December 25, 1950

The recreated 3rd Air Army, comprising over seven hundred transport aircraft, has been officially redeployed to operate in the North-North-East China Area.

The nominal 73rd Air Army, comprising approximately 600 fighter aircraft organized in eight regiments, principally MiG-15 day fighters as well as one regiment of La-9 all-weather interceptors, has been officially deployed to the North, Central, and Southern China Areas, replacing previous special detached air-defense units organized against Nationalist-Chinese air raids.

Large elements, in excess of three regiments, have been drawn from the 26th Air Army in Belarus and deployed to reinforce the 34th Air Army in the Far Eastern Military District.

A single squadron from the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of Tu-4 “Bull” aircraft has been deployed to the Central China theater.

Additional support and liason aircraft have been detached for supplemental duties in the China areas.

Large detachments from Soviet aviation of pilots and older airframes have been deployed to Almaty, Tashkent, and Bishkek for the purposes of training Chinese aviators.

In addition to these deployments, over 20,000 Soviet construction experts and technicians, 6,000 pieces of earthmoving and heavy equipment, and other machinery and supporting infrastructure including navigation radars and radio beacons, has been dispatched to build-out airfields and air navigation infrastructure in the Chinese mainland.

Furthermore, over 80,000 GULAG prisoners, along with heavy equipment, MGB guards, Mongol volunteers, and, for those of you keeping track, a number of veteran Greek KKE communists, have been tasked with accelerating construction of a railway from Ulaanbataar to Peking, some 1250km distant. With the easy topography, and building from both ends, it is hoped that such a railway will be complete by the end of 1951. [M: this is in case I don’t get bob to do a separate post]