
Pumping adrenaline as German planes roared in from behind his squadron in the skies above Anzio, Italy, the rookie pilot jettisoned his P-40 Warhawk's empty external fuel tank to gain speed. Bracing for his first dogfight, he failed to switch on the main fuel tank. A hand-me-down from the Flying Tigers, complete with Chinese writing in the cockpit, the plane's engine cut out.