ANNALS OF THE FLYING TIGERS
Shantih (peace) to Morgan Vaux, AVG radioman,
who died August 3 at the age of 92. He joined the American Volunteer Group
from the Army Air Corps, and afterward served as a Marine in the Pacific
theater (photo at left). Postwar he worked for the U.S. Navy, Air Force
Materiel Command, and Delco Electronics, from which he retired in 1980 as
a production engineer. His death leaves ten or eleven
survivors of the original Flying Tigers,
including three who flew the P-40 for the combat squadrons.
Bob Bergin, who often writes about the Flying Tigers past and present, spent some time in Kunming recently. He brought back photos--shown here--of "Hostel Number One" that from December 1941 to June 1942 housed Chennault's headquarters group and one combat squadron. New this month: more of Bob's photos, including the lady who helped save Hostel Number One, a granite roller that helped smooth a Chinese runway, and other mementos of the Flying Tigers, broadly defined.
Speaking of broad definitions, Chinese
film producer John Woo seems to be forging ahead with his Flying Tigers
epic, with shooting supposedly beginning this fall. It is to cost $90
million. Liam Neeson is the most recent star whose name has been floated
as playing the role of Claire Chennault, and "Chinese actor Liu Ye is likely
to star opposite Neeson as a trainee pilot in the film."
Given that China is providing the director, the money, and the scenery,
I reckon that what we have here is a mosh-up of the American Volunteer
Group, the Chinese-American Composite Wing, and the 14th Air Force, all
of which at one time or another have claimed the "Flying Tigers" name.
Perhaps we shall see Liam Neeson and Liu Ye flying wing to wing,
exchanging jests in flawless Mandarin while they hack down Zeros left
and right. Blue skies! -- Dan Ford
