He was recommissioned in the United States Army Air Forces as a major in 1943 and served as a test pilot at Eglin Army Airfield, Florida. Vice Commander of the 3d Squadron ("Hells Angels"). He escaped after nearly three years and lived to be 74. He was shot down in Thailand by Japanese anti-aircraft fire on March 24, 1942, and taken prisoner. He later went to work for Robert Prescott (see below) and what eventually became the Flying Tiger Line. Shot down and killed on May 22, 1942, during a bombing mission.Īfter the unit was disbanded, Loane and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. Īfter the unit was disbanded, Laughlin and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. He died on May 16, 1942, when he did not pull up in time from a practice dive. He and William Reed shared credit for 15 airplanes destroyed on the ground on one mission. He later became the only pilot in the European Theater to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Ī squadron leader, he was one of five Flying Tigers to join its successor, the United States Army Air Forces 23rd Fighter Group, where he downed an additional six Japanese airplanes.Īfter the unit was disbanded, Hodges and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. He later became one of the original partners in fellow Flying Tiger Robert Prescott's Flying Tiger Line. After the unit was disbanded, Hedman and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. He became an "ace in a day" around Christmas Day, 1941. Killed in a training accident, circumstances unknown. Īfter the unit was disbanded, Groh and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. He hit two bombers, but was hit by cannon fire and crashed into the jungle below. While 15 RAF pilots attacked the escort, he and 11 other Flying Tigers went after Japanese bombers on a nighttime raid on Rangoon. Gilbert, the youngest AVG pilot (age 22), was killed on December 23, 1941, the first Flying Tiger to die in combat. ĭied on May 4, 1942, from injuries suffered in a raid on Paoshan in Yunnan Province, in China. Previously a Consolidated PBY Catalina pilot, Cole was killed by anti-aircraft fire on January 30, 1942, while mistakenly strafing friendly forces his plane exploded and his body was never recovered.Īfter the unit was disbanded, Dean and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. His airplane was hit and he was killed while parachuting in 1942. Ī cartoonist before the war, he personalized the noses of the P-40s of the "Panda Bear" squadron with cartoons and caricatures. Last surviving pilot of the Flying Tigers. In any case, he would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his post-Tigers achievements. He was the first Flying Tiger to paint a shark's mouth on the nose of his airplane.īoyington claimed six victories, but that number is unsubstantiated. Īfter the unit was disbanded, Bolster and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. In May 1945, he escaped from a moving train after his POW camp was evacuated. They turned over to the Japanese, who tortured him for several months. The wind took him into French Indochina, where he was captured by the Vichy French. On May 17, 1942, vice squadron leader Bishop had to bail out during a bombing run when a bomb he dropped exploded prematurely and disabled his airplane. Killed in a crash when the "propeller governor failed on his P-40". Killed on Septemduring a practice dogfight when he collided with J. NameĪfter the unit was disbanded, Adkins and other Tigers pilots joined the China National Aviation Corporation, flying supplies over the Hump from India to China. The Chinese government paid the pilots a bonus of $500 for each enemy aircraft destroyed, whether in the air or on the ground.Īces while Flying Tigers are in bold. In most air forces, a victory is defined as the destruction of an enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat, and those shown below are the "confirmed" claims as recorded in AVG records, unearthed by aviation historian Frank Olynyk. The press continued to apply the Flying Tigers name to later units, but pilots of those organizations are not included. The AVG was operational from December 20, 1941, to July 14, 1942. Following is a complete list of American Volunteer Group ( Flying Tigers) pilots.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |