Military Aid Program

Throughout the Cold War era, of the thirty two US MAP recipients examined the four success stories were the Free China (Taiwan), Greece, South Korea and Turkey.  Operational since Apr, 1951, the United States Taiwan Defense Command was a planning HQs stationed in Taipei for the defense of Taiwan, Quemoy and Matsu (Pescadores).  The Military Assistance Advisory Group (美軍顧問團) under the USTDC, commanded by Army Major General William C. Chase, was authorized 63 Air Force, 67 Army and 4 Navy personnel.

Until the MAAG’s withdrawal in Dec 1978, the huge figure for US military and economic aid to ROC circa 1946-79 was US$5.6 billion.  At the peak of its existence in 1957, there were 10,000 Americans in Taiwan, the great majority being military personnel, CIA and their families. Under the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, American advisers were tasked with providing arms, assisting with island forces training doctrine, maintaining military contacts, and restricting ROC offensive operations.  As its air component commander, the USAAF 327^th Air Division’s CO directed and coordinated the air force program as well made recommendations.

With the MAP standardization of warplane, the CAF combat groups used all US front-line types.  Though a 1953 story about Canada supplied Taiwan with 58 new Canuck Mk. IIIs, which the CAF operated as first-line interceptors until 1956.  When the IIIs began to be replaced by Vs, they remained in reserve service until 1972…In fact the CAF was never a user of the Avro CF-100 Clunk.  However, both in the democratic camp during the Cold War, the CAF and RCAF operated several common US types, e.g. F-101 Voodoo, F-104 Starfighter, F-5 Freedom Fighter and KDA-4 Firebee target drone, which is under the Lancaster’s pylons in my drawing.  Hereby authentic illustrated, these warplanes show life of their won.

Canadian Wooden Wonders

One 1948 photo about a Mosquito wreck at a Chinese airfield circulated within aviation circles for years, it’s how this Mossie ended after the RCAF instructor John H. Turnbull blew a tire on T.O. at Hankou.  Many ex-RCAF Wooden Wonders went to China for the Nationalist’s war with the Commies, for political sensitivity the Canadian government was closemouthed about the deal.  All but a few available De Havilland DH.98s were sold to China, this order worth between $10-12 million.

Training of CAF 1^st, 3^rd, and 4^th Sqn personnel commenced at Hankou on Apr 12, 1948, by a small RCAF pilots and DHC technical support team.  It was hastily made up and dispatched in this short-lived, extreme operation.  In the fall most FB.26 fighter-bombers, T.27/29 trainers were assembled at a plant near Shanghai.  Before it was forced to close on Nov 18, 144 had been test-flown by 4 Dec.  With the advancing Reds prevailed, the Canadian support team scurried for home on 17 Dec.  As a bit of mercenaries, some people made a fortune from the escapade, leaving the Chinese struggled to survive off the alien Mossie on their own.

Still, as the major foreign recipient of the legendary Wooden Wonder, in Oct 1949 the CAF 1^st BG made good use of it in the first defensive victory at Quemoy (古寧頭戰役), an outpost islet of Taiwan.  Unlike the war worn China then, Canada has already reached the promised land of near-zero war, a longed-for place where satisfaction of developments can be achieved.  Soon the DHC's superior technology with molded wood structure expanded to the DH.98’s successor, DH.103 Sea Hornet, and Canada's first operational jet, DH.100 Vampire.

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.