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
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