CHINA: Republic, AE medal (24.96g), ND (ca. 1946), 51mm, Kuomingtang Air Force Special Agent Brigade Service Memorial Medal, 12-rayed bronze star with white-enameled circle within red border, tè (special) within central black circle, with medal name above and gold star below // medal name, attached through loop with pentagonal brooch plaque, covered in yellow ribbon with gold and red stripes, EF, ex Gregory J. Cole Collection. In 1936, the Republican government purchased a large number of aircraft from the United States and reorganized its air force. Five Special Agent brigades were established to protect air force facilities against Japanese air raids, often by means of anti-aircraft machine guns. The brigades were disbanded after the war in 1946, and agents with ten years of service were reportedly given medals with the gold star.
