The Flying Tigers are probably the most easily recognized group of combat pilots the world has ever seen. Their very name conjures up images of brave and dashing heroes scrambling off in their sleek and powerful shark-nosed fighter planes to do battle against the invading horde of Imperial Japan. But who were these men, and why do they still leave an indelible mark upon our imagination even today?

The Japanese invasion of China from Manchuria in 1936 was moving further and further into China as they expanded their empire. Japan's growing influence in the Pacific region was increasingly worrying to the U.S., which had seen itself as the leading power in the Pacific since the Spanish-American war of 1898.

Japan was flexing her military might in the region, but was not taken seriously by many in the west despite their convincing defeat of the Russian Navy in 1905, and the capture and subjugation of the Korean peninsula in the 1920s. Claire Chennault, a retired Army Air Corps captain, and advisor to the Nationalist Chinese leade, Chiang Kai-shek, sensing the American governments concerns and wanting to aid his adopted nation, contacted President Roosevelt on the matter. A plan was eventually conceived where U.S. military equipment and personnel could be sent to China under the thin veil of civilian-organized military aide. Thus the American Volunteer Group (AVG) was formed in 1941, and soon became known to the rest of the world as the Flying Tigers.

Awaiting refueling at Yunnanyi are (standing l to r): Tommy Haywood and A. Olson, Jr. Sitting: R.T. Smith, Ken Jernstedt, Bob Prescott, Link Laughlin and Bill Reed. (Photo from R.T. Smith courtesy of Richard Alnutt)	R.T. Smith and the "Flying Tiger" designed by Walt Disney Studios. (Photo from R.T. Smith courtesy of Richard Alnutt)

In order to not be taken as an act of war by Japan thereby making targets out of American interests in the Pacific, all of the volunteer personnel involved, while trained by the U.S. military, were not allowed to remain within it. Furthermore, the strong isolationist policies in the U.S. severely restricted Roosevelt's ability to provide foreign military aide.

Therefore, the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps were scoured for volunteer pilots and flight crew who would resign their commissions or enlistments with the U.S. military and sign on to fight for the Chinese government. Each man was promised the ability to rejoin their unit without penalty once their service for China was completed. There was also a significant salary provided by the Chinese government, and unofficial bonuses to pilots for Japanese aircraft they shot down. Of the many volunteers, the best 100 pilots were selected for the AVG, along with ground crew to maintain 100 fighter aircraft in the field. About half of the pilots came from the U.S. Navy and Marines, while a third came from the Army Air Corps. The remainder was made up of airline or test pilots.

The fighter aircraft selected were Curtiss H81-A2 Tomahawks (P-40B's), right off the production lines, and originally designated for Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft retained their RAF camouflage and serial numbers, although the British national insignia were painted over with markings of the Chinese Air Force. The image of the Flying Tigers' P-40's became immortalized though with the addition of the shark's mouth insignia to the nose, and the winged tiger motif, created by the Walt Disney Company, on the fuselage.

It wasn't until the Dec. 10, 1941, three days after Japanese surprise-attack on the American Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, that the Flying Tigers flew their first operational missions from Kunming, China. War was already declared between the U.S. and Japan, and so any pretense of the AVG being a civilian-run operation became moot.

The AVG was divided into three squadrons of 18 planes each, No.1 (Adam and Eve), No.2 (Panda Bears) and No.3 (Hell's Angels). Almost always heavily outnumbered, they tore into the attacking Japanese forces with a fury. Despite the severe difficulties of operating their aircraft from rough and rudimentary airfields with limited supplies the AVG was able to put a serious dent in the Japanese fighting machine.

The Flying Tigers probably have the most effective combat record of any unit in WWII. During the six short months of their existence, the AVG shot down 297 enemy aircraft confirmed, with a further 240 probables, and 40 destroyed on the ground. This was compared to only 12 AVG aircraft lost in combat with the lives of four pilots, although 61 aircraft were lost in training accidents or destroyed on the ground with nine other pilots being killed.

With war having been declared between America and Japan, the AVG could not remain outside the bounds of the US military for long. On July 4, 1942, the Flying Tigers were officially absorbed into the 23rd Fighter Group of the newly re-named U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). Only five of the original AVG pilots elected to become part of the new USAAF unit, along with five staff officers and nineteen mechanics. Most rejoined their original military branches.

The Flying Tigers remain familiar to the American public even today, partly due to their flamboyant name and iconic imagery. They took the fight to the Empire of Japan at a time when the Japanese were running rampant over U.S. and Allied forces in the rest of the Pacific. Their exploits were the only positive news coming from the war in early 1942, and the press gave them huge coverage.

The actions of the Flying Tigers were huge morale boosters to the American public, and the military, showing that the Japanese military could be beaten at a time when they appeared invincible.

The 23rd Fighter Group still exists today, and flies A-10 Thunderbolt II's out of Pope Air Force Base near Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Also see "Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War"