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the civil air transport service
(CATS) was owned by gen Claire Chennault..
I the first week of June
1950 he sold this air line to the CIA.
By searching civil air
transport service in the google search bar you well find this
info.The CIA kept the name of CATS for a long time,but this at that time
in June 1950 was the beginning of AIR AMERICA.
When korean war begain the CATS air
line got a contract from the USA to haul 9.000 lbs of cargo from
Naha,Okinawa to Tachikawa,Japan--> comeing from Tiawan any time
they landed at Naha,Okinawa.We at the 6303rd Air Terminal Squadron would
load two B-29 engines aboard ,total weight 7,200lbs, Some times we
would give them other small pieces of cargo to make there load up
close to the 9,000 lbs,but most of the time they just got the engines,these
engines were taken to Tachikawa AB,Japan then
reloaded onto larger aircraft for the trip to the USA to be rebuilted.Also the
Universityof Dallas,Texas has much of the archives of the Civil Air
Transport Service.I loaded many of there C-46s this all started early July 1950
and when i left Okinawa sept 1951 the CATS were still getting loads
of freight for Tachikawa,This is history that not to many people now about
or ever heared about,They even flew many mission into Korea,rescue
chirlden from Kimpo with there choppers,as time moved on they had
C-54s,C-130s and many other aircraft.
Les
Hanson A Longago
Airman
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 12:12
AM
Subject: Re: Muccio-Rhee
They were supplied up to 1949 with P51 Mustangs and P40N
Warhawks.
and maybe a few P38 Lightnings from the 23rd Airforce in CBI
during WW2.
Only problem while they had the Mao Communist on the run and cornered the
USA dropped support for Chiang. Russians gave Mao the old Japanes cash
of weapons
captured in Manchuria. Chiang got pushed out.
General Chennault in 1949 developed a plan to counter attack China with
F84's. Another Clandestine China Air Task Airforce, post Flying
Tigers. The CIA liked the idea but did not implement the plan. The
CIA reformed the group and today it is called Air America. Infact
several CBI Hump and Fighter pilots flew missions for the French and USA in
Vietnam. Then there is Nicaragua and el Salvador and Chili and Panama
and Columbia and Iran and .. and....
So Air America humble beginnings was the Flying Tigers.
Dan Fahey
Jhk789@aol.com wrote:
In a
message dated 1/29/2002 10:46:11 AM Pacific Standard Time,
DanFahey@DanSources.com writes:
General
Chiang offered Rhee help in 1949?
Wow. what happened?
What was the USA doing at this time.
It was not just an
offer. A better word would be that they
conspired together on how to
start a counter-offensive and roll back
communism in East Asia. Rhee
wanted to attack the North
and Chiang wanted to invade mainland China
through Korea.
So Chiang was willing to send his troops and Air
Force to
S.Korea for the general attack. Apparently their plan
did
not go anywhere due to the opposition of Muccio &
other
State Dept. officials who did not want to start a WW
III.
However, it appears MAC was supportive of
Rhee-Chiang's
plan. This difference in anti-communist strategy
continued on
until MAC was finally fired by Truman in
1951.
Does anyone know how
strong Chiang's Air Force in 8/1949?
John2
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