Flying Tigers

The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air

1st American Volunteer Group
Force in 1941–1942, nicknamed theFlying Tigers, was composed
of pilots from the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), Navy
(USN), and Marine Corps (USMC), recruited under presidential
authority and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The shark-
faced nose art of the Flying Tigers remains among the most
recognizable image of any individual combat aircraft or combat
unit of World War II.

The group consisted of three fighter squadrons of around 30

aircraft each. It trained in Burma before the American entry into
World War II with the mission of defending China against
Japanese forces. The group of volunteers were officially members
of the Chinese Air Force. The members of the group had contracts Active 20 December 1941 – 4 July 1942
with salaries ranging from $250 a month for a mechanic to $750 Country China United States
for a squadron commander, roughly three times what they had
Allegiance China United States
been making in the U.S. forces. While it accepted some civilian
volunteers for its headquarters and ground crew, the AVG Type Fighter pilot group
recruited most of its staff from the U.S. military. Size 3 squadrons;
60 aircraft average
The group first saw combat on 20 December 1941, 12 days after
Nickname(s) "The Flying Tigers"
Pearl Harbor (local time). It demonstrated innovative tactical
victories when the news in the U.S. was filled with little more Commanders
than stories of defeat at the hands of the Japanese forces, and Notable Claire Chennault
achieved such notable success during the lowest period of the war commanders
for both the U.S. and theAllied Forces as to give hope to America
that it might eventually defeat the Japanese. AVG pilots earned official credit,
and received combat bonuses, for destroying 296 enemy aircraft, while losing
only 14 pilots in combat.[1] The combat records of the AVG still exist and
researchers have found them credible.[2] On 4 July 1942 the AVG was
disbanded. It was replaced by the 23rd Fighter Group of the United States
Army Air Forces, which was later absorbed into the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force
with General Chennault as commander. The 23rd FG went on to achieve
similar combat success, while retaining thenose art on the left-over P-40s.

However this may not have been the first group of American volunteer combat Play media
aviators in China.[3] See Gloster Gladiator#China. US Air Forces video: Flying Tigers Bite
Back

Contents
Origin
Original American Volunteer Group
Chennault fighter doctrine
Curtiss P-40
Combat history
 Defense of Rangoon
Retreat into China
Assessment of the AVG
Members of the AVG
Aces
Legacy
Transition to the USAAF
Tributes and memorials
Flying Tigers wrecks
Recognition by the United States
Popular culture
See also
About China
About American volunteers
References
Citations
Sources
External links

Origin
The American Volunteer Group was largely the creation of Claire L. Chennault, a
retired U.S. Army Air Corps officer who had worked in China since August 1937,
first as military aviation advisor to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in the early
months of the Sino-Japanese War, then as director of a Chinese Air Force flight
school centered in Kunming. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union supplied fighter and
bomber squadrons to China, but these units were mostly withdrawn by the summer
of 1940. Chiang then asked for American combat aircraft and pilots, sending
Chennault to Washington as an adviser to China's ambassador and Chiang's brother-
in-law, T. V. Soong.

Since the U.S. was not at war, the "Special Air Unit" could not be organized overtly, Chennault in his Kunming office, May
but the request was approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself. The 1942. He wears a US Army brigadier
resulting clandestine operation was organized in large part by Lauchlin Currie, a general's star on his left shoulder but
Chinese insignia otherwise.
young economist in the White House, and by Roosevelt intimate Thomas G.
Corcoran. (Currie's assistant was John King Fairbank, who later became America's
preeminent Asian scholar.) Financing was handled by China Defense Supplies – primarily Tommy Corcoran's creation – with money
loaned by the U.S. government. Purchases were then made by the Chinese under theCash
" and Carry" provision of the Neutrality Act
of 1939.[1] Previously in the 1930s, a number of American pilots including Annapolis graduate Frank Tinker had flown combat
during the Spanish Civil War on the Republican side. Members were organized into the Yankee Squadron.

Chennault spent the winter of 1940–1941 in Washington, supervising the purchase of 100 Curtiss P-40 fighters and the recruiting of
100 pilots and some 200 ground crew and administrative personnel that would constitute the 1st AVG. He also laid the groundwork
for a follow-on bomber group and a second fighter group
, though these would be aborted after thePearl Harbor attack.

Original American Volunteer Group

Of the pilots, 60 came from the Navy and Marine Corps and 40 from the Army Air Corps. (One army pilot was refused a passport
because he had earlier flown as a mercenary in Spain, so only 99 actually sailed for Asia. Ten more army flight instructors were hired
as check pilots for Chinese cadets, and several of these would ultimately join the AVG's combat squadrons.) The volunteers were
discharged from the armed services, to be employed for "training and instruction" by
a private military contractor, the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company
(CAMCO), which paid them $600 a month for pilot officers, $675 a month for flight
leaders, $750 for squadron leaders (no pilot was recruited at this level), and about
$250 for skilled ground crewmen.[4]

Some of the pilots were also orally promised a bounty of $500 for each enemy
aircraft shot down, but no one knew if that would actually happen until they returned
home and found the funds deposited in their bank.

Although sometimes considered a mercenary unit, the AVG was closely associated 3rd Squadron Hell's Angels, Flying
with the U.S. military. Most histories of the Flying Tigers say that on 15 April 1941, Tigers, over China, photographed in
1942 by AVG pilot Robert T. Smith
President Roosevelt signed a "secret executive order" authorizing servicemen on
active duty to resign in order to join
the AVG. However, Flying Tigers
historian Daniel Ford could find no
evidence that such an order ever
existed, and he argued that "a wink
and a nod" was more the president's
style.[5] In any event, the AVG was
organized and in part directed out
of the White House, and by the
spring of 1942 had effectively been
P-40 Warhawk painted with Flying
brought into the U.S. Army chain Tigers shark face at theNational
of command. Museum of the United States Air
Force
During the summer and fall 1941,
some 300 men carrying civilian
passports boarded ships destined for Burma. They were initially based at a British
Resignation letter from the U.S.
airfield in Toungoo for training while their aircraft were assembled and test flown by
Marine Corps, used to accept a
CAMCO personnel at Mingaladon Airport outside Rangoon. Chennault set up a
position with the Central Aircraft
Manufacturing Co. schoolhouse that was made necessary because many pilots had "lied about their
flying experience, claiming pursuit experience when they had flown only bombers
and sometimes much less powerful aeroplanes."[6] They called Chennault "the Old
Man" due to his much older age and leathery exterior obtained from years flying open cockpit pursuit aircraft in the Army Air Corps.
[7]
Most believed that he had flown as a fighter pilot in China, although stories that he was a combat ace are probably apocryphal.

Of the 300 original members of the CAMCO personnel, 9 were Chinese-Americans recruited from America's Chinatowns. All 9 were
trained at Allison Engineworks in Indianapolis, Indiana: all were P-40 mechanics. Upon arrival in Kunming, 2 other Chinese-
Americans were hired, a Ford Motor truck specialist and a doctor. Total original Chinese-Americans were 11. Prior to July 4, 1942, 3
of the P-40 mechanics resigned. The official AVG roster lists the original 8.

The AVG was created by an executive order of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. He did not speak English, however, and Chennault
never learned to speak Chinese. As a result, all communications between the two men were routed through Soong Mei-ling,
"Madame Chiang" as she was known to Americans, and she was designated the group's "honorary commander
."

Chennault fighter doctrine

Chennault preached a radically different approach to air combat based on his study of Japanese tactics and equipment, his observation
of the tactics used by Soviet pilots in China, and his judgment of the strengths and weaknesses of his own aircraft and pilots. The
actual average strength of the AVG was never more than 62 combat-ready pilots and fighters. Chennault faced serious obstacles since
many AVG pilots were inexperienced and a few quit at the first opportunity. However, he made a virtue out of these disadvantages,
shifting unsuitable pilots to staff jobs and always ensuring that he had a squadron or two in reserve. (The AVG had no ranks, so no
division between officers and enlisted soldiers existed.[8])

Chennault and the Flying Tigers benefited from the country's warning network, called "the best air-raid warning system in
existence":[8]

Starting from areas in Free China, in hundreds of small villages, in lonely outposts, in hills and caves, stretching from
near Canton through all Free China to the capital in Chungking and to Lanchow, far northwest, are a maze of alarm
[8]
stations equipped with radios and telephones that give instant warning of the approach of Japanese planes.

When Japanese aircraft attacked, Chennault's doctrine called for pilots to take on enemy aircraft in teams from an altitude advantage,
since their aircraft were not as manoeuvrable or as numerous as the Japanese fighters they would encounter. He prohibited his pilots
from entering into a turning fight with the nimble Japanese fighters, telling them to execute a diving or slashing attack and to dive
away to set up for another attack. This "dive-and-zoom" technique was contrary to what the men had learned in U.S. service as well
as what the Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots in Burma had been taught; it had been used successfully, however, by Soviet units serving
with the Chinese Air Force.[9]

Curtiss P-40
AVG fighter aircraft came from a Curtiss assembly line producing Tomahawk IIB
models for the Royal Air Force in North Africa. The Tomahawk IIB was similar to the
U.S. Army's earlier P-40B model, and there is some evidence that Curtiss actually used
leftover components from that model in building the fighters intended for China.[10] The
fighters were purchased without "government-furnished equipment" such as reflector
gunsights, radios and wing guns; the lack of these items caused continual difficulties for
the AVG in Burma and China.
1943: A Kittyhawk Mark III of 112
Squadron, taxiing through scrub The 100 P-40 aircraft were crated and sent to Burma on third country freighters during
at Medenine, Tunisia. The ground spring 1941. At Rangoon, they were unloaded, assembled and test flown by personnel of
crewman on the wing is directing Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO) before being delivered to the AVG
the pilot, whose view ahead is training unit at Toungoo.[11] One crate was dropped into the water and a wing assembly
hindered by the aircraft's nose.
was ruined by salt water immersion, so CAMCO was able to deliver only 99
Tomahawks before war broke out. (Many of those were destroyed in training
accidents.) The 100th fuselage was trucked to a CAMCO plant in Loiwing, China,
and later made whole with parts from damaged aircraft. Shortages in equipment with
spare parts almost impossible to obtain in Burma along with the slow introduction of
replacement fighter aircraft were continual impediments although the AVG did
receive 50 replacement P-40E fighters from USAAF stocks toward the end of its
combat tour.

AVG fighter aircraft were painted with a large shark face on the front of the aircraft.
A ZG 76 Bf 110C with "sharks This was done after pilots saw a photograph of a P-40 of No. 112 Squadron RAF in
mouth" nose paint North Africa,[12] which in turn had adopted the shark face from German pilots of the
Luftwaffe's ZG 76 heavy fighter wing, flyingMesserschmitt Bf 110 fighters in Crete.
(The AVG nose-art is variously credited to Charles Bond[13] and Erik Shilling.)
About the same time, the AVG was dubbed "The Flying Tigers" by its Washington support group, called China Defense Supplies.[14]
The P-40's good qualities included pilot armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, sturdy construction, heavy armament, and a higher diving
speed than most Japanese aircraft – qualities that could be used to advantage in accordance with Chennault's combat tactics.[15]
Chennault created an early warning network of spotters that would give his fighters time to take off and climb to a superior altitude
where this tactic could be executed.[16]

Combat history
The port of Rangoon in Burma and the Burma Road leading from there to China were of crucial importance. Eastern China was
under Japanese occupation, so all military supplies for China arrived via the Burma route. By November 1941, when the pilots were
trained and most of the P-40s had arrived in Asia, the Flying Tigers were divided into three squadrons: 1st Squadron ("Adam &
Eves"); 2nd Squadron ("Panda Bears") and 3rd Squadron ("Hell's Angels").[6] They were assigned to opposite ends of the Burma
Road to protect this vital line of communications. T
wo squadrons were based atKunming in China, and a third atMingaladon Airport
near Rangoon. When the United States officially entered the war, the AVG had 82 pilots and 79 aircraft, although not all were
combat-ready. Tiger Erik Shilling, part of the third squadron commented:. "This was the beginning of the greatest adventure I would
ever hope to experience. It wasn't until years later that I fully realized the magnitude and significance of this first step, to be a lifelong
adventure in the mystic Far East."[17]

The AVG's first combat mission was on 20 December 1941, when aircraft of the 1st and 2nd squadrons intercepted 10 unescorted
Kawasaki Ki-48 "Lily" bombers of the 21st Hikōtai attacking Kunming. The bombers jettisoned their loads before reaching
Kunming. Three of the Japanese bombers were shot down near Kunming and a fourth was damaged so severely that it crashed before
returning to its airfield atHanoi. Later, Chinese intelligence intercepted Japanese communications indicating that only 1 out of the 10
bombers ultimately returned to base. Furthermore, the Japanese discontinued their raids on Kunming while the AVG was based there.
One P-40 crash-landed; it was salvaged for parts. This mission was one of the earliest American aerial victories in the Pacificar.
W

Defense of Rangoon
The first squadron had flown up to Kunming to defend the terminus of the Burma
Road and saw some combat action on 20 December 1941 while defending Rangoon
from Japanese bombers, taking down four of them and disrupting their attack on
Burma Road.[18]

At this time, the focus of Japan's offensive efforts in the AVG's coverage area was
southern Burma. The 3rd Squadron – 18 aircraft strong – defended Rangoon from
23–25 December. On 23 December, Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" heavy bombers of the
60th, 62nd and 98th Sentai, along with single-engined Mitsubishi Ki-30 "Ann"
attack bombers of the 31st Sentai, sortied against Rangoon. They were escorted by
Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate" fighters of 77th Sentai. The Imperial Japanese Army Air
Force (JAAF) formation was intercepted by the AVG and RAF Brewster Buffalos of
67 Squadron. Eight Ki-21s were shot down for the loss of three AVG P-40s. The
60th Sentai was particularly hard hit – it lost five out of the 15 bombers it had
dispatched. Nevertheless, Rangoon and Mingaladon airfield were successfully
A "blood chit" issued to the American
bombed, with the city suffering more than 1,000 dead. Two Buffalos and two P-40s Volunteer Group Flying Tigers. The
were destroyed on the ground, and one P-40 crashed when it attempted to land on a Chinese characters read, "This
bomb-damaged runway. foreign person has come to China to
help in the war effort. Soldiers and
On 25 December, the JAAF returned, reinforced by Ki-21s of 12th Sentai and civilians, one and all, should rescue
Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusas (Oscars) of the 64thSentai (Colonel Tateo Katō's Flying and protect him." (R. E. Baldwin
Squadron). A total of 63 bombers escorted by 25 fighters were committed. These Collection)
were intercepted by 14 P-40s of the AVG's 3rd Squadron and 15 Buffalos of 67
Squadron. In the two encounters, 35 Japanese bombers and fighters were shot down.
The Allies lost two pilots and five P-40s.[17] Mingaladon airfield was once again damaged, and eight Buffalos were destroyed on the
ground.
After its losses in the 23–25 December battles, the 3rd Squadron was relieved by the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears", which carried out
a series of raids on JAAF airbases in Thailand. The Japanese had moved aircraft to Malaya to finish off Singapore, and its remaining
aircraft in the area (the 77th, 31st and 62ndSentai) launched fighter sweeps and counter raids on the Allied airfield at Mingaladon.

On 12 January, the Japanese launched their Burma Campaign. Significantly outnumbered, the AVG was gradually reduced through
attrition, but often exacted a disproportionate toll of their attackers. On 24 January, six Ki-21s of the 14th Sentai escorted by Ki-27s
attacked Mingaladon. All the Ki-21s were shot down by the AVG and RAF defenders. On 28 January, a fighter sweep of 37 Ki-27s
was engaged by 16 AVG P-40s and two RAF fighters. Three "Nates" were shot down for the loss of two P-40s. The next day, another
sweep of 20 Ki-27s of the 70th Sentai was met by 10 Allied fighters (eight P-40s and two Hawker Hurricanes). Four were shot down
for the loss of no Allied aircraft.

Despite these minor victories and Chennault's reinforcement of the "Panda Bears" with pilots from the "Adam and Eves", by mid-
February, only 10 P-40s were still operational at Mingaladon. Commonwealth troops retreated before the Japanese onslaught, and the
AVG was pressed into the ground attack role to support them. One unfortunate result of these missions was a prolonged air attack on
a suspected Japanese column on 21 February that turned out to consist of Commonwealth troops. More than 100 Allied lives were
lost in this friendly fire incident. On 27 February, after hearing that the RAF was retreating and pulling out its radar equipment, the
AVG withdrew to bases in northern Burma.

By 24 January, the Flying Tigers had destroyed 73 Japanese aircraft while only losing five themselves — a notable performance,
considering the AVG was outnumbered and faced experienced and fully trained Japanese pilots. The main disadvantage of JAAF
fighter pilots of this period was the near-obsolescence of their predominant fighter type in the theater, the Ki-27. Though more
maneuverable than the P-40, its armament and performance was inferior. Lightly constructed and armed, it could not withstand
frontal attacks nor could it out-dive Allied fighters such as the P-40; if it attempted to, it often came apart in the air. In fact, its
[18]
cruising speed was less than that of the Ki-21 bombers it was intended to escort.

Retreat into China

After Rangoon was lost to the Japanese at the end of February, the AVG relocated to Magwe, a small British airfield more than 300
miles north of Rangoon. Chennault started moving elements of the now reconstituted 3rd Squadron to Magwe as reinforcement to his
worn down 1st and 2nd squadrons. Aircraft attrition became so high that at this point, individual squadron distinctions became
meaningless, and all three squadrons had elements based there, along with a number of RAF aircraft. In total, the Allies had 38
aircraft, including eight P-40s and 15 Hawker Hurricanes. Opposing them were 271 Japanese aircraft, including 115 fighters.
Although the AVG and the RAF scored some successes against the JAAF, Magwe was continuously bombed, including a very heavy
raid on 21 March by 151 bombers and fighters. On 23 March with only four aircraft left, the AVG was forced to relocate to Loiwing,
just across the Chinese border. The Tigers crossed into China on a rickety suspension bridge over a deep gorge. A few months later,
[19]
they came back to destroy the bridge so no Japanese soldiers could come across that way into China.

Reinforced by new P-40E "Kittyhawks" and by repaired aircraft from the AVG's
excellent maintenance group, 12 P-40s were based at Loiwing on 8 April. Despite
the long retreats, their losses and incessant air combat, the AVG still retained their
abilities. That day, 12 Oscars from the 64th Sentai raided the base. In the ensuing
series of dogfights, four Ki-43s were downed in exchange for one P-40E destroyed
on the ground. During this period, Chinese and American commanders pressured
Chennault to order his pilots to undertake so-called "morale missions". These were
overflights and ground attacks intended to raise the morale of hard-pressed Chinese
The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa was a soldiers by showing they were getting air support. The AVG's pilots seethed with
single-engined land-based fighter resentment at these dangerous missions (which some considered useless), a feeling
used by the Imperial Japanese Army which culminated in the so-called "Pilot's Revolt" of mid-April. Chennault
Air Force in World War II
suppressed the "revolt" and ordered the ground attack missions to continue. But
despite their efforts, the Allied situation in Burma continued to deteriorate. On 29
April the AVG was ordered to evacuate Loiwing and relocate toBaoshan in China.
Like the AVG's other bases, Baoshan was repeatedly bombed by the Japanese Army Air Force. Still, the AVG scored against their
JAAF tormentors, bringing down four "Nates" of the 11th Sentai on 5 May and two "Anns". By 4 May, the successful Japanese
Burma offensive was winding down, except for mopping up actions. One of these was an attempt by a regiment of the Japanese 56th
Division to drive for Kunming, an effort that was stopped by the Chinese army operating with strong air support from the AVG. On 7
May the Japanese Army began building a pontoon bridge across the upper Salween River, which would allow them to move troops
and supplies into China and drive towards Kunming. To stem this tide, 2nd Squadron Leader David Lee "Tex" Hill led a flight of four
new P-40Es bombing and strafing into the mile deep Salween River Gorge. During the next four days, the AVG pilots flew
continuous missions into the gorge, effectively neutralizing the Japanese forces. This prevented a Japanese advance on Kunming and
Chungking; the Japanese never advanced farther than the west bank of the upper Salween. Claire Chennault later wrote of these
critical missions, "The American Volunteer Group had staved off China's collapse on the Salween." Despite being on the defensive
thereafter, the AVG continued to harass the JAAF with raids on their V
ietnamese bases.

With the Burma campaign over, Chennault redeployed his squadrons to provide air protection for China. The Doolittle Raid had
prompted the Japanese to launch an offensive to seize AVG air bases that could be used for attacks on the Japanese homeland. By 1
June, personnel that would form the nucleus of the new USAAF 23rd Fighter Group (the AVG's replacement) were beginning to
trickle into the theater. Some of the last missions the AVG flew were defending Guilin against raids by JAAF Nates, Lilys, and new
Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu ("Nick") heavy fighters. The AVG's last combat was over Hengyang on the day it was disbanded, 4 July 1942.
In this final action, the AVG shot down four Ki-27s with no AVG losses.

Assessment of the AVG

The AVG lacked many resources. Despite its location in areas with malaria and
cholera, it only had "four doctors, three nurses and a bottle of iodine." Pilots found
the food disgusting, and the slow mail from home and lack of women hurt morale. A
squadron had 45 maintenance personnel compared to the normal more than 100, and
only one base could perform major repairs.[8] Nonetheless, the AVG was officially
credited with 297 enemy aircraft destroyed, including 229 in the air.[21] Fourteen
AVG pilots were killed in action, captured, or disappeared on combat missions. Two
died of wounds sustained in bombing raids, and six were killed in accidents during
the Flying Tigers' existence as a combat force. Flight leader and fighter aceRobert
"R.T." Smith stands next to his P-40
The AVG's kill ratio was superior to that of contemporary Allied air groups in fighter at Kunming, China. The
Malaya, the Philippines, and elsewhere in the Pacific theater. The AVG's success is "Flying Tiger" insignia was created by
all the more remarkable since they were outnumbered by Japanese fighters in almost the Walt Disney Company.[20]
all their engagements. The AVG's P-40s were superior to the JAAF's Ki-27s, but the
group's kill ratio against modern Ki-43s was still in its favor. In Flying Tigers:
Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941–1942, Daniel Ford attributes the AVG's success to morale and group esprit de
corps. He notes that its pilots were "triple volunteers" who had volunteered for service with the U.S. military, the AVG, and brutal
fighting in Burma. The result was a corps of experienced and skilled volunteer pilots who wanted to fight.

During their service with the Nationalist Chinese air force, 33 AVG pilots and three ground crew received the Order of the Cloud and
Banner, and many AVG pilots received the Chinese Air Force Medal. Each AVG ace and double ace was awarded the Five Star or
Ten Star Wing Medal.

Members of the AVG

Gregory "Pappy" Boyingtonbroke his contract with the AVG[22] in the spring of 1942 and returned to active duty with
the U.S. Marine Corps. He went on to command the"Black Sheep" Squadronand was one of two AVG veterans (the
other being James H. Howard of the USAAF) to be awarded theMedal of Honor.
[23]
David Lee "Tex" Hill later commanded the USAAF 23rd Fighter Group.
 Charles Older earned a law degree postwar, became a California Superior Court judge, and presided at the murder
trial of Charles Manson.[24]
.[25]
Kenneth Jernstedt was a long-time Oregon legislator and mayor of his home town of Hood River
Robert William Prescott[26] , founder of the first scheduled cargo airline in America named Flying iger
T Line.
Allen "Bert" Christman, who bailed out at Rangoon, was strafed and killed while parachuting to the ground in January
1942, had earlier scripted and drawn theScorchy Smith and Sandman comic strips.[27]
Journalist Joseph Alsop served as Chennault's "staff secretary" while the AVG trained at Rangoon; he was interned
at Hong Kong on Christmas Day, 1941.

Aces

See also List of Flying Tigers pilots, which includes their victories and bonuses paid.

VG with five or more air-to-air victories:[21]

Nineteen pilots were credited by the A

Robert Neale: 13 victories

Ed Rector: 10.5 victories
David Lee "Tex" Hill: 10.25 victories
George Burgard: 10 victories
Robert Little: 10 victories
Charles Older: 10 victories
Robert T. Smith: 8.9 victories
William McGarry: 8 victories
Charles Bond: 7 victories
Frank Lawlor: 7 victories
John V. "Scarsdale Jack" Newkirk: 7 victories
Robert Hedman: 6 victories
C. Joseph Rosbert: 6 victories
J. Richard Rossi: 6.25 victories
Robert Prescott: 5.5 victories
Percy Bartelt: 5 victories
William Bartling: 5 victories
Edmund Overend: 5 victories
Robert Sandell: 5 victories
Robert H. Smith: 5 victories

Legacy

Transition to the USAAF

The success of the AVG led to negotiations in spring 1942 to induct it into the USAAF. Chennault was reinstated as a colonel and
immediately promoted to brigadier general commanding U.S. Army air units in China (initially designated China Air Task Force and
later the 14th Air Force), while continuing to command the AVG by virtue of his position in the Chinese Air Force. On 4 July 1942,
the AVG was replaced by the 23rd Fighter Group. Most AVG pilots refused to remain with the unit as a result of the strong arm
tactics by the USAAF general sent to negotiate with them. However, five pilots accepted commissions in China including "Tex" Hill,
one of Chennault's most loyal devotees, with others remaining for a two-week transition period. (U.S. airmen and the press continued
to use the "Flying Tiger" name to refer to USAAF units in China to the end of the war, and the name continues to be applied to
certain air force and army aviation squadrons.) Most AVG pilots became transport pilots in China, went back to America into civilian
.[28]
jobs, or rejoined the military services and fought elsewhere in the war
One of the pilots drawn to the success of the AVG was Robert Lee Scott, Jr. who was flying supplies into Kunming over the Hump
from India. He convinced Chennault to loan him a P-40 which he flew to protect the supply route; his aggressiveness led to
Chennault's recruiting him as commander of the 23rd Fighter Group. Scott brought recognition to his exploits and those of the Flying
Tigers with his 1943 best-selling autobiographyGod is My Co-Pilot that was then made byWarner Bros. into a popular film in 1945.

Tributes and memorials

There are several museum displays in the United States honoring the Flying Tigers.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, has an
extensive display dedicated to the AVG, including an A-2 jacket worn by an AVG
pilot in China, a banner presented to the AAF by the Chinese government, and a P-
40E. The National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida also has a
Flying Tiger display. The Chennault Aviation Museum in Monroe, Louisiana has an
extensive collection of Flying Tigers and AVG memorabalia. The AVG monument in
the National Museum of the United States Air Force Memorial Garden features a
marble sculpture of a pagoda crowned with a brass model of a P-40; the monument
stands nearly 14 feet tall. The Palm Springs Air Museum has a display of
memorabilia inside a mockup of AVG ground facilities, with a P-40N painted in
AVG markings. Finally, a memorial to the AVG and 14th AF is located at
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, depicting a P-40 in AVG markings with a Flying Tigers Monument Ocala,
bronze plaque describing the unit's history and Vandenberg's role as headquarters for Florida Memorial Park
the 14th AF.

There are also several memorials to the AVG in Asia. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, a
marble obelisk was dedicated on 11 November 2003, inscribed to Chennault; to Jack
Newkirk, who was killed in North Thailand on 24 March 1942; and to Charles Mott
and William McGarry, who were shot down and captured in Thailand. In Taiwan,
Madame Chiang Kai-Shek requested a statue of Chennault in the New Park ofaipei
T
to commemorate this wartime friend after his death (the statue has since been Restored P-40 on display at the
relocated to Hualian AFB). A Flying Tigers Memorial is located in the village of National World War II Museum
Zhijiang, Hunan Province, China and there is a museum dedicated exclusively to the
Flying Tigers. The building is a steel and marble structure, with wide sweeping steps
leading up to a platform with columns holding up the memorial's sweeping roof; on its back wall, etched in black marble, are the
names of all members of the AVG, 75th Fighter Squadron, and 14th Air Force who died in China. In 2005, the city of Kunming held
a ceremony memorializing the history of the Flying Tigers in China, and on 20 December 2012, the Flying Tigers Museum opened in
Kunming. The date is the 71st anniversary of the first combat from Kunming of the Flying Tigers. The Memorial Cemetery to Anti-
Japanese Aviator Martyrs in Nanjing, China features a wall listing the names of Flying Tiger pilots and other pilots who defended
[29]
China in World War II, and has several unmarked graves for such American pilots.

The largest private museum in China, Chengdu Jianchuan Museum, devotes a wing in its military section to the history of the Flying
Tigers, including a tribute wall featuring a thousand porcelain photos of members of the Flying Tigers as well as many historical
artifacts from the era.[30]

In March 2015, the Flying Tiger Heritage Park was opened in Guilin in collaboration with the Flying Tiger Historical Organization.
The park is built on the site of Yangtang Airfield and includes a museum, aircraft shelters, and relics of a command post located in a
cave.[31]

Flying Tigers wrecks

The wreckage of a P-40 with CAF serial number P-8115 is on display in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The aircraft is believed to be that
flown by William "Mac" McGarry when he was hit by anti-aircraft fire while flying top cover over Chiang Mai on 24 March 1942.
The aircraft crashed into the rain forest in northern Thailand. McGarry was captured and interrogated, and spent most of the war in a
Thai prison. Toward the end of the war the Office of Strategic Services(OSS) arranged for the Free Thai Movement to spirit him out
of the prison to a PBY Catalina in the Gulf of Thailand. The wreck of his P-40 was discovered in 1991, and consists of the P-40's
Allison engine, Hamilton Standard propeller and parts of the airframe. Today the wreckage is displayed at the Tango Squadron Wing
41 Museum in Chiang Mai, Thailand.[32][33]

The wreck of another AVG P-40 is believed to be in Lake Dianchi (Lake Kunming). The fighter is believed to be a P-40E piloted by
John Blackburn when it crashed into the lake on a gunnery training flight on 28 April 1942, killing the pilot. His body was recovered
from the aircraft, which was submerged in 20 feet of water. In 1997 a U.S.-Chinese group called the Sino-American Aviation
Heritage Foundation was formed to locate the aircraft and possibly raise and restore it. In March 1998, they contacted the China
Expedition Association about conducting the recovery operation. Over 300 aircraft are believed to have crashed into Lake Dianchi
(including a second AVG P-40) so locating the aircraft proved difficult. In 2003, an aircraft believed to be Blackburn's was found
embedded in nine feet of bottom silt. An effort was made in September 2005 to raise the aircraft, but the recovery was plagued with
difficulties and it remains deep under the lake bottom. Since the aircraft was complete and relatively undamaged when John
Blackburn's body was removed from it in 1942, it is hoped that the aircraft will be in good condition and capable of being restored,
possibly to flying condition.

Recognition by the United States

Just before their 50th reunion in 1992, the AVG veterans were retroactively recognized as members of the U.S. military services
during the seven months the group was in combat against the Japanese. The AVG was then awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for
"professionalism, dedication to duty, and extraordinary heroism." In 1996, the U.S. Air Force awarded the pilots the Distinguished
Flying Cross and the ground crew were all awarded theBronze Star Medal.[34]

Popular culture
A number of feature films have referenced the AVG directly or indirectly, the most famous being Flying Tigers, a 1942 black-and-
white film from Republic, starring John Wayne and John Carroll as fighter pilots. Other wartime films with an AVG angle included
The Sky's the Limit (1943, starring Fred Astaire as a Flying Tiger ace on leave); Hers to Hold (1943, with Joseph Cotten); God is My
Co-Pilot, (1945, with Dennis Morgan as Robert Lee Scott, Raymond Massey as Chennault, and John Ridgely as Tex Hill); and
China's Little Devils (1945).

Similarly, the Flying Tigers have been the focus of several novels, including Tonya, by Pappy Boyington; Remains, by Daniel Ford;
Spies in the Garden, by Bob Bergin and Tiger Ten by William D Blankenship. A novel for younger readers was Tiger, Lion, Hawk by
Earle Rice Jr.

In the Star Wars guidebook The Essential Guide to Warfare, an X-wing Starfighter squadron named the "Lightspeed Panthers" was
mentioned in the book. Warfare co-author Paul R. Urquhart confirmed in Warfare's endnotes that the squadron was intended to be a
direct reference to the Flying Tigers.[35]

The Air Force Falcons football team saluted the Chinese military and the United States Navy and Marine Corps by wearing special
Flying Tigers uniforms, including sharktooth designs on the helmets, for two games during the 2016 college football season.[36] The
team first wore the uniform for its September 10 game against Georgia State, and again for the Arizona Bowl against South
Alabama.[37]

See also

About China
 Arthur Chin – America's first ace in World War II
Development of Chinese Nationalist air force (1937–1945)
Second Sino-Japanese War
Chiang Kai-shek
Madame Chiang Kai-shek
History of the Republic of China
James H. Howard—Flying Tigers pilot later awarded the Medalof Honor
Pappy Boyington—Flying Tigers pilot later awarded the Medalof Honor
Military of the Republic of China
National Revolutionary Army
Republic of China Air Force
Soviet Volunteer Group
Whampoa Military Academy
Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign

About American volunteers

Lafayette Escadrille—American volunteers in the French Air Service during W
orld War I
Kościuszko Squadron—American volunteers fighting for Poland in thePolish-Soviet War (1919–1921).
Yankee Squadron – American volunteers fighting in theSpanish Civil War (1936–1939) on the Republican side.
Eagle Squadron—American volunteers in the RAF during World War II
23d Fighter Group—USAF group descended from Flying Tigers

References

Citations
1. Ford 1991, pp. 30–34.
2. "American Volunteer Group: Claire L. Chennault and the Flying Tigers - HistoryNet" (http://www.historynet.com/ameri
can-volunteer-group-claire-l-chennault-and-the-flying-tigers.htm)
. 12 June 2007.
3. Gustavsson, Håkan. "Chinese biplane fighter aces – 'Buffalo' Wong Sun-Shui" (http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/china_w
ong2.htm) Håkans Aviation page, 2 July 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
4. Ford 2007, pp. 45–45.
5. Ford 2007, pp. 85–86.
6. Feltus, Pamela. "Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers of World War II." (http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air
_Power/tigers/AP24.htm)Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20060506221924/http://www .centennialofflight.gov/e
ssay/Air_Power/tigers/AP24.htm)6 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine. U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission,2003.
Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
7. Scott 1973, p. 7.
8. Belden, Jack. "Chennault Fights to Hold the China Front."(https://books.google.com/books?id=sk4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg
=PA4&dq=life%20magazine%20aug%2010%201942&pg=PA70#v=onepage%201942&f=true)Life, 20 August 1942,
Retrieved: 19 November 2011.
9. Scott 1973, p. 21.
10. Ford 2007, p. 36.
11. Howard 1991, p. 65.
12. Rossi, J. R. "A Flying Tigers Story by Dick Rossi, Pilot."(http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/tiger2.htm) AFG:
American Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
13. Rossi, J. R. "Charles Bond biography." (http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/bio-Bond.htm) AFG: American
Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
14. Ford 2007, pp. 82–83, 107.
15. Smith, Robert T. "Tale of a Tiger – From The Diary Of Robert T. Smith, Flying Tiger, part 4." (http://planesandpilotsof
ww2.webs.com/RTSmith4.html) Planes and Pilots Of World War Two, 1986. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
16. Scott 1973, pp. 61–65.
17. "History of the Flying Tigers." (http://www.usshawkbill.com/tigers/)Retrieved: 26 April 2015.
18. Sherman, Steven. "The Flying Tigers" Claire Chennault and theAmerican Volunteer Group." (http://acepilots.com/mi
sc_tigers.html) Acepilots.com, 27 June 2011. Retrieved: 26 April 2015.
19. Wambold Jr., Donald A.. "A Flying Tiger's War." World War II 20, no. 2, 2005, pp. 22–25.
20. Rossi, J. R. "The Flying Tigers, American Volunteer Group – Chinese Air Force, A Brief History with Recollections
and Comments by General Claire Lee Chennault."(http://flyingtigersavg.22web.net/tiger1.htm)AFG: American
Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
21. Olynk 1986
22. Rossi, J. R. "Complete Roster of the American Volunteer Group, 1941–'42." (http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/ca
mco.htm) AFG: American Volunteer Group, The FlyingTigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
23. Rossi, J. R. "David Lee Hill biography." (http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/bio-Hill.htm) AFG: American Volunteer
Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
24. Rossi, J. R. "Charles Older biography." (http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/bio-older.htm) AFG: American
Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
25. Rossi, J. R. "Kenneth Jernstedt biography." (http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/bio-Jernstedt.htm) AFG: American
Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
26. Rossi, J. R. "Robert Prescott biography." (http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/bio-Prescott.htm) AFG: American
Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
27. Rossi, J. R. "Allen Christman biography." (http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.net/bio-Christman.htm) AFG: American
Volunteer Group, The Flying Tigers, 1998. Retrieved: 5 July 2011.
28. Ford 2007, ch. 17.
29. Former 'Flying Tigers' Visit Nanjing Memorial Cemetery. (http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/139639.htm)
china.org (Xinhua News Agency), 25 August 2005. Retrieved: 17 February 2010.
30. "JianChuan Museum – Baidu Baike."(http://baike.baidu.com/view/748230.htm)baike.baidu.com. Retrieved: 30
November 2010.
31. "Heritage park honoring U.S. 'Flying Tigers' opens in China". (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-03/29/c_1341
06151.htm) news.xinhuanet.com, 29 March 2015. Retrieved: 26 April 2015.
32. "Flying Tigers Curtiss P40." (http://thaiaviation.com/gallery2/v/T
ango+Squadron+Chiang+Mai/Bird_s+eye+P-40+_1_.j
pg.html) thaiaviation.com. Retrieved: 27 October 2007.
33. Lednicer, David. "Photo of P-8115 wreck."(https://archive.is/20120905071544/http://www
.myaviation.net/search/phot
o_search.php?id=00979762&size=large)myaviation.net, 10 January 2007. Retrieved: 12 February 2012.
34. Ford 2007, p. 349.
35. Fry, Jason and Paul R. Urquhart."EG to Warfare: Endnotes, pt. 10."(http://jasonfry.tumblr.com/post/24614452839/e
g-to-warfare-endnotes-pt-10)Jason Fry's Dorkery, 2010. Retrieved: 17 November 2012.
36. "Air Force's new helmets dip into World War II history" (http://gazette.com/air-forces-new-helmets-dip-into-world-war-
ii-history/article/1582782).
37. Kirshner, Alex (December 30, 2016)."Air Force finally got to wear awesome fighter plane shark teeth helmets"
(http
s://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2016/8/14/12474726/air-force-helmets-shark-teeth-flying-tigers)
. SB Nation.
Retrieved July 9, 2017.

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External links
 Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation
Annals of the Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers American Volunteer Group
Flying Tigers Heritage Park
"Flying Tigers In Burma", 30 March 1942 Life magazine article, including numerous photographs
"Wings Over China: The Story of the Flying Tigers" documentary posted by MaxMediaAsia
The short film The Air Force Story – The Drawing of the Battle Lines, December 1941-April 1942 (1953)
is available
for free download at theInternet Archive
AVG colour schemes and markings

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