20 May 1938

China
  • Cen Zeliu led a flight of I-15bis fighters on a ground strafing mission near Lanfeng, Henan Province, China. They were intercepted by Japanese Ki-27 and Ki-10 fighters, which shot down 8 Chinese fighters and forced 2 to crash land. Only Cen and Lieutenant Ma Kwok-lim escaped from harm. After returning to base, ground crew counted more than 100 machine gun bullet holes on his aircraft. ww2dbase [Cen Zeliu | Lanfeng, Henan | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Please help us spread the word:

 Reddit
 Bluesky
 Mastodon

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
News

Random Photograph

SBD-2 Dauntless aircraft of US Marine Corps squadron VMSB-241 at Midway Atoll, 4 Jun 1942, photo 1 of 2; note damage sustained during attack on Hiryu

Current Site Statistics

Famous WW2 Quote
"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"

Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!