Chennault’s Cave Guilin Visit by Jim Mockford on Tuesday November 23, 2010

! Hill where Chennault’s Cave is located

! ! Road to Chennault’s Cave Trail to Chennault’s Cave !After a five week business trip in China visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing and Zhengzhou I finally made it to Guilin in late November. I was able to visit the Historical Relics Park of the Flying Tigers of Guilin located west of the city between the Guilin Liangjiang International Airport and the town of Lingui. The site is under development for a future museum and heritage park that will be open to the public. Thanks to the assistance of a foreign relations official I was able to get a preview tour of the site and I hope to contribute some historical materials in the future about a relative who flew in Chennault’s 14th Air Force from the Yang Tang field in 1944 when Chennault’s Cave was the command post.

!Command Post of the 14th Air Force

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Command Post Sign in the hill Jim Mockford at Command Post Sign

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1943. 12 – 1944.9 Site of the Command Post of the Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force !

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Entrance to Chennault’s Cave

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! ! Jim Mockford at the Inscription in the Cave

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Inside the Cave

! ! Chennault Rock !

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Newly Placed Foundation Stone

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! View from Chennault’s Cave November 2010

Historical Site

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Banner at the Historical Site Office Building

! ! Commemorative Stone at Historical Relics Park of the Flying Tigers of Guilin !

Neighborhood

Around the mountain on the other side of Chennaults cave is a view of another field and there are a few old buildings, possible remnants of barracks in the woods near the hillside. .

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A newer structure that is the home and business of a local resident who was a small boy at the time of airfield operations is shown with a great grandchild

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Lush vegetation and farming on the red earth that the area is known just around the corner from Chennault’s cave and future Flying Tiger Heritage Park.

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! ! Lingui City developments are underway on the street in front of the park entrance.

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