Description:

World War II
various, various
AVG Flying Tigers Lot of 25 Items, 70 Total Signatures! Rossi, Hill, Rosbert, Older, & More
Archive

A diverse archive of materials signed by 25 members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) Flying Tigers, later the 23rd Fighter Group, active from 1941 to 1942. Features a remarkable 70 individual signatures over 25 items, consisting of (6) reunion programs, (9) custom cards, (4) index cards, and (6) black and white photographs. Various dates, ranging in size from 3.5" x 2" to 8.5" x 11". Highlighted signatures include Dick Rossi, David Lee "Tex" Hill, Joseph Rosbert, and Charles Older, among many others. Exhibits varying degrees of light handling wear, age toning, and creasing throughout. Overall, very good to near fine. Please see accompanying images for further condition information.

Signatures include, in alphabetical order by last name:

- John Alison (1912-2011), 7 kill ace *2 signatures

- Charlie Bond (1915-2009), 10 kill ace *3 signatures

- Steve Bonner (1918-2021), 5 kill ace

- George T. Burgard (1915-1976), 1st squadron & 10 kill ace

- Parker S. Dupouy (1917-1994), pilot

- Joe Griffin (1917-2009), 7 kill ace

- Jane "Red" Petach Hanks (1916-2009), AVG nurse

- David Lee "Tex" Hill (1915-2007), 18 kill ace *12 signatures

- Ken Jernstedt (1917-2013), 10 kill ace

- Matthew W. Kuykendall (1917-1974), 1st squadron

- C. H. "Link" Laughlin (1916-1995), 3rd squadron

- Bobby Layher (1916-2006), 2nd squadron *5 signatures

- Don Lopez (1923-2008), 5 kill ace

- Phil Lufburrow, 23rd fighter group commander

- Charlie D. Mott (1915-2004), pilot

- Bob Neale (1914-1994), 1st squadron & 13 kill ace

- Charles H. Older (1917-2006), 18 kill ace *5 signatures

- Henry L. Olson (1917-2001), crew chief 3rd squadron

- Don Quigley (1919-2021), 5 kill ace

- Robert "Catfish" Raine (1918-2005), 3rd squadron *2 signatures

- Edward F. Rector (1916-2011), ace

- Joe Rosbert (1917-2007), 6 kill ace *6 signatures

- Dick Rossi (1915-2008), 1st squadron *13 signatures

- Erik Shilling (1916-2002), pilot *5 signatures

- Richard Tharp Smith (1918-1995), 3rd squadron & 9 kill ace

The First American Volunteer Group (AVG), nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. The group, consisting of three fighter squadrons of around 30 aircraft each, had trained in Burma before the American entry into World War II. The Flying Tigers began to arrive in China mid-1941, having first seen combat in late December of that year, just 12 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Over the course of its existence, the AVG was officially credited with an impressive 297 enemy aircrafts destroyed, including 229 in the air. The group was later disbanded on July 4, 1942, having been replaced by the 23rd Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Many AVG pilots would join the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC), which flew supplies over the hump into China. Later, the two groups held joint reunions as shown through the programs included in this collection.

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This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" (largest)
  • Medium: Archive

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August 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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University Archives

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