The Forgotten Squadron: The 449th Fighter Squadron In World War II Flying P-38s Over China With The Flying Tigers, 14th Air Force

by Daniel Jackson

The men of the 449th Fighter Squadron called themselves the "forgotten squadron." Despite serving to great effect as the only P-38 fighter squadron with the Flying Tigers in China, the 449th received little press or praise during or after the war. Ironically, the unit participated in the 14th Air Force's greatest missions, including the daring Thanksgiving Day raid on Taiwan, "accidentally" shooting down one of the top-ranking Japanese generals in China, and even supporting Ho Chi Minh against the Japanese in Indochina. Having spread its wings from Taiwan to the Salween Front, the 449th is the perfect case study to investigate Major General Claire Lee Chennault's air war over China in World War II.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Daniel Jackson grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Military History and a minor in Mandarin Chinese. He earned his wings at Sheppard Air Force Base in February 2011 and has since amassed over one thousand hours of combat flying at operational locations around the world. He completed a Master's Degree in History from Sam Houston State University in 2017 and now lives with his beautiful wife, Jena, in Madison, WI.

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Formed from volunteers serving in P-38 units in North Africa, the 449th Fighter Squadron was sent to the China-Burma-India (aka CBI) Theatre and assigned to General Claire Chennault's 14th Air Force. Flying from a variety of bases in China, the squadron wasn't initially wanted by Chennault as the P-38s used up much more gasoline than the single-engine fighters he had in his force. However, over time the increased range and versatility of the P-38 won over Chennault and the squadron became a valuable part of his forces.

The book is loaded with photos highlighting the planes and pilots of the squadron, and some aren't the best quality as they were taken with what would today be considered highly inferior cameras. But the majority of the photos are excellent, and the book contains a nice selection of maps as well. Given that the CBI wasn't as much of a hotspot as other warzones, aerial combat isn't featured as much as ground attack in the squadron's story. The book is well-written (and illustrated) and well worth the time for anyone interested in the air war over China.