World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseWong Sun-sui (Mandarin, Pinyin: Huang Xinrui; Mandarin, Wade-Giles: Hwang Hsin-jui) was born in Taishan County, Guangdong Province, China. At the age of nine, he emigrated to Los Angeles, California, United States with his family. In 1932, he enrolled in the Chinese aviation school at Los Angesles, and then attended another flight school in Oakland, California, United States. In the mid-1930s, he joined the Guangdong Provincial Air Force as a member of the 2nd Pursuit Squadron. During these early years in Guangdong, he acquired the nickname "Buffalo" in reference to his stocky stature and in comparison with the strong Asian water buffalo. When the Guangdong Provincial Air Force was merged into the Chinese Central Air Force, he became a member of the 17th Pursuit Squadron of the 3rd Pursuit Group. His first victory during the Second Sino-Japanese War took place on 15 Aug 1937 with the downing of a G3m bomber near Nanjing, China. On 19 Sep, while in combat over Nanjing, he observed several Japanese E8N seaplanes shooting at the parachute of Lieutenant Liu Lan-ching, who had just bailed out from his P-26 fighter; although successful, Wong was in turn shot down by Pilot Officer 2nd Class Harada, flying an A5M fighter. He was able to bail out, but he suffered injuries in the left hand which required some months to heal. In late 1937 or early 1938, he was given command of the 29th Pursuit Squadron of the 5th Pursuit Group, which flew Gladiator fighters. On 28 Feb, he shot down an E8N floatplane and claimed another as probable over Dongpu district of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. On 13 Apr, after shooting down multiple Japanese carrier aircraft from Kaga over Guangzhou, his Gladiator fighter was shot down by the A5M fighter piloted by Petty Officer 1st Class Jiro Chono; although he successfully bailed out, he lost the small finger on his left hand and was put out of action for an extended amount of time. In Nov 1940, he was promoted to the rank of major to command the 5th Pursuit Group. In Dec 1940 or Jan 1941, he was put in the cockpit of Soviet-built I-15III fighter. On 14 Mar, he was shot down by an A6M Zero fighter in the southern suburbs of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. He passed away in a hospital in Sumatou district of Chengdu from the head wound sustained in the downing two days later. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Wong Sun-sui Interactive Map

Wong Sun-sui Timeline

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