Chinese defense minister meets Flying Tigers veteran

Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe(R) took time out in Washington D.C. to meet with American Flying Tiger veteran Jay Vinyard, who had helped Chinese forces in the fight against the Japanese invasion during World War II. [Photo: VCG]

Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe took time out in Washington D.C. to meet with American Flying Tiger veteran Jay Vinyard, who had helped Chinese forces in the fight against the Japanese invasion during World War II.

In early 1944, the then-20 year old pilot was recruited by the Flying Tigers, which was composed of pilots from the United States Army Air Corps, Navy, and Marine Corps.

The squad was assigned to ferry supplies over "the Hump," a high-altitude supply route running between the Assam Valley in northeastern India and Yunnan Province in southwestern China.

On top of running supplies, the Flying Tigers were also highly successful in combat, bringing down almost 300 Japanese aircraft.

According to military records, the US army provided 650,000 tons of supplies to China from April 1942 to August 1945. A total of 468 aircraft crashed along the Hump route with 1,314 crew members confirmed dead, 1,171 returning safely, and another 345 declared missing.

The Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe arrived in Washington D.C. on November 8, 2018 to take part in a high-level Dialogue with U.S. officials.

Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe(R) took time out in Washington D.C. to meet with American Flying Tiger veteran Jay Vinyard, who had helped Chinese forces in the fight against the Japanese invasion during World War II. [Photo: VCG]