The flying tigers. starring John Wayne. Mostly civilian pilots fighting for the Chinese, for a couple years before Pearl Harbor.
American volunteer pilots began flying for China in the late 1930’s, but the American Volunteer Group under Claire Chennault didn’t see combat until shortly after Pearl Harbor. The press dubbed them the Flying Tigers, although most of the fliers detested that moniker. The unit later became the China Air Task Force and then the Fourteenth Air Force.
My 7th grade social studies teacher flew P40s with the Flying Tigers during WWII.