The Jianchuan Museum Cluster in Chengdu recently displayed some little-known documents about the American pilots from the “Flying Tigers” unit who helped China during the anti-Fascist war in the 1940s, Xinhua news agency reported.

Museum displays rare US 'Flying Tigers' documents.[Photo/Xinhua]

Museum director Fan Jianchuan said the documents, displayed in the “Flying Tigers” Hall, were provided by U.S. military authorities.

The First American Volunteer Group, which the Chinese nicknamed the “Flying Tigers” for their bravery and courage, was formed in 1941 to help drive out invading Japanese troops. An estimated 2,264 Flying Tiger personnel and more than 900 Chinese airmen who fought alongside them were killed, according to Xinhua.

The Jianchuan Museum Cluster, located in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, is a privately-run museum complex that claims one of the largest collections of American military documents and cultural relics from the war.

CPC-led army seen through American eyes

"If you want to go to the 18th Group Army north of the Yellow River, stretch out the thumb and forefinger of your right hand with the other fingers closed on the palm. If you want to go to the New Fourth Army, just stretch out four fingers...”

This passage is from the displayed documents. It reflects the recognition by Flying Tigers airmen of the big role played by the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the war.

There is also a document marked “secret” issued to U.S. pilots in north China by the U.S. War Department on June 1, 1945. It introduced the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army in detail, as well as the geography of northern China, the specific locations of the Japanese and allied forces and emergency procedures for pilots after a forced landing. The document has been listed as a cultural relic under state first-level protection.

The documents also explained there were two armies led by the CPC in north China during the war. One was 18th Group Army (Eighth Route Army), controlling the main areas north of the Yellow River. The other was the New Fourth Army, controlling areas south of the Yellow River. Chinese people used very simple gestures to indicate these two armies, as mentioned in the above.

The document also said the armies led by the CPC had a high morale: they knew what they were fighting for. They saw clearly the cruel nature of the Japanese and they enforced strict discipline in the army although officers and men were on friendly terms.

Evil deeds against U.S. combatants by Japanese troops

According to the documents displayed in the Flying Tigers Hall, on December 16, 1944, the Japanese troops captured three U.S. pilots who had just completed a mission to bomb Tokyo. The three pilots were forced to confess their “war crimes” after being cruelly tortured in the icy winter and were paraded through the streets to be vilified by the public. The next day, the three pilots were escorted to the crematorium to be burned, one of them was even burned alive.

Director Fan Jianchuan said the documents were provided by a Major Hill who served in the U.S. MIS-X (U.S. military intelligence department) in 1943-1945. The department, known by the code name AGAS, was responsible for the rescue of the allied air force personnel shot down in China. The major was sent to China in 1944 to organize a secret air force POW escape net. He helped rescue 46 pilots in eight months and participated in the Japanese surrender ceremony in Wuhan in 1945. The displayed plan wasn’t decrypted until 1995.

In 2012, a Chinese, Chen Shouren, was entrusted by Major Hill's daughter to donate several hundred of cultural relics to the Jianchuan Museum. After being appraised by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, 14 were placed under state first-level protection.

Chinese people's appreciation of the Flying Tigers

The "Flying Tiger Hall" demonstrates the respect and appreciation of the Chinese people with regard to this period of history. According to Chinese tradition, the pictures of 248 Flying Tigers pilots were made into porcelain portraits to be hung on the wall.

“Over the past years, many people have come to visit the museum, including veterans and young people. They were deeply touched by the heroic deeds by the Flying Tigers. Some were even moved to tears,” said Fan Jianchuan.

With the aim of making a collection for future commemoration and promote peace, Fan has collected more than 2 million cultural relics related to the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.