中国人民解放军空军第2师 (The 2nd Division of the PLAAF)
- Yes, I would love to see this decal being added
- No, I believe this decal should not be added
Unit history:
The unit was established in Shanghai on November 25, 1950 was assigned to the 4th Mixed Brigade of the 11th Regiment equipped with La-11 airframes, it would be later renamed to the 2nd Division and re-designated as the 4th Regiment.
From December 21, 1951, to January 15, 1952 it took part in the Korean War with several key engagements.
Their main combat area was around the Chinese-North Korean border where they would partake it missions against small formations of U.S. Air Force aircraft, they also assisted in the capture of the Daho Island, Xiaohao Island, and adjacent islets with the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) Army’s 50th Corps [1]
Notably during November 30 1951, whilst escorting a formation of Tu-2 bombers, the squadron engaged with a formation of F-86 sabres and claimed to have shot down three U.S. F-86 fighters and damaged three others with the La-11, however US sources only cited that two F-86s were damaged with no combat losses whatsoever. [2]
Furthermore on August 23, 1956 the unit would gain significant infamy after shooting down a US P4M-1Q electronic reconnaissance aircraft (Bureau Number 124362) belonging to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) with their MiG-17 fighters, of the 16 crew members onboard the reconnaissance aircraft, none survived, it’s believed that only a single body was recovered from the wreckage. [3][4]
A photograph of the aircraft involved
Throughout the units service they have operated the La-11, MiG-17, Chengdu J-7 and finally the Sukhoi Su-27SK “Flanker” the units current status is uncertain but from the information that I can find, it has been disbanded since 2017. [5]
Decal usage and design
The unit emblem was fitted onto the middle of the wing on their fleet of Su-27SK Flankers, it’s uncertain if previous airframe models had the same decal applied.
it shares a strong resemblance to the US Air Force’s Tactical Air Command Crest Badge, which is a rare feature on Chinese aircraft, unit emblems are also strictly regulated, as such this serves as a unique exception to a long standing rule and I believe, deserves a spotlight for the monthly decals.
USAF Badge
PLAAF 2nd Divison badge, notice the similarities on the badge layout, background and wings, the background also resembles the Great Wall of China, but that is from my personal interpretation.
The inscription is as follows
(this is my own interpretation based on my understanding of Chinese, feel free to correct if I made some form of error)
The inscriptions are written in Chinese Pinyin, but it translates as:
KONG-JUN (空军) — Air Force
HANG (航) - Aviation
KONG BING (空兵) — Airborne Troops
Thus the inscription would mean “空军航空兵” (Lit. Air Force Aviation)
Whilst the origins of this decal is unknown, it would be a unique decal to have and I strongly believe players would enjoy collecting this as well.
Sources
- https://baike.baidu.com/item/中国人民解放军空军第二师?fromModule=lemma_search-box
- Fight for the Northwestern Islands: September-December 1951
- https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/cold-war/air-incidents/damage-usn-aircraft/asia-china-formosa-hainan-korea.html
- Redirecting…
- 中国人民解放军空军航空兵第二师 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书
Further reading
The Chinese military number for this unit is designated as “中国人民解放军95357部队” for anyone who is interested in looking for more information in regards with this unit.
Any discussions, feedbacks and corrections are more than welcomed, more importantly thank you for reading this far ^ ^