[Editor's Note]
Flying Tigers 's intervention finally stopped the decline of the Chinese sky tilting towards the Japanese aviation force. However, the War of Resistance continues and victory is still far away.
After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the United States has officially joined the war, and there is no need to send volunteer troops to fight in Asia under the name of the Chinese government. Therefore, the Flying Tigers were withdrawn on July 4, 1942, and the United States sent regular troops to fight in China.
What is eye-catching is that while the strength of the US military's aviation force is increasing, the strength of the Chinese Air Force is also rebuilding and growing. As a wartime allies, the United States not only provided the Chinese Air Force with more advanced equipment, but more importantly, it helped China train a large number of pilots armed by advanced American training and tactical concepts. They not only became the main force in the Chinese Air Force's combat against Japan, but also provided the possibility for the establishment of Sino-US joint combat units.
With the joint efforts of Chinese and American aviation athletes, Japan's aviation force in China has become increasingly powerless, and the Chinese sky finally returned to the hands of the Chinese people after several years of decline - history can go far away, but it is always worth remembering.
The US 14th Air Force fought the battle
From 1943, with the gradual mobilization of the reserve forces in the war zone, the United States decided to invest more air force in the Chinese theater. On March 3, 1943, Chennard was promoted to major general of the United States Army. On March 10, the 14th Air Force of the United States Air Force was officially established in Kunming, with Chennard still serving as the commander.
After the establishment of the 14th Air Force, its troops were successively organized, mainly including the 68th Composite Wing, the 69th Composite Wing, the Chinese American Composite Wing, the 312th Fighter Wing, the China Area Service Command (CASC), etc., as well as other bombing, reconnaissance and other troops, gradually becoming a strong air force that can be as short as the Japanese army.
The main tasks of the 14th Air Force include: defending hump route , searching and attacking Japanese aviation bases; bombing Japanese military facilities in China; destroying Japanese shipping along China's coast; destroying Japanese military supplies and military facilities in Indochina, Myanmar and Taiwan, helping China fight against Japan and supporting ground forces in all possible ways.
The combat range of the 14th Air Force extends from the coast of China in the east, from Myanmar in the west, from the Yellow River Basin in the north, and from the Indochina Peninsula in the south, covering most of China. The first-line fighter made in the United States, including P-51 "Mustang", P-38 "Lightning", etc., have entered China one after another. These aircraft have far surpassed the performance of the Japanese military's Type 1, Type 2 and Type 4 fighters deployed in China. In particular, the P-51 is the most advanced fighter in World War II. Its speed is about 100 kilometers per hour and its firepower is strong. The combat radius of various subtypes is more than 1,000 kilometers. Take off from the base in southwest China, even the Japanese base located in Taiwan is within the range of the P-51's strike.
P-51 "Mustang" fighter was the most advanced fighter of the Allied forces during World War II. Due to its excellent performance, it served in many countries for a long time after the war. After the P-51 entered China, the Japanese Air Force could no longer find a fighter jet that could match it.
According to statistics from the United States, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, the 14th Air Force destroyed a total of 2,315 Japanese planes, 356 bridges, 1,225 motor vehicles, and 712 trains.
It should be noted that after the disbandment of the Flying Tigers and before the establishment of the 14th Air Force, the United States also became an airline contingent in China. Its most important mission is to protect the east and south sides of the "Camel Route" from Kolkata to Kunming, India, including Kunming at the air transport terminal. The Air Task Force in China is the first regular US Air Force in China. Although it has achieved certain results, it is not discussed separately due to its strong transitional nature.
The formation of the mixed Chinese and US Air Force regiment
In addition to the US aviation forces who came to China to fight, the rebuilt Chinese Air Force was also the main force in the late period of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and it is of greater significance to China, because some of the pilots later joined the new People's Air Force and continued to defend the sky of the motherland.
As early as January 1942, when General Magrud, the head of the U.S. Military Delegation to China met with Chiang Kai-shek and negotiated the return of the Flying Tigers to the U.S. military system in Chongqing, he proposed to help China train pilots and mechanics, as well as Chinese Air Force personnel join the U.S. military operations. Finally, China and the United States reached a consensus to use the provisions of the US Lease Act to train Chinese pilots in the United States. In October 1942, the first batch of Chinese flight attendants arrived at Thunderbird Airport in Arizona, USA to study the standard courses of US Airlines.
The training of pilots is different from that of ordinary soldiers, and it is indeed a "burning money". During the Republic of China, China was poor and weak, from things to people, there was extremely scarce in train aircraft, fuel and instructors, and the pilot training level was very low. This was the crux of the repeated defeats of the Chinese Air Force in the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japan. When trained in the United States, the above defects have greatly improved. When you are in China, it is very good for pilots to have a few hours of flight training every week, but in the United States, they have to take off every day and have to fly for 4 hours at most. Although all Chinese students have completed basic flight training in China, they still have to undergo 2 months of junior, 2 months of intermediate, 2 months of advanced, and 3 months of combat training (Operation Training Unit) in the United States before they can graduate. They are taught in groups, with four people in groups and are led by American instructors. It must be admitted that the training intensity of Chinese pilots trained in the United States has reached the international first-class level, which is an important reason why they have gained the upper hand after returning to China to fight against the Japanese army.
The teaching aircraft used by Chinese students in the United States include P-39, P-66, P-40, P-38, etc.; the bomber is fixed to B-25. The P-39 is also recognized as difficult to fly in the US military. After several accidents, Chinese personnel will basically no longer be allowed to drive. The P-66 is an immature model, but it was also sold to China by the US. After coming to China, the record was extremely poor and was soon eliminated from the front-line troops. The P-38 is expensive and is rarely used in the Chinese battlefield. The main machine for Chinese students to learn is still P-40. It can be said that the P-40 can be regarded as a representative model of the Chinese Air Force in the late period of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Although the P-40 with thick skin and flesh is not very advanced in the US military sequence, it is undoubtedly a model of cost-effectiveness for the Chinese Air Force.
In addition, in June 1943, the Chinese theater accepted Chennard's proposal to set up a fighter flight training center in Karachi (now Pakistan ) in British India, and sent Chinese pilots to India for training. Training subjects include driving technology, formation and combat flight, bombing, shooting, and cooperative combat between fighters and bombers. The first batch of trained troops included the first and third brigades, and arrived in India in July 1943. After four months of training, they returned to China after training in November. The second batch of trainees was the Fifth Battalion, which started training in November 1943 and returned to China in April 1944.
In June 1943, in order to enable the Chinese and US air forces to better coordinate and use American-style training personnel in centralized use, Chennard proposed to form a mixed regiment of flight forces between China and the United States, and this suggestion was adopted by the Chinese military authorities. On November 5, the Sino-US Air Force mixed regiment was established in Guilin , and the front-line command post was located in Guilin.
The establishment of the Sino-US Air Force Mixed Corps
The Sino-US Air Force Mixed Corps is composed of some personnel from the First Battalion, Third Battalion, Fifth Battalion and the 14th Air Force. From the commander of the mixed regiment to the squadron leader, commanders at all levels are assigned by China and the United States, and about 2/3 of the pilots and service personnel are accounted for. Colonel Zhang Tingmeng, commander of the mixed regiment, Colonel Morse of the United States; Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Weifu, deputy commander of the United States, Colonel Bennett, captain of the 1st Battalion (Bombardment Brigade), Major Li Xueyan, , (later Wang Yugen took over), Lieutenant Colonel Blanche; Major Fang Yuan Jinhan, captain of the 3rd Battalion (Fighter Brigade), Lieutenant Colonel Bennett of the United States; Major Zhongxiang Kou Sheng (later Zhang Tangtian took over), Lieutenant Colonel Rolls of the United States. Each brigade has 4 squadrons: the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th squadrons; the 3rd squadrons under the jurisdiction of the 7th, 8th, 28th and 32nd squadrons; the 5th squadrons under the jurisdiction of the 17th, 26th, 27th and 29th squadrons.
In the early days of the establishment of the Sino-US mixed regiment, there were 7 to 10 American pilots in each squadron, mainly serving as chief officials. By the later stage, the proportion of ordinary American pilots increased. Among these pilots, several experienced celebrities, such as former Flying Tigers player William Reed, who later served as the captain of the U.S. team of the Third Battalion. There are two main sources of Chinese pilots. One is senior personnel who fought against the Japanese army in the early stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan, but there are few such veterans. They are mainly pilots who went to the United States for training since 1942. There are a total of 8 batches. The seventh batch returned to China in December 1944, and the last batch returned to China. The War of Resistance had ended.
In this way, after November 1943, the Allied forces had three air forces on the battlefield in China, namely the Chinese Air Force in the National Army system, the US 14th Air Force in China, and the Sino-US Air Force mixed regiment formed by these two troops. At that time, the Chinese Air Force and the 14th Air Force of the United States were independent of each other and both were under the command of the Chinese Military Commission; the Sino-US Joint Air Force was nominally a subordinate unit of the 14th Air Force, but could also receive orders from the Chinese Air Force. The coexistence of the three air forces will inevitably lead to problems in command and jurisdiction, but since the de facto commander-in-chief Chennard has received the trust and full support of Chiang Kai-shek, there is no large internal friction between the three.
The combat response mechanism of the mixed Chinese and US Air Force regiment.
toward victory
The combat areas of each brigade of the Sino-US Air Force Mixed Regiment are different. Basically, the mission area of the Third Battalion is North China region north of the Yangtze River, and its resident is distributed in Liangshan, Shien, Ankang, Hanzhong, Laohekou and other places. The Fifth Brigade is mainly located in Guilin, and its headquarters was originally in Suichuan, Hengyang, , and Lingling. After June 1944, all the Brigades were stationed in Zhijiang, Hunan. The B-25 medium bombers of the First Battalion will enter each base according to the mission needs, and will be escorted by fighter jets to perform bombing missions.
Due to the advanced tactical concept of American training, the emphasis on actual combat, and the excellent equipment, the overall technical and tactical level of China's air power after the reconstruction has been greatly improved compared with before the war. On the other hand, the Japanese flight forces were mainly trapped in the Pacific battlefield. After 1943, the Japanese Flight Forces, which was fighting in China, would be far from being compared with China and the United States. The strength of both sides could be said to be one to the other.
In addition to equipment, training and tactics ("one strike to escape, no fighting"), the Chinese and US air forces regain air supremacy, and another very important but often overlooked advantage, namely an excellent communication and command system.
Whether it is the early Chinese Air Force or the Soviet Air Force , the aircraft used lack advanced radio communication equipment, and the combat plans are often extraordinary and complex. In addition, the formation tactics involved in daily training are too little, so in actual combat, they can only rely on gestures and flight actions to conduct basic communication, and effective combat tactics are difficult to implement - this is an important reason why the Chinese Air Force and the Soviet Air Force aid to China have been defeated by the Japanese side many times while having the advantage of numerical advantages (in fact, Japanese aircraft radio communication tools are also very backward, but pilots who had been strictly trained before the war partially made up for this defect with tacit understanding formed by long-term cooperation. In the late stage of the war, the Japanese still encountered this problem when they put novices who lack training on the battlefield).
Since Chennard came to China, he has attached great importance to the establishment of early warning and command communication networks. The P-40's advanced airborne radio station also makes it possible to establish instant radio communication between the air-ground and even between aircraft. The communication organization of the entire Flying Tigers is quite tight, consisting of the following five parts:
* Each squadron radio communication: is divided into four items: aircraft installation, maintenance, and sending and receiving and reporting.
* Command Network: Chennard sets up wireless telephone command stations at 6 locations including Yunnan Baoshan , Yunnan Yi, Mengzi, Wuyi, Lei Yun, Myanmar Larong, etc. During combat, he can issue instant commands to the airplane group or communicate between sites.
* Administrative Network: is composed of a radio station that specifically sends password administrative telegrams. It is located in 9 places including Chongqing, Sichuan, Baoshan, Yunnan, Yi, Rongzi, Kunming, Lei Yun, Larong, Myanmar, Indian New Delhi , and Philippines . It is centered on Kunming and is used with the command network.
* Brigade radio equipment group.
* Brigade Radio Management Office.
The communication organization functions of the Flying Tigers are complete, and they are of great help to master the enemy situation and actual combat command. Given the effectiveness of this communication organization, US military units such as the 14th Air Force have set up the same organization, and the Sino-US mixed regiment has also established a similar structure with the Chinese Air Force. Effective communication plays a good role as a "force multiplier".
The Changde battle in November 1943 was the first appearance of the Sino-US Air Force mixed group. The Chinese and American aviation forces jointly launched an attack, bombing Japanese ships, military facilities, command centers and ground forces, actively cooperated with our army to fight and transport supplies, and also engaged in air combat with Japanese Army Airlines, which dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army. During the Battle of Changde, the Sino-US air force dispatched a total of 1,467 fighter jets and 280 bombers, claiming that a total of 25 enemy planes were shot down, 19 were injured, and 12 enemy planes on the ground were destroyed. During the battle, our side's operations were basically taking the initiative. In addition to fighting in Changde and its surrounding areas, we also went deep into Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Hainan and other places to attack Japanese bases and maritime supply lines from time to time.
The victory of Changde air battle marks that the Chinese pilot, who has been in a passive state in the past, has finally been proud, and the air supremacy on the battlefield of the Anti-Japanese War has changed hands. Based on the number of attacks and the claimed results, the mixed group of the China-US Air Force is undoubtedly the main force of China's operations in the middle and late stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
The figure shows the results of the battle in 1943 and 1944, because it is necessary to consider that the Sino-US mixed regiment was formed at the end of 1943, and in 1945, the Japanese aviation army was basically expelled from the Chinese sky.
The mixed Chinese and US Air Force regiment also produced a group of air combat heroes with outstanding achievements. Among them, the pilot of the 7th Squadron Wang Guangfu won the Eight-Star Sequence Medal (every single shot down an enemy plane will receive a star sequence, which can be accumulated), becoming the most famous ace pilot in China in the late period of the Anti-Japanese War; the pilot of the 8th Squadron Zang Ceylon won the Seven-Star Sequence Medal; the pilot of the 32nd Squadron Tan Kun won the Five-Star Sequence Medal.
Wang Guangfu, 1917-2008, winner of the Eight Star Sequence Medal, the most famous air combat hero in China in the late period of the Anti-Japanese War, "the trump card of the Chongqing era". He is the brother of Liu Shaoqi’s wife Wang Guangmei.
Zang Xilan, 1917-1988, from Qingdao, Shandong, winner of the Seven Stars Sequence Medal, , went to Taiwan after the Kuomintang and Communist Party's civil war, and became a major general of the Kuomintang Air Force.
Tan Kun, 1918-1988, from Wenshan City, Yunnan Province, winner of the Five-Star Sequence Medal, went to Taiwan after the civil war of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and became the colonel of the Kuomintang Air Force.
Xing Haifan, 1916-1998, pilot of the 28th Squadron of the 3rd Battalion of the Sino-US Air Force Mixed Regiment, achieved results in the War of Resistance. He became an underground member of the Communist Party of China in 1947, joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 1949, and shot down a US aircraft on the battlefield of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea. He is the only Chinese pilot who shot down both Japanese and American aircraft.
Under the joint strangulation of China and the United States' air forces, the Japanese aviation team stationed in China suffered losses and could only deal with it. By 1944, China and the United States had already had obvious advantages. From December 1944 to January 1945, the Sino-US aviation force carried out violent bombings on the Wuhan base, the most important nest of Japan's aviation stationed in China. Among them, the bombing on December 18, 1944 dispatched 154 aircraft, including 84 state-of-the-art B-29 strategic bombers, giving the Japanese army annihilated strike and forcing the latter to withdraw the base from central China to the eastern coast. At this point, the Japanese army in the Chinese pass only had the poor remaining mountains and rivers left, and both sides encountered only a handful of encounters in the air.
On August 14, 1945, Shen Changde, a second lieutenant pilot of the Fifth Battalion of the Sino-US Mixed Regiment, took off from Zhijiang Airport, and went to Baoqing for meteorological reconnaissance. This is the last mission performed by the Chinese flight forces in the war. On August 15, Japan surrendered unconditionally, and the arduous fourteen-year victory in the War of Resistance ended. The heroic deeds of Chinese and American air athletes working together to expel Japanese invaders will be forever in history.
(The author is a member of the Jiangsu Writers Association and a military history writer)
