The Flying Tigers | EPISODE 2 | Amazing Stories Of World War 2 | Curtiss P-40 | Ep. 2
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- Опубликовано: 30 апр 2022
- FLYING TIGERS EPISODE 2/4
MISSIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAR: The Flying Tigers Part 2.
Narrated by Gary Sinise.
In China’s most desperate hour, Chiang Kai-Shek turns to the United States for help. The Japanese are bombing Chinese population centers mercilessly. China’s decimated air force is powerless to stop them. Chiang dispatches his American consultant - former U.S. Army Air Corps officer Claire L. Chennault - to obtain the airplanes and pilots needed to defend China. Tex Hill resigns his Navy Commission and volunteers.
a small group of American aviators fought in their first battle in World War II.
Their mission was unusual: They were mercenaries hired by China to fight against Japan.
They were called the American Volunteer Group and later became known as the Flying Tigers. Though only in combat for less than seven months, the group became famous at the time for its ability to inflict outsize damage on Japan's better-equipped and larger aircraft fleet.
Their victories came when Japan seemed unstoppable. The AVG was a bright spot in history when everything was bleak and black, and they have received a lot of recognition for that.
In the West, 1939 is considered the start of World War II. But in Asia, China and Japan had been at war since 1937.
China was already fighting its own civil war between the Nationalists of Chiang Kai-shek and Communist forces. The two sides came to a truce to fight against the Japanese. China, however, had little air power to fend off Japanese bombings.
Enter Claire Lee Chennault, a U.S. Army aviator, instructor and tactician, once described by Time magazine as "lean, hard-bitten, taciturn." Health problems and disputes with his superiors pushed him into retirement from his position with the Army Air Corps in 1937, at age 43.
But he quickly got a lucrative job offer with the Chinese Air Force, which was operating under Chiang's Nationalist government. Chennault was asked to come survey the readiness of its fleet.
"Chiang Kai-shek thought he had 500 airplanes," says Nell Chennault Calloway, who is Chennault's granddaughter and CEO of the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum in Monroe, La. "Chennault said, 'You have 500, but you only have 91 that fly.' That's how far behind they were in aviation."
Once the war with Japan officially broke out that summer, China hired Chennault as an adviser to its air force. He became its de facto commander.
Claire Lee Chennault first went to China to survey the Chinese Air Force's readiness, and stayed on to lead the creation of the American Volunteer Group.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
By 1940, after losing backing from the Soviets, China desperately needed more planes. At the time, the U.S. was not officially part of World War II. But President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was concerned about the prospect of Japan defeating China and turning its sights on the U.S.
Chennault traveled back to the U.S., pulling what strings he could to get planes. With the help of T.V. Soong, a Chinese official who was also Chiang's brother-in-law, a deal was worked out to allow China to buy 100 American-made Curtiss P-40 fighter planes.
As for who would fly and maintain them, many of the pilots in China's existing air force were poorly trained. So Chennault sent recruiters to U.S. military bases.
"He managed to get Roosevelt to allow some of our military pilots - that was the original AVG - to resign their commissions in the U.S. military and go to China as mercenaries, basically, because it was against the international rules for any American military person to be involved in the conflict over there,".
This was mid-1941 - before Pearl Harbor and before the U.S. declared war on Japan.
My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
HISTORY
My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
"By using Chinese funds to buy the aircraft and supplies and pay the salaries of the proposed crews, the U.S. government could retain a façade of neutrality, while helping China against the Japanese," the Department of Defense's history of the Flying Tigers explained.
To make recruitment easier, pilots and mechanics were offered pay that was often more than double what they were making before.
So in summer and fall of 1941, 99 pilots - 59 from the Navy, seven Marines, and 33 from the Army - traveled to Asia, along with about 200 support crew, according to the DOD's history. About a dozen of them were Chinese Americans, says Yue-him Tam, a Macalester College history professor who studies China and Japan.
PART 1 available at: • The Flying Tigers | EP...
PART 2 available at: • The Flying Tigers | EP...
PART 3 available at: • The Flying Tigers | EP...
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PART 1 available at: ruclips.net/video/EME_mUY2FzA/видео.html
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I never get enough of these old warriors telling how it was! Man I appreciate there service, and my freedom! True All-American heroes!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
I read a book about the Flying Tigers and AVG as a young boy in the 70s and have remained fascinated ever since. I salute all those who participated. Excellent narration by Gary Sinise as well. I welcome him to my beloved Williamson County, Tennessee and am thankful for the work he does for our nation's veterans.
I agree, Gary has been a blessing for Veterans.
My thanks to the Flying Tiger heroes!
Thank you for watching. Stay tuned for PART 3! ❤❤
Aside from further detailed knowledge about stories told me by my now demised uncle, in my childhood of the Flying Tigers, this video had revealed to me, by now, how warplanes were transported to overseas destinations.
Back around 1965 I was friends with the son of a F/T. He always had a picture of a P40 on the wall. I wet to his grave side service at Rosecrans National Cemetery.
One of the coolest, best looking most recognized planes of all time.
👍
I look forward to the next chapter. Well done and thank you
Thank you too!
Thanks for Sharing... Great Video Great Information
🙏👍♥️
Well done and Great Efforts
Thanks a lot
Wish that I could have flown with Pappy 😁
Well done very informative
I saw the movie on TCM. It was good.
Good presentation. Thank you.
👍🙏❤️
Americans have a greatest sense of justice and are willing to help others to protect their freedom and liberty. Do not let anyone tell you America is a racist country.
Heroes
Indeed! ❤
The brief dancing scene of women was that of the agressor, Japanese.
Witold Urbanowicz. Polisch fighter.
Joseph Paluscek....My Uncle.....Polish-American ....P-40s & A-20s in New Guinea. 1944
Fascinating how the Russians helped the Chinese in the same way they helped the North Koreans in the 50's. Honchos
Taiwan China 🕊️❤️⛅🌌🌌
We need to send some flying tigers to Ukraine with some A 10s.
Exactly!
The Black Sheep will fly high cover for you. The Jolly Rogers got you covered by sea.
⭐🌟✨💫🌠👍🇺🇸🇺🇸
W
THEY DO NOT MAKE HEROES LIKE TEX HILL & THE FLYING TIGERS ANY MORE!!!
🙏👍🙏
Is there a part 3/3 ??
Coming soon
a lot of 19 and 20 y/os heeded the call to fight evil,,chinese of this and 2 generations are not taught who came to their aid first in 37 and fwd a couple years
I think that there is not enough people of the pepse generation who care about history of usa an other country. Even some of them actually most of them never heard of the flying tigers.
Or ever read the book by iris chang. An how the war crimes cover up was because of money an politics. an how japan has not paid a red cent for the crimes the enflicted on the Chinese.
The guys saying the Tigers didn't do much are completely wrong. Read some history. They played key roles in several instances of keeping the Japanese at bay, not to mention they had an incredible shoot down record and extremely low losses of men. Again, read some history.
日本軍より先に宣戦布告なしに攻め込んで来た有名な戦闘機だな。
教科書に詳しく事実を載せるべきだ！
Facts. 1, The. FLYING TIGERS WERE WELL PAID MERCENARIES, 2. FLYING TIGERS WERE IN CHINA FOR a very short time 6 months which was extremely short time .
China Air bases reigned all thru the war
M ml
Well, the pilots were mercenaries and they did little to change anything but, they were there for the money and those that survived, certainly got that
Jim Walsh maybe in the beginning, but once we were attacked they fought to further help China. They were Heroes.
@@juliemerritt5144 Of course, because they were US americans. I forgot, the rest of the world does not exist
@@jimwalsh8520 grow up. They were willing to help when the world refused to help. That is the difference. Move on.
@@juliemerritt5144 Really? You mean the USA! The world was helping elsewhere, ever heard of Hitler? Where was the land of the Brave until 1942 when Hitler delcared war on the USA??
@@jimwalsh8520 I have a question where were the other nations when these volunteers were fighting for the Chinese?. By the way the other Nations got what they wanted when we were attacked.
This guy did everything in vain