ABSTRACT
On August 23, 1958, the PRC shelled Kinmen Islands and the second Taiwan Strait crisis erupted. This time, the ROCAF controlled the air over the theater of operations. From August to October, there were no less than seven major air engagements; the ROCAF shot down thirty Chinese MIGs while only lost one F-86 in air-to-air combat.1 No matter what aims the PRC had in shelling the Kinmen Islands, whether it was to take the Islands or merely to intimidate the Taiwanese and Americans, the ROCAF’s firm control of the air made a significant contribution to the Islands’ defense and indirectly supported President Chiang Kai-shek’s risky political stratagem.
