EXPERIENCE OF APPLICATION OF SOVIET BOMBER AVIATION IN CHINA FOR THE USSR AIR FORCE (1937-1939)

The article is devoted to the consideration of the results of the using bomber aviation of Air Forces USSR in the framework of providing military assistance to the armed forces of the Kuomintang in 1937–1939. The purpose of the publication is to analyze the combat experience gained by Soviet pilots in repelling Japanese aggression in China. The authors considered changes in the tactics of using bomber aircraft, methods for improving the technical characteristics of aircraft, the development of methods for training personnel. Particular attention is paid in the article to the recommendations presented by bomber pilots based on the results of combat missions, for implementation into the practice of the USSR Air Force. The publication is based on the memoirs of direct participants in the events and materials from the funds of the Russian State Military Archive. The author comes to the conclusion that combat practice in China allowed Soviet pilots to gain experience, study the performance characteristics of their aircraft in the best possible way and even make some modifications to their design, and the analysis of combat sorties significantly expanded the arsenal of tactics of Soviet aviation.