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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0575.PDF
MARCH 4TH, 1943 F LIG-HT 231 Chinese. For the Chinese does not overestimate the strik ing power of the Japanese Air Force, nor, for that matter, does he indulge in underestimating his enemy. His views arc rather based on the balanced deduction from his experi- ence of years of hard fighting, and as such they merit the special attention of the other Allies. Experience has shown that despite the enemy's over- whelming air superiority, Chinese forces can inflict heavy losses upon him and often wrestle from him the tactical initiative. Initially, of course, the Chinese troops found Japanese air support a most alarming feature of warfare. Gradually they not only grew accustomed to it, but they developed a special defensive technique which took the sting out of the enemy's attack. Chinese troops have developed a method of camouflage, primitive in its simplicity, which in its conception most truly resembles the mimicry of nature. They have learnt the difficult art of lying motionless dur- ing an enemy air attack, and they carry cone-shaped, locally made straw hats which are always painted in har- mony with the surroundings. When the troops move to another locality the hats are easily repainted to suit the new conditions. Japan's Material Advantage. Primitive as these methods may appear, they have saved the lives of millions and have stood the Chinese in good stead. In fact, together with other devices and ruses, they have been developed to such a pitch that more often than not the Chinese are able to stand their ground without any air cover. That the Japanese have not been able to blaze their way through with their air weapon is ample testimony to the efficiency of Chinese tactics. ;,,In the majority of operations the Chinese have to rely . almost exclusively on their ruses for deceiving Japanese air- craft. This fact has enabled the Japanese to employ in close support all sorts of aircraft which are far from being real first-line types. The advantage so gained enables the Japanese to employ their more modern first-line equipment elsewhere to the best strategic advantage without the neces- sity of dispersal of that strength on the Chinese and on other fronts. Such preservation of the enemy's strength on SKILL : Chinese mechanics at work on a damaged Toma- hawk fighter aircraft of the A.V.G. squadron. These men show a remarkable adaptability, are intelligent, and, while many are fully trained, even the novices among them quickly grasp the intricacies of modern aircraft. DISPERSAL POINT : These simply constructed huts have been built on many airfields to conceal the precious aircraft from the eyes of Japanese intruders.
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