Zhanyi Airport () is a former civilian airport and military air base, located about southeast of
Zhanyi,
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
Province in the
People’s Republic of China.
History
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the airport was known as Chanyi (Changyi) Airfield and was used by the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
The command was responsible for the organizatio ...
as part of the China Defensive Campaign. The airport primarily was a reconnaissance base, with photo mapping and combat aerial photography units flying combat mapping and photo flights over Japanese-held territory from September 1944 until September 1945. In addition, some
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
medium bomber and
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
transport aircraft used the airport. The Americans closed their facilities at the airport in early October 1945.
Incidents
On October 29, 1940, the
Chungking was strafed by Japanese fighters after it landed. Of the 9 passengers and 3 crew, 7 passengers and 2 crew died.
[Crouch, p]
219
- In:
References
* Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983.
USAFHRA search Chanyi
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhanyi Airport
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in China
Airports in Yunnan
Transport in Qujing