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COLONEL HENRY C.Y. LEE
In 1937, as a young staff officer in the Chinese Air Force who was fluent in the English language, Lieutenant C.Y. "Henry" Lee was
assigned to serve as translator and aid to Claire Lee Chennault. Chennault, who was regarded as the American Army's leading authority
on fighter aircraft operations, had been brought to China to help reorganize a struggling Chinese Air Force. Lee served as Chennault's
translator and aid for more than three years.
Lee had joined the Chinese Air Force with the hope of becoming a fighter pilot, but his slight height and build had prevented him from
entering Chinese flight training. However, despite his lack of physical stature, Chennault saw promise in the young officer and
personally saw to it that Lee was eventually sent to the United States to undergo flight training with the American Army Air Corps. A
very unusual set of war-time circumstances led to Lee's assignment to the American Army's 58th Fighter Group for the completion of his
training as a fighter pilot. As an operational pilot in one of the three squadrons of the 58th Fighter Group, Lee deployed to North
Afirca, where flying the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Lee flew his first aerial combat missions. However, once Lee's participation in combat
operations against the Afrika Corps and German Luftwaffe became known to the upper echelons of the Army Air Force, Lee was quickly taken
off combat operations and transferred to the Chinese Theater of Operations.
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