CHINESE MILITARY AVIATION 1912-1937, VOLUME 1: Air Forces in Beijing and Guangzhou, 1912-1927

1-252871

Offers the first detailed and comprehensive study of the earliest Chinese military aviation forces, focusing on their establishment and development in Beijing and Guangzhou between 1912 and 1927. Presents a nuanced picture of a complex and often chaotic process of technological and institutional adaptation under extreme conditions. Reconstructs the emergence of aviation as a tool of state and warlord power in early Republican China. Documents the foundation of the Nanyuan Flying School near Beijing in 1913 and Sun Yat-sen's competing efforts to build an air arm in Guangzhou. Explores in depth the personalities involved and reveals how fragile institutional frameworks attempted to sustain these fledgling air services amidst political chaos, financial constraints, and shifting allegiances. Details China's early attempts to manufacture its own aircraft and the creation of local repair and production workshops. Operations during internal conflicts such as the White Wolf Rebellion, the Zhili-Anhui and Zhili-Fengtian Wars, and anti-bandit campaigns are analyzed, revealing how aviation was applied in China's fractured military landscape. Contains 131 black and white photos, 11 color illustrations, 43 color profiles, 5 black and white maps, and 1 color map.