The aspect Sun conjunction Mars is said to bestow courage and give “an assertive and independent identity.” “There is an eagerness to take action and initiate change. You may be known as a pioneer.” (www.astrology.com)
Leader of the Flying Tigers
Claire Chennault was born in Commerce, Texas on September 6, 1893. His Sun and Mars were conjunct in Virgo. In the prewar years before WW-II, he argued with his superiors in the army over aerial combat doctrine. They believed heavily armed bombers were unstoppable and criticized fighters. Chennault was a proponent of pursuit aircraft; indeed, he wrote a book on the subject in 1935. He also created a precision flying team with two other pilots and did acrobatics. In 1937 the gruff, prickly, outspoken, sometimes unpopular man retired from the service as a lieutenant colonel. (Warfare History Network, “Top Flying Tiger: General Claire Chennault)
Backdrop
In 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria and established a puppet regime there. In 1937 a full-scale invasion of China was launched, and the enfeebled nation was largely unable to defend itself. Chiang Kai-shek’s wife—he was the leader of the Kuomintang government—met with Chennault and gave him the job of defending China from the air.
Claire taught new tactics and organized an early warning detection system. Radar had not yet been introduced. His system relied on spotters. Even these efforts were not enough, for the Japanese aircraft were superior.
The beginning of 1941 found Chennault back in the United States with Madame Chiang’s brother, T.V. Soong, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and head of the Bank of China. American pilots and mechanics were recruited to work in China. 100 P-40 Tomahawks were obtained. (Ibid)
Aerial Tactics
Claire Chennault realized the Japanese Oscar* was designed for dogfighting, for it was extremely maneuverable. However, it was lightly armored and did not have plating behind the pilot or self-sealing gas tanks. Claire taught the pilots to fight in pairs and to utilize the strengths of the P-40. Those included a relatively fast speed in level flight, a high diving speed, and rugged construction. His pilots fought like guerrillas—hit and run. Chennault told them, “Use your speed and diving power to make a pass, shoot, and break away.” They were to then gain altitude and repeat the process. (Ibid)
The Flying Tigers had a kill ratio of about 10 to 1 against the Japanese.
*The Tigers’ opponents were mainly Mitsubishi Ki-21 and Ki-30 “Sally” and “Ann” bombers and Ki-27 and Ki-43 Nakijima “Nate” and “Oscar” fighters. The famous Japanese Zero was the naval equivalent to the army’s Oscar. (Wikipedia, “Flying Tigers”)
After the Flying Tigers
Claire had returned to service as a colonel and was promoted to general in April 1942 when he traveled to the United States. In 1943 he was given command of the 14th Air Force in China and promoted to Major General. The AVG (American Volunteer Group), the formal designation for the Tigers, was disbanded. (Ibid) Most pilots returned to their original units.
Chennault’s Personal Life
Claire had seven children with his first wife. He divorced her at the end of World War II to marry Chen Xiangmei (Anna Chenault). She was a journalist. Chennault died in 1958 from cancer.
Real Life Examples of the Sun/Mars Conjunction
I have known a number of people with a Sun/Mars joining and have found it lends itself to extreme behavior. I worked in a school district with a gentleman—let’s call him Steve– who was the business manager. He commuted about 144 miles a day for about 20 years. A lifelong bachelor with a streak of machismo, I think Steve did it as a substitute for companionship. His daily “mission” which took over three hours of travel time each day kept loneliness at bay. He liked to drink at bars. His relationships were generally of short duration. At work Steve had many practical ideas and had had his own CPA firm. He helped his employees get ahead.
Steve did live with a woman with two children. At some point he said, “You can leave but the children can stay.” The boy became addicted to OxyContin as a teen and stole things from him. I told Steve he wanted attention. The girl later married but did not speak to her surrogate father. The boy rid himself of his drug habit, got a job, and married.
At a deep level I’m not sure Steve really liked himself. He told me he was ugly. I replied, “But you’re intelligent.” Perhaps that was not enough.
I met a woman online with a Sun/Mars conjunction. She was of Chinese descent and worked a graveyard shift for a pharmaceutical company. Linda—that’s not her real name—had been married once and romantically involved with two or three others including a doctor and medic. She drove 1,400 miles round trip with only a brief stop or two each way to meet—Linda did not tell me– when I was taking care of my mother. Linda called me from Alabama —she lived in Texas—and asked if she could visit. Linda kept everything simple and was extremely frugal. Her relationship with the medic had been mostly physical. He had not been good at handling money. She was looking for a financially secure older person. We did not click. When a relationship did not work out, Linda seemed to adjust what her needs were at a superficial level.
The registrar at a law school I attended also had the conjunction. She viewed herself as a fighter and was feisty. Her marriage had not worked out, and she was unhappy.
Some people with a Sun/Mars conjunction seem to have difficulty with maintaining relationships. This seems to be the case, at least with these examples, either at work or at home.