In the Corner Back by the Woodpile #96: One Flying Tiger & Tickled Pink Jazz

In the lead up to the world being plunged into a second world war, the Japanese invaded China and subjected the country to a living hell of destruction, mass rapes and deaths. A small group of Americans volunteered to become members of the Chinese Air Force and became known as飞虎队 or The Flying Tigers. Lead by US General Claire Chennault, the airmen with shark faces painted on their plane noses destroyed 296 enemy aircrafts in less than a year while only losing 14 of their own pilots.

 

Sally Fee comes back by the Woodpile this week to talk about her cousin Leonard M. Butsch Jr. who was a member of the Flying Tigers. Also known as "Mish", the serviceman’s adventures is told in a book called “Leonard M. Butsch, Jr: An Airman’s Story”, put together by Fee and another cousin named Robert McClure. Sally gives us not only some insight into Mish’s experiences and character but also of her own memories of the heroic man.

 

And we also end up talking bout Sally’s jazz record collecting!

(To hear on iTunes, click here)

(Mish with a young Sally)