Frank Losonsky, The Last Surviving Member of The Flying Tigers, Passes Away

[High Noon]

News report of the passing away of Frank Losonsky this past Thursday, the last known surviving member of the legendary American Volunteer Group (AVG). This unit is perhaps better known today by their nickname, the Flying Tigers.

The AVG numbered 311 personnel – from maintenance crewmen, to nurses, to administrators, to pilots – recruited from the ranks of the U.S. military by Claire Chennault in mid-1941, to help the Chinese Air Force take on the invading Imperial Japanese army. They were volunteers though, and had to officially leave U.S. service before heading to the Orient – and an unknown fate.

http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/the-last-of-the-tigers-frank-losonsky.html

 

[HERMET]

RIP

 

[Hayata]

They were technically mercenaries but they knew what was coming and they were American Pilots who were itching for a fight! Remember when young men were headstrong and ready to take on anything? Maybe not, but I digress.

After Pearl Harbor they were the ONLY source of good news coming in from over seas of the new World War. The AVG was racking up great scores against the japs. Gen. Chennault had set up a great early warning network that allowed our pilots to use their precious fuel and ammo to the greatest effect.

Until the Doolittle raid they were America's only good hope of success against the japs in the far east.

It's a shame China turned communist - from what I understand we handled that area of the world very poorly from an international relations standpoint.

God bless them all!

 

[Wheeler]

They were technically mercenaries...

Contractors. The preferred term is contractors.

They were closer to bounty hunters than mercenaries as the pilots received a bounty for every Japanese plane they shot down.

None of their passports listed them as pilots. They were “students, preachers, or artists.” Greg Boyington of all people was listed as a minister.

 

[MuleShoe]

May he Rest In Peace!

 

[aFarewellToKings]

They were technically mercenaries but they knew what was coming and they were American Pilots who were itching for a fight! Remember when young men were headstrong and ready to take on anything? Maybe not, but I digress.

After Pearl Harbor they were the ONLY source of good news coming in from over seas of the new World War. The AVG was racking up great scores against the japs. Gen. Chennault had set up a great early warning network that allowed our pilots to use their precious fuel and ammo to the greatest effect.

Until the Doolittle raid they were America's only good hope of success against the japs in the far east.

It's a shame China turned communist - from what I understand we handled that area of the world very poorly from an international relations standpoint.

God bless them all!

And the Army did a REALLY bad job when they took over from the AVG.
The general tasked with recruiting the pilots chose to threaten to ship them home and have them drafted if they refused. The only ones to remain did so only to train their replacements.
The Army never did like the AVG. Or equal their accomplishments. With outdated equipment.

I can't recommend enough God is My Copilot by Robert L. Scott. Or The Day I Owned the Sky.
While he wasn't in the AVG, he did fly with them, was given one of their P-40s to protect the cargo planes flying 'over the hump'', and commanded the replacement fighters. And he lied and cheated just to get into the theater.

 

[97 winchester]

RIP

 

[Hayata]

And the Army did a REALLY bad job when they took over from the AVG.
The general tasked with recruiting the pilots chose to threaten to ship them home and have them drafted if they refused. The only ones to remain did so only to train their replacements.
The Army never did like the AVG. Or equal their accomplishments. With outdated equipment.

I can't recommend enough God is My Copilot by Robert L. Scott. Or The Day I Owned the Sky.
While he wasn't in the AVG, he did fly with them, was given one of their P-40s to protect the cargo planes flying 'over the hump'', and commanded the replacement fighters. And he lied and cheated just to get into the theater.

I have a P40 model signed by Gen Scott. Never met him though. Buddy of mine in Macon started writing to him as a kid when he found out Gen Scott also lived in Macon. They became friends way back in the day.

 

[Wheeler]

And the Army did a REALLY bad job when they took over from the AVG.
The general tasked with recruiting the pilots chose to threaten to ship them home and have them drafted if they refused. The only ones to remain did so only to train their replacements.
The Army never did like the AVG. Or equal their accomplishments. With outdated equipment.

I can't recommend enough God is My Copilot by Robert L. Scott. Or The Day I Owned the Sky.
While he wasn't in the AVG, he did fly with them, was given one of their P-40s to protect the cargo planes flying 'over the hump'', and commanded the replacement fighters. And he lied and cheated just to get into the theater.

There were a lot of folks in high places that didn’t like the idea of people running around fighting without government supervision. Roosevelt supported the idea and gave Chennault permission to recruit active duty pilots and facilitated their release from their obligations but there was no record, mainly so he could maintain plausible deniability.

I’ll see if I can’t get those books on kindle. I need some more good books in my reading list.