Individual Presentation or Panel Title
The American Volunteer Group: Military Success or Publicity Stunt?
Abstract
The American Volunteer Group (A.V.G.) operated in the skies over Burma and China between the summer of 1941 and July 4, 1942. The group claimed to have shot down 299 Japanese planes, a huge feat for an organization with less than one hundred pilots. But the overwhelming praise of the A.V.G. in U.S. print media raised the question of whether or not the A.V.G. actually succeeded in accomplishing anything militarily worthwhile or if all the hype was over a publicity stunt to raise awareness about China’s military situation. In order to determine whether or not the A.V.G. was successful, writings from A.V.G. personnel, the ranking officer in China at the time General Joseph Stilwell, United States War Department correspondence, and articles published in U.S. print media are necessary sources. These primary sources point to the A.V.G. existing in a gray area between success and publicity stunt. The group succeeded in some military matters, such as forcing the Japanese Air Force to change its strategy, but failed in others, as with the fall of Rangoon. In the end, the group cannot be forced into either category without neglecting either its contributions or its downfalls.
Location
Goodwin Private Dining Room
Start Date
21-4-2012 1:30 PM
End Date
21-4-2012 2:20 PM
The American Volunteer Group: Military Success or Publicity Stunt?
Goodwin Private Dining Room
The American Volunteer Group (A.V.G.) operated in the skies over Burma and China between the summer of 1941 and July 4, 1942. The group claimed to have shot down 299 Japanese planes, a huge feat for an organization with less than one hundred pilots. But the overwhelming praise of the A.V.G. in U.S. print media raised the question of whether or not the A.V.G. actually succeeded in accomplishing anything militarily worthwhile or if all the hype was over a publicity stunt to raise awareness about China’s military situation. In order to determine whether or not the A.V.G. was successful, writings from A.V.G. personnel, the ranking officer in China at the time General Joseph Stilwell, United States War Department correspondence, and articles published in U.S. print media are necessary sources. These primary sources point to the A.V.G. existing in a gray area between success and publicity stunt. The group succeeded in some military matters, such as forcing the Japanese Air Force to change its strategy, but failed in others, as with the fall of Rangoon. In the end, the group cannot be forced into either category without neglecting either its contributions or its downfalls.