Tiger Rag
 
  The Tiger Rag newspaper was first published on December 4, 1943 as the 28th Tiger, by and for the men of the 28th Air Service Group, and other units in the Calcutta area of the China-Burma-India Theater, collectively known as the Bengal Air Depot.  The newspaper's name comes from the Bengal tiger, which was featured on the unit's insignia and included in the masthead of issues of the paper.  Tiger Rag was judged by CBI Roundup as one of the best local papers in the Theater during a G.I. newspaper competition. The results were announced in the October 25, 1945 issue of Roundup.

  Being a local paper, rather than a theater-wide newspaper like CBI Roundup, there are many stories specific to "the Depot" and other unit specific columns which contain news and what could best be called gossip.  Each of these columns shows the style of the contributor from the individual unit.

  According to a report in the March 21, 1946 issue of Roundup, as post-war operations wound-down, Tiger Rag was designated as the official Army Air Force (AAF) weekly publication for the air units remaining in the India-Burma Theater.  The paper then carried news of AAF Headquarters, Assam Air Depot, Central India, Eastern, and Delta Air Depots, as well as Bengal Air Depot.  Circulation was approximately 2,500 copies each week, down from a peak of about 4,000.

  The internet pages are re-creations of the original papers including the original pictures and stories and provide easier reading compared to the worn, yellowed and faded originals.  Best viewed in 4:3 aspect ratio (adjust width).

  If you have an issue of Tiger Rag not found here or similar CBI memorabilia, please use the share link below.



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