USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ FlashBack Friday ~ March 14 2003

Friends of The Canteen

[SAMWolf]

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By remembering and paying tribute to the military past of our country,
we are paying tribute to those who are serving our country today.

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General Claire Chennault & "The Flying Tigers"

The Flying Tigers were a group of American fighter pilots that flew for China in the early part of 1942. Led by a controversial American, Colonel Claire Chennault, they were actually called the "American Volunteer Group" (AVG), and achieved good success in their aerial battles against the Japanese.

They were a relatively small group of pilots, and never had more than 100 Curtis Warhawk P-40's (decorated with the famous red shark mouth) available. But at the time they were flying (early 1942), they were the only Americans doing ANYTHING against the Axis. With an American public reeling from Pearl Harbor and anxious to strike back "NOW!" the Flying Tigers were "the only game in town" at that point. Thus they received a lot of favorable press coverage, from reporters anxious to write about the only only Americans doing ANYTHING ANYWHERE against the Japanese.

The Flying Tigers comprised three squadrons:

1st Squadron - "Adam and Eves"
2nd Squadron - "Panda Bears"
3rd Squadron - "Hell's Angels"

The top aces of the Flying Tigers were: David Lee "Tex" Hill, Robert Neale, and Chuck Older. James Howard flew with the AVG; he later earned the Congressional Medal of Honor while flying P-51s for the 354th Fighter Group (Ninth Air Force) in Europe. Pappy Boyington was another Tiger who went on to greater fame; he had a falling out with Chennault, who gave him a Dishonorable Discharge. The mercurial Boyington never forgave him.



"Colonel" Claire Lee Chennault had been in China since the mid-Thirties; he called himself "Colonel," though his highest rank had been Major. An outspoken advocate of "pursuit" (as fighter planes were called then), in an Army Air Force dominated by strategic bomber theorists, he alienated many of his superiors. But in China, equipped with P-40's, he developed the basic fighter tactics that American pilots would use throughout the war. The Japanese planes used over China were much more maneuverable than his Warhawks, whose advantages were: speed in a dive, superior firepower, and better ability to absorb battle damage. Chennault worked out and documented the appropriate tactics that capitalized on the relative strengths of the American fighters: intercept, make a diving pass, avoid dogfighting, and dive away when in trouble. This remained the fundamental U.S. fighter doctrine throughout the Pacific War. My appreciation of the pilot's bravery and Chennault's tactical skills, however, doesn't change my assessment of the unfortunate and perhaps distracting role they played. The Chinese politics and Chinese-American relations at the time were quite complicated. The titular leader of China, Generalissimo Chiang Kai Chek, of the Kuomintang, was engaged in an endless three-way war: his Kuomintang vs. Mao's Communists vs. Japan. And his own power within the Kuomintang was dependent on balancing various warlords, cliques, and factions. Given the understandable problems posed by this situation, he always wanted more and more American aid, which he and his generals then wanted to use against internal enemies as well as Japan, or perhaps, not to use at all, but to hoard as symbols of their power.

General Chennault, got the Generalissimo's ear, and persuaded him that air power could sweep the Japanese from China, almost effortlessly and painlessly, just a few score American B-17 bombers would do the trick. Thus Chiang Kai Chek, General Chennault, Madame Chiang Kai Chek, and the powerful China Lobby used their combined influence with the American government to push Chennault's air power scheme.



Unfortunately, the adressing real issues in Nationalist China -- development of democratic or at least stable institutions, the rooting out of corruption in the Kuomintang, the training and deployment of useful Chinese infantry forces against Japan, improving the life of the ordinary villagers, etc. -- had no priority with the Generalissimo. Chennault's proposals seemed to offer such a promising way out.

The American government had its own problems, and couldn't scrape up the numbers of bombers envisioned. But keeping China in the war against Japan was understood to be in America's strategic interest (even before Pearl Harbor). What could be offered to Chiang was about 100 Curtis P-40 Warhawk fighter planes with volunteer military pilots to fly them. They fought with distinction, largely in the defense of Burma, and were absorbed into the United States Army Air Force's 23rd Fighter Group in July, 1942.

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"A nation that forgets its past has no future."
Sir Winston Churchill

"Those Who Have Long Enjoyed Such Privileges As We Enjoy, Forget In Time that Men Have Died To Win Them."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

[E.G.C.]

bTTT!!!!!

[tomkow6]

...BEFORE..................AFTER???

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, Kiddo! It's Friday!

[MoJo2001]

LMAO! Well, are you complaining? Or what? LOL! What's your issues? Tell me know! Before I have to knock ya out!

[MoJo2001]

Good morning, Diva!! *HUGS*

[MoJo2001]

Woohoo! It's Mr.Sun!

[Kathy in Alaska]

"Has the wind died down?"

Yes, thankfully. Lot of destruction. Now just cold.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Bless This House sung along with this morning,
twice because I love this song for our troops USO Canteen, and
Prayer of Protection said for all who enter the USO Canteen Freeper Style,
including our troops, our veterans, their families and our allies.
Welcome to all who come to honor our troops and veterans,
for whom this USO Canteen was created.

A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

The light of God surround you
The love of God enfold you
The power of God protect you
The presence of God watch over you
Wherever you are, God is,
And all is well.
Amen.

Wherever you are, God is, and all is well!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, E.G.C., for bumping by.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks for the address b4f, we'll add it to the list!

Charm school for the kitty-katz? I'm more worried about the optional clothing day one of the voices was dreaming up!

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning, Music Diva!

How about a Barry Tune for the Morning??

I am missing him like crazy!! LOL

I'm just a little FReeper!

Are you working today??

[beachn4fun]

Thanks snippy. And, you read my mind this morning... I was thinking it might be easier for people to address me as b4f instead of beach or beachn.... Well I wasn't too worried cause I was hoping Tonk would not listen to that crazy guy in the white jacket that has all those voices.... always ranting and ranting and looking loony!

But, now the awful mess from last week. If someone should complain to the health department, the Canteen could be in trouble..... then where would we go?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Meekie, for my morning cup of hot chocolate.

[Bethbg79]

Good morning Troops!!

Good morning Canteen crew!!

I'm up! I'm up!

LOL

[MoJo2001]

Bentfeather and Barry! Jammin Again!! Woohoo!! CLICK ON YOUR PICTURE!!

[tomkow6]

Hmmm! A little "feisty" today, aren't we?

[Soaring Feather]

Oooooooooh, sheeeesh, I know what you mean Diva!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Happy Friday, ms grit.

[MoJo2001]

I'm gonna get my tank and run pipsqueak over! Got it?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, beach! Happy car washing.