVGwasthenawardedaPresidentialUnitCitationfor"professionalism,dedicationtoduty,andextraordinaryheroism."In1996,theU.S.AirForceawardedthepilotstheDistinguishedFlyingCrossandthegroundcrewwereallawardedtheBronzeStarMedal.[40] Popularculture[edit] AnumberoffeaturefilmshavereferencedtheAVGdirectlyorindirectly,themostfamousbeingFlyingTigers,a1942black-and-whitefilmfromRepublic,starringJohnWayneandJohnCarrollasfighterpilots.OtherwartimefilmswithanAVGangleincludedTheSky'stheLimit(1943,starringFredAstaireasaFlyingTigeraceonleave);HerstoHold(1943,withJosephCotten);GodisMyCo-Pilot,(1945,withDennisMorganasRobertLeeScott,RaymondMasseyasChennault,andJohnRidgelyasTexHill);andChina'sLittleDevils(1945). ThetwoleadcharactersofthetelevisionseriesTalesoftheGoldMonkey,JakeCutterandCorky,wereformerlymembersoftheFlyingTigers,theformerapilotandthelatteramechanic.SeveralepisodesfeaturedflashbacksorcharactersfromtheirtimewiththeAVG. Similarly,theFlyingTigershavebeenthefocusofseveralnovels,includingTonya,byPappyBoyington;Remains,byDanielFord;SpiesintheGarden,byBobBergin,[41]TigerTenbyWilliamD.Blankenship,[42]WingsofaFlyingTigerandWillofaTiger,bothwrittenbyDr.IrisYang.[43]Tiger,Lion,Hawk,anovelforyoungerreaders,waswrittenbyEarleRiceJr.[44]TheStarWarsreferencebookTheEssentialGuidetoWarfarefeaturesanX-wingstarfightersquadronnamedthe"LightspeedPanthers".Co-authorPaulR.Urquhartconfirmedinthebook'sendnotesthatthesquadronwasintendedtobeadirectreferencetotheFlyingTigers.[45]FlyingTigers:ShadowsOverChina,a2017videogamedevelopedandpublishedbyAceMaddox,isbasedontheFlyingTigers.[46] TheAirForceFalconsfootballteamsalutedtheChinesemilitaryandtheUnitedStatesNavyandMarineCorpsbywearingspecialFlyingTigersuniforms,includingsharktoothdesignsonthehelmets,fortwogamesduringthe2016collegefootballseason.[47]Theteamfirstworetheuniformforits10SeptembergameagainstGeorgiaState,andagainfortheArizonaBowlagainstSouthAlabama.[48] InthemovieSkyCaptainandtheWorldofTomorrowthe"SkyCaptain"JoeSullivanmentionedthatheflewwiththeFlyingTigers. Seealso[edit] AboutChinainWWII[edit] AirWarfareofWWIIfromtheSino-JapaneseWarperspective ArthurChin,America'sfirstaceinWorldWarII DevelopmentofChineseNationalistairforce(1937–45) SovietVolunteerGroup ChineseExpeditionaryForce(Burma) ChinaBurmaIndiaTheater IndiaChinaDivision,whoflewsuppliestoChinaovertheeasternHimalayas("TheHump") SimilarorrelatedAmericanunits[edit] 23rdFighterGroup,aUSAFgroupdescendedfromFlyingTigers EagleSquadrons,AmericanvolunteersintheRAFduringWorldWarII LafayetteEscadrille,AmericanvolunteersintheFrenchAirServiceduringWorldWarI KościuszkoSquadron,AmericanvolunteersfightingforPolandinthePolish-SovietWar(1919–1921). YankeeSquadron,AmericanvolunteersfightingintheSpanishCivilWar(1936–1939)ontheRepublicanside. References[edit] Citations[edit] ^Ford1991,pp.30–34. ^"AmericanVolunteerGroup:ClaireL.ChennaultandtheFlyingTigers–HistoryNet".12June2007. ^Schaller,Michael(1976),"AmericanAirStrategyinChina,1939–1941:TheOriginsofClandestineAirWarfare",AmericanQuarterly,28(1):3–19,doi:10.2307/2712474,JSTOR 2712474 ^Ford2007,pp.45–45,249-250. ^Klinkowitz1999,p. 43. ^Rossi,JohnRichard."History:TheFlyingTigers-AmericanVolunteerGroup-ChineseAirForce".FlyingTigersAssociation.Fallbrook,California.Archivedfromtheoriginalon16October2018. ^Vartabedian,Ralph(6July1991)."OneLastCombatVictory :TheFlyingTigerstoreuptheJapaneseinWorldWarII.Now,theyhavewonaU.S.admissionthattheywereon'activeduty,'andmemosdisclosetheoperation'scovertnature".LosAngelesTimes.Archivedfromtheoriginalon27January2021. ^OriginallywrittenbyJohnRichardsRossi,publishedonFlyingTigersAssociationin1998.Reprintedin:"AFlyingTiger'sStorybyDickRossi,Pilot,AmericanVolunteerGroup".RadioFreeAsia.22July2005.Archivedfromtheoriginalon27January2021. ^abcFeltus,Pamela."ClaireChennaultandtheFlyingTigersofWorldWarII."Archived6May2006attheWaybackMachineU.S.CentennialofFlightCommission,2003.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Scott1973,p.7. ^abcdBelden,Jack(10August1942)."ChennaultFightstoHoldtheChinaFront".Life.TimeInc.p. 70. ^Scott1973,p.21. ^Ford2007,p.36. ^Howard1991,p.65. ^Rossi,J.R."AFlyingTigersStorybyDickRossi,Pilot."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Rossi,J.R."CharlesBondbiography."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Ford2007,pp.82–83,107. ^Smith,RobertT."TaleofaTiger–FromTheDiaryofRobertT.Smith,FlyingTiger,part4."PlanesandPilotsOfWorldWarTwo,1986.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Scott1973,pp.61–65. ^ab"HistoryoftheFlyingTigers."Retrieved:26April2015. ^abSherman,Steven."TheFlyingTigers"ClaireChennaultandtheAmericanVolunteerGroup."Acepilots.com,27June2011.Retrieved:26April2015. ^WamboldJr.,DonaldA.."AFlyingTiger'sWar."WorldWarII20,no.2,2005,pp.22–25. ^Rossi,J.R."TheFlyingTigers,AmericanVolunteerGroup–ChineseAirForce,ABriefHistorywithRecollectionsandCommentsbyGeneralClaireLeeChennault."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^abOlynk1986[page needed] ^Frillmann,Paul;Peck,Graham.China:TheRememberedLife.Boston:HoughtonMifflin.p. 68.QuotedfromKlinkowitz1999,p. 43 ^Rossi,J.R."CompleteRosteroftheAmericanVolunteerGroup,1941–'42."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Rossi,J.R."DavidLeeHillbiography."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Rossi,J.R."CharlesOlderbiography."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Rossi,J.R."KennethJernstedtbiography."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Rossi,J.R."RobertPrescottbiography."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^Rossi,J.R."AllenChristmanbiography."AFG:AmericanVolunteerGroup,TheFlyingTigers,1998.Retrieved:5July2011. ^http://www.cnac.org/rebeccachan_piloted_to_serve_01.pdf[bareURLPDF] ^Ford2007,ch.17. ^Former'FlyingTigers'VisitNanjingMemorialCemetery.china.org(XinhuaNewsAgency),25August2005.Retrieved:17February2010. ^"HeritageparkhonoringU.S.'FlyingTigers'opensinChina".news.xinhuanet.com,29March2015.Retrieved:26April2015. ^"OuachitaLife:You'llneverforgettheChennaultMuseum". ^"FlyingTigersCurtissP40."thaiaviation.com.Retrieved:27October2007. ^Lednicer,David."PhotoofP-8115wreck."myaviation.net,10January2007.Retrieved:12February2012. ^"RecoveringthatP-40fromLakeKunming".warbirdforum.com.Retrieved25April2020. ^Ford2007,p.349. ^SpiesintheGarden:ANovelofWarandEspionage.BananaTreePress.6January2016. ^Blankenship,WilliamD.(1976).TigerTen.ISBN 0399116796. ^Yang,Iris(25May2018).WingsofaFlyingTiger.ISBN 978-1948598064. ^Rice,Earle(1982).Tiger,Lion,Hawk:AStoryoftheFlyingTigers.ISBN 0553208675. ^Fry,JasonandPaulR.Urquhart."EGtoWarfare:Endnotes,pt.10."JasonFry'sDorkery,2010.Retrieved:17November2012. ^Walker,John(4May2016)."Impressions:FlyingTigers-ShadowsOverChina".Rock,Paper,Shotgun.GamerNetwork.Archivedfromtheoriginalon5May2016.Retrieved4November2019. ^"AirForce'snewhelmetsdipintoWorldWarIIhistory". ^Kirshner,Alex(30December2016)."AirForcefinallygottowearawesomefighterplanesharkteethhelmets".SBNation. Sources[edit] Ayling,Keith.OldLeatherfaceoftheFlyingTigers:TheStoryofGeneralChennault.NewYork:Bobbs-MerrillCo.,1945.OCLC 527511 Baisden,Chuck.FlyingTigertoAirCommando.Atglen,Pennsylvania:SchifferPublishing,1999.ISBN 0-7643-0690-1. Bishop,LewisS.andShielaBishop-Irwin.EscapeFromHell:AnAVGFlyingTiger'sJourney.NewYork:TigerEyePress,2005.ISBN 0-9763037-0-1. Bond,Maj.Gen.CharlesandTerryAnderson.AFlyingTiger'sDiary.CollegeStation,Texas:TexasA&MUniversityPress,1993.ISBN 0-89096-178-6. Boyington,"Pappy"(Col.GregoryBoyington,USMC,Ret.).BaaBaaBlackSheep.NewYork:G.P.Putnam'sSons,1958.OCLC 2124961 Byrd,Martha.Chennault:GivingWingstotheTiger.Tuscaloosa,Alabama:UniversityofAlabamaPress,2003.ISBN 0-8173-0322-7. Chennault,Anna.ChennaultandtheFlyingTigers.NewYork:PaulS.Eriksson,1963.OCLC 1294226 Chennault,ClaireLee.WayofaFighter.NewYork:G.P.Putnam'sSons,1949.OCLC 1314119 Clements,Terrill.AmericanVolunteerGroupColoursandMarkings.London:OspreyPublishing,2001.ISBN 978-1-84176-224-1. Dumas,Jim.LongburstandtheFlyingTigers.Tollhouse,California:ScrubJayPress(www.Scrubjay.net),2004.ISBN 0-9646851-5-9. Ford,Daniel.FlyingTigers:ClaireChennaultandHisAmericanVolunteers,1941–1942.Washington,D.C.:HarperCollins-SmithsonianBooks,2007.ISBN 0-06-124655-7. Frillmann,PaulandGrahamPeck.China:TheRememberedLife.Boston:HoughtonMifflinCo.,1968.OCLC 712357 Greenlaw,OlgaS.TheLadyandtheTigers.NewYork:E.P.Dutton&Co.,1943.OCLC 1337748 Hill,DavidLeeandReganSchaupp.TexHill:FlyingTiger.Spartanburg,SouthCarolina:HonoribusPress,2003.ISBN 1-885354-15-0. Hotz,RobertB.etal.WithGeneralChennault:TheStoryoftheFlyingTigers.NewYork:Coward-McCann,1943.OCLC 385646 Howard,JamesH.RoaroftheTiger:FromFlyingTigerstoMustangs,AFighterAce'sMemoir.NewYork:Crown,1991.ISBN 0-517-57323-7. Klinkowitz,Jerome(1999).WiththeTigersoverChina,1941-1942.Lexington:UniversityPressofKentucky.ISBN 9780813121154. Koskodian,Kenneth.K.NoGreaterAlly:TheUntoldStoryofPoland'sForcesinWorldWarII.NewYork:OspreyPublishing,2009.ISBN 978-1-8490-8479-6. Lee,Keith,'aChineseintheAVG'–Self-published–ISBN 978-0-9898826-0-6 Losonsky,FrankS.FlyingTiger:ACrewChief'sStory:TheWarDiaryofanAVGCrewChief.Atglen,Pennsylvania:SchifferPublishing,2000.ISBN 0-7643-0045-8. Meredith,KennethT.TigerTenacity:CourageandDeterminationForgedtheDonRodewaldStory.LakeCity,Colorado:GoldenStonePress,2000.ISBN 1-928590-05-5. Neumann,Gerhard.HermantheGerman.NewYork:WilliamMorrowandCompany,1984.ISBN 0-688-01682-0. Newkirk,JohnJ.TheOldManandtheHarley:ALastRideThroughOurFathers'America.Nashville,Tennessee:ThomanNelson,2008.ISBN 978-1-59555-180-1. Olynyk,FrankJ.AVG&USAAF(China-Burma-IndiaTheater)CreditsforDestructionofEnemyAircraftinAirtoAirCombat,WorldWar2.Aurora,Ohio:Privatelypublished,1986.OCLC 23108588 Samson,Jack.Chennault.NewYork:Doubleday,1987.ISBN 0-385-23171-7. Schramm,LeoJ.LeoTheTiger.Charleston,SouthCarolina:BookSurgePublishing,2007.ISBN 1-4196-6285-6. Schultz,Duane.TheMaverickWar:ChennaultandtheFlyingTigers.NewYork:St.Martin'sPress,1987.ISBN 0-312-00618-7. Scott,RobertLee,Jr.FlyingTiger:ChennaultofChina.SantaBarbara,California:Greenwood-HeinemannPublishing,1973.ISBN 0-8371-6774-4. Schaller,Michael(1976),"AmericanAirStrategyinChina,1939–1941:TheOriginsofClandestineAirWarfare",AmericanQuarterly,28(1):3–19,doi:10.2307/2712474,JSTOR 2712474 Shilling,Erik.Destiny:AFlyingTigersRendezvousWithFate.Pomona,California:Ben-WalPrinting,1993.ISBN 1-882463-02-1. Smith,RobertM.WithChennaultinChina:AFlyingTiger'sDiary.Atglen,Pennsylvania:SchifferPublishing,1997.ISBN 0-7643-0287-6. Smith,R[obert]T.TaleofaTiger.VanNuys,California:TigerOriginals,1986.ISBN 0-9618012-0-4. Whelan,Russell.TheFlyingTigers:TheStoryoftheAmericanVolunteerGroup.NewYork:VikingPress,1942.OCLC 3531493 Externallinks[edit] WikimediaCommonshasmediarelatedtoAmericanVolunteerGroup. AVGFlyingTigersAssn. Sino-AmericanAviationHeritageFoundation AnnalsoftheFlyingTigers FlyingTigersHeritagePark "FlyingTigersInBurma",30March1942Lifemagazinearticle,includingnumerousphotographs "WingsOverChina:TheStoryoftheFlyingTigers"documentarypostedbyMaxMediaAsia TheshortfilmTheAirForceStory–TheDrawingoftheBattleLines,December1941–April1942(1953)isavailableforfreedownloadattheInternetArchive. AVGcolourschemesandmarkings vteRepublicofChinaAirForceStructure 12thTacticalReconnaissanceSquadron 21stFighterSquadron(U.S.AirForcetrainingsquadron) ThunderTigersAerobaticsTeam Facilities ChiashanAirForceBase ChihhangAirBase ChingChuanKangAirBase HsinchuAirport TaoyuanAirBase ChiayiAirBase RepublicofChinaAirForceAcademy RepublicofChinaAirForceMuseum Aircraft Beechcraft1900 Fokker50 C-130H F-16 F-5 Mirage2000 E-2Hawkeye P-3Orion T-34Mentor AT-3 T-5 F-CK-1 AirForce3701 ChienHsiang TengYun EC225 S-70 History AmericanVolunteerGroup BlackCatSquadron BlackBatSquadron SquadronMemorialHall Chinese-AmericanCompositeWing(Provisional) DevelopmentofChineseNationalistairforce(1937–1945) FlyingTigers NDFRebellion SovietVolunteerGroup TechnicalAirIntelligenceUnit YemeniteWarof1979 327thAirDivision Equipment TC-1 TC-2 TC-2A HsiungFengII HsiungFengIII WanChien AIM-120C AIM-9 AIM-7 AGM-88 MICA MagicII AGM-65 AGM-84 AGM-154 Paveway SniperAdvancedTargetingPod LANTIRN PAC-3 TK-2 TK-3 Skyguard AN/FPS-117 AN/TPS-117 PAVEPAWS Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flying_Tigers&oldid=1082596176" Categories:FlyingTigersAirunitsandformationsofWorldWarIIExpatriateunitsandformationsMercenaryunitsandformationsRepublicofChinaAirForceGroupsoftheUnitedStatesArmyAirForcesChina–UnitedStatesmilitaryrelationsMilitaryhistoryofChinaduringWorldWarIIMilitaryunitsandformationsestablishedin1941Militaryunitsandformationsdisestablishedin1942Hiddencategories:WebarchivetemplatewaybacklinksWikipediaarticlesneedingpagenumbercitationsfromApril2015AllarticleswithbareURLsforcitationsArticleswithbareURLsforcitationsfromMarch2022ArticleswithPDFformatbareURLsforcitationsArticleswithshortdescriptionShortdescriptionisdifferentfromWikidataUsedmydatesfromSeptember2019UseAmericanEnglishfromFebruary2019AllWikipediaarticleswritteninAmericanEnglishAllarticleswithunsourcedstatementsArticleswithunsourcedstatementsfromAugust2018ArticlesneedingadditionalreferencesfromDecember2012AllarticlesneedingadditionalreferencesArticleswithunsourcedstatementsfromOctober2020CommonscategorylinkfromWikidataArticlescontainingvideoclips Navigationmenu Personaltools NotloggedinTalkContributionsCreateaccountLogin Namespaces ArticleTalk English Views ReadEditViewhistory More Search Navigation MainpageContentsCurrenteventsRandomarticleAboutWikipediaContactusDonate Contribute HelpLearntoeditCommunityportalRecentchangesUploadfile Tools WhatlinkshereRelatedchangesUploadfileSpecialpagesPermanentlinkPageinformationCitethispageWikidataitem Print/export DownloadasPDFPrintableversion Inotherprojects WikimediaCommons Languages AfrikaansالعربيةČeštinaDanskDeutschEspañolفارسیFrançais한국어BahasaIndonesiaItalianoעבריתBahasaMelayuNederlands日本語NorskbokmålPolskiPortuguêsРусскийSimpleEnglishSvenskaதமிழ்粵語中文 Editlinks