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I'm helping a friend from Taiwan look into his grandfather's service in the nationalist Chinese air force.
Here's what we know so far. His granddad first signed up with a warlord's air force in the 1930s. This was absorbed into Chiang's ROCAF as war with Japan loomed. Ultimately he went to the U.S., probably Arizona, to be trained as a bomber pilot, graduating in a class "44-B". He returned to China and flew B-24/C-87s over the Hump. I have been shown a Chinese medal that I'm told is their version of a DFC, and a photo of the granddad in front of a flightline of B-24s in ROCAF markings (which I will try to get a scan of to post here as I'm sure it will be of interest).
In the course of his service he flew B-24, B-17, B-25, "de Havilland" (I'm thinking Mosquito FB.26), and "German" (I'm thinking He 111A) bombers as well as other types.
What we don't know is anything about the units and locations in which he served in China or trained in the US.
I have researched the fields where the U.S.-trained Chinese aviators and am leaning toward Marana as the most likely, although Luke, Williams, and Thunderbird also are possibilities. Anyone know a good source of wartime yearbooks from these bases?
Any other research ideas also appreciated.
August
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