MAJOR GEN. CALEB VANCE HAYNES NATIONALIST CHINESE 'ORDER OF THE CLOUD AND BANNER, 6TH CLASS'

Rare and excellent association award from the Nationalist Chinese, the Order of the Cloud and Banner, Sixth Class, in original box, presented to future Major General Caleb Vance Haynes. This star-shaped, breast badge is silver-gilt and enameled, the reverse numbered "1174", 2.5 in. wide with ribbon, and in extremely fine condition. In original cardboard case lined in red silk, the top cover broken and crudely repaired at the seams. Consigned directly by a linear descendant, with our letter of provenance. This award was instituted on June 15, 1935 and it was awarded in nine grades for contributions to national security, largely to Army Air Corps personnel in the China-Burma-India theater. The award is also sometimes referred to as the "Order of the Resplendent Banner". CALEB VANCE HAYNES (1895-1966) was a 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. Rarely able to send out more than four or five B-25 Mitchell bombers at a time, supported by Chennault's "Flying Tigers" each carrying another bomb, Haynes constantly shifted his targets and kept the enemy guessing. Fuel and bomb scarcity limited the scope of operations. For instance, one sortie had Haynes piloting a single B-25 to bomb Japanese headquarters in Tengchong, China, near the border of Burma. Claims and losses in July, 1942 proved the value of the strategy: one B-25 and five P-40s were lost in the destruction of 24 enemy fighters and 12 bombers! Haynes later returned to India to organize the India Air Task Force of the 10th Air Force.