Chinese and India made Wings used by Flying Tiger and Others

[Kanemono]

Here are some Chinese and Indian made wings, cap badges, patches used by a Flying Tiger and a Navy Pilot in China.

[Kanemono]

next...

[bobgee]

Very nice!

[Tony v]

Great looking wings !

 

Tony

[MECHINF-A15]

Beautiful pieces! Thanks for sharing.

[RRA227]

Great stuff. Rich A. in Pa.

[doyler]

Dick...Beautiful pieces.Thanks for sharing.

[Scarecrow]

Just phenomenal pieces!

[Kanemono]

Most of these items belonged to John E. Petach, Jr. and his wife Emma Jane “Red” Foster.

 

John E. Petach, Jr. was born July 15, 1918. In 1939 Petach received a degree in chemical engineering from New York University. Upon graduation he applied to US Navy for admittance to the aviation program. Petach was accepted and received his flight training at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. He flew various Naval aircraft and was assigned to a Scout Bomber Squadron, VS-42 aboard the USS Ranger. In 1941 Petach joined the American Volunteer Group or AVG to fly for China. He flew P40-E fighters and shot down three Japanese bombers on January 23, 1942. On July 4, 1942, the AVG passed out of existence when the Army Air Force took over with its 23rd Fighter Group. Almost all of the original flying Tigers returned home but Petach was asked to stay to help train the newly formed Fighter Group. He was going to return home with the girl he recently married, one of the two AVG nurses, Emma Jane “Red” Foster. On July 10, 1942 he went on a mission and on a dive bombing run, he was hit by ground fire, his ship went down and he was killed. Emma Jane Foster from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, a Penn State graduate, was the only RN to serve in China with the AVG. On February 16, 1942, she and Pete Petach were married by AVG Chaplain Paul Frillmanin in Kunming, China. Emma Jane Petach, returned home in August of 1942. Their daughter, Joan Claire Petach was born in February of 1943. For the remainder of the war, she continued her nursing career and taught for two years in the Yale School of Nursing. After the war she continued her career as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Health Council. In 1964, she married Fletcher C. Hanks. Emma Jane Hanks later served as President of the Maryland Public Health Association and was Director of the Dauphin County TB Society. Emma Jane Foster Hanks died on October 17, 2009. The silver cigarette case, Chinese wings and insignia belonged to Emma Jane “Red” Petach Hanks. The silver cigarette case was made by Marathon and was a birthday present that “Jane” could never give to “Pete” since he died five days before his birthday. The monogram on the front is a “P” and the inscription reads: Pete, Happy Birthday, Love Jane, July15, 1942. All of the AVG items pictured were found in the Cigarette case. These items were bought in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, at an estate sale by George Pradarits in the late 1980’s.

 

 

[Scarecrow]

Dick,

 

I repeat, just phenomenal items!

[SARGE]

It is neat when you can sort out the back story to these artifacts. I worked with a fellow whose grandfather was a Chinese pilot who flew cargo planes "over the hump" during the war. He had his metal Chinese Pilot wings as well as some other uniform insignia. The neat thing was that he also had his wartime pilot license and a couple of his log books.