Aerial engagements of the Second Sino-Japanese War

Aerial engagements

US Air Forces video: Flying Tigers Bite Back

Date	14 August 1937 – 18 August 1945
Location	China
Result	Japanese loss, continuation of the Chinese Civil War

Belligerents

Chinese Air Force

United States Army Air Forces

Soviet Volunteer Group

Imperial Japanese Army Air Force

The Second Sino-Japanese War began on 7 July 1937 with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in the Republic of China. The regional conflict lasted until the end of World War II, when the Empire of Japan surrendered to the Allies in August 1945. By the end of July 1937, fighting had escalated into a full-scale war and both countries deployed their air forces, ground troops, and warships into combat. Japanese heavy bombers also extensively bombed Chinese factories, airfields and conducted the first major air-raids against civilian targets in the war.

At the outset of war, China primarily relied on foreign countries for its military aircraft, but did produce about 100 Hawk II/III fighter-bombers at the Hangzhou-based CAMCO plant. 15 Chinese-American pilots formed the first unofficial volunteer group of pilots and joined front-line air units in China beginning as early as 1932 in anticipation of imminent war with Imperial Japan. These volunteers included future ace-fighter pilots Art Chin and John Wong. Both the Soviet Union and the United States came to China's aid by supplying aircraft and providing training to Chinese pilots. Volunteers from the United States and the Soviet Union also participated in China's war against Japan, the most remarkable among them being the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers, which under General Chennault achieved considerable success against the Japanese from late 1941 to mid-1942.

At the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War/War of Resistance/WWII in July 1937, the Chinese Air Force had 645 combat aircraft, of which about 300 were fighter planes. Japan had 1,530 army and navy aircraft, of which about 400 were deployed in China. Most of the Chinese combat aircraft were U.S. models, and the Chinese pilots were mostly trained by American or American-trained aviators. Most of the Chinese fighter squadrons were equipped with the Curtiss BF2C Goshawk (Hawk III) and Curtiss F11C Goshawk (Hawk II), some were equipped with Boeing 281 P-26 Peashooter, British Gloster Gladiator and Italian Fiat CR.32. The air war in China had become a testing-zone for the latest biplane fighter designs confronting the new generation of monoplane fighter and bomber aircraft designs; the world's first aerial combat and kills between modern monoplane fighter would occur in the skies of China.

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