Early Communist Aviation Efforts
After the end of World War II, a bloody civil war erupted with renewed vigor in China between supporters of the ruling Kuomintang party and the Communists. Aviation also played a role in this conflict. However, there was no air war as such, nor could there be, since only the Kuomintang possessed combat aviation. This appears to be the only conflict of such magnitude in the 20th century in which one of the warring parties — the multi-million strong Communist army — had no air support whatsoever and, nevertheless, achieved a decisive victory!
The leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) understood the significance of combat aviation as early as the 1920s. In the numerous regional conflicts of those years, the mere appearance of one or two aircraft in the air was enough for enemy soldiers, who had never seen “iron birds dropping bombs and spewing fire,” to scatter in panic. When the revolutionary government of Guangdong province established an aviation school in January 1925, several Communists were among the cadets. Five of them were soon sent to study in the Soviet Union.
In 1927, after the break in relations with Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek, the Communists selected another 19 Chinese studying in the USSR and sent them to Soviet aviation schools. Most of them later returned to China. The “materialized dream” of the CCP leadership for its own combat aviation came in the form of two captured airplanes. In 1930, a Vought O2U Corsair liaison aircraft (serial 02W4) from the 4th Air Group of the Kuomintang Air Force lost its way in the fog en route from Kaifeng to Wuhan and made an emergency landing in Hubei province, which was under communist rebel control.
Pilot Long Wenguang was easily persuaded to join the Red Army. The aircraft was named “Lenin,” and five red stars were painted on its wings. The Corsair flew reconnaissance missions and dropped leaflets. In December 1931, “Lenin” participated in the battles to encircle Huang’an, bombed the command post of the Kuomintang’s 9th Division, and helped capture 5,000 soldiers, including the division commander himself. In July 1932, during the retreat of CCP troops, the aircraft was dismantled and hidden somewhere in a cave (it may still be there), while the pilot was caught and executed by the Kuomintang.
In April of the same year, the Red Army captured a light training biplane, a DH.60 Moth, at the Zhangzhou airfield (Fujian province). It flew reconnaissance for a while, but soon, due to a lack of spare parts, in the words of a modern Chinese chronicler, it “turned into scrap metal.” After this, the Chinese Communists did not acquire any more aircraft for another 13 years.
The Rise of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force
In March 1938, the CCP began to train its own aviation personnel at the Urumqi aviation school, a key route for supplying aviation equipment from the USSR, with many Soviet pilots and specialists present. Forty-three cadets with the necessary education arrived in Urumqi. Two groups were formed: a flight group of 25 people and a technical group of 18 mechanics. Training flights began on April 8, starting with the U-2, then moving to R-5s, UTI-4s, and combat aircraft. On average, each cadet logged 300 hours, which was not insignificant for the time. The pilots completed their course in 1942.
However, by this time, Russian advisors had left Urumqi, and the city’s garrison commander, Sheng Shicai, sided with the Kuomintang and opposed the CCP. In November, the communist pilots were imprisoned and, it is said, even tortured. Despite repeated attempts, they were only released in the summer of 1946. After Japan’s surrender, Japanese pilots from the 4th Training Squadron of the 2nd Air Regiment of the Guangdong Army, led by Lin Mi Yi Lang (as his name sounds in Chinese transcription), attempted to return home disguised as refugees.
They wandered for more than 10 days but were eventually captured by the Communists. The pilots were offered to train Chinese cadets. The “offer” was, evidently, made in such a way that it was impossible to refuse. However, after their agreement, the commander even had his personal weapon returned. In January 1946, under the guidance of the captured Japanese aviators, preparations began in Tonghua city for the opening of an aviation school. In severe frosts, abandoned and crashed aircraft were collected from across the region.
With the help of the local population, 120 aircraft, about 200 engines, over 100 boxes of instruments, 1,000 barrels of fuel, and other materials were brought to Tonghua. At the same time, the Kuomintang sent an agent into the school disguised as a cadet, who, with the help of one of the Japanese, attempted to incite a rebellion. The main goal was the seizure and destruction of aircraft. But the conspiracy was uncovered, the machines were saved, and the conspirators were executed.
The school officially began operations on March 1, 1946, initially enrolling 631 people. From the 120 found aircraft, 30-40 that were still capable of flight were selected. In June, the first group of cadets began training flights, which were accompanied by numerous accidents. After a Japanese instructor crashed the only training biplane that same June, serious problems arose with initial training. Normally, cadets in Chinese aviation schools were taught in three stages on three types of aircraft. However, since there were simply no initial and intermediate-level training aircraft, cadets began training immediately on “higher-class” aircraft – the Ki.55. There were over 30 of these machines. In addition, Ki.46 reconnaissance aircraft, three Ki.30 light bombers, four Ki.43 fighters, three Ki.44, and several Ki.45 twin-engine fighters were also used. Of these, only two Ki.43s, two Ki.46s, and three Ki.45s survived until the appearance of the first combat aviation unit of the CCP in 1949.
Even during preparations for the first flights, the Kuomintang forces launched an offensive, and in May 1946, the school was evacuated north to Mudanjiang. After some time, this area became subject to air raids, and in November, the school was moved even further to Dong’an. In February 1947, pilots released from prison in Urumqi arrived there. They joined the teaching staff, and work continued. Aircraft at the aviation school initially flew with Kuomintang insignia; later, the “zebra” on the tail was made red and white, and instead of the white and blue “suns,” red stars with the Chinese character for “China” (resembling the Russian letter “Ф”) inscribed in the center were painted.
Conditions at the school were extremely difficult. There was literally a shortage of everything – spare parts, equipment, fuel, food, uniforms. Due to the lack of gasoline, aircraft were fueled with alcohol. Aircraft tires had to be inflated with bicycle pumps! In thirty-degree frosts, pilots and mechanics used flour sacks with holes for arms and head as work clothes. On top of everything, due to the constantly shifting front line between 1946 and 1949, the aviation school relocated five times. Nevertheless, by October 1949, it had trained 560 aviators, including 126 pilots, 24 navigators, 322 mechanics, 88 airfield specialists, and staff officers.
Kuomintang Air Supremacy and Its Challenges
The situation in the Kuomintang Air Force was entirely different. After Japan’s surrender, they acquired almost all aviation trophies. Since Chiang Kai-shek was then still considered the official and internationally recognized ruler of China, the Soviet command in Manchuria transferred all captured Japanese aircraft to his representatives. The Americans did the same. The Kuomintang army received 1,797 aircraft (though mostly unserviceable and obsolete, so they were rarely used in combat), 4.6 thousand tons of gasoline, 25.4 million cartridges and shells for aircraft cannons, over 210 thousand aerial bombs of various calibers, and much other property.
In late April 1946, Soviet Army units left Manchuria. With the tacit consent of the Soviet Union, the liberated territories were immediately occupied by Chinese Communists. But soon the Kuomintang army tried to recapture these areas. Fierce battles erupted in the Mukden (Shenyang) area. The Kuomintang threw its aviation against the enemy. In total, the Kuomintang Air Force officially numbered over 600 aircraft and 129,700 personnel. The most combat-ready units were considered the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 11th Fighter Air Groups (FAG).
Three air groups flew bombers – the 1st, 2nd (both on B-25s), and 8th (B-24Ms). On April 8, 1946, the 3rd Squadron of the 1st FAG was transferred to Beijing for battles against the Communists. The 2nd Bomber Air Group began retraining on C-46s after the victory over the Japanese, and on May 1, 1946, it was renamed the 2nd Transport Group. The 8th Heavy Bomber Air Group, after retraining in the USA on Liberators, returned to China in September 1945 and was initially based in Shanghai. Throughout 1946, for some reason, it remained inactive, but from March 1947, it began to conduct raids on the northern regions of Shanxi province, controlled by the CCP. The separate 12th Reconnaissance Squadron returned to China in June 1945 from the USA with 14 F-5Es (a reconnaissance variant of the P-38 Lightning fighter). In March 1946, it was stationed in Nanjing, then one flight was sent to Beijing to observe the actions of CCP troops in the northeast.
To receive captured Japanese aircraft, the 6th Air Group, consisting of the 5th, 18th, and 19th Squadrons, was re-established in Nanjing in October 1945. The flight personnel were then sent to Beijing, where the air group’s headquarters was located from November 1945. In total, the air group had 48 “Japanese” aircraft – several Ki.43, Ki.44, Ki.61, Ki.84 fighters, and up to 30 Ki.48 attack bombers. All of them participated in the civil war for several months until they were decommissioned due to a lack of spare parts. There is no information on combat losses; it is only known that on April 12, 1946, a Ki.48 crashed due to engine failure during a training flight, with the crew perishing. In August, the 6th Air Group was disbanded due to the impossibility of further operating the obsolete and worn-out captured aviation equipment.
Along with Japanese aircraft, some Soviet SB bombers that survived World War II also participated in the civil war on the Kuomintang side. Several aircraft were part of a mixed squadron based in Tihua in northwestern China. In November-December 1945, they bombed communist troops surrounding Baotou city and dropped supplies to the besieged. The last Chinese SBs ended their careers sometime in early 1946. In April-May 1946, all Kuomintang government institutions moved from Chongqing to Nanjing. In June 1946, the Aviation Committee was renamed the Air Force General Staff. In September of the same year, five aviation districts were created in China, with their headquarters based in Beijing, Mukden, Xi’an, Wuhan, and Chongqing. At that time, the Kuomintang armed forces had 556 aircraft, grouped into eight air groups – four fighter, one medium bomber, one heavy bomber, two transport, and a separate reconnaissance squadron.
To wage war against the Communists, the United States significantly bolstered the Kuomintang Air Force. In total, during the civil war, Chiang Kai-shek received about 1,000 American aircraft, including 261 P-51D/K fighters and approximately a hundred Thunderbolts. The total number of Mitchells in the 1st and 2nd Air Groups was increased to 64. Furthermore, the Chinese Air Force command showed great interest in Canadian Mosquitoes. The Canadians “reciprocated” and supplied China with 205 of these aircraft, mainly FB26 and T.29 (trainer version) modifications. All aircraft were delivered by sea to Shanghai, where Canadian instructors also arrived. Mastering the Mosquito was accompanied by many accidents. During training, at least 60 aircraft were crashed. Despite this, the aircraft was generally liked by the Chinese, earning the nickname “Ling Tai Yu” among pilots, which can be translated as “beautiful, but dangerous.”
Little is known about the Mosquito’s participation in the civil war on Chinese territory. There is only data on several aircraft shot down by communist anti-aircraft artillery. In May 1949, four “Ling Tai Yu” squadrons were sent to Taiwan, where, due to the humid climate, these wooden aircraft quickly deteriorated. A large number of light L-5 Sentinel liaison aircraft, remaining after World War II, were simply gifted to China by the Americans. Their unpretentiousness in maintenance and excellent take-off and landing characteristics contributed to their widespread use as “super-light” bombers. The Kuomintang also engaged AT-6 Texan training aircraft in raids. In late 1945, the Commander-in-Chief of the US Army, General George Marshall, arrived in China on a C-54 Skymaster passenger transport with proposals for military aid in the fight against the CCP. The aircraft became a diplomatic gift to Chiang Kai-shek, who subsequently often flew in this machine. It was even given the name of the Generalissimo’s wife, Song Meiling.
In June 1946, the Kuomintang army, numbering about 4.3 million soldiers and officers, launched a large-scale offensive against communist areas of China. At this time, as historians from the PRC write, “the Kuomintang Air Force was a powerful, well-armed, and well-trained force; they held air superiority throughout China. Kuomintang aviation operated on all fronts in China – conducting reconnaissance, bombing, air cover for ground troops, carrying out transport and patrolling, etc. Aircraft supported all combat operations of ground forces.” But, although in 1945-1949 Chiang Kai-shek’s “air armada” entirely dominated the skies of China, its work could hardly be called effective. This was due to poor training and low morale among Chinese pilots, exhausted by years of war, as well as illiterate aircraft operation. It is now even difficult to determine whether the Kuomintang suffered more losses from CCP anti-aircraft fire or from accidents and catastrophes.
For instance, here is a chronicle of losses in the civil war for the 7th Fighter Squadron. On February 23, 1946, the Communists shot down the first P-51. On July 29 of the same year, another “Mustang” was hit and forced to make an emergency landing. On November 11, after completing a combat mission and returning to base, another P-51 crashed for an unknown reason. On July 1, 1948, red anti-aircraft gunners “brought down” the next one, and the pilot died. Finally, on April 1, 1949, a fighter crashed immediately after takeoff. The 17th Fighter Squadron, after the end of the war with Japan, was sent to fight the Communists in Nanjing. It suffered its first loss on July 20, 1946: a P-51 crashed due to a malfunction. On December 12 and 22, two aircraft were shot down by anti-aircraft guns. Another fighter crashed on May 27, 1948, while returning from a combat mission. On January 11, 1949, during a combat sortie, the aircraft of squadron commander Tang Han was shot down. The pilot parachuted out; his further fate is unknown. During a raid on Anhui, flight commander Wang Guo’an went missing. On April 19, 1949, in a training flight at Taiyuan airbase in Taiwan, two pilots collided and died. The situation was similar in other Kuomintang Air Force units.
On July 23, 1948, a “Mustang” flying from Beijing on a reconnaissance mission along the Yongding River was shot down by fire from a communist sailing ship (!). The pilot made an emergency landing and was captured. On August 15, a P-51 crashed into a tree in the fog. On October 28, a P-51 from the 21st Squadron was shot down near Fangshan Bridge. In the 22nd Squadron, deputy commander Yang Enping went missing during a flight to Beijing on December 27, 1945. On October 16, 1948, a P-51 attacked communist troops encircled in Jinzhou. Hit by anti-aircraft fire, it caught fire on its way back and crashed on the outskirts of Baishi airfield. On December 15, 1948, a pilot from the 22nd Squadron from Qingdao was conducting a raid on Tianjin, but due to engine failure, he died during an emergency landing. In 1947, during a raid on Dahushan, a P-51 was hit in an aerial battle and caught fire. This is the only case in the entire war that Taiwanese sources attribute to an enemy aircraft. No details are provided, and communist historians also write nothing about this episode. However, it is reliably known that not a single CCP aircraft (not just a fighter, but not a single aircraft at all) was at the front at that moment! So, most likely, the fire on board the fighter was the result of an accident. Or (less likely) the “Mustang” was mistakenly shot down by friendly fire.
The 41st Squadron was the first among Chinese pilots to transition to P-47Ds, received from the Americans in Nanjing. On April 19, 1947, it received an order to attack enemy positions in the Shanxi region. On the way to the target, the pilots noticed a large herd of cattle and decided to “practice shooting.” For one of the pilots, this fun ended tragically. Becoming engrossed in shooting cows from low altitude, he was shot down. By the end of the war, the squadron lost three more Thunderbolts to anti-aircraft fire. The 43rd Squadron, stationed in Xi’an, began re-equipping with P-47Ds from early 1946. On November 12, a P-47 escorting two Dakotas flying with food to Yongnan city was shot down. The pilot died, and in his memory, the city’s residents erected a shrine (chapel). The squadron’s total losses in the war amounted to four shot down and two more killed in accidents. The 44th Squadron fought with Kittyhawks longer than all others. Operating, like all others, against ground targets, it lost five aircraft in 1946-47.
Bombers fared not much more successfully. Accidents and disasters followed one after another. For example, on May 17, 1946, a B-25 from the 4th Squadron was transporting military equipment to Wuchang. During takeoff, one of the engines failed, and the aircraft crashed during an emergency landing. On July 14 of the same year, flight commander Huang Wenliang of the 1st Air Group flew a “Mitchell” to bomb communist troops in Dengxian. At low altitude, the aircraft crashed into a tree, and the crew perished. On August 1, the B-25 of deputy commander Chen Jiaxiang of the 3rd Squadron was supposed to attack CCP troops in Yingxian, but before takeoff, the aircraft exploded for an unknown reason. The radio operator died with the machine. On November 15, 1947, a B-25 from the 4th Squadron, flying to bomb enemy artillery batteries, lost control at an altitude of 300 m, and the entire crew perished. On March 10, 1948, another “bomber” from the same squadron crashed upon landing. Nothing is known about combat losses among Liberators. Most likely, these four-engine machines, bombing from high altitudes, proved to be “too tough” for communist anti-aircraft artillery. There is only information about a crash on March 14, 1947, when a B-24M from the 35th Squadron, returning from Guangzhou to Shanghai, crashed upon landing due to some malfunction.
C-46s and C-47s were not only used for cargo transport. Transport aircraft were actively used as “bombers,” especially since the Communists had no fighters anyway. But Mao Zedong’s anti-aircraft gunners knew their job well. On July 10, 1948, a C-47 from the 101st Squadron was shot down over Jingzhou, and the crew perished. On October 14, two more shot-down “Dakotas” fell over this city. On November 17, 1948, C-46 #309 went missing during a night bombing raid. Speaking of transport aircraft involved in the civil war, one cannot fail to mention the former commander of the “Flying Tigers,” Claire Chennault. Discharged due to health reasons on August 1, 1945, from the US Army, the 55-year-old general returned to America and from early 1946 engaged in air transport.
But in October, he arrived in China again, signed an agreement with the Kuomintang government, and easily obtained a $3 million loan to organize an air transport company. Claire Chennault was given very wide opportunities – to land freely at any airfield, set up his radio stations there, and transport passengers and cargo throughout China (except, of course, areas occupied by the Communists). In total, Chennault’s company employed about 650 people, about 100 of whom were Americans. Their main task was the delivery of American weapons for the civil war. According to modern Chinese historians, the “Tigers” also smuggled gold, foreign medicines, and luxury goods, and incidentally ruined the local “Great China” airline. By the end of the war, they even directly participated in military operations, transporting Kuomintang troops to the front.
But neither absolute air supremacy nor active American assistance helped the Kuomintang achieve victory in the civil war. The Communists slowly but surely pushed them out of Chinese territory. The number of deserters and defectors grew in Chiang Kai-shek’s army. In 1947-1948, the Kuomintang forces lost about 400,000 killed and wounded, and over a million surrendered. Another one and a half million were listed as “on the run.” As the Communists occupied one province after another, cases of defection increased among pilots as well.
The first case of a Kuomintang aircraft defecting to the Communists was recorded on June 26, 1946. The crew commander of a Liberator from the 8th Air Group, Liu Shanben, during a flight from Kunming to Chengdu, landed in Yan’an, which was occupied by the Communists. He announced his decision to the crew only in flight, promising each pilot freedom of choice after landing. There were no dissenters. The meeting in Yan’an turned into a celebration and a broad propaganda campaign, but, as far as is known, the bomber was not used by the Communists in combat. According to some data, it was damaged by Kuomintang “Mustangs” during an attack on the airfield and was not repaired. Liu Shanben was appointed deputy head of the aviation school.
In late 1948 and early 1949, two more B-24Ms landed at the Nanyuan airfield, captured by the Communists. It was decided to use them to bomb Kuomintang ships in Shandong province. But due to a lack of spare parts, the plans remained on paper, the ships at sea, and the Liberators on the ground. From mid-1946 to October 1, 1949, there were 22 recorded cases of Kuomintang Air Force aircraft defecting to the CCP. 62 people arrived on them, including ground personnel, as well as officers and soldiers from airborne units. Most defectors later actively participated in the creation of the PLAAF. Probably, some of the missing personnel also belong to the number of defections to the CCP. Only one reverse defection from the Communists to the Kuomintang was recorded during the entire war.
On September 20, 1948, a C-47 from the 104th Squadron was conducting reconnaissance in an area where a mutiny occurred in the Kuomintang army. Several units had sided with the CCP. After the unsuspecting Dakota crew landed, the rebels seized the aircraft and arrested the pilots. But despite strict control, the aviators managed to escape and return to Chengdu in their aircraft. In early 1949, the Communists finally had the opportunity to create their own combat aviation. The technical basis for this was the aircraft captured at Nanyuan airfield near Beijing. The “special operation” to capture aviation equipment was led by Feng Hua, a former pilot with experience flying Soviet aircraft. The group included 30 officers; it is unclear how many of them had flight training.
In early December 1948, wearing American uniforms and in seven jeeps, they easily crossed the front line, passed through enemy rear areas, and entered the airfield. The numerous guards offered no resistance (a characteristic example testifying to the moral state of the Kuomintang army). The airfield’s technical personnel soon began to help the special forces preserve the aircraft and aviation equipment from raids by Kuomintang “Mustangs.” For anti-aircraft defense, the special forces removed machine guns from one of the B-25s and tied them to tree trunks, combining fire control to a single “trigger” (rope). The density of fire proved sufficient, but the accuracy – naturally – was not. But even such “scarecrows” were enough to discourage Kuomintang pilots from assaulting the airfield.
Soon, negotiations began for the surrender of the Kuomintang army, surrounded in the Beijing area. This was why the Chiang Kai-shek loyalists did not attempt to retake the airfield, but simply built a temporary strip nearby, cutting down ancient trees in Tian Tan Park. Here, flying over Nanyuan, transport planes landed, supplying the Kuomintang with ammunition and food. While surrender negotiations were ongoing, two Liberators landed at the captured airfield, their crews having decided to defect to the Communists. On January 22, 1949, the Beijing garrison capitulated. Practically without resistance, about 200,000 soldiers and officers surrendered. This was further evidence of the growing collapse of the Kuomintang army.
By May, three Mustangs, two Mosquitoes, and one each of B-24, B-25, C-46, and C-47 had been repaired and made airworthy at Nanyuan airfield. These formed the basis of the “First People’s Squadron,” created after six Liberators bombed Nanyuan on May 4, causing serious destruction and losses. By September, the squadron already included two fighter flights and one bomber flight, totaling 10 aircraft: six P-51s, two Mosquitoes, and two PT-19s. There were also 10 pilots and over 40 ground personnel. Then, another 19 pilots and 13 aircraft (mainly P-51s, Mosquitoes, and B-25s), flown by defectors from the Kuomintang Air Force, arrived. Despite the squadron being on combat duty from September 5, no credible mention of air combat between CCP and Kuomintang aircraft has yet been found.
During the crossing of the Yangtze River and the advance on Nanjing, the Communists intended to provide air cover for ground troops with P-51 fighters and old Japanese Ki.43s, of which four remained at the time. But for an unknown reason (most likely due to a lack of actual necessity), the aircraft with red stars never appeared over the Yangtze. However, the operation was successful even without them. The “1st People’s Squadron” remained the only communist combat aviation unit until the official formation of the PLAAF. On November 11, 1949, it participated in the air parade celebrating the formation of the PRC, which took place on October 1, 1949, over Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Thorough preparation for this event was practically the squadron’s sole task for several months.
For the parade, 17 aircraft of various types were selected, including nine “Mustangs.” During preparation, four joint training sessions and two full rehearsals were conducted. New emblems were painted on the aircraft – red stars against red stripes, symbolizing the flag. During the parade, the threat of an air raid persisted (during one rehearsal, in the building where the Military Council of the CCP Central Committee was meeting, there was even a slight panic due to the engine noise). To repel a possible attack, the machine guns on four of the nine “Mustangs” were loaded. But the parade went off without incident. Kuomintang bombers no longer appeared over Beijing. At 4:30 PM, a formation of nine “Mustangs” sped over the square, where a huge crowd had gathered, followed by the other aircraft. The “Mustangs” made a second pass, completing a “ring” and creating the impression that there were not 17 but 26 aircraft. Hundreds of thousands of spectators, including the CCP leadership, gazed at the sky wide-eyed, cheering with delight and waving their hands.
In the spring of 1949, the Communists launched an unprecedented offensive operation, completely routing the three-million-strong Kuomintang army in central China, capturing the cities of Nanjing, Nanchang, Shanghai, and many others. This meant that the final collapse of the Kuomintang was not far off. After a three-month break caused by the rainy season, the offensive resumed. In October, CCP troops cleared Guizhou and Sichuan provinces of the enemy; on November 30, Chongqing fell. The remnants of the Kuomintang army fled in panic; many officers and even generals declared their defection to the Communists. In December, Chiang Kai-shek, with his remaining loyal troops, evacuated to the island of Taiwan, under the protection of the American fleet. Some air units also flew there. Although scattered anti-communist detachments still offered resistance in the southwestern regions of China, the full-scale civil war had effectively ended.
The newly formed Air Force of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army of China) inherited a significant amount of aviation equipment from the Kuomintang. To collect and account for the trophies, aviation offices were established in the liberated cities of Beijing, Jinan, Nanchang, Changsha, Hankou, Shanghai, and Xi’an, and aviation stations in Tianjin, Suizhou, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Taiyuan, and Zhangjiakou. By the end of October 1949, these structures had taken possession of 113 aircraft, 1,278 aero engines, aviation instruments, 4,000 tons of fuel, and many munitions. They also took over 542 airfields, where 1,712 units of ground equipment, 32 repair and assembly plants, a spare parts production plant, a radio plant, etc., were located. All this property became the initial base for the development of aviation in new China. 2,267 former Kuomintang pilots and ground specialists joined the PLAAF. Soon, four airlines opened, connecting Beijing with peripheral regions of China. They flew on 12 C-47 and C-46 transport aircraft, previously belonging to the Kuomintang airlines “Center” and “Great China.”
In the spring of 1950, transport aircraft had to once again engage in military transport. Having driven the Kuomintang to the islands, the CCP Central Committee decided to occupy the last region of China outside its control – Tibet, thereby completing the unification of the country. The operation in the high-altitude Kangding-Tibet region proved extremely difficult due to harsh natural conditions and the almost complete absence of a road network. On March 24, troops began an offensive on Kangding. There were no roads, pack animals were insufficient, and almost all equipment had to be carried manually. After only a few days, soldiers felt a shortage of food. The situation was aggravated by severe frosts and a lack of winter uniforms.
The Communists, however, won the Battle of Xichang, which opened the way deep into Tibet, but the army began to suffer losses from hunger and disease. Already on March 29, the command requested food and medical supplies. The only way to quickly deliver such aid was by air. The next day, an order was issued to urgently dispatch aircraft for food delivery. On April 2, a “Dakota” and two “Commando” aircraft – the least worn machines of the air transport unit – arrived at Xinjin (Chengdu) airfield. Seven more C-46s were brought from Beijing and Xi’an. The Kangding-Tibet plateau is called the “Roof of the World”; it is located at an altitude of over 4,000 meters above sea level. Kangding Mountain’s height exceeds 6,000 meters, snow lies on the peak year-round, clouds often hang low, and the weather is very changeable. Crossing the Kangding Pass in a heavily loaded aircraft was only possible along a narrow route through a gorge, almost always covered by clouds.
The first flights were carried out by the unit commander, Xie Haifeng, a former Kuomintang Air Force pilot-instructor who had defected to the Communists in January 1948. On April 3, the flight was successful, but the next day the weather worsened. Encountering thick clouds on the way, Haifeng turned back to avoid crashing into the mountains. The third and fourth flights ended just as unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, time was passing, and the situation of the ground troops became critical. Only on the fifth flight, on April 15, did Xie Haifeng manage to fly through the “gate” between two peaks and entered the gorge above the Kangding Pass. Soon he found signals indicating the drop zone. The joy of the soldiers, who finally had the opportunity to quell their hunger, was boundless. The offensive on Changdu continued. Starting from May 3, the air transport unit’s aircraft made nine more flights, dropping 23 tons of food. In October, after the victory in the battles for Changdu, the offensive on the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, began. The needs of the advancing troops increased, and the Air Force created new air routes, increasing the intensity of flights and the volume of cargo transported. An airfield was built in Ganzi, which became the main base for airlifting cargo and ensured the success of the offensive. By that time, in accordance with an agreement between the governments of the PRC and the USSR, the first groups of Soviet pilots and anti-aircraft gunners arrived in China, as well as instructors, technical specialists, and military advisors, called to assist in the establishment and development of the air forces of the new socialist state. But that is another page of history.