World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Kunming Airfield in southern China was originally built in 1923, ordered by regional warlord Tang Jiyao. In 1937, the Central Aviation Academy was relocated from Jianqiao Airfield in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China to Kunming due to the outbreak of WW2. In 1941, it became the main base for the 1st American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers" (and later AVG's successor unit US 23rd Fighter Group, after the official US entry into the war), and as the war progressed several major US formations established headquarters at Kunming Airfield. It was also a hub for military and supply flights to and from India and Burma. Shortly after the war, the US Air Transport Command established an air route from Kunming Airfield to Clark Air Base in the Philippine Islands, which completed worldwide transport route for the ATC. Communist Chinese authorities later converted the airfield into the civilian Kunming Wujiaba International Airport, which served the region until 2012 when it was replaced by the new Kunming Changshui International Airport.

Kunming Airfield Interactive Map

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Kunming Airfield Timeline

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2.  Alan Chanter says:
18 Jan 2022 08:09:11 AM

Kunming Airfield was the scene of a tragic accident on 23 December 1947. A Belgian Short Stirling V transport registered to Air Transport carrying missionaries crashed on take-off as a result of a multiple failure of three of its four engines. Of the 30 people aboard, 25 were killed including the four crew.