Luliang Air Base is a
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
Base, located about 5 kilometers southwest of
Luliang in
Yunnan Province
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in 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 Kunming. The province borders the ...
,
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 opposing ...
, the base 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 as part of the China Defensive Campaign (1942–1945). The airfield was the primary home of the
23d Fighter Group (Flying Tigers), and its command and control organization, the
68th Composite Wing
The 68th Composite Wing was a United States Army Air Forces organization. It was a command and control organization of Fourteenth Air Force that fought in the China Burma India Theater of World War II.
The wing was formed as an expansion of the ...
beginning in September 1944 until the end of the war in 1945. Secondary USAAF units assigned to the base were
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...
reconnaissance aircraft that flew photo-recon missions over Japanese-held territory; and
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...
transports which moved personnel and materiel in and out of the base, along with evacuating casualties to rear areas. The Americans closed their facilities at Luliang after the war ended in October 1945.
See also
*
List of People's Liberation Army Air Force airbases
This is a list of air bases operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Facilities included in the list include all aerodromes at which the PLAAF operates a regular presence. These may include those exclusively for military use ...
References
* Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983.
Airfields & Seaplane Anchorages ChinaUSFHRA Document Search – Luliang
External links
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Chinese Air Force bases
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in China
Airports in Yunnan
Transport in Qujing