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114-527: The Seversky Aircraft Company , which in 1939 changed its name to Republic, constructed a range of private venture, one-off variants of its P-35 design, featuring different powerplants and enhancements, designated AP-2 , AP-7 , AP-4 (which flew after the AP-7), AP-9 , and XP-41 . The series included a carrier-based version designated the NF-1 (Naval Fighter 1) that was also built. The most significant of these

228-479: A "razorback" fuselage with a tall spine extending back from the canopy . The engine air intake was moved from the port wing to under the engine resulting in the distinctive ovoid cowling. The aircraft was powered by an R-1830-35 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with a General Electric B-2 turbo-supercharger generating 1,200 hp and driving a three-blade variable-pitch propeller. Armament consisted of two synchronized .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in

342-672: A climb rate of 4,000 ft (1,200 m) per minute, the aircraft would have been an exceptional interceptor. Unfortunately, it was capable of carrying no more fuel than the P-43, and the Double Wasp engine was far more thirsty, significantly limiting the aircraft's range. As the air war in Europe progressed, the Army was discovering that what it really needed was a long-range fighter capable of escorting bombers into Germany. Alexander Kartveli

456-523: A crack fighting unit, always going against superior Japanese forces. They became the symbol of America's military might in Asia. They became the Flying Tigers. A year before the U.S. officially entered the war, Chennault developed an ambitious plan for a sneak attack on Japanese bases. His Flying Tigers would use U.S. bombers and U.S. pilots, all with Chinese markings. He made the fantastic claim that

570-626: A defeatist attitude as a gambit to force Chiang to cede more powers of command to him. As the Japanese took Changsha in June 1944, Chennault criticized Stilwell for trying to command the Chinese armies from Burma, sending a message to Washington saying no-one had seen Stilwell in southern China recently. Following their victory in the Fourth Battle of Changsha, the Japanese began to advance on

684-455: A former Republic P-47 test pilot. He convinced the Republic board of the need for a light sport plane to meet a demand for private aircraft from pilots returning from World War II. The expected sales of 5,000 Seabees a year never materialized, as most returning pilots never flew again, though Republic did manage to sell 1,060 Seabees in two years of production. This was a respectable number at

798-481: A handful of fliers and planes could win the war single-handed. The U.S. Army was opposed to that scheme and raised obstacles by noting that being able to reach Japan depended on Chiang's troops being able to build and protect airfields and bases close enough to Japan, which they doubted that he could do. It also had little confidence in Chennault. Despite the military advice, U.S. civilian leaders were captivated by

912-573: A helicopter division, building the French Aérospatiale Alouette II helicopter under license, with marginal sales success. In an effort to keep the company going, Republic proposed converting a wartime-developed four-engine reconnaissance aircraft (the XF-12 Rainbow ) into a transport aircraft. The aircraft would be very fast for a prop plane, but interest from airlines was not sufficient to continue development of

1026-733: A high school graduation ceremony and subsequently wed in Winnsboro , Louisiana, on December 24, 1911. The marriage ended in divorce in 1946, long after his service in China started. He had two daughters by his second wife, Chen Xiangmei ( Anna Chennault ), a young reporter for the Central News Agency whom he married on December 2, 1947. She became one of the Republic of China 's chief lobbyists in Washington, DC. His children from

1140-864: A last look at the archives, he surreptitiously took one document with him. That lone surviving document was a contract for 225 P-47Bs from Republic for the US Army Air Corps at a cost of $ 16,275,657.50 (War Department Contract #15850, dated September 13, 1940). It is now housed at the museum. The Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society, housed in the lobby of the Republic Airport Main Terminal building, maintains several photo exhibits on Republic aviation and Republic aircraft. It also maintains an extensive collection of archival photos, artifacts, corporate documents, and news articles on Republic. Claire Chennault Claire Lee Chennault (September 6, 1893 – July 27, 1958)

1254-423: A leg in the war. In the beginning, many of Seversky Aircraft's designers were Russian and Georgian engineers, including Michael Gregor and Alexander Kartveli , who would go on to design many of Republic's most famous aircraft. After several failed attempts, Seversky Aircraft finally won a design competition for a new United States Army Air Corps fighter, and was awarded its first military contract in 1936 for

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1368-499: A permanent change in role. Most of the aircraft that were not sent to China were modified for photo-reconnaissance duties and used for training. Eight P-43s (four P-43A-1s and four P-43Ds) were loaned to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942 and served with No. 1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit . The RAAF flew many long range, high-altitude photo reconnaissance missions before the six survivors were returned to

1482-519: A promise from the War Department and President Roosevelt to be delivered to Chiang Kai-shek that several shipments of P-40C fighters were forthcoming along with pilots, mechanics, and aviation supplies. The 100 planes were crated and sent to Burma on third-country freighters during spring 1941. At Rangoon , they were unloaded, assembled and test flown by personnel of Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO) before they were delivered to

1596-538: A remarkable number considering the original intention was to build none. The Lend-Lease aircraft were delivered to China through Claire Chennault 's American Volunteer Group, the Flying Tigers. Pilots involved in the ferrying flights commended the P-43 for its good high-altitude performance compared to the Curtiss P-40 , good roll rate, and a radial engine without a vulnerable liquid cooling system. Apparently, several AVG pilots asked Chennault to keep some P-43s, but

1710-632: A special mission for Chiang Kai-shek. By 1940, seeing that the Chinese Air Force in dire need because of obsolescent aircraft, ill-trained pilots and shortage of equipment, Chiang again sent Chennault, accompanied by Chinese Air Force General Mao Bangchu , to the United States to meet with banker Dr. T. V. Soong in Washington, D.C. , with the following goal: "to get as many fighter planes, bombers, and transports as possible, plus all

1824-474: A survivor of many air battles including the " Zero-scourge " in the war against the Imperial Japanese invasion of China , was ferrying a P-43 back into China for renewed combat operations against the Japanese, when it suddenly caught fire causing his death in the ensuing crash. The Japanese noted that the P-43's fuel tanks were easily punctured, making them easier to shoot down than P-40s. The type

1938-494: A third of the Chinese infantrymen had rifles, their artillery consisted of just two French artillery guns from World War I, and the majority lived on starvation rations of one bowl of rice per day. Despite their bravery in resisting Japanese assaults on Hengyang all through July and August 1944, the Chinese weaknesses in regards to weapons and food began to tell with Xue reporting his men badly needed supplies to hold Hengyang. Channault wanted to airdrop food, weapons and ammunition to

2052-630: A three-month contract at a salary of $ 1,000 per month, charged with making a survey of the Chinese Air Force. Chiang 's English-speaking wife, Soong Mei-ling , known to Americans as "Madame Chiang", was in charge of the Aeronautical Commission and thus became Chennault's immediate supervisor. Upon the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in August, Chennault became Chiang Kai-shek's chief air adviser, assisted in

2166-509: A time when many small aircraft manufacturers were producing only a handful of aircraft before going bankrupt. Much of this was due to the Seabee's remarkably low price of just $ 3,500 to $ 6,000. In 1946, Republic again turned its attention to military contracts, developing a single-engine jet fighter to meet an Army requirement for a fighter with a top speed of 600 mph (970 km/h). The first YP-84A Thunderjet flew on February 28, 1946, but

2280-494: A venereal disease was one less man who could participate in the war. Stilwell was enraged when he heard about Chennault's brothel and promptly had it shut down by saying it was disgraceful that an officer of the US Army Air Force would open such an establishment. British Field Marshal Alan Brooke , who met both Stillwell and Chennault in late 1943, wrote that Stillwell was a "hopeless crank with no vision" and Chennault

2394-408: Is especially detailed in recording his experience in China. The difficulties that he faced in modernizing fighter tactics, even in emphasizing airpower as a weapon, are clearly explained. His disagreements with and criticisms of the theater commander, General Joseph Stilwell , who was trained in the infantry and seen by Chennault as unappreciative of the capabilities of airpower, are a major portion of

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2508-533: Is of French origin; the French pronunciation is "Shen-OH", but his family pronounced it "Shen-AWLT". He grew up in the Louisiana towns of Gilbert and Waterproof . He began misrepresenting his year of birth as either 1889 or 1890, possibly because he was too young to attend college after he graduated from high school and so his father added three years to his age. His mother died of tuberculosis in 1901 and he

2622-614: The 14th International Bomber Squadron , from Britain, France, Netherlands, and the United States, proposed raiding Kagoshima with incendiary bombs but were all declined because of the "exorbitant remuneration" demanded by the foreign "volunteers". The mission was ultimately tasked to Capt. Xu Huansheng and Lt. Tong Yen-bo of the 8th Bomber Group. Under the Sino-Soviet Treaty of 1937 , Soviet-made bomber and fighter aircraft increasingly replenished China's battered air force units previously equipped with US-made aircraft, such as

2736-685: The 343d Fighter Group , called the "Aleutian Tigers", during the World War Two. The Chennault daughters from the second marriage are Claire Anna Chennault (born February 8, 1949 – October 22, 2023) and Cynthia Louise Chennault (born 1950), a retired professor of Chinese at the University of Florida, Gainesville . As the State of Louisiana had passed an anti-miscegenation law in 1894 forbidding marriage between whites and non-whites, Chennault had been informed by his lawyer that his marriage to Anna

2850-680: The A-10 Thunderbolt II , which first flew in May 1972. In addition to the continued front-line use of the A-10, a number of flying and static restorations have served to sustain public awareness of Republic's role in aviation history. The American Airpower Museum , which is based on the former Republic factory site in Farmingdale, New York , maintains a collection of Republic artifacts, historic facilities, and an array of aircraft spanning

2964-784: The Air Corps in 1926. After graduating from the Air Corps Tactical School in 1931, Chennault became Chief of the Pursuit Section at the Tactical School. Into the mid-1930s Chennault led and represented the 1st Pursuit Group of the Montgomery, Alabama -based Army Air Corps aerobatic team the "Three Musketeers". The group performed at the 1928 National Air Races. In 1932, as a pursuit aviation instructor at Maxwell Field , Chennault re-organized

3078-524: The B-17 Flying Fortress , and the improved performance it offered was of great interest to other aircraft manufacturers. The XP-41 and sole AP-4 were nearly identical, although the AP-4 was initially fitted with a large prop spinner and a tight-fitting engine cowling , as a testbed to evaluate means of improving the aerodynamics of radial -engined fighters, following similar experiments with

3192-515: The Bank of China was further discussed in a meeting held at the home of Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. with Chennault, Dr. Soong, and General Mao on December 21. On April 25, 1941, the United States and China formally signed a $ 50 million stabilization agreement to support the Chinese currency. By December 23, 1940, upon approval by the War Department, State Department, and the President of

3306-712: The Civil Air Transport (later known as Air America ). The aircraft facilitated aid to Nationalist China during the struggle against the Chinese Communists in the late 1940s and were later used in supply missions to French forces in Indochina and the Kuomintang occupation of northern Burma throughout the mid- and late 1950s, providing support for the Thai police force. The same force supplied

3420-663: The Hawk IIIs and Boeing 281 Peashooters , and were also augmented by Soviet volunteer combat aviators ; while the Chinese Air Force Academy in Jianqiao Airbase was pushed hinterland with the Fall of Shanghai and Nanjing , Claire Lee Chennault went along to Kunming 's Wujiaba Airbase , in the capital of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, to reorganize and train new Chinese Air Force cadets at

3534-572: The Ledo Road overland route continued throughout 1944 and was completed in January 1945. Training of the new Chinese divisions commenced; however, predictions of monthly tonnage (65,000 per month) over the road were never achieved. By the time Nationalist armies began to receive large amounts of supplies via the Ledo Road, the war had ended. Instead, the airlift continued to expand until the end of

Republic P-43 Lancer - Misplaced Pages Continue

3648-534: The P-43 Lancer . 272 P-43s were eventually produced, with 108 of them being sent to China to be used against the Japanese. Many passed through the hands of the AVG Flying Tigers , whose pilots were pleased with the plane's performance at altitudes up to 30,000 ft (9,100 m), while their P-40s were ineffective at altitudes over 20,000 ft (6,100 m). Perhaps Claire Chennault disliked

3762-558: The P-47 Thunderbolt . The USAAF refused to give Republic any money for the development of the new XP-47B, so Republic paid for the construction of the first mock-up, reusing the cockpit area of the P-43. By the time the prototype was ready for testing, it weighed over 12,550 lb, 900 lb (410 kg) over the Army's limit for the new fighter design, and far more than any single-engine fighter ever developed. It also could carry only 298 gallons of fuel, 17 gallons less than

3876-929: The RF-84F Thunderflash was developed from the F-84F, and 715 were produced. The final straight-wing version, known as the F-84G, was a holdover design for Republic while the J-65 engine for the swept wing F-84F was still being developed. The F-84F would continue in service with Air National Guard units until 1971, when corrosion forced them to be withdrawn from U.S. service. The F-84F and RF-84F were both used by several foreign operators including Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Denmark (one squadron of RF-84F that were phased out in 1971). The F-84F continued to serve in European air forces until

3990-559: The Seversky Aircraft Company , the company was responsible for the design and production of many important military aircraft, including its most famous products: World War II's P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, the F-84 Thunderjet and F-105 Thunderchief jet fighters. The Seversky Aircraft Company was founded in 1931 by Alexander de Seversky , a Russian expatriate and veteran World War I pilot who had lost

4104-608: The Time issue appeared, Chennault encountered British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Cairo Conference . According to historian Carlo D'Este , Chennault "had been nicknamed 'The Hawk' by Time Magazine and described by Antony Head , a member of the Joint Planning Staff, as 'resembling a Red Indian Chief who had just taken somebody's scalp.' Turning to [Gen. Hastings Lionel] Ismay , Churchill asked

4218-660: The Truman administration 's arms embargo had been a key factor in the loss of morale to the Nationalist armies. Chennault advocated changes in how foreign aid was distributed and encouraged the US Congress to focus on individualized aid assistance with specific goals, with close monitoring by US advisers. Those viewpoints may have reflected his experiences during the Chinese Civil War in which officials of

4332-624: The US intelligence community and others during the Vietnam War . In 1951, now retired, Major General Chennault testified and provided written statements to the Senate Joint Committee on Armed Forces and Foreign Relations , which was investigating the causes of the 1949 fall of China to the communists. Together with Army General Albert C. Wedemeyer , Navy Vice Admiral Oscar C. Badger II , and others, Chennault claimed that

4446-576: The Warhawks , honoring Chennault's AVG Curtiss P-40 fighter aircraft nickname. A large display of General Chennault's orders, medals and other decorations has been on loan to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., by his widow Anna since the museum's opening in 1976. For many years Chennault was viewed negatively within the People's Republic of China , due to his role against

4560-571: The Wright R-2600 . Despite possessing 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW), this engine could not be turbo-supercharged and Republic finally modified the design again, this time to accommodate the enormous Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine, which produced 1,850 horsepower (1,380 kW). The resulting aircraft, now known as the P-44, was truly impressive. Capable of speeds of 404 mph (650 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m), and

4674-419: The 10th Army but was vetoed by Stilwell on the grounds that to air drop supplies would "set a precedent for further demands that could not be met." Chennault did have the pilots of the 14th Air Force brave Japanese anti-aircraft fire to fly in as low as 300 feet to drop supplies of food, ammunition and medical supplies, but Xue stated he needed far more. A request from Chennault to air drop 500 tons of weapons to

Republic P-43 Lancer - Misplaced Pages Continue

4788-478: The 10th Army was rejected by Stilwell as a "waste of effort." On 7 August 1944, Xue reported the Imperial Japanese Army had broken his defense lines and entered Hengyang and the next day, Hengyang fell with Xue ordering his men to abandon the city. Fenby wrote that Hengyang would have probably fallen as the Japanese had committed overwhelming force, but the city could have held out far longer than

4902-560: The 10th anniversary of CAT. Chennault was very weak, unable to cut the cake. He and Anna flew back to the United States. Chennault was promoted to the honorary rank of lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force on July 18, 1958, nine days before his death on July 27, at the Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans . His honorary promotion was authorized by a special bill of relief passed by Congress, likely

5016-648: The 1980s. In 1951, Alexander Kartveli began to design a replacement for the F-84 Thunderjet. The new aircraft would be a single-engine fighter, but larger than any single-engine fighter ever designed for the Air Force. By the time the mock-up was completed in October 1953, the aircraft had grown so large that a more powerful engine was needed; the Pratt & Whitney J75 was finally selected. On June 28, 1954,

5130-401: The 1st American Volunteer Group (nicknamed Flying Tigers ). He headed both the volunteer group and the uniformed U.S. Army Air Forces units that replaced it in 1942. He feuded constantly with General Joseph Stilwell , the U.S. Army commander in China, and helped China's Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek to convince President Roosevelt to remove Stilwell in 1944. The China-Burma-India theater

5244-604: The AVG training unit at Toungoo . Their first battle occurred on December 20, 1941, with aircraft flying out of Kunming. CAMCO delivered 99 Tomahawks before war broke out. (Many of those were later destroyed in training accidents.) The 100th fuselage was trucked to a CAMCO plant in Loiwing, China, and later made whole with parts from damaged aircraft. Shortages in equipment with spare parts almost impossible to obtain in Burma along with

5358-452: The Air Force placed an order for 15 of the new F-105A Thunderchief . The aircraft weighed 50,000 lb (23,000 kg), but could carry up to 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) of bombs and missiles, and could fly at Mach 1 at sea level and Mach 2 at altitude. Although it had only one engine, the F-105 could carry a larger bomb load than a four-engine World War II bomber, and travel a greater distance at much higher speed. The F-105 would become

5472-401: The Air Materiel Command specification from earlier P-43s in being armed with two 0.50 in machine guns in each wing and no fuselage guns, and having rudimentary armor and fuel tank protection. This would have required a series of serious engineering changes. Reality intervened: actually, as delivered, the P-43A-1 had the same armament layout as the P-43As: four .50 in machine guns, two in

5586-422: The British journalist Jonathan Fenby as a clash between Stilwell, the New England Puritan and proud "Yankee" who "prized moral courage" above all else, and Chennault, the Southern gentleman and "Good Ole Boy", who accepted "human foibles" as natural. For example, Chennault opened up a brothel in Guilin for his pilots and recruited English-speaking prostitutes from Hong Kong who fled to the inland of China to escape

5700-462: The Communist forces during the Chinese Civil War. However, this changed following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the PRC and the U.S. , with Chennault being viewed more positively. In 2005, the "Flying Tigers Memorial" was built in Huaihua, Hunan Province , on one of the old airstrips used by the Flying Tigers in the 1940s. On the 65th anniversary of the Japanese surrender, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and PRC officials unveiled

5814-401: The Defenders of the American Constitution (DAC). The DAC believed in a "one-worldist conspiracy" led by New York Jewish financiers who controlled international communism, and described their goal as the defense of "the US constitution against enemies and encroachments, both foreign and domestic." In 1949, Chennault published his memoirs, Way of a Fighter . The book covers his entire life but

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5928-403: The F-105G, known as " Wild Weasel ", was later developed to replace the "Wild Weasel" version of the F-100 . The first F-105G flew on January 15, 1966, and deliveries began arriving in Southeast Asia in June 1966. This version continued operating in theater long after the ground attack versions had been withdrawn and was still in service at the end of the war. In December 1957, Republic developed

6042-470: The Generalissimo is one of the two or three greatest military and political leaders in the world today. He has never broken a commitment or promise to me." Chennault was supported in his disputes by Soong Mei-ling , Chiang's politically powerful wife, who was one of the richest women in 1930s China and, unlike her husband, fluent in English. Stilwell and Chennault loathed each other partly because of their very different personalities, which were described by

6156-467: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and were used for the war in Burma, as they lacked the range to reach Japan from secure bases in China. Chennault's 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) – better known as the " Flying Tigers " – began training in August 1941 and was primarily based out of Rangoon , Burma, and Kunming, Yunnan. Just weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , senior Chinese officials in Chongqing released details of

6270-399: The Japanese. He argued that his men needed sex and it was better to have his "boys" visit a brothel that was regularly inspected to reduce venereal diseases. Chennault felt his men were going to visit brothels, regardless of what the rules said, and that was better to have them visit a brothel whose women were inspected for venereal diseases than one that was not since a man in the hospital for

6384-479: The Kuomintang as well as semi-independent army officers has diverted aid intended for the Nationalist armies. Shortly before his death, Chennault was asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee of the Congress. When a committee member asked him who won the Korean War , his response was blunt: "The Communists." On July 24, 1953, Chennault met with a number of former U.S. military officers, including Pedro del Valle and Bonner Fellers , to form

6498-412: The P-47 would be the P-47N, a long-range version with longer wings and fuselage , and an increased fuel capacity. The P-47N was designed to escort B-29s on long missions to Japan for a planned invasion of the Japanese homeland that never came. Production of all versions ended in November 1945. By then, 15,660 P-47s had been built, making it the most produced U.S. fighter of the war. Of those, 1,816 would be

6612-414: The Republic design using a turbosupercharger . In the end, neither design showed a significant improvement over the P-40, and neither was produced. Further development of the P-43 continued in the form of a lightweight version using a Pratt & Whitney R-2180 radial engine . The resulting aircraft was known as the XP-44. When the R-2180 did not produce the expected horsepower , Republic switched to

6726-495: The Republic of China's capital, Taipei , as well as by monuments on the grounds of the Louisiana State Capitol at Baton Rouge and at the former Chennault Air Force Base , now the commercial Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles . The Chennault Aviation and Military Museum , located near the entrance to Monroe Regional Airport , and Chennault Park, also in Monroe, are also named in his honor. Nell Martien Calloway, named for her grandmother, Nell Thompson Chennault, and

6840-403: The USAAF in 1943. Data from The American Fighter General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Seversky Aircraft Company The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, New York , on Long Island . Originally known as

6954-422: The United States, an agreement was reached to provide China the 100 P-40B Tomahawk aircraft which had originally been built for Britain, but which the British were persuaded to give up in preference for newer models rapidly being built. With an agreement reached, General Mao returned to China aboard the SS Lurline , departing from Los Angeles, California , on January 24, 1941. Chennault followed shortly after with

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7068-422: The academy along the American army air corps training model. On October 21, 1939, as the Imperial Japanese schnellbombing (fast bombers flying without fighter escorts) campaign raged terror on the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing , Chennault, accompanied by four Chinese officials, boarded the Pan American Airways Boeing B-314 California Clipper in Hong Kong , arriving at San Francisco on October 26, on

7182-435: The advanced AP-10 / XP-47 which eventually became the P-47 Thunderbolt. When the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine intended for the new P-47 was not yet available, it was decided to order 54 P-43s to keep the Republic production lines operating. An additional 125 P-43A-1s were ordered for China through the Lend-Lease program, originally intended to equip the Third American Volunteer Group (AVG). These initially differed in

7296-404: The aircraft and the project was cancelled. Republic Aviation made one last attempt to survive by returning to military contracts. In 1960, Republic Aviation acquired a minority interest in the Dutch aircraft company Fokker , and attempted to market a Fokker-designed attack plane ( Fokker/Republic D-24 Alliance variable sweep wing VTOL) to the Air Force, but the Air Force showed little interest in

7410-456: The aircraft was plagued with so many developmental problems that the first F-84B didn't enter Air Force service until 1949. The straight-wing F-84D would go on to become an important aircraft during the Korean War, flying 86,408 missions. In 1949, a swept-wing version, the F-84F Thunderstreak , was developed but additional development and engine problems resulted in the aircraft not entering service until 1954. A photo-reconnaissance version known as

7524-550: The basic P-35/P-43 design had exhausted its reserves for further improvement in performance and shifted its interest to the promising Republic P-47 Thunderbolt . Production aircraft, identical to the YP-43 prototypes, were designated "Lancer" and were delivered between 16 May and 28 August 1941. Ongoing delays in the P-47 program resulted in USAAC ordering an additional 80 P-43A , with Pratt & Whitney R-2180-1 Twin Hornet engine rated at 1,400 hp (1,000 kW). The engine promised better high-altitude performance, and armament

7638-406: The city of Hengyang held by the 10th Chinese Army commanded by General Xue Yue . The 14th Air Force bombed the supply lines of the advancing Japanese and Chennault reported to Washington that his "boys" had shot down 210 Japanese planes in the aerial battles over Hengyang. However, the Chinese soldiers holding Hengyang were ill-equipped, with the American journalist Teddy White reporting that only

7752-421: The commander of the Chinese Air Force flight training school at Yunnanyi  [ zh ] , west of Kunming , Chennault also made a great contribution by training a new generation of Chinese fighter pilots. The Flying Tigers were formally incorporated into the United States Army Air Forces in 1942. Prior to that, Chennault had rejoined the Army with the rank of major on April 7, 1942. Three days later he

7866-399: The concept of creating an American Volunteer Group of pilots and mechanics to serve in China. By then Dr. Soong had already begun negotiations for an increase in financial aid with U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Federal Loan Administrator Jesse H. Jones on October 17. Washington provided the money. How to obtain the shopping list of aircraft, aviation supplies, volunteers, and funds for

7980-461: The cowl and a single .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun in each wing. The first of 13 YP-43s was delivered in September 1940, the last in April 1941. Early testing revealed a strong tendency to yaw during takeoff and landing rolls, fixed by redesigning the tailwheel. Although the aircraft exceeded the initial USAAC performance requirements, by 1941 it was clearly obsolete, lacking maneuverability, armor , or self-sealing fuel tanks . The USAAC felt

8094-414: The cowl and two in the wings. Externally, they were identical, and only the serial numbers distinguishes a P-43A from a P-43A-1. Many of these aircraft were fitted with cockpit armor before shipment westward from California in crates; evidence is murky whether this additional armor came from Republic or was cobbled together after delivery. By 1942, a total of 272 P-43s were built, including all its variants,

8208-591: The daughter of Rosemary Simrall and Simrall's first husband, Norman Hopkins Martien Jr. (1926–2012), is the director of the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe. A vintage Curtiss P-40 aircraft, nicknamed "Joy", is on display at the riverside war memorial in Baton Rouge, painted in the colors of the Flying Tigers. In 2006 the University of Louisiana at Monroe renamed its athletic teams

8322-621: The early P-43's lack of self-sealing fuel tanks and armor. He declined to retain the plane for his crews. In 1939, both Republic and Curtiss participated in an Army competition to develop a lightweight interceptor . Curtiss submitted a lightweight version of the P-40 designated the XP-46 while Republic submitted a similar design designated the XP-47. Both designs were based on a lightweight aircraft built around an Allison V-1710 V-12 engine, with

8436-467: The first aerial attack made by the group, when the American flyers encountered 10 Japanese aircraft heading to raid Kunming and successfully shot down four of the raiders. Thus, Claire Chennault became America's "first military leader" to be publicly recognized for striking a blow against the Japanese military forces – despite not being a member of the American military, but a civilian mercenary who

8550-430: The first marriage were Col. John Stephen Chennault, USAF Ret. (1913–1977), Max Thompson Chennault (1914–2001), Charles Lee Chennault (1918–1967), Peggy Sue Chennault Lee (1919–2004), Claire Patterson Chennault (November 24, 1920 – October 3, 2011), David Wallace Chennault (1923–1980), Robert Kenneth Chennault (1925–2006), and Rosemary Louise Chennault Simrall (September 27, 1928 – August 25, 2013). John Chennault commanded

8664-418: The first of such bills for a retired USAF officer. A statutory waiver was required to promote a retiree like Chennault who was not otherwise on duty or eligible for promotion. He and Anna Chan are interred at Arlington National Cemetery . Chennault was twice married and had a total of ten children, eight by his first wife, the former Nell Thompson (1893–1977), an American of British ancestry, whom he met at

8778-509: The first production P-35. The AP-4's big spinner was later removed and a new tight cowling fitted. Unsurprisingly, these measures led to overheating problems. On 22 March 1939, the engine caught fire in flight, the pilot had to bail out, and the AP-4 was lost. Despite the loss of the prototype, the USAAC liked the turbo-supercharged AP-4 demonstrator enough to order 13 more in May 1939, designating them YP-43 . The YP-43 differed from AP-4 in having

8892-554: The foreign design and no contracts were offered. In the early 1960s, the aerospace company Fairchild , owned by Sherman Fairchild , began purchasing Republic's stock and finally acquired Republic Aviation in July 1965. In September, Republic became the Republic Aviation Division of Fairchild Hiller and ceased to exist as an independent company. Republic's naming system was carried forward by Fairchild Hiller with

9006-458: The history of the company. The museum counts itself among the few worldwide that actually maintain and fly historic aircraft, and it counts an original Republic P-47D fighter among its airworthy fleet. The museum's static displays include a Republic F-84 first generation jet fighter, an F-84F swept-wing fighter, a rare example of the RF-84F reconnaissance variant, and an F-105 Thunderchief. In 2014,

9120-423: The idea of China winning the war with Japan swiftly with only a few U.S. airmen and planes. It was adopted by top civilian officials including Treasury Secretary Morgenthau and President Roosevelt himself. However, the American attack never took place: The Nationalist Chinese had not built and secured any runways or bases close enough to reach Japan, just as the military had warned. The bombers and crews arrived after

9234-511: The long-range P-47N model. This model would continue to serve with Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units until the mid-1950s. Republic ranked 24th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. In 1946, Republic temporarily left the field of military contracts to produce the Republic RC-3 Seabee , an unusual all-metal amphibian . The Seabee was the brainchild of Percival "Spence" Spencer,

9348-536: The memoirs. The book ends with his retirement from the Air Force and his return to China six months later to aid the nation's recovery. Chennault was diagnosed with carcinoma (cancer) in his left lung in late 1957. The doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center said that the cancer, the result of years of smoking cigarettes, would kill him in six months. He and his wife took the opportunity to tour Europe one last time, and they landed in Taiwan in January 1958 to celebrate

9462-601: The museum added an A-10 Warthog, completing the collection of Republic fighters. The museum's volunteer corps includes both former Republic line workers and Air Force veterans with direct Republic Aviation flight experience. During the fall of 1987, Fairchild Corporation (then Republic's parent company) destroyed Republic's corporate archives. Joshua Stoff, the curator of the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island , wrote in Air & Space Magazine that, upon being invited to have

9576-625: The name of the American officer in a loud voice that was overheard by the U.S. delegation and produced an embarrassed silence, finally broken when [Churchill] announced: 'I'm glad he's on our side.'" Throughout the war Chennault was engaged in a bitter dispute with the American ground commander, General Joseph Stilwell . Chennault believed that the Fourteenth Air Force, operating out of bases in China, could attack Japanese forces in concert with Nationalist troops. For his part, Stilwell wanted air assets diverted to his command to support

9690-723: The onset of World War I, he graduated from Officers' School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, and was transferred to the Aviation Division of the Army Signal Corps on November 27, 1917. He learned to fly in the Army Air Service during World War I. Following the war he graduated from pursuit pilot training at Ellington Field, Texas , on April 23, 1922, and remained in the service after it became

9804-424: The opening of a ground supply route through northern Burma to China. The route would provide supplies and new equipment for a greatly expanded Nationalist force of twenty to thirty modernized divisions. Chiang Kai-shek favored Chennault's plans, since he was suspicious of British colonial interests in Burma. He was also concerned about alliances with semi-independent generals supporting the Nationalist government, and

9918-614: The primary ground attack aircraft of the Vietnam War , flying over 20,000 missions until replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in November 1970. Of the 833 F-105s produced, 397 were lost during the Vietnam War. Seventeen were shot down by North Vietnamese MiGs , while most of the rest were lost to ground fire. The F-105 was Republic Aviation's last independent design. A two-seat version,

10032-566: The production of its Seversky P-35 . In 1939, Seversky Aircraft again entered in a military fighter competition, this time with the much-improved AP-4. While the contract was awarded to the Curtiss P-40 , the USAAC was impressed with the high-altitude performance of the AP-4 and ordered 13 additional aircraft for testing, as the XP-43 . By April 1939, the Seversky Aircraft Corporation had lost $ 550,000, and Seversky

10146-512: The request was denied due to the aircraft's lack of armor or self-sealing fuel tanks. In addition, the turbo-supercharger proved unreliable and the "wet wing" fuel tanks leaked constantly. In April 1942, Robert Lee Scott Jr. — a USAAF pilot with the AVG —photographed the peaks of Mt. Everest from 44,000 ft (13,000 m), attesting to the strengths of this aircraft. On the other hand, in April 1942, veteran CAF fighter pilot Maj. Zheng Shaoyu ,

10260-555: The requirement, but the Army was generally pleased with its performance, achieving speeds of 412 mph (663 km/h) at 25,800 ft (7,900 m), and overlooked these issues. The U.S. entry into the war in December 1941 rapidly increased the need for the XP-47B and work on the plane progressed quickly. In June 1942, the Army took delivery of its first P-47Bs. They soon placed an order that required Republic Aviation to quadruple

10374-533: The seven weeks that it did if only Xue and his 10th Army had received more supplies, stating that Stilwell was remiss in attempting to command Sino-American forces fighting in Burma and in China at the same time. The Japanese ground forces advanced and seized Chennault's forward bases. Slowly, however, the greater numbers and greater skill of the Allied air forces began to assert themselves. By mid-1944, Major General George Stratemeyer 's Eastern Air Command dominated

10488-511: The size of their factory and build three new runways at the Farmingdale, New York factory. Eventually this proved inadequate, and in November 1942, the Army authorized the construction of a new factory adjacent to the Evansville, Indiana airport. Throughout the war, the P-47 would undergo constant development. A bubble canopy was added to increase rearward visibility. The final version of

10602-463: The skies over Burma, a superiority that was never to be relinquished. At the same time, logistical support reaching India and China via the Hump finally reached levels permitting an Allied offensive into northern Burma. Chennault had long argued for expansion of the airlift, doubting that any ground supply network through Burma could provide the tonnage needed to re-equip Chiang's divisions. However, work on

10716-556: The slow introduction of replacement fighter aircraft were continual impediments although the AVG received 50 replacement P-40E fighters from USAAF stocks that had been originally scheduled for shipment to Britain but cancelled by the Tomahawk's inferior flight performance to German fighters. Chennault recruited some 300 American pilots and ground crew, posing as tourists, who were adventurers or mercenaries, not necessarily idealists out to save China. But under Chennault they developed into

10830-470: The supplies needed to maintain them and the pilots to fly the aircraft." Together, they departed on October 15, 1940, from Chongqing, China , transited at Hong Kong where they boarded Pan Am Boeing B-314 American Clipper on November 1, arriving at San Francisco on November 14. They reported to the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Hu Shih . Chennault's mission to Washington generated

10944-533: The team as "Three Men on the Flying Trapeze". Poor health (deafness and chronic bronchitis), disputes with superiors, and the fact that he was passed over as unqualified for promotion led Chennault to resign from the military on April 30, 1937; he separated from the service at the rank of major. As a civilian, he was recruited to go to China and join a small group of American civilians training Chinese airmen. Chennault arrived in China in June 1937. He had

11058-510: The training of new Chinese Air Force pilots, and sometimes flew scouting missions in an export Curtiss H-75 fighter. His duties also included organizing the " International Squadron " of mercenary pilots. In late 1937, the Chinese Air Force considered attacking the Japanese home islands with bombers launched from the mainland of China with Chennault in an advisory role. Various pilots of the International Squadron, specifically

11172-601: The war, after delivering 650,000 tons of supplies, gasoline, and military equipment. Chennault was replaced as commander of the U.S. 14th Air Force by Lt. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer in June 1945. Following the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Chennault retired from the Army Air Forces on October 31, 1945. Chennault, unlike Stilwell, had a high opinion of Chiang Kai-shek and advocated international support for Asian anti-communist movements. Returning to China, he purchased several surplus military aircraft and created

11286-513: Was "a very gallant airman with a limited brain." In November 1943 the Japanese Army air forces were ready to challenge Allied forces again, and they began night and day raids on Calcutta and the Hump bases while their fighters contested Allied air intrusions over Burma. In April 1944, the Japanese launched Operation Ichi-Go —the largest Japanese offensive of all time—that committed 1 million Japanese soldiers to action. The 14th Air Force

11400-791: Was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the " Flying Tigers " and the Chinese Nationalist Air Force in World War II . Chennault was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fighter-interceptor aircraft during the 1930s when the United States Army Air Corps was focused primarily on high-altitude bombardment. Chennault retired from the United States Army in 1937, and went to work as an aviation adviser and trainer in China. Starting in early 1941, Chennault commanded

11514-462: Was called to the Army's Experimental Aircraft division and told of the new requirements, and that the P-44 would not be ordered in its current configuration. This was a devastating setback for Kartveli and Republic Aircraft because Kartveli knew the XP-44 could not be redesigned to meet these new requirements. On the train back to New York City , he began sketching a new design. This aircraft would become

11628-456: Was concerned that a major loss of military forces would enable his Communist Chinese adversaries to gain the upper hand. The sharply differing assessments held by Stillwell and Chennault came out in a meeting in 1943 with President Roosevelt, who asked both commanders for their opinion of Chiang. Stillwell stated: "He's a vacillating, tricky, undependable old scoundrel who never keeps his word." Chennault by contrast told Roosevelt: "Sir, I think

11742-475: Was elevated to the 32nd degree in K.C.C.H. League City Lodge No. 1053, League City, Texas. He was also a Shriner. In December 1972, Chennault was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame , along with Leroy Grumman , Curtis LeMay and James H. Kindelberger . The ceremony was headed by retired Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart , and a portrait of Chennault by cartoonist Milton Caniff

11856-582: Was forced out of the company he had founded. The board, led by financier Paul Moore , voted W. Wallace Kellett to replace him as president, and in September 1939 the company was reorganized as the Republic Aviation Corporation . Seversky continued to fight for his company, and the matter was not resolved to his satisfaction until September 1942. Meanwhile, Seversky's AP-4 continued in development, finally going into production as

11970-537: Was illegal in Louisiana, and to ensure his will was respected, Chennault—who lived in Monroe, Louisiana—had his will probated in Washington, D.C. Claire P. Chennault, one of Claire Lee's sons, was a U.S. Army Air Force and then U.S. Air Force officer from 1943 to 1966 and subsequent resident of Ferriday , Louisiana. Chennault was initiated to the Scottish Rite Freemasonry, and he later

12084-492: Was involved in strafing and bombing attacks against the Japanese advancing on the city of Changsha, which Japanese had tried and failed to take three previous times since 1938, making the city into a symbol of Chinese defiance. Relations between Stilwell and Chennault reached their low point in 1944. Stilwell used the success of Operation Ichi-Go as proof the fallacy of Chennault's claim that air power alone could defeat Japan while Chennault accused of Stilwell of deliberately taking

12198-666: Was made colonel . Twelve days later he was promoted to brigadier general , and then within a year to major general , commanding the Fourteenth Air Force . Chennault had 900 aircraft at his disposal, which was more than Japan had in China. The first magazine photo coverage of Chennault took place within Life magazine in the Monday, August 10, 1942, issue. The first Time magazine photo coverage of Chennault took place in its Monday, December 6, 1943, issue. Shortly before

12312-572: Was paid and promoted to colonel by Chiang Kai-Shek. The Flying Tigers fought the Japanese for seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Chennault's three squadrons used P-40s, and his tactics of "defensive pursuit", formulated in the years when bombers were actually faster than intercepting fighter aircraft, to guard the Burma Road , Rangoon, and other strategic locations in Southeast Asia and western China against Japanese forces. As

12426-434: Was raised by his aunt, Louise Chase, along with his brother and her sons. Chennault attended Louisiana State University between 1909 and 1910, having given his birth month as June in order to meet their requirement that enrolling students be aged 16 "at nearest birthday", and underwent ROTC training. He and his wife, Nell, moved to West Carroll Parish where he served as principal of Kilbourne School from 1913 to 1915. At

12540-639: Was replaced by other aircraft in early 1944. Rudimentary protection added on the P-43A-1 was insufficient. In addition, the R-1830 engines were in high demand for the Douglas C-47 transport, effectively grounding the surviving aircraft. The USAAC considered the P-43 and its variants obsolete from the start and used them only for training purposes. In fall 1942, all surviving USAAF (transitioned from USAAC in June 1941) P-43s were redesignated RP-43 , indicating

12654-715: Was strategically essential in order to fix many vital elements of the Imperial Japanese Army on the Chinese mainland to limit their use against Allied forces advancing towards Japan in the two Pacific campaigns. Chennault is generally said to have been born in Commerce, Texas , on September 6, 1893, although there is no documentary proof of his birthdate or place of birth. For most of his life, he gave 1890 as his birth year, but his widow corrected that to 1893 after his death. His parents were John Stonewall Jackson Chennault and Jessie (née Lee) Chennault. His surname

12768-418: Was the AP-4, which served as the basis for future Seversky/Republic aircraft. It featured fully retractable landing gear , flush riveting, and most significantly a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 -SC2G engine with a belly-mounted turbo-supercharger , producing 1,200  hp (890  kW ) and good high-altitude performance. The turbo-supercharger had been refined by Boeing as part of the development program for

12882-482: Was unveiled. General Electric vice-president Gerhard Neumann , a former AVG crew chief and the technical sergeant who repaired a downed Zero for flight, spoke of Chennault's unorthodox methods and of his strong personality. Chennault was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 40¢ Great Americans series (1980–2000) postage stamp. Chennault is commemorated by a statue in

12996-469: Was upgraded with 0.50 in machine guns replacing the 0.30 in in the wings. The USAAC was sufficiently interested to assign the AP-4J variant an official designation P-44 Rocket . Combat reports from Europe indicated that the new type was already obsolete, consequently, the entire order was canceled on 13 September 1940, with no prototypes built. Alexander Kartveli and his team focused their efforts on

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