AVG Flying Tigers ...truth!

[renfield]

The thread about the real Memphis Belle history has got me thinking how history is what people think it is. If you ask the average American about the AVG they might know the Flying Tiger name. If they know that I am sure they will say they were fighting the Japanese before we got involved in the war. WRONG! The Flying Tigers never flew a combat mission before 7Dec.1941. They were in China and were getting airfields and support ready, but no combat. Hollywood writes history again! John Wane was shooting down Japanese planes before 7 Dec. 1941 so that is the way it had to be. As more time goes by history is going to get more distorted unless people read!!

Steve

[hink441]

Yes, Hollywood always has their version of facts. Hollywood's facts are usually pure fiction .

[Jack's Son]

Steve, I agree with you!

Don't believe Hollywood films verbatim, AND, don't read the Internet.

[Sabrejet]

Hollywood has never had any qualms about re-writing history in the name of entertainment..."U-571"..."Objective Burma"..."Pearl Harbor"...the list is long!

[BEAST]

Never let facts get in the way of a good story!

[rr01]

Never let facts get in the way of a good story!

That's something I could never get the 1st Sgt to understand ;-}

[Jim Baker]

They were close though. Wasn't the first mission on Christams day 1941?

[J_Andrews]

Once upon a time, at a National Guard history conference, the guru of NG historians said "Face it: We do not deal in HISTORY. We deal in MYTHOLOGY." We give the AGs and the troops and the veterans whatever they want and/or like.

 

He went on to say that WE historians. other than wading through the swamps of Mythology to get a paycheck, ALSO do what we do "For The Guild". i.e.each other. Does that apply to WE Forumers? We operate at two levels? One for the Masses, and another for the cognoscenti?

[Jim Baker]

Does that apply to WE Forumers? We operate at two levels? One for the Masses, and another for the cognoscenti?

 

What would make you ask? Are you noticing a trend of misinformation?

 

Just curious.....

[manayunkman]

I prefer the Hollywood version.

[Johnny Signor]

A lot of people also don't realise the "AVG"(1st,2nd,and 3rd Pursuit Sqd's and the latter 23rd Fighter Group were two seperate enitities , the AVG was the "real" Flying Tigers, where as the 23rd was the "AAF" take over after the AVG disbanded once America actually got involved with war with Japan "Officially ", some of the "original" AVG pilots went on into the 23rd , but it wasn't the "First" real AVG anymore .

[Jim Baker]

I just went back and checked myself. The AVG's first combat mission was December 20, 1941.

 

I believe that even without Pearl Harbor, Chennault and the boys would have been in combat with the Japanese before the outbreak of "official" hostilities with the US. Chennault greatly improved the Chinese air raid warning system even before the creation of the AVG.

[renfield]

Yes they did enter combat with the Japanese just after Pearl Harbor. I am in no way trying to diminish what those out numbered and brave men did. They were my first avaition heros. I grew up thinking the John Wayne version was the real thing. If, as I grew older, I had not started reading about the things I was interested in I would still think they had been flying combat for months. I did not express myself to clearly in my first post. I wonder how much I accept as fact is actually not the entire truth? Teddy Roosevelt and Kettle Hill??????

Steve

[wawine]

I had the honor of interviewing a number of AVG pilots back in the 1980's, including the top ACE, Bob Neale. A real treat. As special as that group was, and they deserved every honor bestowed upon them, to me the real 'forgotten' air combat pilots of the early USAAF was the group in the Philippines that attempted to stem the tide, and then escaped to Darwin to fly in Java. I spent countless hours with Nathaniel 'Cy' Blanton who was one of these men. He even was awarded a Purple Heart for Merit, not wounds, for a one man attack on a Japanese destroyer on December 10, 1941. This was a full 10 days before the AVG saw combat. He then was awarded a Silver Star in Feb 1942 for Java. I have one of his uniforms and will post photos at some point.