The Air Force (), functioned as the military aviation branch associated de jure with the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the National Government of the Republic of China.
While administratively a subordinate entity under the Aviation Affairs Commission (), which itself formed part of the overarching Military Affairs Commission, the Air Force operated with significant autonomy and was, in practice, regarded as a near-independent service branch. Although there was no formal designation such as "Republic of China Air Force" () or "National Revolutionary Army Air Force" () during this period, the force was universally known by its official name: the Air Force.
The Command Post of the Air Force (), whose commanding position—titled Commander of the Air Force ()—was staffed by an army general rather than an officer from a separate air branch. No unique air marshal rank or parallel command hierarchy existed, underscoring its theoretical status as a subset of the NRA.
Etymology
The term Command Post of the Air Force () stems from the organisational framework of the Republic of China, wherein air force operations were treated as a command-level component within the General Headquarters of the National Revolutionary Army. This structural arrangement persisted until the post-1947 reorganisation that formally established the Republic of China Air Force as an independent military service.
Despite its embedded position within the Military Affairs Commission, the Air Force operated with increasing independence in both operations and doctrine during the 1930s and 1940s. To most civilians of the era, the Air Force was perceived as one of the three principal service branches, alongside the army and navy.
As the Aviation Affairs Commission was the de facto administrative body responsible for overseeing the operations of the Air Force, the term Aviation Affairs Commission Air Force () came into common use among historians in Taiwan, as well as among overseas Chinese and other pro-Nationalist communities. In Western historical literature, the force is often referred to as the Chinese Nationalist Air Force, a term used to distinguish it from the later Communist air force. Meanwhile, in the People’s Republic of China, the same force is typically labelled the Kuomintang Air Force (), reflecting a post-1949 political and ideological framing.
History
On 29 November 1920, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) established the "Aviation Department". Starting with four Curtiss JN Jenny training aircraft, the "Aviation Department" gave nationalist faction troops an aviation element during the Constitutional Protection Movement led by the party leader Sun Yat-sen.
The "Aviation Department" was reformed into "Aviation Ministry" on 1 November 1928 within the National Revolutionary Army commanding structure, and later on 17 August 1933, the "Aviation Ministry" was expanded as the Aviation Affairs Commission () directly under the Military Affairs Commission. The "Command Post of the Air Force" served as the executive body of the Aviation Affairs Commission.
Ironically, the Aviation Affairs Commission wielded far greater authority than most army aviation branches in other countries at the time, as in practice, until 1947 the Aviation Affairs Commission was responsible not only for the majority of Nationalist Chinese military aviation, but also for all air traffic control, as well as the issuance of licenses and certifications for civilian pilots and related professionals within nationalist China. The only exceptions were those aircraft operated by the Republic of China Navy, include the two Aichi AB-3 floatplanes onboard Light Cruiser CNS Ning Hai.
The Air Force also maintained a distinctive identity, with uniforms markedly different from those of the NRA's ground forces and a separate administrative system. In terms of pay and provisions, Air Force personnel enjoyed treatment on par with the NRA's most trusted ground units—far superior to that of the majority of other NRA ground formations at the time.
Operations Chinese Civil War
During the civil war between the nationalist faction and the communist faction, the air force had been actively supporting the nationalist army and other pro-nationalist troops on the ground, particularly during the final encirclement campaign against the communist stronghold.
A Unified Chinese Nationalist Air Force As tensions escalated between China and Imperial Japan during the 1930s, air units from various Chinese warlord factions, including the Guangdong Provincial Air Force and squadrons manned by overseas Chinese aviators, were gradually integrated into the centralised command of the Chinese Nationalist Air Force. This consolidation was driven by the urgent need to present a unified front in response to the Japanese invasion and occupation.
During the January 28 Incident of 1932, the Air Force deployed combat aircraft to Hungchiao Aerodrome near Shanghai, leading to the first recorded aerial engagements between Chinese and Imperial Japanese forces. In February of that year, U.S. Reserve Lieutenant Robert McCawley Short, who was ferrying armed aircraft for the Chinese, engaged Japanese aircraft in combat. On February 19, he successfully shot down an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) aircraft, and on February 22, he downed another before being killed in action. In recognition of his bravery, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force.
Among the warlord factions, the Guangxi Clique was the last to join the centralised air force command, formally integrating in November 1937. Under the enduring leadership of Generals Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, now serving within the Kuomintang (KMT) framework, the Guangxi airmen distinguished themselves in the critical Battle of Taierzhuang, earning honorable recognition for their contributions to one of China's early battlefield victories.
Early Stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War
During the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), the Chinese Nationalist Air Force played a key role in the defense against Japanese aggression, conducting attacks on Japanese warships along the eastern front and the Yangtze river, as well as providing interdiction and close-air support during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937.
At the onset of full-scale hostilities, Chinese sources estimated that Japan could deploy approximately 600 aircraft (from a total inventory of 1,530) against China's 230 combat-ready aircraft. On August 14, 1937, Chinese Hawk III fighters intercepted Imperial Japanese Navy bomber aircraft, operated by Kisarazu Air Group targeting Chienchiao Airbase,(Wades-Gile: "Chienchiao" airbase) on that day Chinese Hawk III shot down two Mitsubishi G3M aircraft, with another two G3M aircraft damaged beyond repair on return to base, while losing one Hawk III of its own, marking the beginning of a series of major air battles. "814" or "14th of August" had thus become regarded as the "Firing Baptism" () of the Chinese Nationalist air force, and later the Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force.
Chinese frontline fighters at the time included the Curtiss Hawk II, Hawk III—some license-built locally by CAMCO—as well as the Boeing P-26C/Model 281 and Fiat CR.32. In one of the world's earliest aerial dogfights between all-metal monoplane fighters, Nationalist Chinese P-26s engaged Japanese Mitsubishi A5M over Nanking.
Amid escalating Japanese aerial terror bombing campaigns targeting both military and civilian areas, on 19 May 1938, the Chinese Air Force also planned a daring psychological warfare operation targeting the Japanese home islands, using two Martin B-10 bomber aircraft, led by Captain Hsu Huang-Sheng to carry out a leaflet-dropping mission across the sea, over the Japanese cities of Nagasaki, Saga, Fukuoka, —one of the earliest Chinese efforts to confront Japan on its own territory through aerial means.
The War then rapidly became a war of attrition for the Nationalist Air Force, which suffered heavy personnel and equipment losses in the early stages. Many of its most experienced ace pilots—including Lieutenant Liu Tsui-kang, Colonel Kao Chih-hang, and Yüeh I-ch'in—were killed in action within the first year of the conflict. At the start of the war in 1937, China's front-line aircraft, such as the Curtiss Hawk II/III and Boeing P-26C, were quickly rendered obsolete by more advanced Japanese aircraft. Within six months, the Chinese Air Force began receiving Polikarpov I-15 and Polikarpov I-16 fighters through the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, along with the arrival of Soviet volunteer pilots, which temporarily stabilised air operations from 1937 to 1939.
Despite these reinforcements, the air force faced growing disadvantages. The fall of Shanghai, Nanking, and Taiyuan in 1937, followed by defeats at Wuchang and South Guangxi, severely undermined China's strategic depth and logistical supply lines—particularly the availability of high-octane aviation fuel, which was crucial for maintaining combat effectiveness. In contrast, Imperial Japan not only had unrestricted access to such fuel, but also benefited from a sophisticated aviation industry capable of producing faster, more agile, and heavily armed aircraft.
Code-breaking operations also played a key role in the Japanese air campaign. An Imperial Japanese naval signals unit, including IJN Lt. Commander Tsunezo Wachi and codebreaking expert Lt. Yamada, was attached to the landing forces at Shanghai. Their interception of Chinese communications allowed for several preemptive strikes on Chinese airfields, contributing to the early losses suffered by the Nationalist Air Force.
After the Battle of Wuhan in October 1938, Chinese air force units were largely withdrawn to the Szechwan hinterland, where they assumed a defensive role against an increasingly intense Japanese terror bombing campaign. Operations "100" and "101", launched by the Japanese, were among the most brutal aerial carpet-bombing raids inflicted upon civilian populations up to that time. These raids targeted Chungking and surrounding areas and were fiercely resisted by remaining Chinese fighter units and anti-aircraft artillery, occasionally inflicting meaningful losses on the attacking forces.
However, China's lack of aviation-industrial infrastructure meant it could not replace losses or match the rapid pace of Japanese technological advancement. As the war dragged on, Chinese aircraft, hampered by poor fuel quality and outdated performance, struggled against increasingly superior Japanese fighters. The introduction of the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" in 1940–41—then the most advanced carrier-based fighter in the world—granted Japan near-total air superiority by 1941. This overwhelming aerial dominance contributed to the Japanese high command's confidence in launching Operation Z, the strategic plan that culminated in the Attack on Pearl Harbor.Cheung, 2015, p. 74.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Air Force underwent internal reorganisation. By the end of the 1930s, it was restructured into seven groups, one independent squadron, and four foreign volunteer groups. After the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Germany with Nazi Germany in 1939, the Soviet Volunteer Group was withdrawn, leaving China increasingly isolated in its air war against Japan until the entry of the United States into the conflict following Pearl Harbor.
World War II
Following the Japanese invasion of French Indochina in 1940, the United States responded by imposing an embargo on oil, steel, and other strategic materials, effectively cutting off Japan's access to critical war resources. In tandem, the Lend-Lease Act was enacted on 11 March 1941, with China designated as a recipient just four days later, on 15 March. The Nationalist government promptly submitted a request for 1,000 aircraft to bolster its resistance against Japanese aggression.