Soviet Volunteer Group (in China)
소련 지원 항공대
The Soviet Volunteer Group was a covert Soviet Air Force volunteer and support formation that assisted China with personnel and aircraft from 1937 to 1941 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Its pilots fought Japanese forces alongside the Chinese Air Force in air battles over Nanjing and elsewhere in China.
In depth
After the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August 1937, the USSR supplied China with aircraft and military assistance and sent pilots and technicians by October. Personnel traveled under civilian cover and used Chinese Air Force markings; some aircraft were transferred to China while others were operated by Soviet crews. The group reached Nanjing in November 1937, fought Japanese raids, and attacked Japanese airfields and shipping near Shanghai before withdrawing ahead of the city's fall. The wider assistance continued until 1941, when the Soviet strategic situation changed with the German invasion.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (supports the group’s 1937–1941 operation, Soviet personnel and aircraft, bases, and combat against Japan)
- 19371213.com.cn (Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall account supporting the group’s arrival, first Nanjing engagements, and withdrawal in December 1937)
- globalsecurity.org (supports the scale and duration of Soviet aircraft and pilot assistance to China)