Battles of Kinmen

Outbreak at 0030 Oct 25, 1949, the Battle of Guningtou (古寧頭) hold back the Red tide at an outpost islet of Taiwan.  In three day’s Kinmen meat grinder, the 22 M5A1 tanks of the 3^rd Tank Regiment played a pivotal role in countering the PLA 28^th Army’s human waves.  Depleted their ammo, the tank crews used their vehicles as road rollers to crush the invaders.  0400 the 28^th remainders were encircled by the five defender regiments at Guningtou highland.  At the first light, there were the 1^st, 8^th Bomber Groups, and 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th Fighter Groups laid down an interdict blanket suffocating the enemy.  On the beach, 356 out of 400 plus wooden junks, countless bamboo rafts were destroyed by the ground and aerial firepower.  All 9,086 landing troops met their grave ending, and the cross-strait reinforcement of about 10,000 men standing by in Xiamen Bay and Ming River area were cut off.  1000 Oct 27, Kinmen was declared secured, with 3,873 PLA’s POWs and 5,175 body counts.

Aligned with the Red regime’s priority, in 1958 PROC posed a threat to Kinmen again.  The 8.23 Barrage Battle was a series of fights unleashed by Mao Ze-Dong from Aug. 23 to Jan. 7, 1959.  In seven slashing offensives and hundreds of minor assaults, the Reds had fired more than 400,000 shells, but their quantity-superior batteries had not been able to obliterate the targets.  In the first day the Reds hurled 31,757 shells at the islets, aiming to clear and smash the artillery batteries, command posts, radar station, shop dock at Kinmen and adjacent islet Little Kinmen.   Facing the Red’s almost 460 guns, 380 artillery pieces were operated by the 18 battalions under six divisions and the 600^th Artillery Group of the Kinmen Defense Command, which included three M-101 105mm, three M-114 155mm howitzer, two M-59 155mm canon battalions, and one 90mm flak company.

Coordinated by the Fire Direction Center, all the batteries made a stand in the siege stage.  In the counter-blockade and counter-offensive, the 600^th’s dozen newly arrived 203mm long range howitzers successively suppressed the enemy.  During the titanic battle, the Reds lost 32 guns, plus 32 MiG-17s, three torpedo boats, and some 460 soldiers.  From all the three stages saw the artillery punch far above its weight, except Little Kinmen’s 9^th Division.  After the siege stage, 9^th’s 24 75mm pack howitzers, two 105mm  howitzer battalions, one 155mm  howitzer battalion and one 155mm canon company were boosted to 57 pieces.  Even so, the CO of the 9^th, Gen. How, was too coward to fire back with this powerful counter-barrage strength.  It’s the Kinmen batteries - especially the 600^th - did the heavy lifting, which constantly commenced all-out action, even covered How’s duty.  During all the 44 days of the siege stage, How only left his shelter in seven days, and symbolically visited few batteries in a Stuart tank.

Sadly, all unsung hero were deliberately bypassed in favor of forgery, and How was not the only free riders; a tailor-made leadership propaganda was in the making. Nevertheless, the rulers on both sides manipulated the campaign, in order to fortify their ruling and purge the dissidents.  Though Chiang Kai-Shek entirely misjudged Mao’s political and military intentions, he saw an opportunity to squelch the truth and made a fake war hero - his heir.  Manipulating the defensive, Chiang started drifting its corona over his elder son for future presidency.  As for Mao, his vice-like grip not only on the campaign, but also removed the powerless commanders who kept questioned his strategy, and opposed his dictatorship.  The 8.23 Barrage Battle was over, the political turmoil was about to begin.

Eagle has landed

Before the USAF F-86 tactics demo team visited Taoyuan air base, its pilots defeated every allied Sabre in 30 plus mock combats worldwide.  With total over 20 kills the four ex-aces scored in the Korean War, the quad focused on testing the operational capability of Sabre recipients globally.  Surprisingly, in all three mock combats the Americans were forced to rock wings in front of their stubborn tailgaters, these Chinese turned out to be the best of the best!  In the debriefing, hosts still humbly learned their engagement analysis, but they also noticed the importance of the confidential USAF handout No Guts No Glory.  When returning the books nest morning, three CAF pilots had already finished the Chinese translation over night.

After the large scale air battles during 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, swarms of MiG ceased to exist over the strait, the air supremacy was firmly secured by the CAF.  Though six MiG-17s were blasted by Sidewinder over 35,000 ft, most kills were still claimed by superb gunnery of the F-86 pilots at low altitude in September.  The MiG simply was no match for its foe, while every Sabre pilots recorded over 1,000 F-86 flight hours.  Even the U.S. Naval pilots from the visiting 323 Sqn. learned that they could never won Chinese in mock combat at 25,000 ft, their FJ-4 only got slim chance over 35,000 ft high altitude.  The CAF pilots learned fast, such as High Speed YoYo taught by the friendly USN allies.  Years later they performed hi yoyo to fought the more advanced Corsair in mock combat, the American could not do that difficult maneuver themselves.

Regarded as the model recipient of the Military Aid Program, America invited Republic of China Air Force Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team to the World Aviation Expo 1959.  Founded in 1953, the team has flown a wide array of aircraft, including the F-84G, F-86F, and F-5A/E, they now fly the indigenous AT-3.  Ever since their chest-thumping rehearsal at Williams AFB in April, 1953, immediately boosted numerous awe-inspired passionate audience.  Comparing this supernova of 9 then 12 planes skill, all the U.S. Blue Angles, U.K. Red Arrows, and Patrouille de France looked boring, not to mention their smaller formation.  As its indisputable fame spreaded and it performed across the States, the host requested extending their schedule to the Veterans Day.  In more than 40 cross continental demos, Thunder Tiger’s daring and dazzling maneuver revealed themselves to be hard-training and top acrobatics world-beaters.

AIDC of ROC

When the Aero Industry Development Center was expanded from the Bureau of Aeronautical Research in Taiwan, 1969, two milestone projects, PL-1 trainer and UH-1H helicopter, were cranked up in the newly re-org AIDC.  In order to chart the hard steering of Chinese aviation industry, we have to go back to the Naval Aircraft Department of Beijing government, 1921.  In 1920-32, the NAD was the only plant designed its own aircraft-one or two float recons took into air annually, while other shops simply copied the western models.   1937, the Navy Ministry of Nanjing Centre moved NAD to Shanghai, it expanded to maintenance, land-based and float planes reversed engineering, at the expense of its design capability.  With the Sino-Japanese War erupted, the NAD was withdrawn to Chengdu, all the other aircraft plants were also relocated to inland.  The BAR was established in Chengdu two years later.

Under the extreme logistic difficulties, the Chinese Air Force's 1^st Aircraft Plant copied Russian Polikarpov fighters, the CAF 2^nd Aircraft Plant managed to produce the first indigenous medium transport, along with its Polikarpov replicas.  And the 3^rd plant designed a light bomber based on Tupolev SB-2, but made by wood for obvious reason.  In 1946, the 1^st, the 3^rd, BAR, Guizhou Engine Plant, and Nanjing Accessory Plant were reassigned to the new Bureau of Aeronautical Industry.  Soon the 3^rd moved to Taiwan, its first 104 licensed-built Boeing PT-17 trainers paved the way for the local aviation industry.  Later a post-Korean War hibernation came; received the U.S. war surplus en masse, all the plants had shrunk to maintenance.

The marginalization spurred Taiwan into action to defense independence when the U.S. started normalization with Red China in the 1960s.  In August 1967, the CAF finalized the Aero Industry Development Plan.  Based on the strategy of international joint venture plus local R&D, since 1969 the progressive phases started from PL-1 primary trainer (1968-74), to phase 2 of Bell UH-1H chopper (1970-76), T-CH-1 trainer (1970-81), medium transport XC-2 (1976-78), then to phase 3 of F-5E/F fighter (1975-87), AT-3 attack trainer (1975-83) and IDF fighter (1981-99).   From 1973, five powerplant projects were carried out: T53-13A (UH-1H, 1973-80), T53-701A (XC-2, T-CH-1, 1975-82), S engine (1980-89), TFE-731-2-2L (AT-3, 1983-89). TFE-1042-70 (IDF, 1982-99).  Regardless of these hard-earned achievements, all the top decisions still amounted to a bizarre and illogical result: CAF completely abandoned its proud aviation self-sustainability.  This political correctness surely makes the cross-strait unification easier in the near future.

To Hell and Back

Under a secret effort designated Southern Star I, China Airlines began its clandestine airdrop operations over North Vietnam since 1965.  After CAL lost 49 crewmen and 10 airplanes, Southern Star III was taken over by the ex-34^th Squadron staff in 1968.  Known as the Black Bat 34^th Sqn, the 34^th was a corps of CIA recon crewmen flew night missions over Red China, to drop agents and gathered signal intelligence around Communist military bases.  During their 838 missions in 1953-67, in total 148 airmen were doomed, averagely only one men returned for every three.  The calamity that have usurped the 34^th, can best be described as sad paradigm bets due to shady mission planning from top brass and CIA.

Facing the P2V-7U deep-penetration unresisted , the Reds started deploying three flak groups in Liaodong Peninsula since September 1961, which was confirmed by the oblique shooting cameras of USAF U-2 from high seas.  Among the new trio, No.3 was the most ferocious threat, including six 85mm companies and six 37mm companies for high and low altitude, respectively.  Held up this scourge in briefing, CIA planners still issued the course of 11/06/1961 mission.  In the previous night a Neptune endured dense barrage over Liaodong until it reached high sea.  But the exhausted crewmen unconditionally obeyed their order to return to the death trap.  Not all the Black Bat's sorties could be covered by their flight skill and stealth tactics.  In just 30 seconds after being caught by search lights, multiple hits from the No.3 AA group blew up the P2V, it crashed at 300 meters east of Biliu River nearby Yunning Village.  Most of the airplane exploded to pieces, all 13 crewmates perished.  In average, each P2V sortie faced eight intercepts, and three or four passes per intercept, i.e. at least two dozens onslaughts commenced on every mission in the PLAAF records.  Until 1964, three more Neptunes crashed with all hands on board, as well Flying Fortress and Invader loses.

During the Cold War, the Black Bat Sqn started its initial operational phase as the Technical Development Unit with 2 RB-17Gs.  In mid-June, 1952, with its crewmen newly trained by the USAF in Japan, the Flying Fortress duo of the TDU which directly reported to the HQ of CAF, began stationed at the Xinzhu AFB.  Right after the termination of deep penetration missions of the 8^th BG’s PB4Ys, the intelligence electronics on the aging Privateers were retrofitted into the Fortress replacements, which continued the clandestine sorties.  The 34^th had endured blow after blow at the hands of flak and MiG, until its survivors continued to fight over North Vietnam in 1968.

Sounding the Alarm

Only five months after Taiwan (Republic of China) took delivery of its first six AH-64E Apache Block III helicopters in November, 2014, the first ill-fated Apache crashed due to human errors in a loiter and taxi practice.  This basic training was for developing pilot’s sense of feel, without any advanced combat maneuver.  The ROC Army is the first Apache user outside the US to receive the latest E model, the world’s most powerful attack chopper.  The order of 30 AH-64Es was part of a $6.5 billion arms deal unveiled in 2008 that irked PROC, at least subtly.  Somewhat ROC’s Apaches ain’t a real threat.

0958, 25 April, 2015, Apache s/n 808 flew by seed instructor Chen took off at the ROCA 601^st Brigade’s home base in northern Taiwan, his back-seater was the 601^st‘s deputy CO Liu.  Chen had 350 flt hr in Apache, and Liu had more than 1,000 flt hr in AH-1W SuperCobra.  This was Liu’s first Apache flight, he didn’t touch anything; the DFDR record revealed that it’s Chen did all the control.  Soon after T/O, Chen suddenly climbed from loiter altitude 120 ft to 350 ft under his spacial confusion.  Lost his ground reference, he even activated night vision device.  Before crash the control tower questioned his inadequate climbing, Chen used fogged up cockpit to conceal his mistake.

Surely crewman’s crapped-out airmanship for crashing an astronomical-priced chopper is inexcusable; Apache is not suitable for Taiwan’s requirements in the first place.  The lighter and cheaper Cobra can fully handle Taiwan’s high mountainous terrain and salty coastlines, neither are gracious to Apache.  But, Taiwanese top brass need the highest-tech equipment to justify their jobs, and the US needs to maximize its profit from Taiwan.  $70M is the Apache Longbow’s unit price for Taiwan, while $18M is for other Longbow operators.  With its aviator’s once-burnished reputation is being tarnished, ROC armed forces’ very survival is at stake.  It comes down to reality vs. wishful thinking, hopefully it’s not all doom and gloom.

Web of Power 以其可見而知其所隱

At the height of a fratricidal wrangling across the Taiwan straight, a Taipei-based C-46 passenger airliner (Civil Air Transport No. B-908) crashed as a result of a failed hijacking to Red China.  It was on June 20, 1964, all 57 onboard were killed, including the high profile founder of Cathy Organization (Singapore), Motion Picture and General Investments Ltd. (Hong Kong), Loke Wan Tho-the target of this attack.  Ignoring the death threat from the Red China, Loke’s Taiwan trip for the 11^th Asian Film Festival infuriated Beijing.  Before Loke’s VIP group went aboard in Taipei, two “Navy officers” had already boarded in Penghu, each men brought a thick USN Radar Operator Manual in his carry-on luggage, containing was a 9mm FN Browning hi-power pistol in a cut-out in each manual.  But when the aircraft overflew Taizhong, the hijacker’s plans went very wrong, so they shot both pilots in order to accomplished mission at any costs.

Among the debris on the scene, one of the hollow manual was found by an experienced CIA agent.  On the bombshell clue, he furtively traced back to the 2^nd Navy Shipyard in Penghu, then down to the saboteurs on the passenger list.  Surely such outcome was a relief for the powerless CAT employees, CAT’s name seemed to be cleared, and its insurance might cover all the losses.  But, they had no idea that the Chiang Kai-Shek’s image as a nation savior, this was required of the military not to reveal their absolute loyalty to Chiang’s authoritarian rule in order to support a fidelity outwardly.  Soon all the evidences were erased by the secret police, even CIA-boss of CAT-was closemouthed about the conspiracy.  Thus CAT was made the scapegoat for its “pilot’s error”, and it had backtracked since ever.

In retrospect, the democratic tide in Taiwan runs with unsuspected power and depth.  During Chiang’s reign, there were many ways one can land in state political prison, one of the victims under “shotgun blasting Commie hunt” was my neighbor Lee (李我炎)-future assistant of deputy secretary general of the UN.  However, as a lucky toddler, I was carefully protected by my parents.  In 1961 my mother took me in CAT’s new CV-880 jet to visit my grandma in Hong Kong, among my new toys I brought back home was a little drum made in Red China-with a Red Star on a drumhead.  When my dad spotted the “politically incorrect” logo, he cut off that drumhead.  Like far-reaching free expression, aircraft seems rare and jaw-dropping sights then.  Amid aircraft types used in Taiwan, I crossed through their service lives in different ways, where I had close encounters with Convair 880, Boeing 737, Beechcraft Super King Air 200, Republic F-84 Thunderjet and North American F-86 Sabre, etc. in my early days in Taiwan.

Yankee Doodle Dady

During the Cold War, the Red China knew about the terrific seapower of the 7^th Fleet surrounding Taiwan, that’s what kept the Reds starting invasion.  When they suddenly launched heavy bombardment of Quemoy outpost in 1958, the 7^th’s flagship Helena and carrier Lexington were both ready for action by the islet at 8 Am the next morning.  Three 8” selfpropelled howitzers were secretly ferried from Okinawa to Quemoy, M-55’s firepower was the major factor in putting out the 44 days Red’s barrage.  Among the four 7^th‘s Task Forces, only the TF 72 was responsible for Formosa (Taiwan) Patrol.  Inversely, it also prohibited any cross-strait operation under Reclaim the Mainland policy from the Nationalist Chinese.

The U.S. Army also deployed ground units in Taiwan, consisting of the MGM-1 Matador Tactical Missile Squadrons stationed at Tainan.  The Martin Matador was the first U.S. operational surface-to-surface cruise missile, which armed with the W5 nuclear warhead.  In 1962 the Tainan squadrons were decommissioned with the last phased-out Matadors in South Korea and West Germany.  After having the warheads removed from fuselage, the bulkhead attachment points were cut off by axes, then the non-flyable airframes were sold as scrap locally.  Meanwhile most of the inactivated support vehicles were dismantled, mainly 2 1/2-ton and 5-ton trucks.

Under the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, ROC forces’ were re-armed for island defense. Equipped with all defensive fighters, the powerful F-4 Phantom had always been CAF’s ultimate dream weapon.  The Air Asia’s maintenance hangars at Tainan were constantly filled with warbirds, e.g. F-4s from the Vietnam Theater, and a F-4 flight visited the CAF Academy in 1969.  However, silver linings finally among the political clouds.  1970, U.S. DoD approved to supply F-4D to Taiwan, and CAF crewmen started their WSO training on the back seat.  But CAF pilots had never used the front seat, the U.S. Congress rejected the deal to avoid China’s frustration.  One 1973 afternoon, I and my buddy were among the enthusiastic local folks, waiting for boarding the visiting 7^th’s cruiser Oklahoma City cruiser (CL-91).  Right after the harbor gate opened, crowd squeezed in like mob, and speaker announced immediately “tour canceled”.  Anyone mess with dominator will have a problem.