G. Kulishenko, a Ukrainian, was an outstanding Communist and air force major. Sent to China by the then Soviet Union, he led a team of long-range bombers to support the country's efforts in fighting the Japanese.
After the War of Resistance against Japan broke out, the Japanese army launched a bombing campaign over China. It was at this critical moment that the Soviet Union offered its support by dispatching air force teams to China to assist in the war effort.
By the summer of 1939, Soviet instructors trained 1,045 Chinese pilots, 81 navigators, 198 shooters and telegraphers, and 8,354 air force technicians.
Kulishenko died in the line of duty on October 14, 1939.
(China.org.cn November 18, 2005)
