二次世界大戰資料庫 (WW2DB)

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseMatsuyama Airfield was built in Taihoku (now Taipei), Taiwan in 1936. Starting in 1937, Type 96 G3M bombers of Japanese Navy's Kanoya Air Group had based in Matsuyama for the purpose of bombing Chinese positions along the Chinese coast. On 14 Aug 1937, an 18-bomber sortie launched from Matsuyama targeting Jianqiao Airfield in Zhejiang Province and Guangde Airfield in Anhui Province (both in China) was intercepted by Chinese fighters, resulting in 4 bombers shot down without any losses on the Chinese side, and the date was proclaimed as Air Force Day by the Chinese. In 1944, Japanese Army's 37th Kyoiku Hikotai, a training outfit equipped with Ki-61 fighters, was established at Matsuyama; many of the instructors would participate in combat against the Americans over Taiwan and Japan in the final months of the war. US Army Far East Air Forces bombed Matsuyama several times between Mar and Aug 1945, with the final mission having taken place on 12 Aug 1945 using B-24 heavy bombers.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, the airfield was renamed Songshan, which was simply the Chinese pronunciation of the Japanese kanji writing for Matsuyama. Songshan became a base of the Chinese Air Force in 1946. Beginning in 1950, it saw mixed military and civilian use, which would remain so through today. It is now the secondary civilian international airport serving the city of Taipei, while it is also the headquarters of the Chinese Air Force Songshan Base Command whose mission is to serve the transportation needs of the President and Vice President of the Republic of China.

Matsuyama Airfield 互動地圖

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Matsuyama Airfield Timeline

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