|
Hunters in the Skies: The Flying Tigers - Part 2
|
Part 2 of 2 Flying Tigers was the popular name of the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force in 1941--1942. The pilots were United States Army (USAAF), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC) personnel, recruited under Presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault; the ground crew and headquarters staff were likewise mostly recruited from the U.S. military, along with some civilians. The group consisted of three fighter squadrons with about 20 aircraft each. It trained in Burma before the American entry into World War II with the mission of defending China against Japanese forces. Arguably, the group was a private military contractor, and for that reason the volunteers have sometimes been called mercenaries. The members of the group had lucrative contracts with salaries ranging from $250 a month for a mechanic to $750 for a squadron commander, roughly three times what they had been making in the U.S. forces.The Tigers' shark-faced fighters remain among the most recognizable of any individual combat aircraft of World War II, and they demonstrated innovative tactical victories when the news in the U.S. was filled with little more than stories of defeat at the hands of the Japanese forces. The group first saw combat on 20 December 1941, 12 days after Pearl Harbor (local time). It achieved notable success during the lowest period of the war for U.S. and Allied Forces, giving hope to Americans that they would eventually succeed against the Japanese. While cross-referencing records after the war revealed their actual kill numbers were substantially less, the Tigers were paid combat bonuses for destroying nearly 300 enemy aircraft, while losing only 14 pilots on combat missions. In July 1942, the AVG was replaced by the U.S. Army 23rd Fighter Group, which was later absorbed into the U.S. 14th Air Force with General Chennault as commander. The 23rd FG went on to achieve similar combat success, while retaining the nose art and fighting name of the volunteer unit. -
|
|
|
Views: 47 |
| New Videos |
|
Top 5 Steve Jobs Moments
|
|
Watch a new Hot Off The Net daily at most talked about CEO has officially resigned from his position as CEO of Apple. This news was a huge ...
|
|
Views: 51
|
|
April Jauregui Postgame 8-26 (1)
|
|
Memphis volleyball head coach April Jauregui discusses the Tigers sweep of Alabama A&M in the season opener on Friday
|
|
Views: 106
|
|
Tiny Bugs Official Trailer
|
|
Far from our crowded cities, in the tiny tiny woods, there lives the Tiny Bugs! Fly through the complex vines labyrinth and challenge the un...
|
|
Views: 68
|
|
July 18, 2011 8:05 PM
|
|
LIGHTNING BUGS! AND MY TERRIBLE ACCENT THAT I USUALLY KEEP IN CHECK OH GOD I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT.
|
|
Views: 61
|
|
The White Sharks Of Wall Street
|
|
"The White Sharks Of Wall Street"-Thomas Mellon Evans And The Original Corporate Raiders, by Diana B. HenriquesThis has so much de...
|
|
Views: 53
|
|
|
|
Facebook
Reddit
Iwitter
Yahoo
