Huaihua Zhijiang Airport is an airport serving the city of

Huaihua Huaihua () is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Hunan province, China. It is known as the "Western Gate" of Hunan and is the largest prefecture-level city in the province.It covers and is bordered by Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous P ...

Hunan Province Hunan is an inland province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, and Guizhou and Chon ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It is located in

Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County (), usually referred to as Zhijiang County () ( Dong language: Zix jangh) is an autonomous county of the Dong people in Hunan Province, China. It is under the administration of Huaihua prefecture-level city. Zh ...

, 31 kilometers from the city center. The airport was built in 1942 and was the second largest military airfield in the Far East for the Allies during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Hunan Zhijiang Airport to officially open
/ref> On 21 August 1945 Japan officially surrendered to China near the airfield. Construction to convert the airport for civilian use was started in December 2002 and the airport was reopened in September 2004.

Airlines and destinations

World War II

During

, the airport was known as Chihkiang (Chih Kiang) Airfield (which is the Wade-Giles transcription of the same name) 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 (1942–1945). Its primary use by the Americans was as an airborne photo-reconnaissance and as a transport airfield. Chihkiang Air Base was also the headquarters of the

Chinese-American Composite Wing (Provisional) (CACW), whose squadrons flew

P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...

aircraft. The operational units of the CACW were jointly commanded by both American and Chinese air force officers, and the unit's aircraft were jointly manned by American and Chinese pilots and air crewmen. On 10 April 1945, the Japanese started an offensive for Chihkiang, however, by 10 May the CACW had attacked and mauled the Japanese forces so severely, the Japanese had to retreat to Paoching.USAFHRA document 00056109
/ref> The Americans closed their facilities at the airport in early October 1945.

References

{{authority control Airports in Hunan Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in China Airports established in 1942 1942 establishments in China Transport in Huaihua

Airlines and destinations

World War II

See also

References