Site of the 13th General Station of the Nationalist Government Air Force

Site of the 13th General Station of the Nationalist Government Air Force

The Site of the 13th General Station of the Nationalist Government Air Force is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The Site of the 13th General Station of the Nationalist Government Air Force is located in Shuanggang Subdistrict, Kecheng District, Quzhou City, dating back to the Republican era.

Deep within the vegetation on Xintang Mountain in Wangcun Village, Shuanggang Subdistrict, there is an inconspicuous stone cave, 88.6 meters high, with a trapezoidal interior. The cliff face at the cave entrance bears the inscription “FITZHUGH, RADNEY,” which is now barely legible. When laboriously deciphered, the words sound awkward and foreign. According to existing records, these two English names refer to the co-pilot and gunner of Aircraft No. 2 in the B-25 bomber group during the "Doolittle" Raid. This site is the former location of the 13th General Station of the Air Force and served as the first stop for the U.S. forces returning after their surprise air raid on Japan during the "Doolittle" Mission in World War II in 1942. It was also the site of the first and largest-scale rescue operation by Chinese civilians and military personnel for American pilots. Former U.S. four-star General James Harold Doolittle and his comrades once took shelter in this cliff cave, forming an indelible bond with the people of Quzhou during the war.

On January 13, 2017, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province designated it as part of the seventh batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units