"Flying Tigers" to have memorial in China

[Kyt]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_7000288.htm

KUNMING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- A park to commemorate the Chinese soldiers and members of the U.S. "Flying Tigers" air squadron who fought in the Second World War is to be set up in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The wooded park will cover 167 hectares and boast a peace gate, a friendship monument, a memorial wall and memorials to wartime figures.

The park would be near an abandoned military airport that hosted American planes during WWII, about 20 kilometers from downtown Kunming, capital of Yunnan, said Wang Chengzhong of the park's construction administration committee.

Detailed construction designs would be submitted to local authorities for ratification after workers finish surveying the site.

Yunnan has established a foundation to raise funds for the project, which is estimated to cost four billion yuan (540 million U.S. dollars).

A joint venture registered by firms from China, Australia and Thailand will be in charge of the development.

American and Chinese foundations and organizations have already pledged support. The Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, whose members are mostly World War II veterans, has promised to donate hundreds of WWII documents and objects.

The American Volunteer Group, nicknamed the Flying Tigers by Chinese for their courage, was formed in 1941 under the leadership of U.S. General Claire Lee Chenaults to help China drive out invading Japanese troops.

An estimated 2,264 U.S. "Flying Tigers" members and more than 900 Chinese airmen who fought along with them died in the war.

From December 1941 to September 1945, the Flying Tigers shot down 2,600 Japanese military planes, destroyed 44 warships and killed 66,700 Japanese soldiers.

Chinese and American air forces also opened the famous Camel Peak Aviation Route across the Himalayas, the so-called "death route," to deliver urgently needed military supplies to support China's war effort.

Many monuments, memorial architectures and cemeteries for members of the "Flying Tigers" have been established across China.

Does anyone know where these are or any sites that list them?

[Antipodean Andy]

Kyt, from Wiki:
The Flying Tigers Memorial is located in the village of Zhijiang, Hunan Province, China and is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the Flying Tigers. Zhijiang had formerly been one of Chennault's headquarters for the 14th AF. The memorial originally opened in 2003 in the former headquarters building. In 2005 the memorial was completely rebuilt, with displays incorporating many of the artifacts obtained from the AVG veterans who had attended the first dedication. The memorial reopened in September, 2005, with several AVG pilots and their families again present at the dedication. The new memorial building is a beautiful steel and marble structure, with wide sweeping steps leading up to a platform with columns holding up the memorial's sweeping roof. Inside is the replica G-1 jacket AVG pilot Richard "Dick" Rossi had donated at the first dedication. On the memorial's back wall, etched in black marble, are the names of all members of the Flying Tigers (AVG, 75th Fighter Squadron, 14th Air Force) who died in China. 8"x10" photos of most AVG Flying Tigers pilots and administrators are displayed throughout the museum, as well as blown-up illuminated paintings of AVG scenes by artists John Shaw and Roy Grinnell. On one wall a 1/4 scale model of the nose of a P-40 protrudes with its propellers spinning and engine puffing smoke, while below a diorama depicts the village of Zhijiang being attacked by Japanese bombers.

As an important airbase of the Flying Tigers in South China, the city of Kunming and its people will never forget the sacrifices of those young American pilots. In 2005 the city of Kunming held a ceremony memorializing the history of the Flying-Tigers in China. A lot of pilots of that time or their generation came to Kunming to commemorate that period in history.

http://www.flyingtigerheritagepark.com/

[Kyt]

Cheers Andy. It's nice to see that even after 60 years of Communist rule and dodgy Sino-US relations, some sacrifices are still recognised by all concerned.

[Antipodean Andy]

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised as well. There's a few people in our countries who could learn to be that grateful!