Blood Chits

THE BLOOD CHIT: The patch, known as "The Blood Chit" was issued to all aviators in CBI. The patch was similar in design to that worn by the Flying Tigers, serving to identify the wearer as a foreign soldier who had come to aid the Chinese people in the war, asking that he be given food shelter, and aid in returning to his unit. Contrary to popular belief (and the movies) this patch was not always worn on the back of the flight jacket. There was some variation in the placement, with many aviators wearing it on the inside of the flight jacket, especially during the later stages of the war. There were also variations in the design of the patch itself, with some examples adding the U.S. Flag.This particular example was handmade of leather in theater by a local craftsman, and varies from the "officially issued" version shown below.(courtesy: Jim Augustus)

This example of the officially issued Blood Chit was worn by S/Sgt Theodore R. Winter on 116 combat missions. This chit, worn on the inside back of the flight jacket, differs from the example shown above in several regards. It was printed on silk, and sewn to a linen backing. The characters differ from the theater made example, and, in addition, has several stamps on it. The two characters stamped in purple ink in the second to last column change the meaning from "foreigner" to "American". The large rectangular red stamp appears to be an authentication stamp from the Chinese Government, and the number "14551" stamped in the left hand column serves to identify the airman to whom this particular patch was issued. (courtesy: Martin Winter)

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