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The Flying Tigers—officially the American Volunteer Group (AVG)—were a legendary band of U.S. mercenary pilots who defended China against Japan in early WWII. Flying rugged P-40 Warhawks, they famously avoided prolonged turning "dogfights". Instead, they utilized hit-and-run tactics, diving from above to leverage their superior speed, heavy armor, and firepower against highly maneuverable Japanese fighters.
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Short filmTranscript
00:13December 20th, 1941, 10 Japanese twin-engined Ki-21 Sally Bombers fly toward the southern Chinese city of Kunming.
00:25As they near their target, the Japanese bomber pilots are stunned to see four small fighter aircraft bearing down on
00:33them.
00:33The approaching P-40 Tomahawks open fire.
00:37Caught off guard, the Sallys quickly jettison their bomb load and turn full throttle toward home.
00:44But ten more of the camouflaged fighters appear.
00:54The fighters are unlike any aircraft they've ever encountered.
00:58They're fast and expertly flown.
01:01Their wings bear the national markings of the Chinese Air Force.
01:05But their nose sports the gaping maw of a great shark.
01:11It's the Flying Tigers, now in their first combat over the skies of Southeast Asia.
01:18Raining deadly tracers on the twin-engined aircraft, a fighter barely misses slamming into one of the Sallys and, at
01:25the last second, slides beneath it.
01:30The bomber bursts into flame and noses over in a death spiral.
01:40Four of the Japanese aircraft are blown out of the sky, wounded.
01:45The six remaining Sallys limp back to their base.
01:51That first combat on December 20th, 1941, represented a watershed in the history of military aviation in China.
02:00This was the first time that a thoroughly modern, professional Air Force, staffed by Americans, engaged the Japanese on the
02:09Asian mainland.
02:10And it was a stunning success.
02:13The Japanese didn't know who the mysterious aviators were.
02:20But the grateful Chinese did.
02:24And when a Chinese newspaper recounted the lopsided victory, they gave these brave pilots a name.
02:31The Chinese paper had come up with the expression,
02:35They're fighting like tigers, flying tigers.
02:39The pilots were Americans, volunteers serving in the Chinese Air Force.
02:46They found themselves fighting for the Chinese thanks to a remarkable aviator named Claire Lee Chennault.
02:54An officer in the Army Air Corps in the 1930s,
02:58Chennault earned a reputation as an authority on fighter tactics and as a fearless pilot and able leader.
03:07By the age of 40, he had commanded a fighter squadron and had toured the country as lead pilot of
03:14the Army's first aerobatic team.
03:17An adamant and gruff advocate for more and better fighter aircraft,
03:22Chennault had stepped on one too many toes at Army headquarters.
03:28In 1937, he was asked to resign his officer's commission and retire.
03:34The following day, he accepted an offer from the Chinese.
03:39In 1937, he was asked to go to China to do an evaluation of the Chinese Air Force.
03:45The Japanese had been carrying on their terror bombing campaign,
03:48and the little Chinese Air Force was being beaten and was eventually beaten badly.
03:58In 1937, two years before the outbreak of World War II,
04:02the Japanese expanded their grip on Manchuria.
04:07The Chinese suffered terribly.
04:10Its seaports were attacked,
04:12and natural resources were seized to feed the Imperial War Machine.
04:17Towns were bombed relentlessly as the Japanese adopted a terror policy called the Three Alls.
04:24Kill all, loot all, burn all.
04:30With obsolete aircraft, the Chinese Air Force was no match for the efficient, modern, and brutal Japanese.
04:38Claire Chennault had a solution.
04:41The Chinese Air Force had been decimated,
04:45and it was important to keep China in the war.
04:48And the only way they could keep China in the war,
04:51they needed an instant air force.
04:54And the only way you're going to get instant air force
04:56is to recruit professionals like the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
05:00So Chennault came back to the States to make his case.
05:05In early 1941, the United States was not yet at war with Japan.
05:10If American airmen were to fight the Japanese,
05:13they would have to do it as members of the Chinese Air Force.
05:18Working with secret U.S. government approval,
05:21Chennault put out the word that the Chinese were looking to hire qualified pilots and mechanics.
05:28They were allowed to resign from the U.S. Armed Forces,
05:33turn around and sign a lucrative contract with the Chinese government.
05:37The pay was real, very good.
05:41The lowest pay for a pilot was $600 a month.
05:46That's for a wingman.
05:47Then you had $6.50 for a flight leader, $7.50 for a squadron leader.
05:54So that was very attractive.
05:57At nearly three times the usual salary of a military aviator,
06:02word of the generous offer spread quickly.
06:05It didn't take long to fill a roster with 99 eager pilots.
06:11Recruiters also contracted about 200 enlisted aircraft mechanics,
06:16armorers, radio operators, administrators, and even a chaplain.
06:23By July 1941, the airmen had traveled to Kidao Airfield in Burma,
06:28an air base borrowed from the British.
06:30It was strategically located 300 miles from Lashio,
06:34the last stop of the Burma Road, the main supply route into China.
06:39The single biggest reason for the Flying Tigers' existence
06:42was to defend the Burma Road.
06:45That road, which ran, as the name implies, from Burma into southern China,
06:49was the major supply route for sustaining Chinese military operations
06:56against the Japanese in that part of the world.
06:59At Kidao Airfield, they took possession of their new aircraft,
07:03the P-40, and an official name,
07:06the American Volunteer Group, or AVG.
07:11Chennault divided his unit into three pursuit squadrons.
07:15Each had its own logo.
07:17But in the fall of 1941,
07:19all the squadrons adopted the soon-to-be-famous paint scheme
07:22for their tomahawks.
07:24The menacing, grinning shark's mouth
07:26would become synonymous with the Flying Tigers.
07:30We're looking at a publication that comes out of India,
07:33and it showed a lot of these Aussie airplanes, the P-40, just like we had.
07:39And it showed the shark's mouth on it.
07:43And it lends itself so well to that airplane
07:47that we adopted it.
07:52By December 1941,
07:54the pilots of the AVG had been training for months,
07:57but had yet to test their skills.
08:02A few days before Christmas,
08:04they got their chance.
08:09On December 20,
08:10they intercept and destroy
08:12four out of ten Sally bombers
08:14before they strike Kunming, China.
08:21Three days later,
08:23they defeat another Japanese attack
08:24and rack up 11 kills
08:26with five more probables.
08:33And on December 25,
08:35they down an astounding 24 Japanese planes,
08:39a present for Hirohito on Christmas Day.
08:46But these early actions are all defensive,
08:49stopping incoming bomber raids.
08:51A few days after the new year,
08:53the Flying Tigers take the fight
08:55to the Japanese.
08:58January 3, 1942.
09:03It's pilot David Tex Hill's
09:05first mission for the Flying Tigers.
09:09Tex Hill left the Navy to volunteer.
09:12He's eager for action.
09:16He and three other American pilots
09:18aimed their P-40 Tomahawks
09:20toward the Japanese airfield
09:21at Brahang, Thailand.
09:25The plan?
09:26Arrive at dawn
09:27and devastate enemy aircraft
09:29on the ground.
09:31Jack Newkirk,
09:32who was the squadron leader,
09:34and he had Bert Christman on his wing,
09:37and Jim Howard,
09:38leading the element,
09:39and I was on Jim's wing.
09:42Shortly after takeoff,
09:44one of the P-40s radios in.
09:47Bert Christman had engine trouble,
09:49so he had to turn back.
09:52Christman heads for home.
09:54The three remaining P-40s continue on.
09:58They're over the target at first light.
10:00They make a left turn
10:01to align with the field
10:03and begin a shallow dive.
10:06The pilots line up
10:07one behind the other,
10:09about 950 feet apart,
10:11known as a string formation.
10:14They would bend it over,
10:15which means to put your airplane
10:16in a dive,
10:17and accelerate
10:18as they came down
10:19to strafe the aircraft
10:20on the ground.
10:21Their 1,200-horsepower
10:23Allison engines
10:24scream as they dive
10:26towards the airfield
10:27at 300 miles per hour.
10:29Jim Howard strafes the area,
10:31breaking the airfield
10:32with machine gun fire.
10:39Tex Hill dives after him,
10:41preparing his own strafing run,
10:43but the run is cut short.
10:45Tex sees a Ki-27 Nate
10:48at 10 o'clock
10:49streaking in
10:49right onto Howard's tail.
10:53It's Tex's first time
10:55in combat,
10:56and his friend's life
10:58is in his hands.
11:04Tigers take the fight
11:05to the Japanese
11:06and attack an airfield
11:07at Rahang, Thailand.
11:14Tex Hill's flight lead,
11:16Jim Howard,
11:17has just been attacked
11:18by a Japanese Nate.
11:20Jim Howard is here.
11:22The Nate is on his tail,
11:24here.
11:25Tex is here.
11:27Tex is here.
11:31Jim Howard strafes
11:32the airfield,
11:35and the Nate
11:36pumps lead into him.
11:41Tex closes on the Nate's tail
11:43and lines him up
11:44in his crosshairs.
11:47Our ammo is loaded
11:49with every fifth round
11:50with a Tracy.
11:51So it looked like
11:52just a big hose,
11:54you know,
11:55going out there.
11:56So I was just looking
11:57right through the windscreen
11:58and following those traces,
12:00and he blew up
12:01right in front of me.
12:03He blasts through
12:05the churning fireball.
12:08At the other end
12:09of the airfield,
12:10Jim Howard pulls up
12:11from his strafing run
12:12intact.
12:16It's Tex's first victory,
12:18but there's no time
12:20to celebrate.
12:21Another Nate
12:22is at 12 o'clock high,
12:23directly in front of him.
12:26When I saw
12:27that other guy
12:28who's starting
12:28to make a pass on me,
12:30then I turned
12:31into him head on.
12:34It's a defining moment
12:36for Tex
12:37when he would demonstrate
12:38perfectly the strengths
12:39of the P-40
12:40over the Japanese Nate.
12:44The P-40 was built
12:45by the Curtis Aircraft Company
12:47in Buffalo, New York.
12:49Claire Chenault obtained
12:51100 that were originally
12:53destined for the British RAF.
12:57The P-40B was rugged,
13:00could reach 378 miles per hour,
13:02and was heavily armed
13:04with two .50 caliber
13:05nose-mounted machine guns
13:06and four wing-mounted .30 calibers.
13:09It also had thick armor
13:11around the engine and cockpit
13:13to protect the pilot.
13:16Its opponent
13:17is the Nakajima KI-27 Nate,
13:20which entered service
13:21in 1936.
13:23The Nate had an air-cooled
13:24radial engine
13:25and fixed landing gear.
13:28Its top speed
13:29was 305 miles per hour,
13:31and it was armed
13:32with one 12.7 millimeter
13:34and one 7.7 millimeter
13:36nose-mounted machine gun.
13:39The P-40 had better firepower
13:42armor, but it was heavy
13:44and could not turn
13:45with a much lighter
13:46Japanese Nate.
13:53These fundamental differences
13:55in aircraft design philosophy
13:57were at the core
13:58of Claire Chenault's approach
13:59to dogfighting.
14:01And the type of attacks
14:03he typically set up
14:04was to come in
14:04at high altitude,
14:06make screaming diving attacks
14:07against Japanese formations,
14:09take the energy
14:10that they built up,
14:11zoom climb up
14:12to a high altitude again,
14:13and come back around.
14:14He told his pilots,
14:16do not dogfight
14:17with the Japanese airplanes.
14:18Certain death.
14:21Facing a Japanese Nate
14:22head-on,
14:23Tex Hill applies
14:24these tactics.
14:26He knows the way
14:27to dogfight with a Nate
14:28is not to dogfight at all.
14:31Instead,
14:32he'll charge him
14:33with machine guns blazing.
14:37Tex Hill is here.
14:39The Nate is here.
14:41Tex will pull up
14:42into the Nate,
14:43aim towards him,
14:44and attack him head-on.
14:47I'm pulling into him,
14:49and, of course,
14:51I had the firepower
14:52on the head-on.
14:54The fighters close
14:56at over 600 miles per hour.
14:59The Nate peppers
15:01Tex's aircraft,
15:02but the B-40's armor plate
15:04does its job.
15:06Eventually,
15:07the lighter armored Nate
15:08couldn't take the punishment
15:09and ended up spiraling
15:11out of control.
15:15The Nate spirals
15:16into the jungle.
15:17The fight's over.
15:20I had no idea
15:21where Howard
15:22and Newkirk were.
15:24I just headed right home,
15:26get out of that area.
15:30Suddenly,
15:31Tex feels
15:31an intense vibration.
15:33His plane is shaking,
15:34unlike anything
15:35he's ever felt before.
15:39The instruments
15:40are probably just
15:40almost shaking
15:41out of the panel itself,
15:43and he's probably wondering
15:43if he's even going to
15:44make it back to base.
15:46He finally reaches
15:47Minglodon Airfield,
15:49where Howard and Newkirk
15:50have also landed safely.
15:51He looks at his plane.
15:54He shot 33 holes
15:56in my airplane.
15:58Some of his bullets
15:58stuck in my prop,
16:00and it threw the prop
16:01out of balance,
16:03and I thought the engine
16:06was coming out of the airplane.
16:07The Flying Tigers'
16:09first offensive mission
16:10against the Japanese
16:11is a success.
16:13Four enemy fighters
16:14destroyed in the air,
16:17four bombers
16:18on the ground.
16:25They were also
16:26gaining notoriety.
16:28The Flying Tigers
16:29didn't use military ranks
16:31or military discipline.
16:32They fought and played
16:34by their own rules,
16:36their raucous antics
16:38fueling their fame.
16:40In Rangoon,
16:42they rode water buffalo
16:43down the street.
16:44They shot up the chandeliers
16:45in their favorite
16:46watering hole.
16:47They even had a pet leopard.
16:51Chenault looked the other way,
16:53allowing the pilots
16:54to relieve the tension
16:55of constant combat,
16:56but he insisted
16:57on total discipline
16:59in the air.
17:00I think he was
17:01an excellent leader.
17:02If you did your job right,
17:05why, he would back you
17:07at every time.
17:09During its six months
17:10in combat,
17:11this handful of American
17:13soldiers of fortune
17:14claimed nearly 130
17:15Japanese aircraft
17:1711 went down
17:19under the guns
17:19of Tex Hill's
17:20P-40 Tomahawk.
17:23Here's a ragtag
17:25mercenary organization
17:26of former Army,
17:28Navy, Air Force
17:29officers and enlisted men
17:31who took on the Japanese
17:32head-to-head,
17:33very close to
17:34Japanese home islands,
17:36and proved that
17:37the enemy
17:38who appeared to be
17:3910 feet tall
17:40could be whittled
17:41down to size.
17:43But after Pearl Harbor,
17:45a mercenary army
17:45wasn't needed anymore.
17:47The full might
17:48of the U.S. military
17:49was now in the war.
17:51Despite their legendary
17:52combat record,
17:53the decision was made
17:55to allow the American
17:56volunteer group's contract
17:57with the Chinese government
17:58to expire on July 4, 1942.
18:05But the Flying Tigers
18:06would live on.
18:08The Army soon created
18:09the China Air Task Force
18:11to oversee the air war
18:13in the Far East.
18:14The mission and men
18:16of the AVG
18:16would be rolled
18:17into the new unit
18:18as the 23rd fighter group.
18:20The China Air Task Force
18:22came under the control
18:23of colorful theater commander
18:25Joseph Vinegar Zhou
18:26Stilwell.
18:28The transition
18:29from the AVG
18:31to the China Air Task Force
18:33was somewhat messy.
18:34The pilots
18:35were being coerced
18:37to stay
18:38in the China Air Task Force
18:39and it left
18:40a lot of bitter feelings.
18:43Stilwell brought in
18:44General Clayton Bissell
18:45to talk to the AVG.
18:48He could not have chosen
18:49a poorer man for the job.
18:51The Flying Tigers
18:52were gathered
18:53in an auditorium
18:54and he basically
18:55laid it out.
18:56He said,
18:57we want you to stay.
18:58If you don't want to stay,
18:59then you can go home
19:01but we will have
19:01draft boards waiting
19:02for you at the gangplank
19:04in the United States
19:04and you'll be drafted
19:06into the Army
19:06as privates
19:07in the infantry.
19:09The pilots
19:10didn't take well
19:11to Stilwell's intimidation
19:12and threatened
19:13to leave en masse.
19:16Claire Chenault
19:17reactivated his commission
19:18and was promoted
19:19to General.
19:22He set out
19:23to clean up the mess
19:24and preserve
19:25the fighting spirit
19:26that made the Flying Tigers
19:27famous.
19:31He called Tex Hill
19:32into his office.
19:34And Chenault said,
19:35I think Bissell poisoned them.
19:36I don't think many of them
19:37are planning to stay.
19:38If I lose you, Tex,
19:39I'm not sure
19:40what I'm going to do.
19:41And Tex immediately said,
19:42General,
19:43I'll stay as long
19:43as you need me.
19:45Chenault was obviously relieved
19:46and asked Tex
19:47to kind of talk
19:47to some of the guys
19:48and see if they would stay on
19:50because these were the veterans.
19:52In the end,
19:5326 out of the remaining
19:5590 AVG pilots
19:56and 57 out of 190 ground crew
19:59extended their contracts
20:01for two weeks,
20:02enough time to train
20:03the new arrivals.
20:06Tex and Chenault
20:07persuaded five Flying Tiger pilots
20:09to stay on longer
20:10to fight with the new command.
20:13On July 29th, 1942,
20:16the new Flying Tigers
20:17would be in action.
20:21The Japanese mount
20:22a concerted effort
20:23to wipe them out.
20:26Several nights in a row,
20:27waves of Japanese bombers
20:29pummel the airstrip
20:30at Heng Yang Airfield.
20:33Frustrated by the attacks,
20:35a soft-spoken,
20:36talented fighter pilot
20:37named John Allison
20:39approaches Tex Hill.
20:41I said to Tex,
20:42as the AVG tried
20:43to stop them at night,
20:45and if I remember correctly,
20:47he said,
20:47well, we made some attempts,
20:49but we were never
20:49very successful at it.
20:51So I said to Tex,
20:53well, if they come tomorrow,
20:54I'm going to be up there.
20:56The bombers do return,
20:58and this time,
20:59John Allison and Tex Hill
21:01have a plan.
21:03It would be Allison's
21:04first taste of combat,
21:06and under a full moon,
21:07he would engage
21:08in one of the most famous
21:10dogfights
21:11in Flying Tigers history.
21:17July 29, 1942,
21:20a full moon shines brightly
21:22over Heng Yang Airfield.
21:25The Flying Tigers
21:27are in action again,
21:28and John Allison
21:29will get his first taste
21:30of combat.
21:32Allison has been alerted
21:34that a Japanese bomber formation
21:36is en route
21:37to attack the Tigers' base.
21:39He straps into his P-40
21:41and launches into the air.
21:45John Allison reminds me
21:47of no one as much
21:48as Jimmy Doolittle.
21:49They're both short in stature,
21:51very focused,
21:52precise types
21:53of aviation professionals,
21:55but when each of them
21:56climbed in the airplane,
21:58strapped in,
21:58and started the engine,
21:59there was a personality change.
22:03Tex Hill and John Allison
22:05have worked out
22:06a clever tactic
22:07to detect and engage
22:09the formation.
22:11Previous raids
22:12had shown them
22:12that the Japanese
22:13liked to bomb targets
22:15from 15,000 feet.
22:17We didn't want them
22:18to get underneath us
22:19because at night
22:20you just can't see them,
22:21although you could see
22:22the flame from their exhaust.
22:25Allison and veteran AVG pilot
22:28Ajax Baumler
22:29will be flying
22:29in a position
22:30called Up Moon.
22:33Lacking radar
22:34or navigation aids,
22:36the Moonlight
22:37is their only help
22:38in detecting the Japanese.
22:41If the Japanese
22:42come in
22:43at their normal altitude,
22:44both pilots
22:45will see them silhouetted
22:47against the moonlit sky.
22:49If the Japanese
22:50come in under Allison,
22:52Baumler will see them.
22:53If they come in
22:54under Baumler,
22:55they will be low enough
22:56for the ground crew
22:57to spot them
22:57and radio in.
23:01Baumler levels off
23:02at 9,000 feet.
23:04Allison continues on
23:05to orbit
23:05at 12,000 feet.
23:08Somewhere in the darkness,
23:10the formation
23:10of six Japanese
23:12Ki-21 bombers
23:13approach
23:14in two three-plane elements.
23:18The Mitsubishi
23:19Ki-21 bomber,
23:21better known to the Allies
23:22as the Sally,
23:23was the workhorse
23:25of the Japanese
23:25Army Air Force
23:26in China.
23:28It could carry
23:29over 2,000 pounds
23:31of bombs.
23:32The Sally
23:33had incredible range,
23:35but this came
23:35at the cost
23:36of crew protection.
23:37It was very lightly armored.
23:40A fighter could shred
23:42the Sally
23:42with machine gun fire
23:43if he could get in close,
23:45but he would have to brave
23:46its two trainable
23:477.7-millimeter machine guns,
23:50one in the nose
23:51and one in the tail.
23:54Allison gets a radio call.
23:56Crew at the air base
23:57can hear the Sally's
23:58engines over them.
24:01Finally,
24:02they were approaching
24:02our little airport
24:04at Hang Yang
24:04from the north.
24:06Allison and Baumler
24:07scan the skies,
24:09peering through the darkness
24:10for a glimpse
24:10of the bomber's exhaust.
24:13Allison twists
24:14his head around
24:15and catches
24:16a flash of exhaust,
24:17three sallies
24:19above him.
24:23I was 3,000 feet
24:25below them.
24:26I immediately
24:27opened the throttle
24:29full power
24:29and started to climb
24:31and I said,
24:33OK, fellows,
24:34watch the fireworks.
24:36Allison targets
24:37one of the three aircraft
24:38but misjudges
24:40his closing speed.
24:42My airplane
24:43was climbing fast
24:44and also going
24:46much faster
24:47than the bombers
24:47and I turned
24:49to follow them
24:51and I was right
24:52in the middle
24:53of the formation.
24:55Suddenly,
24:56streams of tracers
24:57bracket Allison's
24:58P-40.
25:03They were shooting
25:04at me
25:05and my radio
25:06went dead.
25:07They had hit
25:08my radio.
25:09This is before
25:09I'd fired a shot
25:10and they put
25:12one round
25:13right through the seat
25:14and into my parachute.
25:17His engine
25:18is peppered
25:19as he flies
25:19through the stream
25:20of bullets.
25:23Allison must act
25:24quickly.
25:26In order to
25:27reposition himself
25:28behind the bombers,
25:29he'll rudder
25:30hard left
25:31and throttle down.
25:33It causes
25:34his plane
25:35to skid
25:36to the side
25:36and dramatically
25:37cuts his airspeed.
25:40The tactic
25:41works perfectly.
25:44I probably
25:45wasn't 200 feet
25:47behind them,
25:48maybe even closer
25:49and my first
25:51rounds were
25:52down the fuselage
25:53and I know
25:55I must have killed
25:56everybody
25:56in the airplane.
25:59The attack
26:00from point-blank range
26:01shreds the bomber.
26:04The wounded Sally
26:06pitches hard up,
26:07hemorrhaging oil,
26:08which splatters
26:09Allison's windshield.
26:12Allison has just
26:13knocked out
26:13one Sally,
26:14but there are
26:15two left.
26:16The formation's
26:17right wingman
26:18is the closest target,
26:19but its rear gunner
26:21has Allison
26:22in his crosshairs.
26:24Allison rolls right
26:26and swings in
26:27on the bomber's six,
26:28braving a hail
26:29of tracer fire.
26:32The one that had
26:33been hitting me
26:33on the right,
26:34hitting me most,
26:36I just gave him
26:37a burst and he exploded.
26:44It's a confirmed kill.
26:46There's just one
26:47Sally left
26:48in the formation.
26:49The leader,
26:50but Allison's P-40
26:52is wounded.
26:52It's taken
26:53a tremendous beating.
26:56I didn't realize
26:57how hard I had been hit.
26:59But they'd actually
27:00knocked a five-inch hole
27:01through the crankcase
27:02and all the oil
27:04was draining out,
27:05which I didn't know that.
27:07Thanks to the P-40
27:08and its ruggedness,
27:09it kept flying.
27:12Allison breaks left,
27:13slams his throttle forward,
27:15drawing a bead
27:16on the lead Sally.
27:20His bullets impact
27:21the aircraft's left engine.
27:26Trailing flaming debris,
27:27the Sally disappears
27:29into the darkness.
27:33It's Allison's third bomber.
27:36But with flames
27:37licking his engine cowling,
27:39it's time to head back
27:40to base
27:41and try to make
27:42an emergency landing.
27:46When the airplane
27:47really started
27:48to burn,
27:50I kind of panicked
27:51and I was going
27:53so fast
27:54I couldn't get
27:54into the airport.
27:55But fortunately,
27:56the river
27:58was right out
27:59ahead of me
27:59and I said,
28:00oh, well,
28:01I can make the river.
28:03Allison puts
28:04his crippled P-40
28:06into the
28:06Siang-Kiang River.
28:09I popped out
28:10of the airplane,
28:11swam over
28:11to a log raft.
28:13A Chinese young man
28:14ran out across the logs,
28:16pulled me up
28:17and in my best Chinese,
28:19I was shouting,
28:20I'm an American.
28:21I'm an American.
28:23Four of the six
28:24Japanese bombers
28:25sent to strike
28:26the airfield
28:27are shot down.
28:30But these six bombers
28:31are just
28:32the first wave.
28:35Only hours later,
28:36in the light of day,
28:38the Japanese
28:38would send
28:39a far larger formation
28:40to eliminate
28:41the Americans
28:42once and for all.
28:44And this time,
28:45they're bringing escort.
28:46A formation
28:47of advanced fighters
28:49more powerful
28:50than the native.
28:51They'll test
28:52the flying tigers
28:53like never before.
28:57July 30th, 1942.
29:00Southeast China.
29:02The 75th Fighter Squadron
29:03of the Flying Tigers
29:05scramble to intercept
29:06a formation
29:06of enemy aircraft
29:07sent to level
29:08their home base
29:09at Heng Yang Airfield.
29:12Tex Hill
29:12leads 10 P-40s
29:14into the fight.
29:17Hill climbs
29:18to meet a formation
29:19of 27 Japanese fighters
29:21that are leading
29:22the onslaught.
29:27And then here comes
29:28this big fighter sweep.
29:32Tex Hill is here.
29:34The formation
29:35of enemy fighters
29:36are here.
29:38Tex must climb
29:39to engage them.
29:40In true
29:41Flying Tigers style,
29:43he'll attack them
29:44head on.
29:51They aren't
29:52the familiar nates.
29:53the fighters
29:54are a newer
29:55advanced Japanese aircraft.
29:59The Nakajima
30:00Ki-43 Oscar
30:02is the successor
30:02to the Nate
30:03and entered service
30:05in the Pacific
30:05in 1941.
30:08Like all Japanese fighters,
30:10it traded armor
30:11for performance.
30:13Powered by a
30:141,150-horsepower engine
30:17and armed
30:18with two 12.7-millimeter
30:20machine guns,
30:21it could fly faster
30:22and higher
30:23than the Nate.
30:25And they were flown
30:26by skilled
30:27Japanese army pilots.
30:29All through
30:30the 1930s,
30:32the Japanese
30:32developed their
30:33military air arm.
30:35Both naval
30:35and army aviators
30:37were highly skilled
30:38warriors of the emperor.
30:39The Japanese military culture
30:42was extremely
30:43mission-oriented.
30:44It was said that
30:45every Japanese warrior
30:46owed the emperor
30:48his life.
30:49And if the mission
30:50called for sacrificing
30:51his life
30:52in advancing
30:53the cause
30:55of the emperor
30:55who many Japanese
30:57literally considered
30:58a living god,
30:59that was not only
31:00required,
31:00it was also deemed
31:01a significant honor.
31:04Those guys
31:04were very well
31:05trained.
31:06I said,
31:07you know,
31:07the Japanese,
31:08anything that they
31:09did or set out
31:11to do,
31:11they just really
31:12excelled in it.
31:15The Oscars
31:16spot the P-40s
31:17and move
31:17to engage.
31:19Tex opens
31:20his throttle,
31:21leading his squad
31:22of P-40s
31:22into the teeth
31:23of the Japanese
31:24assault.
31:27Tex will use
31:28the same tactics
31:29that have made
31:30the Flying Tigers
31:31famous.
31:35One of the
31:36Japanese Oscars
31:37pulls ahead
31:38of the rest.
31:38He goes
31:39head-to-head
31:40with Tex.
31:44This guy
31:44now came
31:45head-on
31:46doing about
31:46250 or something
31:47like that.
31:48He was doing
31:48around 200.
31:49That's pretty fast.
31:51But, you know,
31:52you get a fixation
31:53on something
31:54like that.
31:55Sometimes
31:56with a closing
31:57rate like that
31:58you could
31:58very easily
31:59collide.
32:05Tex and the
32:06Oscar
32:06open fire
32:07at the same
32:08time.
32:11The P-40
32:12shudders
32:13as the
32:13Oscars'
32:14bullets
32:14hit home.
32:15Tex ignores
32:16it.
32:16He keeps
32:17closing.
32:23His six
32:24machine guns
32:25have a heavier
32:25weight of fire
32:26than the
32:27Oscars'
32:27two 12.7
32:28millimetre
32:29rounds.
32:34The minute I
32:36hit him,
32:36he started
32:36smoking.
32:41He immediately
32:42began to trail,
32:44a thin trail
32:45of smoke,
32:45and we knew
32:46he was hit,
32:47and probably
32:48fatally.
32:48The Oscar
32:50is an advanced
32:50Japanese fighter,
32:52but its weakness
32:53is the same.
32:54No armor.
32:55A split second
32:56before they collide,
32:58the Oscar
32:58bursts into flame
32:59and falls away.
33:07Tex Hill's P-40s
33:09went on to down
33:1015 enemy fighters
33:12in the raid.
33:12The Japanese attack
33:14fails,
33:14and the Flying Tigers'
33:16home airfield
33:17is spared.
33:18The Japanese effort
33:20is derailed
33:21by Chenault's
33:22well-honed tactics.
33:25Avoid the
33:26turning fight
33:26and use
33:27the P-40's
33:28superior speed,
33:30power,
33:30and heavy armament.
33:33The tactics
33:34that worked
33:35against the Nate
33:35were equally
33:36effective
33:37against the Oscar.
33:41the China Air
33:43Task Force
33:44goes on
33:44the offensive.
33:45Japanese military
33:46and industrial
33:47sites are targeted
33:48throughout
33:49Southeast Asia.
33:52August 12,
33:541942,
33:55B-24
33:56heavy bombers
33:57supported by
33:58Flying Tiger
33:59P-40s
34:00attacked the
34:00key shipping
34:01center at
34:01Haiphong,
34:02destroying ships,
34:04airfields,
34:05and vital
34:05supply dumps.
34:07In October,
34:08P-40s dive-bombed
34:10Japanese supply lines
34:11and strafe
34:12convoys in
34:13Burma.
34:14On November
34:1527,
34:16the largest force
34:17in China Air
34:18Task Force
34:19history strikes
34:20the Fort City
34:21of Canton
34:21on the Pearl
34:22River Delta.
34:24But on March
34:2619, 1943,
34:28the small,
34:29scrappy
34:30China Air
34:30Task Force
34:31was replaced
34:32by a new
34:32organization,
34:33the 14th Air
34:35Air Force.
34:36Claire Chenault
34:37took command.
34:39So naturally,
34:40the newcomers,
34:41the new guys
34:41on the block,
34:42attached themselves
34:43to the Flying Tiger
34:44name.
34:45After all,
34:46the same Claire Chenault
34:47was their
34:47commanding officer
34:48as well.
34:51John Allison
34:52leads some of
34:53the most successful
34:54raids of the
34:54entire war.
34:56But his Asian tour
34:57is coming to a close.
34:59He is to be
35:00reassigned
35:00to the European
35:01Theater.
35:04But on his
35:05last day
35:05in China,
35:07Allison will
35:07find himself
35:08in the most
35:08harrowing
35:09dart fight
35:10of his career.
35:16May 31,
35:181943,
35:19John Allison's
35:20last mission
35:21as a Flying Tiger
35:22in China.
35:25He's flying
35:26with a squadron
35:27of Chinese pilots.
35:30One Chinese
35:31squadron
35:31had just
35:31gotten brand
35:32new P-40s
35:33and General
35:34Shaw
35:35asked me
35:36if I would
35:36go up
35:37and fly with them
35:38and I said
35:39I'd be delighted
35:40to do that.
35:42Since before
35:43the Tiger's
35:43arrival in China,
35:44Americans
35:45had been training
35:46and advising
35:47Nationalist
35:47Chinese pilots.
35:49I had seven
35:50Chinese pilots
35:52and I should
35:53have had two
35:53American wingmen
35:55but one of them
35:55couldn't get
35:56his airplane
35:56started.
35:58Allison and
35:59his Chinese
35:59wingman
36:00escort B-24s
36:01in a mission
36:02to attack
36:02a Japanese
36:03base at
36:04Ichan.
36:05The bombers,
36:06proud to be
36:07a part of
36:07the Flying Tiger's
36:08legacy,
36:09have painted
36:09each B-24 nose
36:11with the famous
36:12shark's teeth.
36:15There's heavy
36:16cloud cover
36:17as the P-40
36:18fighters and
36:18B-24 bombers
36:19reach the target
36:20at Ichan.
36:24Allison spots
36:25a break
36:25in the clouds.
36:26He'll go down
36:27to Reconnoiter.
36:29He radios
36:30the rest of
36:31the formation
36:31to stay above
36:32the clouds.
36:34I said,
36:35let me go
36:35by myself.
36:36So I started
36:37and I turned
36:38around and I
36:38look back
36:39and I've got
36:40myself and
36:41my wingman
36:41and then behind
36:43us are these
36:44nine B-24s.
36:47and while we
36:48were having
36:49this conversation
36:50all of a sudden
36:50it's just
36:51as if someone
36:52had taken
36:52a handful
36:53of pepper
36:53and thrown
36:54it up
36:55through these
36:55black spots
36:56or busting
36:57through the
36:58ceiling.
36:5920 Japanese
37:00Oscars
37:01have suddenly
37:01appeared.
37:02They're heading
37:03directly for
37:04the B-24s.
37:08Allison is here.
37:10The enemy Oscars
37:11climb towards
37:12the B-24s
37:13here.
37:15Allison must
37:16find some
37:16way to engage
37:17and divert
37:18the fighters
37:19from the
37:19bomber formation.
37:21He must
37:22act quickly.
37:23The lighter
37:23and more
37:24agile Japanese
37:25fighters are
37:26closing fast
37:26on the B-24s.
37:29Allison jams
37:30the stick back
37:31and rudders
37:31right in a
37:32climbing turn.
37:34I found
37:35myself climbing
37:36with all
37:37these Japanese
37:37fighters.
37:39He pulls
37:40up on an
37:41easy target,
37:41and Oscar
37:42right in
37:43front of him.
37:50Tracer's
37:51hit his
37:51cockpit
37:52and he just
37:52rolled over
37:53and dove
37:53straight into
37:54the cloud.
37:56One Oscar's
37:57down, but
37:5819 are still
37:59pressing the
38:00attack.
38:05He maneuvers
38:06through the
38:06enemy formation.
38:09then lines
38:11up another
38:11Oscar in
38:12his sights.
38:16I hit him
38:17and he did
38:18catch fire.
38:21So I knew
38:21I got that
38:22one.
38:32Allison pulls
38:33into a high
38:34G climb.
38:35Three Oscars
38:36are attacking
38:37a B-24.
38:40Before he reaches
38:41the vulnerable
38:42bomber, he spots
38:43another bandit
38:44at 3 o'clock.
38:45Allison has to
38:46make a split
38:47second decision.
38:50Allison is here.
38:51The bombers
38:53are here.
38:54The Oscar is on
38:55his 3 o'clock
38:56here.
38:57But I figured
38:58that I could
38:59just pull my
39:00airplane up
39:01almost into a
39:02stall and that I
39:03might be able to
39:04divert these three
39:06from their attack
39:06on the bombers.
39:07It's a gutsy move.
39:10Allison will climb
39:11vertically towards
39:12the Oscars,
39:13letting loose a
39:13stream of fire
39:14to disrupt
39:15their attack.
39:16But he'll lose
39:18airspeed in the
39:18climb.
39:19If he stalls,
39:21he'll be an easy
39:22target for the Oscar
39:23on his tail.
39:25Allison pulls the
39:26stick into his
39:27chest.
39:28His airspeed
39:29falls off.
39:31He presses the
39:33trigger.
39:36His P-40
39:37shudders in a
39:38stall.
39:39The Oscar
39:39opens fire.
39:42And the next
39:43thing I knew,
39:44I lost my
39:45rudder.
39:45This airplane
39:46coming up from
39:47below had hit the
39:49main hinge of our
39:50rudder and it fell
39:51off.
39:52But instead of
39:53leaving the
39:53airplane, it was
39:54still connected by
39:55the cable and it
39:56started a terrible
39:57vibration.
40:00With his rudder
40:01gone, Allison
40:03can't really
40:03maneuver his
40:04aircraft.
40:04The only thing
40:05he can do is
40:05just keep it
40:06level and
40:06airborne.
40:07So he's now
40:07vulnerable to
40:08any other enemy
40:09aircraft out
40:10there that
40:10decides to
40:11take him out.
40:12The P-40
40:13vibrates
40:14uncontrollably
40:15as it levels
40:15off.
40:17The Oscar
40:18rolls into
40:19position,
40:20lining up an
40:21easy kill.
40:23From 200
40:24feet away,
40:25the Japanese
40:26plane fires.
40:33pieces fly off
40:35Allison's
40:35fighter.
40:38The rugged
40:39P-40 absorbs
40:41the hits, but
40:42it can't stay in
40:43the air much
40:43longer.
40:47And I said,
40:48well, if somebody
40:49doesn't help me
40:49soon, this is
40:51it.
40:51I'm gone.
40:52All of a sudden,
40:53I'm absolutely
40:55enveloped in a
40:57hail of tracers.
40:59A Chinese
41:00fighter pilot has
41:01come to
41:01Allison's rescue.
41:02He's behind the
41:03Oscar, firing
41:05wildly.
41:08So it's
41:09tracers from
41:10650s.
41:11And I'd
41:14seen them
41:14from one
41:16perspective.
41:16Now I was
41:17seeing them
41:17from another
41:19and a fatal
41:19one.
41:20And I thought,
41:21he's going to
41:22kill us both.
41:23But the
41:24Chinese P-40
41:25kills the
41:26Oscar.
41:30It goes down
41:31flaming.
41:36Barely hanging
41:37in the air,
41:38Allison turns
41:39for home,
41:40nursing his
41:40shredded warhawk
41:41back to base.
41:46The B-24s
41:47successfully bombed
41:49the Japanese
41:49runways at
41:50Yichan.
41:51Five enemy
41:52fighters are
41:53shot down.
41:54One Chinese
41:55P-40 is
41:56lost.
42:00John Allison
42:01left the
42:02Flying Tigers
42:03in May
42:031943,
42:05but returned
42:06to Asia
42:07only a few
42:08months later
42:08to help form
42:09the First
42:10Air Commandos
42:11with Philip
42:11Cochran.
42:14The First
42:15Air Commandos
42:16supported the
42:16Allied effort
42:17in Burma
42:18and pioneered
42:19the use of
42:19gliders for
42:20long-range
42:21airdrops
42:21deep behind
42:22enemy lines.
42:25Tex Hill
42:26stayed in
42:27China until
42:27November 1944.
42:29He became
42:30a triple ace,
42:32downing 15
42:33enemy aircraft.
42:36Claire
42:37Chennault
42:38led the
42:3814th Air
42:39Force until
42:401945 when
42:41he retired.
42:42He stayed
42:43in the Far
42:44East after
42:45World War
42:45II,
42:46assisting
42:46Chiang Kai-shek
42:47in his war
42:48against Chinese
42:49Communists in
42:50the late
42:501940s.
42:52The Flying
42:53Tigers of the
42:5423rd Fighter
42:55Group went
42:55on to become
42:56one of the
42:56highest-scoring
42:57fighter groups
42:58of World War
42:59II.
42:59From 1942
43:01until 1945,
43:03they destroyed
43:04over 1,000
43:05Japanese aircraft.
43:07They sank
43:08184 enemy
43:09merchant ships,
43:10destroyed 817
43:12bridges,
43:131,225
43:14locomotives,
43:15and killed
43:16nearly 60,000
43:17Japanese troops.
43:20Their aggressiveness
43:22and skill
43:22carried forward
43:23the legacy
43:24of the original
43:25Flying Tigers,
43:29whose exploits
43:31became the stuff
43:32of legend.
43:35The shark-mouthed
43:36P-40s challenged
43:37the forces of
43:38tyranny with
43:39incredible
43:39ferocity,
43:48raising the spirits
43:49of millions
43:50of Americans
43:51and Chinese
43:53in the darkest
43:55days of World War
43:56II.
43:57are
43:58going to die.
43:58We'll see you
43:59I think we
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