The Story of the 14th Air Force
Encyclopedia
The Story of the 14th Air Force was a 40-minute propaganda film produced by the US Army Air Force circa 1945.
The film opens by showing China
as it was before the Japan
ese occupation, the industry, professions etc, and then moves on to its conquest by the Japanese, and the struggling Nationalists in the hinterland. The Flying Tigers
and General Chenault are briefly introduced and it is explained that they started out as a business operation - $500 a month and an extra $500 for each plane shot down.
The tortuous supply routes through Assam
and the Himalayas
are described as well as the substandard equipment that is used by the Flying Tigers. Then the move into Eastern China in 1943 is covered, and the building of the South Eastern air bases and their use against Japanese shipping is described in detail. along with rare combat footage of Flying Tigers sinking a Japanese merchant ship and engaging enemy pilots over the Chinese mainland.
The latter half of the film however concerns the Japanese infantry offensive against the bases in 1944 and the American and Chinese attempts to hold them off before ultimately destroying their own bases and going west with thousands of Chinese refugees.
The film opens by showing China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
as it was before the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese occupation, the industry, professions etc, and then moves on to its conquest by the Japanese, and the struggling Nationalists in the hinterland. The Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers
The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941–1942, famously nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army , Navy , and Marine Corps , recruited under presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The ground crew and headquarters...
and General Chenault are briefly introduced and it is explained that they started out as a business operation - $500 a month and an extra $500 for each plane shot down.
The tortuous supply routes through Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
and the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
are described as well as the substandard equipment that is used by the Flying Tigers. Then the move into Eastern China in 1943 is covered, and the building of the South Eastern air bases and their use against Japanese shipping is described in detail. along with rare combat footage of Flying Tigers sinking a Japanese merchant ship and engaging enemy pilots over the Chinese mainland.
The latter half of the film however concerns the Japanese infantry offensive against the bases in 1944 and the American and Chinese attempts to hold them off before ultimately destroying their own bases and going west with thousands of Chinese refugees.