A monument in commemoration of former American "Flying Tigers" who fought for the Chinese people during the World War II has been erected in Jinyang County, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

 

Standing 9.44 meters high and 1.944 meters wide, the sword-shaped monument is located at Baicaopo, a mountain slope, in Jinyang County, where a B-29 military aircraft of the Flying Tigers crashed on its mission tour on June 5th, 1944, said Tan Fuxuan, head of the Publicity Department of Jinyang County Committee of the Communist Party of China.

 

The pilot was killed and ten "Flying Tiger" soldiers aboard the aircraft baled out and slightly injured. They were rescued by local people of the Yi ethnic group and returned to the "Flying Tiger" team soon after they recovered.

 

On August 1, 1941, American Volunteer Group (AVG), nicknamed "Flying Tigers" afterwards, was formed. Under the leadership of US General Claire Lee Chennaults, the "Flying Tigers" were made up of some 300 young US servicemen to help China drive out the invading Japanese troops.

 

The valiant pilots shot down 2,600 Japanese fighter planes, sank or damaged 44 warships and many commercial ships, and killed more than 66,700 Japanese soldiers between 1941-1945.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2006)