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PowerPoint Presentation
Technical Job Aid
Nutrition Bar Ad
Electric Lamp Ad
Real Estate Ad
Alarm Clock Ad
Movie Review
Biography - Chennault
         Discovery
         Army Air Service
         Accepting Mao's Offer
         Chennault Sailed to China
         The American Volunteer Group
         China Air Task Force
         Civil Air Transport
         The Chennault Legacy
         Bibliography

BEGIN
CABLE COMPANY INTERNAL PRESENTATION

POWERPOINT SLIDE FOUR(after title slides)

HEADING
Development of the Retention Team

TEXT
Envisioned to operate as a dynamic “help desk,” the Monrovia Contact Center opened in October 2001. Acknowledgment of consumer demands and market trends required a team of specialists for high-risk subscribers—customers most likely to order disconnection. In April 2002, ten agents were selected to regain customer loyalty through outbound phone calls to those who were pending disconnection. By June 2002, the team had improved with 40 highly-skilled agents focused on resolving client problems through both inbound and outbound phone calls.

POWERPOINT SLIDE FIVE

HEADING
From Inception to the Present

TEXT
Within six months, the Retention Team had 60,000 inbound calls of which only 20,000 were requests for disconnection. We saved 10,000. An astounding 95% of those saved are active to-date.

First quarter, 2003, we processed 40,000 calls of which 15,000 were requests for disconnection. We retained 6,000.

POWERPOINT SLIDE TEN (after charts and graphs)

HEADING
Specialized Operations

SUB-HEADING
Sales Web

TEXT
Client inquiries on modem or video services, technical solutions, rates and programming—just to name a few—are all facilitated by this remarkable Web-based tool for agents. Five hundred daily entry processing with a 72 hour turnaround makes this Web site a vital part of the Retention Team tool kit.

www.salesweb.com/index [NOT ACTIVE]

POWERPOINT SLIDE TWELVE (after spreadsheet)

SUB-HEADING
District and City Complainant Resolution

TEXT
Customers registering complaints are arranged by city or district to enable timely research and trouble-shooting. Resolution of all complaints is achieved within 24 hours by the Resolution Team through its investigative process.

POWERPOINT SLIDE FIFTEEN (after charts)

HEADING
Broadening the Retention Mindset

TEXT
• Develop a universal mission statement of retention
• Create a center-wide celebration “save day” with games, raffles and workshops
• Develop exciting product promotions for exclusive usage by retention agents to retain customers
• Create a Web page of tips to retain clients
• Maintain a “wall of fame” with client testimonials and agent names

POWERPOINT SLIDE SIXTEEN

HEADING
Globalizing Retention

TEXT
• First-call resolution and other retention techniques can be devised through the Training & Development Department
• Side-by-side training with a seasoned retention agent for one week will help new team members
• Administer final certification for new team members
• Allow immediate eligibility for incentives upon certification
• Verify and control quality for all save claims

END PRESENTATION
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BEGIN
Internal Corporate Job Aid

HEADING
How to Link Excel Workbooks
By Ken Holmes

TEXT
How would you go about transferring revisable data from one Excel workbook to another? Would you copy and paste, switching from one workbook to the other, repeating as needed? This technique might prove time-consuming and error-prone. When working with two or more Windows Excel workbooks, a large amount of data and limited time, there’s quite an efficient way to do it.

Why link workbooks? If, for example, one workbook tallies data for a given calendar month (say, January) and another workbook needs that month’s data in order to begin tallying the next month (February), a link could send data more efficiently from one workbook to the other. The beginning balance for February can be linked to the total balance for January. This job aid will describe the simple process of creating the link between the two workbooks. Let’s look at a spreadsheet cell.

To create a link in an Excel cell, one must begin by creating a link formula. As with any Excel formula, one must begin with the equals sign, =. When = is entered to any cell, Excel will automatically prepare for cell reference from wherever the insertion point (often called the “cursor”) is placed. You may control the insertion point with the mouse (preferable for moving between two or more workbooks). Placement of the insertion point will enable Excel to complete the formula (in this case a link formula). You may view the link formula in the formula pane which appears above the spreadsheet.

While the formula is displayed in the formula pane, you should note the various characters, symbols and syntax of the formula. With time, you will be able to construct accurate link formulas “from scratch” using the keyboard rather than the mouse and insertion point. Excel link formulas generally have the same characters and syntax with variations according to worksheet names and cell references.

‘[file path and workbook name.xls]sheet name’! cell reference

When the formula is completed, you may hit Enter in order for the formula to be entered to the cell. Please note that if you don’t hit Enter when the formula is completed, additional information may be added to the formula, thereby invalidating the intended function of the formula. Altering the function of formulas may render their results erroneous.

Once the formula is entered, you may view its contents again by simply selecting the cell. The contents will display again in the formula pane above the spreadsheet.

Please note that there are two basic types of formula references: absolute and relative. Absolute formulas are the default type for automatic formulas (where you use the cursor). When you allow Excel to construct a link formula automatically, Excel will automatically make the formula’s cell reference absolute—meaning the cell reference will remain the same whether the formula is moved to another cell or not. You will know cell references are absolute because the column and row references will each have $ in front of them (e.g. $A$10). This is fine if you move the formula and you want its cell reference to remain the same. However, if you want the cell reference to change relatively when the formula is moved, you will need a relative cell reference.

This means that the cell the formula refers to will change relative to movement of the formula. For link formulas, this may be important if you want the formula in one workbook to refer to other relative cells as you move the link formula within the workbook. In our example, the previous month’s total is carried over to the next month’s workbook. It appears in the cell in which the formula was constructed, E4. It is, by default, absolute, $E$4 (see previous illustration).

However, what if you want to copy the formula down column C in order to capture other data from the previous month? To avoid copying only the data from row 4, you will need to change the cell reference from absolute to relative. This is done by removing $ from the column and row references. You now have E4 (rather than $E$4) in the formula and you may copy the formula down the column to capture data from each relative row of the previous month. Note that the original formula and cell reference (E4) remain in the formula pane, although other cell references were created as the original cell was copied down the column. Also, take note that the data in column E of January has been copied to column C of February. This is the result desired and you've saved precious time by using links.

END JOB AID
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BEGIN AD

BRAND NAME
Brunch Bar

HEADING
Your stomach’s best friend.

COPY BODY
No time to step out to the deli? When lunching in the office, make it count! Have a Brunch Bar… Satisfy your hunger without sacrificing nutrition - or flavor.

With an assortment of nougat flavors and a dark chocolate-flavored coating, you’ll think you’re having a candy bar for lunch. Easily the best-tasting nutrition bar you’ll ever devour.

END AD
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BEGIN AD

BRAND NAME
Trellis Lamps

HEADING
Lighting for Excitement

COPY BODY
Trellis Table Lamps do more than illuminate. They’re marvelous to behold.

Don’t simply light the room… Excite the room with Trellis Lamps.

END AD
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BEGIN AD

HEADLINE
You Just Want OUT!

BUSINESS NAME
Auslander Properties
Homeowners’ Relief Division

COPY BODY
You’re a responsible person… You’re hardworking… But you’re having a run of bad luck…

SUB-HEADING
It can happen to anyone.

COPY BODY
If you’ve fallen behind on mortgage payments and can’t catch up, you don’t need a lecture… You don’t need counseling… You just need help and you just want out!

We’re here to help. Auslander Properties is the number one homebuyer in the Piute Valley. Don’t let your home go into foreclosure and your credit be ruined. We’ll pay cash to buy your home. We’ll do it fast so you can get on with your life. Take the first step toward starting over, clean. Call us immediately.

END AD
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BEGIN AD

HEADLINE
Better Than a Wakeup Call!

IMAGE GOES HERE
(Drill instructor symbology)

COPY BODY
When you really need to wake up on time, only a drill instructor is more effective.

BRAND NAME
Sabel Alarm Clock Radios.

END AD
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BEGIN REVIEW

Video Film Review

TITLE
Devil Dogs of the Air(1935)

COPY BODY
With a light-hearted look at interim period Marine Corps aviation training, this action-filled romance-comedy features a hyper-kinetic Tommy O'Toole (James Cagney) taking on a temperate but firm Lt. Bill Brannigan (Pat O'Brien). It's wit against wit, both in the air and in the local, family-owned cafe where sultry Betty Roberts (Margaret Lindsay) is a waitress who must decide whether to continue her warmish courtship with Brannigan or yield to the arrogant antics of O'Toole who, newly arrived, sets his romantic sights on her - immediately after crashing his ingeniously-shot (in the air) stunt plane.

The aerial shots are marvelous and spectacular. The war games provide an informative view of early Navy-Marine Corps joint exercise doctrine. And for aviation enthusiasts, the star aircraft - the Boeing F4B-4 Marine Corps bi-plane, especially in flight formations - is unparalleled as a player on the "stage".

END REVIEW
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Claire Lee Chennault (1893 – 1958)
An abbreviated biography by Ken Holmes

Introduction

Once again, the bombers roared overhead. They came in at about 15,000 feet to inflict more destruction and torment on the Chinese People. They seemed unstoppable as they unleashed their devastation, destroying or damaging factories, schools, hospitals - anything to break the will of the people. Civilians died by the thousands under the juggernaut of the Japanese Army Air Forces, who left tons of rubble and piles of mangled bodies their wake. Then, one day, a miracle...

It was December 20th, 1941. The JAAF bombers were ambushed by a squadron of Tomahawk fighter planes that descended out of the sun. They struck the bombers hard, inflicting tremendous damage with their wing- and nose-mounted guns. Some of the bombers fell from the sky before they could escape the onslaught, crashing to the ground in huge fireballs.

Who were these guys?

The most skilled fighter pilots the JAAF had ever encountered were stunning the bomber crews. They panicked, hurriedly dropping their bombs in open fields to enable a fast getaway. As the bombers cowardly turned to head back to base, they noticed their attackers wore Chinese military insignia on their wings and fuselages. But they also noticed something else. Something odd. The mouth-like lower nose of the fighters had tiger sharks’ teeth painted on them!

The Japanese had just encountered Claire Chennault’s Flying Tigers. The skies over China would never be the same.

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Discovery

Claire Lee Chennault was born in Commerce, Texas on September 6th, 1893, and raised in Waterproof, Louisiana. His mother died when he was only five years old. Public record shows him as the son of John Stonewall Jackson and Jesse Lee Chennault, with a younger brother of age three in 1900. Chennault was a descendant of Huguenot immigrants of the 18th century. He was also the descendant of Robert E. Lee of the Old Southern Confederacy, on his mother’s side; and of Texas war leader and hero, Sam Houston, on his father’s side. Chennault’s date of birth has been in dispute, perhaps for a few reasons. One may be a lack of perfect record-keeping in both Texas and Louisiana in the late nineteenth century. Another may be that Chennault hid his true age at the time he applied for admission to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

He matriculated to LSU in January of 1909 after having changed his birth date from September to June upon application. This enabled him to be at least “sixteen as of the nearest birth date,” a university policy for incoming students. It probably began a string of such deceptions. He also claimed in his autobiography, “Way of a Fighter…,” to have applied to the Army and Navy Military Academies. This may have been another occasion to lie about his age, since a fifteen-year-old applying to the military academies would have been rejected. Eighteen, going on nineteen was an acceptable age. Fifteen, going on sixteen was not. This might explain why his birth year was long believed to be 1890, rather than 1893 – which appears on his grave marker. If he needed to continue lying, and perhaps trying (and succeeding!) to look older, it’s easy to understand why he was nicknamed “Old Leatherface” by age 42. Eagerness for adventure seems to have marked the early years of his life.

Having falsified the month of birth – as LSU admissions records show – Claire Chennault was admitted to the university. He majored in agriculture until he dropped out in his sophomore year, possibly while mourning the death of his stepmother, Lottie Barnes.  She and Claire had been very close. She had been Claire’s teacher in the one-room Gilbert school of his earlier years. When she married his father in 1904, thus becoming his stepmother, Claire, unlike many adopted children, got along quite well with his adopted mother. The tragedy of Lottie’s death, in November 1909, may have contributed to his dropping out of school.

Chennault then enrolled at the State Normal School at Natchitoches, where, after two months of rigorous course-work, he dropped out again – perhaps this time for a much different cause. A unique experience involving an early Curtiss biplane at the Louisiana State Fair might have enthralled him. The craft was a simple “pusher”, with propellers mounted behind the wings and pilot’s perch. It was not much more than a gasoline engine on a metal frame with cables, pulleys and a dual fabric wing cellule – hardly more advanced than the Wright Flyer of just seven years prior. Here is an excerpt from his autobiography:

A rickety old pusher bi-plane, wobbling through the air at the Louisiana State Fair in 1910, first turned my ambitions upward. Like most young men, I was looking for bright new worlds to conquer and, as is the habit of youth, regretted that I had been born so late when all the most glamorous frontiers had disappeared… That primitive flying machine bumping through the hot, sticky summer day in Shreveport gave me my first glimpse of a new frontier and sowed the seed of my desire to fly.

Captivated as Chennault might have been at the state fair, not much was done about his dream for years. As he put it, “For many years, my prospects of ever flying seemed extraordinarily [emphasis added] dim.”

Those years did pass without further mention of aviation. He became teacher-principle of a school in Athens, Louisiana in the Fall of 1910. The following year, he met and married Nell Thompson on Christmas Day. As his family quickly grew, so did his need for higher income than employment at the country school would afford. American entry into World War I, in April, 1917, found him working at a Goodyear tire factory. Chennault signed up with the Army and received a commission as a first lieutenant and went to infantry school at Fort Benjamin Harrison.

Chennault was assigned to the 90th Infantry Division at Fort Travis, outside of San Antonio, Texas. Not far away was Kelly field, also on the outskirts of the city, where cadets were being trained by the Army Signal Corps to fly aircraft. Chennault learned his way around, eventually getting a permanent assignment at Kelly field to lead cadets in parade field drill. He stayed there for nearly a year, probably because it was the closest he would get to aviation. He did receive a few unauthorized flying lessons while stationed at Kelly field. Although World War I ended without Chennault’s direct participation, his time at Kelly field was not wasted. Simply being around aviation afforded him some opportunities to move closer to his dream of becoming a flyer. He left the army and went back home to Louisiana.

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Army Air Service

Back home after the war, Chennault welcomed orders in 1919 to return to Kelly Field as a reserve cadet. The army granted him the opportunity to become an aviator. While there, it became apparent that bad habits die hard. The unauthorized “bootleg” flying lessons Chennault had received there several months earlier contributed to his wash out by civilian instructor, Pop Liken. Chennault’s technique in the air seemed forever unacceptable. Chennault then sought the traditional second opinion of a military pilot. Lieutenant Ernest Allison concluded, “This man can be taught to fly.” Chennault did earn his wings on April 9th, 1919. Because it was peacetime, there weren’t many opportunities for Chennault to develop air combat skills. As a reservist, he was assigned to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border until the end of his tour of duty, when he was discharged. Back home in Gilbert, again, he missed flying. “I have tasted the air,” he wrote in a letter to his father, “and I cannot get it out of my craw.”

Luckily for Chennault, the National Defense Act of 1920 made the Army Air Corps an official army branch, like the Quarter Master Corps or the Signal Corps – from which the Army Air Corps had originated. Chennault promptly applied for one of the newly created flying officer slots. He became an officer in the regular army for the first time when, on September 14th, 1920, he once again received pilot’s wings and lieutenant’s bars. By 1922, when he joined the 1st Pursuit Group at Ellington Field, Texas, he had logged a little over 60 hours in the air. There was quite an historic squadron worth noting in the 1st Pursuit Group.

The 94th Squadron wore the hat-in-the-ring insignia made famous by Eddie Rickenbacker, America’s “ace of aces,” who shot down 26 German planes in World War I. This was the squadron to which Chennault was assigned. Finally within his element, he demonstrated what it took to be an outstanding pilot, until the end of his tour. In 1924, he was assigned as commander of the 19th Pursuit Squadron in Hawaii.

Life got even better. Husband, and father of seven, Chennault wore a waxed-tip mustache when assigned to Ford island, in the middle of Pearl Harbor. As U.S. Naval presence in the Pacific grew, so did the single greatest threat to the U.S. Navy at the time - the Japanese Navy. Even during that time, tension gathered slowly in the Pacific. Chennault’s drills and policies incorporated the geopolitics of the time. Pearl Harbor, being the most powerful U.S. Naval Base, demanded the utmost attentiveness. Chennault was passionate about his duties as leader and aviator.

Unfortunately, he was losing his hearing. Military service tended to be quite noisy, especially with open cockpits (common at that time) and increasingly more powerful aircraft engines. Although he received a medical waiver, Chennault continued to fly, logging more than 1300 hours by the end of his tour in Hawaii. In addition to hearing loss (considered failing health), promotion was slow.

Chennault made the rank of Captain in 1929. What, today, might have seemed a delayed promotion was common for the meagerly-funded peacetime army. Nevertheless, Chennault’s career was well on track. As such, he was among a few chosen to attend the prestigious Air Corps Tactical School. Future generals would train there. Chennault studied classic land battles and tactics. Maxwell Field, Alabama became the permanent location for the Tactical School. Eventually, Chennault joined the faculty as instructor of fighter tactics. He was also appointed as a member of the United States Pursuit Development Board to help further Air Force doctrine – then in its infancy. Meanwhile, he continued to sharpen his tactical flight skills.

In the air over the town of Waterproof, Louisiana, close to his childhood home, he practiced maneuvers that would thrill viewers in peacetime and shock enemies in wartime. When asked by the commander of the Tactical School to form the army’s first air acrobatics team, Chennault created a three-man team. The Air Corps Exhibition Group, as it was formally designated, would feature Chennault along with Lieutenant Haywood (Possum) Hansell and Sergeant John Williamson, called “Luke”. They became “Three Men on a Flying Trapeze.” The Boeing P-12 (“P” for Pursuit), a rugged bi-plane with a 525 hp Wasp radial engine (also flown by the Navy as the F4B) would be the aircraft of choice. The distinctive bi-plane had a ring-shaped cowling and forward-swept upper wings. The Three in their P-12s developed 18 air stunts for their act.

It was a golden age for air stunt shows. Precision flying was in its infancy. The Three Men enthralled audiences with rolls and spins described as follows: “Chennault’s ‘Men on a Flying Trapeze’ performed feats heretofore considered impossible,” according to the Air Corps Newsletter. “Wingovers, slow and snap rolls, Immelmanns, and finally a turn and a half spin were executed with such precision and perfection…” Chennault is credited with the “choreography” followed so well by the team. A Sergeant William McDonald would replace Hansell when he left the act by 1935. Although Chennault had not served in air combat to that point, his air stunts, arguably, would contribute greatly to air combat tactics. The Men on a Flying Trapeze gave their farewell performance in December 1935.

The final act was at the All-American Air Races in Miami. Colonel Mao Pang-chu of the Chinese Air Force was among the spectators. Also in Miami was William Pawley, Curtiss-Wright aircraft manufacturer representative in China. The pair were recruiting flight instructors for the CAF. At a yacht party in Miami harbor, Mao made generous job offers to the three as flight instructors at a school in Hanzhou. Williamson and McDonald took him up on his offer immediately, clearing the remaining time on their enlistments, and sailed for China in July 1936.

Chennault’s army career to that point had been more than air stunts. While at the Tactical School, Chennault continued to try and shape Air Corps doctrine to stress pursuit. The superiors of the day believed bombardment (high-level) and attack (low-level) were vastly more important than pursuit (air-to-air). In others words, air-to-ground strategic bombing and tactical assault were the primary necessities to support ground operations such as infantry and cavalry. Air superiority was a presumption that required minimal pursuit – tactical fighter engagement of enemy aircraft. Chennault stepped on more than a few toes and rustled one feather too many with his arguments about strategy and tactics. So much that his career was practically over by the time he was assigned executive officer of the 20th Pursuit Group at Barkdale Field, Louisiana.

It was 1936. He was forty-two and his health was increasingly problematic. Though he led a vigorous lifestyle of hard work and hard play, occasional bouts with bronchitis would slow him down. Chennault, a chain-smoker with a waiver for deafness, required treatment for medical problems at the Army-Navy General Hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Though a major by way army reserve commission, Chennault’s permanent regular army rank was captain. It was at his rank of captain that the army suggested he retire. Arguably, it was more than his failing health that prompted the suggestion of retirement; it was also the swollen toes and rustled feathers of his superiors. Nevertheless, retire he did, on April 30th, 1937.

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Accepting Mao’s Offer

It was a short-lived retirement for Chennault. Since the yacht party, he had negotiated with the Chinese, so that by the time he did retire, he had his assignment. For a three-month study and review of the CAF, he would be paid $1000 a month. This was more than three times his army pay.

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Chennault Sailed to China

The next day, Chennault boarded a train and headed for San Francisco. He sailed from there on the President Garfield. The first stop on the voyage was Kobe, Japan, where he met Billy McDonald. After a day or two, touring the main Japanese island of Honshu, they both boarded the Garfield and headed for Shanghai, China. On June 3rd, 1937, he met Madame Chiang Kai-Shek for the first time.

“Granted interview by Her Excellency Madam[e] Chiang Kai-Shek,” Chennault wrote in a diary. Added was, “who will hereafter be ‘The Princess’ to me.” Madame Chiang (nee Soong Mei-ling), a Wellesley alumna, had impressed many Americans with her charm and beauty. Being progressive, she had acquired her own plane and had appointed herself secretary-general of China’s Aeronautical Commission, by which authority she interviewed Chennault.

After another interview and briefing within the chain of command, Chennault went by train to his duty installation at Hangzhou, where he joined up with Luke Williamson and Billy McDonald, along with other Americans who staffed the CAF flight school. He also toured various airfields within and throughout Southeast China.

From 1937 to 1941, Chennault received various additional assignments from Chiang Kai-shek, the “generalissimo”. Everything from orchestrating the CAF assault of Japanese Navy gun ships to setting up observation and early warning networks. Certainly, his original arrangement with the first family, the Chiangs, had been extended beyond the three months.

Although Chennault’s ideas were effective when properly implemented, the Japanese Imperial hegemony seemed unstoppable in China. Region after region fell into Japanese hands, as Chinese civilians died by the hundreds of thousands.

Although Chennault alone could not change China’s misfortunes, his presence in China did serve strategic interests of the U.S. He frequently relayed tactical and technical information to the U.S. military – both the army and the navy. Although the intelligence was largely ignored during those early years, at least some lines of communication and goodwill were fostered. He also lobbied for U.S. aid. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in order to maintain ostensible diplomacy with Japan, proceeded with caution. Although Chennault is not known to have directly contacted Roosevelt prior to 1941, Roosevelt, by way of Chennault’s connections, could have received unofficial information about the carnage in China. In any case, Roosevelt was well aware of what was going on in the Far East and he knew he should help China, in case we needed her as an ally later.

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The American Volunteer Group

Historians officially regard the beginning of World War II as September 1st, 1939. This is the date Hitler’s war machine invaded Poland. However, by that time, much of China and other parts of the Far East had been ravished by audacious Japanese aggression for years. It had become clear to Chennault that the only chance of neutralizing the Japanese Army Air Forces was with more aircraft, better aircraft and better-selected and trained pilots than China herself provided. It was also clear to him and his employer that American combat pilots were a prime choice. Securing deals to purchase and import American parts and equipment was one thing. But how would China acquire active duty combat pilots from the U.S., acknowledging the U.S. was not officially in the war and Roosevelt wanted to remain neutral? The answer was American aid to China. The U.S. military was allowed to grant special-order discharges to military volunteers who wanted to fight for China. So, with “secret U.S. Government approval,” American pilots would fill slots in the newly forming American Volunteer Group of the CAF. Many small-unit commanders were surprised to see how easily CAF recruiters could waltz onto their installation with a green light nod from higher brass; and then leave, having secured recruits for immediate special discharges to go to China.

Chennault and other CAF officials toured the U.S. Military to find the needed pilots, mechanics and support personnel to fill the positions of the AVG. Training of the American pilots in China began in August, 1941, months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

On December 7th, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by stealth with over 300 carrier-based Japanese aircraft, the U.S. was forced to enter World War II the next day. That same month, the AVG began its first assaults on Japanese bomber formations en route to Chinese cities. On December 20th, several JAAF twin-engine Mitsubishi Ki-21 Sally bombers en route to bomb Kunming, Southern China were downed by AVG P-40B Tomahawk fighters. The remaining Sallies in that raid jettisoned their bombs before turning tail and heading back to base. Additional AVG raids on Japanese fighters and bombers occurred within days, resulting in dozens of air kills by AVG fighters against the JAAF aircraft. So unmatched were the AVG in their state-of-the-art, “expertly flown” Tomahawks that the press described their fighting like “flying tigers.” The name stuck. Henceforth, the fighting force was known as the Flying Tigers. The air-cooled P-40B Tomahawk, with its ventral nose scoop (reminiscent of a tiger shark’s mouth) gave itself quite well to the nickname. The well-recognized paint scheme of shark teeth was emblazoned onto the under nose of the unit’s Tomahawks. The Curtiss-built, P-40B, with its 1200 horsepower Alison engine was fast and well-armed. During that first month, the Flying Tigers’ role was somewhat defensive. After the first of the year, however, the Flying Tigers went on the offensive. They attacked railroads, bridges, aerodromes, docks and shipping. The Flying Tigers - under AVG contract - scored victory after victory, as they drove the fight home to the enemy.

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China Air Task Force

By the time the AVG contract expired on July 4th, 1942, the unit had downed nearly 130 enemy aircraft. With the U.S. fully involved in the war effort by that time, the China Air Task Force was formed to coordinate U.S. Army Air Force actions in China. CATF would be commanded by Major General Joseph (“Vinegar Joe”) Stilwell. Within CATF, the newly formed 23rd Fighter Group was born on July 9th, 1942 with Colonel Claire Chennault commanding. As of early 1942, pursuit units in the Army Air Forces would be designated as fighter units, although the aircraft would retain their “P” designation for the rest of the war. Chennault, re-commissioned into the U.S. Army, was promoted to Colonel as Group Commander under Stilwell. Only a portion of the original AVG personnel would continue on with CATF. Nevertheless, the expanded Flying Tigers continued to chalk up victories as the veterans led the new arrivals. The unit was so successful that is was expanded further in less than a year.

The USAAF 14th Air Force was born on March 19th, 1943 as an expansion of the 23rd Fighter Group. Claire Chennault in command had been promoted to Brigadier General. By that time, the unit’s distinctive sharks’ teeth were emblazoned onto its newly added aircraft other than fighters, such as heavy bombers like the B-24 Liberator.

During his tour as commander of the 14th AF, all Chennault’s bases and equipment would be overrun by Japanese ground forces, an occurrence both he and the Generalissimo would convince Roosevelt was the fault of Stilwell – with whom neither of them got along. Because ground forces fell within Vinegar Joe’s command, a convincing argument was made for Stilwell’s relief from command – which he was. Chennault, however, didn’t escape damaging criticism either.

As before, Chennault became entangled in disputes with superiors (including Stilwell) over strategy and tactics and was again forced to retire. As a Major General, Chennault retired in July, 1945, several weeks before the end of the war in the Pacific. Command of the 14th AF was passed on. Despite any faults Chennault may have had during his tenure as a USAAF Commander, his units’ accomplishments under his command were awesome.

It should be noted that under Chennault’s command, from 1942 to 1945, The Flying Tigers organization had accomplished the following against the enemy:

         • More than 1000 aircraft destroyed
         • 184 ships sunk
         • 817 bridges destroyed
         • 1225 locomotives destroyed
         • More than 60,000 troops killed

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Civil Air Transport

Forced into retirement just weeks before VJ-day and the end of World War II, Chennault continued to support the Chiangs and the Nationalist movement in China, whose enemy had also been the Chinese Communists. He founded the Civil Air Transport (CAT), a private airline, with Whiting Willauer and other AVG personnel. The airline was used for mercy flights and clandestine support of the Chinese Nationalists. The U.S. Office of Strategic Services – forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency – also worked covertly with the CAT organization. It is alleged that an arm of the CIA purchased CAT from Chennault and Willauer in 1950. When Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists were defeated by the communists in China in 1949, the Nationalist Party leadership, with Chennault and CAT, were ultimately exiled to Taiwan.

In the early ‘fifties, the airline - under contract by the U.S. government - supported American troops in Korea and French colonial forces in Indochina. Eventually, CAT morphed into Air America, a civilian air transport company that supported covert activities in Southeast Asia during the Viet Nam War. Other curious civilian airlines are said to have operated concurrently with Air America in Southeast Asian countries besides Viet Nam, with clandestine activities of their own.

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The Chennault Legacy

Undoubtedly, Chennault’s efforts - before and during American involvement in World War II – saved countless American and Chinese lives. Chennault continued to initiate activities to fight enemies of the Nationalist Chinese and of the U.S. and its allies. He tried to organize another volunteer fighter group to take on the communists in China. This was disallowed by then Secretary of State George C. Marshall, serving under President Harry S. Truman. Later, Chennault attempted to assemble a group of F-84 Thunderjet fighter-bombers to support the French colonial forces fighting the communists in Indo-china. Likewise, this plan was politely put aside by then President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Chennault’s career advancement is remarkable in light of his many awkward steps with his superiors. Failing health and possible emotional turmoil, due to frustrations with his leaders and later isolation from his family while serving in China, probably did not help his career, either.

Details of Chennault’s personal life include dissolution of marriage to his longtime wife, “Nellie”. The marriage ended in divorce in 1946. He and Nell had had eight children together. Upon his return to China, he courted and then married Chinese nationalist Anna Chan on December 2nd, 1947. He and Anna had two children. Anna would later author several books, including stories of Chennault and The Flying Tigers.

Promoted to Lieutenant General in retirement and within days before his death, Chennault’s many decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with cluster; the Army and Navy Air Medal with cluster; the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Force Medal; Commander of the British Empire; the Legion of Honor; the Croix de Guerre with palm; and the Chevalier Polonia Restituta. Claire Lee Chennault died of lung cancer on July 27th, 1958 at the Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans.

The U.S., Nationalist Chinese and Taiwanese cultures continue to pay tribute to the Chennault Legacy with a monument erected in his honor in Taipei. The State of Louisiana also has a monument erected at the capitol in Baton Rouge. Nearby, at the riverside war memorial is an antique Tomahawk aircraft named “Joy”, in his honor. Chennault International Airport (formerly, Chennault Air Force Base) is in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The State of Texas is proud to claim him as a native son. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Bibliography
Claire Lee Chennault Biography
By Ken Holmes

1. Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and the American Volunteer Group
Daniel Ford
1991
New York and London; Smithsonian Institution Press

2. Way of a Fighter; the Memoirs of Claire Lee Chennault
Ed. Robert Holtz
1949
New York; G.P. Putnam’s Sons

3. A Thousand Springs; the Biography of a Marriage
Anna Chennault
1962
New York; Paul S. Eriksson

4. Old Leatherface of the Flying Tigers: The Story of General Chennault
Keith Ayling
1945
Indianapolis, New York;, The Bobbs-Merrill Company

5. Flying Tiger: Chennault of China
Robert Lee Scott Jr.
1959
Garden City, NY; Doubleday & Company

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