23rd Fighter Group | China Air Task Force (CATF) | 10th & 14th AAF CBI | Disney theater made patches

[walika]

23rd Fighter Group | China Air Task Force (CATF) | 10th & 14th AAF

 

The 23d Fighter Group traces its roots back to the 23d Pursuit Group (Interceptor), which was constituted at Langley Field, VA, December 17, 1941, just 10 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Not knowing its final destination, the unit boarded the converted luxury liner Brazil on March 17, 1942, at Charleston, SC, for a 60-day voyage to Karachi, India. Shortly after its arrival, the unit was redesignated the 23d Fighter Group in May 1942. By June 15, 1942, under orders from 10th Air Force, an advance cadre of the 23d Fighter Group had proceeded over the infamous "Hump" route to Hunmung, China, and without ceremony, the unit was activated July 4, 1942, marking the first such activation of a fighter group on a field of battle. Claire L. Chennault, meanwhile, had been recalled to active duty with the rank of brigadier general and placed at the head of the China Air Task Force (later to become 14th Air Force). The 23d Fighter Group, a component of the CATF, was assigned three squadrons -- the 74th, 75th and 76th.

The group inherited the mission of the American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers," which was disbanded. Five of Chennault's staff officers, five pilots and 19 ground crewmen became members of the 23d Fighter Group. A larger number, still in civilian status, volunteered to fly with the group for two weeks following the disbanding of their unit. Others from the ranks of the old Flying Tigers left China temporarily, but many returned to duty later with the Army Air Corps in the China-Burma-India theater. In addition to inheriting operational responsibilities from the AVG, the 23d Fighter Group also benefited from the knowledge and experience of the AVG pilots, and took on the nickname of the disbanded unit.

 

The original "Flying Tigers" patch of the AVG was designed in early 1942 by Walt Disney Studios. A Bengal tiger with wings is shown soaring out of a V for victory. The CATF patch approved in July, 1942, used a tiger virtually identical to the AVG "Flying Tiger" crashing through the red ball of the Japanese flag and wearing an Uncle Sam hat, signifying that the Tiger was now flying for the US. The 23rd Fghter Group patch developed immediately after the AVG was disband utilized another version of a Flying Tiger on a shield with bolts of lightning, symbolizing that the "Tiger" would attack instructive force of lightning. Gen. Claire Chennault awarded a citation to Sgt. Howard Arnegard for his design of the official 14th Air Force patch, which shows a "Flying Tiger" on a blue background beneath the Army Air Force official star. Some 14th Air Force unit patches approved later also incorporated various versions of a tiger.

 

When the AVGs were disbanded on July 4, 1942, the newly formed 23d Fighter Group took up its quarrel with the foe. On October 18, 1942, Colonel Merian C. Cooper, USAF Chief of Staff to Brigadier General Chennault, requested a group insignia for the 23d. Disney caricature specialist Roy Williams put his original AVG tiger in head-on flight on an azure field, shooting through a bolt of golden lightning.

 

It was just before the AVG's were disbanded on July 4, 1942, that they had any kind of identifying group insignia to be worn on their makeshift uniforms. At the request of China Defense Supplies in Washington, Disney caricature specialist Roy Williams drew a winged tiger flying through a large "V" for victory for the AVG's. See my related post for AVG. "General Chennault gave me credit for the Flying Tiger insignia in his book 'The Way Of a Fighter'," Williams said. "But I must give credit where credit is due. I did the original idea and rough design but artist Hank Porter drew it up."

When the AVGs were disbanded on July 4, 1942, the newly formed 23d Fighter Group took up its quarrel with the foe. On October 18, 1942, Colonel Merian C. Cooper, USAF Chief of Staff to Brigadier General Chennault, requested a group insignia for the 23d. Williams put his original AVG tiger in head-on flight on an azure field, shooting through a bolt of golden lightning.

 

 

Disney's Roy Williams revealing the 23rd Fighter Group insignia.

 

 

 

 

Theater made. Chinese embroidery on silk.

 

 

 

 

Theater made. Hand painted multi-piece leather with gold mylar foil on leather.

 

 

 

 

Theater made. Indian embroidery on wool. | Canvas backed with original tailor's tag.

 

Theater made. Chinese embroidery on silk.

 

 

Chennault deployed his scarce fighter resources to the bases as shown on the map above. These three squadrons came with only 31 AVG aircraft, consisting of Curtiss Hawk 81A1s (export version of the P-40) and P-40Cs. The AVG had started with about 100 fighters. This is all that was left. These particular aircraft were arguably Chinese aircraft, obtained under lend lease. About 16 AVG pilots remained for a short while and continued to fly, but all but five left following the end of their contracts on July 18. A few would later come back and join up.

Chennault sweet-talked the 10th AAF to transfer the 16th FS to China as a means to get some good combat experience. They brought 20 P-40Es. So now Chennault had 51 fighters. The 16th arrived in July, first deploying to Kunming.

On the very first day of its activation, the 23d Fighter Group engaged three successive waves of enemy aircraft and promptly recorded the destruction of five enemy aircraft with no losses to itself. The next three years saw the 23d Fighter Group involved in much of the action over southeast and southwest Asia. It was made even more combat effective with its conversion to the North American P-51 "Mustang" aircraft in November 1943. Representative of the encounters undertaken by this group was the defense against a major Japanese push down the Hsiang Valley in Hunan Province June 17-25, 1944. Ignoring inhibiting weather conditions and heavy ground fire, the 23d Fighter Group provided air support for Chinese land forces and repeatedly struck at enemy troops and transportation. Its efforts in this instance earned it the Distinguished Unit Citation for "outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy".

Before the 23d Fighter Group returned to the United States in December 1945, it accounted for the destruction of 621 enemy planes in air combat, plus 320 more on the ground. It sank more than 131,000 tons of enemy shipping and damaged another 250,000 tons. It caused an estimated enemy troop loss of more than 20,000. These statistics were compiled through a total of more than 24,000 combat sorties, requiring more than 53,000 flying hours, and at a cost of 110 aircraft lost in aerial combat, 90 shot down by surface defenses and 28 bombed while on the ground.

The 23d Fighter Group was inactivated January 5, 1946, at Fort Lewis Staging Area, WA. The 23d Fighter Group was reactivated October 10, 1946, in Guam, and assigned to the Far East Air Forces (20th Air Force).

 

 

P-40E 16th Fighter Squadron 23rd FG | Kweilin, China | October 1942

 

 

 

L to R: John Alison, Tex Hill, Ajax Baumler, and Mack Mitchell at Kunming, July 1942.

 

 

 

R. T. Smith posing in front of Charles Older's aircraft.

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Chennault, Claire Lee. Way of a Fighter. G. P. Putnam & Son. 1949.

Cornelius, Wanda and Short, Thayne R. "Wings Over China The Story of the Flying Tigers in China - China's Forgotten War". American History Illustrated. April, 1979. pp 40-42.

Donald, David., ed. Wings Of Fame (Vol 9). 1997. p 8.

Lesjak, David. Tunes at War. 2003. p 134.

Othman, Frederick C. Column, Behind the Scenes Hollywood. 7 May 1942.

Yenne, Bill. When Tigers Ruled the Sky The Flying Tigers: American Outlaw Pilots Over China in World War II. 2016. pp 152-156.

 

[walika]

The Flying Tigers of the U.S. 14th Air Force

http://youtu.be/Zj-htXMlfEY

China Crisis: Claire Chennault & the 14th Air Force (1943)
http://youtu.be/sU7ZsY4UDmM



1944 Film of the 14th Air Force in China, showing Claire Chennault
http://youtu.be/H5GX6cbMmWs

[The Iron Brigade]

[bobgee]

Outstanding patches & great video links! Thank you!

[Stony]

I was in the 23rd Fighter Wing while in the Air Force in the early 70s and our patch was basically the same as the original.

[walika]

New link for broken link above.

 

http://youtu.be/FqJP-193pR0

[Rats of Tobruk]

Educational posting and some gorgeous patches. Thank you walika.

[flytiger]

Super as always!!!!!