Zhanyi Airport

Zhanyi airport was built in 1938 and stopped in 1945. It was a product of the Anti Japanese War and played an important role in it. Zhanyi airport was a pilot training airport in the early days. After the Yunnan Myanmar highway was cut off, Zhanyi airport became an important transit station in the "Hump route" transportation. On March 11, 1943, the 14th US Air Force (namely the Flying Tigers) under Chennault's command entered Zhanyi airport, which became an important military base and bombing airport for China. Zhanyi airport was in the rear of the Anti Japanese war during World War II. Chiang Kai Shek made a special trip to Zhanyi airport to inspect it. At that time, Zhanyi County was famous all over the world for its Zhanyi airport. Now when we go to Zhanyi airport, although we can no longer see its prosperous style during the war, we can still feel the outline of its vigorous development in the face of the baptism of the war and the precipitation of time.

Zhanyi Airport

Zhanyi district is Qujing City, Yunnan Province. It is the birthplace of the Pearl River, the third largest river in China. Since ancient times, Zhanyi airport was built in 1938 and stopped in 1945. It was the product of the Anti Japanese War and played an important role in the war. Zhanyi airport was a pilot training airport in the early days. After the Yunnan Myanmar highway was cut off, Zhanyi airport became an important transit station in the "Hump route" transportation. A large number of military materials and soldiers were airlifted to Zhanyi and then transported to other places. On March 11, 1943, the 14th US Air Force (namely the Flying Tigers) under Chennault's command entered Zhanyi airport, which became an important military base and bombing airport for China. The geographical coordinates of Zhanyi airport are 103 ° 49'46 "E and 25 ° 36'37" n. The airport is located three kilometers outside the main urban area of Zhanyi District, Qujing City, Yunnan Province, next to Qusheng expressway. It is Yongbei airport.

build

In July 1937, the Anti Japanese war broke out. At the end of 1938, the Nationalist government abandoned Nanjing and moved its capital to Chongqing. Yunnan became the rear base of the Anti Japanese war. Qujing and Zhanyi are located in the transportation hub of eastern Yunnan, and their military status is very prominent. In order to meet the needs of the war, the national government decided to build an airport in Zhanyi.

August 1938

In June, the Aviation Commission of the national government sent Yang Ruihe and his engineering and technical personnel to Zhanyi. After field survey, the flat land on the East Bank of Nanpanjiang River outside the east gate of Zhanyi County was selected as the airport land. Then, the Construction Bureau of Yunnan Province was responsible for the investigation and acquisition of more than 3800 mu of land (paddy field, dry land and cemetery) in jiujiezi, Daying and qujiaying. Then, migrant workers were recruited from Zhanyi, Qujing and neighboring counties. At that time, it began to take shape, 2000 meters long from north to South and 1200 meters wide from east to west. The Aviation Commission appointed Yang Ruihe as the director of Zhanyi airport. In 1939, another 1400 mu of land was expropriated to continue the expansion of Zhanyi airport. The width of Zhanyi airport was expanded to 2000 meters, two runways and five weirs (commonly known as aircraft shelters) were added, and traffic roads, glide paths, embankments, offices, engine rooms, air defense trenches, equipment depots, and ammunition depots were built. The airport facilities were basically perfect. In 1942, the Aviation Commission of the national government transferred more than 700 people from the Fourth Engineering Agency to Zhanyi to expand the Zhanyi airport again. In addition to the construction of weirs and embankments, runways, pushways, aprons, parking circles, wooden bridges, command posts, radio stations, etc. have also been built to improve the airport facilities. Zhanyi airport has just been built and put into use. In the process of use, it has been continuously expanded and improved, becoming an important military base.

effect

Training pilots

In 1939, the national government moved the junior class of aviation school from yunanyi airport to Zhanyi, and trained two classes of junior pilots with two wing flit trainer.

In the summer of 1940, the junior class was transferred to another intermediate class, using the monoplane North American trainer.

Transfer military materials and soldiers

Transferring military materials and soldiers is the biggest function of Zhanyi airport.

In April 1942, Myanmar was lost, the only international transportation line in Southwest China, Yunnan Myanmar Road, was cut off, foreign aid materials could not be transported to China, and the east wing of the anti fascist front was in danger of collapse. In February of the same year, Song Ziwen, Minister of foreign affairs of the national government, proposed to us president rose Fujian to open up an air lifeline from Assam in Northeast India to Yunnan in China, which was supported by Roosevelt. On March 10, the U.S. Army air transport agency was established, and the route was officially opened from April to May. After taking off from Deqin airport in Assam, India, the route first crossed the Himalayan mountains between China and India, and then entered Yunnan, where it was blocked by 20000 to 24000 foot crosscut mountains. Due to the limitation of aircraft performance at that time, the aircraft could only cross between the peaks. The mountains they cross are undulating, like the hump back of a camel, so pilots call this route "Hump route". The pilots of China and the United States braved all kinds of difficulties and even ignored the resistance of Japanese fighters in some airspace, flying around the hump route day and night. The ground crew worked overtime, loaded and unloaded goods, refueled and overhauled the aircraft, which ensured that sometimes three flights were made every day, creating amazing results in air transportation. According to the records, there were more than 40 CAAC transport planes carrying out missions on the hump route at most, with 200 pilots. From May 1942 to August 1945, there were about 80000 sorties flying over the hump, 50089 tons of materials were transported back from India, 20472 tons of materials were transported from China to India, and 33477 people were transported (most of them were expeditionary and air force personnel trained in India or the United States) . At the most, the U.S. air transportation brigade has more than 600 transport aircraft of various types, nearly 2600 air and ground personnel, and more than 47000 migrant workers, forming a huge logistics supply system. The tonnage of air transport increased from several thousand tons per month to 26000 tons. At the peak, it exceeded 71000 tons in July 1945. Until November 15, 1945, after the victory of the Anti Japanese War, the route was officially closed. The U.S. air transport brigade delivered more than 650000 tons of military aid to China through the hump route, supporting China's Anti Japanese war at a critical moment.

Zhanyi airport is an important transfer station of "Hump route". A large number of materials and troops were airlifted to Zhanyi and then transported to other places. According to relevant records, in 1942, more than 2000 members of the US Army and air force successively arrived in Qujing and Zhanyi counties. Two squadrons of the US Air Force have more than 80 aircraft (up to 120 at most) stationed at Zhanyi airport to transport troops, weapons, materials, etc. to Myanmar and India. At the end of November 1994, Guiyang was in urgent danger, and the Liao Yaoxiang army and the Allied forces of the new Sixth Army of the expeditionary force were airlifted from Burma Myitkyina to Zhanyi for reinforcements. In June 1945, the sun Liren Department of the new expeditionary army flew to Zhanyi from Myanmar. The US aid materials from China are transported to the Atlantic via the train to India and the northern part of Burma. Due to a lot of materials, in addition to clothing, almost all of them are stacked in the open air, from jiukongqiao in the north to lujiasi and around the airport in the West. It is patrolled day and night by the U.S. and Chinese gendarmes. In Zhanyi, there are also the 10th, 12th and 18th regiments of Yiqi, which are stationed in Tianshengqiao, xiaohedi and Heiqiao respectively. The materials transported by air to Zhanyi will be transferred to Guiyang, Luzhou and other places. After the surrender of Japan, Zhanyi airport and its materials were all handed over to the Kuomintang army.

Attacking Japanese military targets

On January 8, 1943, Chiang Kai Shek proposed to Roosevelt that Chennault's special air force should launch air combat to replace China's ground offensive. Chennault once studied at West Point Military Academy of the United States. He was an army captain and was keen on studying air combat tactics. In 1937, he resigned from the active service of the US Army and was invited to China by Chiang Kai Shek. He invited a group of US pilots to China and set up a fleet of 10o b40 destroyers in China. In April 1941, he formed the US volunteer team of the Chinese air force and in April 1942, he became the 14th Air Force of the US Army. In one year of the war, he shot down 286 Japanese planes, and achieved brilliant results. He was known as the "flying tiger team", and Chen himself was known as the "Flying Tiger general". Considering the contradiction between launching the Burma Campaign and the second battlefield in Europe, Roosevelt adopted Chiang Kai Shek Chennault's "air action plan" because Chennault really made outstanding achievements in 1942. According to Roosevelt's order, on March 11, 1943, the 14th US Air Force under Chennault's command was formally established. On April 10, Roosevelt summoned Chennault in Washington and approved the battle plan of the 14th Air Force. Chennault's 14th Air Force has two bombers and two destroyers, with a total of more than 120 aircraft stationed at Zhanyi airport. Cooperating with the aircraft from Luliang, Yangjie, Kunming and other airports, Chennault took off to bomb Japan's military targets in Vietnam in turn, which dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army. In addition to the US air force, there is also a Chinese Air Force stationed at Zhanyi airport. In the autumn of 1944, Air Force General Mao bangchu of the national government led more than 80 bombers and destroyers to land at Zhanyi airport, replenish gasoline and artillery, and then fly to Vietnam for combat.

Attacked by the Japanese

Since its completion, Zhanyi airport has also become a major target of Japanese attack, which has attacked Zhanyi aircraft many times

Chinese PinYin : Zhan Yi Ji Chang