1In June, 936, Colonel Mao Bangchu of China Air Force invited him to be a flight instructor in Hangzhou Jianqiao Central Aviation School. On June 3rd, 1936, Song Meiling appointed him as the advisor of China Air Force to help establish China Air Force. While inspecting the aviation school in Luoyang, the Lugouqiao Incident occurred and War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out. He immediately said: "If necessary, I am willing to try my best to serve China." Later, he went to Nanchang and was assigned there to guide the final combat training of the fighter team.
Chennault participated in the Battle of Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan successively, and fought side by side with the air force commanders of China and the Soviet Union. He also set up an aviation school in Zhijiang, Hunan, and later went to Kunming Aviation School as the director of the flight instructor's office, responsible for teaching advanced classes.
1 941August1day, China air force American aviation volunteer group was established, with Chennault as the captain of the colonel. 1On July 4th, 942, the American Volunteer Corps was reorganized into the US Air Force Task Force in China, with Chennault as the commander of Brigadier General. 1March 943 10, the U.S air force task force in China was reorganized into the U.S army 14 air force, with Chennault as the commander of major general. On July 25th of the same year, Chennault applied for the post of Chief of Staff of China Air Force. 1943 10 the mixed wing of the Chinese and American air forces was formed and put into battle, with Chennault as the commander.
Chennault left China 1945 on August 8th. He lived in China for 8 years, 2 months and 8 days, which was closely related to the eight-year anti-Japanese war.
President Eisenhower and the US Congress approved Chennault's promotion to Lieutenant General. 1958 On July 27th, Chennault passed away. The U.S. Department of Defense buried him in Arlington Military Cemetery in Washington with the most solemn military salute. On the front of his tombstone is an English epitaph engraved with various medals he won; On the back is "Chennault General Cemetery" written in Chinese, which is the only Chinese character in Arlington Cemetery.
Claire lee chennault-childhood life
Advocating the cultivation of nature is the biggest feature of Chennault's childhood life. The desert environment along the Mississippi River shaped his unique, competitive, brave and adventurous personality. Stowell is a competent father. He complied with the children's nature, let them play in the tall and gloomy trees in Louisiana, and let them develop a strong character from childhood that they are not afraid of wild animals such as wolves, bears and deer, and dare to overcome dangerous environments. Chennault's stepmother often goes out riding, traveling or picnicking in the suburbs with him and encourages him to live a life he loves. "He should have the highest level of knowledge among children of the same age."
Chennault loved hunting and fishing since he was a child, and often disappeared for a few days in oak forests and moss-covered swamps in Louisiana. He lives by eating wild fruits and his own prey, sleeping in his own bed made of moss and branches and living in his own shack. When I was young, I used cages to catch red and black birds and traps to catch minks and weasels. When I grew up, I used rifles to hunt wild deer, pheasants and other animals in the jungle all day. Fishing is also his hobby. The Dentsas River flows not far from Chennault's house. He often fishes by the river and sits for hours at a time. This unrestrained outdoor life has influenced Chennault's character in many ways.
First of all, the life of the wandering hunter has exercised his strong physique, quick thinking and good physical coordination. He learned the skills of fighting with his head, feet and fists from his grandfather's old black servant, which made him cocky and stand out among his friends around him. Chennault recalled in his later years: "When I was young, I was thoughtful and energetic, and I could act decisively on any problem." "If I am in charge of one thing, the result will often be very satisfactory."
Living alone outdoors also cultivated his indomitable spirit of struggle. He is always reluctant to admit: "This is impossible." In the wild life in the forest that he loves and feels at ease, he is not allowed to admit that there are "impossible things". In the struggle for survival, you either succeed or you can't get out of the forest alive. Young Chennault gradually realized from his exciting life that nothing can be sent by others on a silver plate. If he needs something, he will either earn money to buy it or do it himself.
The influence of nature also brought him self-confidence and competitive personality. He doesn't want to listen to the instructions of older children. He prefers to go his own way, enjoy himself, or be king among children, even in his favorite sport. To be the center of the football team, you must be an excellent pitcher of the softball team. As an adult, he said that in order to be superior everywhere, he must "run fast, jump high, swim far, dive deep, fish big, shoot accurately, hunt accurately, read more than other children, work hardest in the fields, and be among the best in every subject in school" and "I want to be the best in everything".
These personality characteristics formed by Chennault when he was young had two influences on his later military career. On the one hand, Chennault stood out and established his air combat theory system, which was fulfilled in the air combat practice of World War II, making him one of the best air force generals in the world on the battlefield of China. On the other hand, Chennault always fights with his boss in any position, which leads to his repeated setbacks in his official career.
Claire lee chennault —— Student Age
Chennault, a teenager, lived in an era of educational revival in the United States, which benefited Chennault who lived in the mainland. When Chennault reached school age, he entered a primary school a few miles away from home. Every day, he has to cross the river, cross the ditch and go through the jungle to study. Excellent academic performance, often rewarded by his father.
Chennault's favorite course is history, especially reading biographies of great men in history. He quickly read all the history books on his grandfather's bookshelf. There are two kinds of historical figures he admires most: one is like Genghis Khan, Napoleon and Robert? As a military leader like Li, he is deeply fascinated by their military achievements, and like many imaginative children, he dreams of becoming a military commander one day, so the narrative of many famous battles in history attracts him more than novels. The other is a pioneer with adventurous spirit. Of these people, he admires Daniel the most? Boone. Boone is a pioneer in the west. The road he opened up provided convenience for a steady stream of westward armies in the future. However, when Chennault read Boone's story, it was the beginning of the 20th century. The western territory of the United States has extended to the Pacific coast, and the wasteland to be conquered no longer exists. Because of this, Chennault often regrets that he was born a century late, but Boone's adventurous spirit is still regarded by Chennault as an example worthy of emulation.
The Bible is also a book that Chennault never tires of reading. 1 1 was baptized and became a Baptist. After joining the church, Chennault became a devout Christian. When China took part in the war against Japan, he always prayed for his comrades-in-arms, hoping that they would return safely after defeating the Japanese invaders. Besides, Chennault likes math and geography. /kloc-at the age of 0/3, Chennault completed the middle school course, but due to age restrictions, he failed to enter the university.
1908, Chennault and his younger brother Bill came to Batuluke to study at Louisiana State University. Due to the limitation of primary and secondary education, Chennault, like most children from rural areas, can only major in agricultural science, but he doesn't want to take farming as his lifelong career. His ideal is to be a warrior like Robert? Like Li, go to the battlefield and show your talents. Shortly after entering school, he signed up for West Point Military Academy and Naval Academy. The following summer vacation, after a long journey of nearly 2000 kilometers, he came to Annapolis, Maryland, on the Atlantic coast to take the entrance examination for the Naval Academy. Annapolis Naval Academy is the cradle of American naval generals. Just as most army generals graduated from West Point Military Academy, most naval generals boarded warships from here. Chennault entered the examination room with the enthusiasm of cruising at sea as an admiral. But two days later, when he learned that the admitted candidates would have to live a disciplined campus life for two years before they could go aboard for training, he was frightened by the gray high wall of the military school. The child, accustomed to the wild life in the jungle and swamp of Louisiana, can't stand the rigid life in the military camp. So, I handed in a blank sheet of paper in the last exam and gave up the opportunity to enter the military school.
In this way, Chennault can only continue to study at Louisiana State University. Three years later, Chennault's father and uncle considered his employment choice after graduation and asked him to take normal courses. So, in the last year of college, Chennault transferred to the normal college of the university and completed his college studies.
During his college study, Chennault's academic performance was excellent, but his usual performance was almost indulgent. In order to find hunting and fishing opportunities, he even violated school discipline and was expelled many times. Years later, Chennault recalled his truancy experience and said, "I am eager to catch up with the fishing season on the river. Every year, I always try my best to finish the big exam. After getting the credit, I will find that I have done something wrong, make school records and expel me, so that I can leave school one week in advance. " However, when the school started in autumn, the school often thought that his grades were excellent. Because of the kindness of his uncle Nelson (then a famous professor in Louisiana), he was re-admitted.
Chennault's self-confidence, stubbornness and perseverance also showed outstanding performance during his college years. One day soon after entering school, a group of senior students who are used to pranks tried to play tricks on Chennault. They asked him to stand guard at the entrance of the dormitory building. His task was to prohibit people without passes from passing through and not to leave his post without authorization. Then, they deliberately poured cold water on Chennault's head from the upstairs window for fun. Enraged Chennault is determined to take revenge. When the dinner bell rang, he stopped the senior students and forbade them to go to the dining hall on the grounds that they didn't have a pass. As a result of the stalemate between the two sides, senior students have to send someone else to replace the wet but strong-willed freshmen. Since then, they have never despised Chennault from the countryside. His teacher recalled: Once, the sailors of the Mississippi Battleship challenged the students of Louisiana State University, and Chennault stood up and confronted the American middleweight boxing champion. Although he was beaten black and blue, he still insisted on playing 10 round, which was regarded as a big move by his classmates. In the future, when Chennault became famous in China, his alma mater kept reporting the brilliant achievements of the Flying Tigers and was proud of having such an alumnus.
Claire lee chennault-Join the army.
Chennault 1890 was born in September, Texas, USA. 19 17 August, was admitted to Benjamin NCO School in Indiana. When he was learning to fly at school, he was famous for his eagerness to learn and willingness to learn. Through strict training, he quickly mastered various flying techniques. Not only that, he keeps learning from others' advanced experience and drawing lessons from others' failures. This obsession with learning has made his flying skills more and more exquisite. It was also praised by the instructor. However, Chennault is not satisfied with all kinds of praises, because serving in the battlefield and becoming a general is his real ambition to join the army.
19 17, when Chennault first entered the military academy, the European war was in full swing. Being able to serve the country as soon as possible has become Chennault's greatest motivation to study hard. After learning to fly, he urgently asked to join the war. 19 18 autumn, Chennault was sent to Long Island, new york, as the adjutant of the 46th Fighter Wing, and was ready to set sail for France to participate in the European War.
In fact, the situation in Europe at this time is very clear, and the German-Austrian alliance has collapsed. Soon Germany surrendered. As soon as Chennault's team's boat arrived halfway, it was ordered to stop all ships and return immediately along the original road. Chennault deeply regrets this: the heroic dream has become a bubble.
Claire lee chennault-Forced to retire
Although he didn't take part in the battle personally, in the following days, Chennault stayed by the plane all the time, devoted himself to studying various new flying technologies, and made great achievements. Although Chennault devoted a lot of efforts to his favorite aviation career, he didn't win due respect and reward in the U.S. military field where military tactics were ignored in the 1930s. After 20 years of military service, he became a captain.
More unfortunate things happened. In an air-ground joint combat exercise in 1934, he criticized General Gerben, chief of staff of the War Department, for following the experience of World War I and neglecting the Air Force, which caused a heated debate between the Army and the Air Force. Chennault insisted on his own opinion and never gave up his correct view on the theory of strategic air force, which made Gailburn very angry and embarrassed: a little captain dared to challenge himself! So a few weeks later, Chennault was removed from the list of officers and soon retired from active service.
General claire lee chennault-Flying Tigers
China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression gave Chennault another kind of "life". At the beginning of 1937, Roy Holbruce, who was a consultant in China Central Trust Company at that time, sent a letter from Chiang Kai-shek's wife Song Meiling. In the letter, Song Meiling invited Chennault to visit China Air Force for three months. In this exercise, Chennault found a stage to display his talents in the sky of China.
As Chen Xiangmei, the wife of General Chennault and a famous social activist in China, said, "It can be said that it is God's arrangement for an American flight instructor to decide to fight against in Asia now."
1937 In early July, Chennault arrived in China to inspect the air force. A few days later, the Sino-Japanese war broke out in an all-round way. Chennault accepted Song Meiling's suggestion and set up an aviation school in the suburb of Kunming to train China Air Force according to US military standards. He also actively assisted the Japanese Air Force to fight against China and flew to the battlefield in person. Under the pressure of Japanese diplomacy, Chennault's activities gradually turned to privatization.
194 1 year, with the secret support of Roosevelt's government, Chennault recruited American pilots and mechanics in the name of private institutions and participated in the war as civilians. In July and June, 5438+ 10, more than 200 people came to China in two batches. Most players are brave, adventurous and informal young people. Because they are not regular troops in form, their tactical research and training can be carried out freely. Soon, they tried their hand in Kunming for the first time and beat the Japanese fighter plane in the first battle. Since then, they have even achieved great success in shooting down Japanese planes. In the 3 1 air combat, the Flying Tigers of the Volunteers destroyed 2 17 enemy planes with 5 to 20 available p-40 fighters, only 14 was lost, 5 pilots were killed and 1 was captured. The emblem of the Flying Tigers and the shark-headed fighter of the China Air Force American Volunteer Air Force are the first in the world, and its nickname "Flying Tigers" is also a household name.
1in the autumn of 944, the contradiction between Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell intensified. 10 10 18, Roosevelt decided to transfer General Stilwell back to China and reassign Wedemayer to China to replace him as the chief of staff of the US Army China Theater. After Stilwell left China, Marshall and others began to consider reorganizing the air forces in Asia, and planned to transfer all the air forces stationed in Myanmar and India to China, where China's Air Force Command would command 10 and 14 air forces. Chennault resolutely opposed the reorganization plan, but he didn't get the support of Washington or Chiang Kai-shek. 1July 6, 945, Chennault submitted his resignation, and Wedemayer and others immediately approved and appointed General Si Tong to take over the command of Chennault 14 Air Force. On August 1945, Chennault left China for home in frustration. Chennault spent eight years in China, assisted the people of China in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and made great contributions to defeating the Japanese invaders. Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling gave a banquet to see him off and awarded him the highest honor in China-the blue ribbon.
Since July 1942, Chennault led the US Army 14 Air Force to destroy 2600 enemy planes, sank and injured a large number of enemy merchant ships, injured 44 warships and lost 500 planes.
Claire lee chennault-Back to China
A few days after Chennault returned to China, Japan surrendered. He was sad because he couldn't attend the surrender ceremony in the end. He said: "My only ambition in the past eight years is to defeat Japan. I really hope to see the Japanese officially declare failure. "
1945 65438+February, Chennault returned to China. 1946 10 in June, a civil aviation air transport team was established to transport emergency supplies to the General Administration of Rehabilitation and Emergency Relief of the Executive Yuan. 1947, Chennault married Chen Xiangmei, a female journalist in China. After 1948, Chiang Kai-shek's army lost in the civil war, and Chennault's civil aviation airlift team helped Chiang Kai-shek airlift troops and materials. From 65438 to 0949, Chennault's memoir The Warrior's Road was published in new york. 1June, 950, the air transport team was reorganized into a holding company, with Chennault as the chairman of the company. President Eisenhower asked Congress to promote Chennault to Lieutenant General. On 18, the us congress passed a bill to promote his rank as lieutenant general in the air force. On July 27th, Chennault died in Washington at the age of 67.
Claire lee chennault-Forget the love of that year.
Chen Xiangmei, 19 years old, was hired by Kunming Branch of Central News Agency after graduating from Lingnan University. After working the night shift for six months, Chen Xiangmei was finally sent to the wild.
Chen Xiangmei was sent to Kunming to interview the US Air Force and became the first female war correspondent of the Central News Agency. The first task given to her by her boss is to write an exclusive interview with General Chennault, commander of the Air Force 14. She, a fledgling female reporter at the age of 19, met him, a 54-year-old American major general with a lofty sky. Chen Xiangmei walked into a big room marked "Meeting Room", and his nervous heart was still beating violently. After all, this is the first time to interview a celebrity, and the success or failure of the interview is closely related to his future in the news agency.
A door at the end of the conference room opened gently. Someone in the press gallery whispered, "The old man is coming!" This is the nickname given to Chennault by reporters and 14 air force officers and soldiers. Chen Xiangmei, who is not tall, saw an American general striding in through the shoulder of a reporter in the front row. His wrinkled face has bright eyes, and two silver fuses iconic are embedded in an old leather jacket. Chen Xiangmei stared at the famous flying tiger general, her eyes trembled slightly. The first impression she gave was that this man had great will, strength and courage, as well as superb wisdom.
After the reception, she couldn't think of a suitable question. When she was ready to leave with the male reporters, she saw Chennault coming towards her with a smile. She stopped nervously.
Chennault greeted her first, and then told her that Chen Yingrong recently wrote to him from the United States, asking about the recent situation in Chen Jingyi, and mentioned that he would see his other daughter soon. A noble American general had a face-to-face conversation with her in this homely way, and Chen Xiangmei's tense heart suddenly calmed down.
What happened to the Chen Xiangmei sisters and the rapidly deteriorating situation on the battlefield in China made Chen Yingrong, who was far away from the other side of the ocean, decide to take them to the United States. He called Chennault and asked him for help. Chennault's secretary quickly got visas for Chen Xiangmei and her four sisters to go to the United States. Sister Chen Jingyi has arrived in the United States. When Chen Xiangmei's sisters got a passport with a visa and a plane ticket to India, they were very happy. They understand that this means that they can leave the turbulent war environment and live with their father who is a diplomat. However, Chen Xiangmei's heart is another unspeakable taste.
She thanked Chennault and said goodbye. General Flying Tiger is not only an air combat expert, but also an observer. He seemed to read Chen Xiangmei's mind: "If you don't want to go to the United States, I can ask the minister to cancel your visa. However, you have to think about it. " Chen Xiangmei knew that she actually wanted to stay in China.
She doesn't want to live with her father. 19 years old, she wants to be independent. She loves her job as a journalist. She prefers to be with Chennault and tell the people of China about his work, life and everything else. Does she have any feelings for him besides reverence? Are you in love with Chen Jingyi as he said? At this point, she is not sure. However, many years later, when she talked about this past, she admitted that Chennault was one of the main reasons why she stayed.
Chennault is very satisfied with Chen Xiangmei's choice, and he also wants her by his side. At that time, there were many young American women in Kunming, and Chennault got along well with several of them, but he felt that being with these people was completely different from being with Chen Xiangmei. He is more willing to deal with female journalists in China and accept her interview.
After Chen Xiangmei stayed in Kunming, Wujiaba 14 Air Force Headquarters became the place she visited the most. Of course, she went there to report the news, but sometimes she felt that she went there not only to report the news. Sometimes, when Chennault leaves Kunming to fly to the front, Chen Xiangmei will feel lost, and he will be listless when interviewed at 14 air force headquarters. When Chen Xiangmei temporarily left Kunming to interview the news of the Burma battlefield, Chennault also felt that his headquarters was deserted and lifeless without the female reporter.
In interviews and interviews, female journalists and commanders have more and more similarities in language and closer spiritual distance. 14 the officers and men of the air force gradually found that when their commanders were with female journalists in China, they lost their usual cold expression on their faces and often had a smile on their lips.