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.

Divided We Stall

As a plot, the Chinese Communists were the real beneficiaries of the Sino-Japanese War. Whilst power-hungry Mao Zedong was steamrolling China into an unrecognizable Bolshevik state, he repeatedly showed barefaced gratitude to the Japanese visitors, namely ex-IJA General Endou Saburou in 1956, Socialist Sasaki Kouzou in 1964, and the PM Tanaka Kakuei in 1972, etc. for the Japanese aggression. For generations this ordeal continues to weigh heavily on China, and every family still has a war history under the incumbent corrupt and morally bankrupt government. Today, what troubles Chinese most is "the state of the souls".

Retrospectively, the depleted Nationalist centre began to falter after the VJ Day, as the Reds started flexing their muscle against it. During the dissolution in 1946-49, it kicked off a regional war that soon swallowed China. After their evasive strategy during the Japanese invasion, the Red paramilitaries and field armies launched a nation-wide barrage that inspired bloodshed on massive scale. From Sep 1948 to Jan 1949, the Reds won all the three decisive battles (遼沈, 淮海, 平津三大戰役) and destroyed 173 centre divisions. With such a massive loss of manpower-1,540,000 men- and equipments, the Nationalist regime could do nothing else but retreating to Taiwan.

After humiliating negotiations in Moscow, on 14 February 1950 Mao and Stalin signed the inequitable Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance for an upcoming unnecessary war. One of the ironies of this treaty was, it substantially terminated the Great Helmsman’s attempt of "Bloodletting of Taiwan". Though it did not prevent extreme breaking-up between the two tyrannies in 1956, the timing did seem reflective of a broader drift in Reds’ ideology away from the traditional Chinese value. Since 1949 the Maoist regime completely changes the culture and geography of the Chinese people. For those fought and struggled on a change then, now it seems in China like a false hope and historical wrong turn.

Related Chinese Civil War hardware M3A3/M5A1 General Stuart light tank, the work horse P-40 Kittyhawk, the L-bird Stinson L-5 Sentinel are presented here, and are accompanied by their equally unique stories.

The morning after, the years ahead

In 1952 the CAF began to receive its first Privateers which were initially seen abandoned at the US Shangri La Navy Station, south of Manila. In March, 12 air crews from the 8th Heavy bombardment Group were ferried by two C-46s to Luzon. They were led to the bone yard of the base, a dozen PB4Y-2S long-range patrol bombers under the "as it is" condition were waiting for them. As an effort to bring the 8th BG back to FOC status, these Convair Privateers would replace its Consolidated Liberator relics on a squadron-to-squadron basis.

As an entire replacement of the 8th's B-24Ms was not immediately available, the PB4Y-2s had to be repaired as fast as possible and ferried back to Taiwan. But, getting them back in the air had not been easy, for it took combined efforts of many specially-trained technicians and lots of contributions to keep these vintage bombers airworthy. After one week of superhuman efforts, by applying the similar experience on the B-24Ms, all 12 Privateers emerged as a painstaking restored tribute to all the PB4Ys that had seen combat in World War II. Without proper tools and spare parts, these monsters were temporally repaired to the flyable level. After a three hours flight, the Chinese Privateers landed safely at the Jiayi AFB, while the 8th's home base Xinzhu had it's strips rebuilt then.

In 1954-56 besides the foregoing impressive heavies supplied under the Military Aid Program terms, further 26 units were transferred to the 8th, which comprised of the 33rd, 34th, and 35th BSs based at Xinzhu AFB. Struggled to maintain its Liberator remnants and a Liberator Express C-87 duo, fortunately the 8th began beefing up its strength to defend the Free China in Taiwan. Discharged in 1961, the PB4Y was the last four engine bomber operated by the CAF.

Soviet Volunteer Group in China

One of the significant Soviet-made battle aircraft during the Sino-Japanese War was the Ilyushin DB-3 long range bomber. The partially developed DB-3 had no occasion for combat in Spain, so Stalin decided to give the new weapon a test in China. Acquired through the Chinese-Soviet trade agreements of 1937, 12 DB-3s were delivered to the CAF 8th Heavy Bombardment Group from Oct 1937 to Dec 1938. These twin-engined bombers were received in the desert city Lanzhou, wherein the 8th finished its conversion training, then ferried the new flotilla to Chengdu in mid-Oct 1939. Meanwhile the Soviet Volunteer 2nd Bombardment Group’s 24 DB-3s stationed in Lanzhou and Chengdu.

The 1939 period of Chinese aerial combat was characterized by the change from defensive operations to active tactics, with the DB-3s attacked Japanese air bases and transport proceeding on the Yangtze River. It gave great support to the Chinese army and carried out its blows against the superior Japanese forces under arduous conditions. 0900, Oct 3, 9 DB-3s of the 2nd BG each loaded ten 300 lb high explosion bombs took off from Taipingsi airfield in Chengdu, heading for Japanese occupied Wangjiadun airfield in Hankou. On this visit 40 of 100 Japanese aircraft grounded were destroyed, and the raiders inflicted no damage.

20 DB-3s went off for the 2nd‘s second strike over Hankou on Oct 14. Each bomber carrying high explosive, 14 kg shrapnel, and 50 kg incendiary bombs took off at 0830. The first 11 ships formation led by Cpt. G. A. Kulishenko (CO of the 2nd) and second 9 ships formations led by N. A. Kozlov (the 2nd‘s second-in-command) reached the target at 1155 and 1230, respectively. Their bombardier got a good sight and put their ordnance in the middle of the rows of some 30 twin-engined bombers. Over 50 of the 70 plus aircraft were engulfed in a sea of flames. During the subsequent 20 minutes violent chase, 3 of the 9 interceptors were destroyed, while 1 DB was brought down. Still under their parachutes, 2 of the 3 crewmen were riddled by the Japanese strafing in midair, only the pilot Navlienk survived. Afterward the crippled CO ship ditched on the Yangtze in Sichuan, with badly wounded Kulishenko killed onboard.

In total 322 Russian bombers were sent to China in 1937-41, including Ilyushin DB-3, Tupolev TB-3, and Tupolev SB-2 Katyushka, which were replaced by the Lockheed A-29A Hudson maritime patrol bomber in 1942.

Operation Humane Expedition 人道遠征

In 1938 the Japanese bombers maintained their absolute supremacy over the CAF, which operated only 3 depleted twin-engined bombardment squadrons among its inventory. For obvious reasons, the CAF had to carry out its defensive strategy wisely. Its most historical and daring action taken was the Operation Humane Expedition to call up the self consciousness of Japanese civilians. Three years before Doolitle's air raid over Tokyo, 2 Martin 139WC bombers of the 14th BS/2nd BG performed a successful leaflet drop on southern Japan.

On the night of May 19/20 under the Sqn CO Maj. Xu Huan-Sheng (徐煥昇), s/n 1403 and 1404 were spread out in a network of home base Hankou, forward base Ningpuo, and 7 navigation outposts. They reached the enemy coast line in the dusk and released leaflets over Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Kurume, and Saga, also reconnoitered air bases and harbors below. For the poorly-equipped CAF at the time, it was a complicated risk. The importance of this "psy-ops" was the boost which the humanitarian mission gave to the Chinese; surely the “consciousness” of the trigger-happy warmonger was untouched.

Endured years of hardship and penny-pinching expenditures, the CAF BSs fought in a limited way by adapting to e.g. Martin 139WC (export version of B-10B, "C" was for China), Heinkel He-111, Henschel Hs-123, Curtiss Shrike (export version of A-12), and Vultee V-11G bombers to meet the needs of the next emergency.