“敌机跳梁”:抗战后期中美空军对日航运空袭(1943—1945)

“Enemy Aircrafts Being Clowns: ”The Air Strikes of the Sino-US Air Force on Japanese Shipping in the Late Period of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,1943-1945

由于缺乏煤铁等天然资源,日本自战前即仰赖中国大陆的煤炭与铁砂供应其重工业生产,此一现象在太平洋战争爆发后仍未改变。有鉴于此,中美空军从1943年秋开始了对日本在中国东南沿海及内河的航运空袭。尽管日本商船队损失不如预期,但盟军空袭正好赶上日本钢铁增产计划的重要阶段,更重要的是空袭引发的一连串导致航运体系瘫痪的连锁反应,造成沦陷区煤铁船运量锐减,阻碍了日本战时生产体制的运行,促成了日军在战场上的败北。是故,中美空军对日航运轰炸,对抗战胜利做出了一定程度的贡献。美国以中国为基地发动的对日航运空袭,及参与其中的中国空军的作用,应给予更多的正面评价。

Due to the innate lack of natural resources such as coal and iron, Japan had relied on coal and iron sand from China's Mainland to supply its heavy industrial production before the War of Resistance. This phenomenon did not change after the outbreak of the Pacific War. Therefore, the Sino-US air force officially launched air strikes on Japanese shipping off the Southeast coast and inland waterways of China since the autumn of 1943. Although the losses of the Japanese merchant ships were not as heavy as expected, the air strikes of the Allied Army coincided with an important stage of Japan’s iron and steel production plan, and more importantly, a series of chain reactions that led to the paralysis of the shipping system caused by air attacks, resulting in a sharp decline in the volume of coal and iron ships in the occupied areas. All these led to the collapse of Japan’s war production system and promoted the defeat of the Japanese army on the battlefields. Therefore, the Sino-US air force’s bombing of Japanese shipping had also made a certain contribution to the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The air strikes on Japanese shipping launched by the United States from China’s bases and the role of the Chinese air force played in the process also show that the academic circles need to rethink China’s position and role in the Second World War, and should give more positive comments on them.