Gerhard "Herman the German" Neumann interview (video and transcript, 3 of 9), 1991

Boring, Frank (interviewer)

Christopher, Frank (director)

Fei Hu Films

Interview of Gerhard Neumann by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying TIgers. Neumann, known by his American Volunteer Group (AVG) comrades as "Herman the German," was a mechanic and the son of non-practicing Jewish parents. Though drafted into the German army in 1938, he attained a deferrment as a working engineer. He left Germany to seek a job opportunity in Hong Kong in 1939, but upon arrival learned the company had disappeared. Circumstance led him to working for the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) where he worked as an auto mechanic. After the Pearl Harbor attack, he accepted an offer from Col. Chennault and joined the AVG. He served among the headquarters personnel as a Propeller Specialist. In this tape, Neumann describes his first employment while in Kunming working as a truck mechanic for the Burma Road. He also describes the conditions that led up to the formation of the AVG and his motivation for accepting General Chennault's offer to work together.

1991

Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.

RHC-88_Neumann_Gerhard_1991_v03

video/mp4

application/pdf

Moving Image

Text

eng