Posted on 04/19/2017 6:34:45 AM PDT by C19fan
Right. I think his wife was with him.
It was referred to as the Ammisca, the American aid mission to China. Not the 14th AF or Flying Tigers.
Dad referred to his part of the war as the “bump on the butt” of the Allied war effort. It was all about moving war needs to American, Brit and Nationalist Chinese fighting in China. Often times, war wounded were hauled back on the return trip.
Long after the war, the Tigers became an air freight airline. I was on a flight from Minneapolis to O’Hare at Chicago. On the airplane were about a dozen Japanese men going somewhere.
Just as we taxied to the gate, a beautiful white 747 freighter went by with the Flying Tigers motif painted on its nose.
The Japanese guys all rushed to the left side windows and gasped at the sight.
I think Flying Tigers was bought out by Northwest Airlines sometime in the 80s.
Correction:
The Tiger freight line was bought by Federal Express...
PFL
PFL
Thanks for the clarification and neat information. Cool story about the Japanese..
My Dad was in charge of the initial communications equipment going into China from Bombay. Our Dad’s might have rubbed elbows.
I did some interviews with veterans living here at the Lake of the Ozarks for our local paper’s Nov. 11th edition. One fellow was a 96 year old veteran of the CBI who helped build a gasoline pipeline from China into Burma and into India that followed what became known as the Stillwell Road.
The pipeline was 4 inches in diameter and had a series of breakout storage tanks. My dad flew the Hump before and after the pipeline was completed. He said the return trip without a fill of gas was “hairy” and sometimes he came in on fumes.
That’s interesting. When I worked for a mining company (AMAX)I also knew an old engineer who worked on that pipeline.
My stepdad, Jack Fuller, was a VP at Amax before he retired to mine coal in MO and IA.
He taught me the coal business...
I’m always fascinated by these kinds of pictures.
Thanks!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.