Xu Huansheng

Xu Huansheng (Chinese: 徐焕升; pinyin: Xú Huànshēng; Wade–Giles: Hsu Huang-sheng; 1906 – March 4, 1984) was a combat aviator of the Republic of China Air Force. He was from the first graduating class of the Huangpu (Whampoa) Military Academy's aviation school. Xu Huansheng helped further develop the curriculum at the Central Army Academy Aviation Corps as it transitioned into the Central Aviation Academy based at Jianqiao Airbase, accepting training of officers and new pilots as well as integrating experienced pilots from the various warlord air forces as conflict loomed between China and the Empire of Japan.

In March 1938, then-Captain Xu Huansheng was leading the training at Fenghuangshan Airbase (凤凰山空军基地) for a long-range strategic bombing into the Japanese home islands, choosing the Martin B-10 bomber (a.k.a. Model 139W) as the ideal aircraft in the Chinese Air Force inventory to take-on the transoceanic mission; specifically with the targeting of Sasebo Naval Base and Yawata (steel works). As training progressed it was decided that the limited strategic bombing of such targets would be of little value in the effort to stem the Imperial Japanese aggressions and war crimes, and thus it was decided that dropping massive amounts of anti-war leaflets in a humanitarian mission to "raise the conscience of the Japanese people against the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese warmongers in China" would be more effective.

On 19 May 1938, Capt. Xu Huansheng and Lt. Tong Yanbo started their long-planned "strategic bombing" mission into Japan with their B-10 bombers of the 14th Bomber Squadron, numbered "1403" and 1404", flying out from Wuhan Wangjiadun Airbase (武汉王家墩空军基地), and landing at the forward-auxiliary Ningbo Lishe Airbase (宁波栎社空军基地) for refueling, before proceeding on the 885 kilometres (550 mi) flight towards southern Japan through inclement weather which cleared up as the Chinese airmen approached the coast of Kyushu, Japan. The Chinese bombers entered the airspace over Nagasaki at 0245, 20 May 1938, without any response from Japanese defenses, reducing altitude and dropping a flare bomb to help with the payload release, and starting their "bombing" of Nagasaki before splitting up and proceeding to other civilian centers including Fukuoka, Saga, among other cities, reconnoitering Japanese commercial, military and industrial assets. The Japanese defenses in Nagasaki eventually determined the intrusion and blacked-out the lights in the city, nonetheless, a clear moonlight provided good illumination for the Chinese aircrews of the landscape and terrain below. The two B-10 bombers rendezvoused at 0332 and reconnoitered for another half-hour before proceeding back to mainland China. As scheduled, radio direction finding signals for Capt. Xu and Lt. Tong were starting transmission from Changsha and Hankow at 0452 and 0550 respectively, and at 0712 the Chinese bombers were flying over Sanmenwan off the coast of Zhejiang when Imperial Japanese warships moored below started firing Anti-aircraft artillery at the Chinese B-10s, without any effect. The two bombers reaching separate refueling points: B-10 #1404 landed at Yushan Airbase (玉山空军基地) at 0848 and B-10 #1403 landed at Qingyunpu Airbase (青云谱空军基地) at 0932; both Capt. Xu and Lt. Tong and their crews returned to Wangjiadun Airbase by midday, where they were greeted with fanfare by top dignitaries including Premier Kung Hsiang-hsi and chief CCP-KMT liaison Zhou Enlai. It is said that Xu Huansheng was featured among the "12 most notable aviators" in a 1944 issue of Life magazine, and in it he is described as the first man who led an air raid on Japan, before Doolittle.

Xu Huansheng had pursued advanced studies at the Jiangsu Medical University, aviation academics in Germany and Italy, and then serving as a medical flight officer and pilot training at the Central Aviation Academy. He also served as a pilot for the transport of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Major General Tang Duo of the PLAAF and General Wang Shuming of the RoCAF were both student-interns along with Xu Huansheng in the inaugural class of military aircraft studies at the site of the Guangzhou Dashatou Aircraft Factory at the Dashatou Aerodrome in 1925, of which Hawaiian-born Sen Yet Young was the founding director.