A Tiger Zoo--Flying Tigers AVG, CBI, & 23rd Fighter Grouping + Other PTO ETO Heroes

[Ilin1979]

16 hours ago, josesharontraders said:

Hi Llin 1979,

 

You have a period British India-made pin. They're worth $8k to $10k if in good condition. Here below is mine in ok condition.

 

 

 

There is a documented anecdote about Gen. Chennault gambling this pin in his poker game with other China Burma Theatre generals, having emptied his pockets with this pin left.

 

Good find, my friend.

 

 

Jose

 

 

Thank you. I guess my gamble paid off.  The pin does have issues with some paint missing and the most obvious is pinback broken. It did cost me $850, but for something related to Flying tigers, Im glad i bought it. Once again, thank you. 

[josesharontraders]

Youre welcome my friend. Feel free to post more AVG Flying Tigers artifacts.

[Castle_Keep]

51 minutes ago, KingCornChip said:

14th AF 11th Bombardment of interest here? I have my grandfather's patches, medals, and a few other odds and ends. Uniform unfortunately lost in a divorce decades before I was born.

PM sent...

[chief4af]

Hi, 

     I have an interest, what is it you have in mind? I would be interested in discussing in private.

Marty

chief4af@yahoo.com

[KingCornChip]

I was inquiring if the pictures of non-AVG flying tiger related stuff was good to post here, not looking to sell anything! Sorry guys. 

[chief4af]

No problem, we would love to see your family treasures. 

Thx

[KingCornChip]

Items from Don E Jessup, 11th Bombardment Squadron. There's a bit more but I have to take some more pictures when I get to it. 

[chief4af]

Thanks for sharing. Nice grouping!

[KingCornChip]

A few more

[SundogZeus]

Hello all thanks for sharing all this amazing history. I’m new to the forum. I’m an airline pilot and new collector.

I bought these online and I’m wondering if anyone can give input as to their authenticity. The leather patch seems a little too nice, but the bullion patch might be legit? …and the pin looks modern to me. 

[chief4af]

Hi,

    Although there could be variations out there, I have attached my badge for you to compare. Let me know what you think.

[SundogZeus]

Thanks for those. The metal thread is definitely different. I don't know enough about the variations in manufacture that applies to this period. But as someone who is new to this I would lean in the direction of a reproduction...albeit a decent one.

[JDK]

3 hours ago, SundogZeus said:

Hello all thanks for sharing all this amazing history. I’m new to the forum. I’m an airline pilot and new collector.

I bought these online and I’m wondering if anyone can give input as to their authenticity. The leather patch seems a little too nice, but the bullion patch might be legit? …and the pin looks modern to me. 

 

I hate to say none of these items are WW2 authentic.

 

JD

[SundogZeus]

44 minutes ago, JDK said:

 

I hate to say none of these items are WW2 authentic.

 

JD

Thanks for that… I’m glad I didn’t pay very much for them. Are there any dead giveaways that you can see especially in the bullion patch?

[chief4af]

Hi,

    This forum is a great start in learning. Trusting the source that you buy from, such as a family member with documentation. Buying from an auction site can be dangerous, but can in rare occasions be a lucky find. Study, research and ask questions, There isn’t a person who hasn’t gotten taken in this hobby. Make these pieces be a tool for learning, it will take time, but sooner or latter you will be able to pick out what is good and what is not. The fakers are getting better everyday, almost to the point, the fake stuff looks better than the original stuff! Buyer be  ware! Happy Hunting and don’t give up, you will get there!

[cbdavids]

Charles J. Crysler was among the select few pilots who served with both the American Volunteer Group (AVG) and the 23rd Fighter Group in the China-Burma-India theater. Although not a member of the original AVG, he arrived in Kunming, China on June 9, 1942 as a newly minted USAAF bomber pilot who had run out of fuel after a successful bombing mission over Lashio, Burma on June 3, 1942. The crew had been forced to bail out, and it took them six days of hiking through the mountains before they arrived at Kunming Air Base.

 

Pilots were in high demand, so Crysler quickly mastered the P-40 Warhawk and began flying with the AVG. He completed 15 missions during the transitional period just before the group formally disbanded on July 4, 1942, and was then assigned to the newly activated 23rd Fighter Group on July 10, 1942. He flew an additional 68 combat missions with the 74th Fighter Squadron, earning three kills, one probable, and a Distinguished Flying Cross. 

----------

Crysler’s blood chit (#1282) serves as a marker for his arrival in Kunming. It is an early second-edition AVG chit, identifiable by the two Chinese characters placed above the serial number on the left. Unlike the first printing, which featured only one character above the serial #, these 2nd versions were issued to both the AVG and to the early members of the China Air Task Force.

[cbdavids]

This is Charles J. Crysler's 23rd Fighter Group CATF patch. According to the National Museum of American History: "The blue alludes to the sky and the primary theater of the Air Force, the tiger represents the unit's heritage in China as the American Volunteer Group during WWII, and the wings on the tiger reflect the unit's flight capabilities in peace and war."

 

[cbdavids]

Bill Bartling was the Flight Leader of the 1st Squadron “Adam & Eves” of the American Volunteer Group and an Ace credited with 5 victories. After the AVG disbanded on July 4, 1942 Bartling was one of the handful of AVG pilots who volunteered to extend their contracts for two weeks to train the new recruits who arrived to replace them.

 

This photograph was taken by Charles J. Crysler during that transitional period in June/July 1942 before Bartling joined the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC), where he flew missions from over “The Hump” from 1942-1945 on what was initially referred to as the “India-China Ferry”. Bartling returned the US in 1945 and, along with Robert Prescott and eight other AVG pilots, was an original investor with the new cargo airline that was to become the Flying Tiger Line. Although he didn’t fly for the new fledgling airline, Bartling was a Vice President and involved in flight operations.

[cbdavids]

48 minutes ago, cbdavids said:

 

 

 

[cbdavids]

These are Charles J. Crysler’s GEMSCO A.G.O. G-2 Senior Pilot Wings, worn in the 1950’s at the height of the Cold War and gifted to me by his son Ron over a decade ago.

 

He was promoted to the permanent grade of Lieutenant Colonel on 1 July 1955, and served overseas in the China-Burma-India theater, Eniwetok, Libya, and Germany. Crysler retired effective 31 March 1961 from the Air Force Missile Test Center at Patrick Air Force Base after twenty years of active military service. 

 

Crysler earned the following decorations and service awards: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, WWII Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award with four Bronze Oak Clusters, and the Air Force Reserve Medal.

[M1M1]

Thought I’d jump on with a pair

[KingCornChip]

This is a recent acquisition from Jorgen Frank Lundquist of the 89th airdrome squadron. He was a dope and fabric mechanic who must have flown the hump forward into China at least once. Or was at least preparing to do so. There is some tearing on the back and hardening around the edges of the tear that I believe was caused by the chit being "doped" onto a jacket. 

[cbdavids]

Special Orders Number 2, dated July 7, 1942 and issued by Bomber Command, China Air Task Force (CATF), Kunming, China captures a pivotal moment in early WWII aviation history. It documents the aftermath of the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942 and the subsequent integration of eight former Raiders into the newly activated CATF - the USAAF combat unit that served as the immediate successor to the disbanded "Flying Tigers"/American Volunteer Group (AVG) effective July 4, 1942. These orders also highlight General Claire Lee Chennault’s early efforts to recruit replacement personnel for the CATF, ensuring that the unit remained operational during this critical period of his command.

 

The names of the eight Doolittle Raiders are:

 

·      1st Lt. Clayton J. Campbell – (Navigator, Crew 13)

·      1st Lt. Horace E. Crouch – (Navigator/Bombardier, Crew 10)

·      1st Lt. Lucian N. Youngblood – (Co-Pilot, Crew 04)

·      M/Sgt. Waldo J. Bither – (Bombardier, Crew 12)

·      T/Sgt. Edwin W. Horton, Jr. – (Gunner, Crew 10)

·      S/Sgt. Douglas V. Radney – (Flight Engineer/Gunner, Crew 02)

·      Sgt. Aden E. Jones – (Bombardier, Crew 03)

·      Sgt. Adam R. Williams – (Flight Engineer/Gunner, Crew 13)

 

Records indicate that the CATF had an initial inventory of approximately 51 total fighters (only 29 operational), in addition to seven B-25 medium bombers. With Japan at or near the peak of its territorial expansion, Gen. Chennault surely valued the addition of these combat-tested Raiders to the other airmen listed here.

 

Special Orders Number 2 also profiles the unique service record of 2nd Lt. Charles J. Crysler. It confirms his arrival in Kunming, China on June 9, 1942, six days after he and his crew bailed out of his gas-exhausted B-25 over the China/Burma border after a successful June 3rd bombing mission over Lashio, Burma. It also confirms June 9th as his date of entry onto the CATF payroll. He was temporarily assigned to the AVG to gain single-engine combat experience before they disbanded, and during that brief three-week window (June 15, 1942 – July 4, 1942) he became one of the few Army pilots to receive credit from the USAAF for missions flown with the American Volunteer Group.

 

Crysler was then formally reassigned from the 11th Bombardment Squadron to the 23rd Fighter Group on July 10, 1942, where he earned 3 kills, 1 probable, and a Distinguished Flying Cross while flying missions with the 74th Fighter Squadron throughout the CBI theater.

 

(Special Orders Number 2 courtesy of the Charles J. Crysler Collection)

[Scarecrow]

On 12/23/2025 at 6:48 PM, KingCornChip said:

Items from Don E Jessup, 11th Bombardment Squadron. There's a bit more but I have to take some more pictures when I get to it. 

KingCornChip, very nice Id'd grouping!  I have in my collection another of the small "overnight" luggage cases, very similar to yours.  Mine is associated with a CNAC pilot uniform that I have.

 

[Timberwolf]

On 2/28/2026 at 7:17 AM, Scarecrow said:

KingCornChip, very nice Id'd grouping!  I have in my collection another of the small "overnight" luggage cases, very similar to yours.  Mine is associated with a CNAC pilot uniform that I have.

 

Would love to see that uniform!