24th August 1938: The Kweilin incident marks the first ever civilian aircraft to be shot down

The Kweilin was a Douglas DC-2 passenger aircraft operated by China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC), and took off from Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport at 8:04 am. The plane was carrying 18 passengers and crew including Chinese and foreign nationals, including American missionary Eva Sandberg and Chinese politician H. H. Kung’s daughter, Kung Ling-kan. The aircraft was piloted by American pilot Hugh Woods.

The flight path to Chongqing took the Kweilin over southeastern China, a region embroiled in intense conflict due to the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War. As the aircraft neared the city of Namyung in Guangdong province, it was intercepted by three Japanese Mitsubishi A5M fighters that opened fire on the unarmed civilian aircraft. Although the exact cause of the attack is still unclear, it’s been speculated that the Japanese believed the plane might be carrying important Chinese officials or military personnel.

Captain Woods attempted an emergency landing, and successfully brought the plane down on a river where it was soon carried along by the fast current. While he searched for a boat to bring the passengers ashore the Japanese planes continued to strafe the stricken aircraft, and within an hour the continuous attacks had caused it to sink. Only three people survived.

The Kweilin incident caused an international outcry as a military attack on a civilian aircraft was unprecedented. The Chinese government used the incident to highlight Japanese aggression and gain sympathy from the international community, further galvanizing support for the Chinese war effort.