The Flying Tigers were American fighter pilots from 41 states, trained in the U.S. Army and Navy and organized as the A.V.G. under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek to protect China’s lifeline, the Burma Road. Under Claire Lee Chennault’s leadership, they began with 100 Curtiss-Wright P-40B Tomahawks and volunteer pilots, then fought in air combat so fierce that they saved Rangoon and the Burma Road for 65 days and became celebrated in fighting China. Henry Gilbert, Jr., of Lovell, Wyoming, was the youngest Flying Tiger at age 22. On December 23, 1941, as two waves of Japanese bombers with fighter escorts approached Mingaladon, 14 P-40s and 16 Brewsters of the R.A.F. took off to intercept them. Gilbert dove on a bomber formation, fired bursts, and struck two bombers without hitting vital spots. His P-40 was then hit by a cannon shell and fell out of the battle, crashing into the jungle below. Without a parachute, Henry Gilbert became the first Flying Tiger to die in combat.