Combat history Flying Tigers

the port of rangoon in burma , burma road leading there china of crucial importance. eastern china under japanese occupation, military supplies china arrived via burma route. november 1941, when pilots trained , of p-40s had arrived in asia, flying tigers divided 3 squadrons: 1st squadron ( adam & eves ); 2nd squadron ( panda bears ) , 3rd squadron ( hell s angels ). assigned opposite ends of burma road protect vital line of communications. 2 squadrons based @ kunming in china, , third @ mingaladon airport near rangoon. when united states officially entered war, avg had 82 pilots , 79 aircraft, although not combat-ready. tiger erik shilling, part of third squadron commented:. beginning of greatest adventure ever hope experience. wasn t until years later realized magnitude , significance of first step, lifelong adventure in mystic far east.

the avg s first combat mission on 20 december 1941, when aircraft of 1st , 2nd squadrons intercepted 10 unescorted kawasaki ki-48 lily bombers of 21st hikōtai attacking kunming. bombers jettisoned loads before reaching kunming. 3 of japanese bombers shot down near kunming , fourth damaged severely crashed before returning airfield @ hanoi. later, chinese intelligence intercepted japanese communications indicating 1 out of 10 bombers returned base. furthermore, japanese discontinued raids on kunming while avg based there. 1 p-40 crash-landed; salvaged parts. mission 1 of earliest american aerial victories in pacific war.

defense of rangoon

a blood chit issued american volunteer group flying tigers. chinese characters read, foreign person has come china in war effort. soldiers , civilians, 1 , all, should rescue , protect him. (r. e. baldwin collection)

the first squadron had flown kunming defend terminus of burma road , saw combat action on 20 december 1941 while defending rangoon japanese bombers, taking down 4 of them , disrupting attack on burma road.

at time, focus of japan s offensive efforts in avg s coverage area southern burma. 3rd squadron – 18 aircraft strong – defended rangoon 23–25 december. on 23 december, mitsubishi ki-21 sally heavy bombers of 60th, 62nd , 98th sentai, along single-engined mitsubishi ki-30 ann attack bombers of 31st sentai, sortied against rangoon. escorted nakajima ki-27 nate fighters of 77th sentai. imperial japanese army air force (jaaf) formation intercepted avg , raf brewster buffalos of 67 squadron. 8 ki-21s shot down loss of 3 avg p-40s. 60th sentai particularly hard hit – lost 5 out of 15 bombers had dispatched. nevertheless, rangoon , mingaladon airfield bombed, city suffering more 1,000 dead. 2 buffalos , 2 p-40s destroyed on ground, , 1 p-40 crashed when attempted land on bomb-damaged runway.

on 25 december, jaaf returned, reinforced ki-21s of 12th sentai , nakajima ki-43 hayabusas (oscars) of 64th sentai (colonel tateo katō s flying squadron). total of 63 bombers escorted 25 fighters committed. these intercepted 14 p-40s of avg s 3rd squadron , 15 buffalos of 67 squadron. in 2 encounters, 35 japanese bombers , fighters shot down. allies lost 2 pilots , 5 p-40s. mingaladon airfield once again damaged, , 8 buffalos destroyed on ground.

after losses in 23–25 december battles, 3rd squadron relieved 2nd squadron panda bears , carried out series of raids on jaaf airbases in thailand. japanese had moved aircraft malaya finish off singapore, , remaining aircraft in area (the 77th, 31st , 62nd sentai) launched fighter sweeps , counter raids on allied airfield @ mingaladon.

on 12 january, japanese launched burma campaign. outnumbered, avg gradually reduced through attrition, exacted disproportionate toll of attackers. on 24 january, 6 ki-21s of 14th sentai escorted ki-27s attacked mingaladon. ki-21s shot down avg , raf defenders. on 28 january, fighter sweep of 37 ki-27s engaged 16 avg p-40s , 2 raf fighters. 3 nates shot down loss of 2 p-40s. next day, sweep of 20 ki-27s of 70th sentai met 10 allied fighters (eight p-40s , 2 hawker hurricanes). 4 shot down loss of no allied aircraft.

despite these minor victories , chennault s reinforcement of panda bears pilots adam , eves , mid-february, 10 p-40s still operational @ mingaladon. commonwealth troops retreated before japanese onslaught, , avg pressed ground attack role support them. 1 unfortunate result of these missions prolonged air attack on suspected japanese column on 21 february turned out consist of commonwealth troops. more 100 allied lives lost in friendly fire incident. on 27 february, after hearing raf retreating , pulling out radar equipment, avg withdrew bases in northern burma.

by 24 january, flying tigers had destroyed 73 japanese aircraft while losing 5 — notable performance, considering avg outnumbered , faced experienced , trained japanese pilots. main disadvantage of jaaf fighter pilots of period near-obsolescence of predominant fighter type in theater, ki-27. though more maneuverable p-40, armament , performance inferior. lightly constructed , armed, not withstand frontal attacks nor out-dive allied fighters such p-40; if attempted to, came apart in air. in fact, cruising speed less of ki-21 bombers intended escort.

retreat china

after rangoon lost japanese @ end of february, avg relocated magwe, small british airfield more 300 miles north of rangoon. chennault started moving elements of reconstituted 3rd squadron magwe reinforcement worn down 1st , 2nd squadrons. aircraft attrition became high @ point, individual squadron distinctions became meaningless, , 3 squadrons had elements based there, along number of raf aircraft. in total, allies had 38 aircraft, including 8 p-40s , 15 hawker hurricanes. opposing them 271 japanese aircraft, including 115 fighters. although avg , raf scored successes against jaaf, magwe continuously bombed, including heavy raid on 21 march 151 bombers , fighters. on 23 march 4 aircraft left, avg forced relocate loiwing, across chinese border. tigers crossed china on rickety suspension bridge on deep gorge. few months later, came destroy bridge no japanese soldiers come across way china.

the nakajima ki-43 hayabusa single-engined land-based fighter used imperial japanese army air force in world war ii

reinforced new p-40e kittyhawks , repaired aircraft avg s excellent maintenance group, 12 p-40s based @ loiwing on 8 april. despite long retreats, losses , incessant air combat, avg still retained abilities. day, 12 oscars 64th sentai raided base. in ensuing series of dogfights, 4 ki-43s downed in exchange 1 p-40e destroyed on ground. during period, chinese , american commanders pressured chennault order pilots undertake so-called morale missions . these overflights , ground attacks intended raise morale of hard-pressed chinese soldiers showing getting air support. avg s pilots seethed resentment @ these dangerous missions (which considered useless), feeling culminated in so-called pilot s revolt of mid-april. chennault suppressed revolt , ordered ground attack missions continue. despite efforts, allied situation in burma continued deteriorate. on 29 april avg ordered evacuate loiwing , relocate baoshan in china.

like avg s other bases, baoshan repeatedly bombed japanese army air force. still, avg scored against jaaf tormentors, bringing down 4 nates of 11th sentai on 5 may , 2 anns . 4 may, successful japanese burma offensive winding down, except mopping actions. 1 of these attempt regiment of japanese 56th division drive kunming, effort stopped chinese army operating strong air support avg. on 7 may japanese army began building pontoon bridge across upper salween river, allow them move troops , supplies china , drive towards kunming. stem tide, 2nd squadron leader david lee tex hill led flight of 4 new p-40es bombing , strafing mile deep salween river gorge. during next 4 days, avg pilots flew continuous missions gorge, neutralizing japanese forces. prevented japanese advance on kunming , chungking; japanese never advanced farther west bank of upper salween. claire chennault later wrote of these critical missions, american volunteer group had staved off china s collapse on salween. despite being on defensive thereafter, avg continued harass jaaf raids on vietnamese bases.

with burma campaign over, chennault redeployed squadrons provide air protection china. doolittle raid had prompted japanese launch offensive seize avg air bases used attacks on japanese homeland. 1 june, personnel form nucleus of new usaaf 23rd fighter group (the avg s replacement) beginning trickle theater. of last missions avg flew defending guilin against raids jaaf nates, lilys, , new kawasaki ki-45 toryu ( nick ) heavy fighters. avg s last combat on hengyang on day disbanded, 4 july 1942. in final action, avg shot down 4 ki-27s no avg losses.