 Robert J. “Catfish” Raine was born on February 22, 1918, in Palisades, Nevada. After attending San Francisco City College, he entered the United States Navy in July, 1940, earning his wings at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. After receiving his wings of gold, he began his operational flight training in carrier type aircraft. He later flew carrier based torpedo bombers, and was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 3 (VT-3) aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3). After logging 90 hours flying Navy fighters, he heard of an opportunity to fly combat fighters in China with the American Volunteer Group, also known as “The Flying Tigers”. In mid-1941, he set sail on the ship “Klipfontein” with nine other pilots, arriving in Rangoon on October 29, 1941, and was assigned to the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, known as the “Hells’ Angels”. On Saturday, April 25, 1942, he shot down two Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-15 “Sonia” over Loilem. On July 3, 1942, the last service day for the Flying Tigers, he shot down a Japanese Nakajima Ki-27 “Nate” near Nanchang. As a Flight Leader in the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, he was credited with 3.20 air-to-air victories.
On July 4, 1942, the American Volunteer Group passed into history, and Mr. Raine was one of the AVG pilots who volunteered to stay an extra two weeks to help train incoming American United States Army Air Force (USAAF) pilots for the newly formed 23rd Fighter Group, flying P-40s (specifications). After his brief tour with the 23rd FG, Mr. Raine, along with seventeen other Flying Tigers, joined the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC), flying supplies between India and China. He flew 443 hazardous missions over the Himalayas, also known as “The Hump”, until March of 1945. After the war, he returned to the United States and was one of ten original investors who organized the Flying Tiger Lines, which in time became the country’s largest air freight carrier. He stayed with the operational side of the airline, becoming a captain and one of the company’s most senior pilots. Mr. Raine logged more than 32,000 hours of flight time during his career, from propeller driven Navy trainers to jet powered transports. He retired from the airline in 1978, and once again calls Nevada his home, where he has raised champion racing horses for many years. He was decorated with two Distinguished Flying Crosses, Air medal, Chinese 3 Star Wings, and Chinese Cloud Banner. |
