The Curtiss P-40 saw action on every front in WWII and was in US service from the beginning through the end of US involvement. But the P-40's legacy will always be as the aircraft flown by Claire Lee Chennault's American Volunteer Group (also known as the Flying Tigers). One hundred P-40s (considered obsolete) were given to the Chinese through the Lend-lease in 1941. Chennault trained the pilots to use the plane's strengths to exploit the enemies weaknesses. In approximately 6 months of combat the A.V.G. officially destroyed 297 planes with another 153 probable. All of this was accomplished with the loss of only 12 P-40's in combat.