After the Japanese invaded Manchuria, Chinese communities across the United States and Canada organised themselves to support the Motherland. They recognised the importance of military aviation and raised funds to purchase aircraft and to train pilots. Some of the larger Chinatown communities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland (Oregon), Chicago and New York even organised their own flight training programmes.
Of these, the most successful was the one in Portland. A Chinese-American doctor donated most of the funds needed to purchase a Fleet training aircraft, and instruction began at the Swan Island airfield in December 1931. Portland’s Chinese flying school trained 29 pilots, two of whom became generals, four were killed in action and one, Hazel Lee, was killed in an accident while ferrying fighter aircraft as a US Women Airforce Service Pilot. Two, John P Y Wong and ‘Art’ S T Chin, became fighter aces.
The San Francisco Chinese community followed Portland’s lead in 1933, establishing its own flying school in Oakland. One graduate, ‘Buffalo’ Sun Sui Wong, became an ace.
John Poon-Yeung Wong, known in mandarin as Hwang, Pan-yang (黃泮 楊), was born in Chungshan County in Kwangtung Province. His father brought him to Seattle, Washington, when he was six. When John was 12 his father decided to return to China, but an uncle persuaded him to let the boy stay in the US, John later moving to Portland. Here, he learned of the local Chinese flying school through a friend, Arthur (‘Art’) Shui-tin Chin.
Both John and ‘Art’ enrolled in Class 1 of the school, where all expenses were supported by the Chinese community in exchange for a commitment to return to serve in China. John and ‘Art’ received their US pilots’ licences in April 1932 and were then sent to China. Since most Chinese-Americans were originally from Kwangtung Province, they naturally joined the air force of their ancestral province. After an abbreviated flying training programme and officers’ training, both were commissioned as officers in the Cantonese Air Force.
A group photograph of the sponsors and students of the Oregon Chinese Flight School in front of its single Fleet trainer at Swan Island in Portland, Oregon (‘Art’ Chin via John Gong)
John Poon-Yeung Wong lived in the US and started his pilot training there, despite the fact he was actually born in China – he had moved to America with his father at an early age. After World War 2 and the fall of China to the Communists, Wong did not return to the US, settling in Thailand instead (‘Art’ Chin)
In 1935 John and ‘Art’ were selected for advanced training with the Luftwaffe in Germany. The Kwangtung Provincial Government was negotiating with Germany for the purchase of a large number of combat aircraft at that time, including Heinkel He 111A bombers. John and ‘Art’ duly completed advanced fighter training at Lagerlechfeld, which included fighter tactics and gunnery. They were still in Germany when the Kwangtung-Kwangsi Crisis erupted. When they returned to China, both were commissioned into the Chinese Central Air Force and assigned to former Cantonese Air Force pursuit squadrons. John was given command of the 17th PS of the 3rd PG, which was equipped with Boeing 281s (an export version of the USAAC’s P-26 ‘Peashooter’). The 3rd PG was tasked with the air defence of the capital Nanking, and the 17th PS was based at Chu-yung airfield, south of the city.
On 16 August 1937 G3Ms from the Kanoya Kokutai attacked Chuyung, where the 17th PS was based. During earlier actions, the warning net had detected Japanese aircraft well in advance of their arrival. However, on the morning of the 16th, perhaps because of low cloud cover, it failed to pass on word of the approaching IJNAF aircraft until it was almost too late. This resulted in a mad scramble to try and get the Chinese fighters airborne. Fortunately, the Boeing 281 had a rapid engine start system, and all were able to get airborne just minutes before the Japanese raiders commenced their bombing runs.
Pulling up after takeoff, Wong saw three G3Ms making their attacking passes at low altitude (Japanese records say 650 ft) on the airfield. He made a climbing turn onto the tail of the Japanese formation and headed straight for the lead aeroplane. Approaching from the left rear of the twin-tailed G3M, Wong took full advantage of the left tail fin, which impeded the return fire from the Japanese gunners. His rounds hit the G3M in the left engine and wing tanks, sending it down in flames northeast of Chu-yung airfield. This was the lead aeroplane of the Command Shotai of the Kanoya Kokutai, commanded by Lt Cdr Nitta, one of the pioneers of long-distance flying in the IJNAF. Nitta was killed, but some Japanese accounts suggest that he had survived the crash-landing of the G3M and committed suicide in order to avoid capture.
Cantonese Air Force pilots, including John Wong and ‘Art’ Chin, at a social gathering with their Luftwaffe instructors at Lagerlechfeld airfield in 1936. While in Germany, Wong and Chin took advantage of the multi-engined bomber training that was available after they completed their fighter training. This enabled Chin to have a second career as a transport and airline pilot after the war (‘Art’ Chin)
Pulling up after downing Nitta’s G3M, Wong rolled to the right and went after the No 2 bomber in the Shotai. Once again, Wong concentrated his fire on the left wing. Hit in the left engine and wing tanks, the G3M, commanded by Lt(jg) Watanbe, descended, streaming smoke from the stopped left engine and fuel vapours from the holed wing tanks. Thinking that this G3M was also a ‘goner’, Wong took on another group of bombers.
Boeing 281 fighters lined up at Chu-yung airfield in 1937. This was the only photograph of combat aircraft that survived in John Wong’s extensive collection. He had left the photographs in the care of a friend in Hong Kong, which, as a British Crown Colony, was still open to the outside world prior to December 1941. When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in late 1941 Wong’s friend burned his photographs (John Wong)
While the Kanoya Kokutai Command Shotai was fleeing northeast, the No 1 Shotai was headed towards Chu-yung from the same direction. Bad weather had caused the Japanese formation to disperse, and each Shotai had to find its own way to the target. Wong spotted another Boeing 281 flown by Chinese-American pilot Lt Wong, Tse-tsim chasing this flight, and he joined in. The G3Ms were fast, however, and it was tough going trying to close the distance. Wong got his chance when one of the G3Ms circled back to run over the target again – either its bombs were hung up or it had passed the target before the bombardier could release his ordnance. Wong dived below the G3M and fired from close range into its belly. The left wing tanks caught fire and the bomber crashed 980 ft from the south gate of Chu-yung town. Ground observers reported two large explosions when the aeroplane’s 550-lb land attack bombs detonated after the G3M hit the ground.
Wong claimed, and was awarded, three victories following this sortie, although Japanese records indicate that Lt(jg) Watanabe was able to regain control of his crippled G3M and nurse it back to base on one engine.
During the Shanghai fighting Wong flew numerous escort missions for Chinese bombers and fighter-bombers. The nimble IJNAF A2N and A4N biplane fighters that opposed these raids were tough opponents, with their lower wing loading than the Boeing monoplanes. Things did not get any easier for the CAF following the arrival of the fast and manoeuvrable A5M monoplane fighters. Indeed, during the Nanking battles of September 1937 Wong was only able to claim one floatplane ‘damaged’ on the 20th.
Wong also flew the single Curtiss Hawk 75 available to the Chinese in the defence of Nanking. This was a demonstrator aircraft that the Chinese Aviation Commission had purchased, and it was pressed into action for reconnaissance missions. Billy MacDonald, who was serving as an advisor to the CAF alongside Claire Chennault, was the other pilot who regularly flew the Hawk 75. Either he or Wong would hastily take off in it and head away from Nanking whenever there were reports of an incoming air raid. They also routinely used the aircraft to perform reconnaissance missions, often in search of Japanese aircraft carriers. Some, but not all, the missions were mentioned in the official Republic of China Air Force During the War of Resistance Against Japan volume published by the CAF.
All CAF squadron leaders carried a map case like this one, which originally belonged to ‘Art’ Chin and is now in the collection of his grandson, John Gong. According to John Wong, during the aerial battle over Nanking on 12 October 1937 his map case blew lose and struck him with great force in the face. Stunned and disoriented (‘seeing stars’ as he described it), Wong had to break off his attack until he could orientate himself. Having shot down an IJNAF A5M at the rear of the Japanese formation, he had spotted another enemy aircraft below. It was while diving down to attack the fighter that he was struck by the map case. ‘Art’ Chin kept a lot of souvenirs from his days in China, this collection being passed to his grandson when Chin passed away (John Gong)
John Wong and ‘Art’ Chin stand in front of an I-15bis christened New York in honour of the Chinese-American community that donated funds to support the purchase of the aircraft. Wong flew the I-15bis extensively while serving as commander of the 17th PS/5th PG and later as commander of the 5th PG. He never scored any victories in the I-15bis, however, even though he flew numerous missions in the type intercepting bombers over Szechuan Province in 1939. Note the leather flying suit Chin is wearing. This was tailor-made in the US and worn by Chin in many of his combat actions (‘Art’ Chin, courtesy of John Gong)
In correspondence with the author during the 1980s, Wong made a surprising revelation of an aerial victory claimed while flying the Hawk 75. He recalled that the engagement took place in October 1937 after a report of a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft had been phoned in from the air raid warning net. Two Hawk IIIs flown by Kao, Chi-hang and Yuan, Bao-kang were scrambled to intercept. Wong also took off in the faster Hawk 75 and reached the Japanese ‘observation aeroplane’ first. He described attacking it from below, firing a burst from the fighter’s two guns and sending it crashing to earth before the Hawk IIIs arrived on the scene. This action would have taken place sometime in early October, after Kao had recovered from the wounds he had suffered on 15 August, and before the 12th, when Yuan was injured in a collision with a Japanese floatplane.
During the afternoon action on 12 October Wong led another Chinese-American pilot, Lt Wong, Tse-Tsim, into the air in the last two operational Boeing 281s to intercept a raid by nine G3Ms escorted by 11 A5Ms. Wong, in Boeing 281 No 1706, closed in on six fighters from behind that were providing close escort to the bombers, but he did not see the remaining five A5Ms following the formation. The close escort pilots may have mistaken the Boeings for the trailing A5Ms, with both types being monoplanes with fixed landing gear. Wong attacked the rearmost A5M and shot it down, Japanese records indicating that this machine was being flown by NAP1c Mazazumi Ino, the wingman of ace WO Tadashi Torakuma. Wong then spotted another Japanese aeroplane below and dived after it. Unfortunately, during the dive, Wong’s map case broke loose and struck him in the face with such force that he ‘saw stars’. Momentarily stunned, Wong had to abandon the attack and dive away – the middle of a dogfight was not a good place to be when you were disoriented.
In early November the 17th PS was withdrawn to Hankow and reassigned to the 5th PG. On 9 December the 17th PS was sent to Lanchow to receive new I-15bis fighters. Before setting out, Wong returned to Nanking on 3 December in Boeing 281 No 1706 to fly one more reconnaissance mission in the Hawk 75. CAF HQ considered these missions to be very valuable. Indeed, during one such flight on 11 November Billy MacDonald had found the Japanese carrier Kaga near the Chou-shan Islands, off the Chekiang coast. Three Northrop 2Es from the 2nd BG caught the carrier with its flightdeck full of aircraft, but all the ordnance dropped from a level run at 9000 ft landed in Kaga’s wake. Two of the three Northrops were shot down by A5Ms scrambling from Kaga’s flightdeck.
During the mission on 3 December Wong looked for Japanese aircraft at all the occupied airfields in the Shanghai area. The information was provided to SB-2 bomber units manned by Soviet ‘volunteers’, which were now beginning to arrive in Nanking. Wong was intercepted by two groups of Japanese fighters, but he easily eluded them in the fast Hawk 75.
In April 1938 Wong was promoted to CO of the 5th PG. Two months later he was in Shao-kwan Canton, where the 28th and 29th PSs, equipped with Gloster Gladiators, were based. Here, Wong was reunited with his old friend ‘Art’ Chin, now commander of the 28th PS.
John Wong and members of the 5th PG come together for a group photograph in 1938 when he was serving as group commander. Sitting next to Wong on the left side in the photograph is fellow ace Yuan, Paokang (John Wong)
On 16 June reports came in from the air raid warning net of nine Japanese aeroplanes crossing the coast at Swatow, heading northwest. At 1030 hrs nine Gladiators were scrambled, led by Wong in No 2909. He chose to have ‘Art’ in Gladiator No 2808 and Lt Teng, Chung-kai in Gladiator No 2908 as his wingmen. Patrolling at 13,000 ft, Teng was the first to spot the enemy – six G3Ms in two flights to the left and below at 11,000 ft. The bombers belonged to the Takao Kokutai, based in Taiwan, and they were on their way to attack Le Chang Station on the Canton-Hankow railway line. The leading flight was commanded by Lt(jg) Fumio Iwaya, who would later write Chukoh, a history of the medium attack aircraft flown by the IJNAF.
Wong signalled to the group to follow him, and he duly led the Gladiators down to attack the rear flight of three G3Ms, commanded by Lt(jg) Yoneda. Wong used his favourite attack approach, diving below Yoneda’s G3M before pulling up to shoot at its belly. Chin, meanwhile, attacked the G3M to the left of the lead aeroplane. One of Wong’s rounds must have hit a 130-lb bomb slung externally under the belly of Yoneda’s G3M as the aeroplane suddenly erupted into a massive fireball. Wong’s Gladiator was peppered with fragments, as were the remaining two G3Ms in Yoneda’s flight. The explosion was so violent that Iwaya initially thought that his own aeroplane had been hit. Wong saw all three G3Ms diving into the clouds below, one of the bombers being little more than a mass of flames while the No 3 aeroplane on the right was in a 90-degree bank. Chin followed the No 2 G3M on the left of the Shotai, shooting until it too caught fire. The wreckage of two bombers was found close together in fields east of Le Chang.
Iwaya’s flight fared better as it survived the attacks by the remaining six Gladiators. Indeed, their gunners even managed to shoot a CAF fighter down in flames, forcing the pilot to bail out. A second machine was force-landed with battle damage. All of the G3Ms were hit and one gunner badly wounded, yet despite leaking fuel they all made it back to Taiwan. Wong thought that all three bombers caught in the explosion had gone down, but one managed to pull out of its dive – only to be shot down by ‘Art’ Chin a short while later.
Gloster Gladiator I No 2909 sports the large side numbers in use up until early 1938. This was the aircraft John Wong flew on 16 June 1938 when he hit the bomb load of an IJNAF Takao Kokutai G3M near Nan Hsiung, causing the aircraft to explode
These were the last victories scored by Wong. Although he was in the thick of the action in Kwangsi and the air defence of Chengtu in 1939, he did not add to his score. The IJNAF raids on Chengtu were conducted at night, which made interceptions very difficult. In 1940 Wong entered staff college, and he later served overseas as air attaché at a Chinese embassy. He was awarded the Four Star Medal, despite his confirmed victory tally in the official CAF history being six.
‘Art’ Chin in his Chinese Central Air Force uniform, onto which he had pinned his One Star Medal. Chin’s mother was from Peru, hence his Eurasian features (‘Art’ Chin)
Arthur ‘Art’ Sui-tin Chin (
Chen, Rui-Tien in mandarin) was born in 1913 in Portland, Oregon. His grandfather was from Taishan County, Kwangtung Province, and had been stationed in Peru with the Imperial Chinese diplomatic service. ‘Art’s’ mother was a Peruvian orphan that the Chins took in and raised in Portland, Oregon, where the family settled after leaving Peru. She later married ‘Art’s’ father, which would explain his Eurasian features.
As described earlier in this chapter, ‘Art’ and John Wong received advanced fighter training in Germany. Because of their command of English and flight training in Portland, both were able to complete their fighter training early. They then decided to take the advanced multiengined bomber conversion course too, which allowed ‘Art’ to fly transports and airliners after his fighter days were over.
After the Cantonese Air Force had been absorbed into the Central Chinese Air Force, Art was assigned to the 28th PS/5th PG as its deputy commander. The 28th PS was sent from its home in Nanchang to bolster the air defences of Nanking on 15 August 1937. During the first attack on the city by the Kisarazu Kokutai that same afternoon, the 28th PS claimed two victories. However, veterans from the squadron, including the commander, Capt Chan, Kee-kwong, subsequently complained that the 28th was not been credited with these successes.
After the incorporation of Cantonese units into the Central Air Force, some Cantonese officers complained of unfair treatment and discrimination by their Central Air Force commanders. In the case of the 15 August action, the problem may have been exacerbated by the hurried deployment of the 28th PS to a distant base without its clerical staff to file the combat reports. Looking at records from both sides, it would appear that the two G3Ms the 28th PS helped shoot down came from the 5th Chutai of the Kisarazu Kokutai. Japanese documents show that the first Kisarazu G3M to reach Nanking had been intercepted by the 28th PS, which was the only unit in this area equipped with ‘Curtiss Hawks’.
When the G3Ms from the 5th Chutai reached Nanking at 1425 hrs on 15 August, Hawk IIs of the 21st PS/4th PG intercepted them – this unit had only just arrived from Schien Chiao. They reported shooting down two G3Ms with the help of three ‘friendly aircraft from Nanking’. The latter could only have been from the 28th PS, since they were the only other Chinese fighter unit flying over Nanking at that time. The G3Ms lost by the Kisarazu Kokutai were almost certainly the ‘two enemy bombers’ that ‘Art’ Chin and K K Chan claimed to have shot down on 15 August.
The following day the 28th PS was in Chu-yung when the Kanoya Kokutai attacked. Because the unit was late in receiving word of an imminent attack, only two Hawk IIs – one flown by Chin – managed to get into the air before bombs started falling. Based on Chin’s account, and the flight track from the Kanoya Kokutai’s combat report, it would appear that he attacked the No 3 aeroplane in the Command Shotai. Chin and Lt Teng, Chenghsi from the 17th PS chased this aeroplane as it turned to the southeast after bombing Chu-yung. The G3M, after dropping its ordnnce, was very fast, and the Chinese fighters struggled to keep up with it. Teng broke off first but Chin continued the chase out to Lake Tai, firing steadily and scoring numerous hits on the G3M.
Curtiss Hawk II No 13 was used as an advanced pursuit trainer at the Central Aviation Academy. After war broke out, Hawk IIs from the Academy equipped the 34th Provisional Pursuit Squadron, which was manned by instructors and new graduates. Chin’s unit at the start of the war (28th PS/5th PG) was equipped with Hawk IIs, many of which were in poor condition after long periods of service. A number of Hawk IIs from the Academy were transferred to the 28th PS to bring it up to full strength when Chin was detached with a flight to protect the Shao-kwan Aircraft Factory. The rest of the squadron was deployed to protect the northern city of Taiyuan. The commander of the 28th PS, Capt K K Chan, was flying ex-Academy Hawk II No 7 when he shot down Maj Hiroshi Miwa, commander of the 1st Daitai, 16th Hiko Rentai of the JAAF
With the Hawk II just keeping up with its quarry, the bomber’s gunners also had an easy target, shooting at zero deflection. Chin’s fighter was badly shot up, with the engine stopping two bullets. He finally broke off the chase over Lake Tai, the G3M descending in a left turn with a seized engine that was streaming smoke. The aeroplane was also trailing fuel vapour from punctured wing tanks. Chin landed at a secondary airstrip at Chia-hsing, where the Hawk II nosed over when its brakes failed. He claimed a ‘probable’, but was awarded a confirmed victory based on his description of the action. Osugi’s G3M had been hit 58 times, the rounds knocking out an engine, wounding a gunner and causing a very serious fuel leak. Estimating that he would not have enough fuel to return to Taiwan, Osugi turned towards Shanghai and planned to make an emergency landing on the Japanese-held Kunda airstrip. However, after lightening the aircraft by throwing every piece of removable equipment overboard, Osugi was able to reach Cheju Island, where he made a forced landing.
After this experience, Chin wanted to increase the firepower of his Hawk II. He duly asked ‘Sebie’ Smith, Chennault’s armament expert, to install a 0.50-calibre machine gun in his fighter while it was undergoing repairs for battle damage. The installation was completed but Chin never had the chance to use it.
In September, the 28th PS was split into two detachments, each reinforced by Hawk II advanced trainers from the Central Aviation Academy. One detachment under K K Chan was sent to defend Taiyuan, while Chin commanded the second detachment that was sent to defend the Shao-kwan Aircraft Factory in Canton Province. Chin’s up-gunned Hawk II, meanwhile, was sent to Taiyuan. Ironically, it was later involved in a friendly-fire incident when a cadet shot down a Chinese He 111A, killing all onboard.
While at Shao-kwan Chin split his time between air defence missions and test-flying newly assembled Hawk IIIs before they were delivered to operational units. On 27 September the Kanoya Kokutai sent three G3Ms to attack the Canton-Hankow railway in Canton Province. Three Hawk IIIs from the independent 29th PS were scrambled from Tien-ho airfield in Canton, while Chin led four Hawk IIs aloft from Shao-kwan. In the ensuing action the 29th PS claimed to have downed one of the G3Ms, while Chin reported shooting up a bomber and ‘driving it away’. Japanese records indicated that one aeroplane was indeed lost, but it did not go down straightaway. The No 2 aircraft (commanded by Lt Yoshida) was attacked by Hawk IIIs, their fire wounding one of its gunners and holing a fuel tank.
Japanese records also described a second attack made by ‘another type of aircraft’ – probably referring to a Hawk II with fixed landing gear, vice the retractable undercarriage fitted to the Hawk III. This attack was much more devastating, the fuselage and the wing tanks being hit numerous times. Yoshida and the two remaining gunners were all wounded, one of them critically. With fuel being lost at an alarming rate, Yoshida ditched the G3M near a British freighter off the coast of Swatow. The crew was rescued but one of the gunners subsequently succumbed to his wounds.
Later that year (1937) the 28th and 29th PSs converted to Gladiators that were being delivered to Canton. With the aircraft factory being under constant attack, test flights were conducted from dispersal airstrips. Chin remembered that the Gloster test pilot, Capt Maurice ‘Mutt’ Summers, was initially dismissive of the skills of the Chinese pilots. Chin took one of the newly assembled Gladiators up for a test flight followed by aerobatics. Watching from the ground, Summers was so impressed by what he saw that he told Chin he should be flying the latest Hurricanes.
After completing conversion training on the Gladiator, the 28th PS was ordered from Hengyang, in Hunan Province, north to Nanchang, in Kiangsi Province, on 9 February 1938. During the flight the 11 Gladiators ran into a severe snowstorm. Leaving his deputy in charge, Chin descended below the clouds to find his bearings and ended up crash-landing on a hillside. Suffering injuries to his right eye, he walked for miles in the snow to reach help. One other Gladiator was lost, although its pilot managed to bail out. Chin was out of action for three months.
On 31 May reports came in of nine Japanese floatplanes approaching Hukou, on Lake Poyang. Chin led five Gladiators aloft to intercept the enemy aircraft – E8Ns from the seaplane carrier Kamikawa Maru, which were flying in a large Vee formation at 6000 ft. The Gladiators had a 1500-ft height advantage when they spotted the floatplanes, Chin signalling for the Gladiator pilots to attack the E8Ns from above. Diving below one of the floatplanes, Chin opened fire and forced one of the E8Ns into a half roll. He followed this with another burst, which sent the floatplane crashing 12 miles north of Hukou – both crewmen were killed. Lt Chow, Ling-hsu also shot down an E8N, although its crew managed to bail out and were rescued by an IJN patrol boat.
During the 16 June action near Le Chang, when John Wong detonated the bomb load of a Takao Kokutai G3M, Chin attacked the bomber on the left side of the formation that had been damaged by the blast. Setting the aeroplane alight, he sent the G3M crashing into rice fields east of Le Chang. The third G3M in the flight was also damaged, but it did not crash immediately.
After the Gladiators returned to Shao-kwan airfield, someone ran out to Chin’s aircraft and told him that the air raid warning net had telephoned in reports of a Japanese aeroplane flying northeast of Le Chang. Chin took off and flew out to the location, where he found a lone G3M limping along slowly, seemingly lost. This was actually the No 3 aeroplane damaged by the exploding bomb load of its leader. The crew was probably disoriented and lost, as it had headed away from its target in Le Chang and the coast from whence it had come. Chin closed in and fired the rest of his ammunition into the G3M, which was last seen descending streaming heavy smoke. Its wreckage was later found on land near Tung-tse Wan, northeast of Le Chang.
‘Art’ Chin at Lanchow in 1939, when he served as an instructor for the Combined Pursuit Group. While at Lanchow, Chin had the bizarre experience of having to fight off local bandits of the ‘Wu Chi’ Cult who mounted a mass attack on the CAF training compound at Hsi Kucheng airfield during the night of 30 March 1939. Only the instructors like Chin had been issued with sidearms, and the cadets barricaded themselves in their barracks. Chin fired his pistol in action for the first and only time during the war, not against the Japanese, but defending himself against Chinese bandits! The latter fired back with a shotgun and Chin decided to join the cadets in their barricaded room. A number of CAF personnel, members of the security detail and the political officer were killed in the attack. Fortunately, none of the pilots were killed, although one cadet was captured and later escaped. He had to swim a river to return to base, almost dying of hypothermia. This experience showed the challenges faced by the Chinese Central Government during the Sino-Japanese War. Not only did they have to contend with the Japanese, in some of the remote provinces like Kansu there were also very active local warlords and bandit groups (‘Art Chin’ via John Gong)
On 3 August the IJNAF mounted a large raid on Hankow with 18 G3Ms, escorted by 29 A5Ms. The Chinese put up no fewer than 52 fighters in four groups to defend the city. A Soviet ‘volunteer’ commander was in overall command, and he had all the aeroplanes in tightly packed formations at similar altitudes, which negated their numerical advantage. Unlike the Japanese A5Ms, not all the Chinese aircraft were equipped with oxygen systems, and some of those that had the equipment had only a limited supply. Pilots tended to put off using oxygen until they had climbed to altitude and combat was imminent.
Chin was in the third formation leading seven 28th PS Gladiators, along with four Gloster fighters from the 32nd PS/3rd PG. He recalled being dizzy from hypoxia after climbing to 12,000 ft, at which point a large formation of A5Ms was spotted to the left at an even higher altitude. Climbing to 21,000 ft, Chin saw that the A5Ms were still about 2000 ft above the Chinese biplanes.
As the Gladiator pilots formed up with three I-16s from the 26th PS in preparation to engage the large formation of A5Ms, three unobserved Mitsubishi fighters attacked them from above and behind. Two went after the I-16s while one latched onto the tail of the Gladiator flown by Lt Clifford Louie from Portland, Oregon, who was deputy commander of the 28th PS. Chin, in Gladiator No 2809, led his flight to Louie’s aid, driving off the A5M. One of Chin’s wingmen, Lt Fan, Hsin-min, in Gladiator No 2805, then saw an I-16 below them that was being closely pursued by an A5M. Fan rocked his wings and dived after the IJNAF fighter just as another A5M dived after Fan’s Gladiator from above. Chin immediately went to the aid of his wingman, opening fire and driving the A5M off Fan’s tail.
Minutes later Chin’s Gladiator was hit. The night before this engagement mechanics from the co-located 32nd PS had attached armour plating salvaged from an I-15bis onto the seat back of No 2809. This almost certainly saved Chin’s life, as he only realised he was under attack from behind when bullets struck the armour plating – three A5Ms were taking it in turns to make high-speed diving passes on the Chinese fighter. After each pass the IJNAF pilots would zoom-climb back up to altitude to re-position for another attack. Chin could only counter defensively by turning tightly.
With his Gladiator badly damaged and some of the wing bracing wires shot away, Chin decided to ram one of his attackers. When the next A5M pulled up after making a diving pass, Chin reversed his turn and climbed hard into the path of the A5M. The Gladiator hit the Japanese fighter in the wing and tail and both aeroplanes went down out of control. Chin was trapped in his cockpit for some time, his head slamming into the canopy as the Gladiator spun wildly out of control. He was finally able to struggle free and open his parachute. After landing, a local farmer came to his aid. Later on, the farmer returned with a machine gun salvaged from the Gladiator. After returning to Hankow, Chin was visited by Chennault at the base infirmary. He told the American about the ramming, and bringing back the salvaged machine gun. Chin jokingly asked if he could swap the gun for a new aeroplane. This story, in somewhat embellished form, appeared in Chennault’s Way of a Fighter.
On 6 July 1939 four JAAF Ki-27 fighters were strafing ground targets at Ping Liang, in Kansu Province, when one force-landed. The pilot was rescued by another Ki-27 that landed nearby. Chinese troops rapidly hid the perfectly intact Japanese fighter by covering it with hay. Chin was duly called in to see if he could fly it to a CAF airfield. He examined the Ki-27 and determined that its pilot had not switched over to the main fuel tank when the auxiliary tanks ran dry, thus causing the engine to stop from fuel starvation. After switching over to the main tanks, the Chinese groundcrew was able to start the Ki-27’s engine, and Chin flew it back to a CAF airfiled. The Ki-27 was subsequently evaluated against Soviet fighters in mock dogfights. John Wong flew the Ki-27 and demonstrated that by using the aircraft’s superior climb performance, he could hold off attacks by two flights of I-15bis. John later flew the Ki-27 in interception missions against Japanese bombers attacking Chengtu at night, but without much success.
In August 1939 Chin was sent south with two other pilots to collect three Gladiators that had been repaired at the aircraft factory in Liuchow, Kwangsi. While there, the Japanese Army threatened to move into Kwangsi, so Chin was ordered to conduct a guerilla campaign using the three fighters. They were to move from airfield to airfield in Kwangsi and harass Japanese aircraft, while avoiding superior fighter forces.
On 2 November Chin intercepted an IJNAF Mitsubishi C5M Navy Type 98 reconnaissance aeroplane over Wuming airfield, in Kwangsi. He had positioned another Gladiator on the opposite side of the airfield, where the Japanese aeroplane would likely head on its way back to base on Hainan Island. Knowing that he would only have one shot at the C5M before the faster monoplane sped out of range, Chin hit it hard – he seriously injured the observer, Sub-Lt Yonetaro Ueda. Unfortunately, the second Gladiator pilot was unable to intercept the aeroplane, allowing the C5M to get away.
During this period leading up to the 27 December Chinese counterattack at Kun-lun Pass, the official CAF history records that Chin’s guerilla band had one confirmed victory. Chin himself recalled in an interview that ‘a few days before Christmas’ he had shot down a bomber by attacking it from behind and below.
On 27 December the CAF sent a flight of SB-2s flown by Soviet ‘volunteers’ to support the counterattack at the Kun-lun Pass, the bombers being escorted by two Gladiators and an I-15bis. Chin and the commander of the 32nd PS, Capt Wei, Yi-ching, flew the two British biplanes, while Lt Chen, Yeh-hsin was at the controls of the I-15bis. When the group was intercepted by A5Ms of the 14th Kokutai, Chin’s flight held them off long enough to allow the SB-2s to get through and complete their bombing mission.
‘Art’ and Mrs Chin (Eva Wu), who was the daughter of a family friend of the Chins who had also served in the Chinese diplomatic service in Peru. After Chin was badly burnt in the 27 December 1939 action over the Kunlun Pass, Mrs Chin took care of him in their quarters next to Liuchow airfield. In a heroic effort worthy of a Hollywood script, Mrs Chin sacrificed her life to protect her husband and two sons during an air raid. When the air raid warning sounded, she first took her two sons down into the basement shelter and then tried to help her husband who was unable to move or see because of his burn injuries. Upon hearing the shriek of ordnance falling nearby, Mrs Chin covered her husband’s body with her own and was killed by a bomb fragment (‘Art’ Chin via John Gong)
The Chinese Army won a major victory at the Kun-lun Pass, thwarting the Japanese attempt to cut supply routes from the West through French Indochina. However, the Gladiator guerilla band was to pay a heavy price for this success, with Capt Wei being shot down and killed. Chin managed to save Lt Chen from meeting a similar fate when he was closely pursued by an A5M. Chin was able to shoot the A5M off Chen’s tail, but he then came under attack himself from behind. Chin’s Gladiator burst into flames when it was hit, the pilot suffering terrible burns to his face. Nevertheless, Chin managed to fly his fighter back over Chinese lines before bailing out. Chen, who had been wounded in the back, force-landed his I-15bis close to friendly territory. Some sources claim that Chinese troops found three wrecks in the area, with serial numbers recorded for two. The third aeroplane was referred to as a ‘naval aircraft’, possibly a floatplane.
Chin was brought back to Liuchow airfield, where he was cared for by his wife at their quarters near the base. One night there was an air raid, and upon hearing the sirens Mrs Chin carried their two young sons into the basement. She then came back to help Chin, whose eyes were still bandaged. Hearing the whistling of falling bombs, Mrs Chin covered her husband’s body with her own. The blast of a near miss levelled their quarters, and Mrs Chin was hit in the waist by debris and killed. She had, however, saved her husband and two sons.
‘Art’ Chin after skin grafts for the severe facial burns he suffered during the action over Kun-lun Pass on 27 December 1939. He had to travel through India and Africa, skirting the Mediterranean war zone, to get to a New York hospital, where he received the skin graft operations (‘Art’ Chin via John Gong)
Chin was later evacuated to the US for skin graft treatment. Upon its completion he returned to active duty, flying transport aeroplanes over the ‘Hump’ between India and China. Chin was awarded the Six Star Medal.
‘Buffalo’ Wong, Sun-sui (
Hwang, Hsin-Jui in mandarin) was born in Taishan County, Kwangtung Province. When he was nine Wong moved to Los Angeles, where his father ran a Chinese restaurant. He enrolled in the Chinese aviation school in Los Angeles at 18, straight out of high school. After graduation, Wong was sent to Oakland for flight training, where he received his US pilot’s licence in 1934. Wong then returned to China with a number of other Chinese-American pilots, where they joined the Provincial Air Force of their native Kwangtung. After an abbreviated flying training course and officer training, Wong was immediately assigned to operational flying in the 2nd PS.
Described as a stocky fellow, Wong was nicknamed ‘Buffalo’ by his Chinese-American colleagues – in reference to the formidable Asian water buffalo rather than the American bison.
After the Provincial Air Force’s integration with the Central Air Force, ‘Buffalo’ was assigned to the 17th PS/3rd PG and made deputy squadron leader under John Wong. On 15 August 1937 during the Kisarazu Kokutai raid on Nanking, ‘Buffalo’, flying Boeing 281 No 1703, intercepted the four G3Ms of the 4th Shotai as they attacked Ta Hsiao Chang airfield. Targeting the last aeroplane in the diamond formation, ‘Buffalo’ approached from the rear and to the left, using the blind arc afforded by the left vertical tail. Shooting at the left wing, he set the wing tanks alight, sending the G3M crashing in flames east of Nanking.
Return fire from the bomber’s gunners had in turn hit No 1703 in the propeller, engine and a fuel tank. ‘Buffalo’ was duly forced to carry out a dead-stick landing at Ta Hsiao Chang. The Boeing 281 was quickly repaired and ready for action the next day, when the Kanoya Kokutai attacked Chu-yung. ‘Buffalo’ chased a damaged G3M all the way to Suchow, but he was unable to finish the bomber off when his guns refused to fire due to an electrical failure.
During the large-scale battle over Nanking on 19 September Buffalo led five Boeing 281s into action against eight E8N floatplanes engaged near Chu-yung. The aircraft (Boeing 281 No 1701) of Lt Liu, Lan-ching was hit within minutes of the action commencing, and he was forced to bail out. Three E8Ns quickly circled the Chinese pilot and strafed him in his parachute, killing Liu. When Buffalo tried to intervene, he was attacked by an A5M, possible flown by PO2c Harada of the 13th Kokutai, who claimed a ‘Breda 27’ during the action. The Breda 27, which had been retired from CAF service by then, closely resembled the Boeing 281. Harada claimed to have hit the ‘Breda 27’ in the left wing, forcing the pilot to bail out. ‘Buffalo’, who was hit in the left hand, bailed out when he found that he could no longer control the Boeing 281.
After recovering from his injuries, ‘Buffalo’ was given command of the 29th PS/5th PG, equipped with Gladiators.
On 23 February 1938, the 28th and 29th PSs sent 12 Gladiators to Nan Hsiung to bolster local air defences. The following morning, the IJN seaplane carriers Notoro and Kinugasa Maru launched an attack on Nan Hsiung. Notoro despatched six Kawanishi E7K Navy Type 94 seaplane reconnaissance aircraft, escorted by four E8Ns, while Kinugasa Maru sent two E7Ks escorted by four E8Ns. Eleven Gladiators were scrambled at 0905 hrs following reports of floatplanes approaching from both the south and the southeast. One Gladiator from the 29th PS was found to be suffering from a serious fuel leak and did not takeoff.
The CAF fighters searched to the southeast for 20 minutes without finding the enemy aircraft, after which they headed back to Nan Hsiung. Nearing the airfield the Japanese formation was spotted coming in from the south. ‘Buffalo’ led the Gladiators in a diving attack as the bombcarrying E7Ks began attacking the airfield. He hit one of the floatplanes, setting it on fire, but the crew was able to extinguish the flames by diving. The machine then fled south. Four other Gladiators combined to set another floatplane alight, but its crew also extinguished the flames by diving. This E7K also headed south trailing black smoke. ‘Buffalo’ then combined with three other pilots to shoot up a third floatplane, which fled south trailing fuel vapour from punctured tanks.
During the battle the Gladiators had been plagued by gun stoppages, which, according to ‘Art’ Chin, may have been due to a batch of 7.92 mm ammunition sourced from Belgium. Few of the Gladiators had all four guns functioning as a result of jamming. For some of the CAF pilots, this had fatal consequences. Three Gladiators led by Lt Hsieh, Chuan-ho of the 28th PS were chasing an E8N when it suddenly turned around and opened fire. All four of Hsieh’s guns jammed and he was unable to shoot. The E8N hit one of the pursuing Gladiators, No 2902, head on, sending it down in flames and killing the pilot, Lt Yang, Ru-tong. It is possible that Yang’s weapons may have also jammed, because the Gloster fighter’s four 0.303-in Brownings easily out-gunned the E8N with its single forward-firing machine gun in a head-on confrontation. Gladiator No 2807 was also lost in similar circumstances and its pilot, Lt Chen, Chi-wei, killed. Finally, Lt Chou, Ling-hsu had to press home his attack on another E8N because of jamming guns, only to be hit by the rear gunner. The right wing support strut was damaged and the controls to the right wing flaps were shot away.
Bombing by the E7K floatplanes damaged the Gladiator that had been left behind at Nan Hsiung with a fuel leak. Two other Gladiators were damaged landing on the bomb-cratered airfield.
As the floatplanes departed, ‘Buffalo’ gave chase. He caught up with an E7K over Shao-kwan and succeeded in damaging it, the floatplane last being seen heading southeast streaming fuel vapour.
Had the Gladiators’ guns being fully operable, the CAF pilots would have undoubtedly inflicted greater losses on the IJNAF floatplanes. Notoro reported losing one E8N, three E7Ks and four aircrew, while Kinugasa Maru lost just one E7K and its three-man crew. The Chinese located one wreck at Hsin Feng, 60 miles southeast of Nan Hsiung, and another at Tseng Cheng, which was even further south. The lead E8N from Notoro, flown by Lt Kunihiro Iwaki, was hit 138 times and crashed on landing, wrecking its tail. Iwaki’s observer was killed. Two of Notoro’s E7Ks managed to fly out to sea before ditching, allowing the crews to be rescued.
On 28 February ‘Buffalo’ was at Tien Ho, in Canton, when reports came in of four Japanese aeroplanes approaching the airfield. ‘Buffalo’ took off in Gladiator No 2905 at 0710 hrs to intercept, following the Kowloon-Canton railway east until he spotted four E8Ns over Tung Pu at 12,000 ft. Climbing above the floatplanes, ‘Buffalo’ made a diving attack on the lead machine as the rest of the enemy aircraft scattered. Out of his peripheral vision, ‘Buffalo’ saw an E8N trying to climb and get a height advantage. Using the superior performance of his Gladiator, Buffalo easily out-climbed the floatplane and scored hits that sent it falling out of the fight. ‘Buffalo’ then had to contend with the remaining floatplanes, which meant that he could not confirm the destruction of the E8Ns he had hit. Nevertheless, he could only see two floatplanes fleeing out to sea in the direction of Humen when the action ended. ‘Buffalo’ returned to Tien Ho to claim one victory and one probable.
During the morning of 13 April the carrier Kaga targeted Tien Ho, despatching 18 D1A1 dive-bombers escorted by six A5Ms and three A4Ns. The lead Mitsubishi fighter of Lt Hideo Teshima developed mechanical problems over the Pearl River delta, forcing its pilot to abort the mission. Teshima’s two wingmen escorted him back to Kaga. The air raid warning net telephoned in reports of 25 Japanese aeroplanes in three formations approaching Canton from the direction of Humen. Eighteen Gladiators were scrambled from Tien Ho at 1020 hrs, with nine from the 28th PS being led by Capt Clifford Louie (the squadron’s deputy commander) and eight from the 29th PS following ‘Buffalo’ – in Gladiator No 2913 – into action. The Gladiators of the 29th PS patrolled at 16,400 ft while those from the 28th PS were 3300 ft higher.
At 1050 hrs the Japanese formations were sighted over the village of Fang Chiang, to the northeast of Tien Ho. The enemy aircraft were identified as nine ‘bombers’ at 13,000 ft and 15 ‘pursuits’ at 17,000 ft. In reality, the ‘pursuits’ were nine D1A1 dive-bombers with six fighter escorts. ‘Buffalo’ led the 29th PS in a diving attack on the lower group of ‘bombers’ while the 28th PS dealt with the ‘pursuits’ higher up. The lower group of bombers were thought to be the 2nd Chutai of the D1A1s tasked with attacking Pai Yun airfield, in Canton.
A group of Cantonese Air Force pilots from the Pursuit Group, including ‘Buffalo’ Wong (in the white shirt, squatting, fourth from the right). ‘Art’ Chin is standing behind him, third from the right in the back row. Other Cantonese Air Force pilots of note in this photograph, taken at the Canton Country Club, include the Pursuit Group Commander Ting, Chi-hsu (squatting, fifth from the left, in the white shirt). He later became commander of the Central Air Force’s 5th PG. Chen, Chi-kwang (K K Chan in Cantonese) is squatting third from the left in the front row. He was the 28th PS commander at the beginning of the war, and was later credited with shooting down Maj Hiroshi Miwa of the JAAF’s 1st Daitai, 16th Hiko Rentai over Taiyuan on 21 September 1937 (‘Art’ Chin via John Gong)
‘Buffalo’ hit one of the D1A1s in his first diving pass, the aircraft last being seen limping away towards the southeast trailing smoke and flames. At this point the A4N fighters dived on the 29th PS in order to protect the remaining D1A1s. ‘Buffalo’ out-turned an attacking IJNAF fighter and shot it down. The three A5Ms, led by PO1c Jiro Chono, then entered the fight. Chono made a diving pass but overshot, and one of his wingman targeted ‘Buffalo’. The CAF pilot responded by quickly pulling the nose of his fighter up in order to come face-to-face with the A5M that was diving on him. Bad ammunition and jamming guns were still plaguing the Gladiators, however, which meant that ‘Buffalo’ had only one functioning gun (mounted in the fuselage). Nevertheless, he took aim at the A5M (tail code K129), flown by PO2c Yukio Miyazato, and opened fire. Remarkably, ‘Buffalo’ hit the A5M and sent it down out of control. Miyazato also hit the Gladiator in the engine.
In the meantime Chono had pulled out of his dive and climbed back up into the fight behind ‘Buffalo’s’ Gladiator. Approaching unseen from the left of the fighter, Chono opened fire and hit ‘Buffalo’ in the left hand. Wounded and with his engine on fire, the CAF pilot bailed out. While descending in his parachute ‘Buffalo’ saw an A5M crash below him.
One of ‘Buffalo’s’ wingmen, Lt Li, Yu-rong in Gladiator No 2910, tried to cover his leader by attacking an A5M – probably Chono’s. Li was in turn attacked by the A5M of PO1c Kudo, the No 3 aeroplane in Chono’s Shotai. Lt Huang, Kwang-ching, in Gladiator No 2917, attempted to intervene but he was too late to prevent Li from being hit and crashing to his death near the Chungshan University campus. For his troubles, Huang was also attacked by the two A5Ms and an A4N. Another 29th PS flight leader, Lt Teng, Chung-kai, saw Huang’s plight and came to his aid. Teng attacked the A4N from above and behind, sending it down in flames. Huang was able to break away to the northwest, but not before his Gladiator had been hit 12 times.
The 28th PS also had a tough time with the escorting fighters, losing three Gladiators – No 2812 (pilot bailed out), No 2810 (crash-landed) and No 2809 (pilot killed). Early on in the action Clifford Louie attacked one of the D1A1s from the 1st Chutai as they prepared to dive-bomb Tien Ho airfield. Louie hit the aeroplane, sending it diving out of the fight trailing white smoke. He then attacked another D1A1, but his guns jammed after firing 12 rounds and he had to break off. Both of Louie’s wingmen were shot down by escorting fighters as they tried to protect their leader, who focused on attacking the dive-bombers.
The 28th and 29th PSs lost a total of five Gladiators and two pilots. Two more Gloster fighters were damaged. In addition to the two A4Ns and one A5M, Kaga lost two D1A1s that were ditched in the mouth of the Pearl River. The No 2 Chutai D1A1 (tail code K215) that ‘Buffalo’ attacked ditched near Ta Chan Island, close to Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The crew was rescued by a Japanese destroyer. The No 1 Chutai D1A1 (tail code K229) that Clifford Louie hit ditched near Chi-Ao Island, off the west bank of the Pearl River. The crew was rescued from an inflatable dinghy by a floatplane from Kagu Maru. They had had to strip the flexible machine gun off their aeroplane and fire it several times in order to keep a large number of armed Chinese junks at bay while awaiting rescue.
‘Buffalo’ ended up losing the small finger of his left hand after being wounded in this punishing engagement, leaving him unfit for duty for an extended period of time.
In November 1940 he was promoted to command the 5th PG. Shortly before this the A6M Zero-sen had made its combat debut in China, inflicting heavy losses on CAF fighters and forcing them to avoid combat. In December 1940 the Soviet Union began delivering a new batch of 240 combat aircraft, including 75 I-15IIIs and 65 I-16IIIs. Following the 5th PG’s re-equipment and training on the new machines, it returned to Chengtu.
At 1100 hrs on 14 March 1941, the 3rd and 5th PGs put up a total of 31 I-15IIIs to challenge an IJNAF raid consisting of ten Nakajima B5N Type 97 carrier attack bombers, escorted by 12 A6M Zero-sens. The 3rd PG contingent of 11 I-15IIIs led by the commander of the 28th PS, Capt Chow, Ling-hsu, patrolled at 21,300 ft. Above them at 23,000 ft were 11 I-15IIIs led by Capt Chen, Tse-liu, the deputy commander of the 5th PG. Higher still at 24,600 ft were nine I-15IIIs led by Maj ‘Buffalo’ Wong, commander of the 5th PG. Even though the I-15IIIs had only been delivered a few months earlier, many of them were already in poor condition. Indeed, some Chinese mechanics complained that worn components had been installed by Polikarpov in supposedly ‘new’ aircraft. Of the eight pilots that took off with ‘Buffalo’ on 14 March, four had to abort prior to engaging the enemy – two due to oxygen system failure, one because his guns would not fire and the fourth because the engine in his fighter could not provide full power.
The Zero-sens split up into two groups on the 14th, with seven coming in low to strafe Shuang-liu and Taipingssu airfields and five remaining at high altitude out of sight. The I-15IIIs of the flight leaders were equipped with radios, and they were directed to intercept the strafers at Shuang-liu and Taipingssu. Arriving over Shuang-liu, ‘Buffalo’ spotted the Zero-sens making their strafing runs and led his remaining wingman, Lt Ren, Hsien, down to attack them. The second flight, led by Lt Ma, Kwok-lim, was about to follow suit when he saw three Zero-sens coming at him head-on from a higher altitude. He pulled his nose up to counter the new threat, but could not warn ‘Buffalo’ because he had no radio. Both ‘Buffalo’ and his wingman were killed in the subsequent action, having almost certainly been bounced from above by the top cover Zero-sens. Seriously wounded in the head and chest, ‘Buffalo’ force-landed near the village of Su Ma-tou, but subsequently died of his wounds. He had received the Six Star Medal.
The day had ended disastrously for the Chinese. The remaining two formations of I-15IIIs suffered a similar fate to the first. Survivors reported diving low to engage the strafers, only to be attacked from behind or from the side by other Zero-sens that had made full use of their height advantage. No fewer than eight Chinese pilots were killed, including all three formation leaders, ‘Buffalo’ and Capts Chen, Tse-liu and Chow, Ling-hsu. Thirteen I-15IIIs were destroyed or written off. There were no Japanese losses. Without better-performing aircraft, the CAF had next to no chance of defeating the IJNAF in aerial combat.