Royal Air Force Chengtu or more simply RAF Chengtu is a former Royal Air Force station located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
RAF Chengtu | |
|---|---|
成都皇家空军站 | |
| Chengdu, Sichuan Province in China | |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Operator | Royal Air Force |
| Controlled by | Tenth Air Force (USAAF) during World War II |
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Redeveloped |
| Other site facilities | Radar, training facilities, command and control |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1943 |
| Built for | Air operations in the China-Burma-India Theater |
| In use | 1945 |
| Fate | Redeveloped into a highway |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Events | Operation Matterhorn, support for B-29 missions |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Vice-Marshal Lawrence A Pattinson (RAF Training Mission China) |
| Garrison | No. 517 AMES, Field Signals Unit |
| Occupants | 33rd, 81st, and 311th Fighter Groups (USAAF) |
History
editRAF Chengtu was built prewar and occupied by the United States Army Air Forces. The airfield was used as a major command and control base for the Tenth Air Force’s 312th Fighter Wing from July 1944 to August 1945. The wing commanded three fighter groups (33rd, 81st and 311th) in central China, and also providing support to the Twentieth Air Force’s Boeing B-29 Superfortress groups, which staged bombardment missions over Japan. In 1943, the airfield was the chosen location for Operation Matterhorn.[1][2]
On August 20, 1944, 61 B-29s from the Twentieth Air Force bombed the Yawata Steel Works in Japan. The formation was intercepted by over 100 Japanese fighters, and B-29 Gunners claimed 15 Japanese fighters.[3]
Royal Air Force Station
editThe Royal Air Force used the airfield as the site for the No. 517 AMES (Air Ministry Experimental Station), and also used by the Field Signals Unit. There was also a Primary Training School constructed at the airfield. The RAF Training Mission China was based there under the leadership of Vice-Marshal Lawrence A Pattinson, where Chinese officers were trained according to British Staff College requirements. They were also trained to fly the Mosquito, however RAF officers were pessimistic about ever making good flyers out of the students. The No. 5 Middle East Torpedo School, based in Shallufa, Egypt, trained several Chinese aircrew despite the limited use of torpedo bombers in the Chinese Air Force.[4][5]
During Mid World War II, Chinese and British forces mainly fought in Burma to repel the Japanese advance, while American and Chinese fighter pilots protected the route in the Himalayas (known as “The Hump”).[5]
Post-War
editIn 1949, many Chinese officers escaped to Taiwan, when the Communist Party took control of mainland China, while some stayed to help rebuild the Chinese Air Force, possibly transferring their knowledge from the RAF.[4][5]
The airfield was closed on 30 September 1945, when operations ceased and facilities were closed after World War II. The area of Chengdu had considerably grown, and the airfield was redeveloped into a highway.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- ^ "Air Force History Index: Chengtu". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ "August 20, 1944 Bombing of Yawata Steel Works". Pacific Wrecks. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ a b Burchett, Wilfred. "Democracy with a Tommygun, Chapter 7". Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ a b c "The RAF and China: A Forgotten Alliance, Part 3". RAF Museum. Retrieved 2024-10-23.