The Fourteenth Air Force ( 14 AF ; Air Forces Strategic ) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base , California.
123-513: The command was responsible for the organization, training, equipping, command and control, and employment of Air Force space forces to support operational plans and missions for U.S. combatant commanders and their subordinate components and was the Air Force Component to U.S. Strategic Command for space operations. Established on 5 March 1943 at Kunming , China, 14 AF was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force activated in
246-677: A treaty port opening to foreign trade in 1908 and became a commercial center soon after. A university was set up in 1922. In the 1930s the first highways connected to Kunming were built, linking Kunming with Chongqing in Sichuan and Guiyang in Guizhou to the east. The local warlord General Tang Jiyao established the Wujiaba Aerodrome in 1922; an additional 23 airports would be established in Yunnan from 1922 to 1929. Kunming
369-497: A canal. The river receives sewage and wastewater from surrounding pipes. The center is an area of importance to Kunming's Hui population, with Shuncheng Street, one of the last old streets in the center of the city, previously forming a Muslim quarter. Until shortly before 2005, this street was full of wind-dried beef and mutton carcasses, pitta bread and raisin sellers, and huge woks of roasting coffee beans being stirred with shovels. Under Kunming's rapid modernisation, however,
492-601: A field of battle in World War II. Claire L. Chennault , meanwhile, had been recalled to active duty with the rank of brigadier general and placed at the head of the China Air Task Force (later to grow into Fourteenth Air Force ). The 23rd Fighter Group became a component of the Task Force and was assigned three squadrons, the 74th , 75th , and 76th Fighter Squadrons . The group inherited
615-697: A green space rate of 21.7 percent. The city's smoke control area is 115 square kilometres (44 square miles) and noise control area 87 square kilometres (34 square miles). Kunming is a significant horticultural center in China, providing products such as grain, wheat, horsebeans, corn, potato and fruit such as peaches, apples, oranges, grapes and chestnuts. Kunming is world-famous for its flowers and flower-growing exports. More than 400 types of flowers are commonly grown in Kunming. The camellia , Yulan magnolia , azalea , fairy primrose , lily and orchid are known as
738-537: A major re-organization of the postwar USAAF that had included the establishment of Major Commands (MAJCOM), who would report directly to HQ United States Army Air Forces. Continental Air Forces was inactivated, and Tenth Air Force was assigned to the postwar Air Defense Command in March 1946 and subsequently to Continental Air Command (ConAC) in December 1948 being primarily concerned with air defense. The command
861-686: A modern commercial district, residential zones, and university areas. The city is also one of the major centers for scientific research and education in Southwestern China . As of 2024, it was listed among the top 100 cities in the world by scientific research output . The city has an astronomical observatory , and its institutions of higher learning include Yunnan University , Kunming University of Science and Technology , Yunnan University of Finance and Economics , Kunming Medical University , Yunnan Normal University , Yunnan Agricultural University and Southwest Forestry University . Kunming
984-693: A reduced-weight versions sharing many of the external characteristics of the D series aircraft including the bubble canopy. All U.S. pilots assigned to the CACW were listed as rated pilots in Chinese Air Force and were authorized to wear the pilot's wings of both nations. One of the known Chinese pilots is Captain Ho Weng Toh of Singapore, the last known surviving Flying Tigers' member in Asia. Captain Ho flew
1107-636: A role it fulfills to this day. When the city of Nanning fell to the Japanese during the Battle of South Guangxi , China's sea-access was cut off. However, the Chinese victory at the Battle of Kunlun Pass kept the Burma Road open. When the Japanese began occupying French Indochina in 1940, the Burma Road that linked Kunming and the outside-world with unoccupied China grew increasingly vital as much of
1230-602: A small cadre of volunteer personnel from the simultaneously disbanded 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) – the " Flying Tigers " of the Chinese Air Force . To carry on the traditions and commemorate the history of the AVG, aircraft of the USAF 23rd Fighter Group carry the same "Shark Teeth" nose art of the AVG's Curtiss P-40 Warhawks , along with the "FT" ( F lying T iger) tail code. The 23rd Fighter Group's aircraft are
1353-471: A total area of 21,600 square kilometres (8,340 square miles). Its widest stretch from the east to the west amounts to 140 kilometres (87 miles) and its largest expansion from the north to the south amounts to 220 kilometres (137 miles). Situated in a fertile lake basin on the northern shore of the Lake Dian and surrounded by mountains to the north, west, and east, Kunming has always played a pivotal role in
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#17327907641991476-457: A total of more than 24,000 combat sorties, requiring more than 53,000 flying hours, and at a cost of 110 aircraft lost in aerial combat, 90 shot down by surface defenses, and 28 bombed while on the ground. Thirty-two pilots of the group achieved ace status by shooting down five or more enemy aircraft. The 23rd Fighter Group left the theater in December 1945 and was inactivated 5 January 1946, at Fort Lewis , Washington. The 23rd Fighter Group
1599-548: Is 5,542,314, accounting for 86.16%; the population of all ethnic minorities add up to 889,898, accounting for 13.84%. Some of the 26 nationalities in the province live in Kunming, and the average life expectancy of the city's population is 76 years old. The city center has three major squares and six major streets: Jinma Biji Square, Nanping Square and Dongfeng Square are the main squares, while Nanping Street, Zhengyi Road, Renmin Road, Dongfeng Road, Jinbi Road, and Qingnian Road are
1722-563: Is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base , Georgia. The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Redesignated the 23rd Fighter Group before its activation, the group was formed in China on 4 July 1942, as a component of the China Air Task Force and received
1845-694: Is also home to the Golden Temple , China's largest bronze temple dating from the Ming dynasty. Kunming is a major economic center in Western China. The city's economic importance derives from its geographical position, as it shares a border with various Southeast Asian countries, serving them as a transportation hub in Southwest China, linking by rail to Vietnam and Laos , and by road to Myanmar and Thailand . This positioning also makes
1968-553: Is covered with blossoms and lush vegetation all-year round. The period from May to October is the monsoon season and the rest of the year is dry. The city has an annual mean temperature of 15.52 °C (59.9 °F), rainfall of 979 millimetres (38.5 in) (nearly three-fifths occurring from June to August) and a frost-free period of 230 days. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 30% in July to 69% in February and March,
2091-633: Is known as the "City of Eternal Spring". The weather has seldom reached high temperatures in summer, only exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) on a handful of occasions. However, freak snowfalls occur in occasional winters. Controlled by a subtropical highland climate ( Köppen Cwb ), the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 8.9 °C (48.0 °F) in January to 20.3 °C (68.5 °F) in June, with daily high temperatures reaching their lowest point and peak in December and May, respectively. The city
2214-508: Is part of the larger karst-based landscape of the area. Located at an elevation of 1,890 metres (6,200 feet) on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau with low latitude and high elevation, Kunming has one of the mildest climates in China, characterized by short, cool dry winters with mild days and crisp nights, and long, balmy and humid summers. With its perpetual spring-like weather which provides the ideal climate for plants and flowers, Kunming
2337-654: Is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China . The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II , Kunming was a Chinese military center and the location of the headquarters for the US Army Forces China-Burma-India. Wujiaba Airport served as the home of the First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of
2460-707: Is the joint of the Xiao River and the Jinsha River in Dongchuan District , with an elevation of 695 metres (2,280 feet). Its downtown area is 1,891 metres (6,204 feet) above sea level . About 96 km (60 mi) southeast of the city centre is the Stone Forest in Shilin County , a karst formation developed as a tourist attraction consisting of rock caves, arches, and pavilions. It
2583-472: The 1999 World Horticultural Exposition . It was primarily during 1997 and 1998 that much of the city's roads, bridges and high rises were built. The World Horticultural Expo was widely regarded as a public relations success for Kunming. Today the after-effects of the Expo are apparent in more than just the physical improvements to the city—it was the Expo that made the outside world take notice of Kunming, which
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#17327907641992706-537: The 43rd Airlift Wing . In June 2023, the USAF announced that two squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lighting II will be based at Moody AFB from 2029 to replace the 23rd Fighter Group's A-10C Thunderbolt IIs . On 1 October 2006, the 347th Rescue Wing at Moody redesignated as the 347th Rescue Group, while the 23rd Fighter Group was expanded and redesignated the 23rd Wing. Along with the 347th Rescue Group,
2829-567: The 702nd Strategic Missile Wing . On 1 June 1992, the 23rd Tactical Fighter Group was redesignated the 23rd Operations Group and activated at Pope Air Force Base , North Carolina under the redesignated 23rd Wing under the USAF Objective Wing plan. It was given the mission of controlling the flying components of the parent 23rd Wing. These included both fighters providing close air support and theater airlift aircraft. In December 1992, Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft from
2952-459: The 74th and the 75th Fighter Squadrons both flying A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. By 15 June 1942, under orders from Tenth Air Force , an advance cadre of pilots and aircraft had proceeded over the Hump to Kunming , China, for combat familiarization. Without ceremony, the 23rd Fighter Group was activated 4 July 1942, marking the first such activation of a United States fighter unit on
3075-529: The ASEAN Regional Forum , China, Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma) agreed to construct a highway from Kunming to Chittagong through Mandalay for trade and development. On 1 March 2014, 29 people were killed, and more than 130 were injured at Kunming Railway Station in a terrorist attack . Kunming is located in east-central Yunnan province. It is located between north latitude 24°23' and 26°22' N, and east longitude 102°10' and 103°40' E, with
3198-611: The Arctic Circle . Additional radars came under the command's control for the sole purpose of detecting, identifying, tracking and sending back to NORAD data on any SLBM. All man-made objects became numbers in the USAF SPACETRACK network operated by the 14th Aerospace Force. Budget reductions and reorganizations within ADCOM brought many changes and reductions in aerospace resources along with almost continual turmoil in
3321-566: The Asiatic-Pacific Theater of World War II. It primarily fought in China. After World War II Fourteenth Air Force subsequently served Air Defense Command , Continental Air Command , and the Air Force Reserve (AFR). 14 AF was commanded by Major General Stephen N. Whiting . Its Command Chief Master Sergeant was Chief Master Sergeant Patrick F. McMahon . On 20 December 2019, the USAF's Fourteenth Air Force
3444-533: The Battle of Chongqing and Chengdu , Kunming was not out of the reach of Japanese air raids, and faced attacks by IJAAF and IJNAF bombers; military assets and infrastructure were under regular attack, while the RoCAF 18th Fighter Squadron and units of the Air Force Academy at Wujiaba were tasked with aerial defense of Kunming. The city of Kunming was prepared as an alternate National Redoubt in case
3567-505: The Chinese Air Force was called to Chongqing , China, on 29 March 1942, for a conference to decide the fate of the AVG. Present at the conference were Chiang Kai-shek ; his wife, Soong Mei-ling ; Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell , commander of all U.S. forces in the China Burma India Theater ; and Colonel Clayton L. Bissell , who had arrived in early March. Bissell was General Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold's choice to command
3690-676: The Distinguished Unit Citation . In 1945 it help turn the Japanese spring offensive and harassed the retreating Japanese by strafing and bombing their columns. Before the 23rd Fighter Group returned to the United States in December 1945, it was credited with destroying 621 enemy planes in air combat, plus 320 more on the ground; with sinking more than 131,000 tons of enemy shipping and damaging another 250,000 tons; and with causing an estimated enemy troop loss of more than 20,000. These statistics were compiled through
3813-540: The Korean War , 14 AF participated in the mobilization of Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units and individuals from its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base (AFB), Georgia. After the Korean War, the reserve wings of 14 AF participated in various airlift operations, such as Operation SIXTEEN TONS, Operation SWIFT LIFT and Operation READY SWAP. 14 AF was inactivated on 1 September 1960. Fourteenth Air Force
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3936-624: The Lake Dian area later. "Kunming" has acted as a place name since the Three Kingdoms period, but the reference was not clear because this ethnicity occupied a large region. In the Yuan dynasty , the central government set up "Kunming County" in modern Kunming; the name "Kunming" has continued to this day. A 2009 research paper proposes that the name "Kunming" of Kunming Yi is a cognate word of " Khmer " and " Khmu " that originally meant "people". Kunming long profited from its position on
4059-722: The North American P-51 Mustang aircraft in November 1943. Representative of the encounters undertaken by this small and often ill-equipped group was the defense against a major Japanese push down the Hsiang Valley in Hunan 17–25 June 1944. Ignoring inhibiting weather conditions and heavy ground fire, the 23rd Fighter Group provided air support for Chinese land forces and repeatedly struck at enemy troops and transportation. Its efforts in this instance earned it
4182-718: The Republic of China Air Force , nicknamed the Flying Tigers . Kunming was also a transport terminus for the Burma Road . Kunming is at an altitude of 1,900 metres (6,234 feet) above sea level and a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer , and is situated in the middle of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau . Kunming is the fourth most populous city in Western China , after Chongqing , Chengdu , and Xi'an , and
4305-638: The Republic of China Air Force . American missionary John Birch was recommended to Chennault for intelligence work by Jimmy Doolittle , whom he had assisted when Doolittle's crew landed in China after the raid on Tokyo . Inducted into the Fourteenth on its formation, and later seconded to the OSS , he built a formidable network of Chinese informants to provide the Flying Tigers with intelligence on Japanese land and sea military positions and
4428-582: The West Pagoda is along a narrow lane on the right. In the tiny surrounding courtyard, sociable idlers while away sunny afternoons playing cards and sipping tea in the peaceful, ramshackle surroundings. The East Pagoda is a more cosmetic, slightly tilted duplicate standing in an ornamental garden a few minutes' walk east on Shulin Jie. The temples associated with both pagodas are closed to the public. 23rd Fighter Group The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG)
4551-631: The communications of southwestern China . Lake Dian, known as "the Pearl of the Plateau", is the largest lake in Yunnan and the sixth largest fresh water lake in China. It has an area of approximately 340 square kilometres (130 square miles). Kunming's highest point is Mazong Ridge of the Jiaozi Snow Mountain in Luquan with an elevation of 4,247 metres (13,934 feet), and its lowest point
4674-480: The economic reforms of the mid-1980s, Kunming has enjoyed increased tourism and foreign investment . Several Thai Chinese banks have offices in Kunming, for example, Kasikorn Bank and Krung Thai Bank . Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand has visited Kunming many times to study Chinese culture and promote friendly relations. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city center was rebuilt, with Swiss help, in its current 'modern' style to impress visitors attending
4797-540: The 13th-century Venetian traveler Marco Polo . The area was first dubbed Kunming during the decline of the Yuan Dynasty. In the 14th century, Kunming was retaken from Mongolian control when the Ming dynasty defeated the Yuan dynasty . The Ming later built a wall surrounding present-day Kunming. 300 years later, Ming General Wu Sangui defected to Manchu invaders and held the city until his death in 1678, long after
4920-582: The 2010 establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. The FTA made Kunming a trade and financial center for Southeast Asia. In addition to physical improvements to enhance Kunming's trade with Southeast Asia, the central and provincial governments have made financial preparations to assist the city's emergence. At the end of 2004, the central government approved Kunming to be one of the 18 mainland cities in which foreign banks could conduct business in renminbi . In July 2006, talks at
5043-622: The 23rd Fighter Wing as part of the USAF Wing/Base Reorganization , which was intended to unify command and control on air bases by assigning operational and support groups to a single headquarters. In April 1949, the group moved with the wing to Howard Air Force Base in the Panama Canal Zone , where it assumed the air defense mission of the Panama Canal, taking over the personnel and equipment of
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5166-473: The 23rd Group a second A-10 squadron. On 1 April 1997, the 23rd Operations Group was inactivated and replaced by the downsized 23rd Wing, which was redesignated as the 23rd Fighter Group. The 23rd Fighter Group was assigned to the 347th Wing of Air Combat Command at Moody Air Force Base , Georgia but the group remained at Pope as a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU). Its C-130s and Pope Air Force Base were realigned to Air Mobility Command and assigned to
5289-485: The 5600th Composite Group. It was inactivated along with the wing a few months later when the Air Force consolidated its operations in the Panama Canal Zone at Albrook Air Force Base . The group was redesignated as the 23rd Fighter-Interceptor Group (FIG), activated once again and assigned to the 23rd Fighter-Interceptor Wing (FIW) at Presque Isle Air Force Base , Maine as part of Air Defense Command (ADC), with
5412-487: The 74th and 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons (FIS) assigned, flying North American F-86E Sabre aircraft. Before the year was over, both squadrons had converted to older F-86As. In February 1952, the wing and group were inactivated, in a major reorganization of Air Defense Command (ADC) responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage. In August 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which
5535-590: The 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter squadrons, its table of organization rounded out by the transfer of men and P-40s from two squadrons of the 51st Fighter Group in India. A fourth fighter squadron for the 23rd Group was obtained by subterfuge. In June and July 1942, Chennault got the Tenth Air Force to relocate the 51st FG's 16th Fighter Squadron , commanded by Major John Alison , to his main base in Kunming, China, to gain combat experience. Chennault took them into
5658-660: The AVG into the USAAF, after Stilwell promised that the fighter group absorbing the induction would remain in China with Chennault in command. With the situation in Burma rapidly deteriorating, Stilwell and Bissell wanted the AVG dissolved by 30 April 1942. Chennault, wanting to keep the Flying Tigers going as long as possible, proposed the group disband on 4 July, when the AVG's contracts with the Nationalist Chinese government expired. Stilwell and Bissell accepted. Chennault
5781-662: The AVG pilots accepted them. The remainder of the AVG pilots, many disgruntled with Bissell, became civilian transport pilots in China, went back to America into other jobs, or joined or rejoined the other military services and fought elsewhere in the war. An example was Fritz Wolf who returned to the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant, senior grade and assigned as fighter pilot instructor at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. The 23rd Fighter Group with
5904-460: The Air Force space operational component of United States Strategic Command. As the Air Force's sole Numbered Air Force for space and its concurrent United States Strategic Command mission of Joint Space Operations, the operational mission of 14 AF included space launch from the east and west coasts, satellite command and control, missile warning, space surveillance and command and control of assigned and attached joint space forces. The overall mission
6027-567: The Army Air Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater. In addition to inheriting operational responsibilities from the AVG, the 23rd Fighter Group also benefited from the knowledge and experience of the AVG pilots, and took on the nickname of the disbanded unit. Col. Robert L. Scott Jr. , already in India as a commander of the Hump operation, became the first commander of the 23rd Fighter Group. He would later author
6150-438: The B-25 bomber, as part of the 1st Bomber Group. Members of the 3rd FG were honored with a Distinguished Unit Citation (now Presidential Unit Citation) for a sustained campaign: Mission "A" in the late summer of 1944. Mission "A" halted a major Japanese ground offensive and resulted in the award of individual decorations for several of the group's pilots for the planning and execution of the mission. Most CACW bases existed near
6273-536: The CATF – and never returned them. On 19 March 1943, the CATF was disbanded and its units made part of the newly activated Fourteenth Air Force, with Chennault, now a major general, still in command. In the nine months of its existence, the China Air Task Force shot down 149 Japanese planes, plus 85 probables, with a loss of only 16 P-40s. It had flown 65 bombing missions against Japanese targets in China, Burma and Indochina, dropping 311 tons of bombs and losing only one B-25 bomber. The members of Fourteenth Air Force and
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#17327907641996396-454: The China National Aviation Corporation. The equipment and those members of the 1st AVG choosing to join the USAAF were absorbed into United States Army Air Forces China Air Task Force on 14 July 1942 as the 23rd Fighter Group. ** Assigned to Tenth Air Force. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Kunming Kunming
6519-404: The Himalayas from British bases in India to port-of-entry Kunming. The Office of Strategic Services ' Service Unit Detachment 101 (predecessor to the 1st Special Forces Group ) was also headquartered in Kunming. Its mission was to divert and disrupt Japanese combat operations in Burma. Kunming, the northern terminus of all three of the Burma Road, the Ledo Road , and The Hump supply-line,
6642-446: The Hump route, but its operations extended beyond China to Burma, French Indochina and as far as Taiwan. The unit helped pioneer a number of innovative fighter and fighter-bomber tactics. The group used its so-called "B-40" (P-40's carrying 1,000-pound bombs) to destroy Japanese bridges and kill bridge repair crews, sometimes demolishing their target with a single bomb. The unit gained another increase in capability with its conversion to
6765-582: The Tenth Air Force). Friction developed when Chennault and the Chinese government were disturbed by the possibility that Chennault would no longer control combat operations in China. However, when Tenth Air Force commanding general Lewis Brereton was transferred to Egypt on 26 June, Stillwell used the occasion to issue an announcement that Chennault would continue to command all air operations in China. The CATF had 51 fighters in July 1942: 31 Curtiss 81A-1 (export Tomahawks) and P-40B Tomahawks, and 20 P-40E Warhawks. Only 29 were flyable. The 81A-1s and P-40Bs were from
6888-428: The US press adopted the name Flying Tigers for themselves after the AVG's dissolution. Especially the 23d Fighter Group was often called by the same nickname. The Fourteenth Air Force official web site says: In addition to the core Fourteenth Air Force (14AF) structure, a second group, the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW), existed as a combined 1st Bomber, 3rd Fighter, and 5th Fighter Group with pilots from both
7011-612: The USAAF's proposed combat organization in China. As early as 30 December 1941, the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C., had authorized the induction of the Flying Tigers into the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). Chennault was opposed to inducting the Flying Tigers into the Army. Stilwell and Bissell made it clear to both Chennault and Chiang that unless the AVG became part of the U.S. Army Air Force, its supplies would be cut off. Chennault agreed to return to active duty but he made it clear to Stilwell that his men would have to speak for themselves. Chiang Kai-shek finally agreed to induction of
7134-539: The United States and the Republic of China. U.S. service personnel destined for the CACW entered the China theater in mid-July 1943. Aircraft assigned to the CACW included later series P-40 Warhawks (with the Nationalist Chinese Air Force blue sky and 12-pointed white sun national insignia, rudder markings, and squadron/aircraft numbering) and B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. In late 1944, USAAF-marked P-51 Mustangs began to be assigned to CACW pilots—first P-51B and C series followed by, in early 1945, D and K series. The latter were
7257-416: The United States military. The 1st American Volunteer Group was formally disbanded on 4 July 1942. Each member was offered a commission in the United States Army Air Forces. Some accepted the offer, once again put on their American uniforms, and remained in China. Others later returned to the ranks of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps but fought in other areas of the world. Eighteen accepted offers to fly for
7380-421: The West, especially from the French Empire . In the late 1800s, the French started to build the Kunming-Haiphong railway between Kunming and Haiphong in what was then French Indochina . In the 1890s, an uprising against working conditions on the Kunming–Haiphong rail line saw many laborers executed after France shipped in weapons to suppress the revolt. The meter-gauge rail line, only completed by around 1911,
7503-406: The battered but regrouped Chinese Air Force in which Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault took command of cadet training duties in the summer of 1938. The Chinese Air Force command established the 41st Pursuit Squadron based in Kunming, also known as the French Volunteer Group squadron in June 1938, and with them they brought Dewoitine D.510 fighters, with the intention of securing the sale of
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#17327907641997626-445: The boundary of Japanese-Occupied China and one "Valley Field" existed in an area within Japanese-held territory. Specific field locations included Hanzhong , Ankang , Xi'an , Laohekou , Enshi , Liangshan , Baishiyi , Zhijiang , Hengyang , Guilin , Liuzhou , Zhanyi , Suichwan , and Lingling . Today, the 1st, 3rd and 5th Groups of CACW are still operating in Taiwan, reorganized as 443rd, 427th and 401st Tactical Fighter Wings of
7749-407: The caravan route through to Southeast Asia , India and Tibet . Early townships on the southern edge of Lake Dian (outside the contemporary city perimeter) can be dated back to 279 BC, although they have been long lost to history. Early settlements in the area around Lake Dian date back to Neolithic times. The Dian Kingdom , whose original language likely belonged to the Tibeto-Burman languages ,
7872-545: The city an important commercial center of trade in the region. The city also acts as a gateway to Southeast Asia and South Asia , the Kunming Changshui International Airport is one of the top 40- busiest airports in the world. As of 2024, the city is also home to six consulates from ASEAN countries. The headquarters of many of Yunnan's biggest corporations are based in the city, such as Hongta Group , Yunnan Copper Group , Hongyun Group, Yunnan Power Grid Co, and Fudian Bank. Kunming also houses some manufacturing, chiefly
7995-420: The city back into Qing hands. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was the seat of the superior prefecture of Yunnan . In 1832, the beginnings of a real city were acknowledged within the city walls and there were significant structures within their confines. The founding of the city can therefore be said to have been a predominantly 19th century affair. It was also in this century that the city grew to become
8118-407: The city came under the control of the Yuan dynasty during its invasion of the southwest in 1252–1253. During the reign of provincial governor Ajall Shams al-Din Omar , a "Chinese Style" city named Zhongjing was founded where modern Kunming is today. Shams al-Din ordered the construction of a Buddhist temple, a Confucian temple, and two mosques in the city. The Confucian temple, doubling as a school,
8241-400: The city center, each a solid thirteen stories of whitewashed brick crowned with four iron cockerels. The West Pagoda was built between 824 and 859, during the Tang dynasty ; its original counterpart, the East Pagoda, was built at the same time, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1833 and rebuilt in the same Tang style in 1882. South down Dongsi Road, past another mosque , the entrance to
8364-428: The city receives 2,198 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extreme temperatures in the city have ranged from −7.8 to 32.9 °C (18 to 91 °F) on 29 December 1983 and 25 May 2014 respectively. Mineral resources include phosphorus, salt, magnesium, titanium, coal, quartz sand, clay, silica, copper. Phosphorus and salt mines are the most plentiful. Kunyang Phosphorus Mine is one of the three major phosphorus mines in
8487-588: The city, with Kunming's huge Bird and Flower Market convening daily in the streets connecting it with the northerly, parallel Guanghua Street. The market offers many plants such as orchids that have been collected and farmed across the province. In the small grounds of a now vanished Confucian temple off the western end of Changchun Road, there is an avenue of pines, an ancient pond and pavilion, and beds of bamboo, azaleas and potted palms. Jinbi Road runs south of Dongfeng Road. Both of them connect to Beijing Road. Two large Chinese pagodas rise south of Jinbi Road and
8610-462: The command organization for the Air Force Reserve and state Air National Guard units. By 1949 with the establishment of the Western Air Defense Force (WADF) and Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF), the air defense mission of the command was transferred to primary to the EADF, leaving Fourteenth AF free to focus on its reserve training tasks. It was then reassigned to Continental Air Command and moved to Robins AFB , Georgia, in October 1949. During
8733-436: The command structure of 14 AF during the 1970s. In 1976 the headquarters of the 14th Aerospace Force was inactivated, being moved to Dobbins AFB , Georgia and activated as the Fourteenth Air Force (Reserve). The mission of the command at Dobbins was changed to the supervision, management and support of Air Force Reserve airlift forces for Military Airlift Command and participated in such missions as Operation Just Cause . It
8856-495: The construction of large iron and steel and chemical complexes, along with Chongqing , Chengdu and Guiyang in the southwest . A Minorities' Institute was set up in the 1950s to promote mutual understanding and access to university education among Yunnan's multiethnic population. The city consolidated its position as a supply depot during the Vietnam War and subsequent border clashes . Until Mao Zedong's death, in much of
8979-708: The country. Rock salt reserves are 1.222 billion tonnes (1.203 billion long tons ; 1.347 billion short tons ) and mirabilite reserves are 1.908 billion tonnes (1.878 billion long tons; 2.103 billion short tons). Dongchuan is a major copper production base. Proven reserves of Coal bed gas is about 500 billion cubic metres (18,000 billion cubic feet ), equal to 720 million tonnes (710 million long tons ; 790 million short tons ) of standard coal. Geothermal resources are widely distributed. Kunming has 2,585 hectares (6,390 acres ) of lawns, trees and flowers, averaging 4.96 square metres (53.4 square feet) per capita and
9102-545: The disposition of shipping and railways. He was killed by Chinese communists when he attempted to see a downed plane they had been assigned to guard ten days after the war ended, which led to him being chosen as the namesake of the John Birch Society . The incident is recounted in the memoir of Paul Frillmann , China: The Remembered Life , who had started the war as the chaplain for the Flying Tigers. In March 1946, USAAF Chief General Carl Spaatz had undertaken
9225-525: The east bank of the Panlong River outside of the old city walls at the intersection of Beijing Road and Dongfeng Road, where in the mornings there are crowds doing taijiquan and playing badminton . Weekend amateur theatre is also performed in the square. The Panlong River has had an artificial flow ever since the construction of the Songhua Dam, and the river has been developed into effectively
9348-605: The end of 1938, many more of China's military forces and civilians retreated to cities outside the reach of the Japanese military ground forces a year prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe in 1939, including the relocation of the Chinese Air Force Academy from Jianqiao Airbase to Kunming's Wujiaba Airbase , where the airfield was vastly expanded, becoming the new training hub for
9471-575: The essential support and materials were imported through Burma . After the attack on Pearl Harbor , and the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, Kunming acted as an Allied military command center, which grouped the Chinese, American, British and French forces together for operations in Southeast Asia. Kunming became the northern and easternmost terminus of the vital war-supply line into China known as " The Hump ' , which stretched over
9594-498: The first U.S. fixed-wing aircraft to be stationed in that country since the end of the Gulf War. On 1 July 1996, the 74th Fighter Squadron's F-16C/D Fighting Falcons were transferred to the 27th Fighter Wing 's 524th Fighter Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base , New Mexico, and the squadron transitioned to Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II received from the 20th Fighter Wing 's 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw. This gave
9717-503: The globe. On December 20, 2019, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett redesignated the 14 AF as Space Operations Command (SPOC), part of the newly established U.S. Space Force. On 21 Oct 2020, Space Operations Command, HQ was redesignated back to Fourteenth Air Force and inactivated. 14th Air Force's component wings and groups in 2019 were: * Authorized as a "Special Air Unit" by President Roosevelt in 1941 and equipped with United States equipment, however not officially affiliated with
9840-543: The group converted from the F-89D to the nuclear capable F-89H armed with AIR-2 Genie rockets . In 1958, the 76th FIS moved to McCoy Air Force Base , Florida and was assigned away from the group. The 75th FIS was in the process of converting to F-101 Voodoos , when the group was inactivated in 1959 as Presque Isle was being transferred to Strategic Air Command as host base for the SM-62 Snark Missile and
9963-453: The group were a mixture of Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from a batch of 50 sent to China for the AVG between January and June 1942, and a follow-up shipment of 68 P-40Es transferred from the 51st Fighter Group in India and flown over the Hump by personnel to be assigned to the 23rd, also mostly from the 51st Group. Others from the ranks of the original Flying Tigers left China when their contracts expired, although some returned to duty later with
10086-606: The group's 2nd Airlift Squadron deployed to Mombasa , Kenya, to participate in Operation Provide Relief . The aircraft and crews delivered tons of food and other relief supplies to small airstrips throughout Somalia. 23rd Wing C-130s were also tasked to assist in other humanitarian relief efforts, to include Hurricane Andrew in Florida. They also airdropped relief supplies into Bosnia and Herzegovina and flew relief missions into Sarajevo for more than 28 months. In September 1994, its C-130s participated in what
10209-640: The invasion force before recovering in Puerto Rico. The first operational deployment of a composite wing happened in October 1994, when Iraqi troops began massing near the Kuwaiti Border. Within 72 hours, 56 aircraft and 1,500 personnel deployed to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Vigilant Warrior . Eventually, the 75th Fighter Squadron redeployed to Al Jaber Air Base , Kuwait, becoming
10332-408: The main streets. While Beijing Road is arguably the main street of the city as a whole, it runs to the east of the city center. Jingxing Street, Guanghua Street, Zhengyi Road, Nanping Street, Qingnian Road, and Renmin Road are the main commercial areas in Kunming; the most popular pedestrian streets are Nanping Street, Zhengyi Road, and Jingxing Street. Kunming's modern city center is Nanping Square on
10455-632: The major market and transport centre for the region. Many of the city's inhabitants were displaced as a result of the 1833 Kunming earthquake . The rebel leader Du Wenxiu , the Muslim Han Sultan of Dali , attacked and besieged the city several times between 1858 and 1868. A great part of the city's wealth did not survive the 1856 Panthay Rebellion , when most of the Buddhist sites in the capital were badly damaged, converted to mosques or razed. Decades later, Kunming began to be influenced by
10578-418: The military classic, " God Is My Co-Pilot ." On the very first day of its activation, the 23rd Fighter Group engaged three successive waves of enemy aircraft and promptly recorded the destruction of five enemy aircraft with no losses to itself. The next three years saw the 23rd Fighter Group involved in much of the action over southeast and southwest Asia. It provided air defense for the Chinese terminus of
10701-517: The mission of the American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers" (AVG). Five of Chennault's staff officers, five pilots and 19 ground crewmen entered the United States Army Air Forces and became members of the 23rd Fighter Group. Approximately 25 Flying Tiger pilots, still in civilian status, volunteered to extend their contracts for two weeks to train the new group following the disbanding of their organization. The original aircraft of
10824-558: The mission of the 14th Aerospace Force was to detect foreign missile launches, track missiles and satellites in space, launch space vehicles, maintain a satellite data base of all man-made objects in space, and performing anti-satellite actions. Its former region of the southeast was reassigned to the 31st and 32d Air Divisions. As the 14th Aerospace Force, the command supervised the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) network of Radars along
10947-751: The name of an ancient ethnic group named Kunming Yi or Kunming Barbarian ( 昆明夷 ), which was a branch of the Di - Qiang people. The Kunming Yi lived in the neighbouring region of Erhai Lake during the Western Han dynasty. The Han dynasty incorporated the territory of the Dian Kingdom and set up a commandery called Yizhou in 109 BC; the Han dynasty also incorporated the Kunming Yi into Yizhou Commandery soon after. Therefore, Kunming Yi expanded east to
11070-442: The new street, Qingnian Lu, after them. The existence of the walls still echoes today at place names like the district of Xiaoximen ( 小西门 ; 'Lesser West Gate') and Beimen Jie ( 北门街 ; 'North Gate Street'). There are also less obvious connections to the wall, such as Qingnian Lu ( 青年路 ; 'Youth Road'), in the location of Kunming's east wall. After 1949, Kunming developed rapidly into an industrial metropolis with
11193-649: The northeast was a well-established trade trail to Yibin in Sichuan province on the Yangtze River . But these trails were all extremely difficult, passable only by mule trains or pack-carrying porters. Kunming reverted to county status in 1912, under the name Kunming, and became a municipality in 1935. The opening of the Kunming area began in earnest with the completion in 1906–1910 of the Kunming-Haiphong Railway to Haiphong in north Vietnam (part of French Indochina ). Kunming became
11316-675: The only United States Air Force aircraft currently authorized to carry this distinctive and historical aircraft marking. Currently based at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, the group is assigned as one of two operations groups of the 23rd Wing at Moody. The other group at Moody is the 347th Rescue Group . Both organizations serve as part of the Fifteenth Air Force and Air Combat Command . The 23rd Fighter Group's primary missions are forward air control , close air support , air interdiction and combat search and rescue operations . The group has two operational squadrons assigned:
11439-617: The original 100 fighters China had purchased for use by the Flying Tigers; the P-40E Warhawks had been flown from India to China in May 1942 as part of the 23rd Fighter Group , attached to the AVG to gain experience and provide continuity to the takeover of operations of the AVG. Both fighters were good medium-altitude day fighters, with their best performance between 15,000 and 18,000 feet, and they were excellent ground-strafing aircraft. The 11th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), consisting of
11562-519: The planes to the Chinese Air Force; the French participated in some combat engagements against Japanese raids, including dogfights against Mitsubishi A5M fighters with Chinese Hawk III fighters over Nanchang , but after several setbacks, including a fighter pilot KIA , the group was disbanded in October 1938. Although the Empire of Japan was focusing on ending the Chinese war of resistance at
11685-466: The processing of copper, as well as various chemicals, machinery, textiles, paper and cement. Kunming has a nearly 2,400-year history, but its modern prosperity dates only to 1910, when the railway from Hanoi was built. The city has continued to develop rapidly under China's modernization efforts. Kunming was designated a special tourism center and, as such, has experienced a proliferation of high-rises and luxury hotels . The name "Kunming" evolved from
11808-467: The range of Japanese bombers. In addition, a number of universities and institutes of higher education were evacuated there. The increased trade and expertise quickly established Kunming as an industrial and manufacturing base for the wartime government in Chongqing . As the battles of Shanghai, Taiyuan and Nanjing were lost by the end of 1937, and with Wuhan falling into Japanese occupation by
11931-641: The rest of China had fallen under Manchu rule. During the beginning of Qing rule, the entirety of Yunnan and Guizhou were ruled from Kunming and Wu. During the Revolt of the Three Feudatories , the seat of Wu's newly declared Zhou dynasty was moved to Hengzhou in Hunan . Later in 1678, when Wu died, his grandson Wu Shifan resisted the Qing for two more months before committing suicide, reverting control of
12054-494: The rest of the country Kunming was still generally thought as a remote frontier settlement. Accordingly, the government utilized Kunming as a place where to exile people who had fallen politically out of favor, especially during the Cultural Revolution . In 1957, Kunming's rail link to Haiphong and Hanoi was re-opened (after being cut during World War II). It was cut again in 1979 and re-opened again in 1996. Since
12177-459: The seven B-25s flown in from India, made up the bomber section of Chennault's command. These seven B-25C Mitchells were the remnants of an original 12 sent from India. Four were lost on a bombing mission en route and a fifth developed mechanical problems such that it was grounded and used for spare parts. The AVG was disbanded on 4 July 1942, simultaneous with the activation of the 23rd FG. Its personnel were offered USAAF commissions but only five of
12300-533: The six famous flowers of the city. The camellia was confirmed by the Municipality of Kunming as its city flower in 1983. The Kunming city government plans to create an environmental trial court to deal with environment-related lawsuits. It is to be part of the city's intermediate people's court and will have jurisdiction over appeals by companies that have been found guilty of violating environmental laws in cities throughout Yunnan. The population of Han
12423-419: The street has been demolished to make way for apartments and shopping centers. Rising behind a supermarket one block north off Zhengyi Road, Nancheng Qingzhen Si is the city's new mosque, its green dome and chevron-patterned minaret visible from afar and built on the site of an earlier Qing edifice. Running west off Zhengyi Road just past the mosque, Jingxing Street leads into one of the more bizarre corners of
12546-581: The temporary capital in Chongqing fell, with an elaborate system of caves to serve as offices, barracks and factories, but it was never utilised. Kunming was to have served again in this role during the ensuing Chinese Civil War , but the Nationalist garrison there switched sides and joined the Communists. Instead, Taiwan would become the last redoubt and home of the Republic of China government,
12669-417: The third most populous city in Southwestern China after Chongqing and Chengdu. As of the 2020 census, Kunming had a total population of 8,460,088 inhabitants, of whom 5,604,310 lived in its built-up (or metro) area made of all urban districts except Jinning . It is at the northern edge of Dian Lake , surrounded by temples and lakes and karst topography . Kunming consists of an old, previously walled city,
12792-404: The west bank of the Panlong River , at the intersection of Nanping Street and Zhengyi Street. This area is where Kunming's southern city wall once stood. Rapidly being modernized, this area is a crowded and dense shopping precinct packed with clothing and electronics stores. Surrounding the area are plenty of new high-rises. The area formerly considered the city center is Dongfeng Square, located on
12915-405: Was activated on 20 January 1966, at Gunter AFB , Alabama as part of Air Defense Command with the inactivation of its organization of Air Defense Sectors. Its area of responsibility was essentially the same as its 1948 region, with its region shifted slightly west to include New Mexico. Eastern North and South Carolina were under the activated First Air Force. On 16 January 1968 Air Defense Command
13038-579: Was again re-designated Fourteenth Air Force on 1 December 1985, and inactivated on 1 July 1993. On 1 July 1993, 14 AF returned to its former space role and became a Numbered Air Force for Air Force Space Command , responsible for performing space operations. In 1997, 14 AF established the Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB in California for the 24-hour command and control of all space operations resources. In 2002, 14 AF became
13161-450: Was also designed to reunite wartime squadrons with their traditional headquarters. However, the two squadrons were now operating Northrop F-89 Scorpions In addition, the group assumed USAF host responsibility for Presque Isle and was assigned the 23rd USAF Infirmary (later USAF Dispensary), 23rd Air Base Squadron, 23rd Materiel Squadron, and in 1957, the 23rd Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to carry out these duties. In 1957,
13284-732: Was also established near the area. Dian was subjugated by the Chinese Han dynasty under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han in 109 BC. The Han dynasty incorporated the territory of the Dian Kingdom into their Yizhou Commandery , but left the King of Dian as the local ruler. The Han dynasty (205 BC–AD 220), seeking control over the Southern Silk Road running to Burma and India, brought small parts of Yunnan into China's orbit, but subsequent dynasties could do little to tame what
13407-637: Was designed by the French so that they could tap into Yunnan's mineral resources for their colonies in Indochina. Kunming was a communications center during this time and a junction of two major trading routes, one westward via Dali and Tengchong County into Myanmar , the other southward through Mengzi County to the Red River in Indochina . Eastward, a difficult mountain route led to Guiyang in Guizhou province and thence to Hunan province. To
13530-427: Was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars. As a result of this project, the group, now designated the 23rd Fighter Group (Air Defense), replaced the 528th Air Defense Group at Presque Isle and once again assumed command of the 75th and 76 FIS, which also returned to Presque Isle to replace the 82nd and 319th FIS , because Project Arrow
13653-482: Was increasingly targeted by the IJAAF. When the Burma Road was lost to the Japanese, the Hump became China's primary lifeline to the outside world. The 1st American Volunteer Group, known as the " Flying Tigers ", was based in Kunming and tasked with defense of The Hump supply-line against Japanese aerial interceptions. Industry became important in Kunming during World War II . The large state-owned Central Machine Works
13776-549: Was re-activated on 24 May 1946 at Orlando Army Air Base (later, AFB) , Florida. It was originally assigned to provide air defense over a wide region of the Southeast United States along the border of North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, including Texas south to the Rio Grande . In addition to the command and control of the active Air Force interceptor and radar units in its region, it also became
13899-434: Was re-designated Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) as part of a restructuring of USAF air defense forces. The command was re designated as Fourteenth Aerospace Force on 1 July 1968 and moved to Ent AFB , Colorado, absorbing the resources of the 9th Aerospace Defense Division . As part of ADCOM's new emphasis on defenses against Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBMs),
14022-659: Was reactivated 10 October 1946, in Guam and assigned to the Twentieth Air Force , equipped with the long-range Republic P-47N Thunderbolt , replacing the 21st Fighter Group and assuming its equipment, personnel, and mission. While stationed in Guam, the 23rd became a part of the United States Air Force (USAF) when it became a separate military service on 18 September 1947. In 1948 it was assigned to
14145-818: Was recalled to active duty in the USAAF on 15 April 1942 in the grade of Major General. Chennault was told that he would have to be satisfied with command of a China Air Task Force of fighters and bombers as part of the Tenth Air Force . Its mission was to defend the aerial supply operation over the Himalayan mountains between India and China – nicknamed the Hump – and to provide air support for Chinese ground forces. Bissell had been promoted to brigadier general with one day's seniority to Chennault in order to command all American air units in China as Stillwell's Air Commander (in August 1942 he became commanding general of
14268-478: Was redesignated as the United States Space Force 's Space Operations Command (SPOC). On 21 Oct 2020, Space Operations Command, HQ was redesignated back to Fourteenth Air Force and inactivated. With the United States entry into World War II against the Empire of Japan in December 1941, Claire Chennault , the commander of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) (known as the Flying Tigers ) of
14391-540: Was relatively unknown at the time. In July 2005, the second Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit was held in Kunming, with government leaders from China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam participating. There, China agreed to lend its neighbors more than $ 1 billion for a series of projects. China promoted GMS cooperation as a first step toward building an eventual China- ASEAN Free Trade Area . Infrastructure improvements were underway to improve links between Kunming and Southeast Asia in time for
14514-472: Was the first of its kind in Yunnan, attracting students from minority groups across the province. Coupled with his promotion of Confucian ceremonies and customs, Shams al-Din has been largely credited with the sinicization of the region. The city grew as a trading center between the southwest and the rest of China. It is considered by scholars to have been the city of Yachi Fu (鸭池府) where people had used cowries as cash and ate their meat raw, as described by
14637-575: Was then a remote and wild borderland until the 13th century. During the Sui dynasty (581–618), two military expeditions were launched against the area, and it was renamed Kunzhou in Chinese sources. Founded in 765, Kunming was known to the Chinese as Tuodong ( 拓東 ) city in the Kingdom of Nanzhao (737–902) during the 8th and 9th centuries. Tuodong later became part of the successor Kingdom of Dali (937–1253). The possession of Tuodong changed hands when
14760-602: Was to be the largest combat personnel drop since World War II, Operation Uphold Democracy . They were to assist in dropping more than 3,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division onto Port au Prince Airport , Haiti. The invasion force was recalled at the last minute after word that the Haitian president had resigned upon hearing that the aircraft were on their way. The 75th Fighter Squadron's A-10s deployed their aircraft to Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina, where they were scheduled to launch close air support operations for
14883-495: Was to control and exploit space for global and theater operations, thereby ensuring U.S. warfighters were supported by the best space capabilities available. In 2005, 14 AF officially opened up its newly renovated operations center. The new command and control capabilities of the Joint Space Operations Center ensured unity of effort for all space capabilities supporting joint military operations around
15006-420: Was transferred there from Hunan , while the manufacture of electrical products, copper, cement, steel, paper, and textiles expanded. Until 1952, Kunming was a walled city. The city government in 1952 ordered hundreds of young people to tear down the wall and use its bricks to make a new road running north–south. To show its appreciation for the young people that demolished the east wall, the city government named
15129-597: Was transformed into a modern city as a result of fighting of the Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II in 1937 with the outbreak of the Battles of Shanghai , Nanking and Taiyuan , forcing a great movement of refugees from the north and eastern coastal regions of China, bringing much commerce and industry into the southwest of China, including Kunming. They carried dismantled industrial plants with them, which were then re-erected beyond
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