A Chinese soldier guards American P-40 fighter planes painted with the “Flying Tigers” emblem, c. 1942A Chinese soldier guards American P-40 fighter planes painted with the “Flying Tigers” emblem, c. 1942
Location in China unknown (possibly Kunming)
Courtesy of the National Archives at College Park, MD, Still Picture Unit, 208-AA-12X-42; © CORBIS
Miao workers construct a runway surface, 1945Miao workers construct a runway surface, 1945
Laohwangping Airfield, Guizhou Province
Courtesy of the National Archives at College Park, MD, Still Picture Unit, 342FH-3A-01724-56672-AC
General Claire Lee Chennault (Chen Nade) receives Christmas greetings from Chinese children, 1944General Claire Lee Chennault (Chen Nade) receives Christmas greetings from Chinese children, 1944
Kunming, Yunnan Province
Courtesy of the Claire Lee Chennault Papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University, Envelope C
General Claire Lee Chennault was the leader of the 1st American Volunteer Group and the Republic of the China Air Force during World War II. The former, nicknamed the “Flying Tigers,” was headquartered in Kunming and flew the famous fighter planes with shark teeth that successfully protected China against Japanese forces. Laohwangping Airfield, constructed in 1945, was built by American and local workers.