Tanaka Memorial Never Sleeps 不謀萬世者不足謀一時 不謀全局者不足謀一域

The historical similarities between the RCAF and CAF were many and significant in WWII, then the Canadians and Chinese had worked together in common cause.  An addition to the library of aviation enthusiasts, this block features the Canadian classical Chance-Vought Corsair IV, Hawker Hurricane I, Supermarine Spitfire VB; their heritage are followed by today’s Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King, CH-148 Cyclone, and more.

9 Aug 1945, days before atomic bombs brought the WWII to a sudden end, the 1841 Sqn’s Corsairs from carrier Formidable attacked Shiogama harbor.  Volunteer Reserve pilot Lt. Robert Hampton Gray was hit by Japanese flak but pressed on his target, sinking this destroyer with a 1,000 pounder but crashing into the bay.  Awarded posthumously Canada's last Victoria Cross, Lt. Grey became the final Canadian casualty to resist the murderous Great Eastern Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.  Ironically, in 2006 Japanese built a Lt. Grey memorial by the Shiogama Bay, amid the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ “regularization”, and their postwar Peace Constitution sneaks back to Imperial Constitution.

As long as there have been Japanese, there have been Yamato Expansionism, which is currently reflected at the Diaoyu Islands (釣魚台) in the East China Sea.  These islands were administered as part of the Chinese territory from the 14th century, followed by the Japanese occupation in 1895-1945.  Even in the 1876 Total Japanese Map issued by the Imperial Japanese Army, none of Okinawa (Ryukyu) Island and Senkaku (Diaoyu) Island ever existed.  In 1945-72 the US oversaw them under the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands.  Planting a time bomb for a future China-Nippon territory dispute, the US reverted the islands to Japanese control under the "Okinawa Reversion Treaty".  As planned, this ticking bomb explodes ferociously in 2012, to placate US demands for her global administrator, while Japan badly needs Diaoyu to justify its reviving militarism.

Seagull Search and Rescue Squadron 海鷗中隊

Renowned as the CAF's Seagull- a symbol of sea survivor escort, this SAR Sqn’s original Sikorsky H-5G Dragonfly has been followed by Consolidated PBY-5A/OA-10A Catalina, Sikorsky H-19B Chickasaw, Grumman HU-16A/B Albatross, Bell HH-1H Iroquois, and Sikorsky S-70C Bluehawk over six decades.  Amid an Albatross was shot down by MiGs at the height of the cross Taiwan Straight hostility.

In a secret ferry along the Fujian coast after the darkness fell, Jan 8, 1967, three PROC coastal militias shot another seven comrades on a 50 ton LCU, s/n F-131, and diverted to the ROC outpost Matsu.  Soon Beijing learned that a VIP plane will arrive Matsu on Jan 9, to transfer the “Anti-Communist Heroes” to Taiwan, this info leakage prompted the retaliation plan of the Red centre.  At that point an ambush by the PLAAF 24^th Div was ready for launch, which was approved by PM Zhou Enlai.

0837 Jan 9, a C-47 landed at Matsu, but its wing was badly damaged due to the PSP mats.  In an effort to recover the crippled transport, a PBY urgently departed Jiayi with repair crewmen, material, plus reporters onboard.  Considering the Cat’s limited payload, 1211 another SA-16 touched down for all the defectors and reporters.  To countermeasure the Albatross’s three probing radio calls, PLAAF had remained inaction until 1533, two minutes later the unaware amphibian took off.  Covered by two J-6 fighters, 1551, two J-5s started four firing passes at 400 Km/hr.  With its left engine and empennage destroyed, the SA-16 descended sharply before crashing into the sea.  Wreckage was never found by three dozen search sorties, all 17 men onboard were killed.

Protection Fee Diplomacy

Throughout 1980s, the ROC Navy and Sikorsky had discussed terms of bailout agreement that would allow the ROCN the opportunity to obtain the H-60 derivative, when the US congress kept rejecting the export permission of SH-60B/ASW Sea Hawk to Taiwan. Eventually, Taiwan obtained the S-70M/ASW with 60% higher unit price than the earlier S-70C/SAR helicopter. Taiwan received the first three S-70M/ASW helicopters of a planned procurement of 10 on Aug 29, 1991. These Ms are deployed on board 8 Perry-class and 16 Lafayette-class frigates; this costly acquisition quite reflected the tri-lateral conciliation.

As historic trends, Taiwan returns to the Pan-Chinese orbit is just a matter of time. The stronger the unification bond, the feebler the US can use Taiwan as leverage to oppress the rise of China, and the less Taiwan needs purchasing US weapons. For the Reds, the PROC finally understands that conditionally allowing ROC’s arms upgrading, is necessary for Taiwanese switching from anti-unification to natural-unification. Its military might is proved only works for restricting the Taiwanese independence movement, not spontaneous unification, which is popular among 85% populace of the island. Needless to say the Red leaders received fat commissions from Taiwanese defense purchases. For the US, dwarfing Taiwan as an armed protectorate is part of its global domination.

As for Taiwan, its de-facto independence heavily depend on the US. As long as the US keeps supporting Taiwan, the PROC is impossible to merge ROC. So under the ROC’s current vague “no unification, no independence, no war” policy, Taiwanese generally accept postponed unification, via armed autonomy. Furthermore all its politicians, either anti- or pro-independent, regard Uncle Sam as their overlord.  Prior to the 2012 Taiwanese presidential election, campaign staff on both sides flew to Washington to kowtow for approval, following the US declared US$ 5.852 billion military sales to Taiwan.  It’s little wonder ROC’s déjà vu cycle is constant state of imbalance.

The price of half-hearted defense management efforts is bottomless import: Boeing Vertol B-234MLR, CH-47SD Chinook heavy-lift transport, Hughes 500MD/ASW Defender, Sikorsky S-70C/SAR Bluehawk , S-70M/ASW Seahawk helicopters, the list could go on and on.

Nonsense begets nonsense

All the currently CAF operational S-2T Turbo-Trackers were modified from the aging S-2E/Gs of the ASW Group. With the original US$260 million plan for conversion of 25 S-2Es and 7 S-2Gs, 2 Gs were first sent to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for upgrading to the S-2T standards by Northrop Grumman. The maiden flight took place in Jul 1988, and the Turbo-Tracker duo returned to Taiwan in Aug 1991. Additional 25 instead of the planned 32 E/Gs were then converted locally by using retrofit kits supplied by NG.

For the US hungry for dumping its outmoded arms, Taiwan is a dream customer, a compulsive dupe with a bottomless wallet and unconditional dependence on the US.  Without putting the utmost US$430 million deal up for competitive bids, their procurement process wasn’t followed to ensure the best aircraft for the best price.  Instead of the CAF, actually it was the USN signed the contract with NG. When the latter postponed the first two aircraft delivery from Nov 1989 to Feb 1991, Taiwan was in no position to demand a penalty. NG had never completely delivered the ISS parts, and 3/4 spares it delivered were useless. Before half of the planed 32 aircraft were modified, the first 13 completed S-2Ts had already used up all the received retrofit kits.

S-2Tdeal had wildly gone over budget, and the overrun was out of manageable.  Surely this was not the first crude awakening for Taiwan, but with a loose constellation of losers inside the government and outside it, it is difficult to stand up against the inequality with full force.  In 1986-91 the number of ROC-US military procurement disputes totaled 792, in average 5% cases were doomed per year.  With a low 50% operational ready rate, by blog time only 12-15 vintage S-2Ts fulfill daily combat readiness.

A sign of the times

The Civil Air Transport, Inc. was founded by Clair L. Chennault (14th AF) and Whiting Willauer (China Defense Supplies, Inc.) in 1946. During the Chinese Civil War and its brutal wake, CAT supported the Nationalists in both military and civil transport. In the early 50s CAT in Taiwan was bought by the CIA, this civilian airline continued carrying supplies and passengers throughout Taiwan and Asia, often taking political and operational risks declined by other airlines. However, as the most modernized airlines in Taiwan, CAT unveiled the island’s first jet airliner B-1008 (超級翠華號) on Jul 11, 1961, in this brand new Convair CV-880 my mom took me to Hong Kong to join my grandma.

In 1955 Air Asia was formed out of CAT, as Air America's aircraft maintenance branch in Taiwan. With its initial aircraft maintenance equipment and tooling evacuated from the mainland, Air Asia saw business boom in years of the Vietnam War. Servicing all UAAF aircraft deployed in East Asia, and special operation aircraft from Pacific Corp., it turned out to be the largest air maintenance center in the Pacific Rim. During this period, the hangars full of F-105 Thunderchief, F-4 Phantom, and C-130 Hercules was an all too familiar scene at Tainan airport, Air Asia’s home base.

At the peak of its existence as a subsidiary of the E-system, the Air Asia had serviced over 12,000 USAF aircraft and overhauled 8,000 engines. Meanwhile, Taiwan received some US light aircraft from the Vietnam theater, including Cessna OE-1 (USMC Bird Dog equivalent to L-19A, O-1B), O-1G Bird Dog, Cessna U-17A Skywagon, de Havilland U-6A Beaver, and Hughes OH-6A Cayuse light observation helicopter. All of the ROC Army and MC Air Arms buildup was the arrival of these fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

Unsung Heroes

In the early 1970s, the CAF started looking for a replacement of the aging F-5A/B fleet. Its successor was to be better-equipped and with particular emphasis on maneuverability rather than high speed. In 1973 the CAF Aero Industry Development Center had been licensed to build 212 Northrop F-5E light-weight fighters and 36 F-5F two-seat conversion trainers; the greatly updated F-5E had won the international fighter competition to select an F-5A successor in 1970. In only 21 months, the first CAF F-5E tactical fighter, s/n 5101, was rolled out for public viewing on Oct 30, 1974, breaking the records of all the Tiger-II cooperation productions with Northrop. This version was referred to as the standard model-A of the Tiger-II family, more than 160 machines had been delivered from the AIDC facility at Shuinan AFB by the beginning of 1980. The Fs roll-out started in 1978, from the s/n 5351. In Dec 1986, production of the Tiger-II drew to a close. A total of 242 Es and 66 Fs emerged from the Shuinan plant since 1974.

The AIDC F-5E/F's lower wing skin was machined from a single plate of 7075-T6 aluminum, which and 6061-T6 alloy for landing gear drag brace, etc, were fabricated by the Taiwan Aluminum Corp. under the direction of Mr. Lee, Wei-Liang (李惟梁), the top mechanical engineering and metallurgical expert in ROC. The Tiger-II project was one of many daring engineering achievements accomplished when Taiwan still was one of the 4 Asian Young Dragons, and these projects were materialized by the respectable professionals such as Mr. Lee of Talco, and Colonel Li, Yong-Zhao (李永昭), the AIDC director. Both with characteristic aplomb, Lee and Li were good friends and stood for the traditional Chinese value system, these nameless heroes believed "No guts, no contribution". Unfortunately, such competent generation faded away as Taiwan sank deeper into self-marginalization and hyper-polarized politics, while neo-independence sensation is magnified out of proportion.

As for the worldwide largest Tiger-II fleet, for three decades these F-5E/Fs are flown by the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Tactical Fighter Wings at Tainan, Xinzhu, and Jiayi AFBs, respectively, also by two squadrons in the 5th Composite Fighter Wing at Taoyuan AFB. During the gradual decommissioning of the F-5s in the 1990s, the 1st, 2nd, 4th TFWs were re-equipped with 135 F-CK-1A/B(IDF)s, 60 Mirage 2000-5Ei/Dis, and 150 F-16A/B block 20 MLUs, correspondingly. However, in the past 10 years the CAF has been focused on the uncertain F-16C/D acquirement, while underfunding the aging F-5 fleet overhaul. Though its 60 plus remnants only remains a 15% combat ready rate to date, this obsolete Tiger-II flotilla still is unable to entirely discharged.

The early CAF Tiger-IIs were finished in three-tone jungle camouflage similar to that of the F-5A Freedom Fighters, while the later production wore the light grey air superiority camouflage. The T-38A basic supersonic trainer is the original model of F-5 family, serving in the lead-in fighter training role in the CAF.

Alte Kameraden (Old Comrade)

Ever since the Shanghai Communiqué (1972) between the US and PROC, the US had reduced arms sales to Taiwan gradually while approaching China. Though the Nationalist regime was given more than six years notice, still it was stunned by the US decision to derecognize Taiwan in Dec 1978. After Reagan administration signed a Second Shanghai Communiqué (817 Communiqué) in 1982, the US continued rejecting all Taiwan’s request to replace outdated weapon systems under descending military alliance through the Mutual Defense Treaty (1954).

Under such a political isolation, the CAF unavoidably took part in regional goodwill operation for alleviating harsh realities. On Aug 9, 1972, 29 aircraft of the 6th Transport Wing delivered over 238,000 Lbs typhoon relief supply to Philippine; the Operation Mercy Voyage (慈航演習) was accomplished by 242 crews lead by the 6th‘s CO. On 0630 25 aging C-119s, 1 C-47, 1 C-123, and 2 HH-1H helicopters started taking off in a 10 minutes interval, and headed for Bashi Channel without any emergency transit field en route to Nichols AFB. When the whole fleet arrived safely, part of the supply was urgently transferred to Clark AFB under the request of their host president Ferdinand Marcos. After this successful diplomatic move, Philippine postponed her formal relation with Red Chins to 1975.

Without modern replacement, the C-119 Flying Boxcars (7 squadrons) had continued in service alongside the newer C-123 Providers (1 squadron) for two more decades. Meanwhile, as a precaution of the Communist flotilla with countless motorboats across Taiwan Straight in the next landing, 10 selected C-119s were modified to gunships in 1972. Though six .50 calibers and one 20mm cannon were installed on each of the old comrade, fortunately these indigenous AC-119s had never seen combat. Eventually this modification was removed.

No guts, no glory

 “Know both yourself and enemy, in 100 battles you will never be in peril.”  Sun Tzu, the Chinese military theorist, wrote this in "The Art of War” more than 2500 years ago.  Followed the same battlefield dictum in the modern-day conflict across the Taiwan Straight, the CAF used its tactical air reconnaissance over China as the first line of defense, to offset the overwhelming weight of the PLAAF.

When the military tensions had ratcheted up in Quemoy in 1958, the 6th Recon Group was again assumed full responsibility for aerial photography along the mainland coast. By mid-Sep the violent barrage on Quemoy had already been under way for four weeks. It was all too likely that exchanging shells was probing attacks - guarantee the Communist's territorial integrity extended to Taiwan. On Sep 24, the entire strength of the 12th RS/6th RG’s RF-84Fs, escorted by the Sabres, launched an intensive campaign for accurate assessments of the enemy's battle ability for an all-out amphibian assault.

From 0900 on that day, 18 Thunderflashes broke up into 6 elements (6 back up) scrambled from Taoyuan AFB. At the northern part of the base, their Sabre escorts from the 5th FG took off simultaneously. Working their way across the Taiwan Straight at 30,000 ft, element by element, the Sabres followed the Thunderflashes onto specific targets scattered from Wenzhou Bay in Zhejian, to Shantou Bay in Guangdong.

As one formation approached Shantou, where the Communist South Sea Fleet stationed, antiaircraft fire began to blossom, and a large group of MiGs appeared overhead at 40,000 ft. When the RF-84Fs turned to the assigned targets, the F-86Fs started engaging the MiG-17s from the PLAAF 2nd Air Division. As a result, the CAF beat back the Reds with a hard-won kill-loss ratio of 10:0 in the 9/24 air combat. If the CAF and PLAAF pilots switched their fighters, the result might have been the same, since the latter sent against a far more experienced and better trained enemy.

My following recon tour represents several stages of the 6th RG, their RF-86F, RF-84F, RF-100A, RF-101A provide some classic looking eye candy by way of recon jets.

Cold War

In 1961 C-46 squadrons of the CAF 6th Transport Wing were assigned to retreat thousands of anti-communist guerilla (two remained regiments of the ex-8th and 26th Armies) fighting within China-Burma borders to Taiwan. Defeated humiliate in eliminating guerilla sanctuaries, Burma threw the issue into the United Nations in Mar 1953. Under the international pressure after the Four-Power Conference, full accord on an evacuation plan was reached. The procedure called for the Nationalist guerrillas to cross over into Thailand for removal to Taiwan. The action was known as operation Guo-Ray (國雷演習), named after Chiang Chin-Guo and Ray Cline, the intelligence chiefs of Taiwan and the United States, respectively.

The mission was very formidable for the World War II vintage C-46. Two thirds of the 1,500 mile air route from Pingdong to Chiang Mai, Thailand, was over open sea, then over primeval virgin jungle. While the new Flyingboxcars had not accomplished FOC status, the obsolete Commandos were the leading work horse at the time. The C-46’s automatic direction finder worked only within 200 miles from a radio station, maritime navigation would be critical from 200 miles away Pingdong to 200 miles off the Thailand coast. Furthermore, the nearby Communist fighter bases and primitive jungle strips all caused problems. However, from Mar 17 to Apr 13 the proficient CAF pilots overcame all difficulties and did a great job. After 2,130 flight hours of C-46 (321 sorties) and C-119 (35 sorties), 4,296 tough jungle fighters and their families returned to Taiwan, many sorties in this airlift took off overloaded.

From the 1950s the durable C-46s also deep-penetrated behind enemy lines and electronic surveillance over the Taiwan Straight. Meanwhile, counted on various support from the CAF, a full CIA-backing Civilian Air Transport’s C-46s flew anti-Sukano guerilla transport duties in Indonesia. The Filipino island of Sanga Sanga, South-West of Zamboanga, was used as a discreet refueling stop for CAT C-46s and was scheduled to be the secret forward operating base for CIA operations.

With the start of the Korean War, the attention of Red China was turned away from Taiwan, and for the next four years there were no additional clashes, while the Free China was able to consolidate the island defense via martial and para-military operations. Aircraft types used foremost then were Curtiss C-46A/D Commando and Consolidated PBY-5A/OA-10A Catalina.

A lesser-known, more-mortal holocaust

In 1945 Japan lost the Sino-Japanese War, while the nominal victory of China gone in a flash. In 1950 war drums were beating again in Beijing for pushing to intervene Korea over the US invasion, that turned out to be non-existent. Furthermore, unable to pay the huge Russian loan of wild spending in the Korean War, China had been sold off by its Red leaders. With endless trains of Chinese crop ferried to Russia, in return for imposing harsh austerity starvation wherein over 60 million Chinese perished; let along the unspeakable "political movements" on the horizon. Since the sole enemy was an internal opponent of the Reds, the only possible use for the Russian arms was in a fratricidal war.

Off the coastal province Zhejiang, the rocky islet Dongyin had been the HQ of the tight secret Anti-Communist Salvation Army since 1949. The little-known army was the Nationalist’s political instrument for Taiwan’s strategic importance in the Cold War, as well the tryout for the return to mainland. In 1950-53 nearly 100 raids were launched by ACSA from Dachen, Ijiangshan, and other isles still in Nationalist hands offshore Zhejiang. The guerrillas were trained and equipped by the Western Enterprises Inc, a CIA front company.

Though the People’s Liberation Army achieved everything they wanted in the mainland, they failed repeatedly in their attempts to “liberate” Taiwan. In the midst of the interlopers used a guerrilla corridor, the Reds decided to cut off this intentional way for a potential invading the mainland. With its air strength buildup of the Tupolev Tu-2, Ilyushin Il-10, Lavochkin La-11, the PLA launched a series of attacks along the southeastern China coast. In Nov 1-4, 1954, totally 112 Tu-2 sorties first proceeded to drop 1,154 bombs on Dachen and Ijiangshan, followed by 70 La-11 sorties covered 28 Tu-2 sorties and 46 Il-10 sorties launched five raids on the same landing beaches during Dec 21, 1954 and Jan 10, 1955.

Dachen Isles were beyond the range of the newly-received CAF F-84G Thunderjets, while the vintage F-47N Thunderbolts were always interdicted by the MiG formation. Though the 7,000 assault troops wiped out the Ijiangshan garrison in a 52 hr 44 min battle (一江山島戰役), but the PLA paid a fearsome price of over 4,000 killed. In the aftermath, its strategy to conquer Taiwan was altered, and Taiwan relieved at a dangerous crossroad. Meanwhile the Communists know about the terrific amount of seapower surrounding Taiwan- the Task Force 72 of USN Pacific Fleet- that’s what keeps them from starting anything. In Feb 1955, along with the ROC's LSTs the TF 72 used 132 ships and 400 airplanes evacuated 14,500 civilians, 10,000 soldiers, 4,000 guerrilla fighters, and 40,000 tons of military material from Dachen, thus calling for an end to the First Taiwan Crisis. Three days later, the PLA occupied all the isles along the southeastern China coast, except Quemoy and Matsu.