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The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter of World War II, after the North American P-51 Mustang and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt; by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation's main production facilities in Buffalo, New York.
The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC), and was commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. Their Curtiss P-40B Warhawk aircraft, marked with Chinese colors, flew under American control. Recruited under President Franklin Roosevelt's authority before Pearl Harbor, their mission was to bomb Japan and defend the Republic of China, but many delays meant the AVG first flew in combat after the US and Japan declared war.
The American Volunteer Groups were volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Nationalist government of China against Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only unit to actually see combat was the 1st AVG, popularly known as the Flying Tigers.
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Robert Burdette Westbrook was a United States Army Air Forces lieutenant colonel and a World War II flying ace. Westbrook commanded the 44th Fighter Squadron, and became the leading fighter ace of the Thirteenth Air Force. He is also the ninth ranking fighter ace in the Pacific during World War II and also one of ten United States Army Air Forces pilots who became an ace in two different types of fighter aircraft.
Lieutenant Colonel George Bray McMillan was a United States Army Air Forces fighter pilot, Squadron Commander, combat "ace" and member of the American Volunteer Group better known as the Flying Tigers.
William Douglas Dunham was an American flying ace in the 348th Fighter Group during World War II, scoring 16 aerial victories. He retired from the United States Air Force in 1970 at the rank of brigadier general.
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Stephen Jacob Bonner Jr. was an American flying ace in the 23rd Fighter Group during World War II.
References
- 1 2 "D. F. C. on Son's Behalf Will Go to Bob Little's Mother". Spokane Daily Chronicle . July 27, 1943.
- ↑ "American Volunteer Group Aces, World War II, 1939–1945". American Fighter Aces Association (americanfighteraces.org). Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Samson, Jack (December 20, 2011). Flying Tiger: The True Story of General Claire Chennault and the U.S. 14th Air Force in China. Lyons Press. p. 191. ISBN 9780762795437 . Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Clements, Terrill J.; Laurier, Jim (February 20, 2013). American Volunteer Group 'Flying Tigers' Aces. Osprey Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 9781472800596 . Retrieved February 23, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
- ↑ Olynyk, Frank J. AVG & USAAF (China-Burma-India Theater) Credits for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft in Air to Air Combat, World War 2. Aurora, Ohio: Privately published, 1986. Figures obtained from warbirdforum.com.
- ↑ "Boyhood Chum of Bob Little Tells of Hero's Activities". Spokane Daily Chronicle. July 18, 1942.
- ↑ Tracy Ellig (September 6, 2000). "Tale of heroism is finally told". The Spokesman-Review .