The Flying Tigers, officially the First American Volunteer Group (AVG), were American pilots led by Claire Lee Chennault, formed in 1941 to aid China against Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawks, they were tasked with defending Chinese skies and supply lines. However, the Flying Tigers did not directly stop the Rape of Nanking, which occurred from December 1937 to January 1938, as they were not yet formed.
By the time they saw combat on December 20, 1941, after Pearl Harbor, Nanjing had already fallen. Their role was significant later, defending key areas like Kunming and the Burma Road, disrupting Japanese air operations, and boosting Chinese morale. With only 62 combat-ready pilots, they destroyed 296 Japanese aircraft, but their impact came post-Nanjing, aiding China’s broader resistance against Japanese aggression.
