Hubei Daily:

During the war against fascism, the Flying Tigers fought against Japanese invaders alongside the Chinese military and civilians, forging a deep friendship. Mr. Greene, what do you think is the core spirit of the Flying Tigers? What is the significance of the Flying Tigers' story in today's world? What insights does this provide for the current interactions between the two major countries, China and the United States? And how will the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation further promote friendly exchanges between China and the United States? Thank you.

Jeffrey Greene:

Thank you very much for your questions. Unfortunately, not many people in the United States know about what Americans did in China and what the Chinese did for the United States during World War II. Many people in the United States do not know about the existence of the Flying Tigers. China's full-scale War of Resistance began two years earlier than the European theater. In December 1941, just days after the Pearl Harbor incident, the Flying Tigers pilots flew to China to engage in combat. At that time, General Chennault, then serving as a military advisor to the Chinese Air Force, invited over 100 American pilots to volunteer for military service. They underwent training in Burma, and were then known as the "American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force." After Pearl Harbor, General Chennault dispatched two fighter squadrons to Kunming, with the crucial mission of protecting the Burma Road. Since Kunming was at the northern end of the Burma Road, the Japanese forces frequently bombed the city, launching large-scale bombing raids every few weeks. One day, dozens of Japanese planes took off from the Indochina Peninsula, planning to bomb Kunming. They thought this operation would be very simple — they would drop bombs and then return easily. However, this time, about 30 miles from Kunming, they encountered 16 American fighter planes, and the young American pilots fought back. It can be said that this was the first time that Japanese aircraft were repelled, with four shot down and six damaged.

The downing of Japanese planes greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese military and civilians. The name "Flying Tigers" was given to these American pilots by the Chinese people, who believed that flying tigers were invincible. It was this spirit of the Flying Tigers that inspired growing numbers of American pilots to come to China at that time, volunteering to become members of the Flying Tigers.

What happened next was even more significant. In April 1942, the U.S. military launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. After completing the mission, U.S. pilots ran out of fuel during their return flight and parachuted into enemy-occupied territory in eastern China, where eight were captured and three were executed, but 64 were rescued by Chinese civilians and returned to their base in China. Following the incident, the Japanese forces launched military operations, using guns, biochemical weapons and bombs to massacre approximately 250,000 Chinese civilians. The purpose was to teach the Chinese the lesson that if they dared to save Americans, the consequence would be merciless killing. Despite that, over the next three years, whenever an American pilot was shot down or forced to land in enemy-occupied territory, as long as they did not immediately fall into Japanese hands, they could always be rescued by the Chinese people. The Chinese people knew well that if the rescue operation was discovered by the Japanese military, not only would they face life-threatening danger, but their family, friends, neighbors and even entire village could be destroyed. In history, no other country's people has ever demonstrated such sustained and unwavering resolve to risk their lives for comrades-in-arms from a foreign country. This is the close bond between the Chinese people and the Flying Tigers during World War II. Thank you.