Japanese aircraft lost in combat over China 1937 - 1940

[Edward]

Aces of the Republic of China Air Force - Aircraft of the Aces 126
Raymond Cheung
Illustrator: Chris Davey
Osprey Publishing
Publication Date: 20 May 2015
Number of Pages: 96
Paperback
$22.95

The ace pilots of the Republic of China Air Force have long been shrouded in mystery and obscurity, as their retreat to Taiwan in 1949 and blanket martial law made records of the RoCAF all but impossible to access. Now, for the first time, the colourful story of these aces can finally be told. Using the latest research based on released archival information and full-colour illustrations, this book charts the history of the top scoring pilots of the RoCAF from the beginning of the gruelling, eight-year Sino-Japanese War to the conclusion of the Civil War against the Chinese Communists. Beginning as a ragged and very disparate group of planes and pilots drawn from various provincial air forces, the RoCAF gradually became standardised and was brought under American tutelage. Altogether it produced 17 aces who scored kills whilst flying a startling variety of aircraft, from biplanes to F-86 Sabres.

Biographical Note
Raymond Cheung served as a correspondent for a number of well-known defence journals in the United Kingdom, writing mainly on naval matters. However, his ‘first love’ is research in the history of the Chinese Air Force during the Sino-Japanese War 1937-45. In pursuit of this research, he has visited the archives of the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) and the Japanese Defence Department on numerous occasions. Some of this research has been published in Chinese publications. This is his first work on the subject in English.

Contents
Background to the RoCAF
Early phases of the Sino-Japanese War
Retreat inland
Retreat further inland
Outbreak of World War 2
Latter part of World War 2 & epilogue
Appendices