The Flying Tigers , Active Dec 20, 1941- July 4, 1942

In 1942, the 1st American Volunteer Group , AVG was commanded by  General Claire Lee Chennault. The AVG was part of the Chinese Air Force and consisted of 112 Army,Navy and Marine pilots .The  group was made up of 3 PURSUIT squadrons  , 1st Adam & Eve , 2nd Panda Bears, 3rd Hells Angel .The Chinese called  them Fei Hu , for the snarling  Tiger Sharks teeth  painted  on the on  noses  of their P-40s noses.The Flying Tiger shark insignia was not original, it  was copied from the Shark  tooth design used on  the  P-40s of a RAF  squadron based in the  Libyan Desert .The World  came to know them as The FLYING Tigers .At the   request of the Chinese  Defense Ministry in Washington the  Walt Disney  Company created the Flying Tiger insignia flying thru  a   Large  Blue V for  Victory  on the fuselage . The emblem was  adopted in March, 1942. and  used on the  P-40E with Red  propeller spinners.The AVG was  finally was Disbanded  on July  4, 1942.  Even today the Tigers shark faced fighters remain among the most  recognizable of any individual combat aircraft  of WW II.