ID'ed specimen in my "Blood Chits" collection.

[BlueBookGuy]

Detail of stars and the stitching:

 

thanks for watching - Franco.

 

[JDK]

Very nice. Adding on, Here's one I have that was sewn into a A-2 jacket and smartly used as a inside pocket with the addition of the Chinese made zipper.

 

JD

 

 

[doinworkinvans]

I am in love.....goodness

[BlueBookGuy]

I am in love.....goodness

 

ah ah ...

 

the two smaller flags are silk (left) and cotton (right), this latter formerly sewn on a flight suit's sleeve. Rather not uncommon items, either privately purchased by airmen or -less often- issued in miscellaneous survival gear.

The large, India-made (but officially issued through British supplying channels) flag is a typical CBI-only item, always glamorous in showing up.

 

Franco.

 

 

[bazelot]

great informative link. I enjoyed / learned a lot browsing through it. Thanks for posting it.

[BlueBookGuy]

thanks Bazelot, I still am searching for what will be the very last one in my (small, after all) collection,

should be a good-condition Chit from Chinese-made batches (two layers, silk/cotton) w/ early horizontal number, early shaped sun, and "chop" placed in different position than the subsequent ones. Often referred to as the "transitional" Kuomingtan-issued Blood Chit - actually, most of times this term does mean anything precise.

 

Evidence by now does exist that in 2nd half,1942 many Chits having some resemblance with the original series (produced for a possible subsequent cadre of Flying Tigers pilots) were slightly modified by giving new s/n and eliminating the original ones - moreover, Chit's overall size (a bit larger) and characters' very style, stayed the same.

But this is all, "chop" already was located at left side (not in center anymore). At most, it could be placed a bit higher or lower in text's area, but always in left side anyway.

 

Just one having these features, should be my next finding.

[BlueBookGuy]

Just changed Chits' layout on the wall to a ultimate one after getting my most recent pattern (for now),

 

it's the 17-language US-made Chit, 2nd variation, only one layer and made in rayon. Here at lower left-side.

 

[BlueBookGuy]

here two better shots:

 

 

 

[BlueBookGuy]

[BlueBookGuy]

Decidedly the smallest writing of all Chits' texts I've got so far, this plus its pale bluish do not help in taking decent pics.

Here the rather contrasting color is more a re-touching by me via the PC, just to better appreciate the languages.

 

 

[BlueBookGuy]

This 2nd variation of the 17-languages CBI Chit is made of rayon (the earlier was silk). Apparently not more than 15,000 have been made, all in late 1944, and most possibly it has been issued starting in January 1945 not before.

Nearly identical to the predecessor - some small differencies are the slightly larger dimensions, a more refined layout, less crudely printed US flag, and a different text for the Burmese language. Plus as said, rayon instead of silk.

[BlueBookGuy]

Just got this latest addition to my collection - a mid-war Chinese-issued Chit, Kuomingtan government, having the third character from above (right-hand column) changed from the earlier subvariation.

Still a fascinating one, with a right amount of patina and the complete peripherical stitches' holes having been removed from a flight garment (I guess).

 

 

[BlueBookGuy]

btw, these were issued until war's end but, still a completely different thing from the similar Chit US-made, Washington-marked.

Those later ones are a single piece, rayon-made; the classic design like this (cotton + silk) has roots in the very early type issued in late 1937 (!!) to the Volunteers aviators helping the Chinese against Japanese invasion, wich later in 1941 evolved into the slightly more sophisticated variant made immortal by the 'Flying Tigers'.

[BlueBookGuy]

Here the 'Chop' is more or less centered in vertical sense - most of this pattern show it more offset toward above.

 

[BlueBookGuy]

And here (at last! ) the 'May Guo' does retain its distinctive purple-violet color.

 

[BlueBookGuy]

Just put at its place on the wall, under the two other of identical typology and origin.

 

Among the most fascinating (IMO) in my collection, they could be topped (and enriched) by a fourth and final Chinese-issued Chit of this 'family' - just, simply one with very well documented A.V.G. provenance .

Or, at least one from immediately after AVG's remaining men/airplanes went into the newly formed 23rd Fighter Group, second half 1942. In this latter case should I perhaps sell 1/3 of Chits collection to have an equivalent, or even more? In former case I do not know, maybe half the total collection of my aviation's items.

At that point, worth making some thoughts at selling my wife...

 

[Datil_Mountain_Muse]

Very informational and a great reference.

Thanks for taking all the time to photo and post this info.

Fantastico!

[Slipangle]

I know this is an old thread, but I just came across it quite by accident and thought I'd add what I could to it. here is a picture of my dad's blood chit. I took these pics a couple of years ago, and also placed his Colt DA .45 in the picture as this was the sidearm he carried in China rather than his issued Gov't model 1911. Note the clear lucite "sweetheart" grips. As far as I know, my dad never had a picture of my mom under those grips. But I'm not sure.

 

And a couple of pictures from China, 1944-45. He's the tall drink of water with the Ray Bans on. And one of the Chinese troops at the artillery base my father was stationed at just outside of Kunming. It's always been a bit of a mystery to me. My dad was not an aviator. He was an artillery Captain and he taught the Chinese to fire Howitzers. I can only presume that since he had this chit that it was not only aviators that received them. I wish he were still around to ask him, alas. But like many men of his era, he never talked about his service in WW II. One thing I do know, however, is that he never ate rice or cabbage again for the rest of his life after his China experience. Hated both of them, as he said that's about all they ate while there.

 

Also, as an aside, my wife is a native of China and does work in China for a US based NGO. About 20 years ago, we visited Kunming for one of her elephant projects and one of the local officials she was working with, when my wife told him my father was stationed somewhere in the area during the war, drove us out to where he thought my dad's base was located, outside of town. It was just an open field then. For the rest of the visit, whenever we ran into other Chinese, and this man introduced us, he always mentioned that my father had come over to help the Chinese in the war against the Japanese.

 

One last thing. When I first showed this chit to my lovely bride after we were married, some 25 years ago, she broke down in tears. It meant a lot to her. As it does to me to this day.

 

Thanks all. Wonderful thread. And Franco, your collection amazes me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Slipangle]

Four Americans...Kunming

[Slipangle]

Chinese artillery training ...Kunming

[TCSchultz]

I got my first blood chit in my collection recently and I'd appreciate opinions as it as it didn't come with any provenance as to who it was issued to. It appears to be hand tooled leather and features the American and Nationalist Chinese Flags over the characters. Try and be kind in your opinions as I do value them but at the end of the day I like it and think it's good.

 

 

 

 

[TCSchultz]

More pictures...

 

 

[TCSchultz]

And more.

 

 

 

[TCSchultz]

And finally close up of the back stitching.

 

 

 

 

[TCSchultz]

Just wondering if anyone had an opinion on this blood chit as no one has replied and I was kinda hoping that perhaps someone might think it was good. Thanks.