Bidspirit auction | CALEB VANCE HAYNES

CALEB VANCE HAYNES - (1895 - 1966) U.S. Air Force major general and one of the most important and talented military aviators and commanders of World War II. Haynes organized the Assam-Burma-China Ferry Command and evacuated Burma with the Chinese and RAF. He then went to China to organize and command the Bomber Command of the China Air Task Force under Gen. Claire Chennault. He later returned to India to organize the India Air Task Force of the 10th Air Force. Great content T.L.S. with initials ”C V H” on his personal letterhead, 1p. 4to., Carmel, Aug. 19, 1958 to his military comrade, film producer MERIAN C. COOPER (”Coop”). Haynes offers three anecdotes concerning Flying Tigers Gen. Claire Chennault, to be used by Cooper in a future film or book. In part: '...While doing our bombing missions against the Jap held sections of China Gen. Chennault's AVG would usually furnish top cover for our formations. We bombed Hankow, Canton, Haiphong, and after each raid we would radio the results to Gen. Chennault. Each report also stated we had sunk a ship...Then we bombed Lashio which was some 200 miles from the ocean. When our report went in we received a message from Chennault asking 'how about the ship'?...' More good content. WITH: a letter in response from MERIAN C. COOPER (1893 - 1973), American aviator, Army Air Corps and Polish Air Force officer and founder of the Kosciuszko Squadron during the Polish-Soviet War, and director and producer of King Kong (1939). Cooper's letter, 1p. 4to., Pacific Palisades, Aug. 27, 1958, asks Haynes for a release on the anecdotes and regrets that Haynes was unable to attend Chennault's funeral. Both letters are very good. Cooper served under Haynes at Dinjan Airfield establishing the Assam-Burma-China Ferrying Command. He then served as Chennault's chief of staff.