Grouping includes a large "blood chit" style leather patch (10 inches wide by 9 inches tall, with leather CBI shield on the front and no markings on the back), a Chinese War Area Service Corps 1946 diary (some handwritten notes on interior suggesting a recent arrival in China, but no identification of the serviceman who used the diary), a photograph of Chiang Kai-shek, Madam Chiang and General Chennault with 1991 dated signature by Madam Chiang (noted as a commemorative item celebrating the 50th anniversary of the AVG/Flying Tigers), a leather bound photo album bearing the insignia of the Sino-American Cooperation Organization (SACO) containing many photos of American and Chinese servicemen engaging in joint training and operations, and a modern 3-ring binder containing many photographs and letters. The letters are from a Francis Robert Doran, a pilot with the AVG, documenting his journey from Los Angeles to Rangoon and Kunming, and ending with a June 1942 letter suggesting a return home, as Doran was one of the AVG pilots who opted to let their contracts expire instead of being rolled over into the newly formed 23rd Fighter Group. Records related to Doran show that he was recalled to the Air Force shortly after returning to the States, passed officer candidate school, and resumed a career that would last until retirement in 1968 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Doran passed on in 2003. The photos include both personal photographs and extracts from publications, showing many members of the unit (some with names marked on the back) and several AVG aircraft. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Good overall, with minor wear and staining.