Flying Tigers (1942) by Director ‏ : ‎ David Miller - 1999: VHS Tape. New Copy.

This is one of the great WW2 American patriotic propaganda movies. It was released in 1942 at a time when Americans needed heroes. And this movie delivered heroes. Based on the actual operations of the American Volunteer Group aka Flying Tigers but not using the names of any real Flying Tigers as they were still in action against the Japanese when the movie was released. This fictionalized account of Chennault's Flying Tigers, the foreign volunteer air force that took on the Japanese before the start of World War II. Japan invaded China in 1935, quickly conquering Manchuria (and renaming is Manchukuo), with designs on converting it as they had with Korea into a vassal state. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was nimble when compared to the Luftwaffe aircraft, in China it was outperformed by the fighters A6M Zero and Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" which lacked the P-40's structural strength for high-speed hard turns. In traditional dogfights, the P-40 often fared poorly. It did have a greater climb capability and Chennault used this to develop the hit-and-run tactics that allowed the pilots to come home. Wayne's character plays the man in charge. The scenes with the orphans were to show the American audiences just what living in war zones meant for children. A good B war flick. Worth a look, and if you're a John Wayne fan, you should add it to your collection.