Flying Tigers : Chennault in China

Shortly after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, the Chinese government took measures to prepare against a Japanese attack on China proper. High ranking German army officers, forced into retirement because of the dismemberment of the Imperial German Army after Versailles, were recruited to retrain Chinese military forces while, at the same time, an American mission was invited to reform and expand the Chinese Air Force. Headed by Colonel John Jouett, a retired protegé of General " Billy " Mitchell, the American Air Mission undertook to rebuild the Chinese Air Force into an effective unit capable of warding off a Japanese attack. Between 1932 and 1934, Jouett and the nine pilots who accompanied him established the nucleus of what could have been an effective defensive force.

When Jouett arrived in China he found the Chinese Air Force in a state of chaos. There were few aerodromes and bases, fewer airworthy planes, and, worst of all, hardly any pilots capable of flying what few craft the Chinese Air Force could muster. Immediately setting out to rectify this situation, Jouett and his assistants established the Central Chinese Aviation Academy at Hangchow where some 350 pilots were trained to fly 250 new aircraft purchased for the Chinese government by Jouett and his colleagues in Europe and the United States. Unfortunately, the Jouett mission, which had accomplished much during its brief tenure, was abruptly concluded as a result of Japanese pressure and Sino - American political differences. ( ... )

Excerpt from page No. 7.