Chapter 1560: Foreign Coaches and Foreign Aid

Chennault and his "Flying Tigers" never helped Daxia for free: they were not a volunteer army, but mercenaries hired for money.

Chennault's life in the United States at that time can only be described as "dull": he was originally just a captain in the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1937, he retired from the army at the age of 44. The reason for his retirement was that he was a little deaf and had a physical illness.

After such a down-and-out retired officer met Sister Song, Sister Song, who always had a special affinity for Americans, invited Chennault to Daxia to serve as an air force consultant for three months, with a monthly salary of US$1,000, and provided allowances, cars, translators, and round-trip travel expenses.

Well, a monthly salary of $1,000 back then was about the same as a $100,000 salary today. How could the then-down-and-out Chennault not be tempted by such generous offers? So he arrived in Daxia. What was supposed to be a three-month "consultant" position ended up being four years!

Four years later, Chennault accepted the commission and returned to the United States. He recruited pilots and ground engineers in the name of a private organization with a large sum of money, and formed the "Flying Tigers" as a civilian to fight against Japan. According to statistics, he recruited at least 110 pilots, 150 mechanics and a bunch of other post-production personnel.

Why do we say "heavy money"?

At the time, the Flying Tigers' salaries were staggering: average pilots earned $600 a month, squadron leaders $650, and squadron leaders $700. Each pilot received a $500 bonus for shooting down a plane. Each pilot had a private dormitory with a private bathroom, a game room, and dedicated Daxia servants to provide laundry and car washes—yes, even women. They also had dedicated Western-style cooking stoves and bread stoves for their meals. Milk, ham, coffee, bread, and cigarettes were standard fare!

The cost of one of their pilots for one day may be the standard for an ordinary Daxia soldier for one month.

What’s ridiculous is that so many pilots may have never touched a fighter jet before coming to Daxia!

The Flying Tigers began training in Kunming in July 1941. Before a single battle, they had already lost ten P-40 fighters. At the time, a P-40 cost around $8,000. So, how much did China pay for one? Forty-five thousand! By the time the war began, only a dozen of the Flying Tigers, out of over 100 fighters, were capable of combat missions.

Moreover, the "Flying Tigers" actually did not exist for very long. Including their training time, it was only a little over a year.

The Flying Tigers first saw combat on December 20, 1941, and by July 4, 1942, they had already disbanded. During this period, they participated in numerous aerial engagements, with approximately one hundred missions. According to their own statistics, they destroyed 297 enemy aircraft, with 51 of their own lost. However, Japanese combat data reveals a different story: according to their statistics, the Flying Tigers' total was no more than 115, including those against the British Air Force in the India-Burma Campaign, while their own losses exceeded 80!

However, the Nationalist government at the time was desperately praising the Flying Tigers. They would have even admitted to 2,970 aircraft, not to mention 297! Who doesn't know how to praise?

The funniest part is that the Flying Tigers disbanded in 1942. They were then renamed the "US Air Force Task Force in Charlottesville." Flying Tigers members could choose to join or not, but their salaries were still based on US military standards. Upon hearing this, most Flying Tigers decided to return home—they were there to make money, so why stay if they couldn't?

Wasn't that when Charles's grandfather returned to China? Charles said his grandfather shot down 17 planes himself. His salary and bonuses combined could have bought a fairly large farm back then!

As for the others who remained in Daxia? Many were lazy, their usual "combat missions" consisting of escort and training. By the time they were almost done with their training, the enemy had surrendered! They had, however, committed many infuriating acts during the civil war, earning them the nickname "flying thieves" from the great leader!

As a result, such a group of people became "heroes" under the desperate propaganda of some traitors. It is really ridiculous!

And what military unit corresponded to the Flying Tigers? It was the Soviet Air Force Volunteer Corps. Note that they were "volunteers," not mercenaries. They were paid for by the Soviet government!

They provided the greatest help to Daxia during the most difficult period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, because the Nationalist Government at that time sided with the United States and opposed the Soviet Union, and used the "Flying Tigers" that they had hired at great expense and abandoned the "Soviet Volunteer Army".

Back then, Daxia's aviation supply station, aircraft repair factory, and aviation school were all built with the help of the Soviet Union. As the war worsened, they directly sent volunteer pilots to help in the battle. Moreover, the pilots they sent were veteran pilots with an average of more than eight years of flying experience and extremely rich combat experience.

From November 1937 to June 1941, they engaged in relentless warfare against Japan. According to statistics, a total of 3,665 Soviet Air Force volunteers arrived in Daxia to assist in the war effort, including 1,091 pilots and over 2,000 mechanics, engineers, and other personnel. From their arrival to their departure, approximately 200 Soviet pilots died, destroying 539 enemy aircraft! As for the Flying Tigers, only 21 pilots were killed in action, captured, or missing, with three others dying during training. A comparison of these figures reveals the disparity in combat intensity between the two sides.

In addition, the Soviet Union provided Daxia with a low-interest loan of 250 million US dollars and sold 1,285 aircraft and other combat supplies to Daxia.

What were the Americans doing at that time? They were exporting oil and steel to Japan by the boatload!

Speaking of today, Chennault and the "Flying Tigers" are basically like the "foreign coach" and "foreign aid" of a football team. You have to work hard to hire them at a high price, and it has nothing to do with positive words like "internationalist aid".

Regardless of the scale of the war, the duration of the battle, or the cost of casualties, the Flying Tigers were nothing compared to the Soviet Air Force Volunteer Team! Their performance during the civil war was remarkable, but was that worth boasting about?

Regardless of their motives, Chennault and the Flying Tigers certainly helped the war of resistance, and the Chinese people should be grateful and worthy of recognition for this. But over-exaggerating and glorifying them is a distortion of history and an insult to the revolutionary pioneers who truly sacrificed their lives for their country! It's like treating "My Fair Princess" as a historical drama!

After finishing his beer, Charles said to Xiao Peng, "From my grandfather to now, almost everyone in my family has been a pilot. However, only my grandfather has served in the battlefield. My father and I both flew planes to help spray pesticides. Since you're toasting to my grandfather with this bottle of beer, would you like to take a flight in a P40?"

"Huh?" Xiao Peng was stunned. "You have a P40?"

Charles held up two fingers and made a 'V' sign: "Two!"