Front:
KONROE
LA
SEP
6.
USA40 1990
FlyingTigers,19 Os
71203
Chennault
KOSL OW
Claire Chennault
Back:
GENERAL CLAIRE LEE CHENNAULT
First Day of Issue: September 6, 1990
First Issue Location: Monroe, Louisiana
China's General Chiang Kai-shek could not have picked
a more able leader when he asked Claire Lee Chennault
(1890-1958) to organize an air defense against Imperial
Japan in 1937. Recently retired from the United States
Army Air Corps, Chennault was an astute teacher and
author of a classic training textbook. Once in China,
Chennault immediately recognized the need for experi-
enced pilots to fly against the growing forces of Japan. He
returned to the United States in 1940 where he recruited
pilots and mechanics to fight for China. So evolved the
famous “Flying Tigers," the American Volunteer Group
lured to China by high pay and the romance of fighting an
enemy in an exotic locale. With their P-40s dramatically
painted with eyes and teeth, the pilots were truly “tigers”
of the air, bringing down 299 Japanese planes while
losing only 32 of their own in seven months of combat. In
April 1942, Chennault was recalled to service by the U.S.
Army Air Corps and promoted first to colonel, then to
brigadier general.
No. 90-34
©1990 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Howard Koslow
