David Lee “Tex” Hill, a naval aviator who left the service to join the Flying Tigers in the defense of China from Imperial Japanese aggression, died Thursday at his home near San Antonio, surrounded by his family. He was 92 years old.
Made up of volunteers flying obsolete planes half a world away, the Flying Tigers first tangled with Japanese pilots about two weeks after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, shooting down nine enemy planes and killing 63 airmen over Kunming. They had flown as U.S. military aviators until being secretly recruited to fight as mercenaries over China, which had no air force.
The Flying Tigers came to Asia carrying passports that identified them as farmers, traders, vaudeville entertainers and missionaries. Some of the real missionaries on board their Java-bound ocean liner, the Bloemfontein, sang hymns each morning as the pilots slept off their hangovers. The pilots retaliated each night by playing swing music on a phonograph…
The AVG was a remarkable Band of Brothers. Recruited from the the services, they essentially were mercenaries, fighting the Japanese and being paid a bonus for each Japanese plane they shot down. Outnumbered, out gunned, flying inferior aircraft, they still managed to acquit themselves with honor. Under a maverick commander, General Claire Chennault, they demonstrated hit and run tactics that would stand Navy and Marine pilots in good stead against the A6M Zero in the years to come.
Tex Hill was a warrior, a gentleman, and one hell of a pilot. He has gone to join those of AVG such as Greg Boyington who undoubtedly await at that happy hour in the sky.
Farewell, general, you will be missed.
Well after retirement General Hill continued to fly warbirds with what was then called, “The Confederate Air Force.” I consider having had the privilage of flying formation with him to be one of the high points of my career.
I didn’t learn of the General’s passing until today, but yesterday’s USAF Heritage Flight (P-51, F-16 & F-15) at MCAS Miramar seemed unusally poignant to everyone on the ground. I’d like to think he was watching.
There was a big Pensacola connection in the AVG. It was a fruitful recruiting ground, and its not well known that a very large percentage were Naval Aviators.
Had the opportunity to see he and a few of his colleagues speak at my undergraduate school in 1994. It was inspiring.
[...] Hill passed away this past Thursday at the age of 92. Lex has the full account here. A life filled with accomplishments in service to his country and to a people facing a [...]