The Flying Tigers are the legends of the Anti-Japanese War in the mouths of history buffs, and they have won endless praise for their images of "traveling thousands of miles", "resisting the strong with the weak" and "sticking to justice".
However, there has been controversy about why they came. Reaching out in difficult times, the Flying Tigers went through two phases from the outbreak of the Pacific War.
Before World War II, the Flying Tigers were actually "civilian operations", and members of the Flying Tigers, including Chennault, could be called "international column" style volunteers.
After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the "Flying Tigers" were disbanded, and the pilots who volunteered to stay in China were reassigned to the "US Air Force Task Force in China." These members later became U.S. Air Force fighters in China.
However, despite this, ** and ** still habitually call them "Flying Tigers". In fact, this team was born due to the fact that after the full-scale outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, the main forces of the Chinese Air Force were almost depleted in the first four months.
According to historical records, before the war, there were 346 combat aircraft of various types registered in the Air Force. In the third month of the Battle of Songhu, only 81 aircraft remained, and almost all the skilled pilots were killed.
Before the fall of Nanjing, the number of aircraft in the country was less than 36, and only 10 combat aircraft remained. However, these ten Chinese aircraft had to deal with more than 1,500 military aircraft, including bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, produced by the Japanese army.
This huge contrast between friend and foe means that *** has completely lost air supremacy on the battlefield.
Of course, in the long run, training pilots and building airplanes is the solution, but at the moment, we urgently need to find practical solutions. For this reason, ** had to use all its wealth to seek assistance from political and civil society in Europe and the United States.
After hard lobbying by Chennault and ***, the United States ** decided to provide China with 100 P-40 fighter jets. At the same time, Roosevelt** also gave Chennault the green light, allowing him to recruit retired American pilots and ground crews to volunteer to China to participate in the war of resistance.
By July 1941, Chennault had brought back 68 planes for China, with a total of 110 pilots, 150 mechanics and 600 members of the "Air Foreign Regiment".
On August 1, 1941, ** announced the establishment of the "American Volunteer Air Force for China", which is also known as the "Flying Tigers". Whether it was the original "Flying Tigers" or the later teams, they all made great contributions to the victory of our War of Resistance Against Japan.
1. The "Flying Tigers" played an important role during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, shooting down and damaging a large number of Japanese military planes and effectively striking a blow to the strength of the Japanese air force and navy.
Although they failed to achieve victory on the ground battlefield, they made a great contribution in protecting the tranquility of the skies of Shenzhou. 2. The "Hump Route" played a crucial role in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and it became the only hope for China's anti-Japanese forces.
Although almost all the ports were lost at that time, the airlift of the "Hump Route", an air bridge, continued until the end of the war, providing important support for China's war of resistance against Japan.
Hump route"Shipped 330,000 people and 730,000 tons of strategic materials enabled the company to persist in the Anti-Japanese War. In addition, General Chennault's contribution cannot be overlooked.
As an instructor at the *** aviation school, he trained a large number of pilots for our country. After that, he accepted Song Meiling's invitation to serve as an adviser to the Chinese Air Force, and based on his rich combat experience, organized a ground ** warning network to deal with the Japanese bombing.
Although this early warning system failed to completely stop the Japanese bombing of China, it did provide time for the people to escape the bombing and saved many lives. General Chennault also assisted the Chinese Air Force in a powerful counterattack over Shanghai.
His contributions made an important contribution to the construction of China's early air defense system and the construction of the first air force.
At the beginning of its establishment, the Flying Tigers needed us to build a large number of airports and related facilities and enterprises. Although this did not directly build an aviation industry for us, it indirectly trained a large number of aviation mechanics and pilots, laying a solid foundation for the development of China's aviation industry.
During the mission, many pilots of the old and new generations of the Flying Tigers fell into enemy-occupied territory due to mechanical problems or being shot down. These troops of our Party, who surrounded the cities in the countryside and infiltrated behind enemy lines, became the main force in rescuing the American pilots.
According to Chennault's memoirs, "The most precious expression of Chinese friendship was to rescue downed pilots in enemy-occupied areas and collect intelligence on Japanese troops." Among them were communists, there were independent partisans. ”
The rescued American pilots would also thank the New Fourth Army and the guerrillas behind enemy lines with items such as advanced radio communication equipment, maps, medicines, and compasses. These seemingly ordinary items were of self-evident significance to our army, which was extremely short of materials at that time.
Although"Flying Tigers"It's famous, but there's always some skepticism. The truth is,"Flying Tigers", especially its first generation, was actually an organization of fake aid, real mercenaries.
Although it planted such seeds when it was formed. "Flying Tigers"The name doesn't match their strength, they are a blood-licking mercenary army. It is worth noting that the first generation"Flying Tigers"The establishment was carried out completely voluntarily by the people of the people, without any official status"Free man"Involvement, including Chennault and recruited team members.
This is similar to the Spanish Civil War, which was composed of advanced people from all over the world who insisted on opposing ** and anti-oppression"International columns"Different, the first generation"Flying Tigers"It is not united by faith and ideals.
So, what brings this team together? It's money! According to recollections, the first generation"Flying Tigers"Each pilot received a monthly salary of $600 or more, which is much higher than the maximum monthly salary of a U.S. Army pilot during the war of only $347 and the average pilot in the United States paid a monthly salary of only $150.
Chennault earns $1,000 a month in China and only $110 a month after retirement. But he recruited more than 170 ground staff in the United States at a whopping salary of $250 a month.
They are offered wages that far exceed those of the United States. This "reward, brave man" approach has attracted many veterans, pesticide spraying pilots and idlers to come to China to help.
The behavior of the Americans of "both being and standing up" really implements the double-standard style of "all in the mouth, all in the heart is business" to the extreme. And the daily consumption of the "Flying Tigers" far exceeds that of domestic soldiers, which brings a great burden to the military.
They need to consume 550 grams of meat, 4 eggs, 620 grams of vegetables, 380 grams of flour, 60 grams of lard, 180 grams of sugar, 15 grams of salt, and 340 grams of fruit every day.
At the Kunming base, 100 cattle are consumed every day.
The standard of diet of the soldiers of the Chinese regular army during the same period was very low, only 15 catties, two taels of dried vegetables and pickles, a little salt and soy sauce, and a small amount of canned meat.
In fact, the front-line soldiers are very lucky to be able to eat rice mixed with less stones and chaff every meal. In contrast, the original "Flying Tigers", which was established only one year ago, consumed $8 million in military spending, which undoubtedly made the financial situation even more difficult for the not wealthy.
In addition, the military discipline of the "Flying Tigers" of the "stragglers" is also quite worrisome, and they live a bold life during non-combat hours, eating, drinking, prostituting, and gambling in every way. As a result, the "Flying Tigers" lacked discipline and professional ethics during their stay in China, and often refused to fight because "money was not available."
On weekdays, the members of the new and old generations of the "Flying Tigers" also created a number of public security cases such as brawls and **, fully carrying forward the spirit of "having a way to resist the enemy and disturbing the people".
While serving American soldiers, the Kuomintang ** is also striving to achieve the goal of "Sino-US goodwill". To this end, they searched for "professional technicians" to serve as service personnel in the military amusement park.
However, most of the pilots of the original "Flying Tigers" lacked the experience and strategic and tactical knowledge of the P-40 fighters, and Chennault had to spend four months training.
During this period, although they successfully shot down and damaged 299 Japanese planes, the average result of less than 3 planes per person makes people doubt the authenticity of the data. At the same time, the non-combat crashes of ten aircraft during the training also caused at least $1.2 million in waste.
* In the past, it has been accused of having a bad tradition of "turning defeat into victory" and "killing good and risking merit". By beautifying the record, the goal of "Sino-US friendship" can be achieved, and at the same time, the prize money can be carved up through internal and external collusion, and this "win-win" situation is really incredible.
What is even more speechless is that when the first generation of the "Flying Tigers" was disbanded in 1943, most of the pilots chose to return to China, and only a few volunteered to stay and fight. The reason for leaving is that the monthly salary for staying here is less than $350, which is much lower than in the past, so it is questionable whether the money is worth it or not.
According to some "** fans", the invincible "Flying Tigers" seem to be more of a false name, they did not come to China to support the Anti-Japanese War and did not really sacrifice their lives and forget about death, but just regarded it as an opportunity to make money, after all, "make money, business, not chilling!" ”
Jump sideways left and right to cherish feathers, and only know who is the real friend or foe when you encounter difficulties. In fact, the historical circles have long come to a clear conclusion that the emergence of the "Flying Tigers" is a purely political act, regardless of whether it is a new or old generation.
1. When the first "Flying Tigers" were founded, the United States and Japan had not yet formally declared war, but the interests of both sides were complicated, and US assistance to China was also ambiguous.
Behind this strategy of the United States of "half of the gang and no help" is actually hidden their selfish motive, that is, they hope that through the Sino-Japanese war, the United States can once again play the role of an arms dealer and reap the dividends of the war.
According to statistics, in 1937, Japan imported 92 strategic materials from the United States9% copper, 90% automobiles and accessories, 60% oil, nearly 60% scrap steel, nearly 50% machinery and engines.
It can be said that before the outbreak of the Pacific War, half of every bullet that entered the body of the Chinese was provided by the United States. Therefore, the Americans hope that the war will not expand and affect their own interests; It is also hoped that the war will continue so that the United States can recover from the economic crisis.
The United States provided assistance to China not only to help China better defend itself against Japanese aggression, but also to buy more time. At that time, it was the "zealous masses" of the United States who fought against the Japanese army, and it had nothing to do with **.
Therefore, we cannot let the actions of the people affect the commercial interests of the United States and Japan. As far as the new generation of "Flying Tigers" is concerned, since the United States has already participated in the war, the war against Japan has become logical.
The new generation of "Flying Tigers" is more about implementing the will of the country, and it is undoubtedly unfair to interpret it from the perspective of volunteerism and bravery. Although the United States became an ally of China after the outbreak of the Pacific War, U.S. assistance to China remained limited.
From 1941 to 1945, the total amount of U.S. aid to China was only 15$4.8 billion, or 32%。Moreover, there is no power to allocate British and American aid materials to China, and the opinions of Britain and the United States must be consulted, and the British and American countries will operate after agreeing.
This defense of allies even exceeds that of enemies, and it is worth pondering the idea of calling Britain and the United States allies.
During the war, China was not alone. The USSR became a real ally, providing 2A low-interest loan of $500 million, and at the same time sent the "Soviet Aviation Volunteers" to join China's War of Resistance Against Japan.
According to statistics, from 1937 to 1941, the Soviet Union sent a total of 3,665 people to participate in the Chinese War of Resistance, including 1,091 active Soviet Air Force pilots.
In addition, the Soviet Union provided 1,250 warplanes, which played an important role in the period from the end of 1937 to mid-1941, when the Chinese Air Force was at its most vulnerable.
Therefore, it can be said that Soviet aircraft guarded the blue sky of China during that time.
In February 1938, ** had 390 combat aircraft, including 230 fighters and 160 bombers. Of these aircraft, 156 fighters and 68 bombers came from the Soviet Union, accounting for 57% of the total number of Chinese fighters.
USSR"Flying Tigers"The members were all from the regular Soviet army, and they were strictly disciplined, and during their stay at the Zhijiang base, they hardly got involved in pornography, gambling and drugs, and even took the initiative to lower their living standards and supply the saved materials to the front-line soldiers.
with the United States"Flying Tigers"Different, USSR"Flying Tigers"Prefer to be proactive. They fought in the Battle of Nanjing, Xuzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Kunlun Pass in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the most eye-catching thing was that they attacked Taipei's Songshan Airport in 1938, blowing up 40 planes, burning the base's three-year reserve of gasoline, and in 1939, they attacked Hankou Airport, blowing up 94 planes, killing and wounding more than 330 Japanese invaders.
During those years of the War of Resistance Against Japan, there was a force that people remembered, and that was the "Flying Tigers". Their heroic deeds, like magnificent music, inspire the Chinese people to keep moving forward.
In particular, during the bombing of the Hankou airfield, they fought valiantly and seriously wounded Rear Admiral Tsukahara 243, commander of the 1st Combined Air Force, and many high-ranking officers, including the commander and deputy captain of the Kaya Air Force and the Kisarazu Air Force of the Japanese Navy.
These heroic acts are their loyalty and love for their country and nation, as well as their persistent pursuit of peace. Although the deeds of the Soviet "Flying Tigers" were not publicized on a large scale, their heroic deeds are no less worthy of our memory.
Their contribution was not only to shoot down the Japanese plane, but also to win dignity and honor for China and the world. Although history has passed, the spirit and deeds of the "Flying Tigers" still inspire us to keep moving forward.
We should cherish peace, respect life, love the country, and strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.