The Flying Tigers: Monroe's Chennault Goes to War

Claire Lee Chennault grew up in northeast Louisiana and taught school before becoming an Army Air Corps pursuit pilot. Forced into retirement due to hearing loss, he went to China in 1937 to advise Chiang Kai-shek's air force. By 1941, Chennault had recruited American volunteer pilots — the Flying Tigers — who flew shark-mouthed P-40 Warhawks against the Japanese. In six months they destroyed nearly 300 enemy aircraft while losing only 14 pilots in combat. Chennault became a national hero. The museum at Selman Field, where Army Air Forces navigators trained during the war, preserves his story in the city that shaped him.