Manchukuo National Airways
Encyclopedia
was the name of the national airline of Manchukuo
. It is sometimes referred to as Manchukuo Air Transport Company.
Manchukuo National Airways was established on 26 September 1931 in Fengtian
by order of the Japanese Kwantung Army, out of the Manchurian branch office of Japan Air Transport
, the forerunner of Imperial Japanese Airways
. It officially adopted the name Manchukuo National Airways on the proclamation of the “independence” of Manchukuo. Major shareholder
s were the Manchukuo government, the South Manchurian Railway Company and the Sumitomo zaibatsu
.
From the beginning, the Manchukuo National Airways was a paramilitary
airline, whose primary purpose was to provide transport and logistical support for the military, and for the transport of mail
. Civilian passengers were carried and charter operations undertaken on a lower priority.
In 1936, an "Independent Volunteer Battalion" of the MKKK consisting of 13 aircraft fought on the side of the Inner Mongolian Army
against Kuomintang
-held Suiyuan.
The airline had a "hub
" in Hsinking and was linked by regular flight routes from Harbin
, Shamussi (Kiamusze), Jilin
, Mukden, Antung, Chinchow, Chengde
, Tsitsihar, Hailar
, and the Kwantung Leased Territory
and Korea
areas, for connections with Imperial Japanese Airways
(Dai Nippon Koku KK) to Japan itself or foreign routes. A long distance route between Hsinking and Berlin
was also pioneered in 1938.
The repair shops of the MKKK produced copies of the Fokker Super Universal
(Nakajima Ki-6
) and the De Havilland DH.80
"Pussmoth"
The Manchukuo National Airways ceased operations in August 1945 during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, however wartime fuel and equipment shortages had previously curtailed its operations considerably. Remaining aircraft, goods and equipment were confiscated, to the benefit of the Soviet Union
and Communist Chinese, after the conflict.
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
. It is sometimes referred to as Manchukuo Air Transport Company.
Manchukuo National Airways was established on 26 September 1931 in Fengtian
Fengtian
Fengtian is:* The name of an old prefecture under which Shenyang city was administered. Abolished in 1910.* The former name of Liaoning province from 1907 to 1929. Under the Manchukuo regime, the name was revived, but was again abolished in 1945....
by order of the Japanese Kwantung Army, out of the Manchurian branch office of Japan Air Transport
Japan Air Transport
was the national airline of the Empire of Japan from 1928 to 1938.-History:Commercial aviation began in Japan with the privately-held Japan Air Transport Institute, which pioneered passenger service between Sakai, Osaka and Tokushima on Shikoku island on 3 November 1922.On 30 October 1928, the...
, the forerunner of Imperial Japanese Airways
Imperial Japanese Airways
was the national airline of the Empire of Japan before World War II, and was the forerunner of the modern Japan Airlines.-History:With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, there was a tremendous need for air transport capability by the Japanese military, which had traditionally drawn on the...
. It officially adopted the name Manchukuo National Airways on the proclamation of the “independence” of Manchukuo. Major shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
s were the Manchukuo government, the South Manchurian Railway Company and the Sumitomo zaibatsu
Zaibatsu
is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.-Terminology:...
.
From the beginning, the Manchukuo National Airways was a paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
airline, whose primary purpose was to provide transport and logistical support for the military, and for the transport of mail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
. Civilian passengers were carried and charter operations undertaken on a lower priority.
In 1936, an "Independent Volunteer Battalion" of the MKKK consisting of 13 aircraft fought on the side of the Inner Mongolian Army
Inner Mongolian Army
The Inner Mongolian Army was first formed by Prince Demchugdongrub with his personal bodyguard of 900 men in 1929.Although only armed with rifles and a couple of field guns from the Mukden arsenal, a gift of the Young Marshal in 1929. His force became very efficient with the assistance of...
against Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
-held Suiyuan.
The airline had a "hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
" in Hsinking and was linked by regular flight routes from Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Shamussi (Kiamusze), Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
, Mukden, Antung, Chinchow, Chengde
Chengde
Chengde , previously known as Jehol or Re He , is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China, situated northeast of Beijing. It is best known as the site of the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden and palace formerly used by the Qing emperors as summer residence...
, Tsitsihar, Hailar
Hailar
Hailar may refer to:* Hailar River, part of the Russia-China border* Hailar District, district in Inner Mongolia, China...
, and the Kwantung Leased Territory
Kwantung Leased Territory
The Kwantung Leased Territory was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in Inner Manchuria that existed from 1898 to 1945. It was one of the numerous territorial concessions that the Empire of China was compelled to award to foreign countries at the end of the 19th century...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
areas, for connections with Imperial Japanese Airways
Imperial Japanese Airways
was the national airline of the Empire of Japan before World War II, and was the forerunner of the modern Japan Airlines.-History:With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, there was a tremendous need for air transport capability by the Japanese military, which had traditionally drawn on the...
(Dai Nippon Koku KK) to Japan itself or foreign routes. A long distance route between Hsinking and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
was also pioneered in 1938.
Fokker Super Universal
|-References:NotesBibliography* Dierikx, Marc. Fokker: A Transatlantic Biography. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997. ISBN 1-56098-735-9....
(Nakajima Ki-6
Nakajima Ki-6
|-See also:-External links:*...
) and the De Havilland DH.80
De Havilland Puss Moth
|-See also:-References:* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London, Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10010-7-External links:*...
"Pussmoth"
The Manchukuo National Airways ceased operations in August 1945 during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, however wartime fuel and equipment shortages had previously curtailed its operations considerably. Remaining aircraft, goods and equipment were confiscated, to the benefit of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Communist Chinese, after the conflict.
Fleet
- 30x Mansyu MT-1 Hayabusa airliner
- 27x De Havilland DH.80De Havilland Puss Moth|-See also:-References:* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London, Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10010-7-External links:*...
"Pussmoth" - 15x Messerschmitt Bf 108Messerschmitt Bf 108-Popular culture:Bf 108s and postwar Nord 1000s, played the role of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in war movies, including The Longest Day, 633 Squadron, Von Ryan's Express and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-See also:-References:Notes...
D "Taifun" liaison aircraft - 12x Nakajima Ki-34 "Thora" transports
- 10x Mitsubishi Ki-57Mitsubishi Ki-57|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. The Mitsubishi Ki-21 . Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967....
"Topsi" transports - 10x Junkers Ju 86Z-1Junkers Ju 86The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed in the early 1930s, and employed by both sides during World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry 10 passengers. Two were delivered to Swissair and five to Luft Hansa...
transports/bombers - 10x Junkers Ju 86Z-2Junkers Ju 86The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed in the early 1930s, and employed by both sides during World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry 10 passengers. Two were delivered to Swissair and five to Luft Hansa...
transports/bombers - 2x Heinkel He 116AHeinkel He 116-See also:-Bibliography:* Smith J. R. and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1972. ISBN 0-370-00024-2....
communications planes - 2x Fokker F.VIIb-3m/MFokker F.VIIThe Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence....
transports - 1x Tachikawa Ki-54Tachikawa Ki-54-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 1979. ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
"Hickory" transport - 1x De Havilland DH.85De Havilland Leopard Moth-See also:...
"Leopardmoth" - 1x Clark GA43 transport
- ?x Airspeed EnvoyAirspeed EnvoyThe Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light, twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. in the 1930s at Portsmouth Aerodrome, Hampshire.-Development and design:...
- ?x Nakajima Ki-6Nakajima Ki-6|-See also:-External links:*...
(license built Fokker Super Universal) - ?x Nakajima AT-2
- ?x Kokusai Ki-59Kokusai Ki-59|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography...