Chennault, Claire Lee [key], 1890–1958, American general, b. Commerce, Tex. In World War I he was a pioneer in air pursuit tactics. Retired (1937) from the army, he went to China and organized air defenses for Chiang Kai-shek. He formed there (1941) the American Volunteer Group (known as the Flying Tigers). Recalled (1942) to duty, he headed the U.S. air task force in China and retired (1945) as a major general.
See biography by R. L. Scott (1959, repr. 1973); study by his wife Anna Chennault (1963).
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