Mercenaries? The Flying Tigers, also known as the AVG (American Volunteer Group), was made up of mostly (as the name suggests) American volunteers. They served in China before (and some after) the U.S. officially got involved in WW2. In 31 engagements they shot down 217 enemy planes (confirmed) with another 43 probables. The AVG's combat losses were four pilots killed in the air, one killed while strafing and one taken prisoner. In the initial days in Rangoon, between Christmas and New Year's Eve of 1941, the AVG officially shot down 75 planes with a loss of two Tiger pilots and six planes. Never before in the history of aerial combat had there been such a total air victory. In the next seven months, the 85 surviving pilots officially shot down 299 enemy planes and destroyed another 240 on the ground. However, unofficially (and IMHO unrealistically), AVG claims reach as high as 1000 Japanese planes destroyed. Today the Flying Tigers' shark toothed P-40's are arguably the most recognized symbol of the WW2 era

"By the Dawn's Early Light" by John Shaw

March 24, 1942.... The pre-dawn silence was broken at a small grass airstrip in China, lit only by the dim headlights of an old military truck.... A small group of shark-mouthed American P-40 bearing the Chinese national insignia roared off into the darkness. Their mission: Destory the enemy squadrons massed at the Southeast Asian headquarters of the Japanese Air Force at Chiang Mai, Thailland, before they have a chance to get off the ground! The very survival of this famous group of American volunteers Flying Tigers depended on the success of this extremely dangerous low-level strafing mission. In less than ten minutes, this intrepid band so incapacitated the enemy forces at Chiang Mai that it became one of the Flying Tigers' most memorable raids

"Whitey"

Frank Lindsay Lawlor

9 (7 w/ AVG)

"RT"

Robert Tharp Smith

8.9

George Bray McMillan

8.5 (4.5 w/ AVG)

 James Howell Howard

8.33 (2.33 w/ AVG) *

"Mac"

William Doyle McGarry

8 (POW 24mar(21apr?)42)

"Eddie"

Edmund Fryer Overend

8 (5 w/ AVG)

"Scarsdale Jack"

* John Van Kuren Newkirk    

(KIA 24mar42)

7

"Dick"

John Richard Rossi

6.25

John Gilpin Bright

(POW 30aug43)

6 (3 w/ AVG)

"Duke"

Robert Peter Hedman

(ace in /day 25dec41)

6

"Joe"

Camille Joseph Rosbert

6

"Bob"

Robert William Prescott

5.5

"Smitty"

Robert Harry Smith

5.5 - 5

Lewis Sherman Bishop

5.2 - 2.2 *

Percy Robert Bartelt

5

William Evart Bartling

5

"Ken"

Kenneth O.(A?) Jernstedt

5 * (+7.5 OTG)

Fritz Emil Wolf

5 (4 w/ AVG)

"Sandy"

* Robert James Sandell

5 (KiFA 7feb42)

Thomas C. Haywood jr

5 - 4

C. H. Laughlin jr.

5 - 2.2

* Frank Schiel jr.

(

4 (+ 3 OTG)

Flying With Chennault's Tigers

the CATF

Flying Tiger Victories

The AVG Aces

Eric Shilling AVG

Free Republic forum

Story of the Flying Tigers

the Official AVG Web Site