China updates data of American anti-Japanese aviation martyrs from WWII

NANJING -- The Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall in East China's Jiangsu province has released updated and corrected information for the first batch of 62 US pilots who sacrificed their lives fighting against Japanese aggression during World War II (WWII).

The revisions, published on Friday, include corrections to names, dates of death, and official titles, many of which had been misspelled or inaccurately recorded due to incomplete historical archives. The updates also included newly added military ranks and dates of death for some of the martyrs.

This effort follows the hall's initial publication of a list of 2,590 American aviation martyrs on Sept 3 last year. The original names were engraved on memorial steles in 1995 and 2015, but many details remained unclear due to a lack of original documents.

"The memorial hall has received materials from various sources worldwide, and we conducted rigorous verification based on years of research," said Xue Lian, curator of the memorial hall.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Among the visitors to the memorial hall on Friday was Nell Chennault Calloway, granddaughter of Claire Lee Chennault, commander of the Flying Tigers. Officially known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, the Flying Tigers helped China resist Japanese invasion. She attended a special exhibition and paid tribute at the aviation martyrs' cemetery. A collection of historical artifacts donated by descendants of the aviators was also displayed.

Calloway said that her grandfather's greatest wish was for the spirit of the Flying Tigers to endure on both sides of the Pacific.

Additionally, the names of 14 newly confirmed US aviators were engraved on the memorial stele the same day.

Located in Nanjing, the provincial capital city, the memorial hall is China's first and only international aviation martyrs' museum, housing extensive historical records of Chinese, Soviet, and American pilots who fought together against Japanese invaders.