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In Memory of Dick Rossi, WWII Flying Tigers
Dick Rossi
FALLBROOK, Calif. (AP) - Dick Rossi, a Flying Tigers pilot who gained
acclaim for downing six Japanese Zeros during the early days of World War II,
has died of pneumonia. He was 92.
Rossi, who earned two presidential citations for his combat prowess,
died April 17 at his home in Fallbrook, north of San Diego, his wife said.
In November 1941, Rossi joined a secret volunteer group of pilots who
would travel to China and defend it against the Japanese. Officially known as
the American Volunteer Group, the Chinese referred to the pilots as the Flying
Tigers for their aerial combat skills.
In December 1941, Rossi and his squadron first engaged the Zeros over
Kunming, China, and shot down three of the planes. During their months of
combat, the Flying Tigers shot down 296 Japanese planes.
In July 1942, seven months after the United States entered the war,
the group was disbanded.
Rossi spent the rest of the war years working as a pilot for the China National Aviation Corp., delivering supplies from India to China. He made 735 trips over the Himalayas.
The Associated Press - Wednesday, April 30, 2008
