When the United States entered the war, the Flying Tigers were absorbed into the 14th Air Force as the 23rd Fighter Group, comprising of the 74th, 75th, and 76th Fighter Squadrons

The 76th Fighter Squadron was activated on 4 July 1942 and assigned to the 23rd Fighter Group based in Kunming, China.  When the Flying Tigers disbanded, many pilots ended up in the 76th, training new pilots.

Based in China during the entire war, the squadron moved to several Chinese airfields, including Lingling, Henyang, Suichwan, Liuchow, and Hangchow.  It left China on 4 December 1945 for rotation to the United States.

The 76th Fighter Squadron pilots flew P-40's and P-51's, racking up an impressive record of victories against Japanese pilots.  They served with distinction in the China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations and earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for action over Hunan province on 17 June 1944.

The Chinese characters on the patch are the squadron name, the Vanguards.