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【往期回顾】 英汉双语阅读26：史上六支传奇的雇佣军（上）
【本期内容】 6 Legendary Mercenary Armies From History 历史上的六支传奇雇佣兵（下）
4. The Flying Tigers (飞虎队) Officially known as the American Volunteer Group, the famed “Flying Tigers” were a three-squadron force of fighter pilots who fought with the Chinese against the Japanese during World War II. The unit was first organized in early 1941 in the months just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Eager to impede the Japanese takeover of China while still remaining neutral, President Franklin D. Roosevelt allowed former U.S. military officer Claire Chennault to quietly recruit fighter jocks from the ranks of the U.S. Army Air Force. The risks were high, but so was the pay: while most Air Force pilots received a salary of around $260 a month, Chennault’s mercenaries earned between $600 and $750, along with a $500 bonus for each Japanese aircraft they shot down. 著名的“飞虎队”，官方名称为“美国志愿航空队”，是一支由战斗机飞行员组成的三个中队的部队，在第二次世界大战期间与中国人一起对抗日本。这支部队于1941年初珍珠港爆炸案发生前的几个月首次组建。富兰克林·D·罗斯福总统急于在保持中立的同时阻止日本占领中国，允许前美国军官克莱尔·陈纳德悄悄地从美国陆军航空队招募战斗机飞行员。飞虎队的风险很高，但薪酬也很高：当时大多数空军飞行员的月薪约为260美元，而陈纳德的雇佣兵的月薪在600美元至750美元之间，他们击落的每架日本飞机还可获得500美元的奖金。 Around one hundred American contract pilots arrived in Burma in mid-1941, where they were assigned to protect a crucial supply road from Japanese attacks. The “Flying Tigers” - famous for the iconic rows of shark teeth painted on the noses of their P-40 fighters - went on to rack up an unprecedented combat record. Despite flying slower, less maneuverable fighters than the enemy, the Americans downed 296 Japanese aircraft and destroyed more than 1,300 riverboats, all while only losing 69 planes and some two-dozen men. The group was officially disbanded in July 1942, but some of its members later rejoined their old units and served for the remainder of World War II. 大约100名美籍雇佣飞行员于1941年年中抵达缅甸，他们被指派保护一条重要的补给公路免受日本袭击。“飞虎队”以其P-40战斗机鼻子上画着一排排标志性的鲨鱼牙齿而闻名，并创造了前所未有的战斗记录。尽管战斗机的飞行速度比敌人慢，机动性也不如敌人，但美国人还是击落了296架日本飞机，摧毁了1300多艘内河船，只损失了69架飞机和大约20多人。该组织于1942年7月正式解散，但其一些成员后来重新加入了他们的旧部队，并在第二次世界大战的剩余时间里服役。
5. The Catalan Grand Company (加泰罗尼亚佣兵团) First organized in 1302 by the adventurer Roger de Flor, the Catalan Grand Company was primarily composed of rugged Spanish veterans of the War of the Sicilian Vespers in Italy. Left unemployed at the conflict’s end, De Flor and his mercenaries contracted themselves to the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II, who brought them to the Eastern Mediterranean to fight off invading Ottoman Turks. The 6,500-strong Catalans succeeded in sweeping the Turks away from Constantinople, but their penchant for wanton sacking and looting also drew the ire of the Byzantines. In 1305, De Flor and some 1,300 of his men were ambushed and killed by another group of mercenaries in the Emperor’s employ. 加泰罗尼亚佣兵团于1302年由冒险家罗杰·德·弗洛尔首次组织，主要由在意大利西西里晚祷战争中的西班牙老兵组成。冲突结束时，德弗洛尔和他的雇佣兵失业了，他们与拜占庭皇帝安德洛尼库斯二世签订了合同，后者将他们带到东地中海击退入侵的奥斯曼土耳其人。6500名加泰罗尼亚人成功地将土耳其人从君士坦丁堡赶走，但他们肆意洗劫的嗜好也引起了拜占庭人的愤怒。1305年，德弗洛尔和他的大约1300名士兵被皇帝雇佣的另一批雇佣兵伏击并杀害。 Rather than disband, the surviving Catalans embarked on one of the bloodiest and most bewildering adventures in medieval military history. Following an abortive attempt to establish an outlaw state in Gallipoli, they marched to Greece and found work as muscle for the Duke of Athens. But when a dispute arose over back pay, the Catalans once again went to war with a former employer. After crushing the Greek armies and killing the Duke at 1311’s Battle of Kephissos, they found themselves the de facto lords of the Duchy of Athens. Amazingly, the mercenaries managed to consolidate their power and rule over large swaths of Greece for more than 75 years until an army from Florence finally defeated them in battle. The remnants of the Catalan Grand Company disbanded shortly thereafter. 幸存的加泰罗尼亚人没有解散，而是开始了中世纪军事史上最血腥、最令人困惑的冒险之一。在加里波利建立一个非法国家的尝试失败后，他们进军希腊，为雅典公爵卖力。但当一场欠薪纠纷发生时，加泰罗尼亚人再次与一名前雇主开战。在1311年的凯普希索斯战役中击败希腊军队并杀死公爵后，他们发现自己实际上就是雅典公国的领主。令人惊讶的是，雇佣兵成功地巩固了他们的权力，统治了希腊大片地区超过75年，直到佛罗伦萨的一支军队最终在战斗中击败了他们。加泰罗尼亚佣兵团的残余势力不久后就解散了。
6. The Varangian Guard (瓦兰吉卫队) The descendants of Norsemen who originally ventured south as pirates and traders, the Varangian Guard were a band of Viking mercenaries paid to serve as the personal bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor. The Guard first took up their post in the late 10th century for Emperor Basil II, who preferred the axe-wielding barbarians to his more easily corruptible countrymen. The unit immediately proved useful in putting down a rebellion, and they went on to serve as the protectors of Constantinople for over two hundred years. 瓦兰吉卫队是北欧人的后裔，最初以海盗和商人的身份冒险南下，是一群维京雇佣兵，受雇担任拜占庭皇帝的私人保镖。卫队于10世纪末为皇帝巴兹尔二世首次履职，皇帝本人更喜欢挥舞斧头的野蛮人，而不是更容易腐败的同胞。这支部队立即被证明在镇压叛乱方面很有用，他们继续担任君士坦丁堡的保护者长达200多年。 At first, the Varangian Guard was almost entirely composed of hard-fighting, hard-drinking Vikings, but by the late 11th century their ranks began to be filled out by Englishmen, Normans and Danes. Winning entrance into the unit was no easy task. Initiates had to demonstrate their prowess in battle and were forced to pay a small fortune in gold as an entrance fee. Still, the gifts showered on the Varangians ensured that its members left extremely wealthy, and some even went on to achieve positions of immense power. One of the most famous guardsmen was Harald Hardrada, who later claimed the throne of Norway. 起初，瓦兰吉卫队几乎完全由好斗、酗酒的维京人组成，但到了11世纪末，他们的队伍开始由英国人、诺曼人和丹麦人组成。要想进入部队绝非易事。申请人必须在战斗中展示他们的实力，并必须用黄金来支付一比不小的入队费。尽管如此，向瓦兰吉卫队赠送的礼物确保了其成员离开时非常富有，有些人甚至获得了巨大的权力。哈拉尔德·哈德拉达是最著名的卫队成员之一，他后来继承了挪威王位。
【Source】www.history.com 【Translated by】Spark Liao (廖怀宝) 【Illustration】From Bing |
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