Flying Tigers

The Flying Tigers was a group of American fighter pilots from the United States Army Air Force, the United States Navy, and the United States Marine Corps. Claire Lee Chennault commanded it.

History

During 1937, Claire Lee Chennault retired from the American military and became the military advisor to China. He to looked at their air force. It was bad, and could not fight their enemy, Japan. In 1938, Chennault was going to make the Flying Tigers. In late 1941, after Pearl Harbor, the Flying Tigers started fighting the Japanese.^[1]

The P-40

The airplane they used was the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. There were about 100 of the fighter aircraft. They could not turn with the Japanese fighters, such as the A6M Zero, Ki-43 Oscar, and Ki-27 Nate, but the P-40 was tough, had more guns, and was faster in a dive.^[2]

The Flying Tigers stayed in World War II for the whole time.^[1]

Things the Flying Tigers were famous for

The Flying Tigers are well known for things. One thing was their airplane paint, which had a shark face on the sides.^[3] They were also known for fighting hard during the war. Franklin D. Roosevelt had said they were good.^[1]

List of aces

The following are flying aces from the Flying Tigers, with their air-to-air victory credits:^[4] (In alphabetical order).

Percy Bartelt (5.0)
William Bartling (5.0)
Charles Bond (7.0)
George Burgard (10.0)
Robert Hedman (6.0)
David Lee "Tex" Hill (10.25)
Frank Lawlor (7.0)
Robert Little (10.0)
William McGarry (8.0)
Robert Neale (13.0)
John Newkirk (7.0)
Charles Older (10.0)
Edmund Overend (5.0)
Robert Prescott (5.5)
Joseph Camille Rosbert (6.0)
Richard Rossi (6.0)
Robert Sandell (5.0)
Robert H. Smith (5.0)
Robert T. Smith (8.9 kills)

Flying Tigers Media

US Air Forces video: Flying Tigers Bite Back
Chennault in his Kunming office, May 1942. He wears a US Army brigadier general's star on his left shoulder but Chinese insignia otherwise.
3rd Squadron Hell's Angels, Flying Tigers, over China, photographed in 1942 by AVG pilot Robert T. Smith
P-40 Warhawk painted with Flying Tigers shark face at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
Resignation letter from the U.S. Marine Corps, used to accept a position with the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Co.
1943: A Kittyhawk Mark III of 112 Squadron, taxiing through scrub at Medenine, Tunisia. The ground crewman on the wing is directing the pilot, whose view ahead is hindered by the aircraft's nose.
A ZG 76 Bf 110C with "sharks mouth" nose paint
A "blood chit" issued to the American Volunteer Group Flying Tigers. The Chinese characters read, "This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue and protect him." (R. E. Baldwin Collection)
The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa was a single-engined land-based fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II
Flight leader and fighter ace Robert "R.T." Smith stands next to his P-40 fighter at Kunming, China. The "Flying Tiger" insignia was created by the Walt Disney Company.