Park pays tribute to help from the ‘Tigers’
Print Edition
A MILITARY transport plane used in World War II has gone on permanent display in China to honor an American air squadron which helped the Chinese fight against Japanese aggression.
The C-47 aircraft was placed in the Flying Tiger Heritage Park in Guilin, a city in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The park is built on the site of Yangtang Airfield, which served as the command base where the “Flying Tigers,” or American Volunteer Group, launched missions throughout southern China.
The 72-year-old aircraft was purchased by the American Flying Tiger Historical Organization from Australia in 2016.
After major repairs, Larry Jobe, the organization’s president, led a five-member crew with an average age of over 70 to fly the C-47 to China.
In particular, they repeated a flight over the treacherous Hump, or “death route,” over the Himalayas, operated jointly by China and the United States to carry military supplies from India to China between 1942 and 1945.
The Flying Tigers, formed in 1941, were led by US General Claire Lee Chennault to help China drive out invading Japanese troops.
After a brief period of intensive training, Chennault led the Flying Tigers to China.
In their first air combat mission in December 1941, the Flying Tigers downed six enemy bombers and damaged four others.
In the ensuing six months, the Flying Tigers flew more than 100 combat missions, shooting down 272 enemy aircraft and destroying another 225 on the ground.
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