The “Flying Tigers” or as they were officially known, the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force, was formed in 1941 and led by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault, a rather controversial but very successful and skilled tactician in the aerial combat arena.
In honor of the help the AVG gave China in fighting Japanese aggression during the war, a heritage park was opened on Saturday, March 28, 2015 in Guilin. The president of the Flying Tiger Historical Organization, Major General James Whitehead Jr. and Cynthia Chennault, the daughter of the late U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault, were present at the opening ceremony.
Flying Tigers Heritage Park
The heritage park has been built on the site of the Yangtang airport in Lingui county, about 15 kilometers from the city of Guilin. The airport in Qiliping, about two kilometers outside the county, was originally built in 1933 and remodeled several times. Probably the most significant part of the airport’s long history is the role it played as one of the bases for the Flying Tigers air squadron in 1941-1942.
Of course, today, it is not an airport but a historical site, and greatly revered for the contributions made by the American pilots of the Flying Tigers. In 2007, a historical marker was placed at the site of the airport, commemorating the over1,000 airmen who lost their lives fighting Japanese Imperialism during that time. The heritage site is a 47 acre park with replica buildings, a museum, memorial walls and General Chennault’s operation and the command cave.
The command cave is of particular interest because visitors can still see and read the bilingual inscriptions by Anna Chan Chennault, the general’s second wife. At the top of the entrance, there are both Chinese and English inscriptions to be found; and inside the cave, tourists can also read the actual notes inscribed in the stone telling the battle situation of the Flying Tigers at Yangtang Airport of the time.
A bit of history: Flying the Hump
One fascinating, though extremely dangerous piece of history occurred when Japan cut off the Burma Road. This was an important military supply line to Eastern China. With no overland route, it was necessary to fly a very treacherous route over the Himalayas. The U.S. put commercial airliners into operation carrying military supplies along with the Flying Tigers as protection.
Soon, along with the addition of the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force Groups and Squadrons, China was again being supplied with the means to fight the Japanese. But it is also said that a shining highway of over 700 wrecked and downed planes littered that highway over the Himalayas for hundreds of miles. Historical records from that time show that occasionally, the loss of aircraft and crews was as high as 50 percent a month.
The US-based Flying Tiger Historical Organization that includes pilots, their families and supporters, has donated over 600 historical items to the museum, including uniforms, flight suits and gear as well as other historical documents pertinent to that time and place in world events.
